Does organized crime attract Eu funding? Evidence from Sicily

This study analyzes the impact of Mafia on the allocation of EU funding. We focus on EU subsidies directed to the 390Sicilian municipalities from 2007 to 2019. We proxy current Mafia activity by confiscated real estate assets from organized crime and instrument it with geographical shifters of land value. We show that the presence of Mafia increments the amount of EU funds and the number of EU projects assigned to municipalities. We repeat the analysis across different types of investments. A series of robustness checks confirms the reliability of our baseline results

Soziale Landwirtschaft im deutschen Justizvollzug

In einer deutschlandweiten Umfrage zur Sozialen Landwirtschaft im Strafvollzug wurden 23 „Gefängnis-Landwirtschaften“ recherchiert, lediglich zwei davon wirtschaften ökologisch. Stärken, Schwächen, Chancen und Risiken der der landwirtschaftlichen Arbeit im Gefängnis wurden mittels qualitativer Methoden recherchiert. In Bezug auf die Bedeutung landwirtschaftliche Arbeit für die Resozialisierung deuten die Ergebnisse auf Potenziale hin. So ist etwa die Arbeit in einer lebendigen Umgebung mit interaktiven Aspekten hilfreich, um soziale Kompetenzen und Verantwortungsübernahme auszubilden

Potentiale von Schulklassen für die Landschaftspflege – Erfahrungen von Waldorfschulen in Mittelfranken

Die Verbindung von Landschaftspflege und Umweltpädagogik ist das Thema dieser Arbeit. Seit 1986 arbeitet der Gartenbaulehrer Werner Neudorfer der Steinerschule Nürnberg mit seinen Schülern der neunten Jahrgangstufe in der Landschaftspflege. Dabei arbeitet er eng mit dem Landschaftspflegeverband Mittelfranken zusammen, der landschaftspflegerische Maßnahmen wie Heckenpflanzungen und -pflege, Obstbaumpflanzungen und Pflegearbeiten in Trocken- und Feuchtbiotopen vermittelt. Seit 1997 fahren auch die neunten Klassen der Tochterschule in Wendelstein zum Landschaftspflegepraktikum in diese Gegend. Standort der Nürnberger Schule war lange Jahre ein Wirtshaus Dittenheim, die Wendelsteiner Schule fährt ins nahe gelegene Schullandheim in Heidenheim. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird untersucht, wie die Praktika der beiden Schulen von ihrer organisatorischen Struktur aufgebaut sind, welche pädagogischen Ziele damit verfolgt werden und welche Reaktionen die Schüler zeigen. Anhand dieser Punkte soll der Vorbildcharakter der Praktika gezeigt werden und dadurch eine Anregung für andere Schulen gegeben werden. Weiterhin wird der Frage nachgegangen, welches Potential in der Arbeit von Schülern für die Landschaftspflege enthalten ist. Zur Beantwortung dieser Fragen werden die Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung angewandt. Es wurden Interviews mit den Gartenbaulehrern Werner Neudorfer und Renate Lange durchgeführt. Des Weiteren wurde die Klassenlehrerin einer der Wendelsteiner Klassen Cornelia Debus befragt. Von den Mitarbeitern des Landschaftspflegeverbandes erklärten sich Klaus Fackler und Jasmin Kriegbaum zu einem Interview bereit. Darüber hinaus wurde ein Interview mit Gerhard Stocker vom Waldorfinstitut in Witten-Annen durchgeführt. Diese Personen können für die Landschaftspflegepraktika als Experten gelten, weshalb ihren Aussagen Gültigkeit in Bezug auf die genannten Fragen zugesprochen wird. Ergänzend zu den Interviews nahm die Autorin im Vorfeld jeweils eine Woche an den Praktika beider Schulen im Sinne einer teilnehmenden Beobachtung teil. Hierdurch konnte ein vertiefter Einblick gegeben und eine Basis für die Interviews gewonnen werden. Durch diese Datenerhebung kann die Organisation und der Ablauf aus der Sicht aller drei Kooperationspartner dargestellt werden, die sich je nach Leitungspersönlichkeit der Gartenbaulehrer unterscheiden. Die pädagogischen Ziele der Schule liegen in einer Herausforderung der Jugendlichen in der Zeit der Pubertät mit dem Hölzernen und dem Wecken von Neugier und Sensibilität für die Natur. Wichtig ist in diesem Kontext ein Erfassen der Sinnhaftigkeit der Arbeiten, die durch den theoretischen Unterricht vermittelt wird. Tatsächlich berichten alle Kooperationspartner von beobachtbaren Verhaltensänderungen der Schüler, die auch von den Eltern bestätigt werden. Der Landschaftspflegeverband profitiert ebenfalls von der Zusammenarbeit, da durch die Hilfe der Schüler mehr Maßnahmen verwirklicht werden können, die ansonsten aufgrund schlechter Rahmenbedingungen oder fehlender Fördergelder nicht realisiert werden könnten. Weitere Potentiale liegen in einer langfristigen Pflege von Biotopen und einem veränderten Umweltbewusstsein, dass der Natur wiederum zugutekommt

