Projecting Ireland : the historical consciousness of Irish film in the 1990's

Bibliography: pages 112-114.In the following dissertation, I have undertaken to explore the very wide-ranging yet largely unexplored territory of Irish cinema. I have confined my study to the 1990s (other than a brief overview of the Irish film industry in my Introduction) in an attempt to express the revolutionary global success that all aspects of Irish culture have experienced in this decade. The central point, which I reiterate throughout the dissertation, is that, while Irish filmmakers are increasingly concerned with defining "Irishness" for themselves and the world, they inevitably encounter much confusion and ambivalence, and are often criticised for it. For this reason, I have uncovered many ambiguities in the films I have watched, which defy strict categorisation, other than in terms of their settings, which I describe in terms of "war-torn Belfast", modern Dublin and "the rural idyll". Nonetheless, I have divided the essay into three main sections, other than the Introduction and Conclusion, which themselves contain subsections, and which encompass the major themes which recur in Irish films. Section Two is a broad study of those films which deal with the political violence, known as the Troubles, that defines Northern Ireland. This includes a stereotyped American portrayals as well as a more recent IRA bias, beginning with Neil Jordan's attempt to put a new version of history on film in Michael Collins. The conclusion I come to is that filmmakers are ultimately trying to provide a balanced view of the situation and one that condemns violence. Section Three deals with the intertwined themes of women, family, sexuality and the Catholic Church. The traditional conservatism in Ireland is outlined before I show how recent films reflect the changes in moral attitudes and the new freedoms of sexuality that the younger generation is experiencing. Lastly I look at the special situation of women in the North, where they and their families are the long-suffering victims of the violence. Section Four continues the theme of the changes which are sweeping over "Modern Ireland", largely due to its opening-up to outside influences, particularly those of America. The dichotomies of this newly-modernised society are still evident, as I discuss in the section on the historical importance of land, which is expressed not only in the "rural idyll" films, but in those which deal with the move to the urban lure and squalor of Dublin. Finally I look at how the traditional and mythical still exist in modern Ireland, and how the combination of these aspects of the past and present is shown to suggest a positive way into the future

Opening Governance

Open government and open data are new areas of research, advocacy and activism that have entered the governance field alongside the more established areas of transparency and accountability. In this IDS Bulletin, articles review recent scholarship to pinpoint contributions to more open, transparent, accountable and responsive governance via improved practice, projects and programmes in the context of the ideas, relationships, processes, behaviours, policy frameworks and aid funding practices of the last five years. They also discuss questions and weaknesses that limit the effectiveness and impact of this work, offer a series of definitions to help overcome conceptual ambiguities, and identify hype and euphemism. The contributions – by researchers and practitioners – approach contemporary challenges of achieving transparency, accountability and openness from a wide range of subject positions and professional and disciplinary angles. Together these articles give a sense of what has changed in this fast-moving field, and what has not – this IDS Bulletin is an invitation to all stakeholders to take stock and reflect. The ambiguity around the ‘open’ in governance today might be helpful in that its very breadth brings in actors who would otherwise be unlikely adherents. But if the fuzzier idea of ‘open government’ or the allure of ‘open data’ displace the task of clear transparency, hard accountability and fairer distribution of power as what this is all about, then what started as an inspired movement of governance visionaries may end up merely putting a more open face on an unjust and unaccountable status quo

Introduction: Opening Governance – Change, Continuity and Conceptual Ambiguity

Open government and open data are new areas of research, advocacy and activism that have entered the governance field alongside the more established areas of transparency and accountability. This article reviews recent scholarship in these areas, pinpointing contributions to more open, transparent, accountable and responsive governance via improved practice, projects and programmes. The authors set the rest of the articles from this IDS Bulletin in the context of the ideas, relationships, processes, behaviours, policy frameworks and aid funding practices of the last five years, and critically discuss questions and weaknesses that limit the effectiveness and impact of this work. Identifying conceptual ambiguity as a key problem, they offer a series of definitions to help overcome the technical and political difficulties this causes. They also identify hype and euphemism, and offer a series of conclusions to help restore meaning and ideological content to work on open government and open data in transparent and accountable governance

Supporting innovation and the use of technologies in accountability initiatives: lessons from Making All Voices Count

Making All Voices Count was an international initative that harnessed the power of innovation and new technologies to support effective, accountable governance. Focusing on six countries in Africa and Asia, the programme was implemented by a consortium of implementing partners, and used funding from four donors to make grants to support new ideas that amplified the voices of citizens, and enabled governments to listen and respond. From the start, Making All Voices Count was also a learning programme. The objective of this learning was not only to bring about change during the programme’s life cycle, but also to leave a legacy that would help to ensure that future governance programmes and initiatives seeking to capitalise on the transformative potential of innovation and technology are more informed, inclusive and impactful. This programme learning report emerged from a wider process of analysing, discussing and synthesising the data and learning from the programme, which wove together evidence-based learning about technology for accountable governance initiatives with experiential learning on how best to support such work. The report highlights five of the lessons learned from Making All Voices Count about how – and how not – to run large, complex programmes that intend to support innovation in governance.DFIDSidaOmidyar NetworkUSAI

Issue 19: Up/Rooted: Gender, Sexuality and Refuge in Canada

Issues of gender and sexuality affect refugee experiences of flight, resettlement and integration, yet often remain unacknowledged and unaddressed in policy and programming to support those seeking refuge in Canada. There exists a power dimension between those being served (refugees) and those providing services and policymakers. This Policy Points presents core issues at the intersection of gender, sexuality and seeking refuge discussed during the Up/Rooted: Gender, Sexuality and Refuge in Canada workshop held at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, Ontario. Participants from a range of community organizations working with refugees, community members, persons with refugee backgrounds, researchers, and students came together to explore the challenges and opportunities for people arriving from refugee experiences in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge region. This Policy Points contributes to the broader discourse on refugee resettlement and integration in Canada by unpacking findings in four key thematic areas: (1) health and wellness; (2) families; (3) social protection and economic security; and (4) communities and identities

Making All Voices Count Research and Evidence Strategy

Making All Voices Count is a citizen engagement and accountable governance programme. It aims to harness the transformative potential of unusual partnerships and innovative applications of communication technologies to contribute to fundamental change in the relationship citizens have with the state. An exceptional feature of Making All Voices Count is the inclusion of a significant Research Evidence and Learning (REL) component - led by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) - as an integral part of a mainly operational programme. This component offers an opportunity to build a unique base of evidence on what works in using technology for citizen voice, transparency and accountability, and on how and why it works. This document presents Making All Voices Count's Research and Evidence Strategy. It focuses on the most relevant and useful contributions the REL component can make, and outlines how the component will be delivered.DFID, USAID, SIDA, Omidyar Networ

What Hillary Rodham Clinton really said about children's rights and child policy

As editors of a professional, scientific and scholarly journal in the children's field our interest is to promote fair, careful and objective discussion of children's issues. In this regard, we have been disturbed by recent efforts to misrepresent the views and contribution of Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of our colleagues in the children's field. In this paper we systematically analyze Hillary Rodham Clinton's writings and review her contribution. Her legal approach can best be described as conservative, arguing for judicial restraint with respect to state involvement in family life. Taking into account her work on behalf of children through the Children's Defense Fund we conclude that Hillary Rodham Clinton has been an important voice for the cause of children.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30351/1/0000753.pd