"Making Art, Making Media, Making Change!?" Prozesse des Queerings und des Empowerments in der Arbeit mit Jugendlichen

"Wie können soziale und kulturelle Ordnungen, die eine Gesellschaft strukturieren, in der Arbeit mit Jugendlichen thematisiert werden? Wie lassen sich Machtverhältnisse und hegemoniale Deutungen infrage stellen? Das in diesem Beitrag vorgestellte Wissenschaftskommunikationsprojekt greift solche Fragestellungen auf und eröffnet in der Zusammenarbeit mit Jugendlichen Möglichkeiten der Intervention in hegemoniale Deutungsmuster durch eigene kulturelle Produktionen. Den theoretischen Rahmen bildet eine Verbindung der Perspektive des Queerings mit Ansätzen der kritischen Kunst- und Kulturvermittlung. Anhand von durchgeführten Workshops mit Jugendlichen und den im Projekt entwickelten visuellen Materialien diskutieren wir, wie durch Bildkarten die Heteronormativität sowie Zweigeschlechtlichkeit infrage gestellt sowie dominante Blickregime und hegemoniale Bildpolitiken und Zuschreibungen kritisch reflektiert werden können. Ein Queering kann demnach Handlungsräume für Jugendliche eröffnen, in denen gemeinsam gesellschaftliche und soziale Normierungen dekonstruiert sowie (macht)kritische und ermächtigende Deutungen erarbeitet werden können." (Autorenreferat)"How can social and cultural regimes that structure society be addressed when working with young people? How can power structures and hegemonic constructions be called into question? The scientific communication project presented in this article addresses these questions. In collaboration with young people, the project opens up possible interventions in hegemonic interpretations through young people's active cultural productions. The theoretical outline is shaped by queer theories - in particular the queering perspective - linked to approaches in critical art and cultural education. Based on visual material developed within the research project (image cards that question heteronormativity and gender binary) we discuss a way to critically reflect dominant regimes of the gaze and hegemonic images. We suggest that queering can open a space of agency for young people in which societal and social norms can be deconstructed and new meanings developed and envisioned." (author's abstract

COMPANY

The artistic research in COMPANY investigates behind the scenes of everyday worklife in a metalworking industrial enterprise. In photographs, videos, and conversations with the workers in this company, the authors search out signs and structures of that "company" with which bread is shared (lat. cum pane), a society which, despite seemingly predetermined rules, is always a work in progress

