People with disabilities: Pathways to decent work - Report of a tripartite workshop, Lusaka, Zambia, 9-10 May 2006

In recent decades, the exclusion of many people with disabilities from society has been recognized as a human rights issue, resulting from social barriers rather than the individual’s inability to participate. This transition from a social welfare perspective to a rights-based approach has brought about a focus on improving access to education and skills training, reflected in legislation all over the world.Regionally, the Declaration on Employment and Poverty in Africa1, 2004, commits African Union (AU) members to ensure equal opportunities for disabled persons by implementing the African Decade of Disabled Persons and, to that end, developing policies and national programmes that favour full participation of persons with disabilities and their families in social, political and economic development. The Plan of Action for the implementation of the commitments made in this Declaration prioritizes the targeting and empowering of vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, through education, skills training entrepreneurship, among other recommended actions.The move away from a social welfare or charity approach is reflected in ILO’s Convention concerning Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons (No. 159) of 1983, now ratified by 78 countries. Convention No. 159 requires States to develop a national policy concerning vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities based on the principles of equality of opportunity and equal treatment, and to promote community involvement and mainstreaming where possible. Zambia ratified ILO Convention No. 159 in 1989 and has made progress in developing rights-based legislation concerning disabled persons with the adoption of the Person with Disabilities Act of 1996.In addition, impetus for a rights-based approach and full inclusion of disabled persons in society has gained momentum worldwide with the decision by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to develop a Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, a process which is currently underway.2 Representatives of Zambia have also taken part in the negotiations of this Convention.Given the emerging trend towards a rights-based approach to disability issues in Zambia, and the support provided to this by the AU Declaration in the broader context of Africa, it is timely to examine legal provisions concerning the training and employment of disabled persons and their implementation, and to identify steps which may be needed to improve opportunities for disabled persons seeking to acquire marketable skills, find a decent job or set up a viable business. A workshop, ‘People with disabilities: Pathways to decent work’, held on 9-10May 2006 in Lusaka, Zambia, provided an opportunity to commence such areview. The workshop is linked to two ILO projects in Zambia. One of theseprojects, Promoting the employability and employment of people with disabilities through effective legislation, funded by the Government of Ireland, seeks to promote training and employment opportunities for disabled people by supporting selected national governments to enhance the effectiveness of existing laws and policies or to develop new laws reflecting a rights-based approach. The second project, Strategies for skills acquisition and work for persons withdisabilities in Southern Africa, funded by the Government of Flanders, aims toenhance skills acquisition by disabled persons by identifying effective strategies to provide vocational skills and real work opportunities to youth and adults with disabilities by governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs) and Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programmes. An exploratory survey on skills acquisition by people with disabilities commissioned by the ILO was conducted by Zambia Federation of the Disabled (ZAFOD) as part of this project. The survey findings were discussed during the workshop

People with disabilities: Pathways to decent work - Report of a tripartite workshop, Lilongwe, Malawi, 16-17 May 2006

In recent decades, the exclusion of many people with disabilities from society has been recognized as a human rights issue, resulting from social barriers rather than the individual’s inability to participate. This transition from a social welfare perspective to a rights-based approach has brought about a focus on improving access to education and skills training, reflected in legislation all over the world. The Declaration on Employment and Poverty in Africa1, 2004 commits AfricanUnion (AU) members to ensure equal opportunities for disabled persons byimplementing the African Decade of Disabled Persons and, to that end,developing policies and national programmes that favour full participation ofpersons with disabilities and their families in social, political and economicdevelopment. The Plan of Action for the implementation of the commitmentsmade in this Declaration prioritizes the targeting and empowering of vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, through education, skills training entrepreneurship, among other recommended actions. The move towards a human rights approach to disability issues and away from a social welfare or charity approach is also reflected in ILO’s Conventionconcerning Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons(No. 159) of 1983, now ratified by 78 countries. Convention No. 159 requiresStates to develop a national policy concerning vocational rehabilitation andemployment of persons with disabilities based on the principles of equality ofopportunity and equal treatment, and to promote community involvement andmainstreaming where possible. Malawi ratified ILO Convention No. 159 in 1986and is making progress in developing rights-based legislation concerning disabled persons by drafting (2004) a new Disability Bill to replace the Handicapped Persons Act of 1971. The trend towards a rights-based approach and full inclusion of disabled persons in society has gained momentum worldwide with the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to develop a Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, a process which is currently underway. Representatives of Malawi have also taken part in the negotiations of this Convention. Given the emerging trend towards a rights-based approach to disability issues in Malawi, and the support provided to this by the AU Declaration in the broader context of Africa, it is timely to examine legal provisions concerning the training and employment of disabled persons and their implementation, and to identify steps which may be needed to improve opportunities for disabled persons seeking to acquire marketable skills, find a decent job or set up a viable business. This workshop, ‘‘People with Disabilities: Pathways to Decent Work”, 16-17May 2006, provided the opportunity to commence such a review. The workshopwas linked to two ILO projects in Malawi. One of these projects, Promoting theEmployability and Employment of People with Disabilities through EffectiveLegislation, funded by the Government of Ireland, seeks to promote training and employment opportunities for disabled people by supporting selected national governments to enhance the effectiveness of existing laws and policies or to develop new laws reflecting a rights-based approach. As part of this project, a country profile has been prepared, describing the laws and policies in place in Malawi which set the framework for training and employment opportunities and examining available evidence on implementation measures and their impact. This country profile was one of the key background documents for the review to take place at the workshop. The second project, Strategies for Skills Acquisition and Work for Persons withDisabilities in Southern Africa, funded by the Government of Flanders, aims toenhance skills acquisition by disabled persons by identifying effective strategies to provide vocational skills and real work opportunities to youth and adults with disabilities by governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs) and Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programmes. A national survey on skills acquisition by people with disabilities was conducted by the Malawi Federation of the Disabled (FEDOMA) and Platform for Disability and Development Cooperation (PHOS) as part of this project. A preliminary report on key issues in skills development for people with disabilities in Malawi, incorporating the main survey and case study findings, formed the second key document for the workshop

