Commensurate Security: An Alternative Defense Paradigm

Commensurate security is proposed as a national defense paradigm that will compete increasingly with those of nuclear deterrence and arms control for the attention of the peoples and governments of Europe. The paradigm includes the concepts of threat assessment, unprovocative armaments, territorial defense, civilian resistance, and restructuring of military forces to provide better utilization of a nation's defense resources. It addresses the common weakness of deterrence and arms control, their reliance on nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Nations' adoption of commensurate security will stimulate the emergence of a composite paradigm integrating aspects of current models but increasingly focused on defense of homeland and avoidance of offensive threat.     

Alternative funding mechanisms for workers' compensation: An international comparison

Countries vary greatly with respect to how they fund workers' compensation systems in terms of the sources of funds, the mechanisms used, and the allocation of system costs among employers and others. These different funding approaches can have significant implications for system performance, including employers' incentives to promote workplace safety. Government officials and other stakeholders have a strong interest in systems in other jurisdictions as they consider improvements to their own schemes. This paper examines the major alternative approaches to funding compensation for work‐related injuries and illnesses, their rationales, and their administrative and behavioural consequences. We discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of different systems and the trends toward more refined, actuarially based approaches intended to promote greater equity and efficiency.     

Formal Alternative Transportation Options for Older Adults: An Assessment of Need

ABSTRACT

This study measured the need for formal alternative modes of transportation among older adults by applying traditional factors of the Behavioral Model. Survey participants who regularly drove were compared to those who could no longer drive. Race/ethnicity and self-reported health were significant predictors of perceived need for transportation services for both groups. However, income and service awareness were significant predictors only for drivers, while family proximity was a significant predictor only for non-drivers. Results suggest the importance of gaining a better understanding of the factors associated with need for senior-focused transportation services to more effectively plan such programs.     

Social Workers' Understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorders: An Exploratory Investigation

How social workers perceive autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)will inevitably impact upon how they assess the needs of childrenwith ASD and their families, and upon the types of service orinterventions they seek to provide to meet those needs. However,little is known of social workers’ understanding of thecondition. Using a research instrument devised by Mavropoulou and Padeliadu (2000),a study was carried out of all social workers working with disabledchildren in an English local authority. The results showed thatthough many workers had a good understanding of some aspectsof the condition, there was also confusion about some key factsconcerning ASD, the characteristics of ASD and scientific terminology,an inaccurate understanding of intervention approaches, anda more positive attitude towards the ability of generic servicesto meet need than was supported by the literature. Implicationsare discussed in terms of the provision of services to familiesof children with ASD in the UK, and the limitations of thisstudy are recognized.     

Measuring Support Provisions for People Living With Disabilities in South Asia: An Accessibility Index

ABSTRACT

The terms “empowerment,” “rights,” and “inclusiveness” are now commonly used in public policy, but little emphasis is placed on “accessibility” issues in the integration of disabled people. This article proposes a composite index to measure economic support provisions, such as employment, vocational training, microfinance, and safety nets. The index was tested in a case study (N= 245) of two districts in Pakistan. Results support a “cost/benefit”-based philosophy, rather than the “means–ends” goal, where the disabled poor are viewed as unproductive and risky payers, instead of giving them an opportunity to exercise their potential. Change for the disadvantaged poor can be brought about with the mandatory use of this index in local annual audits. Future research might examine the impact of the index and standardize it for global use.     

Small Claims Tribunals: An Effective Alternative To The Court System?

The development of tribunals as alternatives to the court system for relatively minor disputes has been accompanied by disagreement about their desirability. This has led to moves to reform the Magistrates Court system so that the need for Tribunals will disappear. These reforms involve adopting many of the forms and procedures of the tribunals and abandoning others. At the same time there have been calls for the establishment of new tribunals. No evaluation has been made of how effectively these tribunals have fulfilled their original aims yet changes to them are proposed and the current tribunals are being used as models for further reforms. This paper reports results from a survey of 1670 people who used the Victorian Small Claims Tribunal and helps highlight some of the Tribunal's strengths and weaknesses. As such it is relevant to proposals for reforms which will affect people's access to the law to solve minor disputes.     

An Alternative Model of the Formation of Political Coalitions

Most models of the formation of political coalitions use either Euclidean spaces or rely purely on game theory. This limits their applicability. In this article, a single model is presented which is more broadly applicable. In principle any kind of set can be used as a policy space. The model is also able to incorporate different kinds of party motivations: both rent-seeking and idealism. The model uses party preferences and power to identify stable coalitions and predict government policy as well as to indicate which member of the opposition will be able to break up the governing coalition if no stable coalition exists. In the latter case it will also indicate on which issue the government is likely to split. Parties may have preferences over issues such as the composition of cabinet and/or the governing coalition as well as the more traditional issues of government formation. The model also provides a rationale for log-rolling.     

