Is there a relationship between socio-economic factors and biodiversity in urban ponds? A study in the city of Stockholm

Urban small water bodies, such as ponds, are essential elements of human socio-economic landscapes. Ponds also provide important habitats for species that would otherwise not survive in the urban environment. Knowledge on the biodiversity of urban ponds and the relationship between their ecological value and factors linked to urbanization and socio-economic status is crucial for decisions on where and how to establish and manage ponds in cities to deliver maximum biodiversity benefits. Our study investigates if the pattern of urban-pond biodiversity can be related to different socio-economic factors, such as level of wealth, education or percentage of buildings of different types. Because of lack of previous studies investigating that, our study is of exploratory character and many different variables are used. We found that the biodiversity of aquatic insects was significantly negatively associated with urbanisation variables such as amount of buildings and number of residents living around ponds. This relationship did not differ depending on the spatial scale of our investigation. In contrast, we did not find a significant relationship with variables representing socio-economic status, such as education level and wealth of people. This latter result suggests that the socio-economic status of residents does not lead to any particular effect in terms of the management and function of ponds that would affect biodiversity. However, there is a need for a finer-scale investigation of the different potential mechanism in which residents in areas with differing socio-economic status could indirectly influence ponds.     

Are clerical workers proletarian? A case study of the Australian Public Service1

This paper explores whether clerical workers have been proletarianized by using the Australian Public Service (APS) as a case study. It shows that before the late 1980s the market, work and status situations of APS clerks were predominantly proletarian since they were typified by limited career prospects, low skill requirements, restricted autonomy; low organizational status and estrangement from senior management. This proletarian class situation was reflected in an order taker's culture of informality, cynicism, hedonism and alienation. Since the late 1980s however technological change and workplace restructuring have markedly reduced the number of unskilled and lower paid jobs in the APS, thereby belying widespread predictions of deskilling. I conclude that proletarianization is more likely to have arisen from a decline in the status of clerical work during the course of the twentieth century rather than from a process of deskilling. Notwithstanding the fact that their class situations were predominantly proletarian, most clerks have identified as middle class. We can attribute this not only to the fact that their class situations differ from those of manual workers, as noted by Lockwood, but also to a widespread tendency to identify as middle class, the tendency of many female clerks to base their class identity on their husband's occupation and the fact that popular stereotypes tend to equate class with occupation. It is difficult to decide if clerks are proletarian since 1. Their class situations display a mixture of proletarian and middle-class characteristics 2. They exhibit diverse class identities, social origins, marriage partners and cultural attributes and 3. They occupy different positions on different aspects of inequality. We are therefore unable to allocate them en bloc to a single uniform class. I conclude that while a minority of clerks are proletarian most are better described as middle class.     

Does demolition improve biodiversity? Linking urban green space and socioeconomic characteristics to avian richness in a shrinking city

Anthropogenic change, specifically urbanization, has lasting impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Past work has linked green space variables and socioeconomic characteristics with biodiversity in urban areas. Shrinking cities present an interesting case for studying biodiversity because many of these places have implemented demolition policies to remove vacant buildings from the landscape, which returns previously urbanized land back into a “natural” state. The objective of this study is to investigate the multifaceted relationship among urban green space, socioeconomic characteristics, demolition activities, and avian species richness in the shrinking city of Buffalo, NY. We first establish a baseline understanding of how social and ecological factors are related to avian species richness through generalized linear models (GLM) and then incorporate a variable characterizing demolition to understand how the process of demolition may be impacting species richness relative to other factors. Second, since our analysis relies on “citizen science” data from eBird, we aim to better understand the factors driving eBird participation in Buffalo through zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression models to test how social and ecological characteristics and demolition affect checklists submission across the city. Our findings suggested that demolition activities do not increase species richness in Buffalo, indicating these sites may not be returning to a natural state that is usable by birds. We also found that areas that have undergone considerable demolition may be a potential deterrent to eBird participation, and eBird users may create bias by sampling areas with greater green space connectivity, and thus higher richness.     

Where the wild things are! Do urban green spaces with greater avian biodiversity promote more positive emotions in humans?

Urban Ecosystems - Urban green space can help mitigate the negative impacts of urban living and provide positive effects on citizens’ mood, health and well-being. Questions remain, however,...     