Evidence of continued injecting drug use after attaining sustained treatment-induced clearance of the hepatitis C virus: implications for reinfection

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are at the greatest risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, yet are often denied immediate treatment due to fears of on-going risk behaviour. Our principal objective was to examine evidence of continued injecting drug use among PWID following successful treatment for HCV and attainment of a sustained viral response (SVR). Methods: PWID who attained SVR between 1992 and June 2012 were selected from the National Scottish Hepatitis C Clinical Database. Hospitalisation and mortality records were sourced for these patients using record linkage techniques. Our primary outcome variable was any hospitalisation or death, which was indicative of injecting drugs post-SVR. Results: The cohort comprised 1170 PWID (mean age at SVR 39.6y; 76% male). The Kaplan Meier estimate of incurring the primary outcome after three years of SVR was 10.59% (95% CI, 8.75–12.79) After adjusting for confounding, the risk of an injection related hospital episode or death post-SVR was significantly increased with advancing year of SVR: AHR:1.07 per year (95% CI, 1.01–1.14), having a pre-SVR acute alcohol intoxication-related hospital episode: AHR:1.83 (95% CI, 1.29–2.60), and having a pre-SVR opiate or injection-related hospital episode: AHR:2.59 (95% CI, 1.84–3.64). Conclusion: Despite attaining the optimal treatment outcome, these data indicate that an increasing significant minority of PWID continue to inject post-SVR at an intensity which leads to either hospitalisation or death and increased risk of reinfection

Deepening democracy within Ireland's social partnership

Ireland's social partnership process, now under attack from a number of quarters, has repeatedly been charged with being 'undemocratic' in that it undermines the sovereign position of elected political representatives, with key policy formulation and decision-making taking place in fora outside the institutions of representative democracy. These critiques echo those against new forms of networked governance more globally. A key question therefore is how (and if) democracy may be deepened within social partnership or its potential successor(s). This article addresses this question by employing a post-liberal democratic framework to examine social partnership in practice, and by drawing lessons from another partnership process, Malawi's PRSP. Drawing from Malawi's experience, it is argued that democracy can be deepened within social partnership when governance deliberations and negotiations are conducted under conditions of vibrant public debate and genuine perspective-based representation, and when the communicative and discursive norms are widened to allow for such representation

Stretching the IR theoretical spectrum on Irish neutrality: a critical social constructivist framework

In a 2006 International Political Science Review article, entitled "Choosing to Go It Alone: Irish Neutrality in Theoretical and Comparative Perspective," Neal G. Jesse argues that Irish neutrality is best understood through a neoliberal rather than a neorealist international relations theory framework. This article posits an alternative "critical social constructivist" framework for understanding Irish neutrality. The first part of the article considers the differences between neoliberalism and social constructivism and argues why critical social constructivism's emphasis on beliefs, identity, and the agency of the public in foreign policy are key factors explaining Irish neutrality today. Using public opinion data, the second part of the article tests whether national identity, independence, ethnocentrism, attitudes to Northern Ireland, and efficacy are factors driving public support for Irish neutrality. The results show that public attitudes to Irish neutrality are structured along the dimensions of independence and identity, indicating empirical support for a critical social constructivist framework of understanding of Irish neutrality

