"If they come they will build it" : managing and building e-democracy from the ground up

The possibilities for using online media to promote deliberative democracy and enhance civic participation have been identified by many. At the same time, the ‘e-democracy score card’ is decidedly mixed, with the tendency of established institutions in both government and the mainstream media to promote a ‘push’ model of communication and information provision, which fails to adapt to the decentralized, networked, interactive and many-to-many forms of communication enabled by the Internet. This paper will discuss the experience of the National Forum, which is building an Australian e-Democracy site of which is the first stage. It aims to be a combination of town-square, shopping centre of ideas, and producers’ co-operative which will allow citizens, talkers, agitators, researchers and legislators to interact with each other individually and through their organisations. Its aim will be to facilitate conversations, and where required, action. This project can be understood from a myriad of angles. At one level it is an open source journalism project, at another it deals with knowledge management. It can also be approached as a forum, an archive, an internet arketing initiative and an eCommerce resource for civil society. Central to the project is the development of feedback mechanisms so that participants can better understand the debates and where they stand in them as well as gauging the mood, desires and interests of the nation on a continuous basis. This paper deals with the practice, theories and economic models underlying the project, and considers the contribution of such sites to community formation and the development of social capital

Mind the gap? A case-study of the differing perceptions of international students and their lecturers on postgraduate business programmes

This paper reports on a project which explored the experiences of a group of East Asian students studying postgraduate business programmes at a British university. Data drawn from a series of in-depth interviews with the students and their lecturers provided clear evidence that many of the students faced a substantial number of difficulties which affected their learning. The data also show that the lecturers and students had differing perceptions about why such difficulties arose. Whilst lecturers regarded language as the essential cause of East Asian students’ difficulties, the students recognised that, additionally, a lack of culturally-related knowledge of UK HE academic norms presented a fundamental challenge to their learning. The authors argue that these culturally-based academic practices need to be made more explicit to students. We also suggest that the complexity of East Asian cultures of learning are not fully understood or appreciated in British universities where, despite much relevant research and a range of institutional initiatives, a “deficit view” of international student behaviour and ability is still widespread. We contend that current university strategies may need to be reviewed if institutions and academic staff are to understand and resolve some of the difficulties international students face during their studies

The value of native biodiversity enhancement in New Zealand: A case study of the greater Wellington area

New Zealand’s biodiversity consists of over 80,000 native plants, animals and fungi, many of which are indigenous and located on private property. To enhance native biodiversity and discourage activities that may deplete it, policies can be introduced that can encourage individual self-interest to coincide with social interest. Economic values for biodiversity can help to determine the best policy tools to use. In this project, we surveyed Greater Wellington Region households to determine their biodiversity enhancement values using the contingent valuation approach. Greater Wellington respondents placed a significant value on both private land biodiversity as well as public land biodiversity

Competition Among Rent Seeking Groups in General Equilibrium

A two sector general equilibrium model is developed in which households can influence the government's choice of the relative price of traded goods and the level of public goods supplied to each sector. The model is used to illustrate key problems addressed by the political economy literature, modeling issues that arise, and the nature of insights that can be obtained that traditional approaches cannot discern.General equilibrium, political economy, rent seeking, lobbying, Political Economy,

The hermeneutics of Lonergan and Gadamer: A comparison (Bernard Lonergan, Hans-Georg Gadamer)

This thesis treats the hermeneutical theories of the Canadian Jesuit philosopher Bernard Lonergan and the German Protestant thinker Hans-George Gadamer. It begins by determining the extent of the possible influence of the latter’s work upon the former’s theory of interpretation as outlined in his Methods in Theology. Beginning with an analysis of Lonergan’s cognitive theory and his developing theory of interpretation (Chapter One), it continues with a discussion of the position put forward by Gadamer in his Truth and Method (Chapter Two). For both of these men, hermeneutics goes far beyond the interpretation of specific texts. There are four areas in which their work can be compared. Both are concerned with the priority of the question, the notion of application, the problem of objectivity, and the role of language (Chapter Three). In the final analysis, however, one cannot speak of an influence of Gadamer on Lonergan, although there are some recognizable parallels between the work of the two

Los orígenes sufíes de San Juan de la Cruz

Abstract not availabl

Annemarie Schimmel

Abstract not availabl

Abol Hasan Jaraqāni

Abstract not availabl

Sufismo: el «asunto extraño»

Abstract not availabl

La Senda del Jorāsān

Abstract not availabl