Global ETD Search

21	Great transformations : Karl Polanyi and Nikolas Rose on the shifting fortunes of social strategies of government : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Wynyard, Matthew Adam January 2009 (has links) This thesis seeks to make sense of the emergence of neoliberalism at the close of the twentieth century and the subsequent appearance of Third Way strategies of government in recent decades. In so doing it deals comparatively with the work of two very different, yet nevertheless both increasingly influential theorists of social change - Karl Polanyi and Nikolas Rose. In the middle decades of the twentieth century Karl Polanyi theorized what he held to be the inevitable shift from a market society to one in which the economy was embedded in a web of social relations. Some half century later in the 1990s, Nikolas Rose theorized the 'death of the social', the process by which the social logic that underpinned Western welfare states for much of the twentieth- century is giving way to a new formula for rule. Rose terms this new way of governing advanced liberalism. This thesis argues that an approach to neoliberalism and the third way that employs both Polanyi's analytical and critical tools as well as the insights gained from Nikolas Rose's governmentality studies can help to render neoliberalism both visible and contestable in new ways. Further such an approach might serve to illuminate potential paths forward. neoliberalism Third Way Karl Polanyi Nikolas Rose social policy
22	Paying for sustainable natural resources management : the role of levies Wu, Zhifang January 2009 (has links) Sustainable development is the modern rhetoric to guide environmental or natural resources management. There are many ways to do this and one concern the wider utilization of economic instruments, such as taxes or levies. Although such levies are becoming common in Australia and worldwide, the role of the taxes or levies is still limited. In many cases, these taxes/levies -although environmentally related- have a fiscal rather than a purely environmental motive, for example, the Natural Resources Management (NRM) Levy in South Australia. In South Australia, under the NRM Act 2004, all property owners are required to pay the NRM levy. Local governments collect the levy and distribute it to the relevant NRM board. The NRM boards have selected to calculate the levy on the basis of property value or simply applied a flat rate. The percentage of property value or the amount of the flat rate can vary amongst local government areas. How a tax or levy is designed should be determined by its ultimate purpose. Taxes or levies for fiscal and/or redistributive reasons should be designed in a way securing stable inflow of revenues, such as, levying on the values of property. However, this approach is often in sharp contrast with the goal of environmental taxes or levies which aim to change resource consumption behaviour. This study evaluates the NRM levy policy in South Australia using one NRM region and focussing on the urban community. The justification of this research is that few analyses of the effectiveness of environmental taxes or levies have ever been carried out, although the implementation of these measures has increased significantly during the last decades. There are fewer studies analysing the impacts of the tax or levy base method. This is the first study on this NRM levy policy from the perspective of the urban community who actually pay it. This study employed the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein 1980) to examine the relationships between community attitudes to the levy policy and water consumption behaviour. Data was collected through a web-based survey with 770 respondents who answered 59 questions. The key findings show that governments are perceived to have the main responsibility for water resources management by respondents. However, there is huge information void towards the NRM levy policy. Community has few complaints about the levy level but strongly prefers to have a levy calculated on the volume of water consumed. Respondents also indicated that they would use less water if the levy were calculated on the volume of water consumed. The study makes contributions to relevant theory and policy analysis. Theoretically, the results show that the theory of reasoned action has limited strength in explaining the present research context. Practically, the study provides recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in South Australia, other Australian States, and internationally. The clear implications of the results suggest that if a tax or levy aims to change water consumption behaviour then it should be based on the volume of water consumed not on property value. Natural resources Water supply 300903 Sustainable Development 360201 Public Policy 370102 Social Policy and Planning water resource management levy natural resource management 300803 Natural Resource Management 300805 Conservation
23	Paying for sustainable natural resources management : the role of levies Wu, Zhifang January 2009 (has links) Sustainable development is the modern rhetoric to guide environmental or natural resources management. There are many ways to do this and one concern the wider utilization of economic instruments, such as taxes or levies. Although such levies are becoming common in Australia and worldwide, the role of the taxes or levies is still limited. In many cases, these taxes/levies -although environmentally related- have a fiscal rather than a purely environmental motive, for example, the Natural Resources Management (NRM) Levy in South Australia. In South Australia, under the NRM Act 2004, all property owners are required to pay the NRM levy. Local governments collect the levy and distribute it to the relevant NRM board. The NRM boards have selected to calculate the levy on the basis of property value or simply applied a flat rate. The percentage of property value or the amount of the flat rate can vary amongst local government areas. How a tax or levy is designed should be determined by its ultimate purpose. Taxes or levies for fiscal and/or