123,846 research outputs found

    The philosophy and practice of Taktfahrplan: a case-study of the East Coast Main Line.

    Get PDF
    Executive Summary This Working Paper has three purposes, represented by three Parts: - to explain the principles of the Taktfahrplan approach to railway timetabling; - to summarise the implications of the background research on the structure of the network; and - to describe the exercise of constructing a Taktfahrplan for the East Coast Main Line that formed the case-study of the potential benefits of such a scheme compared with the existing timetable. In Part I the broad principles and objectives are first outlined, and the advantages and disadvantages discussed [§ 1.1,1.2]. A Taktfahrplan is based on standard hours and the careful, network-wide coordination of sewices. It is recognised that ultimately the choice between this and conventional timetabling methods must depend on an evaluation of the loss of present flexibility to adjust to time-specific market demands against the gains from enhanced connectivity and from the fact of regularity. Issues concerning resources and the management of peak periods are also explained. Terminology is then dealt with because words and phrases are being used with imprecise and various meanings [§1.3]. There follows a detailed account of the arithmetic rules through which the ideal relationships between train (and bus) sewices can be attained, together with an explanation of the measures that can be taken to make the best compromises in the face of the characteristics of the real network - or to adjust it over time [§ 1.4]. In Part 2 the research to highlight features of the underlying demand for travel is described. This is not a necessary component of strategic timetable planning, but it is argued that it is desirable in order both to break free from the historical baggage and to seize the business, environmental and social-policy opportunities that a 'clean- sheet' timetable would present [§2.1]. The provisional findings from this work (it was left incomplete for reasons that are explained) are then deployed to form the skeleton of a national network connecting 100 important centres with 158 links. This is followed by an analysis of the very variable standards of the rail timetable on those links and of the road competition and by an account of some first thoughts as to how a full-scale Taktfahrplan might start to be developed on this network [§2.2]. This emphasises the inter-relationships between sewices and the inescapable consequences for pathing trains, once it is accepted that sensible spacing of services and striving for good connectivity are more important than optimising routes on a self-contained basis. It was thought appropriate to include a summary of the findings regarding the low-density end of the current rail system in order to indicate the issues that Taktfahrplan might raise in this respect [§2.3]. The East Coast case-study is presented in Part 3. Some technical matters are explained first, including the key point that the exercise used the Viriato timetabling software employed by the Swiss Federal Railways (and many other systems) to construct Taktfahrpliine [§3.1]. Successive sub-parts then describe groups of services: long-distance [§3.2], services within Scotland [§3.3], services in North East England [§3.4], the trans-Pennine network [§3.5] and some of the Yorkshire services [§3.6]

    Economic Returns to Social Capital in the Urban Informal Sector in Developing Countries: Micro Evidence from Small Textile Producers in Bolivia

    Get PDF
    The paper uses micro-level data obtained from surveying informal and formal small textile producers in Bolivia to estimate the economic returns to social capital. Social capital is defined as being linked to other individuals. The paper studies forms of social links that vary with respect to their inclusiveness and their ability to enforce cooperation. The paper shows, first, that social capital has an economic return for informal firms but not for formal ones. Informal firms operate without the shadow of courts in an environment that is characterized by a lack of anonymous trust which makes self-enforcing social links valuable. Second, more inclusive social capital generates a higher return as long as the self-enforcement constraint is met. The evidence supports the hypothesis that the “strength of weak ties”- argument advanced by scholars such as Granovetter, Putnam, and Fukuyama has to be complemented by the game-theoretic condition requiring exchange among linked players to be (self)-enforceable.Social Capital, Anonymous Trust, Informal Sector, Small Firms.

    Trust in justice and the legitimacy of legal authorities: topline findings from a European comparative study

    Get PDF
    Issues of public trust in justice and institutional legitimacy are becoming increasingly salient in debate about criminal justice across Europe. Legitimate authority can be defined as having three interlinked elements: (a) legality (acting according to the law); (b) shared values (values that are shared by those with authority and those subject to that authority); and (c) consent (the sense amongst the policed of a moral obligation to obey the authority). According to this definition, legitimacy is present not only when individuals recognise the authority of institutions and feel a corresponding duty of deference to them (consent); it is also present when individuals believe that justice institutions have a proper moral purpose (shared values), and that justice institutions follow their own rules as well as the rules that govern everyone in society (legality). With this definition in mind, we analyse in this chapter data from the fifth European Social Survey on relationships between public trust in justice institutions and public perceptions of the legitimacy of these institutions

