Fully rational morality and evaluation of public decisions : with action research case study : a local planning controversy and residents' appeal to a public inquiry and to national and international courts

The impetus for my deliberations arises from the need to establish which proposals and decisions by social institutions to approve. This seems to come down to much the same as considering which alternatives are the better in a moral sense, but, unfortunately, there is no general agreement as to which of numerous proposed moral systems is apt, and the long and tortuous history of ethics indicates very poor prospects for such agreement. If at the outset I had been more conversant with that and the argument that the notion of a 'right' or 'objective' morality is tautological, nonsensical and/or incoherent, I would probably have thought it ridiculously ambitious to seek the basis of morality and would probably not have embarked upon the theoretical parts of this thesis. However, occasionally something is gained by attempting the impossible, and, while I certainly do not claim to have found the (morally) right morality, I suggest that I come at least very near to establishing how to ascertain what rules for behaviour are fully rational.Whether fully rational rules (FRM) are the same as 'moral' ones is arguably essentially a semantic question. However, I suggest that our definition of 'moral' is doomed to be a minority quest of marginal significance in reasonably rational societies if it entails rules which are notably at variance with those which are the most likely to be adopted by reasonably rational people as the general expectation and/or requirement in a maximally rationally structured society (arguably a 'true' democracy).Evaluation is hardly fUlly rational unless it is practicable. I have therefore included an attempt to apply FRM to the complex real situation which my Walton Street 'action research' examines and which comprises a number of decisions of a type crucial to the working of modem societies (e.g. those of pressure groups, local authorities, the press, public inquiries and national and international Courts).My 'action research' concerns the insistence by the authorities that the poor housing in the Walton Street area in Hull must be dealt with by total clearance under the Housing Act 1957 rather than by the partial clearance and Housing Action Area treatment which was facilitated by the Housing Act 1974 and was overwhelmingly preferred by the residents. In their bid to change the authorities' plan the residents exhausted all means of appeal, and in view of the evidence regarding the quality of the houses and cost calculations submitted on behalf of the residents, it was accepted (e.g. by the Court of Appeal) that the residents' alternative was both feasible and cheaper in the short term (and there were no long term assessments). Nevertheless, neither local, nor central, government would accept that the residents' proposal constituted the most satisfactory method of dealing with the conditions - seemingly for rather dubious reasons

Localized Agri-Food Systems and Biodiversity

Interest in localized agri-food systems has grown significantly in recent years. They are associated with several benefits and are seen as important for rural development. An important share of the academic debate addresses the contribution of localized food systems to the current and/or future sustainability of agriculture. Sustainability is defined in several ways, but many scholars recognize that sustainability can only be achieved by a combination of socio-economic, cultural, and environmental aspects. However, the attributes and indicators used for sustainability analyses also differ. Biodiversity is, for instance, often not included in analyses of environmental sustainability even if biodiversity is of crucial importance for longer-term ecological sustainability. To contribute to the debate about the importance of localized food production for sustainability from the environmental point of view, specifically with regard to biodiversity, this is therefore discussed based on the results of several studies presented in this paper. The studies focus on Nordic low-intensity livestock systems related to species-rich semi-natural grasslands. All the studies show that low-intensive agriculture and use of semi-natural grasslands may play an important role in maintaining biodiversity on both small and large scales. They also show that milk and dairy products from free-ranging livestock in heterogeneous landscapes with semi-natural grasslands may have a unique quality associated with local grazing resources. Thus, producers can combine production of food of documented high nutritional and gastronomic value with maintenance of biodiversity, i.e., localized agri-food production based on low-intensive agriculture systems and semi-natural grasslands may be a win-win recipe for both farmers and the society.publishedVersio

Improving ALD-Al2O3 Surface Passivation of Si Utilizing Pre-Existing SiOx

Al 2 O 3 has rapidly become the surface passivation material of choice for p + layers of solar cells because of its high negative fixed charge, good long-term and thermal stability, and no parasitic absorption. In this article, the surface saturation current density, fixed charge, and interface state density are compared for Al 2 O 3 deposited on Si substrates where the pre-existing out-of-the-box SiO x layer was not removed, with substrates where the SiO x was removed by hydrofluoric acid. The depositions are performed by atomic layer deposition at temperatures in the 150–300 °C range, using trimethylaluminium, H 2 O, and O 3 as precursors. The samples where the native oxide was not removed achieve a higher level of surface passivation for every tested deposition temperature, with the sample deposited at 200 °C exhibiting a surface saturation current density of only 0.9 fA/cm 2 after annealing, a fixed charge of −4.2 × 10 12 cm −2 , and a density of interface states of 9.8 × 10 9 cm −2 eV −1 . Capacitance and conductance voltage characteristics reveal a strong correlation between the surface saturation current density and the density of interface states and fixed charges. It is also determined that the long-term stability of the surface passivation depends on the deposition temperature, with higher deposition temperatures resulting in improved long-term stability. The results indicate that H-terminated Si prior to Al 2 O 3 deposition may have a detrimental effect on the surface passivation.publishedVersio

Digital maps at VG-Nett – a study of digital maps and their function.