redistributive reasons should be designed in a way securing stable inflow of revenues, such as, levying on the values of property. However, this approach is often in sharp contrast with the goal of environmental taxes or levies which aim to change resource consumption behaviour. This study evaluates the NRM levy policy in South Australia using one NRM region and focussing on the urban community. The justification of this research is that few analyses of the effectiveness of environmental taxes or levies have ever been carried out, although the implementation of these measures has increased significantly during the last decades. There are fewer studies analysing the impacts of the tax or levy base method. This is the first study on this NRM levy policy from the perspective of the urban community who actually pay it. This study employed the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein 1980) to examine the relationships between community attitudes to the levy policy and water consumption behaviour. Data was collected through a web-based survey with 770 respondents who answered 59 questions. The key findings show that governments are perceived to have the main responsibility for water resources management by respondents. However, there is huge information void towards the NRM levy policy. Community has few complaints about the levy level but strongly prefers to have a levy calculated on the volume of water consumed. Respondents also indicated that they would use less water if the levy were calculated on the volume of water consumed. The study makes contributions to relevant theory and policy analysis. Theoretically, the results show that the theory of reasoned action has limited strength in explaining the present research context. Practically, the study provides recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in South Australia, other Australian States, and internationally. The clear implications of the results suggest that if a tax or levy aims to change water consumption behaviour then it should be based on the volume of water consumed not on property value. Natural resources Water supply 300903 Sustainable Development 360201 Public Policy 370102 Social Policy and Planning water resource management levy natural resource management 300803 Natural Resource Management 300805 Conservation
24	A study of child rearing practices amongst a selected sample of Filipino, Cambodian and Sudanese families in South Australia: implications for child care service selection and program development Dela Cerna, Carmencita January 2007 (has links) This study investigated 15 child care centres to find out their responsiveness to the needs of families from non-Anglo backgrounds. Results of this study showed a need to improve service quality in child care to best serve the needs of children from non-Anglo backgrounds. Forty Filipino, 15 Cambodian and 30 Sudanese families were involved in this study. 339999 Other Education 370102 Social Policy and Planning child rearing child care child care service selection
25	Change in juvenile justice policy: implications for rights and responsibilities Winter, N. A. January 2009 (has links) Changes in juvenile justice are often attributed to increases in offending and media attention to crime. A "cycle" of reforms, which alternate between punitive and treatment type responses has been identified. This study explores the possibility that wider socio-political events also have implications for reforms. Nations in which welfare and juvenile justice systems are highly integrated, may exhibit different patterns of policy change than those observed elsewhere. Changes in juvenile justice policy in New Zealand and Sweden are examined. The implications of policy change for the rights and responsibilities of those involved in the juvenile justice system are also examined. This includes the State, juvenile offenders and their parents and the victims of crime. Particular attention is given to the status of parental rights. juvenile justice parental rights rights and responsibilities welfare state reforms New Zealand Sweden
26	An Investigation of the Social and Economic Factors Affecting the Development of Small-Scale Forestry by Rural Households in Leyte Province, Philippines: A Typology of Rural Households in Relation to Small-Scale Forestry Emtage, Nicholas F. Unknown Date (has links) This thesis investigates the social and economic factors affecting small-scale forestry development in Leyte Province, the Philippines, and in particular, the potential to use typologies of rural households to aid the description and interpretation of the diversity of households in relation to forestry development. Data for the analysis of the relationships between socioeconomic factors and tree management behaviour and intentions and the construction of a typology of rural households in Leyte was gathered from four case study communities on the Island. Following focus group discussions in each of the participating communities to gather background data and populate the structured interview schedule, representative samples of 50 households were selected and interviewed in each of the four communities. Analysis of the present tree management activities of households in the four communities revealed that most households surveyed (approximately 80%) indicated that they are presently managing at least a few trees, the primary purpose of most tree management activities being to supply timber for the households' own needs. Only 10% of respondents indicated that they intend to sell trees they are presently managing, and 25% stated that they intend to plant and manage trees for the production of timber for sale in the future. Approximately 60% of responding households indicated an interest in developing commercial tree farming on the land they manage. Thus it is concluded that small-scale commercial tree growing is uncommon in the communities involved in the survey, and that many households are interested in developing their tree planting and management activities but feel constrained from participation by various factors. The first level of exploration of the socioeconomic factors affecting rural