The legitimation of development and GM crops: The case of Bt Cotton and Indebtedness in Telangana, India

This study explores the relation between Bt cotton adoption and farmer suicides in India. This is undertaken through comparing the debt levels of Bt cotton cultivators with those adopting alternative organic and Non-Pesticide Management (NPM) methods. The study involves a total of 26 participants in three villages in Telangana, India. It argues that measures of indebtedness need to be adopted as part of assessments of both Bt cotton and development policy

The politics of transformative harmony

This paper explores the idea of transformative harmony as a concern of the political. It proposes that the cultivation of harmony as a project of the Self is closely related to the political project of democracy as a quest for social harmony. This is in light of the view that social conflict can be seen as a collective manifestation of individual struggles to establish inner harmony. The paper, firstly, explores the idea that the quest for harmony is an intersubjective, as well as an intra-subjective, undertaking. This is in line with the Gandhian principle that societies ultimately reflect the level of enlightenment of the actors who form them. It also critiques the use of violence as a means of securing transformative harmony and social change. Finally, the paper discusses the way in which transformative harmony, in terms of its focus on the Self as the site for attaining the type of altered consciousness required to bring about social change, shares a philosophical basis with both ideas of ‘deep democracy’ and Habermasian discourse ethics. It is proposed that the project of transformative harmony represents, by default, a project to transform democratic praxis. Keywords: Harmony, politics, ethics, rights, duties, Gandhi, democracy, risk

Risk definition and the struggle for legitimation: a case study of Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh, India

This article explores the struggle for legitimation associated with the attempt to define the risk of Bt cotton, a genetically modified crop, in Andhra Pradesh, India. Beck asserts that, given the uncertainty associated with risk society, efforts to define risk are creating the need for a new political culture. This article argues that this political culture emerges from attempts to legitimate power within risk definition. This is examined using critical discourse analysis on interview excerpts with key figures in the Bt cotton debate. Legitimation is explored using the categories of legitimation developed by Van Leeuwen. These are (a) authorisation; (b) moral evaluation; (c) rationalisation; and (d) mythopoesis. The analysis highlights that the political culture which emerges in response to risk society is in a state of constant flux and contingent upon the ongoing struggle for legitimation with regard to the definition of risk

The legitimation of risk and Bt cotton: a case study of Bantala village in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, India

This article explores Ulrich Beck’s theorisation of risk society through focusing on the way in which the risk of Bt cotton is legitimated by six cultivators in Bantala, a village in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, in India. The fieldwork for this study was conducted between June 2010 and March 2011, a duration chosen to coincide with a cotton season. The study explores the experience of the cultivators using the ‘categories of legitimation’ defined by Van Leeuwen. These are authorisation, moral evaluation, rationalisation and mythopoesis. As well as permitting an exploration of the legitimation of Bt cotton by cultivators themselves within the high-risk context of the Indian agrarian crisis, the categories also serve as an analytical framework with which to structure a discourse analysis of participant perspectives. The study examines the complex trade-off, which Renn argues the legitimation of ambiguous risk, such as that associated with Bt technology, entails. The research explores the way in which legitimation of the technology is informed by wider normative conceptualisations of development. This highlights that, in a context where indebtedness is strongly linked to farmer suicides, the potential of Bt cotton for poverty alleviation is traded against the uncertainty associated with the technology’s risks, which include its purported links to animal deaths. The study highlights the way in which the wider legitimation of a neoliberal approach to development in Andhra Pradesh serves to reinforce the choice of Bt cotton, and results in a depoliticisation of risk in Bantala. The research indicates, however, that this trade-off is subject to change over time, as economic benefits wane and risks accumulate. It also highlights the need for caution in relation to the proposed extension of Bt technology to food crops, such as Bt brinjal (aubergine)

At Your Age?!

