第三次民主化浪潮及其所代表的世界性民主化转型使得许多人相信民主不仅具有其本身的价值，而且有助于提高大众的福利水平。不少学者曾研究过民主制度与社会福利产出之间的关系。然而，在解释两者关系时并未得到一致性的结论。在很多情况下，民主制国家在改善人类发展指标和提高福利水平方面并没得到社会所期待的结果，而且经常被非民主制国家所超越。政治制度如何影响社会福利表现？民主化和社会福利发展之间是否存在取舍矛盾？如果这种取舍矛盾存在，如何将民主化的社会代价减到最小？ / 本研究试图加深我们对政治制度性质与社会福利产出水平之间关系的理解。为此，本文以维度路径分析政治制度的不同维度如何影响政府采取不同类型的政策选择。本文的核心问题是：民主制的哪些方面有利于/不利于哪种公共政策的实现？民主的不同维度能够促进/抑制哪些政策？竞争性选举和公众参与形成本研究的两个自变量维度。本研究应变量的两个维度是两种政府回应性：政府对公民基本需求（basic needs）的回应，即代表了社会福利表现的改进，以及政府对公民要求（wants and demands）的回应，即代表了满足群体所呼吁的而非客观上对其有利的政策福利。两者在概念上有所不同。本文首先在理论上分析自变量和应变量不同维度之间的关系，继而引用实证科学的定量和定性基本方法来检验所建立的理论关系。 / 本研究证明，并非所有的导致回应要求（wants）的民主属性也有助于使政府回应基本需求（basic needs）。公众要求和公众客观需求作为公共政策所回应的目标具有不同的特征。从委托-代理理论框架来看，回应公众基本需求的政策需要政府采取不同于在回应主观要求时所采取的措施。由于这些不同点，在两个民主维度（政治竞争和公众参与）当中，只有后者对基本需求有积极影响，而前者往往会阻碍以回应基本需求为目的的政策。在政治竞争压力之下，追求选票最大化的政治家更倾向于采取回应社会现有要求的短期措施，且往往以忽视客观需求为代价。因此，为了避免民主化的高成本，需要促进民主的参与维度，且同时要缓解其竞争维度的激烈性。 / The shift towards democracy globally under the “third wave“ of democratization has stirred the conviction that democracy is not only a good thing in itself but also a promoter of general welfare. A considerable amount of research has been conducted to explore the effects of democracy on social outcomes. However, unequivocal conclusions regarding democracy’s impact on health, education, life expectancy and other aspects of human well-being have not been achieved. Many democracies do not perform as good as they are expected to and are often outperformed by non-democratic regimes. Questions appear: How does political regime affect social performance? Is there a trade-off between democratization, on the one hand, and social development, on the other? If there is, how should democratization be carried out so as not to inhibit human well-being? / This dissertation attempts to enhance our understanding of the impact of political regime on social outcomes by applying a dimensional approach. Instead of asking whether democracy is good or bad, it asks: which dimensions of political regime are good for which kinds of outcomes? What kinds of policies are promoted and what are inhibited by different dimensions of democracy? On the causal side are such regime dimensions as competition and participation; on the outcome side are two kinds of government action: responsiveness to people’s objective needs, which conceptually stands for improvement of social outcomes, and responsiveness to subjective wants and demands, which conceptually stands for giving people what they want regardless what is objectively good for them. The relations between these causal and outcome dimensions are explored both theoretically and empirically applying quantitative as well as qualitative methods. / The dissertation demonstrates that not all dimensions of democracy that induce governments to satisfy public wants and demands also work in case of basic needs satisfaction. Public needs and wants, as targets of policymaking, are different. Within a principal-agent framework, responsiveness to needs, compared to responsiveness to wants, implies different strategies of policymaking and has different political implications. Due to these differences, of the two regime dimensions only participation has systemic positive effect on social outcomes. Competition, more often than not, inhibits regime responsiveness to basic needs. In competitive settings, vote-maximizing politicians tend to opt for short-term wants-oriented policies, often at the expense of responding to objective needs. To make democratization less costly, therefore, participation should be encouraged, and competition should be tamed. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Korolev, Alexander. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstract also in Chinese. / Chapter 1 / Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1. --- Question --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2. --- Methodology --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3. --- Argument --- p.6 / Chapter 1.4. --- Significance --- p.7 / Chapter 1.5. --- Research design and methods --- p.10 / Chapter 1.6. --- Plan --- p.14 / PART I / A DIMENSIONAL THEORY OF DEMOCRATIC RESPONSIVENESS / Chapter 2 / Literature Analysis: “Two Modes“ of Regime Responsiveness --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1. --- The Dual Nature of Government Action --- p.22 / Chapter 2.2. --- Democracy and Public “Wants“ --- p.27 / Chapter 2.3. --- Democracy and Public “Needs“ --- p.31 / Chapter 2.4. --- Summary --- p.34 / Chapter 3 / Needs, Wants, and Two Dimensions of Responsiveness --- p.38 / Chapter 3.1. --- Concept of Basic Needs and its Cognates --- p.40 / Chapter 3.2. --- Public “Needs“ vs. Public “Wants“ as Targets of Policy Making --- p.44 / Chapter 3.2.1. --- Observability --- p.45 / Chapter 3.2.2. --- Variability --- p.47 / Chapter 3.2.3. --- Malleability --- p.49 / Chapter 3.2.4. --- Satisfaction criteria --- p.51 / Chapter 3.3. --- Needs/wants Dichotomy and Regime Responsiveness --- p.53 / Chapter 3.3.1. --- Observability and the issue of information asymmetry --- p.54 / Chapter 3.3.2. --- Variability and planning frame for policy making --- p.58 / Chapter 3.3.3. --- Malleability and the possibility for manipulation --- p.59 / Chapter 3.3.4. --- Satisfaction criteria and substantiveness of policy response --- p.61 / Chapter 3.4. --- Summary --- p.62 / Chapter 4 / Two Dimensions of Democracy and Responsiveness to Basic Needs --- p.67 / Chapter 4.1. --- Multidimensionality of Regime’s Impact and Decomposition Criteria --- p.68 / Chapter 4.2. --- Political Competition and Regime Responsiveness to Basic Needs --- p.76 / Chapter 4.2.1. --- Competition dimension in theory --- p.77 / Chapter 4.2.2. --- Competition dimension in practice --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3. --- Political Participation and Regime Responsiveness to Basic Needs --- p.89 / Chapter 4.3.1. --- Participation dimension in theory --- p.89 / Chapter 4.3.2. --- Participation dimension in practice --- p.93 / Chapter 4.4. --- Summary --- p.98 / PART II / EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS / Chapter 5 / Competition, Participation and Basic Needs A Quantitative Test --- p.102 / Chapter 5.1. --- Research Strategies and Statistical Model --- p.102 / Chapter 5.2. --- Analysis of Variables and Indices --- p.105 / Chapter 5.2.1. --- Indicators and socio-economic characteristics of basic needs --- p.106 / Chapter 5.2.2. --- Definitions and characteristics of the regime variables --- p.110 / Chapter 5.2.3. --- Critical quantitative analysis of the state capacity variables --- p.116 / Chapter 5.2.4. --- Socioeconomic variables --- p.125 / Chapter 5.3. --- Methods and Results --- p.127 / Chapter 5.4. --- Regime and Needs: Theoretical Explanation of the Statistical Findings --- p.139 / Chapter 5.4.1. --- When elections foster and when hinder basic needs satisfaction --- p.140 / Chapter 5.4.2. --- How participation helps, or is helped by, basic needs attainment --- p.153 / Chapter 6 / Qualitative Illustrations: The Politics of Healthcare in China and US --- p.160 / Chapter 6.1. --- General Patterns of Health Needs Provision in China and US --- p.163 / Chapter 6.2. --- Destructive Competition and Healthcare Reform in the US --- p.173 / Chapter 6.2.1. --- Trends in American healthcare sector --- p.173 / Chapter 6.2.2. --- Failed attempts to reform healthcare --- p.177 / Chapter 6.2.3. --- “Obamneycare bugaboo and public fears of healthcare reform --- p.179 / Chapter 6.3. --- Mobilized Participation and Healthcare Reform in China --- p.185 / Chapter 6.3.1. --- China’s healthcare in the post-reform period --- p.187 / Chapter 6.3.2. --- Policy response and the reversal of negative trends --- p.190 / Chapter 6.3.3. --- Participation and health policy making in china --- p.192 / Chapter 6.4. --- Summary --- p.205 / Chapter 7 / Conclusion --- p.207 / References --- p.212