UELMA: The Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act

At the federal, state, and local levels, primary legal materials are increasingly being made available to the public in electronic format. It is a matter of great concern to attorneys and legal researchers that these electronic resources routinely include caveats and disclaimers regarding their authenticity and official status. Until recently, however, state and local governments have seldom guaranteed that these resources would be updated, maintained, and securely archived for the benefit of their citizens. In July 2011, the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws approved the text of the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA). As drafted, this uniform law clearly outlines the rationale, methodology, and standards for authenticating and permanently preserving official legal materials published exclusively in electronic format

Practicum Experiences of Prospective Teachers: The Inevitable Adaptation to Teaching Online

Prospective teachers (students) in the Bachelor of Education (BEd.) programme at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Year Three, would have been required to conduct ‘field’ practicum at various schools throughout the country, under normal circumstances. However, due to the pandemic and the closure of all schools, only online classes were conducted and adaptations had to be made to acclimatize to the situation. Prospective teachers were required to engage in teaching to their peers online, together with micro-teaching which complemented the process. Instructors as well as classmates and presenters engaged in critique, rigorous analysis, reflection and feedback. The sample included forty (40) full-time students, generally between the ages of 18 to 25, who had no previous classroom teaching experiences. A mixed-method approach was deemed as suitable to investigate how prospective teachers adapted to online teaching and learning to implement the content of the prescribed curriculum. Online questionnaires, focus group interviews, via Zoom and reflective writings were used to collect data. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were integrated for data analyses. The findings revealed that most prospective teachers were very proficient with the use of the Zoom platform and were very creative in their approaches for teaching using videos, online games, power point presentations and voice-overs. However, there were instances of major problems involving internet connectivity and instability, particularly for those who live in remote villages. In addition, some students preferred online-teaching, while others indicated a preference for a blended approach. The results have serious connotations for the health and well-being of students. Those who are constrained by a lack of internet feel disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalized

The emission consequences of using biodiesel and bio ethanol as a fuel for road transport in Denmark

This article explains the emission consequences of using biodiesel and bio ethanol as a fuel for road transport in Denmark calculated in the REBECa project. For the years 2004, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2025 and 2030, two fossil fuel baseline scenarios (FS) are considered characterised by different traffic growth rates. For each FS, two biofuel scenarios (BS1, BS2) are considered with a 5.75 % biodiesel/bio ethanol share in 2010 as a common starting point. From 2010, linear growths are assumed for BS1 (10 % in 2020) and BS2 (25 % in 2030). The emissions presented in this study are vehicle based; a separate Well to Wheels (W-t-W) assessment of the total emission consequences of producing and using biofuels has been conducted in a different part of REBECa. The maximum CO2 emission difference between FS and BS2 becomes 26 % in 2030. The NOx and VOC emission variations between FS and both biofuel scenarios are 3 % or less. For CO and TSP the largest emission differences, 5 % and -12 %, respectively, occur between the FS and BS2 scenarios in 2030. The biofuel emission impacts are insignificant for NOx,VOC, CO and TSP compared to the generally large emission reductions predicted in all scenarios driven by the gradual strengthened emission standards for new vehicles, by far outweighing the emission influence from biofuels and traffic growth. The emission estimates for NOx, VOC, CO and TSP presented in this study are less certain than for CO2 due to the relatively scarce biofuel emission data implemented in the calculations. As a consequence, the obtained emission results must be assessed with care. Bearing in mind these uncertainties, the calculation approach for emissions from biofuel usage presented in this study can be used as a tool to carry out sensitivity analysis, environmental impact assessment studies, or for research purposes as such

