In this study I explore the social organization of community gardening in Toronto. I have done this by: exploring (a) the experiences of community garden coordinators hired by non-profit organizations do to improve poor Torontonians’ access to food, and how this work occurs within and is affected by the larger framework of (b) the City of Toronto’s Community Gardens Program. This inquiry was carried out using institutional ethnography, with data collection occurring through open-ended interviews with garden coordinators and the analysis of non-profit and municipal documents. The results of the study are that garden coordinator’s work to improve access to food for poor Torontonians is at odds with the municipal understanding of community gardens and park space existing to attract economic investment to Toronto via “creative professionals.”

In this study I explore the social organization of community gardening in Toronto. I have done this by: exploring (a) the experiences of community garden coordinators hired by non-profit organizations do to improve poor Torontonians’ access to food, and how this work occurs within and is affected by the larger framework of (b) the City of Toronto’s Community Gardens Program. This inquiry was carried out using institutional ethnography, with data collection occurring through open-ended interviews with garden coordinators and the analysis of non-profit and municipal documents. The results of the study are that garden coordinator’s work to improve access to food for poor Torontonians is at odds with the municipal understanding of community gardens and park space existing to attract economic investment to Toronto via “creative professionals.”

This research constructs the theoretical framework through documentary analysis; it utilizes the approach of ¡§state and society relations¡¨ on the micro-level of the comparative politics, supplemented with the concept of ¡§corporatism¡¨. This research includes ¡§in-depth interview¡¨ and ¡§case study¡¨ to aim at examining two issues. While the Chinese government has been the central power, the enterprises are the key players in the businesses of modern China. When the private sector has prospered vigorously, the government faced increasing pressure from economic system reform. This indicates that the power of government will shift to the industry and trade association. This research finds that the trade association, deriving from ¡§top down¡¨ model, which can gain more self-Governance, is the successful case of transformation. Its character is that it neither seeks for power from the government during the transformation nor interest from the private sector, but, instead, serves for social welfare and receives more credibility from the public and better organizing autonomy. Since the south patrolling of Deng Xiaoping in 1992, the socialist market economy has been the goal China pursues. In 1998, the ninth session national representatives passed Decision of the structural reform of the State Council plan, and it pointed out ¡§establish a government administrative system with the Chinese characteristics and suitable to the socialist market economic system¡¨. In October 2003, the Third Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China passed Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Some Issues concerning the Improvement of the Socialist Market Economy . Obviously, in addition to the concept of open policy of the trade market, the policy on decentralization of governmental structural reform is in place. Those changes push the market mechanism to expand gradually, and accelerate the transformation of trade association. It makes the influence of trade association on industrial policy making grow. Particularly, Guangdong Province's economy opened early and also led the development of trade association. This research found that the system and development of trade association in Guangdong Province has exceeded that of the central government. ¡§Guangdong Food Profession Union¡¨ is one of the best examples. This research analyzes the development of food industry of both China and the Guangdong Province, in order to explain the relations among government, the business (market) and the society. Second, to analyze the development of trade association's of China and Guangdong Province to explain the formation of civil society. Third, using the case of ¡§Guangdong Food Profession Union¡¨ to study on its philosophy, institution and interest setting in order to map out the interaction among ¡§Guangdong Food Profession Union (GFPU)¡¨, government and business. Finally, it induces the relations among state, the market, the civil society. This research not only points out the similarities and differences between the study case and the general situation in China, but also classifies three kinds of trade association and within which the trade association of successful transformation might be called ¡§NGO with the Chinese characteristic¡¨. In brief, the social scope of trade association derived from ¡§top down¡¨ model, will de unavoidably deprived by the government. In the social scope formed by the trade association of successful transformation, the administrative authority is (Economic and Trade Commission) no longer in charge of them, but the ideology of Chinese Communist Party still exists. It was the ¡§civil society with the Chinese characteristic.¡¨

Ample empirical evidence highlights the significant prevalence of persons with mental health issues and concurrent disorders involved in the criminal justice system. This population frequently uses services provided by community based non-profit organizations for aid and support. Yet, there is a dearth of research that addresses the prevalence of mental health issues and concurrent disorders amongst those served by such organizations, and the barriers to community reintegration that they face. Focusing on the prevalence of mental health issues and concurrent disorders among individuals involved or at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system, the John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington and the University of Guelph embarked upon a mixed-methods community-engaged research partnership. Information for the clients in the ‘Community Aftercare’ program was collected in relation to mental health issues and concurrent disorders. Our data reveal the ‘typical’ profile of the clients accessing the Aftercare program, which includes a high prevalence of mental health issues and concurrent disorders. Further, interviews identified stigma, history of victimization, complex needs, criminal history, diminished welfare state, and a lack of social support/social capital as barriers faced by the Aftercare clients. The Aftercare program, however, acts as a form of social support and builds social capital for the clients. A lack of adequate funding to address the complex needs of the Aftercare clients was identified as a program limitation, and the findings revealed a need for additional funding.

