Towards a typology of critical nonprofit studies: A literature review

This review examines scholarship in key nonprofit journals over four decades. Its purpose is to: 1) analyze the extent, nature, and contribution of critical nonprofit scholarship and its trajectory over time, and 2) call on scholars, research institutions, and journals in the field to engage the kinds of insights these increasingly marginalized approaches bring, providing space for them to join, challenge and shape the research conversation. Findings show only 4% of articles published within the period examined adopt critical approaches, with great variability in the ways articles exemplify core tenets of critical scholarship, and a general dampening of critical work over time. This conservatism may result from the rejection of less understood philosophies and methodologies of critical inquiry in favor of more mainstream (positivistic) models of social science. Our primary contribution is to advance a typology explicating the pluralism inherent in critical approaches to nonprofit studies, their strengths and limitations

Frailty is independently associated with increased hospitalisation days in patients on the liver transplant waitlist

AIM: To investigate the impact of physical frailty on risk of hospitalisation in cirrhotic patients on the liver transplant waitlist. METHODS: Cirrhotics listed for liver transplantation at a single centre underwent frailty assessments using the Fried Frailty Index, consisting of grip strength, gait speed, exhaustion, weight loss, and physical activity. Clinical and biochemical data including MELD score as collected at the time of assessment. The primary outcome was number of hospitalised days per year; secondary outcomes included incidence of infection. Univariable and multivariable analysis was performed using negative binomial regression to associate baseline parameters including frailty with clinical outcomes and estimated incidence rate ratios (IRR). RESULTS: Of 587 cirrhotics, 64% were male, median age (interquartile range) was 60 (53-64) years and MELD score was 15 (12-18). Median Fried Frailty Index was 2 (1-3); 31.6% were classified as frail (fried frailty ≥ 3). During 12 mo of follow-up, 43% required at least 1 hospitalisation; 38% of which involved major infection. 107/184 (58%) frail and 142/399 (36%) non-frail patients were hospitalised at least once (P < 0.001). In univariable analysis, Fried Frailty Index was associated with total hospitalisation days per year (IRR = 1.51, 95%CI: 1.28-1.77; P ≤ 0.001), which remained significant on multivariable analysis after adjustment for MELD, albumin, and gender (IRR for frailty of 1.21, 95%CI: 1.02-1.44; P = 0.03). Incidence of infection was not influenced by frailty. CONCLUSION: In cirrhotics on the liver transplant waitlist, physical frailty is a significant predictor of hospitalisation and total hospitalised days per year, independent of liver disease severity

International Management of the Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery: Is There a Need for a CITES Listing?

In the last two decades, the Atlantic bluefin tuna has been increasingly targeted by fishermen throughout the world, primarily for sale in Japan. Commercial fishermen, attempting to survive in a world of declining commercial catches, increased controls on fishing effort, and increasing competition, view the U.S. $50.00 or more per kilogram that might be obtained from bluefin as a financial bonanza. yet, the population of breeding adult bluefin in the western Atlantic (the focus of bluefin fishing, since the largest bluefin consistently occur there) has declined by an estimated 77% to 90% since the 1970\u27s. In addition, the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks have declined by an estimated 50%. The International body which manages this resource is the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). ICCAT, formed in 1966, is charged to investigate and study tuna resources and to adopt recommendations in order to maintain the populations of tuna and similar fish in the Atlantic ocean at levels permitting the maximum sustainable catch for food and other purposes. Although harvest restrictions were implemented for this species in 1982, there have been no strong signs of improvement in stock conditions over the twelve years since the restrictions were implemented. One way to improve the condition of the stock is to slow down international trade of the bluefin species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). A CITES listing, as a supplement to ICCAT\u27s management plan, would monitor the worldwide trade in bluefin tuna, while allowing for fishery organizations to work towards a comprehensive global management regime for the future. Today, the Atlantic bluefin tuna has become a flagship fishery species illustrating the wide array of viewpoints regarding fishery practices and management. The debate over the benefits and failures of international management of this particular fishery has come to the forefront of global fisheries issues

What Does it Mean to Teach Interpretively?

The ‘interpretive turn’ has gained traction as a research approach in recent decades in the empirical social sciences. While the contributions of interpretive research and interpretive research methods are clear, we wonder: Does an interpretive perspective lend itself to – or even demand – a particular style of teaching? This question was at the heart of a roundtable discussion we organised at the 2014 Interpretive Policy Analysis (IPA) International Conference. This essay reports on the contours of the discussion, with a focus on our reflections upon what it might mean to teach ‘interpretively’. Prior to outlining these, we introduce the defining characteristics of an interpretive perspective and describe our respective experiences and interests in this conversation. In the hope that this essay might constitute the beginning of a wider conversation, we close it with an invitation for others to respond

Sun of Justice Rising: Tonatierra Community Development Institute

Salvador Reza, a longtime organizer for indigenous Mexican rights, helped lead a successful campaign to organize taco vendors in Phoenix. Faced with a local ordinance that would restrict the operation of mobile food stands, effectively banning them, Reza and his colleagues at Tonatierra mobilized the vendors to fight back. Their ultimate success recaptured the spirit of a community traumatized by 500 years of colonization and cultural destruction. Tonatierra's strategies included the following:Involve Vendors: Once vendors understood that the ordinance targeted them and threatened their livelihoods, they were able to establish a working group, representative of the community. They fashioned a way of regulating vendors that would ensure safe food and safe neighborhoods.Create a Team and a United Voice: The vendors negotiated among themselves until they could present their recommendations as a team.Rekindle Culture: According to Reza, "We are fighting back, but not with weapons of guns. Our weapons are culture and understanding and communication.

