Gender parity laws in France have been undermined by electoral reforms which work against female candidates

France passed gender parity laws in 2000 stating that all political parties should include equal numbers of men and women on party lists. Priscilla Lewis Southwell writes that despite the new laws leading to an initial increase in female representatives, this growth has stalled in recent elections. She argues that one of the major reasons for this is that France also implemented a number of additional electoral reforms in 2003 which undermined the effectiveness of gender parity rules. She calculates that the reforms may have prevented as many as 38 female candidates from being elected since 2001

What happened? Vote by mail worked in 2020. But this was no way to run an election.

The COVID-19 pandemic meant that voting by mail was more important than ever during the 2020 US General Election. Though it generally worked well, Priscilla Southwell argues that issues such as the rejection of so-called “naked” and “cured” ballots by Republicans show that there are still important areas for improvement

Primary primers: right now, the safest and easiest way to vote is by mail.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many Americans to change the way they vote, from in person to mail balloting. Priscilla Southwell writes that, despite significant scaremongering, there is little evidence that voting by mail increases fraud. Instead, she argues, it can increase voter safety during the pandemic and also makes it easier for voters from both parties to vote

Challenges of postgraduate students at the University of the Western Cape 2009 - 2013

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDIn South Africa, postgraduate education is a catalyst in national development and poverty alleviation that is widely acknowledged by the state and higher education institutions, such as the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Previously disadvantaged universities in South Africa were systematically moulded by apartheid planning and the prevailing social-economic-political order of the time. The structural legalised differences between historically white and historically black institutions created the key inequities between them. Unjust laws and institutionalised racism caused historical black universities (HBUs), such as the University of the Western Cape, also known as the University for the left, to lag behind with the intake of postgraduate students. Prior to 1994, students, who were fortunate enough to attend university, were mostly limited to studying towards an undergraduate degree, diploma or a certificate course, in the fields of teaching, nursing or law enforcement. The dawn of democracy opened up new possibilities; however, a major sphere of concern, was the need to speedily transform the education system, to make it inclusive for all. Systematically, institutions of higher learning focussed more on postgraduate education, as it was a stepping stone to improve enrolment growth research output, and collaborative partnerships, at national and international level. However, socio-economic factors, such as the lack of funding, were major constraints, as most postgraduate students were challenged to pay registration fees, or accommodation deposits, upon registration

Gender equity and change management in the diversity equity department at the City of Cape Town.

Magister Administrationis - MAdminThe problem investigated in this study is that gender equity and change management in the City of Cape Town and in particularly the Diversity Equity and Change Management Department, has not been adequately assessed and a coherent set of options to address this problem has not yet been adequately researched. In particular, the situation is that senior management is not representative and that recruitment and appointment procedures as well as the change management process are not conducive to gender equity. The nature of this study is qualitative and the case study method has been utilized. The scope of the study is on gender equity and the change management process followed by management and staff at the City of Cape Town, in particular the Diversity Equity and Change Management Department since 2000 to 2007, with the view of proposing options for improvement. In 2006 the City of Cape Town Employment Statistics indicated that 80% of top management within departments across the City is still white males. At professional and middle management level white males and females dominated this level with 69.5%. In the technical and associate professions, the tally for whites is 38% and at elementary level 6.5% (Department Human Resources HRD IT System, July 2006). In order to equalize employment statistics in the COCT drastic steps should be taken to eliminate imbalances between both Black and white employees in terms of occupational levels. Disadvantaged Black women and men should benefit from employment, recruitment and selection, appointments and training and development processes and the acquisition of knowledge and skills beyond those acquired within the realm of empowerment. However, women should be adequately represented not nearly in the workplace but overall to enable them to participate in the decision-making of important work related and home related issues. Women should keep on addressing inequality and gender equity to enhance change processes and gender awareness amongst themselves and in the workplace. The gender institutional framework within the COCT as a whole in particularly the Diversity Equity department and the active participation in decision-making in the various structures of the City combines with their history of politics in the women's movement to augur well for continued gender sensitivity in policy formulation and outcome.South Afric