households' tree management behaviour involved univariate analyses of the relationships between households' tree management behaviour and intentions, their socioeconomic characteristics and their attitudes to forestry. The level of resources controlled by the household, in terms of the area of the land managed by the household, their tenurial security and their cash income, are correlated with higher levels of participation in forestry activities, and greater intentions to plant higher numbers of trees in the future. Some farming system variables are also related to higher levels of tree planting and management activity, including the management of livestock and of farm plots distant from their house. While control over higher than average levels of productive resources are, in general, positively correlated to the active management of trees on their land, there are patterns of exceptions to this trend. The exploration of the interrelationships between socioeconomic factors and attitudes affecting households' tree management behaviour was undertaken through the definition of a typology of rural households in relation to forestry. Five types were defined, each having different attitudes to forestry activities. The interpretation of the types was undertaken by describing and comparing the socioeconomic and behavioural characteristics of the types in the typology. The types were characterised by differences in their control of productive resources, differences in their present and intended levels and types of forestry activity, and by differences in their participation in training activities run by development programs. The characteristics of the types were found to correspond highly with descriptions of the socioeconomic factors affecting forestry activities of smallholder households reported by previous studies into and theories about the socioeconomic factors affecting smallholder forestry development. The typology of rural households does help to describe and interpret the variation within each of the four communities in terms of households' attitudes to forestry development and their socioeconomic characteristics. It is concluded that these variations between households mean that the various types of households will be affected in different ways by forestry development programs. It is also concluded that the present state of forestry policies and the market for timber products is such that substantial increase in the level of forestry activity by smallholders is unlikely without comprehensive land use planning, policy reform in regards to tree registration and transport permits, and market development. Recommendations for further research and policy development arising from the thesis focuses on the need to create enabling conditions in which forestry activities can occur and on ways to address the differing needs of the various types defined in the typology. 370102 Social Policy and Planning 300600 Forestry Sciences 720302 Assistance and protection 300604 Management and Environment 620399 Forestry not elsewhere classified forestry development Leyte Province Philippines rural households tree management case studies typology
27	An Investigation of the Social and Economic Factors Affecting the Development of Small-Scale Forestry by Rural Households in Leyte Province, Philippines: A Typology of Rural Households in Relation to Small-Scale Forestry Emtage, Nicholas F. Unknown Date (has links) This thesis investigates the social and economic factors affecting small-scale forestry development in Leyte Province, the Philippines, and in particular, the potential to use typologies of rural households to aid the description and interpretation of the diversity of households in relation to forestry development. Data for the analysis of the relationships between socioeconomic factors and tree management behaviour and intentions and the construction of a typology of rural households in Leyte was gathered from four case study communities on the Island. Following focus group discussions in each of the participating communities to gather background data and populate the structured interview schedule, representative samples of 50 households were selected and interviewed in each of the four communities. Analysis of the present tree management activities of households in the four communities revealed that most households surveyed (approximately 80%) indicated that they are presently managing at least a few trees, the primary purpose of most tree management activities being to supply timber for the households' own needs. Only 10% of respondents indicated that they intend to sell trees they are presently managing, and 25% stated that they intend to plant and manage trees for the production of timber for sale in the future. Approximately 60% of responding households indicated an interest in developing commercial tree farming on the land they manage. Thus it is concluded that small-scale commercial tree growing is uncommon in the communities involved in the survey, and that many households are interested in developing their tree planting and management activities but feel constrained from participation by various factors. The first level of exploration of the socioeconomic factors affecting rural households' tree management behaviour involved univariate analyses of the relationships between households' tree management behaviour and intentions, their socioeconomic characteristics and their attitudes to forestry. The level of resources controlled by the household, in terms of the area of the land managed by the household, their tenurial security and their cash income, are correlated with higher levels of participation in forestry activities, and greater intentions to plant higher numbers of trees in the future. Some farming system variables are also related to higher levels of tree planting and management activity, including the management of livestock and of farm plots distant from their house. While control over higher than average levels of productive resources are, in general, positively correlated to the active management of trees on their land, there are patterns of exceptions to this trend. The exploration