245 research outputs found
Participatory-deliberative processes and public policy agendas:Lessons for policy and practice
open access journalParticipatory and deliberative processes have proliferated over
recent decades in public administration. These seek to increase
the effectiveness and democratic quality of policy making by
involving citizens in policy. However, these have mainly operated
at local levels of governance, and democratic theorists and practitioners
have developed an ambition to scale these up in order to
democratize higher tiers of government. This paper draws policy
lessons from research on a âmulti-levelâ process that held a similar
ambition. The Sustainable Communities Act sought to integrate
the results of various locally organized citizen deliberations within
the policy development processes of central UK government. In
doing so, it aimed to democratize central government problem
definition and agenda-setting processes. The paper distinguishes
between achievements and failures explained by process design,
and more fundamental obstacles to do with broader contextual
factors. As such, it identifies lessons for the amelioration of design
features, while recognizing constraints that are often beyond the
agency of local practitioners. The findings offer practical insights
for policy workers and democratic reformers seeking to institutionalize
participatory and deliberative innovations
Recommended from our members
Remarks on the Concept of Critique in Habermasian Thought
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of critique in Habermasian thought. Given that the concept of critique is a central theoretical category in the work of the Frankfurt School, it comes as a surprise that little in the way of a systematic account which sheds light on the multifaceted meanings of the concept of critique in Habermasâs oeuvre can be found in the literature. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the various meanings that Habermas attributes to the concept of critique in 10 key thematic areas of his writings: (1) the public sphere, (2) knowledge, (3) language, (4) morality, (5) ethics, (6) evolution, (7) legitimation, (8) democracy, (9) religion, and (10) modernity. On the basis of a detailed analysis of Habermasâs multifaceted concerns with the nature and function of critique, the study seeks to demonstrate that the concept of critique can be considered not only as a constitutive element but also as a normative cornerstone of Habermasian thought. The paper draws to a close by reflecting on some of the limitations of Habermasâs conception of critique, arguing that in order to be truly critical in the Habermasian sense we need to turn the subject of critique into an object of critique
Recommended from our members
Intracranial and subcortical volumes in adolescents with earlyâonset psychosis: A multisite megaâanalysis from the ENIGMA consortium
Earlyâonset psychosis disorders are serious mental disorders arising before the age of 18âyears. Here, we investigate the largest neuroimaging dataset, to date, of patients with earlyâonset psychosis and healthy controls for differences in intracranial and subcortical brain volumes. The sample included 263 patients with earlyâonset psychosis (mean age: 16.4â±â1.4âyears, mean illness duration: 1.5â±â1.4âyears, 39.2% female) and 359 healthy controls (mean age: 15.9â±â1.7âyears, 45.4% female) with magnetic resonance imaging data, pooled from 11 clinical cohorts. Patients were diagnosed with earlyâonset schizophrenia (n = 183), affective psychosis (n = 39), or other psychotic disorders (n = 41). We used linear mixedâeffects models to investigate differences in intracranial and subcortical volumes across the patient sample, diagnostic subgroup and antipsychotic medication, relative to controls. We observed significantly lower intracranial (Cohen's d = â0.39) and hippocampal (d = â0.25) volumes, and higher caudate (d = 0.25) and pallidum (d = 0.24) volumes in patients relative to controls. Intracranial volume was lower in both earlyâonset schizophrenia (d = â0.34) and affective psychosis (d = â0.42), and earlyâonset schizophrenia showed lower hippocampal (d = â0.24) and higher pallidum (d = 0.29) volumes. Patients who were currently treated with antipsychotic medication (n = 193) had significantly lower intracranial volume (d = â0.42). The findings demonstrate a similar pattern of brain alterations in earlyâonset psychosis as previously reported in adult psychosis, but with notably low intracranial volume. The low intracranial volume suggests disrupted neurodevelopment in adolescent earlyâonset psychosis
New Media and Fat Democracy: The Paradox of Online Participation
This piece speculates on the internetâs wider influences on the shape of institutional politics in representative âactually existing democraciesâ. Findings, based on 100 semi-structured interviews with political actors (politicians, journalists and officials) operating around the UK Parliament, suggest two contrasting trends. On the one hand, more political actors at the immediate edges of the UK institutional political process are being further engaged in a sort of centrifugal movement going outwards from the centre. At the same time, the space between this extended political centre and its public periphery is increasing. This fatter, democratic elitist shift in UK politics may be interpreted as ânewâ and ICT-driven. It might equally be argued that new media is exacerbating pre-existing political party and media trends in mature democracies which fail to engage ordinary citizens
Recommended from our members
Towards a Critical Sociology of Dominant Ideologies: An Unexpected Reunion between Pierre Bourdieu and Luc Boltanski
