Scientific excellence and extramural research grants: Beggars can't be choosers?

Several reviews and impact assessment studies have concluded that the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6) succeeded in fostering scientific excellence and attracting the 'A Team' in public science. However, these studies typically fail to contrast their findings with the variety of funding opportunities available to public science. Based on a sample of more than 1,000 scientists at universities and public research institutes in Germany, this paper finds that highly credentialed faculty typically chose other funding opportunities than FP6, for example grants from science foundations or industry. In fact, FP6 only seems to be attractive for the scientific 'B Team' that works rather application oriented. The findings further indicate that an FP6 participation substitutes for other grant programmes while the latter are complementary to each other. If this is intended to be changed other funding priorities will be required, for example smaller team sizes, less predefined research topics, a reduced administrative burden, and a higher quality of the peer review system. --Research funding,scientist productivity,Sixth Framework Programme

Gift Horses, Choosy Beggars, and Other Reflections on the Role and Utility of Social Enterprise Law

The U.S. law of social enterprise is growing rapidly. Since 2008, one-half of all U.S. states have modified their business law to establish special legal forms designed for social enterprise. Meanwhile, even with twenty-five states adopting special laws for social enterprise, the legal debate surrounding social enterprise continues. Rather than rehashing that debate, this essay sets forth the author’s personal perspective on the role and utility of social enterprise. The essay argues that, except in limited circumstances, social enterprise is superior to traditional philanthropy when it comes to solving longstanding humanitarian or environmental problems. U.S. business law thus should continue to evolve to facilitate social enterprise

Gift Horses, Choosy Beggars, and Other Reflections on the Role and Utility of Social Enterprise Law

The U.S. law of social enterprise is growing rapidly. Since 2008, one-half of all U.S. states have modified their business law to establish special legal forms designed for social enterprise. Meanwhile, even with twenty-five states adopting special laws for social enterprise, the legal debate surrounding social enterprise continues. Rather than rehashing that debate, this essay sets forth the author’s personal perspective on the role and utility of social enterprise. The essay argues that, except in limited circumstances, social enterprise is superior to traditional philanthropy when it comes to solving longstanding humanitarian or environmental problems. U.S. business law thus should continue to evolve to facilitate social enterprise

Gender Matters, Volume 15, Issue 2, November/December 2009

A bulletin of the Illinois State University Women’s and Gender Studies program, Volume 15, Issue 2, November/December 2009.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/gm/1013/thumbnail.jp

Volunteer tourism: An ambiguous marketing phenomenon

One of the more recent forms of tourism to emerge from the continuing fragmentation of tourism into many different forms is what has become known as Volunteer Tourism. Although itself taking on a number of variations, it is essentially the practice of individuals going on a working holiday and volunteering their labour for worthy causes. It is widely accepted that volunteer tourism has mirrored in many ways the development and commercialisation of opportunities for individuals to engage in ecotourism, another form of tourism which also began on a small scale with compassionate and non-economic priorities. This theoretical paper illustrates the ambiguity that characterises the volunteer tourism phenomenon and the challenges that this poses in terms of its marketing

Investigative journalism in Melanesia: Is it needed?

Some argue there is no place for investigative journalism in Melanesia, particularly in Papua New Guinea. Such critics believe that for investigations to be effective then politicians must make changes. A media panel at a UNESCO-funded seminar at the University of PNG debates these issues

Poverty Relief or Poverty Eradication?

The author challenges the reader to make two mindshifts: from a focus on poverty relief to an emphasis on poverty eradication; and from viewing the poor as the objects of poverty alleviation to accepting them as the subjects of poverty eradication. The case is argued and a practical approach towards poverty eradication is proposed