The uniting of Europe and the foundation of EU studies: revisiting the neofunctionalism of Ernst B. Haas

This article suggests that the neofunctionalist theoretical legacy left by Ernst B. Haas is somewhat richer and more prescient than many contemporary discussants allow. The article develops an argument for routine and detailed re-reading of the corpus of neofunctionalist work (and that of Haas in particular), not only to disabuse contemporary students and scholars of the normally static and stylized reading that discussion of the theory provokes, but also to suggest that the conceptual repertoire of neofunctionalism is able to speak directly to current EU studies and comparative regionalism. Neofunctionalism is situated in its social scientific context before the theory's supposed erroneous reliance on the concept of 'spillover' is discussed critically. A case is then made for viewing Haas's neofunctionalism as a dynamic theory that not only corresponded to established social scientific norms, but did so in ways that were consistent with disciplinary openness and pluralism

The preemptive repeat hybrid server interruption model

We analyze a discrete-time queueing system with server interruptions and a hybrid preemptive repeat interruption discipline. Such a discipline encapsulates both the preemptive repeat identical and the preemptive repeat different disciplines. By the introduction and analysis of so-called service completion times, we significantly reduce the complexity of the analysis. Our results include a.o. the probability generating functions and moments of queue content and delay. Finally, by means of some numerical examples, we assess how performance measures are affected by the specifics of the interruption discipline

Building the capacity to solve complex health challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa : CARTA’s multidisciplinary PhD training

Objectives: To develop a curriculum (Joint Advanced Seminars- JAS) that produced PhD fellows who understood that health is an outcome of multiple determinants within complex environments and that approaches from a range of disciplines is required to address health and development within the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa. We sought to attract PhD fellows, supervisors and teaching faculty from a range of disciplines into the program. Methods: Multidisciplinary teams developed the JAS curriculum. CARTA PhD fellowships were open to academics in consortium member institutions, irrespective of primary discipline, interested in doing a PhD in public and population health. Supervisors and JAS faculty were recruited from CARTA institutions. We use routine JAS evaluation data (closed and open ended questions) collected from PhD fellows at every JAS, a survey of one CARTA cohort and an external evaluation of CARTA to assess the impact of the JAS curriculum on learning. Results: We describe our pedagogic approach arguing its centrality to an appreciation of multiple disciplines and illustrate how it promotes working in multidisciplinary ways. CARTA has attracted PhD fellows, supervisors and JAS teaching faculty from across a range of disciplines. Evaluations indicate PhD fellows have a greater appreciation of how disciplines other than their own are important to understand health and its determinants and an appreciation and capacity to employ mixed methods research. Conclusions: In the short-term, we have been effective in promoting an understanding of multidisciplinarity resulting in fellows using methods from beyond their discipline of origin. This curriculum has international application

Understanding psicopedagogic of the communication and his analysis from the educational focus - pedagogic. A case study

En esta primera etapa del estudio se pretende profundizar en la comprensión psicopedagógica de la comunicación y su análisis desde el enfoque educativo-pedagógico en un contexto determinado como estudio de caso, desde la comunicación educativa con todos los elementos factibles en función del trabajo sociocultural y socio comunitario en el TTIB, con el propósito primario de valorar el pensamiento pedagógico-educativo en contextos determinados. Se considera en la actualidad del Tema: Educación y Comunicación como procesos complementarios de coparticipación, coproducción, coentendimiento y comunión. La comunicación como expresión creadora es la que da significado y profundidad al proceso educativo, al asegurar y acrecentar en el estudiante su participación y creatividad. La educación como encuentro y comunión entre seres humanos es un proceso de comunicación. La comunicación pedagógica (o educativa) constituye un término totalmente aceptado en los medios científicos pedagógicos, porque refleja una realidad imposible de soslayar: la importancia decisiva que adquiere la comunicación del maestro con sus alumnos dentro del proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje en particular y en el proceso pedagógico en general, para el cumplimiento de los objetivos de la educación. (Ariana 1995). Se considera al TTIB, como espacio primario e idóneo para el diseño y construcción de una  propuesta metodológica de comunicación educativa como herramienta pedagógica para la gestión del trabajo sociocultural y socio comunitario forjado en el TTIB, lo cual conduce a la valoración, desarrollo y medición del cumplimiento del objetivo propuesto,  y finalmente a la retroalimentación de la dinámica pensada para las comisiones de trabajo  y a las necesidades propias del TTIB, cuyo resultado, está sustentado en el  cambio y la transformación social del sujeto, a través  del compromiso y la participación del mismo en  los diferentes procesos y tratamientos en las diferentes temáticas sociales y de salud, identificadas por la comunidad como necesidades sentidas y reconocidas por ella. In this first stage of the study, it is intended to deepen the psycho-pedagogical understanding of communication and its analysis from the educational-pedagogical approach in a given context as a case study, from educational communication with all the feasible elements depending on the sociocultural and socio-community work in the TTIB, with the primary purpose of assessing pedagogical-educational thinking in specific contexts. It´s considered as the currently topic: Education and Communication as complementary processes of co-participation, co-production, co-understanding and communion. Communication as a creative expression is what gives meaning and depth to the educational process, by ensuring and increasing student participation and creativity. Education as a meeting and communion between human beings is a communication process. Pedagogical (or educational) communication is a term that is fully accepted in pedagogical scientific circles, because it reflects a reality that cannot be ignored: the decisive importance that communication between the teacher and his students acquires within the teaching-learning process in particular and in the process pedagogical in general, for the fulfillment of the objectives of education. (Ariana 1995). The TTIB is considered as a primary and ideal space for the design and construction of a methodological proposal for educational communication as a pedagogical tool for the management of sociocultural and socio-community work forged in the TTIB, which leads to the assessment, development and measurement of the fulfillment of the proposed objective, and finally to the feedback of the dynamics thought for the work commissions and the needs of the TTIB, whose result is based on the change and social transformation of the subject, through the commitment and participation of the same in the different processes and treatments in the different social and health issues, identified by the community as needs felt and recognized by it