Financial Literacy in der Schweiz : Erhebung über den Stand des Finanzwissens

In 2005, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD published a study on financial education at an international level, entitled "Improving Financial Literacy: Analysis of Issues and Policies". It revealed that a large proportion of the population has very limited knowledge of financial issues and that the general level of knowledge is grossly overestimated. In addition, it became clear that people find it difficult to find and to grasp pertinent financial information. Similar results supporting these findings were yielded by two other studies conducted in Germany. Switzerland was excluded from these studies, which is why Investor’s Dialogue, a financial consulting firm, commissioned a new study, conducted as a semester assignment at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, to establish whether, and to what extent, such problems exist in Switzerland. Financial education is gaining in importance. Increasingly, different areas of the world of finance require us to place more emphasis on taking care of our own financial affairs. This is a topic of some significance, in particular in the context of developments in the field of retirement planning. This shift towards assuming more personal responsibility in money matters can however only be successful where there is enough fundamental knowledge in financial matters. A survey entitled "Financial Literacy in Switzerland” was carried out using a questionnaire which was sent to private citizens, ZHAW students and ZHAW staff, as well as to two Swiss companies. The questionnaires which were returned and analyzed yielded the following results: The surveyed individuals consider themselves to be quite knowledgeable in financial matters. In answer to one question, the subjects replied that it was no problem for them to explain different financial products. However, when the participants’ self-assessment was put to the test, it became evident that, for the most part, their actual level of knowledge was considerably lower than they had assumed. In fact, the less actual financial knowledge they had, the larger the gap between self-estimation and real knowledge. A major problem consists of knowing how to assess financial risks and rates of return. Many people do not seem to be able to understand the relationship between these two factors. Another area where there is a great need for more knowledge is retirement planning. Only about half of the respondents were able to answer the relevant questions correctly. When asked to identify reliable sources of relevant information, they listed newspapers and magazines, family members and friends, as well investment consultants. Accordingly, people mostly seek advice from investment consultants or consult written information, which according to the OECD study does not have any significant effect on financial behavior. Lectures and other public events were rated to be rather mediocre in terms of usefulness. Surprisingly, more than 50% of all respondents claimed to be interested in learning more about handling their finances. We therefore suspect that there is considerable potential for financial education. Based on these insights, we are convinced that there is a demand in Switzerland for products to develop financial knowledge. We thus propose a new educational scheme: Learning about the complexities of finance would be part of compulsory school education. This would enable students to acquire the basics of personal finance and money management at an early age and enable them to continuously enhance their knowledge as they get older. Anyone who lacks the necessary basic know-how after completing their education should attend additional public functions in order to acquire that knowledge. To this end, it might be advisable to cooperate with banks and insurance companies, which could offer financial seminars and educational activities for their clients. After all, well-informed clients with a broader knowledge of financial matters are likely to be more profitable, as well. People who already have a basic understanding of all things financial are recommended to take part in a program to enhance their financial knowledge. This will be aimed at closing critical knowledge gaps. The type of program most suited to this goal would be a modular system which would offer specific courses according to the individual situation and the specific needs of every investor. A combination of personal investment advice, public seminars and self study might be advisable here. Such courses might once again be offered in cooperation with financial institutions and/or with public or private schools.Im Jahr 2005 hat die Organisation für wirtschaftliche Kooperation und Entwicklung (OECD) eine internationale Studie zum Thema "Analphabetismus im Finanzbereich" durchgeführt. Dabei wurde festgestellt, dass der Wissensstand bezüglich finanziellen Belangen bei einem Grossteil der Bevölkerung sehr gering ist und zudem stark überschätzt wird. Zudem wurde deutlich, dass die Menschen Schwierigkeiten haben, Informationen im Finanzbereich zu finden und zu verstehen. Zwei weitere Studien aus Deutschland unterstützen diese Resultate mit ähnlichen Ergebnissen. Da die Schweiz an dieser Studie nicht teilgenommen hat, wurde in der nachfolgenden Studie, im Auftrag des Finanzberatungsunternehmen "Investor’s Dialogue", im Rahmen einer Semesterarbeit an der Zürcher Hochschule Winterthur untersucht, ob und in welchem Ausmass diese Probleme auch in der Schweiz bestehen. Die Bildung im Finanzbereich gewinnt laufend an Bedeutung. Zunehmend wird in verschiedenen Bereichen der Finanzwelt wieder mehr Wert auf Eigenverantwortung gelegt. Dies ist vor allem im Zusammenhang mit den Entwicklungen in der Vorsorge ein wichtiges Thema. Diese Eigenverantwortung kann aber nur dann erfolgreich übernommen werden, wenn ein Grundwissen im Finanzbereich vorhanden ist. Die Erhebung zum Thema "Financial Literacy in der Schweiz" erfolgte mittels eines Fragebogens, welcher an Privatpersonen, Studenten und Mitarbeiter der Zürcher Hochschule Winterthur, sowie an zwei schweizerische Unternehmen versendet wurde. Aus den zurückerhaltenen Fragebogen konnten folgende Erkenntnisse gewonnen werden: Die befragten Personen schätzen ihre Kenntnisse im Finanzbereich als gut bis sehr gut ein. Bei einer Frage wird angegeben, dass das Erklären verschiedener Finanzprodukten in der Mehrheit der Fälle kein Problem darstelle. Bei der Überprüfung dieser Selbsteinschätzung wird aber deutlich, dass das tatsächliche Wissen bei fast allen Teilnehmern deutlich tiefer ist als von diesen angenommen. Dabei fällt auf, dass die eigene Überschätzung mit sinkendem Wissensstand stark zunimmt. Die grössten Wissenslücken bestehen beim Einschätzen von Risiken und Renditen. Der Zusammenhang