of the interrelationships between socioeconomic factors and attitudes affecting households' tree management behaviour was undertaken through the definition of a typology of rural households in relation to forestry. Five types were defined, each having different attitudes to forestry activities. The interpretation of the types was undertaken by describing and comparing the socioeconomic and behavioural characteristics of the types in the typology. The types were characterised by differences in their control of productive resources, differences in their present and intended levels and types of forestry activity, and by differences in their participation in training activities run by development programs. The characteristics of the types were found to correspond highly with descriptions of the socioeconomic factors affecting forestry activities of smallholder households reported by previous studies into and theories about the socioeconomic factors affecting smallholder forestry development. The typology of rural households does help to describe and interpret the variation within each of the four communities in terms of households' attitudes to forestry development and their socioeconomic characteristics. It is concluded that these variations between households mean that the various types of households will be affected in different ways by forestry development programs. It is also concluded that the present state of forestry policies and the market for timber products is such that substantial increase in the level of forestry activity by smallholders is unlikely without comprehensive land use planning, policy reform in regards to tree registration and transport permits, and market development. Recommendations for further research and policy development arising from the thesis focuses on the need to create enabling conditions in which forestry activities can occur and on ways to address the differing needs of the various types defined in the typology. 370102 Social Policy and Planning 300600 Forestry Sciences 720302 Assistance and protection 300604 Management and Environment 620399 Forestry not elsewhere classified forestry development Leyte Province Philippines rural households tree management case studies typology
28	Supported residential facilities: supporting residents to stay or move on? Clark, Alice January 2004 (has links) Many Supported Residential Facility (SRF) residents express a desire to live in more independent accommodation, however relatively few achieve this. Two of the issues preventing this are a lack of housing alternatives and support. This study examines the relevant literature and legislation, to gather documentary evidence and demographic data about South Australian SRFs and their residents. This is augmented by interviews with five key informants, to discover what other factors inhibit SRF residents from moving on to alternative accommodation. Findings indicate that recovery and rehabilitation are inhibited in SRFs and that current standards are barely sustaining people. Data suggests that legislation has a negative impact on residents and service delivery. This research recommends that the South Australian Government take up its legislative and ministerial responsibility to SRFs and their residents as a matter of urgency, especially in relation to fire safety. Secondly, that there is a review of The Legislation to incorporate citizenship rights and individualised care. And lastly, that in the interim, funding tied to service agreements is made available to SRFs, so that they become a place to recover and not the end of the line. Human Rights Social Policy Social Policy and Planning Public Policy Care for Disabled Residential Client Care Housing Disability Mental Health Citizenship Supported Accommodation Supported Residential Facility Supported Residential Facility Act
29	Community small scale wind farms for New Zealand: a comparative study of Austrian development, with consideration for New Zealand’s future wind energy development Thomson, Grant January 2008 (has links) In New Zealand, the development of wind energy is occurring predominantly at a large scale level with very little opportunity for local people to become involved, either financially or conceptually. These conditions are creating situations of conflict between communities and wind energy developers – and are limiting the potential of the New Zealand wind energy industry. The inception of community ownership in small scale wind farms, developed in Europe in the late 20th Century, has helped to make a vital connection between wind energy and end users. Arguably, community wind farms are able to alleviate public concerns of wind energy’s impact on landscapes, amongst a wide range of other advantages. In Austria, community wind farms have offered significant development opportunities to local people, ushered in distributed generation, and all the while increasing the amount of renewable energy in the electricity mix. This thesis investigates whether community small scale wind (SSW) farms, such as those developed in Austria, are a viable and feasible option for the New Zealand context. The approach of this thesis examines the history of the Austrian wind industry and explores several community wind farm developments. In addition, interviews with stakeholders from Austria and New Zealand were conducted to develop an understanding of impressions and processes in developing community wind energy (CWE) in the New Zealand context. From this research an assessment of the transfer of the Austrian framework to the New Zealand situation is offered, with analysis of the differences between the wind energy industries in the two countries. Furthermore, future strategies are suggested for CWE development in New Zealand with recommendations for an integrated governmental approach. This research determines that the feasibility for the transfer of the Austrian framework development of ‘grassroots’ community wind farms in the next 10 years is relatively unlikely without greater support assistance from the New Zealand Government. This is principally due to the restricted economic viability of community wind farms and also significant regulatory and policy limitations. In the mid to long term, the New Zealand government should take an integrated approach to assist the development of community wind farms which includes: a collaborative government planning approach on the issue; detailed assessment of the introduction of feed-in tariff mechanisms and controlled activity status (RMA) for community wind farms; and development of limited liability company law for community energy companies. In the short term, however, the most feasible option available for the formation of community wind farms lies in quasi community developments with corporate partnerships. wind energy community wind energy small scale wind energy grassroots distributed generation feed-in tariffs bottom-up Austria integrated environmental management