At Your Age?! is a full-length, three-act play which explores ageing and ageism. The script was written by Dr. Elaine Desmond as part of an innovative project entitled AgeACTED (Ageism Challenged Through Ethnodrama) developed with Eleanor Bantry White, in collaboration with Cork Cultural Companions.At Your Age?! is a full-length, three-act play which explores ageing and ageism. The script was written by Elaine Desmond as part of an innovative participatory project entitled AgeACTED (Ageism Challenged Through Ethnodrama) developed with Eleanor Bantry White [PI], in collaboration with Cork Cultural Companions. Through ethnodrama, the play was devised from the verbatim words of discussions with six women in focus groups and drama workshops. The focus groups were analysed thematically by Elaine Desmond and Eleanor Bantry White who then came together to identify and discuss core themes about ageing and ageism emerging from the data. These themes informed the writing process. Elaine Desmond wrote a first draft of the play which was shared with the research participants. The participants shared their feedback with the researchers in a workshop and collaboratively, revisions to the play were identified. Informed by the workshop discussion, Elaine Desmond wrote this version of the play which was shared with participants and discussed in a final workshop. The three main characters are vibrant, humorous, and non-conforming in their own inimitable ways. They must, however, negotiate feared future imaginaries around the changing physicality of ageing, concerns around death (both their own and that of loved ones) and a dreaded loss of agency associated with illness and ‘institutionalised’ care. The play explores the resilience required to stay positive in the face of fears which are intensified through ageist framings surrounding the experience of ageing in contemporary society. Five of the research participants formed the cast for a rehearsed reading of the play at the Granary Theatre. The performance was directed by Fionn Woodhouse. The use of ethnodrama represents an exciting, new way of presenting research data derived from participatory research and offers creative and emotionally-engaged ways of representing experiences of ageing and ageism

Housing and sustaining communities on the West Cork islands

Government policy recognises the Irish islands as integral to Ireland’s cultural heritage, identity and economy. Within the context of a national housing crisis which is recognised as having reached the status of a national emergency, this report examines the impact of the availability, affordability and quality of housing on the sustainability of life on the seven inhabited West Cork islands. The research was undertaken using an innovative research process which foregrounds the voices of island residents through a participatory mixed methods approach, involving a survey that was co-constructed with island residents and in-depth focus groups