Interdisciplinary Co-Facilitation of Support Groups for Parents of Children with Autism: An Opportunity for Professional Preparation

Skillful cofacilitation of groups provides group members with shared leadership, combined knowledge, and broadened problem-solving capability. Interdisciplinary cofacilitation offers group members different points of view and diverse professional expertise. This article presents a support group approach for parents of children diagnosed with autism and describes the benefits of interdisciplinary cofacilitation by social workers and early childhood special educators. The advantages and challenges of interdisciplinary cofacilitation are discussed.     

产、学、研携手:加快中国出版教育发展的路径选择

伴随中国出版业的转制,急需培养高层次、复合型、富有国际竞争力的出版人才。但是,目前的出版教育却滞后于出版产业的发展。主要表现为:对现代出版产业缺乏理性认识、学科地位未确定、培养模式滞后、课程设置错位、师资队伍专业结构不合理、教材可选择性太小、教学方法偏重课堂讲授,等等。所有这些,已成为制约我国出版产业发展的瓶颈。鉴于出版教育内在结构具有产、学、研“三位一体”的特殊性,加快中国出版教育的发展,必须三者携手,发挥各自的优势,整合出版资源,形成相互促进、良性共生的和谐关系,才能适应现代出版产业的国际竞争,为中国出版产业的跨越式发展提供有力的人才支持。     

Beyond 'Vulnerability': An Ecological Model Approach to Conceptualizing Risk of Sexual Violence against People with Learning Difficulties

This paper presents an ecological model approach to conceptualizingrisk of sexual violence against people with learning difficulties,which takes account of the complex social processes involvedin the creation of risk. The concept ‘vulnerability’,often assumed to be a risk-creating characteristic of peoplewith learning difficulties, is too simplistic to take accountof all the processes involved in the formation of risk of sexualviolence. Risk is influenced by personal attributes, self-defenceskills, environments and socio-cultural factors. These riskfactors are closely interlinked and constantly interact withone another. The ecological model provides a tool for examiningthe impact that interactions between individuals and socialenvironments have on an individual’s learning and thedevelopment opportunities that have the potential to increaseself-defence skills.     

Inclusion as Social Practice: Views of Children with Autism

This study illuminates the social realities of inclusion of 16 high functioning children with autism (HFA) in public schools in the United States. The study suggests that the practice of inclusion rests primarily on unaffected schoolmates rather than teachers, who typically are occupied monitoring academic progress and disciplinary transgressions across a range of children. Utilizing ethnographic observations and video recordings of quotidian classroom and playground activities, the analysis elucidates how classmates employ a range of positive and negative inclusion practices that either integrate or distance autistic children. Ethnographic observations of the study population indicate that the children whose diagnosis was fully disclosed enjoyed more consistent social support in the classroom and on the school playground. The study further suggests that high functioning children with autism exhibit a range of reactions to negative inclusion practices such as rejection and scorn. Such reactions include oblivion, immediate behavioral response, and emotionally charged accounts of disturbing school incidents shared after-the-fact with family members. Significantly, these observations indicate that HFA children can be cognizant of and distressed by others' derisive stances and acts, despite symptomatic difficulties in interpreting others' intentions and feelings.     

现代性与性别再定义-论男女平等的现实困境

现代性是当今社会生活的主要特征,在世界历史进程中,由现代性带来的影响无疑是巨大而深刻的.本文把对性别变迁的探讨置于现代性这一宏大的社会背景中,尝试将现代性与性别再定义这一社会主题勾连起来,在由传统社会过渡到现代工业社会的发展进程中,男女性别的传统涵义也在现代性的动力下开始重构,男女社会性别差异逐步消解;在女性主义浪潮和...     

Professional and Functional Alternative Social Workers: A Case Study of Malaysia

The objective of this study was to compare “professional” (PW) and “functional alternative” (FA) social workers. The findings suggested that there were no significant differences between PWs and FAs in intervention, evaluation methods, work ethics, and values. The PWs, in clients' eyes, were better at delivering services, while FAs' services were more satisfactory to the clients. While PWs were supposed to be “professional,” FAs were more “professional” than PWs in their performance despite their lack of recognition as “professional social workers”. These critical findings should encourage academics and practitioners for further discussion on conceptual implications of both practices and expand future research.