Engendering Organizational Change: The Brac Case

Summary This article analyses the first phase of an ongoing structural intervention which works at the nexus of gender relations, organizational change, and quality improvement, with a large rural development NGO in South Asia. Identifying this new issue, and acquiring and deploying knowledge around it within the organization has involved definition and continuous reiteration of basic premises concerning gender, individual learning and systems development; an organization?wide knowledge building exercise facilitated by a series of structured diagnostic processes; negotiating premises and visions, transferring ownership, and contributing to BRAC's ongoing organizational exercises in strategic visioning and planning. The article reflects on these processes and discusses some critical dilemmas: expanding parameters versus boundary maintenance, the prerequisites for innovation versus institutional bargaining, and change options versus change realities, that is, distinguishing between what is theoretically desirable and what is programmatically possible at what costs and with what effect in a socio?political environment wherein demand for changing gender relations is weak, fundamentalist forces are increasingly dominant, and where existing structural realities ensure that the process of women's empowerment is both non?additive and non?linear. RESUME Engendrer les changements organisationnels: le cas du BRAC Cet article analyse la première phase d'une intervention structurelle soutenue qui opère au niveau des rapports entre les genres, des changements organisationnels et de l'amélioration au sein d'une ONG de développement rural de grande ampleur en Asie du Sud. L'identification de ce nouveau domaine, et l'acquisition et la vulgarisation des connaissances qui l'entourent au sein de l'organisation ont nécessité le cernement et la réitération continue des principes de base concernant le genre, l'acquisition individuelle des connaissances et le développement des systèmes; ainsi que l'instauration au niveau de l'ensemble de l'organisation d'un exercice de consolidation des compétences, réalisé par voie d'une série d'actions diagnostiques structurées; et la négociation des principes et des aspirations, le transfert de propriété, et la possibilité de contribuer aux exercices qui continuent au sein de la structure organisationnelle du BRAC en vue de mettre en valeur la conception et la planification stratégiques. L'article considère ces processus et s'interroge quant à certains dilemmes critiques: l'expansion des paramètres par opposition au maintien des démarcations, les conditions préalables à l'innovation par opposition aux négociations institutionnelles, et les options de changement par opposition aux réalités du changement, à savoir la détermination de ce qui est désirable en principe et possible en pratique, tout en tenant compte des coûts et des effets dans un environnement socio?politique où la demande en changements au niveau des rapports entre les genres reste faible, où les tendances fondamentalistes deviennent de plus en plus dominantes, et où les réalités structurelles existantes veulent que le processus d'habilitation des femmes demeure non?cumulatif et non?linéaire. RESUMEN El cambio organizativo y el género: el caso BRAC El artículo analiza la primera fase de una intervención estructural dentro de un proceso que funciona en el nexo entre relaciones de género, cambio organizativo, y mejora de calidad en una NGO para el desarrollo rural en África del Sur. La identificación de este tema, así como la adquisición y distribución de datos dentro de la organización han requerido definición y continua reiteración de premisas relativas al género, al aprendizaje individual y al desarrollo de sistemas; adquisición de datos a todos los niveles dentro de la organización, facilitada por una serie de procesos estructurados de diagnóstico; negociación de premisas y perspectivas, transferencia de propiedad, y contribución a los actuales ejercicios organizativos de BRAC relativos a planeamiento estratégico. El artículo presenta algunas reflexiones sobre estos procesos y discute algunos dilemas de crítica: la expansión de parámetros versus el mantenimiento de límites, los requisitos para la innovación versus las negociaciones institucionales, y las opciones de cambio versus las realidades del cambio, es decir, la distinción entre lo teóricamente deseable y lo programáticamente posible, con una estimación de costos y efectos en un ambiente sociopolítico en el cual la demanda de cambio en las relaciones de género es débil, las fuerzas fundamentalistas van aumentando su influencia, y las realidades estructurales existentes aseguran que el proceso de conferir poderes a las mujeres no sea linear ni aditivo

Alternative Theoretical Perspectives on the Political Economy of International Environmental Policy

In seeking to explain international behavior with regards to forging international environmental agreements, it is common to assume that countries act like unitary actors. While assuming that states act much like unitary actors certainly facilitates theoretical tractability, it involves forsaking analysis of the domestic determinants of international behavior. Clearly, the international political economy of international environmental agreements has its roots in the very real, and quite often pivotal, domestic political forces behind countries international negotiating positions. In this paper, we canvass the alternative theoretical perspectives within the political science and economics literatures that may enable us to more clearly connect (and thus explain) the domestic determinants of international behavior. We compare and contrast various perspectives for understanding the political economy of international public good provision involving the protection of the environment, illustrating various points through reference to the Montreal Protocol to preserve the ozone layer. The paper charts recent theoretical developments in the literature as well as directions for future research

Recurring themes arising during medical research ethics committee review.

