Resept for et sunnere Norge1 Et foucaultsk blikk på norsk helsepolitikk

AbstractIn this article I use Michael Foucaultââ¬â¢s discussions of the relations between power and knowledge to explore the Norwegian health policy. It is mainly the intensifying of what we can call the prophylactic or preventive strategy that will be debated. I will argue that knowledge is not ââ¬Âinnocentââ¬Â or ââ¬Âneutralââ¬Â, but instead is related to and supports ââ¬Âtechniquesââ¬Â that can be interpreted as mechanisms of power; which means techniques that affect our bodies, that influence our way of acting and that form our senses. The body is an object for installing and extracting knowledge. In this perspective, power is not only seen as a repressive force, but will primarily be considered as a productive force: The state has developed different health initiatives that produce more information and knowledge about the population, and everybody can use this knowledge as a resource in their own ââ¬Âworkââ¬Â for constructing an identity. And because citizens always behave disobediently, incomprehensibly and unpredictably they produce a need for more knowledge and new initiatives from the government.Key words: Power, Foucault, prophylactic, health policy, knowledge

Does education make a difference? : an exploration of education and gender in a South African context

This thesis examines the role of education in the process of transforming gender norms in marginalized societies, based on a study in a South African township. Education is understood as a crucial tool when societies initiate social and political change, but needs to be critically viewed on whether efforts in fact challenge practices, culturally and socially, that are gender insensitive. The tendency of understanding gender equality as numerical equality has dominated how national and international policy on gender has been outlined, and despite all efforts, reaching social and political justice and empowerment for women seems to be a slow process. Two main focuses come out of the study reported in this thesis. First, there is a gap between modern gender discourses, on the one hand, which form the school’s efforts and approaches and traditional gender practices, on the other hand. Secondly, in disadvantaged societies and societies in conflict education there is a need to involve a more sensitive approach towards people’s realities and pragmatic choices in order to “live out” the potential of education as a counterforce on unjust practices. The capability approach and social construct theory will serve as the theoretical orientation for this thesis and together they offer a conceptual structure in order to understand how education, gender and development may be related.Master i flerkulturell og internasjonal utdannin

A prospective analysis of false positive events in a National Colon Cancer Surveillance Program

BACKGROUND: The survival benefits of colon cancer surveillance programs are well delineated, but less is known about the magnitude of false positive testing. The objective of this study was to estimate the false positive rate and positive predictive value of testing as part of a surveillance program based on national guidelines, and to estimate the degree of testing and resource use needed to identify a curable recurrence. METHODS: Analysis of clinically significant events leading to suspicion of cancer recurrence, false positive events, true cancer recurrences, time to confirmation of diagnosis, and resource use (radiology, blood samples, colonoscopies, consultations) among patients included in a randomised colon cancer surveillance trial. RESULTS: 110 patients surgically treated for colon cancer were followed according to national guidelines for 1884 surveillance months. 1105 tests (503 blood samples, 278 chest x-rays, 209 liver ultrasounds, 115 colonoscopies) and 1186 health care consultations were performed. Of the 48 events leading to suspicion of cancer recurrence, 34 (71%) represented false positives. Thirty-one (65%) were initiated by new symptoms, and 17 (35%) were initiated by test results. Fourteen patients had true cancer recurrence; 7 resections of recurrent disease were performed, 4 of which were successful R0 metastasis Resections. 276 tests and 296 healthcare consultations were needed per R0 resection; the cost per R0 surgery was £ 103207. There was a 29% probability (positive predictive value) of recurrent cancer when a diagnostic work-up was initiated based on surveillance testing or patient complaints. CONCLUSION: We observed a high false positive rate and low positive predictive value for significant clinical events suggestive of possible colorectal cancer relapse in the setting of a post-treatment surveillance program based on national guidelines. Providers and their patients should have an appreciation for the modest positive predictive value inherent in colorectal cancer surveillance programs in order to make informed choices, which maximize quality of life during survivorship. Better means of tailoring surveillance programs based on patient risk would likely lead to more effective and cost-effective post-treatment follow-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00572143. Date of trial registration: 11(th) of December 2007

Moments of self-determination: the concept of 'self-determination' and the idea of freedom in 20th- and 21st century international discourse

This thesis examines how the concept of 'self-determination' has featured in high-level international discourse at key moments in the 20th and 21st centuries. The exact language of 'self-determination' was internationalised in 1918 by Woodrow Wilson in the political context of the First World War, and in reaction to Lenin’s earlier references to the concept, which he had developed between 1903 and 1917. Subsequently, 'self-determination' has been cited in important international legal settings, as in the League of Nations’ Aaland Islands case (1920–1921), in the UN Charter (1945), during the UN discussions on General Assembly Resolution 1514 (1960) and the International Covenants on Human Rights (1966), and at the International Court of Justice proceedings on Kosovo (2008–2010). Together, these uses of 'self-determination' constitute the 'self-determination moments' of my thesis. Taking a hitherto unexplored approach to 'self-determination', this thesis builds on previous scholarship on the concept – produced primarily within the fields of international law and international relations – and examines it from the perspective of intellectual and international history. Applying the methodology of Quentin Skinner, the thesis shows that the significant international mentions of 'self-determination' have sought legitimation. Specifically, the thesis argues that the central international references to 'self-determination' over the past hundred years have sought legitimation by invoking two different ideas of freedom: a 'radical' idea of freedom, and a 'liberal conservative' one. Based on a wide-ranging analysis of archival materials, published primary sources, original interviews, and relevant secondary works, the thesis finds that the liberal-conservative idea of freedom has dominated the international appearances of 'self-determination' at the selected 'self-determination moments'. However, it is the radical idea of freedom that has repeatedly triggered the re-emergence of ‘self- determination’ as a meaningful concept in international discourse, and kept its potency alive