本文旨在探討灌溉水資源系統中的「水圳」，在歷史的發展脈絡下如何成為農村不可或缺的依賴性治理制度。而都市化與工業發展興起後，水圳面臨了設施改造與治理困境，其制度本身所產生之變革以及新興治理機制對原有組織之影響。 本文透過美濃獅子頭水圳為個案研究，運用伊利諾‧歐斯壯(E.Ostrom)之「共用資源永續發展治理八大原則」為水圳資源有效治理之理論背景，檢視早期美濃獅子頭水圳的集體行動組織（地方水利會-農民），如何成功地在自主治理的機制中運作，並探討在現代化發展過程中宏觀的外在結構環境，包含農業轉型、停徵會費、派系競爭、水患問題等變化，對既有的共用資源制度產生的衝擊與弱化。以及民主化後由愛鄉協進會透過反水庫社會運動帶動社區總體營造對於水圳治理的創新模式。本文認為早期獅子頭水圳在資源邊界、集體選擇、對組織權最低限度認可與多中心治理等面向建立起維持永續發展之基礎。制度本身雖遭受外在環境變遷而呈現鬆散，但由於觀光休閒農業的推廣，吸引農村漂鳥回流，對灌溉水資源的參與治理渴望達到穩定的力量。並且，透過給予掌水工與水利小組的正式與非正式制度性誘因，可以有效調節灌溉用水並做為提供移轉調撥其他產業用水的基礎。最後，在地方性非營利組織「愛鄉協進會」進入水圳系統的治理後，挑戰由半官僚水利會所掌控的政治經濟功能掛帥水圳系統，更融入生態、文化、公民參與等不同的元素形成一共同治理新模式，除了延續後農業時代水圳的灌溉功能之外，也強化其制度韌性。藉由這些發現，本文進而提出實務與理論的研究建議，以做為後農業時代水資源灌溉系統的永續發展之借鏡。 / The subject of this essay is to explore the reason why an irrigation canal, in the process of historical development, became an indispensable governance institution in the villages. Also, in the advent of urbanization and industrialization, the irrigation canal faces a situation of the renovation of facility as well as the predicament of governance, in which the institution itself changes and newly governance system influences the original organizations. This study takes Shihtou Irrigation Canal in Meinung as the object. Using Elino Ostrom’s eight design principles of stable local common pool resource (CPR) management to review the successful self-governance mechanisms in operation performed by the early local collective action organization (mainly made by Taiwan Joint Irrigation Association and farmers). Also the paper explains the impacts of macro-environment, including the agricultural transformation, stop collecting fees, factional competition and flooding, on the existing system of CPR. And an innovational governance participated by a Meinung People's Association, a grass-roots organization from anti-reservoir activities to comprehensive community development in the era of post-democratization. Results of this study showed as follows: Firstly, early Shihtou irrigation canal maintain the basis for establishing sustainable development as result of clearly defined boundaries, collective-choice arrangement, minimal recognition of rights to organize, and nested enterprises. Besides, although it was weaken by the later change of external structure, the development of leisure agriculture attracted recurrent youth for agriculture, who was desired for reviving the power of appropriation in canal self-governance. Meanwhile, the institutional design of water-inspectors and water conservancy group arranged through formal and informal incentives can effectively regulate the right of water for irrigation and serve as providing the basis for the allocation of water for other industries. Finally, a local non-profit organization Meinung People's Association challenges the governance system originally controlled by a half-bureaucratic management of local Farm Irrigation Association. Compared with the mainly political and economic functions of water governance by the latter, the former emphasize the different elements of ecological, cultural, and civic participation. This formation of New model of shared governance in canal not only continue its irrigational function in post-agriculture, but also strengthen its institutional tenacity..With these findings, the paper puts forward practical and theoretical study suggests in order to learn as a sustainable development of water resources in the era of post-agricultural irrigation systems.

The thesis deals with the research motivation organized children and youth for breeding in the Czech Republic. The theoretical part describes aspects and effects of pet supplies such as leisure activities. Specific educational aspects of breeding activities in personal development. It also describes the issues and going through breeding for the protection of animals and nature. The practical part includes the preparation and implementation of research organized by the motivation of children and young people from different breeders' organizations operating in the country. It details and comments on the results of the research and is divided according to other criteria. Represents Czech Breeders Association as a volunteer non-profit organization working with children and youth organizing prestigious international competition for young breeders Olympics.