Adolescent shoplifting has provoked limited and somewhat controversial perspectives within the sociological and psychological literature. These controversies center around the empirical variables used for analysis. A companion argument focuses on the subjective and objective measurement of these variables. This research explicated variables from the sociological literature to test their relationship, using multiple linear regression, to adolescent shoplifting behavior. These variables and situational stimuli were operationalized in a simultaneous model to demonstrate a proximate occurrence of the attitude-situation-behavior reciprocal. This reciprocal is a learning theory which suggests that direct and vicarious experiences accompanied by rewards and punishment, in one's environment, lead to the acquisition of specific beliefs, attitudes and behavior toward a situation. This research contends that beliefs and attitudes toward the situation, rather than the bonding, peer association and other factors, shape adolescent shoplifting behavior. The situational stimuli variables were perceived empirically as being the major reciprocal element that maximized and/or minimized the adolescent's attitude toward shoplifting. The reciprocals are expressed as: SF = f(B, PA, PA, PR, N, N, ATT, S, Age, Race). An anonymous self-report questionnaire was administered to N = 312 Portland adolescents ranging in ages between 13 and 17. These youths were sampled at various neighborhood youths service centers, mall stores and Fred Meyer. The S-R elicited the youths' perceptions and attitudes to the explicated dimensions of the variables. The research results confirmed the situational stimuli correlate for adolescent 'snitch' shoplifting. Statistical results validate the progressive involvement and drift propositions

