Economic Change and the Redistribution of Power Among Women in Yemen: A Focus on the Treatment of Domestic Workers

A shared female identity does not promise solidarity among women in capitalist society. Exploring the prejudices held by Yemeni women over domestic workers exposes class related inequities among women. Recent economic change in Yemen showcases the crystallization of class while local gender identities morph in accordance to overarching capitalist demands. The presence of marginalized domestic workers in upper-class Yemeni homes demonstrates the mutually informative relationship between class status and gender identity. Paralleling greater Yemeni hierarchical and patriarchal society, Yemeni women assert class privilege over low-income domestic workers. Of extreme relevance to better understanding gender and Islam, I argue that Yemeni women of distinguished class status possess and exercise control over the lives of migrant women, thus challenging perceived Yemeni gender roles that acknowledge men as dominant and women as submissive. Cemented by a preexisting drive to preserve familiar honor and fueled by recent economic change, upper-class Yemeni women problematize the “cultural closeness” of lower-class migrant, domestic workers through the formation of stereotypes

The relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being

Against a background of shrinking new homes and forebodings of “rabbit hutch Britain”, the relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being has never been more topical in the UK. Using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and fixed effects regressions, this paper is the first to examine this relationship comprehensively. Two pathways are proposed between space and subjective well-being. First, space facilitates values and activities. Second, space signals wealth which in turn influences social status. It is proposed that wealth is a more important determinant of status for men than women, and that pathway two is therefore gendered. Part one of the paper examines the effect of a change in number of rooms per person on housing satisfaction and subjective well-being in the BHPS as a whole. Despite having a similar effect on the housing satisfaction of both genders, an increase in living space has only a (weak) positive linear effect on the life satisfaction and mental health of men. This suggests that space affects subjective well-being through pathway two, status. Part two of the paper tracks the housing satisfaction and subjective well-being over time of those individuals who move for “larger accommodation”. Consistent with various theories of adaptation, housing satisfaction increases in the year of the move; then decreases slightly before levelling out. Moving for “larger accommodation” has no positive impact on subjective well-being. Overall the results imply a weak positive relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being, but only for men

Instruction through Written Grammar Exercises and its Effect on Listening Proficiency

Written workbook type exercises give learners discrete-level practice with various grammar forms, vocabulary items, and structural features of English. The question arises, though, whether such exercises also aid learners in building language skills that do not involve writing. This paper summarizes a quantitative study seeking to shed light on whether devoting class time to written work in a university communication class helps students to improve their listening ability

Armored Geomembrane Cover Engineering

Geomembranes are an important component of modern engineered barriers to prevent the infiltration of stormwater and runoff into contaminated soil and rock as well as waste containment facilities—a function generally described as a geomembrane cover. This paper presents a case history involving a novel implementation of a geomembrane cover system. Due to this novelty, the design engineers needed to assemble from disparate sources the design criteria for the engineering of the cover. This paper discusses the design methodologies assembled by the engineering team. This information will aid engineers designing similar cover systems as well as environmental and public health professionals selecting site improvements that involve infiltration barriers

An Analysis of the Macroeconomic Determinants of Public Capital Spending in Nigeria

This paper examines the macroeconomic determinants of public capital spending in Nigeria. It reveals the daunting challenge of poverty (poor roads and portable water, poor health care delivery system, inadequate power supply, low quality of education, unhygienic environment and unreliable security system for life and property) that Nigeria exhibits simultaneously with the declining trend and unstable pattern of public capital spending. Although, the nominal values of public capital spending over the years reveal huge allocations; the real values mirror an overwhelming decline, as four-fifths of Nigeria’s spending is on consumption. Public capital spending plays an undeniable significant role in the growth and development of any nation since it spurs private investment and invariably the general productivity level. The need to reverse this persistent decline in public capital spending in Nigeria necessitates this study. This paper attempts to test for the macroeconomic determinants of public capital spending using Error Correction Mechanism (ECM).  The ECM term revealed a significant long term relationship among the variables, with the coefficient being negative and large enough for a feedback of approximately 0.64. Real Gross Domestic Product, budget deficit, government debt, trade openness, public debt servicing, private investment, foreign direct investment and previous public capital spending were found to explain public capital spending while degree of urbanisation did not have any effect on public capital spending. Keywords: Error Correction Mechanism, public capital spending, macroeconomic determinant

Ethically-speaking, what is the most reasonable way of evaluating housing outcomes?

This paper addresses one of the most fundamental, but least considered, questions in housing research: how should we ultimately evaluate housing outcomes? Rejecting the fact vs value dichotomy so dominant in the social sciences, this paper draws on the work of Amartya Sen and Hilary Putnam to critically assess the ethical assumptions behind three commonly adopted “informational spaces” for evaluating housing outcomes: economic, subjective and “objective” metrics. It argues that all three fail to account for the plurality of goods that individuals have reason to value and the fallibility of human judgement. As an alternative, it proposes that housing outcomes should be ultimately evaluated in terms of people’s “housing capabilities” - the effective freedoms that people have in their homes and neighbourhoods to do and feel the things they have reason to value – which should generally be determined through a bottom-up process of democratic deliberation involving critical and expert perspectives

Graving another testament : a critical discourse analysis of the Sydney Anglicans under Peter Jensen 2001-2013

Graving Another Testament examines the influential Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church in Australia, particularly under the leadership of former Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen (2001- 2013). This thesis argues that, despite his appeals to the need for church unity, the ‘Jensen ascension’ oversaw a decrease in the Sydney Diocese’s diversity of opinion, promulgating a conservative evangelicalism less open to other perspectives and more aggressive in its evangelistic focus. Through a consideration of Jensen’s speeches, media events and writings, Graving Another Testament examines Jensen’s dominant conservative evangelical discourse, particularly as it relates to opposition to same sex marriage and the ordination of women. It also considers the role the diocese has played in contemporary Australian politics, and explores how Australia’s secular media outlets covered issues related to Sydney Anglicanism. The thesis reveals Archbishop Jensen to be a powerful, charismatic church leader who led an ambitious but costly public ‘mission’ to gain ten per cent of Sydney’s population, which was funded with a highly risky investment strategy. It concludes by exploring the legacy Jensen has left for Sydney Diocese, and the possible future direction it may take following his July 2013 retirement

Postcard: An Extra Stray from the Ranch of the Wooden Horses, Leavenworth, Kansas

This colorized photograph features one of the carousel horses on an amusement ride. A blue background is behind the wooden horse. Printed text is above and below the horse. Handwriting is on the back of the card.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/tj_postcards/2262/thumbnail.jp