This article aims to demonstrate the enduring relevance of Pierre Bourdieu and Luc Boltanskiâs âLa production de lâidĂ©ologie dominanteâ [âThe production of the dominant ideologyâ], which was originally published in Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales in 1976. More than three decades later, in 2008, a re-edited version of this study was printed in book format as La production de lâidĂ©ologie dominante, which was accompanied by a detailed commentary, written by Luc Boltanski and entitled Rendre la rĂ©alitĂ© inacceptable. Ă propos de « La production de lâidĂ©ologie dominante » [Making Reality Unacceptable. Comments on âThe production of the dominant ideologyâ]. In addition to containing revealing personal anecdotes and providing important sociological insights, this commentary offers an insider account of the genesis of one of the most seminal pieces Boltanski co-wrote with his intellectual father, Bourdieu. In the Anglophone literature on contemporary French sociology, however, the theoretical contributions made both in the original study and in Boltanskiâs commentary have received little â if any â serious attention. This article aims to fill this gap in the literature, arguing that these two texts can be regarded not only as forceful reminders of the fact that the âdominant ideology thesisâ is far from obsolete but also as essential for understanding both the personal and the intellectual underpinnings of the tension-laden relationship between Bourdieu and Boltanski. Furthermore, this article offers a critical overview of the extent to which the unexpected, and partly posthumous, reunion between âthe masterâ (Bourdieu) and his âdissident discipleâ (Boltanski) equips us with powerful conceptual tools, which, whilst illustrating the continuing centrality of âideology critiqueâ, permit us to shed new light on key concerns in contemporary sociology and social theory. Finally, the article seeks to push the debate forward by reflecting upon several issues that are not given sufficient attention by Bourdieu and Boltanski in their otherwise original and insightful enquiry into the complexities characterizing the daily production of ideology
Features of home and neighbourhood and the liveability of older South Africans
While older people live in developing countries, little is known about the relative importance of features of their communities in influencing their liveability. We examinecomponents of home and neighbourhood among older South Africans. Linear regression analyses revealed that features of home (basic amenities, household composition, financial status and safety) and neighbourhood (ability to shop for groceries, participate in organizations and feel safe from crime) are significantly associated with life satisfaction. Approaches to liveability that are person-centred and also set within contexts beyond home and neighbourhood are needed to addressboundaries between home and neighbourhood; incorporate personal resources into liveability models and import broader environmental contexts such as health and social policy
Synthesising Corporate Responsibility on Organisational and Societal Levels of Analysis: An Integrative Perspective
This article develops an integrative perspective on corporate responsibility by synthesising competing perspectives on the responsibility of the corporation at the organisational and societal levels of analysis. We review three major corporate responsibility perspectives, which we refer to as economic, critical, and politico-ethical. We analyse the major potential uses and pitfalls of the perspectives, and integrate the debate on these two levels. Our synthesis concludes that when a society has a robust division of moral labour in place, the responsibility of a corporation may be economic (as suggested under the economic perspective) without jeopardising democracy and sustainability (as reported under the critical perspective). Moreover, the economic role of corporations neither signifies the absence of deliberative democratic mechanisms nor business practices extending beyond compliance (as called for under the politico-ethical perspective). The study underscores the value of integrating different perspectives and multiple levels of analysis to present comprehensive descriptions and prescriptions of the responsibility phenomenon
Decellularized Matrix from Tumorigenic Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promotes Neovascularization with Galectin-1 Dependent Endothelial Interaction
BACKGROUND: Acquisition of a blood supply is fundamental for extensive tumor growth. We recently described vascular heterogeneity in tumours derived from cell clones of a human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) strain (hMSC-TERT20) immortalized by retroviral vector mediated human telomerase (hTERT) gene expression. Histological analysis showed that cells of the most vascularized tumorigenic clone, -BD11 had a pericyte-like alpha smooth muscle actin (ASMA+) and CD146+ positive phenotype. Upon serum withdrawal in culture, -BD11 cells formed cord-like structures mimicking capillary morphogenesis. In contrast, cells of the poorly tumorigenic clone, -BC8 did not stain for ASMA, tumours were less vascularized and serum withdrawal in culture led to cell death. By exploring the heterogeneity in hMSC-TERT20 clones we aimed to understand molecular mechanisms by which mesenchymal stem cells may promote neovascularization. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Quantitative qRT-PCR analysis revealed similar mRNA levels for genes encoding the angiogenic cytokines VEGF and Angiopoietin-1 in both clones. However, clone-BD11 produced a denser extracellular matrix that supported stable ex vivo capillary morphogenesis of human endothelial cells and promoted in vivo neovascularization. Proteomic characterization of the -BD11 decellularized matrix identified 50 extracellular angiogenic proteins, including galectin-1. siRNA knock down of galectin-1 expression abrogated the ex vivo interaction between decellularized -BD11 matrix and endothelial cells. More stable shRNA knock down of galectin-1 expression did not prevent -BD11 tumorigenesis, but greatly reduced endothelial migration into -BD11 cell xenografts. CONCLUSIONS: Decellularized hMSC matrix had significant angiogenic potential with at least 50 angiogenic cell surface and extracellular proteins, implicated in attracting endothelial cells, their adhesion and activation to form tubular structures. hMSC -BD11 surface galectin-1 expression was required to bring about matrix-endothelial interactions and for xenografted hMSC -BD11 cells to optimally recruit host vasculature
- âŠ