Citing Weak Banks, Moody\u27s Downgrades Ireland\u27s Debt

Other Relevant Crises: Global Financial Crisis (2007-2009

Democratic Engagement White Paper

Participants at a recent Wingspread conference on civic engagement in higher education concluded that while the movement has created some change, it has also plateaued and requires a more comprehensive effort to ensure lasting commitment and institutional capacity. For the participants at Wingspread, and for others involved in civic engagement in higher education, the time has come for “calling the question” of whether engagement will be viewed as a core value of the university of the 21st century – as centrally important to the civic mission of higher education and to generating and transmitting new knowledge. The concern is that “engagement has not become the defining characteristic of higher education\u27s mission nor has it been embraced across disciplines, departments and institutions” and “that the momentum needed for engagement to become fully identified with the mission of higher education” is waning. As the participants concluded, despite widespread evidence of innovative engagement activities across higher education, “few institutions have made the significant, sustainable, structural reforms that will result in an academic culture that values community engagement as a core function of the institution. Will higher education live up to its democratic purpose and undertake the kind of deep change in institutional culture needed to create the conditions for sustained civic engagement

Capitalism and Earth System Governance: An Ecological Marxist Approach

Growing recognition of the Anthropocene era has led to a chorus of calls for Earth System Governance (ESG). Advocates argue that humanity's newfound sociotechnical powers require institutional transformations at all scales of governance to wield these powers with wisdom and foresight. Critics, on the other hand, fear that these initiatives embody a technocratic impulse that aims to subject the planet to expert management without addressing the political-economic roots of the earth system crisis. This article proposes a more affirmative engagement with existing approaches to ESG while also building on these critiques. While advocates of ESG typically ignore the capitalistic roots of the earth system crisis and propose tepid reforms that risk authoritarian expressions, their critics also have yet to systematically consider the potential for more democratic and postcapitalist forms of ESG. In response, I propose an ecological Marxist approach based on a structural analysis of capitalism as the primary driver of the earth system crisis and an "ecosocialist" vision of ESG that subordinates the market to democratic planning at multiple scales. I argue that an ecological Marxist perspective is needed to foreground the structural political-economic constraints on earth system stability, though existing approaches to ESG can in turn inform ecosocialist strategies for global institutional design and democratization

Democratic Engagement White Paper

Participants at a recent Wingspread conference on civic engagement in higher education concluded that while the movement has created some change, it has also plateaued and requires a more comprehensive effort to ensure lasting commitment and institutional capacity. For the participants at Wingspread, and for others involved in civic engagement in higher education, the time has come for “calling the question” of whether engagement will be viewed as a core value of the university of the 21st century – as centrally important to the civic mission of higher education and to generating and transmitting new knowledge. The concern is that “engagement has not become the defining characteristic of higher education\u27s mission nor has it been embraced across disciplines, departments and institutions” and “that the momentum needed for engagement to become fully identified with the mission of higher education” is waning. As the participants concluded, despite widespread evidence of innovative engagement activities across higher education, “few institutions have made the significant, sustainable, structural reforms that will result in an academic culture that values community engagement as a core function of the institution. Will higher education live up to its democratic purpose and undertake the kind of deep change in institutional culture needed to create the conditions for sustained civic engagement

Issues of teacher professional learning within 'non-traditional' classroom environments

In response to the demands of the ‘21st century learner’, classroom environments are increasingly moving away from traditional models of a single-teacher isolated in their classroom. There is an advent of ‘non-traditional’ environments that challenge long-held practices in teaching. To support these changes there is a pressing need to create opportunities for professional learning. This article reports on a study undertaken within three primary schools that had recently adopted ‘non-traditional’ classroom environments. The study aimed to identify how these new spaces were shaping teaching practices and the challenges that they presented for professional learning. This article presents findings from this study with recommendations for how systems and schools can better manage the opportunities presented by these ‘non-traditional’ environments

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Putting “structure within the space”: spatially un/responsive pedagogic practices in open-plan learning environments

Non-traditional open-plan schools and classrooms are currently enjoying a resurgence in Australia, with proponents arguing for the necessity of educational spaces that more readily accommodate the needs of twenty-first century learners. However, these learning environments can pose considerable pedagogic challenges for teachers who must balance the ethos of spaces designed to facilitate autonomous and flexible student learning, while simultaneously managing the complexities of shared space and resources, decreased staff–student ratios, and highly variable student responses to learning in open-plan settings. This paper draws on observational and interview data from an Australian study of three primary schools operating in open-plan spaces. Informed by cultural theories of spatial practice, we argue that the ways in which teachers conceptualize and operationalize notions of "structure" is pivotal to the responsiveness of pedagogic approaches within open-plan spaces

Distribution and abundance of exotic earthworms within a boreal forest system in southcentral Alaska

Little is known about exotic earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) in Alaska outside its southeastern panhandle. This study documents the distribution of exotic earthworms in the relatively undisturbed Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (KNWR), a large, primarily wilderness refuge in southcentral Alaska. We sampled 69 sites near boat launches, along road corridors, and in low human impact areas > 5 km from the road, finding three species of earthworms (Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus, and Lumbricus terrestris). Most road sites (90%) and boat launches (80%) contained earthworms; half (50%) of low human impact sites contained earthworms. Distance to roads was the only significant factor in predicting earthworm occurrence; soil pH, soil moisture, leaf litter depth, and vegetation cover were not. The disparate distributions of these three species suggest that within the KNWR road construction and vehicle traffic played a role in dispersal of the widespread, abundant Dendrobaena octaedra and uncommon Dendrodrilus rubidus; bait abandonment appeared to be the primary method of introduction of Lumbricus terrestris. While the distribution of harmful anecic earthworms in KNWR is currently limited, the prohibition of Lumbricus spp. as bait within conservation units in Alaska may be warranted