The work deals with participation within non-state non-profit organizations for children and youngsters. It is focused on possibilities and usage of participation in two biggest civic associations in the Czech Republic ? Junák and Pionýr. In the first part of the thesis, the term participation is defined and the resources which it is based on and which it uses are explained. The basic division of participation is mentioned as well as the necessity of education of individuals towards everyday participation. Another part of the researched issues is non-profit sector and that is why the second part of the paper concerns the characteristic of non-state non-profit organizations and it outlines possible employment of participation in this area. The third part deals with possibilities and realization of participation in Junák and Pionýr. Based on the analysis of selected documents of both the organizations, the research itself concentrates on the phenomenon of participation in basic units of these organizations and their participation in the life of society. The findings are evaluated and mutually compared.

The theme of my diploma thesis is the engagement of the volunteers in the solution to the accidents in the South-Moravia region. In my diploma thesis I am involved in the issue of the engagement of the volunteers in the solution to the accidents in the South-Moravia region. I assume that the utilization of the potential of the volunteers is one of the possibilities of the acquisition of the forces, which could be used for the recovery of the consequences, post-traumatic care to struck persons and other activities within the solution to the accidents, all parallelly with the actions of the professional teams of the integrated rescue system bodies. The needs of the population in case of the accidents are rather differentiated, and the engagement of the volunteers completes the appointed forces and means of the integrated rescue system bodies. At present time, the adequate legal framework, modifying the engagement of the volunteers in the solution to the accidents, does not exist in the Czech Republic. Non-governmental non-profit organizations are united in the South-Moravia region into the Panel of the South-Moravia Region, which establishes the platform and enables the South-Moravia Region more effective engagement of the non-governmental non-profit organizations. The volunteers, organized in the Panel of the South-Moravia Region, are engaged in the solution to the accidents and the trainings organized in the level of the region, municipalities with widened competence and the integrated rescue system bodies.

I denna uppsats presenteras en textanalytisk studie av ett urval pressmeddelanden från organisationen Djurens Rätt. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur Djurens Rätt positionerar sig bland de deltagare som beskrivs i deras pressmeddelanden. Djurens Rätt är en ideell och idéburen organisation vilket gör det intressant att undersöka hur dessa förhåller sig till andra aktörer i samhället i sina pressmeddelanden. Studien ut-går teoretiskt och metodologiskt främst från den systemisk-funktionella grammati-ken med fokus på det ideationella och erfarenhetsmässiga. Utöver detta är även positioneringsbegreppet och Greimas aktantmodell centrala för studien. Resultatet visar att Djurens Rätt använder sig av andra aktörer i flera avseenden för att positionera sig i de undersökta pressmeddelandena. Organisationen framstår exempelvis som sakliga och objektiva representanter för djuren genom att avstå från känslomässiga uttryckssätt, ibland tala om djuren i statistiska termer och även lägga fokus på opponenters handlingar istället för opponenterna i sig. / This paper presents a linguistic study of a number of press releases issued by the organization Djurens Rätt. The study aims to examine in which way Djurens Rätt positions itself among other participants being described in their press releases. Djurens Rätt is a non-profit organization based on an ideological idea, which makes it an interesting target for investigating their approach towards other societal opera-tors in their press releases. The study is theoretically and methodologically mainly based on Halliday’s functional grammar, focusing on the ideational and experiential part of language use. In addition to these perspectives, positioning as a concept and Greimas’ actantial model are also essential to the study. The results show that Djurens Rätt uses several other societal operators in order to position themselves in the analyzed press releases. The organization appears to represent the animals in an objective and impartial way, for instance by refraining emotional expressions, occasionally describing the animals in statistical terms and mostly focusing on their opponent’s actions instead of the opponents themselves.

Act no. 235/2004 Coll., Value Added Tax (hereinafter "the VAT Act"), is for non-profit organizations very difficult area, because of its frequent amendment. Also its meaning and content is for many of these organizations difficult to understand. This thesis wants to provide non-profit organizations comprehensive overview of the issue of value added tax. In addition to the application of special provisions of the VAT Act this thesis also focuses on provisions which relate generally to all taxpayers. The aim is the elimination of errors, in which non-profit organizations make mistakes. The most problematic provisions in practice are those which bind to the registration or vice versa deregistration. Problematic provisions are also those which relate to the right to deduct VAT on received taxable supplies. The practical part of this thesis is dedicated to these provisions.