Transitional Justice’s Expanding Empire: Reasserting the Value of the Paradigmatic Transition?

Cada vegada més, els estudis sobre la justícia transicional s'apliquen als processos de veritat, restauració i responsabilitat en contextos molt allunyats de les transicions paradigmàtiques des de l'autoritarisme o la guerra a una democràcia relativament liberal en què aquest camp de recerca es basava inicialment. En un moment en què la justícia transicional s'avalua amb un rigor més gran, resulta preocupant que les valoracions de la seva vàlua es puguin veure excessivament afectades per la dependència de circumstàncies no transicionals de democràcies establertes, conflictes en curs o l'autoritarisme. La comprensió empírica sistemàtica del valor de la justícia transicional es veu esbiaixada quan es posa un pes excessiu en els mecanismes que tenen lloc en contextos favorables en què les circumstàncies polítiques o econòmiques són tan avançades que els mecanismes tenen molt poca importància causal per a un procés en curs de reforma política, civil i (possiblement) econòmica, o bé en contextos massa adversos per a res que pugui portar a una conclusió liberalitzadora o de construcció de la pau (per exemple, quan hi ha una guerra en curs o sota un règim autoritari). Tot i que aquest article accepta que és possible utilitzar els mecanismes de la justícia transicional per a millorar les condicions sota un règim autoritari o en contextos de guerra i per a potenciar l'imperi de la llei, el desenvolupament i els drets humans en estats ja compromesos amb la democràcia liberal, l'impacte de la justícia transicional en aquestes circumstàncies no paradigmàtiques es veurà limitat a causa de la debilitat del compromís de l'estat per millorar les condicions societàries en el primer cas i a causa de la força preexistent del compromís en el segon. Manté que cal distingir entre la justícia transicional i l'ús dels mecanismes de la justícia transicional.Transitional justice studies increasingly apply to processes of truth, restoration and accountability in contexts far removed from the paradigmatic transitions from authoritarianism or war to relatively liberal democracy on which the field was initially based. At a time when transitional justice is being evaluated with greater stringency, it is worrying that assessments of its worth might be unduly coloured by reliance on non-transitional circumstances of established democracies or ongoing conflicts or authoritarianism. A systematic empirical understanding of the value of transitional justice is skewed when undue weight is given to mechanisms applied in favourable contexts. This may be where political or economic circumstances are so advanced that the mechanisms have little causal significance to an ongoing process of political, civil and (possibly) economic reform, or in contexts too inimical to anything approaching a liberalising or peace-building conclusion (e.g. when it takes place while war is ongoing or within an authoritarian regime). The article accepts that transitional justice mechanisms can be used to improve conditions under authoritarianism or war and can augment the rule of law, development and human rights in states that are already committed to liberal democracy. However, its impact in these non-paradigmatic circumstances will be limited because of the weakness of the state’s commitment to improving societal conditions in the former and the pre-existing strength of the commitment in the latter. It argues that there is a distinction between transitional justice and the use of transitional justice mechanisms.La erudición de la justicia transicional se aplica cada vez más a procesos de veracidad, restauración y responsabilidad en contextos muy alejados de las transiciones paradigmáticas del autoritarismo o la guerra a la relativamente democracia liberal sobre la que se basó inicialmente el campo. En un momento en el que la justicia transicional se está evaluando con más rigor, es preocupante que las valoraciones de su valor puedan estar excesivamente afectadas por la dependencia de circunstancias no transitorias de democracias establecidas, conflictos actuales o autoritarismo. El conocimiento empírico sistemático del valor de la justicia transicional está sesgado cuando se concede un peso indebido a mecanismos que se producen en contextos favorables en los que las circunstancias políticas o económicas son tan avanzadas que los mecanismos tienen poca significación causal para un proceso en curso de reforma política, civil y (posiblemente) económica, o en contextos demasiado hostiles para cualquier cosa cercana a una conclusión liberalizadora o de construcción de la paz (por ejemplo, cuando tiene lugar mientras la guerra está en curso o en un régimen autoritario). Si bien en el artículo se acepta que los mecanismos de justicia transicional pueden usarse para mejorar las condiciones bajo el autoritarismo o la guerra y pueden aumentar el Estado de derecho, el desarrollo y los derechos humanos en estados que ya están comprometidos con la democracia liberal, el impacto de la justicia transicional en esas circunstancias no paradigmáticas será limitado a causa de la debilidad del compromiso del estado a la mejora de las condiciones de la sociedad en el primero y de la fuerza preexistente del compromiso en el último. Sostiene que hay una diferencia entre la justicia transicional y el uso de los mecanismos de la misma

The effect of land disposal of dairy factory wastes on soil properties : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science in Soil Science, Massey University