Preoperative Rectal Cancer Management: Wide International Practice Makes Outcome Comparison Challenging: Reply

In a letter to the editor Dr. Hottenrott provides valuable comments on our survey describing international preoperative rectal cancer management. In our opinion, three key messages are derived from our survey: First, most surgeons agree to neoadjuvant treatment when there is an increased risk of finding histologically positive circumferential margins. In addition, we found more than 40 other indications for neoadjuvant treatment (see our Table 4). This emphasizes the need for an international agreement, as different indications for neoadjuvant treatment will select noncomparable groups of patients in outcome studies. Second, we have shown (see our Table 6) that multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings significantly influence several important decisions in preoperative rectal cancer management. Interestingly, centers with regular MDT have a higher rate of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Odds Ratio [OR] = 3.62) and consider a threatened circumferential resection margin (CRM) as indication for neoadjuvant treatment (OR = 5.67). We believe that MDT improves preoperative management of rectal cancer by increasing adherence to national guidelines. Similar discussions in international rectal cancer societies are needed aiming towards an international consensus statement. Finally, our survey revealed sparse use (35% of all cases) of MRI. The goal for the radiologic examination in rectal cancer is to explore the tumor’s relation to nearby anatomical structures. This evaluation will conclude with TNM staging, important for chemoradiotheraphy, surgical treatment, and prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging has a central role in this evaluation and should be the first choice radiologic modality. Not only is MRI crucial in detection of TNM stage but also plays a central role in determination of the tumor’s distance to the mesorectal fascia and the CRM. Magnetic resonance imaging has moderate sensitivity on T1 and T2 tumors, and should be supplemented with rectal ultrasound

Localising ‘radicalisation’: Risk assessment practices in Greece and the United Kingdom

This article juxtaposes anti-radicalisation policy in the United Kingdom, one of the pioneers in the field, with Greece, one of the latecomers. Drawing on localisation theory, our aim is to understand how ‘common knowledge’ of radicalisation and counter-radicalisation has materialised in the United Kingdom and Greece by exploring the development and use of radicalisation-related risk and vulnerability assessment tools. We argue that the radicalisation ‘knowledge’ was localised more seamlessly in the United Kingdom, which can be attributed to the country’s ‘norm producer’ status on the field of European counter-radicalisation. By contrast, the ‘knowledge’ was subjected to significant ‘re-framing’ and ‘stretching’ to fit with the Greek context. This is associated with the country’s ‘norm adopter’ status on the field of European counter-radicalisation, as well as with a ‘spill-over effect’ from a national context of deeply polarising and contentious counter-terrorism policies. We maintain that these localisation processes reveal two distinct assemblages of governing radicalisation

Implementering av kommunale kompetanseutviklingsplaner i grunnskolen : En casestudie av tre kommuner på Sørlandet

Masteroppgave offentlig politikk og ledelse ME502 - Universitetet i Agder 201

Prinsipper for valg av kanaler i multikanalmarkedsføring - Et casestudie av den norske mediebransjen

Vi har i denne masteravhandlingen sett på prinsipper for valg av kanaler i multikanalmarkedsføring. Gjennom en grundig teoretisk gjennomgang ble det avdekket prinsipper og påvirkende faktorer for kanalvalg i forskningsartikler og teoribøker. Det ble gjennomført et kvalitativt forskningsstudie bestående av litteratursøk, situasjonsanalyser av bransjen, forsterket med et casestudie for å illustrere mekanismen i en beslutningsprosess med flere aktører. Det har blitt intervjuet seks representanter fra ulike byråer og tre fra en merkevarebedrift. Deres erfaringer har bidratt til å avdekke prinsipper og påvirkende faktorer for kanalvalg i praksis. Hovedkategoriene for prinsipper som ble avdekket er økonomiske vurderinger, mål og strategier, eksterne faktorer, kanalenes egenskaper, organisatoriske faktorer og utenforliggende faktorer. De faktorene som informantene konkluderte med som viktigst var å 1) vite hva målet er, 2) vite hvem målgruppen er og inngående kunnskap rundt dette og 3) kunnskap om hva de ulike kanalene kan bidra med. Beslutningsprosessen rundt disse prinsippene avhenger av fokus og erfaring fra de som sitter med avgjørelsen