Mastergradsoppgave i digital kommunikasjon og kultur, Avdeling for lærerutdanning og naturvitenskap, Høgskolen i Hedmark, 2016.Norsk: Denne avhandlingen tar for seg utviklingen av nettavisen som medium og spesifikt hvordan VG-Nett bruker kart som digital historiefortelling i utvalgte saker. Min antakelse har vært at nettavisene bruker kart for å understøtte tradisjonelle nyhetsartikler, ikke som en egen historie. Problemstillingen i denne avhandlingen er derfor hvilken funksjon digitale kart har i nettavis-saker. For å finne svar på problemstillingen benytter denne avhandlingen et eksplorativt design og gjennom det kvalitative metoder med en induktiv tilnærming. Metodene er i hovedsak utformet gjennom tekstanalyse, men jeg har også brukt intervju for å få en grunnleggende forståelse av hvordan VG-Nett jobber og ikke minst hvordan de planlegger for fremtiden. Det teoretiske rammeverket i avhandlingen er i hovedsak tuftet på sosialsemiotikk og retorikk, men også elementer fra norsk mediehistorie, og da i særdeleshet norsk internetthistorie, er viet plass. Studien har avdekket at digitale karts funksjon hos VG-Nett er noe mer enn bare understøtte til tradisjonelle artikler. Kartet er et bærende element i seg selv og i enkelte tilfeller opptrer de digitale kartene som en egen sjanger. Analysen viser også at slike kartproduksjoner er svært krevende ressursmessig. Intervju med ansatte i VG bekrefter at det ikke nødvendigvis blir mindre digitale kartproduksjoner, men at det vil ble en dreining mot mer statiske innhold, da dette er billigere og raskere å produsere. De verbalspråklige modalitetene er fortsatt også viktige i en nettavisproduksjon og vil fortsatt stå for den største andelen av det produserte materialet. Gjennom studien har jeg funnet ut at digitale kart er en kreativ og annerledes måte å jobbe med redaksjonelt innhold på. Responsen fra leserne gjennom kommentarfeltene er svært positiv og det er tydelig at produktene blir godt mottatt.English: This thesis concerns the development of the newspaper as a medium and specifically how VG-Nett using maps as digital storytelling in selected cases. My assumption has been that online newspapers are using maps to support traditional news stories, not as a separate story. The statement of the problem in this thesis is; which function does the digital maps have in online newspapers. To find answers to the problem using this paper an exploratory design and through the qualitative methods with an inductive approach. The methods are mainly formed through text analysis, but I have also used the interview to get a basic understanding of how VG-Nett works and what they plan for the future. The theoretical framework of the thesis is mainly founded on social semiotics and rhetoric, but also elements from Norwegian media history, and particularly Norwegian internet history, is devoted space. The study has revealed that digital maps in VG-Nett is something more than just a support for traditional articles. The map is a fundamental element in themselves and in some cases the digital maps act as a separate genre. The analysis also shows that such map productions are quite demanding in terms of resources. VG employee interviews confirms that they will continue with digital map productions, but that it will became a shift towards more static content, as this is cheaper and faster to produce. The verbal language modalities are still important in a news production and will continue to be responsible for the largest share of the produced material

Evaluation of grants given to maintain semi-natural grasslands in Nord-Trøndelag, Central-Norway

Since 1993, Norwegian governmental subsidies have been applied to preserve valuable semi-natural grasslands in Norway. After 8 years of management and payments, the effects of the subsidies were investigated in the county of Nord-Trøndelag. The intention of the subsidies, to secure both open landscapes and biodiversity, was not obtained due to a general lack of knowledge of ecology and biodiversity at all levels. This clearly demonstrates the importance of knowledge and information exchange between scientists, authorities, politicians and farmers to secure maintenance of the most valuable semi-natural grasslands. In addition, transdisciplinary research and exchange of knowledge between archaeologists, historians and ecologists are necessary to preserve the most valuable cultural landscapes with regard to both biodiversity and cultural monuments. This study was presented at the EGF meeting 21-24 June 2004, Luzern, Switzerland.Evaluation of grants given to maintain semi-natural grasslands in Nord-Trøndelag, Central-NorwaypublishedVersio

Assistants' experience of their own role in language work in kindergarten. A qualitative survey.

