with Most. Rev. John R. Quinn, former Archbishop of San Francisco / McGuinn Hall 121

Context: The aim of the proposed research is to investigate the impact of the pilot ‘all-day’ school scheme in Greece on teachers’, students’ and parents’ lives. The ‘all-day’ school is considered to be an innovative pedagogical reform in the Greek primary education. It was legislated and initiated in the period 1997-2002 in response to the apparent need for an increased work force. In addition, the growing number of working mothers meant that children needed to be looked after in a safe environment beyond mainstream school hours. Since then the ‘all-day’ school remains a project in progress facing a lot of obstacles with the most recent being the economic crisis in Greece which has badly affected all the sectors, private and public, of the country, and consequently the public schools of all levels. Despite its importance for educational reform, only a few studies attempted to examine some of the aspects of the ‘all-day’ school. It is this study’s contribution to provide, for first time, the key stakeholders of the ‘all-day’ school, namely teachers, parents and students, with the opportunity to raise their voices and express their experience and opinions about the effect of the ‘all-day’ school on their lives. Objective: The aim of this thesis is to provide insights on the perceptions and feelings of teachers, parents and students involved in the operation and expansion of the institutionalization of the ‘all-day’ school. These key stakeholders are called to express their voices about the effect of the ‘all-day’ school on their lives. Methodology: This study follows the interpretivist perspective. It does not examine pre-existing theories; instead it relies on qualitative findings collected from policy documents, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with the ‘actors’ of the ‘all-day’ school, teachers, students and parents. Findings: This study revealed the huge gap between policy and practice in the operation of the ‘all-day’ school. The ‘all-day’ school aimed to fulfill certain pedagogical and social aims, as described in the official policy documents of the Greek Ministry of Education. Empirical evidence from this study indicated that in practice only few of these aims, mainly related to the social dimension of the ‘all-day’ school have been achieved. The ‘all-day’ school failed to achieve significant pedagogical aims such as the homework completion at school. A number of contradictions and dilemmas.

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Atkinson's virtual self-preparation for Cambridge is described and discussed, noting the importance of respons-· ible patronage. His objective was university study, a Fellowship, and the Bar, leading to public life. Cambridge's social and academic scene is viewed in the light of Atkinson's 1825 account of his experience, attention being directed to its 'alternative society', and the major change in Mathematics associated with the Analytical Society, betweeen 1817 and 1821, in which year he was Senior Wrangler. Note is taken of criticism, also published in 1825, by Cowling, Senior Wrangler in 1824. Particular consideration is given to Atkinson's assessment of what an University ought to offer, and his claims as to Cambridge's failure; to his not getting a Fellowship, and consequent difficulties when reading for the Bar. His Letters to Huskisson, 1826, are interpreted as a vain bid for the attention of the shipping interest, whose patronage might further his entry to 'the arena of public life'. He expounded the likely effects of repeal of the Navigation Acts, particularly in the light of his recent visit to America. Called to the Bar in 1827, he devoted his life thereafter to the Law, as conveyancer and equity draftsman, but, especially, as author of legal books for practitioners. His earliest work, 1829, was intended to caution the Real Property Commission, set up under Benthamite influence. His last, 1853, surveyed and offered solutions to some problems of the Profession in mid-century, especially those deriving from the 1846 Act, reviving the County Courts, and of which, unlike most of the Bar, he had been a supporter. Here, He. drew again on what he had found in Canada and the United States during an extended visit in 1836.

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The implementation of Zimbabwe’s Fast Track Land Reform Program (FTLRP) in 2000 generated polarised debates across academia and in the media. Some commentators dismissed the FTLRP as a politically motivated ‘land grab’, which ruined a vibrant agrarian structure and contributed to food shortages. Landless peasants, who were the major beneficiaries of the land reform, were dismissed as inefficient and lacking the skills to work the land productively. However, empirical data gathered across Zimbabwe indicate that the outcomes of Zimbabwe’s FTLRP are diverse and require a nuanced analysis. This thesis explores the outcomes of land reform in terms of its impact on the livelihoods of peasant households who were resettled under the FTLRP. The thesis utilises empirical data to argue that, despite its shortcomings, the FTLRP has allowed peasant households to access land and other natural resources which were previously enclosed under a dualistic land tenure structure which had persisted after Zimbabwe’s independence from colonial rule in 1980. Data gathered in Mhondoro Ngezi District indicate that in the aftermath of land reform, resettled farmers now have access to better quality land and opportunities for employment at mines and through gold panning which have generally enhanced livelihoods. The thesis also argues that the benefits of land reform are broad and go beyond the utility of land as a means of production. Fast track land reform allowed people to recover ancestral lands lost during colonial era forced removals; it also allowed people to be reunited with ancestral graves and other symbols of spiritual significance. Overall, this has helped to address the diverse aspects of land which had remained largely unresolved due to the failure of Zimbabwe’s market driven land reforms of the early 1980s. The thesis is based on a case study of 185 households who were allocated land under the A1 Scheme (villagised model) in the Mhondoro Ngezi District in Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe.

published_or_final_version / Chinese Historical Studies / Master / Master of Arts

The liberalisation of the banking sector in the Czech Republic (and the former Czechoslovakia) has proceeded at a rapid pace since the collapse of the socialist regime in 1989. The initial separation of commercial banking activities from the central bank was followed by the partial privatisation of three of the four new institutions created as a result. At the same time new privately owned banks were encouraged to enter the market. Over the last two years, however, a number of bank collapses have adversely affected the sector with twelve of the newly created banks coming under the forced administration of the central bank._The authorities responded, initially, to this by refusing to grant licences for any new banks. This action has recently been relaxed but it has been replaced by a more rigorous regulatory regime which clarifies and strengthens the supervisory activities of the authorities. The explanations proposed for these problems have focused on mismanagement in the banks which has led to a growing proportion of bad loans in banks' portfolios and fraudulent activity which resulted in funds being appropriated by the owners or management of the institutions. The aim of this thesis is to examine, in more detail, these two sets of explanations. A review of banking development is undertaken which highlights both the favourable circumstances under which financial reform has been conducted as well as the inherent problems, such as the high initial level of non - performing loans and the inadequate regulatory framework. It will be concluded that the conditions necessary for fraudulent activity to be viable were apparent and this reason can be used to explain a number of the bank collapses which have occurred. The thesis will also examine the pattern of credit allocation and the implications which arise from the process of credit screening by banks. This part of the analysis will contain both quantitative and qualitative evidence. The latter consists of a series of interviews with bank officials with the aim of identifying, precisely, the nature of the process of credit screening in a sample of banks with differing characteristics. The thesis will conclude that the development of the regulatory environment has not kept pace with the rapid expansion of the banking sector. In addition, serious flaws in the credit screening processes adopted by many banks implies that the problem of non - performing loans in bank portfolios may become more serious.

No description available.

No description available.