No description available.

This thesis examines the use of media and journalistic practice for development. The study concentrates on Africa and argues that development strategies are dependent on a clear understanding of the contexts and constraints of a situation. It is argued that Africa's history and present political and socio-economic situations have contributed to the instability and poverty facing many of its nation states. It is also argued that continued dependency by African nations on richer Western nations is a problem originating from colonial imperialism and the failed dominant paradigm, recently reinvented as globalisation and global economic rationalisation. The work presents a view of communication for development which can only be achieved with an understanding of the relations between media, culture, dependency and the making of meaning.Solutions to Africa's problems may require Africans themselves undertaking development in a concept of their own 'voice' and self-representation. With this view, a model for how journalists, using media, should actively engage in development is suggested. Two case studies are presented : a study of communication dysfunction at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya and a study of the concept of Edutainment by South Africa's Soul City's organisation. Further, selections of media programs are presented as part of the dissertation's proposed body of work. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis presents a case study of the drink drive initiatives, including marketing communications, legislation and enforcement practices implemented in the state of Victoria (Australia) between 1989-2000. It has been argued that the 51% reduction in road toll was related to these initiatives. In order to explore the veracity of these claims, a holistic case study approach was adopted. In addition to an examination of the communications tactics and extant practices of enforcement agencies, the study involved interviews with two distinct groups: professionals in various fields pertaining to road safety, and members of the general Victorian driving community. The focus of this work was on the advertising and communications campaigns that were run by the Transport Accident Commission from 1989-2000; however the policy and enforcement initiatives were also examined in terms of their potential impact on the lowering of the road toll. Suggestions for the improvement of policy and communication strategies within a social marketing context are made.