The Emission consequences of using biodiesel and bio ethanol as a fuel for road transport in Denmark

This article explains the emission consequences of using biodiesel and bio ethanol as a fuel for road transport in Denmark calculated in the REBECa project. For the years 2004, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2025 and 2030, two fossil fuel baseline scenarios (FS) are considered characterised by different traffic growth rates. For each FS, two biofuel scenarios (BS1, BS2) are considered with a 5.75 % biodiesel/bio ethanol share in 2010 as a common starting point. From 2010, linear growths are assumed for BS1 (10 % in 2020) and BS2 (25 % in 2030). The emissions presented in this study are vehicle based; a separate Well to Wheels (W-t-W) assessment of the total emission consequences of producing and using biofuels has been conducted in a different part of REBECa. The maximum CO2 emission difference between FS and BS2 becomes 26 % in 2030. The NOx and VOC emission variations between FS and both biofuel scenarios are 3 % or less. For CO and TSP the largest emission differences, 5 % and -12 %, respectively, occur between the FS and BS2 scenarios in 2030. The biofuel emission impacts are insignificant for NOx,VOC, CO and TSP compared to the generally large emission reductions predicted in all scenarios driven by the gradual strengthened emission standards for new vehicles, by far outweighing the emission influence from biofuels and traffic growth. The emission estimates for NOX, VOC, CO and TSP presented in this study are less certain than for CO2 due to the relatively scarce biofuel emission data implemented in the calculations. As a consequence, the obtained emission results must be assessed with care. Bearing in mind these uncertainties, the calculation approach for emissions from biofuel usage presented in this study can be used as a tool to carry out sensitivity analysis, environmental impact assessment studies, or for research purposes as such

Exploring park–people conflicts in Colombia through a social lens

Natural resource-related conflicts between local communities and nation states can be extremely destructive. Worldwide, interest is growing in gaining a better understanding of why and how these conflicts originate, particularly in protected areas inhabited by local communities. The literature on local attitudes towards and perceptions of park conservation and park-people conflicts is quite extensive. Studies have examined the socioeconomic and geographical determinants of attitudes to protected areas. However, the role of such determinants in the experience of park-people conflicts has received considerably less attention. Drawing on 601 interviews with people living in or near 15 Colombian national protected areas (NPAs), we examine the socioeconomic and geographical variables that are most influential in people's experience of conflict related to restricted access to natural resources. We find that the experience of this type of conflict is largely explained by the NPA where a person resides, pursuit of productive activities within the NPA, previous employment in NPA administration, gender and ethnicity. We recommend implementing socially inclusive conservation strategies for conflict prevention and resolution in Colombia's NPAs, whereby both women and men from different ethnic groups are engaged in design and implementation

Teamwork in civil engineering -past, present, and future

This study is about the past, present and future teamwork in the civil engineering field. Since the topic of this study is very broad, the study will cover on organization structures, teamwork, and Team Development Model (TDM). In the research on the past organization structure of any civil engineering firm, it is found that majority practiced functional organization, whereas now, more and more matrix organization is practiced in the civil engineering organization structure. Nevertheless, in the past, the organization structure had more flaws than the current organization structure, and will keep on improving. The future organization structure is predicted to be either in a projectized form or still in a matrix form. Meanwhile, the teamwork in the past is found to be not as effective as the current teamwork practiced in the civil engineering industry. In the future, it is anticipated that teamwork could be getting better and will be done virtually at any time, any place and on any challenge. The met hod used for my research is by doing background studies, SWOT analysis, then coming out with results, discussion, recommendation and conclusion. Next, my research on the TDM showed that this general model does not necessarily help in improving the team’s performance therefore another TDM is developed to cater for the slight imperfections of the general model. With the help of the new TDM, it should be able to assist the team in attaining the optimum teamwork in the civil engineering world