State Uses Financial Incentives To Fund Nursing Home–Initiated Quality Improvement Projects Through Competitive Bidding Process, Leading to Better Care

Authorized in 2006 by the State legislature, Minnesota’s Performance-Based Incentive Program funds nursing home–initiated quality improvement projects for 1 to 3 years through increases of up to 5 percent in the operating per diem rate charged to Medicaid and private-pay residents. Funding decisions are made through a competitive bidding process administered annually by the Department of Human Services, with recommendations from a review committee. Program staff provide support to nursing homes during and after the application process. Nursing homes that do not achieve project-specific performance targets can lose up to 20 percent of the incentive payments. The program has engaged a high proportion of Minnesota nursing homes in quality improvement activities; meaningfully improved the quality of nursing home care; and had a positive impact on quality improvement processes, teamwork, and communication within nursing homes

Commentary: A Public Health and Hospital System Collaboration for Conducting Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans: Seven Hospital Systems in Oregon and Washington and Four County Public Health Departments in Oregon and One in Washington

The following narrative describes the innovative partnership and approach to create comprehensive, meaningful, and coordinated community health assessments and community health improvement plans that fulfill the specific needs of hospital systems, local public health, and coordinated care organizations (Oregon’s version of Accountable Care Organizations)

Low Temperature Solution-Phase Deposition of SnS Thin Films

The solution-phase deposition of inorganic semiconductors is a promising, scalable method for the manufacture of thin film photovoltaics. Deposition of photovoltaic materials from molecular or colloidal inks offers the possibility of inexpensive, rapid, high-throughput thin film fabrication through processes such as spray coating. For example, CdTe, Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)_2 (CIGS), and CH_3NH_3Pb(Cl,I)_3 perovskite-based thin film solar cells have been previously deposited using solution-based processes. Inks have also recently been developed for the solution deposition of Cu_2ZnSn(S,Se)_4 (CZTS) and FeS_2 (iron pyrite) absorber layers for thin film solar applications, in order to provide sustainable alternatives to materials that contain environmentally harmful heavy metals (e.g., Cd, Pb) and/or scarce elements (e.g., Te, In)

COACh Career Development Workshops for Science and Engineering Faculty: Views of the Career Impact on Women Chemists and Chemical Engineers

6 pagesFor the field of chemistry to play a leading role in the science and technology sector of the U.S. economy it must recruit and retain the best and brightest talent from all segments of our society. Currently in the United States there is a significant disparity in the recruitment and retention of women relative to their male counterparts, particularly at advanced-degree levels. For the past eight years the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACh) has been offering professional development workshops on negotiation and communication skills for women faculty in the chemical sciences. The workshops are a combination of professional-skills training, experiential learning, role-playing, and group problem solving. To date, over 400 women chemistry faculty have attended these workshops held prior to national professional meetings for chemists. This article examines the participants’ perceptions of the impact of the workshops on their careers. The results show that the overwhelming majority of the women report that the skills learned at the COACh workshops have enhanced their career progress in important and long-lasting ways

Addressing Gender Equity in the Physical Sciences: Replications of a Workshop Designed to Change the Views of Department Chairs

14 pagesThis research note presents data on the replication of a carefully planned intervention to increase the commitment of department chairs in the physical sciences to the hiring and career advancement of women. Three separate workshops for department leaders in chemistry, physics, and material science were held. Participants’ views regarding factors that affect attracting women candidates, the hiring of women faculty, and barriers to women’s career progress changed significantly from before attending the workshop to after attending. When differences occurred between the disciplines, changes were most apparent for chemistry department chairs. Reasons presented for these differences included variations in the representation of women in the field and elements included in the chemistry workshop that involved greater public acknowledgment of needs for change