zwischen diesen beiden Faktoren scheint vielen Menschen nicht klar zu sein. Aber auch im Vorsorgebereich konnten beträchtliche Mängel aufgedeckt werden. Nur rund die Hälfte der befragten Personen konnte die entsprechenden Fragen richtig beantworten. Als vertrauenswürdigste Informationsquellen wurden Zeitungen/Zeitschriften, Familie und Freunde sowie der Anlageberater genannt. Nachgefragt werden entsprechend vor allem persönliche Beratungen, sowie schriftliche Informationen, welche aber gemäss der OECD Studie keine wesentlichen Auswirkungen auf das Finanzverhalten haben. Vorträge und andere öffentliche Veranstaltungen schneiden hierbei eher mittelmässig ab. Eher überraschend ist, dass mehr als 50 % der Befragten daran interessiert sind, ihr Finanzwissen auszubauen. Wir vermuten deshalb, dass ein hohes Potential für zukünftige Finanzausbildungen gegeben ist. Aufgrund der obigen Erkenntnisse sind wir überzeugt, dass auch in der Schweiz Handlungsbedarf zur Verbesserung des Finanzwissens besteht. Wir schlagen deshalb ein Ausbildungsmodell vor, das bereits in der obligatorischen Schulzeit beginnt. Damit kann bereits in jungen Jahren das notwendigste Grundwissen im Finanzbereich erlangt werden, welches später laufend ausgebaut werden kann. Personen welche auch nach dieser Ausbildung nicht über das notwendige Basiswissen verfügen, sollten sich dieses Wissen in zusätzlichen öffentlichen Veranstaltungen aneignen. Zu diesem Zweck wäre eine Zusammenarbeit mit Banken und Versicherungen sinnvoll, welche solche Schulungen für ihre Kunden anbieten könnten, da wir davon ausgehen, dass ein Kunde mit besserem Finanzverständnis auch ein rentablerer Kunde ist. Für Personen welche über das finanzielle Basiswissen verfügen, wird ein Programm zur Wissensvertiefung empfohlen. Dabei geht es darum, gezielt Wissenslücken zu schliessen. Deshalb drängt sich hier ein modular aufgebautes System auf, so dass je nach Situation und Bedürfnissen der einzelnen Personen entsprechende Kurse besucht werden können. Hier schlagen wir eine Mischform aus Einzelberatung, öffentlichen Veranstaltungen und Selbststudium vor. Dies könnte wiederum in Zusammenarbeit mit Finanzinstituten, aber auch mit öffentlichen oder privaten Schulen erfolgen.In 2005, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD published a study on financial education at an international level, entitled "Improving Financial Literacy: Analysis of Issues and Policies". It revealed that a large proportion of the population has very limited knowledge of financial issues and that the general level of knowledge is grossly overestimated. In addition, it became clear that people find it difficult to find and to grasp pertinent financial information. Similar results supporting these findings were yielded by two other studies conducted in Germany. Switzerland was excluded from these studies, which is why Investor’s Dialogue, a financial consulting firm, commissioned a new study, conducted as a semester assignment at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, to establish whether, and to what extent, such problems exist in Switzerland. Financial education is gaining in importance. Increasingly, different areas of the world of finance require us to place more emphasis on taking care of our own financial affairs. This is a topic of some significance, in particular in the context of developments in the field of retirement planning. This shift towards assuming more personal responsibility in money matters can however only be successful where there is enough fundamental knowledge in financial matters. A survey entitled "Financial Literacy in Switzerland” was carried out using a questionnaire which was sent to private citizens, ZHAW students and ZHAW staff, as well as to two Swiss companies. The questionnaires which were returned and analyzed yielded the following results: The surveyed individuals consider themselves to be quite knowledgeable in financial matters. In answer to one question, the subjects replied that it was no problem for them to explain different financial products. However, when the participants’ self-assessment was put to the test, it became evident that, for the most part, their actual level of knowledge was considerably lower than they had assumed. In fact, the less actual financial knowledge they had, the larger the gap between self-estimation and real knowledge. A major problem consists of knowing how to assess financial risks and rates of return. Many people do not seem to be able to understand the relationship between these two factors. Another area where there is a great need for more knowledge is retirement planning. Only about half of the respondents were able to answer the relevant questions correctly. When asked to identify reliable sources of relevant information, they listed newspapers and magazines, family members and friends, as well investment consultants. Accordingly, people mostly seek advice from investment consultants or consult written information, which according to the OECD study does not have any significant effect on financial behavior. Lectures and other public events were rated to be rather mediocre in terms of usefulness. Surprisingly, more than 50% of all respondents claimed to be interested in learning more about handling their finances. We therefore suspect that there is considerable potential for financial education. Based on these insights, we are convinced that there is a demand in Switzerland for products to develop financial knowledge. We thus propose a new educational scheme: Learning about the complexities of finance would be part of compulsory school education. This would enable students to acquire the basics of personal finance and money management at an early age and enable them to continuously enhance their knowledge as they get older. Anyone who lacks the necessary basic know-how after completing their education should attend additional public functions in order to acquire that knowledge. To this end, it might be advisable to cooperate with banks and insurance companies, which could offer financial seminars and educational activities for their clients. After all, well-informed clients with a broader knowledge of financial matters are likely to be more profitable, as well. People who already have a basic understanding of all things financial are recommended to take part in a program to enhance their financial knowledge. This will be aimed at closing critical knowledge gaps. The type of program most suited to this goal would be a modular system which would offer specific courses according to the individual situation and the specific needs of every investor. A combination of personal investment advice, public seminars and self study might be advisable here. Such courses might once again be offered in cooperation with financial institutions and/or with public or private schools