How to promote institutional reforms in the agricultural sector? A case study of Uganda's National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS)

This study provides alternative explanations to the limited success of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme in Uganda, which was considered a role model for a demand‐driven, decentralized and market‐oriented agricultural extension reform in Africa. The analysis shows that the reform process was shaped by the interaction of two coalitions of actors: a donor‐dominated coalition that pushed for radical reform and advocated the total overhaul of the existing structures and the creation of new ones, with the aim of changing the mindset of the extension workers and managers towards the adoption of a more efficient, farmer‐oriented and performance‐based system. The other was a domestic coalition that believed in a “gradual” or “incremental” approach to promote changes and adjustments in the existing system to make it more efficient and accountable. This group was opposed to the complete overhaul of the existing extension system—taking an apparently more conservative stance. The study shows that the exclusion of the gradual reform coalition in the design and early implementation of NAADS increased the vulnerability of the programme to political capture and governance problems.     

BIMBY’s first steps: a pilot study on the contribution of residential front-yards in Phoenix and Maastricht to biodiversity,ecosystem services and urban sustainability

Large parts of urban space around the world exist of small-scale plots such as domestic gardens. These small-scale urban spaces carry potential for enhancing biodiversity, sustainability and ecosystem services in and beyond cities. However, domestic gardening and residential garden designs are often guided by aesthetics and ease more than by the aim to create habitat and biological diversity. Yard-management decisions impact socio-ecological systems in various ways, for example through irrigation patterns, fertilization or the use of pesticides or through the choice for exotic species that may become invasive over time. Yard-management decisions can also positively influence the presence of pollinators, improve soil quality or even foster small scale ‘Wildlife Habitats’ that can function as ecological stepping stones to the wider environment. In this paper a pilot assessment is presented of the contribution of residential front-yards in Phoenix (Arizona) and Maastricht (The Netherlands) to biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability by applying the BIMBY (Biodiversity in My (Back) Yard) framework.     

Are the closed landfills recovered habitats for small rodents? A case study in a riparian site,Buenos Aires,Argentina

The establishment of landfills in urban areas leads to extensive disturbances. Their development after landfill closure depends on the characteristics of the soil cover, the surrounding communities and the dispersal of plants and animals. This study was carried out in a landfill closed in 2004, surrounded by an urban area, freshwater marshes and a riparian forest. The aim of this study was to determine the role that the closed landfill may play in maintaining rodent communities typical of this zone and its relation to characteristics of the sites. Four rodent and plant samplings were carried out from December 2005 to September 2006 at five sites inside the landfill: three filled cells and two areas of the riparian margin. We recorded a total of 433 individual rodents. The rodent community of the closed landfill included species typical of rural, riparian and rural habitats: Akodon azarae (358), Oligoryzomys flavescens (32), Deltamys kempi (14), Rattus rattus (14), Cavia aperea (11) and Scapteromys aquaticus (4). Rodent species composition varied among sites, but A. azarae was usually the dominant species. We found a rich rodent community mostly composed of wild species. The relictual riparian margin may have served as a major refuge for native rodent community while the landfill was in operation, and after closure it possibly acted as a source for some species to colonize the covered cells.     

Are the voices of parents heard? A scoping review of satisfaction in parenting programs

Parenting programs are an effective approach to promote positive parenting. In evidence-based practice, client’s values and preferences contribute to promoting quality, and are a crucial component of service evaluation. The current scoping review summarizes quantitative research that examines parental satisfaction with parent training for families with child conduct problems. We aimed to know how much research had been undertaken; what measures have been used; and what were the findings related to parental satisfaction. A scoping review was conducted to retrieve peer-reviewed original articles.Out of 420 papers 5.5 % obtained data on parental satisfaction. Seven different measures were used, mainly Therapy Attitude Inventory and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Out of 23 papers, ten studies reported Cronbach's alpha coefficients on the assessment that was used to evaluate parental satisfaction. All of the 23 included studies found that parents are very satisfied with the parenting program they have received.The findings indicate that only a few studies included parents’ values and preferences in quantitative evaluation studies on parental programs. In addition, there is a limited arsenal of assessment tools to measure what matters to parents. There is a need to develop measures with high psychometric quality, which will promote more quality in service evaluation.     

Can participatory research be a route to empowerment? A case study of a disadvantaged Scottish community

The growth of participatory research in recent years has beennotable. This paper considers its potential for empowering disadvantagedcommunities and providing a route for overcoming social exclusion.Problems of definition and key challenges for undertaking participatoryresearch are reviewed based upon work undertaken in a deprivedcommunity in Scotland. Opportunities exist for researchers andcommunity developers together to develop participatory approaches.A principal role for researchers is in bridging the gap betweenservice users and policy makers, funders and other service providersby working with service users to demonstrate the impact of socialexclusion. The authors conclude that participatory researchmerits close attention as long as its difficulties are acknowledged.     