30	The Social Construction of Economic Man: The Genesis, Spread, Impact and Institutionalisation of Economic Ideas Mackinnon, Lauchlan A. K. Unknown Date (has links) The present thesis is concerned with the genesis, diffusion, impact and institutionalisation of economic ideas. Despite Keynes's oft-cited comments to the effect that 'the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood'(Keynes 1936: 383), and the highly visible impact of economic ideas (for example Keynesian economics, Monetarism, or economic ideas regarding deregulation and antitrust issues) on the economic system, economists have done little to systematically explore the spread and impact of economic ideas. In fact, with only a few notable exceptions, the majority of scholarly work concerning the spread and impact of economic ideas has been developed outside of the economics literature, for example in the political institutionalist literature in the social sciences. The present thesis addresses the current lack of attention to the spread and impact of economic ideas by economists by drawing on the political institutionalist, sociological, and psychology of creativity literatures to develop a framework in which the genesis, spread, impact and institutionalisation of economic ideas may be understood. To articulate the dissemination and impact of economic ideas within economics, I consider as a case study the evolution of economists' conception of the economic agent - "homo oeconomicus." I argue that the intellectual milieu or paradigm of economics is 'socially constructed' in a specific sense, namely: (i) economic ideas are created or modified by particular individuals; (ii) economic ideas are disseminated (iii) certain economic ideas are accepted by economists and (iv) economic ideas become institutionalised into the paradigm or milieu of economics. Economic ideas are, of course, disseminated not only within economics to fellow economists, but are also disseminated externally to economic policy makers and business leaders who can - and often do - take economic ideas into account when formulating policy and building economic institutions. Important economic institutions are thereby socially constructed, in the general sense proposed by Berger and Luckmann (1966). But how exactly do economic ideas enter into this process of social construction of economic institutions? Drawing from and building on structure/agency theory (e.g. Berger and Luckmann 1966; Bourdieu 1977; Bhaskar 1979/1998, 1989; Bourdieu 1990; Lawson 1997, 2003) in the wider social sciences, I provide a framework for understanding how economic ideas enter into the process of social construction of economic institutions. Finally, I take up a methodological question: if economic ideas are disseminated, and if economic ideas have a real and constitutive impact on the economic system being modelled, does 'economic science' then accurately and objectively model an independently existing economic reality, unchanged by economic theory, or does economic theory have an interdependent and 'reflexive' relationship with economic reality, as economic reality co-exists with, is shaped by, and also shapes economic theory? I argue the latter, and consider the implications for evaluating in what sense economic science is, in fact, a science in the classical sense. The thesis makes original contributions to understanding the genesis of economic ideas in the psychological creative work processes of economists; understanding the ontological location of economic ideas in the economic system; articulating the social construction of economic ideas; and highlighting the importance of the spread of economic ideas to economic practice and economic methodology. 410401 Design Theory 349901 Political Economy 370000 Studies in Human Society 340302 History of Economic Thought 349900 Other Economics 410402 Design Innovation 360201 Public Policy 360000 Policy and Political Science 380100 Psychology 360100 Political Science 360200 Policy and Administration 370101 Social Theory 370102 Social Policy and Planning 340100 Economic Theory genesis spread diffusion impact institutionalisation economic ideas idea ideation psychology of creativity Wallas Wertheimer stage model productive thinking creative creativity process economic economics sociology social methodology methodological self-altering self-fulfilling self-denying prophecy belief reflexive reflexivity institution institutionalise institutionalised social construction Berger Luckmann Bhaskar critical realism Lawson Bordieu habitus field spread impact ideation ideational structure social structure action creativity creative economists sociology philosophy of science homo economicus homo oeconomicus economic man economic agent rational economic man man lucas critique Goodhart's law Keynes Marx Mill Hayek Hicks Samuelson Walras Jevons Arrow Debreu Samuelson Merton sociology of economics sociology of scientific knowledge SSK Holton prediction control reflexive prediction reflexivity Whitley Mackie canonization Henshel Grunberg Modigliani Morgenstern Lucas Muth Simon Blyth Hall Sikkink Hira Hood institutionalize institutionalized socialise socialisation internalise internalisation internalization socialization behaviour behavior Thomas theorem expectations stage model productive thinking evolution

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