Despite the eurozone crisis, and the ambivalent attitudes ofthe Turkish public, Turkey still stands to benefit from EUaccession.by Blo

While the EU continues to work toward a solution to the eurozone crisis, Turkey has experienced a period of strong economic growth. Soli Özel argues that although Turkey’s interest in EU membership has declined in the wake of the crisis, the country could still gain substantial benefits from European integration. The crisis may also have a positive effect for Turkey if it produces a more flexible arrangement in the EU’s structure, potentially opening the door for the country’s accession

Developing differences

This study is based on a ten weeks fieldwork in Tunis during the fall of 2013, where I interviewed seven organizations working on social development in marginalized areas. The thesis examines conditions for social development in Tunisia nearly three years after the uprising in 2011, and specifically how different actors perceive themselves and others. Combining post-development theory, social movement theory and Fraser’s critical theory of justice, the analysis provides an understanding of how these organizations frame their work. This in turn leads to a critical discussion on ways of framing development with regards to processes of social marginalization and political divisions, which form important contexts in which the organizations operate. The central argument is that there is a need to consider historical formations of elites in relation to the previous regimes’ promotion of secularism in Tunisia, women’s rights and the suppression of Islamic activism in order to understand how the organizations operate with regards to religion, gender equality, charity and development. The results suggest that despite commitments to principles of equality and visions for sustainable development, there are risks that some forms of development may contribute to maintaining social and political differences in Tunisia

A Blueprint for Early Care and Education Quality Improvement Initiatives: Final Report

As Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) continue to launch and mature across states, questions emerge from stakeholders about how to design and implement effective quality improvement (QI) initiatives that accompany a QRIS. Funders, policymakers and program developers with limited resources are looking to invest in activities that will be most successful in supporting early care and education (ECE) program quality improvement and ultimately improving outcomes for young children. The purpose of this report is to address questions about effective QI initiatives by proposing a blueprint of quality improvement practices and design considerations generated from a synthesis of the existing research literature and input from national experts in ECE quality improvement