858 research outputs found
The eta invariant on two-step nilmanifolds
The eta invariant appears regularly in index theorems but is known to be
directly computable from the spectrum only in certain examples of locally
symmetric spaces of compact type. In this work, we derive some general formulas
useful for calculating the eta invariant on closed manifolds. Specifically, we
study the eta invariant on nilmanifolds by decomposing the spin Dirac operator
using Kirillov theory. In particular, for general Heisenberg three-manifolds,
the spectrum of the Dirac operator and the eta invariant are computed in terms
of the metric, lattice, and spin structure data. There are continuous families
of geometrically, spectrally different Heisenberg three-manifolds whose Dirac
operators have constant eta invariant. In the appendix, some needed results of
L. Richardson and C. C. Moore are extended from spaces of functions to spaces
of spinors.Comment: 53 pages, corrected final version, to appear in Communications in
Analysis and Geometr
Building the Big Society
Papers are a contribution to the debate and set out the authors ’ views only Localism and the Big Societ
Mental Health Stigma And Indigent Defense
This study aimed to facilitate a greater understanding of the attitudes, and experiences of stigma among indigent clients of two urban Atlanta public defender offices. In order to gain insight into the experiences of this hard to reach population and the factors associated with mental health self-reporting. By examining the general views of self stigma, public stigma and structural repercussions this study will contribute to the understanding regarding stigma concerns, experiences and coping strategies. Findings can inform efforts to effectively increase understanding of how indigent clients viewed themselves and others identified formally or informally as mentally il
A Bibliography of the Theory of Relativity
This thesis, a Bibliography of Relativity, has begun with a very meager knowledge of the amount of literature which has been written on the subject of relativity either s explanation or commentary. The project was to 11at all the books and periodical articles written on or about the subject Relativity which are on file in the libraries of the College of the Pacific, University of California and stanford up to and including the year 1920
Towards the ‘Big Society’: What role for neighbourhood working? Evidence from a comparative European study
Under the New Labour government, the neighbourhood emerged prominently as a site for policy interventions and as a space for civic activity, resulting in the widespread establishment of neighbourhood-level structures for decision-making and service delivery. The future existence and utility of these arrangements is now unclear under the Coalition government's Big Society proposals and fiscal austerity measures. On the one hand, sub-local governance structures might be seen as promoting central-to-local and local-to-community devolution of decision-making. On the other, they might be seen as layers of expensive bureaucracy standing in the way of bottom-up community action. Arguably the current value and future role of these structures in facilitating the Big Society will depend on how they are constituted and with what purpose. There are many local variations. In this paper we look at three case studies, in England, France and the Netherlands, to learn how different approaches to neighbourhood working have facilitated and constrained civic participation and action. Drawing on the work of Lowndes and Sullivan (2008) we show how the achievement of civic objectives can be hampered in structures set up primarily to achieve social, economic and political goals, partly because of (remediable) flaws in civic engagement but partly because of the inherent tensions between these objectives in relation to issues of spatial scale and the constitution and function of neighbourhood structures. The purpose of neighbourhood structures needs to be clearly thought through. We also note a distinction between 'invited' and 'popular' spaces for citizen involvement, the latter being created by citizens themselves. 'Invited' spaces have tended to dominate to date, and the Coalition's agenda suggests a fundamental shift to 'popular' spaces. However we conclude that the Big Society will require neighbourhood working to be both invited and popular. Citizen participation cannot always replace local government - sometimes it requires its support and stimulation. The challenge for local authorities is to reconstitute 'invited' spaces (not to abolish them) and at the same time to facilitate 'popular' spaces for neighbourhood working.Big Society, local government, neighbourhood, neighbourhood management, community
Unfamiliar Justice: Indigent Criminal Defendants\u27 Experiences With Civil Legal Needs
Our legal system - and much of the research conducted on that system - often separates people and issues into civil and criminal silos. However, those two worlds intersect and influence one another in important ways. The qualitative empirical study that forms the basis of this Article bridges the civil-criminal divide by exploring the life circumstances and events of public defender clients to determine how they experience and respond to civil legal problems.
To date, studies addressing civil legal needs more generally have not focused on those individuals enmeshed with the criminal justice system, even though that group offers a rich source of valuable information. Researchers interested in civil aspects of criminal defense have focused primarily on the collateral consequences of conviction and the effectiveness of holistic defense programs. This exploratory study is the first of its kind - focused on civil legal problems unrelated to clients\u27 criminal cases, but instead those that arise int he course of their everyday lives.
The study reveals that for public defender clients, civil justice is unfamiliar territory. While not strangers to the legal system or to lawyers, the clients we interviewed had very little experience with - or awareness of - available civil legal resources. In addition, they face a number of cognitive, procedural, and structural obstacles that make it difficult to navigate the legal system, including a lack of access to information and tools that enable them to use the civil legal system to address relevant needs. Yet, their life circumstances and the situations they encounter suggest many opportunities for possible civil legal intervention, whether through an attorney or other self-help mechanism.
By providing a better understanding of how indigent criminal defendants understand, experience, and respond to civil legal problems, the barriers that prevent them from addressing those needs, and opportunities for intervention, this Article forces the access-to-justice conversation out of its siloed confines. In doing so, it aims to engage civil and criminal scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in a discussion of how to make the civil justice system more accessible to all
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