Mastergradsoppgave i tilpasset opplæring, Avdeling for lærerutdanning og naturvitenskap, Høgskolen i Innlandet, 2017.Norsk: Denne masteroppgaven handler om hvordan de ufaglærte assistentene i barnehagen ser på sin egen rolle i arbeid med språk som satsningsområde. Bakgrunnen for min oppgave er at assistentenes rolle i barnehagen i liten grad har vært forsket på, og den forskningen som har vært gjort peker blant annet på en flat struktur i arbeidet og et profesjonaliseringsprosjekt som ikke kan legitimeres i dagens barnehage (Heggen, 2008; Håberg, 2016; Olsen, 2007; Smeby, 2011). Min vinkling er hvordan assistentenes rolle påvirker rammene for faglig arbeid og kompetanseheving blant personalet i barnehagen. For å belyse dette har jeg blant annet fokusert på profesjonalisering, ledelse, kunnskap og barns språkutvikling. Jeg har rettet fokuset mot et konkret fagområde, og undersøker: Hvordan oppfatter assistentene seg selv og sin egen rolle i forhold til arbeidet med språk som satsningsområde i barnehagen. For å belyse denne problemstillingen har jeg jobbet ut ifra disse fire forskningsspørsmålene: • På hvilken måte opplever assistentene mestring i arbeidet med språk som satsningsområde. • Hvilke deler av språkarbeidet mestrer assistentene? • Hvilken kompetanse synes assistentene er viktig å ha når man jobber i barnehage? • Hvordan bruker og tilegner assistentene seg faglig kunnskap om språk i barnehagen? Det empiriske datamaterialet bygger på en hermeneutisk tilnærming, og er samlet inn ved hjelp av intervjuer. Funnene er analysert ved hjelp av meningsfortetning og hermeneutisk meningsfortolkning. Dette har så vært grunnlaget for en drøfting av funn i lys av den teorien som er presentert. Funnene presenteres i fire hovedkategorier som bygger på forskningsspørsmålene. Funnene viser at assistentene i denne undersøkelsen synes å være lite bevisst sin egen rolle i arbeidet med språk som satsningsområde i barnehagen. Det kan se ut til at de ikke har reflektert så mye over den prosessen som det er ment at skal foregå i barnehagen når det jobbes med et satsningsområde. Det viser seg at det er et sprik mellom det assistentene og styrerne forteller når det gjelder barnehagens satsningsområde. Assistentene i denne undersøkelsen fremstår som lite bevisste på sin egen rolle i språkarbeidet i barnehagen, først og fremst når det gjelder arbeidet i personalgruppen, men også når det gjelder det å ha en bevissthet rundt arbeidet. De har vanskeligheter med å plassere seg selv inn i en faglig kontekst. Dermed blir barnehagelærers rolle som veileder viktig.English: This thesis is about how the unskilled assistants in kindergartens look at their own role in working with language as a priority. The reason for my task is that the assistant role in the kindergarten has not been researched as much as other roles, and the research that has been done has stressed a flat structure of the work and a professionalization project that can not be justified in the current kindergarten (Heggen, 2008; Håberg, 2016; Olsen, 2007; Smeby, 2011). My approach is how the assistant role affect the framework for academic work and expertise of the staff in the kindergarten. To illustrate this I have partly focused on professionalism, leadership, knowledge and children's language development. I have directed the focus toward a specific field of study, and examines: How does the assistants perceives themselves and their own role in relation to work with language as a priority in the kindergarten. To shed light on this issue I have been working on the basis of these four research questions: • How do the assistants experience and master work with language as a priority. • Which parts of the language work do the assistants master? • Which skills do the assistants emphasis when working in the kindergarten? • How do the assistants use and acquire the professional knowledge of languages in kindergarten? The empirical data is based on a hermeneutical approach and collected by using interviews. The results are analyzed by condensation of meaning and hermeneutic meaningful interpretation. This has then been the basis for a discussion of the findings in light of the theory presented. The findings are presented in four categories based on the research questions. The findings show that the assistants in this study seems to be little aware of their own role in the work with language as a priority in the kindergarten. It may appear that they have not reflected as much of the process as it is supposed when working with language as a priority. It turns out that there is a gap between the assistants and the head of kindergartens telling when it comes to kindergarten priority. The assistants in this study has a relatively weak role in language work, primarily when it comes to work in the personnel group, but also when it comes to having an awareness of the work. They have difficulty in placing themselves in a professional context. The kindergarten teacher's role as supervisor, is very important