A standard application form for the ethical review of health-related research studies has recently been adopted by many Irish medical research ethics committees. In order to assess the impact of the new form, we reviewed all comments made by the Beaumont Hospital Ethics Committee during two six-month periods, immediately prior to adoption of the new form (2010), and soon afterwards (2011). Neither volume nor comment type differed significantly between the two observation periods. Participant documentation (information leaflets and consent forms) accounted for the largest proportion of comments (2010; 44%, 2011; 37%). Other common areas prompting queries were study administration (7%), design (12%) and procedures (13%), participant selection and recruitmen (8%), and lastly data protection (9%). Because of these findings, the standard operating procedures of the committee have been revised--use of provided template participant documentation is strongly encouraged, and a \u22Recurring Review Themes\u22 checklist is highlighted to all applicants

School performance and later diagnoses of nonaffective psychoses, bipolar disorder, and depression

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Objective: It is unclear whether there are differences between specific school subject performance and later psychiatric disorders. We examined whether mean grade point average (MGPA) and specific school subjects associated with diagnoses of nonaffective psychoses, bipolar disorder and depression. Methods: In this register-based study, we studied the Finnish population born in 1987 who had available MGPA and six specific school grades (age = 15.4–16.4 years; n = 50,508). Grades were analyzed with smoothing splines. Covariates included sex, urbanicity, parental education level and parental diagnosed psychiatric disorders. Outcomes were incident nonaffective psychosis, bipolar disorder and depression diagnosed in specialized services until year 2015 (age = 28.0–28.9 years). Results: During the follow-up, 727 individuals were diagnosed with nonaffective psychoses, 489 with bipolar disorder and 3492 with depression. MGPA was inversely associated with all outcomes. In multivariate models including specific school subjects and covariates, the school subject with largest risk ratios (RR) was Physical Education (RR and Bonferroni-corrected confidence interval [CI] at −1.5 SD: nonaffective psychoses 1.63, 1.36–1.95; bipolar disorder 1.64, 1.30–2.05; depression 1.72, 1.53–1.93). Higher grades in Art were associated with nonaffective psychoses and depression (RR and Bonferroni-corrected CI at +1.5 SD: nonaffective psychoses 1.48, 1.11–1.96; depression 1.22, 1.07–1.38). Conclusion: There was a robust association between poorer scores on Physical Education and risk for psychosis, bipolar disorder and depression. Higher grades in Art were also associated with risk for later disorders. Subject specific school performance may be more informative about mental disorder risk than overall school performance.Peer reviewe

Does Corporate Lobbying Benefit Society?

Lobbying, defined as an effort to influence policy through strategic communication, has grown dramatically in recent years. This paper presents three viewpoints regarding the societal impact of corporate lobbying on society: one perspective argues that lobbying will be primarily beneficial, an alternative perspective contests this viewpoint and suggests that it is generally harmful, and the third argues that the impact is contingent on a number of factors. Proponents of lobbying argue that it is a vital mechanism to transmit valuable information and expertise to policymakers, leading to substantive legislative solutions for resolving complex societal issues. Critics, on the other hand, point out that business dominates lobbying and can leverage vast resources to push biased information in the pursuit of narrow profit-oriented interests. There are three key axes of contention between these three perspectives; first, concerning the definition of lobbying and its relation to corporate power; second, its relationship to democratic processes; and third, regarding alignment or conflict between societal and business interests. The paper examines these issues and draws implications for future research

Composition of dissolved organic matter within a lacustrine environment

Freshwater dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of chemical components that are central to many environmental processes, including carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, questions remain as to its chemical characteristics, sources and transformation mechanisms. Here, we employ 1- and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to investigate the structural components of lacustrine DOM from Ireland, and how it varies within a lake system, as well as to assess potential sources. Major components found, such as carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM) are consistent with those recently identified in marine and freshwater DOM. Lignin-type markers and protein/peptides were identified and vary spatially. Phenylalanine was detected in lake areas influenced by agriculture, whereas it is not detectable where zebra mussels are prominent. The presence of peptidoglycan, lipoproteins, large polymeric carbo- hydrates and proteinaceous material supports the substantial contribution of material derived from microorganisms. Evidence is provided that peptidoglycan and silicate species may in part originate from soil microbes

Examining the association between prenatal and perinatal adversity and the psychotic experiences in childhood

BACKGROUND: Prenatal and perinatal complications are established risk factors for psychotic disorder, but far less is known about these measures and psychotic experiences (PEs). We investigated the longitudinal effect of prenatal risk factors (maternal behavior, medication complications) and perinatal risk factors (birth weight, medical complications) on frequency of PEs. We also examined the cumulative risk of prenatal/perinatal risk factors, and differences between transient PE, persistent PE, and controls.METHODS: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study is a large child cohort (age 9-10 at baseline; n = 11 872 with PE data). PEs were measured longitudinally using the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief, Child version, and included only if reported as distressing. Mixed-effects models were used for analysis, controlling for random effects, and a substantial number of fixed-effects covariates. RESULTS: Urinary tract infection ( β = 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03-0.19) and severe anemia ( β = 0.18, 95% CI 0.07-0.29) increased frequency of distressing PEs in childhood. Number of prenatal complications increased frequency of PEs ( β = 0.03, 95% CI 0.01-0.06) and risk of persistent PEs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.15). Maternal smoking was associated with an increased frequency of PEs ( β = 0.11, 95% CI 0.04-0.18) and persistent PEs (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.04-1.66). Maternal substance use was a risk factor for a 48% increased risk of persistent PEs (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.08-2.01). Perinatal complications showed no effect on PEs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that certain prenatal medical complications (severe nausea, severe anemia), cumulative number of prenatal medical complications, and maternal behaviors (smoking during pregnancy), increased frequency of distressing PEs in childhood. Maternal smoking and substance use, as well as cumulative number of prenatal complications increased risk of persistent PEs.</p