Devolution and participation in Wales: Ron Davies and the cultivation of inclusiveness

Inclusiveness has become a familiar term in the language of devolved politics in Wales. It refers to those changes accompanying devolution which are meant to increase participation from a low base and in adverse circumstances. In order to work out how successful these changes have been it is first necessary to identify and define them. In order to do this we returned to the source of most of these ideas and innovations, Ron Davies, in order to investigate the political realities and contingencies that gave birth to the term and the way its meaning has subsequently been extended and elaborated to cover all sorts of participation that it was hoped might come about with devolution. Davies identified six arenas where inclusiveness could be into practice in the devolution process: in the civil service bureaucracy, in consultation procedures, in the political parties, in information systems and the debating chamber of the National Assembly, and in the structure of the devolved institutions themselves. Davies also instituted the National Assembly Advisory Group which in Wales substituted for the constitutional convention Scotland enjoyed. The group was deeply symbolic of inclusiveness, and considered essential to devolution, but in order for its symbolism to have maximum effect there could be very little real debate and no real participation. The story of this group exemplifies the problems of increasing participation from a low base in adverse circumstances. It suggests that the result of the strategies of inclusiveness deployed in Wales might be neo-corporatism rather than increased participation

Why work is so problematic for people with disabilities and long-term health problems

Occupational health researchers and practitioners are well aware of the stubborn gap in employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people in countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) [1]. They may be less aware that many of the causes of this gap can be found in the workplace. The example of employers’ attitudes towards sickness absence shows how some of these causes might be traced back to the behaviour of employers. UK employers are particularly likely to be exercised by levels of sickness absence [2]. Even though UK rates of sickness absence are modest by European standards, and levels of sick pay are among the lowest in Europe, a higher proportion of sick pay is paid by employers

Context and implications document for: Parents, individualism and education: three paradigms and four countries

This guide accompanies the following article: Fevre, R., Guimarães, M. I. & Zhou, W. “Parents, individualism and education: three paradigms and four countries”, Review of Education, https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3204 Common explanations of the global expansion of education are a good fit with one of three paradigms: neoinstitutionalism, political economy, or functionalism. This article puts them to the test by analysing the internal logic, contradictions and predictions of each paradigm in three areas: parental influences on children’s experiences of education (broadly defined), the meaning and role of the notion of individualism, and the underlying changes in society of which educational expansion is an expression. We then test each paradigm with empirical evidence on parental influences from four countries around the world. We conclude that, while the most promising research has been conducted within the political economy paradigm, developing a nuanced understanding of individualism is crucial to our understanding of the role of parents in global educational expansion

Trouble at Work

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Trouble in the workplace - whether it is bullying, harassment or stress - is always in the headlines. Yet, in many discussions, the research and statistics that are cited prove unreliable. This book summarizes the largest specialist research programme on ill-treatment in the workplace so far undertaken. It provides a powerful antidote to half-truths and misinformation and offers a new way of conceptualizing trouble at work, moving the discussion away from individualized explanations - and talk of 'bullies' and 'victims' - towards the workplace characteristics that cause trouble at work. The biggest problems arise where organisations fail to create a workplace culture in which individuals really matter. Paradoxically, these are often the organizations which are well-versed in modern management practices

Welsh nationalism and the challenge of 'inclusive' politics

Welsh nationalism has been in existence for over a century and a half but throughout this period only a small minority of the population of Wales have supported the organisations spawned by nationalist social movements. In 1999, however, the nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, made an electoral breakthrough that established Plaid as the leading opposition party in Wales and a likely governing party when the second elections to the new National Assembly are held in 2003. In this paper we examine the circumstances of this breakthrough and the effects of electoral success on Plaid with special reference to the new brand of ‘inclusive’ politics that the Assembly has introduced to Wales

Trouble at Work

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Trouble in the workplace - whether it is bullying, harassment or stress - is always in the headlines. Yet, in many discussions, the research and statistics that are cited prove unreliable. This book summarizes the largest specialist research programme on ill-treatment in the workplace so far undertaken. It provides a powerful antidote to half-truths and misinformation and offers a new way of conceptualizing trouble at work, moving the discussion away from individualized explanations - and talk of 'bullies' and 'victims' - towards the workplace characteristics that cause trouble at work. The biggest problems arise where organisations fail to create a workplace culture in which individuals really matter. Paradoxically, these are often the organizations which are well-versed in modern management practices

Context and implications document for: parents, individualism and education: three paradigms and four countries

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Devolution and participation in Wales: Ron Davies and the cultivation of inclusiveness

Inclusiveness has become a familiar term in the language of devolved politics in Wales. It refers to those changes accompanying devolution which are meant to increase participation from a low base and in adverse circumstances. In order to work out how successful these changes have been it is first necessary to identify and define them. In order to do this we returned to the source of most of these ideas and innovations, Ron Davies, in order to investigate the political realities and contingencies that gave birth to the term and the way its meaning has subsequently been extended and elaborated to cover all sorts of participation that it was hoped might come about with devolution. Davies identified six arenas where inclusiveness could be into practice in the devolution process: in the civil service bureaucracy, in consultation procedures, in the political parties, in information systems and the debating chamber of the National Assembly, and in the structure of the devolved institutions themselves. Davies also instituted the National Assembly Advisory Group which in Wales substituted for the constitutional convention Scotland enjoyed. The group was deeply symbolic of inclusiveness, and considered essential to devolution, but in order for its symbolism to have maximum effect there could be very little real debate and no real participation. The story of this group exemplifies the problems of increasing participation from a low base in adverse circumstances. It suggests that the result of the strategies of inclusiveness deployed in Wales might be neo-corporatism rather than increased participation