Significant progress has been made the last decades in Thrace, northern Greece, in the Muslim minority education setting, with respect to gender parity in school enrollment, retention, and progression from primary to secondary education. The change of orientation of the Greek politics towards the Muslim minority which allowed for reforms and initiatives, the Project’s for the Education of Muslim Children (PEM) actions alongside with the overall changes of modernization are perceived to be the determinants for the substantial changes in the landscape of Muslim minority education. But why there are still gender disparities within secondary education? This research study focuses on the ways the concept of gender equality is addressed, promoted or undermined and thus identifies ways that facilitate and promote gender equality through education. The investigation took place in the prefecture of Xanthi, in rural and urban areas, with the participation of teachers and female students. In total, forty teachers and fifty three students responded to questionnaires while thirty of them participated in focus group interviews. The present study points to some interesting findings which provide an insight on gender equality teaching, the project’s contribution, and obstacles for the completion of compulsory[1]education from the students’ and teachers’ perspective.  Drawing on the evidence of the study, despite the significant progress in female students’ access in education, there are still significant social and cultural constraints in shaping one’s own educational path. [1] Education in Greece is compulsory for all children aged six to fifteen years and consists of three stages; pre-school, primary and lower secondary education

Many aspects of economic analysis require judgements to be made about distributions. When agreement on a single criterion for judgement is not possible, it is necessary to examine whether one distribution is better than another from a number of perspectives. The problem of 'distributional dominance', which Part One addresses, is precisely this problem of ordering two distributions in relation to one or more objective functions, via use of a single 'dominance criterion'. Four themes are pursued. It is argued that welfare, poverty and inequality dominance criteria can be fruitfully analyzed within a single framework. The need to approach the problem of distributional dominance as a statistical one is stressed. Estimators and a method of inference are proposed and are themselves tested via a simulation study. The likely effect of aggregation on the attained ordering of distributions is assessed, also via a simulation study. A critical re-appraisal is presented of the most widely-used dominance criterion, second-order stochastic dominance, and alternative criteria are proposed. The usefulness of thinking of dominance criteria in terms of curves within bounds is emphasized. Part Two of the thesis is a study of the distribution of income in urban China in the eighties, using both aggregated, nationwide data and disaggregated data for two provinces. This study is both an application of the methods developed in Part One and a case-study of the dynamics of income distribution in a transitional economy. Evidence is found that cash-income inequality has grown over the decade, and this is linked to the reform process. However, inequality remains exceptionally low by international standards. Moreover, both the system of price subsidies and that of cash compensation introduced to replace the subsidies are shown to have exerted an equalizing influence on the urban distribution of income.

This thesis examines the understanding of prostitution in Cuba. It presents a contrast between the explanation of prostitution before 1959 as caused by structural economic conditions, and the discussion on contemporary prostitution, which is characterized by individualizing definitions. Within the individualizing understanding of contemporary prostitution, ‘jineteras’, Cuban women having sexual relationships with foreign tourist men for economical purposes, are seen to lack morals due to a deficient upbringing. They are also said to represent capitalist values incompatible with the Cuban socialist system. An individualizing definition of prostitution is also reflected in suggestions of ‘reeducation’ of individual jineteras as a solution to decrease prostitution. The understanding of prostitution is analyzed as reflecting a worldview of politically normative categories, within which individuals are defined according to their contribution to society. This worldview is analyzed as a symbolic frame, within which certain categories of thought are shaped. The Cuban ideology of gender equality is analyzed as part of this worldview. It is suggested that gender equality has become normative and that gender has been removed as a category of explanation. The definition of the ideology of gender equality is analyzed as conserving present power relations. The view on prostitution of former times related prostitution to women’s situation in general, which is contrasted with the individualizing understanding of prostitution today. The latter is suggested to ‘degender’ prostitution, and remove an earlier aspect of women’s rights. This is related to the symbolic frame where gender is not available as a category of explanation. Within such a frame, ‘machismo’ can constitute part of the doxic field without being subjected to discussion. It is suggested that an analysis of the understanding of prostitution must disclose the underlying premises of its individualizing definitions.

It is clear that economic growth is achieved by a number of means depending on theoretical affiliation and also that growth rate varies across countries. The thesis investigates the relationship between economic growth and the proportion of representation by women in national parliament across countries. Women are discriminated at every level in the society based on gender and the thesis analyses the effects on production and growth, based on the fact that half of the population are not given equal opportunities to participate in economic activities. The study is performed through two cross-country regression analyses, divided by low- and high-income countries with secondary data. The variables included are: the proportion of seats represented by women, initial GDP/capita, FDI, level of education, population growth, and terms of trade and level of democracy. The variables are chosen in accordance to growth theories. The findings cannot isolate if a high proportion of female parliamentarians increase growth, but the result indicates that a more gender equal economy operate at a higher production level. Increased proportion of female representation in local parliament should according to theory, increase inclusive incentives and policies for women in the labour force and enrolment in higher education, thus increasing the average level of human capital. Previous studies support the result; gender equality is viewed as “smart economics”.

The end of bi-polarity in the world stage ushered in a period of hegemonic power decline and the sudden emergence of peripheral empowerment. This research undertaking attempts to reformulate World System theory, an antiquated theoretical perspective based on the periphery's economic dependence on core nation-states and the resultant exploitative relationship that occurs. Current events indicate that there are multiple demands of redress and restitution made by emancipated peripheral states. Such demands are increasingly addressed and heeded to in world conferences and various international organizations since 1989 and will be measured as absolute gains. A drastic change is also observed in the structure and function of both international governmental organizations (IGOs) and international-non governmental organizations (1NGOs) from being corecentric institutional bodies to supranational, authoritative entities which now have the capacity to promote rational progress through third world advocacy. Such changes are attributed both to the multi-polarity of the world stage and the cultural construction of rational progress. The new reformulation will discover that world- level socialism is not attainable. Rather, the only solution to weaken global stratification is the continued participation of peripheral states in worlBall State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / Department of Political Science

This thesis examines three research hypotheses derived from the Theory of Distributive Justice as developed by George Caspar Homans and as refined by Peter Blau, in an attempt to test the applicability of this paradigm to the distribution of rewards in small groups setting.Reviewing the literature, both theoretical and empirical, with respect to this theory of reward allocation, it was hypothesized that individuals would attempt to allocate rewards so as to establish a ratio of reward that was commensurate to the costs of the stimulus person. The datagenerally support this notion, presenting only one complicating factor. Explanations for the findings are offered, as well as suggestions for further research into these processes.

This thesis will undertake to ascertain the importance assigned to gender equality within the aid effectiveness architecture, and specifically within the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. It will seek to critically analyse the interplay of gender equality with three key components of the architecture- its parties, process and priorities. Using an international feminist legal lens, this critical analysis will seek to interrogate why the advancement of gender equality continues to remain excluded from the ongoing international development discourse, yet, it is argued that people-centered development will only be realised if it remains at the heart of international development law, policy and practice. / Graduate

No description available.

Thesis (LL. M.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Mayo Moran.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on January 3, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.