The emerging interventionists of the GCC

There is a shift occurring within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in which new regional leaders are emerging, buoyed by a decade of unprecedented wealth generation from the 2000s commodities boom and increased foreign investment. Specifically, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have emerged as activist states in their interest and willingness to intervene both militarily and financially in the politics of neighbouring Arab states. Contrary to their collective and individual foreign policies of the last 40 years, the GCC states have intervened in each other’s domestic politics and in the domestic politics and revolutions of the wider Middle East and North Africa region. While Saudi Arabia enjoyed a period of dominance among its Gulf Arab neighbours for many years, even occasionally threatening the borders of Qatar and the UAE, the prevailing policy of Gulf states has been non-interference and support for Arab leaders, as a principle of religion and politics. In essence, the evolving nature of interventionism in the GCC is moving away from Saudi dominance towards the emergence of new actors willing to engage in the region and on the international stage. We can trace this policy shift through the simultaneous yet separate evolution of domestic, regional and international political economy. This paper argues that shifts in leadership at the national levels have coincided with larger trends in the regional and international economy which have enabled different, yet both assertive, interventionist foreign policies to emerge from Qatar and the UAE. The result is a moment of financial and military interventionism unprecedented in Arab Gulf politics

Parental bonding and alexithymia: A meta-analysis

Aim: The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore, clarify and report the strength of the relationship between alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and parenting style as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Methods: Web of Science, PsycInfo, PubMed and ProQuest: Dissertations and Theses searches were undertaken, yielding nine samples with sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis. Results: Evidence indicated moderate to strong relationships between maternal care and alexithymia, and between maternal care and two of the three TAS-20 alexithymia facets (Difficulties Describing Feelings and Difficulties Identifying Feelings, but not Externally Oriented Thinking). Moderate relationships were observed for both maternal- and paternal-overprotection and alexithymia respectively, and for overprotection (both maternal and paternal) and Difficulties Describing Feelings. Conclusion: This study is the first meta-analysis of the relationship between parenting styles and alexithymia, and findings confirm an especially strong association between maternal care and key elements of alexithymia. This review highlights the issues that still remain to be addressed in exploring the link between parenting style and alexithymia

Markets serving states: the institutional bases of financial governance in the Gulf Cooperation Council States

Institutionalization in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states is proceeding within the financial sector in many ways as a result of economic growth, rather than as a precursor or foundation of economic growth. This paper gives an overview of the architecture of financial governance in the GCC states, situating financial governance in the context of domestic state-building, global capital flows and energy markets. The paper argues that demand for new financial services often originates in the global business and finance communities, while domestic financial institutions dominated by state and ruling family interests may prefer less diversity and range (and requisite regulation). When GCC states do regulate markets, they are able to move quickly, which often privileges state priorities over market depth and diversification. As Gulf states create new economic institutions to govern their markets, they are also creating a framework that enables broader political goals of financial and economic statecraft

Where is the person in personalisation? Experiences of people with learning disabilities and their families in Glasgow

The shift towards the personalisation of social care ostensibly aims to enable people to exercise choice and control over their support. However, its implementation is taking place at the same time as the effects of austerity and welfare reform are being felt by disabled people and their families. Most notably for this thesis, the restructuring of learning disability services alongside the implementation of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 in Glasgow has resulted in the widespread closure of day centres for people with learning disabilities. This study sets out to explore how policy change played out in the lives of disabled people and their families. It focuses particularly on the experiences of people with learning disabilities aged 30 and over, living in Glasgow. The formative experiences of this group took place before anti-discrimination legislation, and several participants had attended day centres for much of their adult lives. Additionally, many family carers were becoming less able to provide support themselves, adding further complexity to care arrangements. It was very clear that policy change had affected daily lives and relationships of this group. There was little evidence of the values and principles underlying SDS in practice. Participants generally had negative experiences of interaction with services and professionals, and found SDS to be stressful and time consuming. Closure of day centres in Glasgow was a key issue for many families and had resulted in major changes to routines and relationships, as well as contributing to feelings of not being listened to and a lack of trust in powerful professionals. Whilst budget cuts are an issue for local authorities and for families, this thesis suggests there are additional barriers to achieving the transformation of social care in Scotland. The key findings relate to the vast gap between SDS policy and practice, and the importance of collective spaces for people with learning disabilities and their families. As the ten-year strategy for SDS approaches its end, and the Scottish Government develops a programme to reform adult social care (Scottish Government, 2018a: 21), this thesis makes an original and important contribution to knowledge in this area

Secrets of Success: Identifying Success Factors in Institutional Repositories

4th International Conference on Open RepositoriesThis presentation was part of the session : Conference PresentationsDate: 2009-05-19 08:30 AM – 09:30 AMThere is little agreement on which factors lead to successful institutional repositories. Researchers primarily cite content recruitment and services as key factors; however, there has also been discussion of measuring IR success in terms of how well the IR furthers the overall goals of the library. This paper examines the topic of IRs and success. Our findings are based on a comparative case study of five IRs in colleges and universities. We argue that success should be measured by both internal (e.g., content or services) as well as external factors - how well the IR fulfills or brings the library closer to achieving its long-term goals in terms of service to the academic community.Institute of Museum and Library Service

Spinal Elongation and its Effects on Seated Height in a Microgravity Environment

Objectives: 1. To collect spinal elongation induced seated height data for subjects exposed to microgravity environments. 2. To provide information relating to the seated height rate of change over time for astronauts subjected to microgravity. We will collect: Seated Height measurement (ground & flight) and digital still photograph (ground and flight)