To click or not to click? A study of the innovation resistance of political emails

As a novel technology in the age of information, the Internet has become a fancy vehicle through which campaign messages can be delivered to prospective voters via multiple paths such as websites and emails. However, despite the effort put into making campaign messages as appealing as possible, studies show that the click-through rate of campaign emails remains relatively low. In the past, many studies concerning technology adaptation have focused on the aspect of “innovation diffusion” rather than “innovation resistance”. The aim of this study is to integrate ideas derived from the Technology Acceptance Model, the concepts of innovation resistance and the theory of ad avoidance to find the factors that influence voters' resistance of reading political emails. An online survey was conducted, in which a sample of 1012 voters in the 2009 local election in Taiwan was studied. The results showed that negative impression and perceived interruption were the factors behind people's resistance of politically-related emails. In addition, both of the above factors affected people's attitudes toward opening future political emails.     

From absence to absenteeism? A qualitative cross case study of teachers’ views on sickness absence

This is a qualitative pilot study that explores how teachers from three Norwegian upper secondary schools with different absence histories experience norms related to sickness absence. The starting point was theory and recent empirical studies which indicate that absence at the workplace level is reinforced through social interaction. Hitherto, we know little about how such spiralling processes form in different organisational contexts, and we therefore decided to conduct an explorative case study. The findings are based on interviews with teachers and management. The findings support some of the proposed processes of social interaction that supposedly underlie spiralling effects of sickness absence. In the study context, the processes seem to involve concerns about fairness and social support. Interestingly, the findings do not support an assumption that stigma linked to absence reduces as the absence level increases. On the contrary, it appears that social sanctions are activated as a counter force to increasing absence. The findings have potential implications for theoretical assumptions and for design and interpretation of future quantitative economic studies of social interaction.     

A case study to explore the key factors that influence international students’ immigration intention in Taiwan: A revised model of goal-directed behaviour

The primary purpose of this study is to probe not only the key factors that might influence international students’ attitude towards the host country and their desire to stay there, but also key elements that might enhance their intention to stay in the host country after completing their studies. A total of 211 international students in Taiwan participated in this study. Study results indicated international students’ attitude and their desire to stay in the host country were positively connected with their intention to stay in the host country after completing their study. Additionally, perceived behavioural control, perception of the labour market and subjective norms strongly affect international students’ attitude towards staying in the host country. Third, positive anticipated emotion and negative anticipated emotion play a key role in determining the desire to stay in the host country. The findings of this study suggest policy implications for establishing a more positive immigration policy.     

Changes in the representation of alien taxa in ruderal vegetation of an urban ecosystem over 50 years. A case study from Malacky city,Slovakia, Central Europe

This paper analyses changes in the representation of alien taxa in ruderal vegetation of a model urban ecosystem. Two datasets of phytosociological relevés of ruderal communities from the area of Malacky (a city in southwestern Slovakia) were analysed. The relevés were recorded 50 years apart, the old relevés were recorded in the years 1954–1969 and the more recent relevés in the years 2014–2015. The average values of percentage number and percentage cover of archaeophytes and neophytes as groups in old and more recent datasets were compared. We also calculated the proportion of each taxon of archaeophytes and neophytes in ruderal vegetation in both periods. The results revealed a decrease in the average percentage number and percentage cover of archaeophytes in almost all classes of ruderal vegetation between the new and old dataset. On the contrary, an increase in representation of neophytes in all classes was recorded. Some rare taxa of archaeophytes were only recorded 50 years ago (e.g. Veronica opaca, Xanthium stumarium), while many taxa of neophytes (including some invasive taxa e.g. Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Stenactis annua) were only recorded in the years 2014–2015 in the ruderal vegetation of the urban ecosystem of Malacky.     

The VFW — A case study in the “iron law of oligarchy” and goal displacement

The iron law of oligarchy is applied to the VFW. Using participant observation and qualitative interviews, membership of the VFW is dichotomized into a leadership oligarchy and a drinking membership. Opinions of members of the two groups about the purposes of the organization and about each other are documented. An historical analysis traces the change in organizational goals over time from promoting nationalism, fraternalism, and special benefits for members to political advocacy of veterans' rights.     

The role of public relations in a counterhegemony: A case study of the 1968 poor people’s campaign

This study examined the role of public relations in Antonio Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony, specifically in a counterhegemony. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s preparation for the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign serves as a test case on how public relations can help subordinate groups confront a hegemony. This paper suggests that Gramsci’s philosophy provides an analytical heuristic for researching instances of contestation. Examining counterhegemonic campaigns offer public relations practitioners a means both to think about and to intervene in the world more effectively.     

Rewilding in the Garden: are garden hybrid plants (cultivars) less resilient to the effects of hydrological extremes than their parent species? A case study with Primula

Urban Ecosystems - Urban green infrastructure, such as gardens, can mitigate some of the consequences of climate change, e.g. reducing flash-flooding or urban heat islands. Green infrastructure,...