The goal of this research is to provide a clearer understanding of the non-shelter impacts of housing, and in particular of the possible processes by which aspects of housing may impact on aspects of schooling. The intention is not to prove a causal relationship, rather to shed light on mechanisms. To that end the approach taken is qualitative, involving in-depth semi-structured interviews with a sample of public housing tenants and a smaller group of educators. This thesis begins with an examination of previous research around this topic. This review identifies past studies that highlight the possible negative effects of transience as a contributor to isolation; the role that neighbourhood may play in encouraging or discouraging the valuing of schooling; a possible link between crowding and punitive parenting practices; and the impact that high housing costs can have on stress levels and therefore health. This thesis details research that builds on this earlier body of work. Given findings from earlier studies (in particular the importance of neighbourhood effects identified in some United States� studies), a sampling framework was developed to ensure a reasonable number of households who had experienced a change in neighbourhood as well as housing conditions. As well, an interview schedule was developed to provide a framework to ensure that possible pathways between housing and schooling identified in earlier research would be explored in these interviews. Public tenants were chosen as the population group from which to draw the interview sample, as this group have undergone a significant housing change (when they moved into public housing), and their income levels increase the chances of them having lived in poor quality housing in the past. A small number of interviews with educators were also conducted. Schools were chosen randomly from outer suburbs where poor quality housing and transience were expected to impact on school populations. As well an inner-city school in a gentrifying suburb was also selected for interview. These interviews identified four main themes � transience, housing amenity, neighbourhood and cost. Transience may be a significant problem for children who are already struggling in the school system, especially those who are receiving school based remediation. For these children, moving house may interrupt important remediation work at school, and may result in children falling further and further behind their peers. Also, transience may contribute to family stress levels which may impact on health and happiness, thereby reducing motivation and levels of school attendance. Housing amenity can impact on health, as a result of injuries related to poorly maintained or designed housing, from stress associated with noise and broken sleep, and from insect born illnesses due to the absence of insect screens. Possibly the most significant housing amenity related health impact seems to be due to the link between asthma, and dust and mildew. Neighbourhood seems to have the potential to be a significant positive and negative force in people�s lives. Supportive neighbours can make single parenting much less stressful, for example by helping with child-care, increasing the sense of safety, and reducing isolation. Hostile neighbours, on the other hand, can create levels of stress that may force adults and children indoors to avoid conflict. High housing costs can cause significant stress for families. For those who are already suffering from stress this additional pressure may contribute to stress related ill-health. As well, these families may not be able to afford to eat properly, and may not be able to afford to pay for extra-curricula activities such as school outings, dance classes etc. Poor diet may contribute to increased incidents of illness, and extra days missed from school. These insights suggest some changed approaches to the design and delivery of housing assistance in Australia, so as to maximise the non-shelter benefits of such interventions.

No description available.

Diese im Sommersemester 2006 eingereichte Diplomarbeit im Studiengang Verwaltungswissenschaft setzt sich mit der Frage auseinander, welche Rolle die Sozialpolitik im europäischen Integrationsprozess zwischen 1955 und 1992 spielte. Es wird analysiert, welche einzelnen Bereiche dieses Politikfeldes in welchem Umfang in den Kompetenzbereich der Europäischen Gemeinschaft übergingen und welche Gründe für diese Entwicklung zu nennen sind. Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird dabei auf das Verhältnis der Sozialpolitik zur Wirtschaftspolitik gelegt.<br><br> Die Europäische Kommission, einzelne Nationalstaaten sowie die organisierten Arbeitgeber- und Arbeitnehmerinteressen stehen dabei im Mittelpunkt des Interesses. Die Arbeit ist chronologisch aufgebaut und in drei Phasen eingeteilt. Phase eins umfasst den Gründungsprozess der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft bis zum Ende der 1960er Jahre. Phase zwei beinhaltet den Europäischen Sozialgipfel 1972 und endet mit der Einheitlichen Europäischen Akte. Phase drei schließlich untersucht die Diskussion um das Binnenmarktprojekt und den Vertrag von Maastricht aus einer sozialpolitischen Perspektive. / This diploma thesis, which was handed in in the summer term 2006, deals with the role of social policy in the European integration process between 1955 and 1992. The author analyses the scope of social matters transferred from the national level to the European level and the rationale for the behaviour of the actors involved. Special attention is paid to the relation between social policy and economics.<br><br> Furthermore the thesis focuses on the behaviour of the European Commission, single nation states and the organised interest groups from employers and employees. The diploma thesis is chronologically structured and subdivided into three parts. Part one encompasses the founding period of the European Economic Community until the end of the 1960s. Part two comprises the European social summit in 1972 and ends with the Single European Act. Part three finally examines the dispute on the single European market and the Treaty of Maastricht under a socio-political perspective.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration

This study uses institutional ethnography (IE) to address the question of how young women, considered to be “at risk” youth, make decisions about their working lives. Based on interviews with young women and program workers in housing, employment, young mothers’ and girls’ programs, field observations, and document analysis at Gen-Y (pseudonym for a women’s community-based social services agency), young women’s provisioning experiences are used to critique current program and policy models that feature notions of choice and risk. Provisioning is a concept that captures a wide range of work and work-related activities that young women perform for themselves and people they feel responsible for. IE is applied to understand how institutional processes and practices give rise to the conditions under which young women participants at Gen-Y make career and life decisions.