The development and growth of the software industry in Ireland: an institutionalized relationship approach

peer-reviewedIreland's software industry emerged in the 1970s and 1980s due to significant international developments and, more importantly, the industrial policy approach adopted in Ireland. The attraction of software foreign direct investment during these decades was followed by the emergence of an internationally competitive Irish software sector. A multitude of factors combine to explain the trajectory of software in Ireland: from developments related to globalization and international trade, to policy makers' efforts to promote an industry where Ireland could forge a comparative advantage internationally. An analysis of industrial dynamics and institutionalized relationships (IRs) furthers our understanding of significant developments in the industry in terms of interactions between firms, government and other stakeholders. This paper makes a novel contribution by analysing Ireland's software industry within the IR framework. The IR approach we employ focuses on the finance IR, the purchase IR, the employment IR, and the commercial IR. The adoption of the IR framework approach is particularly insightful in the Irish case as it facilitates a multifaceted analysis of the complex relationships that have moulded the Irish software industry. Such an approach also facilitates a study of the policy implications and policy prescriptions that are pertinent to the software sector.ACCEPTEDpeer-reviewe

Length of stay and associated costs of obesity related hospital admissions in Ireland

BACKGROUND: Obesity is the cause of other chronic diseases, psychological problems, obesity shortens the lifespan and puts strain on health systems. The risk associated with childhood obesity in particular, which will accelerate the development of adult morbidity and mortality, has been identified as an emerging public health problem. METHODS: To estimate the length of stay and associated hospital costs for obesity related illnesses a cost of illness study was set up. All discharges from all acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland from 1997 to 2004 with a principal or secondary diagnostic code for obesity for all children from 6 to 18 years of age and for adults were collected.A discharge frequency was calculated by dividing obesity related discharges by the total number of diagnoses (principal and secondary) for each year. The hospital costs related to obesity was calculated based on the total number of days care. RESULTS: The discharge frequency of obesity related conditions increased from 1.14 in 1997 to 1.49 in 2004 for adults and from 0.81 to 1.37 for children. The relative length of stay (number of days in care for obesity related conditions per 1000 days of hospital care given) increased from 1.47 in 1997 to 4.16 in 2004 for children and from 3.68 in 1997 to 6.74 in 2004 for adults.Based on the 2001 figures for cost per inpatient bed day, the annual hospital cost was calculated to be 4.4 Euromillion in 1997, increasing to 13.3 Euromillion in 2004. At a 20% variable hospital cost the cost ranges from 0.9 Euromillion in 1997 to 2.7 Euromillion in 2004; a 200% increase. CONCLUSION: The annual increase in the proportion of hospital discharges related to obesity is alarming. This increase is related to a significant increase in economic costs. This paper emphasises the need for action at an early stage of life. Health promotion and primary prevention of obesity should be high on the political agenda

The Success Story of the Eurozone Crisis? Ireland's Austerity Measures

This paper examines the response of the Irish government to the Eurozone fiscal crisis. This paper discusses the external financial assistance programme sought and implemented, economic recovery to date, and the impacts of austerity in Ireland. As Ireland nears the end of the Programme of Support' from Europe the contention that Ireland is a success story is explored. The paper reveals the primacy of financial cutbacks in the Irish response and the limited efforts at public management reforms

Appraising infrastructure for new towns in Ireland

Copyright © 2013 ICE Publishing Ltd. Permission is granted by ICE Publishing to print one copy for personal use. Any other use of these PDF files is subject to reprint fees.Over a 20 year period 1996–2016, a new 223 ha town is being developed 10 miles west of Dublin's city centre on the south side of Lucan, County Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). This €4 billion ‘Adamstown’ development is the first of four planning schemes in ROI to be approved as a strategic development zone – an integrated planning framework deemed suitable for creating sustainable neighbourhoods in sites of strategic economic or social importance to the state. The creation of sustainable neighbourhoods in ROI is facilitated through the implementation of a checklist of 60 indicators. This paper critically examines the attempts being made to consider sustainability within the development's overall infrastructure plan, specifically: transport, energy and water services, information technology and waste. Inadequacies in the existing development are linked to shortfalls in the sustainability checklist, by way of a comparison of infrastructure-related indicators from the ROI checklist with those derived for the UK and exemplar European projects (i.e. Bedzed, UK and Freiberg, Germany). The subsequent legacy for future residents of Adamstown is then considered in the context of ‘what if’ scenarios