Agency and ageing in place in rural Ireland

This report explores the experiences and preferences of older adults on ageing in place in rural Ireland. This exploration is undertaken through a participatory mixed-methods approach that seeks to foreground the voices of older adults themselves. The research study involved two phases. Phase one entailed a nationwide online and postal survey co-constructed with Age Action’s Glór advocacy group and University of the Third Age (U3A) membership and distributed to Age Action members living in rural areas across Ireland. 218 people aged 55 and older who live in rural areas took part in the survey and every county was represented, with 45% of respondents from Munster, 36% from Leinster, 12% from Connaught, and 7% from Ulster. Phase two involved a series of four focus groups in which 19 people took part. The focus groups explored the survey themes in more depth. The research highlights the diversity of experience of home and community among the older adults in rural Ireland who took part. Most participants expressed a strong desire to remain in their homes and communities as they age. The sense of attachment to home and place had, for many, strengthened since the pandemic. Some participants, however, highlighted the tenuous nature of their living arrangements and their sense of alienation from place. This was particularly the case for the participants who were renting, who had recently moved locations to be closer to children, or who found the limited facilities and social opportunities in their rural environments restrictive. Whether they were settled in their homes and communities or not, all participants highlighted the uncertainty of their positions and their fears for being able to have their preference for remaining in place realised as they aged. This was related to unpredictable factors such as their future health needs and availability of home care, their ongoing ability to drive, or their capacity to afford to live independently given the ambiguity surrounding future pension provision and the escalating costs associated with utilities, healthcare, home maintenance and expenses related to rural living, such as security, water, and sewerage costs. The general decline of towns and villages was highlighted by participants, as was the poor coverage of public transport in rural areas. These aspects not only heightened the sense of isolation of participants in terms of access to services and social activities; they also served to heighten their sense of marginalisation and perceived loss of agency in terms of policy formation and political representation. Participants also noted the limited options available to them should they consider moving from their rural locations, something that would be particularly challenging for most given their emotional connection to their homes and communities. The lack of affordable and suitable housing for older adults was a particular concern. Most participants were strongly opposed to nursing homes, a view which the experience of the pandemic had often reinforced. While a small number saw their benefit in cases of critical care, most were dissatisfied with the current ‘Fair Deal’ Scheme for funding nursing home care. They argued that, instead of focussing resources on a nursing home option not favoured by older adults, the government should develop an alternative statutory home care scheme that would support older adults to remain in their homes as they age. The supports which were noted as important in relation to allowing adults to age in their homes included a more accessible and fit-for-purpose grant system to fund modifications to the home – the most popular of these being an emergency response system, bathroom modifications, and improved heating. The need for a properly paid and resourced home help service, as well as a home and garden maintenance service, was emphasised. This was especially the case given the changing reality of ageing in Irish society and the fact that many older adults cannot rely on the availability or ability of family members to care for them in their homes. Access to broadband in rural areas was also noted as crucial, not only given the fact that more aspects of daily services are being conducted online but also given the importance of a reliable broadband connection in facilitating isolated rural older adults to connect to others. Participants highlighted their enjoyment of meeting each other and realising their difficulties were shared despite their diverse locations as benefits of the research process in the current study. They argued for the need for training in technology which could be a significant enabler to their remaining in place, as opposed to presenting a barrier to their doing so. They also argued that there was a need to tackle the covert ageism which was seen as endemic in institutions and everyday interactions, and which served to marginalise older adults further. Participants noted their preferences were they to need additional supports which could not be provided in their homes in the future. In this case, their favoured options would be co-operative or sheltered housing and retirement villages. These options were available for very few participants locally, however, meaning that they would be required to move from their communities, as well as their homes. The research, while small in scale resonates with global research on the theme,1 and highlights that the ability of older adults to age in place requires coordination among several different policy areas, not least housing, transport, technology, and healthcare. There is a need to adjust the funding focus from moving people who need help out of their homes to ensuring that the help they need is available to them in their homes for as long as possible. There is also a need to develop housing options, other than nursing homes, to address people’s preferences should staying at home be no longer a feasible option. Finally, and most importantly, there is a requirement to listen to older people in rural areas about where and how they wish to age in ways that support their sense of agency and challenge flawed assumptions about ageing. This research seeks to contribute to that aim both through its focus and its process

A protocol for a randomised clinical trial of the effect of providing feedback on inhaler technique and adherence from an electronic device in patients with poorly controlled severe asthma

ntroduction In clinical practice, it is difficult to distinguish between patients with refractory asthma from those with poorly controlled asthma, where symptoms persist due to poor adherence, inadequate inhaler technique or comorbid diseases. We designed an audio recording device which, when attached to an inhaler, objectively identifies the time and technique of inhaler use, thereby assessing both aspects of adherence. This study will test the hypothesis that feedback on these two aspects of adherence when passed on to patients improves adherence and helps clinicians distinguish refractory from difficult-to-control asthma. Methods This is a single, blind, prospective, randomised, clinical trial performed at 5 research centres. Patients with partially controlled or uncontrolled severe asthma who have also had at least one severe asthma exacerbation in the prior year are eligible to participate. The effect of two types of nurse-delivered education interventions to promote adherence and inhaler technique will be assessed. The active group will receive feedback on their inhaler technique and adherence from the new device over a 3-month period. The control group will also receive training in inhaler technique and strategies to promote adherence, but no feedback from the device. The primary outcome is the difference in actual adherence, a measure that incorporates time and technique of inhaler use between groups at the end of the third month. Secondary outcomes include the number of patients who remain refractory despite good adherence, and differences in the components of adherence after the intervention. Data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat and a per-protocol basis. The sample size is 220 subjects (110 in each group), and loss to follow-up is estimated at 10% which will allow results to show a 10% difference (0.8 power) in adherence between group means with a type I error probability of 0.05. Trial registration number NCT01529697; Pre-results