Probation in Maine: Setting the Baseline

In 2005, the Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC), with support from the National Institute of Corrections, began implementing a series of evidence‐based principles in community corrections with the goal of improving the effectiveness of offender management in the community. This study was conducted to determine the types, extent, and frequencies of adult probation recidivism in Maine before and during the implementation period. The study finds that recidivism rates of offenders who entered probation in 2004, 2005, or 2006 did not change significantly across annual cohorts, but lower risk offenders appeared to have improved outcomes in 2006. Higher risk probationers performed worse over the three year period, as they faced greater supervision and case planning requirements. The study concludes that without sufficient cognitive based therapy services, management’s increased focus on higher risk offenders will only mean increased supervision, and could lead to higher recidivism outcomes

Frailty and the Burden of Concurrent and Incident Disability in Patients With Cirrhosis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Frailty results from the chronic effects of malnutrition and muscle wasting in patients with cirrhosis. It is well-established that frailty is strongly associated with mortality in this population. However, little is known of its relationship with physical disability, a critical patient-centered outcome. Adults with cirrhosis underwent outpatient testing of frailty using the Liver Frailty Index (LFI) and disability using activities of daily living (ADL; range 0-6) and Instrumental ADL (IADL; range 0-8) scales at one center between 2012 and 2016. We used adjusted multilevel logistic mixed-effects regression to test the association between frailty and current disability (impairment with ≥1 ADL or IADL) and incident disability at 6&nbsp;months among those without baseline disability. Of the 983 participants, 20% were robust, 32% were less robust, 33% were prefrail, and 15% were frail; 587 (60%) had at least 1 assessment. The percentage of participants with at least 1 baseline ADL or IADL impairment was 28% and 37%, respectively. In adjusted regression models, each point LFI increase was associated with a 3.3 and 4.6 higher odds of current difficulty with at least 1 ADL and IADL (P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001 for each), respectively. Among participants without baseline disability, each point LFI increase was associated with a 2.6 and 1.7 higher odds of having difficulty with at least 1 ADL and IADL at 6&nbsp;months, respectively. Conclusion: Frailty is strongly associated with concurrent and incident disability in patients with cirrhosis. In the clinic, the LFI can be used to identify those in greatest need for additional support/resources to maintain functional independence. In research settings, the LFI may help to identify an enriched population for clinical trials of interventions aimed at those most vulnerable to disability

Maine Crime & Justice Data Book 2008 (2009)

The 2008 Maine Crime and Justice Data Book presents a portrait of crime and justice indicators in the state, using the most recent Department of Public Safety, Department of Corrections and court data available for Maine. Totals were disaggregated to the state, county and municipal levels (where possible) and stratified by crime type, age of offender and gender. The data book consists of four sections, 1) Index Crimes in Maine, 2) Arrests and Clearances in Maine, 3) Courts and Corrections, and 4) Maine’s Adult and Juvenile Recidivism Outcomes. While Maine has the lowest violent crime rate in the country, certain crimes, most notably forcible rate and domestic assaults, are occurring more often. In addition, drug and alcohol arrests account for a disproportionate share of all arrests made. This report also examines the rise of incarceration rates, a trend which is having profound social and fiscal impacts on the state and counties. Finally, this report offers both adult and juvenile recidivism data for the first time

2011 Maine Crime Victimization Survey Report: Informing Public Policy for Safer Communities

Executive Summary: The purpose of the Maine Crime Victimization Survey (MCVS) is to better understand the nature and extent of crime in Maine. This report discusses findings of the 2011 survey and highlights areas of comparison with the original MCVS, which was conducted in 2006. Many states, including Idaho, Utah, and Minnesota, have conducted state specific crime victimization surveys because the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), a national data source on crime trends, cannot be parsed to the state level. Maine has been and is following this trend to better understand the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization. This survey complements the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), which are the only comprehensive data source of reported crime in Maine. UCR data are collected by local law enforcement, and compiled and released by the Maine Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for state and national analysis. While the UCR provides information on selected reported crimes and arrests made by law enforcement agencies, it does not provide information about unreported crimes or the characteristics of victims and offenders

Culture, Caregiving, and Health: Exploring the Influence of Culture on Family Caregiver Experiences

Ethnic minorities are expected to experience a greater demand for family caregiving than non-Latino Whites due to their projected population growth. Although the consensus of researchers on caregiving and culture finds that the caregiving experience differs significantly among cultural/ethnic groups, the question remains as to how cultural values and norms influence the caregiver experiences. We conducted an interpretative, phenomenological qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts from four groups (African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and European American) for cultural influences on caregiving. Data were collected in Nevada between December 7, 2009, and August 20, 2010. Thirty-five caregivers participated in this study. We found commonalities among all of the cultural/ethnic groups in their experiences of the difficulties of caregiving. However, there were some significant differences in the cultural values and norms that shaped the caregiving experience. We categorized these differences as: (a) cultural embeddedness of caregiving, (b) cultural determinants of caregiving responsibilities or taxonomy of caregiving, and (c) cultural values and norms underlying the decision to provide care. The significance of this study is that it highlights the culturally perceived mandate to provide care in the African, Asian, and Hispanic American cultures