The Concept of Power in the Analysis of Organisations with Social and Political Goals

I propose a theoretical framework for examining the extent to which organisations with social and political goals (OSPs) empower (or disempower) participants as effective political citizens. Theories of power – including behaviouralism, Structuration and Foucauldian notions – are drawn on to illuminate relevant aspects of organisational life. Together they account for the role of individuals, rules and processes, procedure and administration, culture and practice, techniques of organisation and communication. The intention is to shed light on how groups or individuals are empowered or otherwise and provides a basis, where necessary, for challenging existing structures and practices in the name of greater empowerment

Voto econômico retrospectivo e sofisticação política na eleição presidencial de 2002

Este artigo aborda o tema do voto econômico a partir da perspectiva da desigualdade de sofisticação política entre os eleitores. Diversos estudos mostram que os eleitores brasileiros tendem a se basear na economia para votar e avaliar os presidentes. Essas evidências algumas vezes servem de suporte para a afirmação de que, mesmo não utilizando os partidos, os rótulos ideológicos e outras questões politicamente relevantes como referências para suas escolhas, o eleitorado de massa no Brasil seria capaz de tomar decisões criteriosas na política. Utilizando dados de pesquisa de painel coletados ao longo de 2002 em Caxias do Sul e Juiz de Fora, o artigo testa até que ponto o efeito da avaliação retrospectiva da economia (tanto do país quanto pessoal) sobre o voto para presidente depende do nível de sofisticação política do respondente. Os resultados mostram que a avaliação da economia tende a ser uma opinião instável ao longo do período analisado, e tem impacto sobre a escolha do candidato a presidente apenas entre os eleitores mais politicamente sofisticados. As implicações dos achados são discutidas e aponta-se para a relevância de se levar em conta o impacto da desigualdade de sofisticação política entre os eleitores no entendimento da dinâmica das eleições e da opinião pública no Brasil

Hydrothermal Injection Research Program. Annual progress report, FY 1983

The test program was initiated at the Raft River Geothermal Field in southern Idaho in September of 1982. A series of eight short-term injection and backflow tests followed by a long-term injection test were conducted on one well in the field. Tracers were added during injection and monitored during backflow of the well. The test program was successful, resulting in a unique data set which shows promise as a means to improve understanding of the reservoir characteristics. In December of 1982 an RFP was issued to obtain an industrial partner to obtain follow-on data on the injection/backflow technique in a second field and to study any alternate advanced concepts for injection testing which the industrial community might recommend. Republic Geothermal, Inc. and the East Mesa Geothermal Field were selected for the second test series. Two wells were utilized for testing, and a series of ten tests were conducted in July and August of 1983 aimed principally at further evaluation of the injection/backflow technique. This test program was also successfully completed. This report describes in detail the analysis conducted on the Raft River data, the supporting work at EG and G Idaho and at ESL/UURI, and gives an overview of the objectives and test program at East Mesa

Evaluation systems: what are they and why study them?

Increasingly, in the world of evaluation, `systems of evaluation' have been developed.this article outlines four criteria that help characterize such systems. One criterion is the existence of a distinctive epistemological perspective; another is that, in order to be labelled a system, evaluation activities are carried out by evaluators within organizational structures and institutions and not only (or largely) by `lonely' or sole-trader evaluators. Permanence is the third criterion and the fourth is that there is a focus on the intended use of results of evaluations. Examples of systems are the performance-monitoring system, the `experimentalist' system and the evaluation-accreditation system. Several problematic aspects of these systems are described, making it relevant to study them. One of these is the danger that evaluation systems breed (new) evaluation systems.another problem is that these systems may produce largely routinized information relevant for day-to-day practices and single-loop learning processes, but which is of little relevance for fundamental reassessments of policies and programmes