My Beginnings

Could I have had different parents? In practice, no, but in principle, yes. And could I have been born at a different time? Again, in practice no, but in principle, yes. These are, perhaps, common sense verdicts on such questions. But they go against what may be seen as some prevailing philosophical orthodoxies. I defend versions of the common sense verdicts, and argue against the orthodoxies, here. These arguments are neither technical nor particularly complex. What I want to suggest here is that these rather ordinary questions are best answered by rather ordinary means

Prison mental health spend in the East Midlands 2007-2009

Prison mental health spend in the East Midlands 2007-200

Food Strategy Formulation and Development Planning in Ethiopia

Summary The paper describes the preparation and major features of the National Food and Nutrition Strategy for Ethiopia; and discusses current policy issues, including the impact of the liberalisation announced in March 1990. The country produces only 70 per cent of food requirements and has at least 9m food insecure people. The NFNS addresses these problems with a conservation?based strategy to increase production and marketed surplus in high potential as well as food deficit areas. Population growth, environmental pressure and the risks of input?intensive growth packages are the main issues of concern. The abolition of producer grain quotas may also be inflationary if urban price subsidies are to be maintained

A Theoretical Framework For Data?Economising Appraisal Procedures, with Applications to Rural Development Planning

SUMMARY The objective of the paper is to construct a general framework which will help to increase the usefulness and reduce the cost of collecting data for public decision?making about development in low?income countries. Data required about the rural sector are usually considerable and relatively costly to obtain; this area receives particular attention. The search for useful principles proceeds from the economics of information via Karl Popper's principle of error reduction and the use of information cybernetics in public decision?making to the design of more cost?effective models of development processes and the significance of alternative hierarchical administrative structures for the utility obtained from primary data. These components are combined into a unified logical framework. An integrated approach to management information is identified as a desirable adjunct for its application in practice. RESUMEN Un marco teórico para los procedimientos de evaluación con economí de datos y algunas aplicaciones a la planificación del desarrollo rural El propósito de esta disertación es el de construir un marco general que ayude a aumentar la utilidad y reducir los costos relativos a la reunión de datos de información, con vistas a la toma de decisiones de carácter público, en lo tocante al desarrollo de los países con pocos ingresos. Habitualmente, los datos que se necesitan para informarse acerca del sector rural son muy abundantes pero relativamente caros de obtener; éste es un aspecto que recibe particular atención. A continuación, se buscan principios de útil aplicación, comenzando por el de economía de la información, el de reducción de errores de Karl Popper y el empleo de la informática en la toma de decisiones en el sector público, seguidos por el planteamiento de modelos de procesos de desarrollo más eficaces en cuanto a costos y por la importancia que pudieran tener unas estructuras administrativas jerárquicas de carácter diferente para la utilidad que se obtuviese de los datos primarios. Todos estos elementos están combinados dentro de un marco lógico unificado. Se saca la conclusión de que un estudio bien integrado de las informaciones que llegan a los puestos directivos es un complemento muy deseable para la puesta en práctica. RESUME Cadre théorique des procédures d'évaluation exigeant un recueil minimum de données, avec applications à la planification du développement rural Cet article a pour objet d'élaborer un cadre général qui contribuera à accroître l'utilité et à réduire le coût du recueil des données préalable aux prises de décisions officielles sur le développement dans les pays à faibles revenus. Il faut généralement de très nombreuses données pour le secteur rural, qui sont onéreuses à recueillir. Cet aspect est étudié. La recherche de principes utiles dégage diverses approches: économie de l'information, principe de la réduction des erreurs établi par Karl Popper, recours à la cybernétique de l'information en vue des prises de décisions officielles, mise au point de modèles de développement plus rentables, et valeur des structures administratives hiérarchiques alternatives pour l'emploi des données primaires. Ces éléments constituent ensemble un cadre logique unifié, auquel on peut ajouter, dans son application pratique, une conception intégrée de l'information d'organisation de la gestion

What is 'digital literacy'? A Pragmatic investigation.

Digital literacy has been an increasingly-debated and discussed topic since the publication of Paul Gilster’s seminal Digital Literacy in 1997. It is, however, a complex term predicated on previous work in new literacies such as information literacy and computer literacy. To make sense of this complexity and uncertainty I come up with a ‘continuum of ambiguity’ and employ a Pragmatic methodology. This thesis makes three main contributions to the research area. First, I argue that considering a plurality of digital literacies helps avoid some of the problems of endlessly-redefining ‘digital literacy’. Second, I abstract eight essential elements of digital literacies from the research literature which can lead to positive action. Finally, I argue that co-constructing a definition of digital literacies (using the eight essential elements as a guide) is at least as important as the outcome

Next Generation of Evidence Collecting: The Need for Digital Forensics in Criminal Justice Education

Digital forensics poses significant challenges to law enforcement as the information found in a computer system is often present at most crime scenes in the form of computer data and cell phones. Digital evidence contained on common devices, such as cell phones and laptops, includes information that can be pertinent to the investigation of crimes. Law enforcement is increasingly identifying the need to be able to process their evidence internally warranting the exploration of the need for digital forensics training as part of a broader study of criminal justice for future law enforcement practitioners. This paper uses telephone surveys of police agencies in the North Texas area to explore their capabilities and need for trained digital forensic examiners (n=42). Findings suggest that digital forensic education is needed as most police examiners are trained first as police officers and secondly as digital forensics examiners. Future education challenges and policy implications are discussed