Many New Zealand dairy factories dispose of their wastewater by spray irrigating onto pasture. Little is known, however, about the effects of this disposal on soil properties. Research was undertaken at three pasture disposal sites in order to determine whether certain soil property changes may have occurred as a result of the wastewater treatment. Of particular interest were those properties related to water movement. Laboratory studies using 'undisturbed' soil cores indicated that dairy factory wastewater can impede soil water movement. A single application of simulated whey effluent resulted in approximately a 50% decrease in saturated hydraulic conductivity (K) within two days. This reduction was observed to be caused by a combination of both physical and biological blockage processes. With repetitive doses of effluent a K decrease of over 99% was induced in some cores. Several cores, particularly those containing earthworms, showed signs of recovery, and in some cores the final hydraulic conductivity value was greater than the initial value. Analyses of soil samples from the disposal and control sites at Te Rehunga and Tokomaru suggest that fifteen years of wastewater irrigation have resulted in marked changes in soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Total carbon and nitrogen levels were found to be significantly higher at the disposal site; for the Te Rehunga site, the differences in the organic matter level down to 600mm represented an increase of 250 000 kg ha-1. Water balances for the Te Rehunga and Longburn sites indicate that, in the absence of wastewater, pasture is likely to be water stressed on average for approximately forty days per year. The water balance also shows that deep percolation will be greatly increased by the wastewater application. The period of maximum deep percolation loss is likely to be September to October at both the Te Rehunga and Longburn disposal sites. The major site management problems encountered at the disposal sites examined occurred as a result of poor soil drainage, pasture burning and pasture pulling. An infiltration problem was observed at the Longburn site and the recently established disposal site at Tokomaru, with two major causes of the low infiltration rate appearing to be blockage from the effluent and pugging; these observations illustrate the need for controlling the effluent application rate, the suspended solids level in the wastewater, and the stock grazing pattern, in order to minimise site drainage problems. A drainage problem over the winter-spring period at Te Rehunga was due to a high groundwater table. Pasture burning was observed at all three disposal sites. The pasture pulling problem at Te Rehunga is the only cited example of such a problem occurring at a dairy factory disposal site. Observations made at the established Te Rehunga and Tokomaru disposal sites show that long term spray irrigation of dairy factory wastewater can occur without inducing undesirable soil property changes. It appears as though considerable benefit can be gained from the wastewater irrigation, particularly in reducing the incidence of water stress in the pasture and decreasing the requirement for fertilizer

Shifting the Focus: The Role of Presence in Reconceptualising the Design Process

In this paper the relationship between presence and imaging is examined with the view to establish how our understanding of imaging, and subsequently the design process, may be reconceptualised to give greater focus to its experiential potential. First, the paper outlines the research project contributing to the discussion. Then, it provides brief overviews of research on both imaging and presence in the process highlighting the narrow conceptions of imaging (and the recognition of the need for further research) compared to the more holistic and experiential understandings of presence. The paper concludes with an argument and proposed study for exploring the role of digital technology and presence in extending the potential of imaging and its role in the design process. As indicated in the DRS Conference Theme, this paper focuses “…on what people experience and the systems and actions that create those experiences.” Interface designers, information architects and interactive media artists understand the powerful influence of experience in design. ‘Experience design’ is a community of practice driven by individuals within digital based disciplines where the belief is that understanding people is essential to any successful design in any medium and that “…experience is the personal connection with the moment and… every aspect of living is an experience, whether we are the creators or simply chance participants” (Shedroff, 2001, p. 5). Keywords: Design, Design Process, Presence, Imaging, Grounded Theory</p

Design, Implementation, and Evaulation of GIS-Based Learning Materials in an Introductory Geoscience Course

Little is known about how well GIS-based learning lives up to its potential for improving students' skills in problem solving, analysis, and spatial visualization. This article describes a study in which researchers determined ways to quantify student learning that occurred with a GIS-based module on plate tectonics and geologic hazards, and to improve the materials design with the use of classroom observations and field testing. The study found that student difficulties in working with GIS-based activities can be overcome by making some features of the GIS transparent to the user, that a lack of basic geography skills can interfere in the progression of a GIS-based activity, and that some conceptual difficulties can be overcome by providing guiding questions that help students interrogate visual data. In addition, it was noted that some misconceptions in interpretation of two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional block diagrams can persist even after direct instruction. In general, a positive correlation was noted between spatial thinking and GIS-based learning. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Implementing academagogy: the first case study

As proposed in McAuliffe, Winter, Chadwick and Hargreaves (2008), academagogy could be used as an “umbrella” term allowing the teacher to select from a range of teaching approaches – pedagogy (teacher as source of all information to student without power or knowledge), andragogy (teacher as source of information for adult student), or heutagogy (student with knowledge seeking information from teacher to fill the gaps in their own knowledge). During Semester 1, 2009, one of the authors of this paper decided to treat his third-year students in a more heutagogical manner by allowing them to experience ownership of their own learning. This article is a case study of that experience which reveals that, although initially more time-consuming, academagogy can result in better student outcomes