    Who owns the land? Social relations and conflict over resources in Africa

    Get PDF
    Using case studies drawn from the authors' own and others’ research, this working paper describes and compares some of the ways land conflicts reflected, intensified or reshaped struggles over authority within and between families, local communities, institutions and states in post-colonial Africa. In the past, many Africans gained access to land through membership in a social group, rather than freehold ownership. In recent decades, with rising demand for land, urgent questions arose about land tenure and debates over land transactions often turned on issues of authority. Who was entitled to sell, lease, mortgage or bequeath land or land use rights to others, and who could decide? Coinciding with Africans’ struggles to work out the conditions of their own self-government following the end of colonial rule, rising competition over land intersected with conflicts over authority and obligation at all levels of social interaction. This essay will focus on processes of ‘privatisation from below’, asking how smaller-scale commercial acquisitions figure as sources of wealth and/or threats to livelihood in different economic and political contexts.Das Working Paper beschreibt und vergleicht einige der Formen, wie sich KĂ€mpfe um AutoritĂ€t in und zwischen Familien, lokalen Gemeinschaften, Institutionen und in Staaten im postkolonialen Afrika in Konflikten um Land widerspiegelten, intensivierten oder verĂ€nderten. Dabei bezieht sich die Autorin auf Fallstudien aus ihrer eigenen und anderer Forschung. FrĂŒher bekamen viele Afrikaner_innen Zugang zu Land eher ĂŒber die Mitgliedschaft in einer sozialen Gruppe als ĂŒber individuelles Eigentum. In den letzten Jahrzehnten, mit der wachsenden Nachfrage nach Land, kamen wichtige Fragen in Hinblick auf Landbesitz auf und Debatten ĂŒber Landtransaktionen widmeten sich zunehmend dem Thema AutoritĂ€t. Wer war berechtigt Land oder Landrechte zu verkaufen, zu verpachten, zu verpfĂ€nden oder zu vererben und wer konnte das entscheiden? Die gleichzeitige Suche nach den Bedingungen einer eigenen Regierungsweise nach Ende der Kolonialherrschaft fĂŒhrte dazu, dass sich die zunehmende Konkurrenz um Land mit Konflikten um AutoritĂ€t und Zwang auf allen Ebenen der sozialen Interaktion verband. Dieser Artikel betrachtet Prozesse der ,Privatisierung von unten‘ und fragt danach, wie kleinere kommerzielle Aneignungen als Basis fĂŒr Wohlstand und/oder Bedrohung der Lebensgrundlage in verschiedenen ökonomischen und politischen Kontexten fungieren

    Social policy and the changing concept of child well-being. The role of international studies and children as active participants

    Full text link
    Social policy refers to the overall actions and services a society takes to ensure the well-being of its citizens. As such, children are at the forefront of social policy, and investing in them is both crucial for their current well-being and an investment toward the future. However, the concept of child well-being is changing. Scholars have termed this shift as one of moving from child-saving to child development or from child welfare to child well-being. This changing context, which in many ways is still developing, is complicating the effort to develop appropriate indicators and outcome measures of children\u27s quality of life and status and consequently it is complicating the evaluation of social policy and its contribution. This paper presents the changing context of children\u27s well-being, the major shifts that have occurred in the field, and their implications for evaluating social policy. It then goes on to discuss the potential of international comparisons in evaluating social policies and in particular the new role for children\u27s subjective reports on their well-being as a tool for evaluating social policy. In that regard, the paper presents the International Survey of Children\u27s Well-Being and concludes with a call for new policies that will adhere to the new concept of children\u27s well-being and serve to create a better life for children. (DIPF/Orig.

    The National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review

    Get PDF
    Six years after its creation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undertook the first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) to inform the design and implementation of actions to ensure the safety of the United States and its citizens. This review, mandated by the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, represents the first comprehensive examination of the homeland security strategy of the nation. The QHSR includes recommendations addressing the long-term strategy and priorities of the nation for homeland security and guidance on the programs, assets, capabilities, budget, policies, and authorities of the department.Rather than set policy internally and implement it in a top-down fashion, DHS undertook the QHSR in a new and innovative way by engaging tens of thousands of stakeholders and soliciting their ideas and comments at the outset of the process. Through a series of three-week-long, web-based discussions, stakeholders reviewed materials developed by DHS study groups, submitted and discussed their own ideas and priorities, and rated or "tagged" others' feedback to surface the most relevant ideas and important themes deserving further consideration.Key FindingsThe recommendations included: (1) DHS should enhance its capacity for coordinating stakeholder engagement and consultation efforts across its component agencies, (2) DHS and other agencies should create special procurement and contracting guidance for acquisitions that involve creating or hosting such web-based engagement platforms as the National Dialogue, and (3) DHS should begin future stakeholder engagements by crafting quantitative metrics or indicators to measure such outcomes as transparency, community-building, and capacity

    Mending the Gap Between Law and Practice, Organizational Approaches for Women's Property Rights

    Get PDF
    This document presents information of how women in many countries are far less likely than men to own property and assets - key tools to gaining economic security and earning higher incomes. Though laws to protect women's property rights exist in most countries, gender and cultural constraints can prevent women from owning or inheriting property. In this series, ICRW suggests practical steps to promote, protect and fulfill women's property rights

    Expanding Global Philanthropy to Support the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People

    Get PDF
    Summarizes discussions from a September 2008 meeting of donors, foundation leaders, and rights advocates on the global lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights movement, key obstacles, and ways to increase philanthropic resources to address them
    • 

    corecore