Distribution, show and I use social of the technology from the educational communication. A case study in the context Cuban.

El presente estudio de caso aborda como problema científico desde lo socio-técnico, las limitaciones actuales de la comunicación educativa y pedagógica como ciencia y conocimiento. El objeto de estudio de caso se centra en la distribución, función y uso social de la tecnología a la comprensión de la estrategia de comunicación educativa, dirigida al trabajo de gestión sociocultural y comunitaria en el Taller de transformación Integral del Barrio (TTIB-Canal) del Municipio Cerro. Se plantea entonces como objetivo general: Explicar los factores principales que limitan o dificultan en la actualidad la distribución, función y uso social de la tecnología a la  comprensión de la estrategia de comunicación educativa, dirigida al trabajo de gestión sociocultural y comunitaria en el Taller de transformación Integral del Barrio (TTIB-Canal) del Municipio Cerro, como específicos: Hacer un abordaje socio-técnico de la estrategia de comunicación educativa dirigida al trabajo de gestión sociocultural y comunitaria en el TTIB-Canal del Municipio Cerro. Determinar las limitaciones que se presentan en la estrategia de comunicación educativa, dirigida al trabajo de gestión sociocultural y comunitaria en el TTIB-Canal del Municipio Cerro. Definir los impactos sociales que se generan o no desde lo socio-técnico a partir de la interacción de la estrategia y describir los elementos de la misma. Se ha definido la gestión sociocultural y comunitaria, desde un abordaje socio-técnico como sistemas de procesos estratégicos socio-técnicos a través de los cuales los saberes y prácticas socioculturales y comunitarias de la comunidad se legitiman como patrimonio vivo, se asumen como valor identitario de la comunidad y sus potencialidades transformadoras se canalizan en contextos de negociación. Se considera que en las limitaciones actuales de esta gestión cultural inciden tres tipos de determinantes o factores principalmente el factor epistémico, tecnológico y el cultural-comunicológico.This case study addresses as a scientific problem from the socio-technical, the current limitations of educational and pedagogical communication as science and knowledge. The object of the case study focuses on the distribution, function and social use of technology to the understanding of the educational communication strategy, aimed at the work of sociocultural and community management in the Integral Transformation Workshop of the Neighborhood (TTIB-Canal) of the Cerro Municipality. The general objective is therefore: Explain the main factors that currently limit or hinder the distribution, function and social use of technology to the understanding of the educational communication strategy, aimed at sociocultural and community management work in the Workshop on Integral transformation of the Neighborhood (TTIB-Canal) of the Cerro Municipality, as specific: Make a socio-technical approach to the educational communication strategy directed to the work of sociocultural and community management in the TTIB-Canal of the Cerro Municipality. Determine the limitations that are presented in the educational communication strategy, aimed at sociocultural and community management work in the TTIB-Canal of the Cerro Municipality. Define the social impacts that are generated or not from the socio-technical point of view from the interaction of the strategy and describe its elements. Sociocultural and community management has been defined, from a socio-technical approach as systems of strategic socio-technical processes through which the knowledge and socio-cultural and community practices of the community are legitimized as living heritage, they are assumed as identity value of the community and its transformative potentialities are channeled in negotiation contexts. It is considered that the current limitations of this cultural management are influenced by three types of determinants or factors, mainly the epistemic, technological and cultural-communicological factors

The political economy of international accounting standards

On 1 January 2005, all stock exchange listed companies in the European Union (EU) began using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) written by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). This article argues that the IASB's introduction of fair value accounting reflects and reinforces changed relations of production in which the financial sector increasingly dominates the productive sector, nationally institutionalized economic systems are undermined, and new forms of economic appropriation are validated. As a private body, the IASB has been able to rapidly introduce the fair value paradigm with little public debate outside specialized financial circles. In contrast to more functionalist views, this article argues that accounting standards are inherently political. Accounting numbers provide some of the key economic anchors around which social relations are structured. Accounting techniques cannot be reduced to questions of efficiency since they set out to quantify and compare things which, by their very nature, are neither quantifiable nor directly comparable. © 2006 Taylor & Francis