Realidad compositiva, realidad del componer: notas sobre la confrontación con América Latina en mi musica

El contacto con y el estudio de ritmos en especial de procedencia afroamericana me ha llevado en los últimos anos al desarrollo de técnicas compositivas y formas de realización que he sintetizado bajo el concepto de "composición integral rítmica". Por un lado, veo en ella una posibilidad de vencer anticuados conceptos musicales eurocentristas que contradicen las actuales condiciones de comunicación planetária y, por otro lado, la posibilidad de abrir la música - de una nueva manera - a una cantidad de fenómenos culturales que también atañen especialmente a nuestra propia historia

Regional economic development under trade liberalisation, technological change and market access: evidence from 19th century France and Belgium

This PhD thesis analyses the spatial dimension of economic development in 19th century France and Belgium. During the 19th century Western European economies underwent a socio-economic and technological transformation to sustained rates of economic growth. The integration of domestic and foreign markets driven by declining transport costs and the reduction of trade barriers, shaped the economic geography of Western Europe. Consisting of three articles, this PhD thesis provides detailed empirical analyses of the spatial effects of trade liberalisation, technological change as well as the relative importance of market access and factor endowments. The first article studies the spatial effects of the Cobden-Chevalier treaty of 1860 which lifted all import prohibitions on British manufacturers, exposing French producers to intensified British competition. The results show that increased British competition has led to a shift in the spatial distribution of French production and employment. Regions located closer to Britain lost employment and output shares in industries which experienced a rising importance of British imports. The second article analyses the interrelatedness between the diffusion of power technologies and urbanisation. I ask the research question whether French adherence to water power, and slow diffusion of steam technologies, was associated with low urbanisation, limited gains from urban agglomeration and through this mechanism constrained economic development. I find that steam-powered firms were around twice as likely to be located in urban regions while water-powered firms were highly associated with rural municipalities. Moreover, urban firms paid higher wages and were more productive than their rural counterparts. The third article studies the importance of access to coal and markets to explain regional patterns of Belgian industrialisation. The analysis shows that both access to coal and markets played important roles, suggesting that supply and demand factors should be seen as necessary rather than sufficient conditions of 19th century industrialisation