A resources and shaping forces model for community-based sustainable development

The Resources and Shaping Forces¹ (RSF) model is developed froma case study in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, using modified groundedtheory. It provides a conceptual framework for identifying,describing and analysing livelihood and natural systems at thecommunity level, and helps link the principles of sustainablelivelihoods to those of community development. The shaping forcesset of institutions, interventions and perturbations describesthe influences on and determinants of resource availability(endowment) and resource access (entitlement), together withthe duties and responsibilities of various community members(entrustment). Applying the model requires community groups,households and individuals of different gender and wealth categoriesto articulate their perspectives on the dynamics of the livelihoodand natural systems.     

A curriculum model for a community development approach to community-based rehabilitation

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is not a new concept but has become the focus for groups such as the World Health Organisation and other international aid agencies in facilitating the availability of rehabilitation services in developing countries throughout the world. Although much of the literature debates institutional versus community-based services and auxiliary versus fully trained personnel, little information is available to address the curriculum issues relating to training personnel to undertake CBR activities. The purpose of this paper is to present a curriculum model for preparing and implementing short programme workshops to encourage the development of CBR in different cultural settings. The curriculum model has foundations which are firmly rooted in curriculum and educational theory and concepts. It provides a flexible adult learning approach to introduce the broad concepts of CBR, providing the participants with culturally relevant, concrete, practical tools to allow the implementation of CBR activities. The workshop model has been used successfully with participants from diverse or homogeneous backgrounds.     

A model of human nature and personal development

This paper assumes that human nature is universal and postulates the existence of a common, “true utility function” defined on attributes or “substantive goods.” However, individuals have different household production functions so that the capacity to realize the substantive goods varies from person to person. Moreover, the limited life experience of an individual constrains his perception of his constraints and oppurtunities. As a result, individual maximization behavior is based on a perceived utility function and a perceived household production function. Personal development is a process of learning about the true utility or “happiness” function and the true household production function. If a virtuous circle of personal development is activated, imaginary constraints are overcome and real constraints are accepted. On the other hand, a vicious circle of immiserising development may occur if frustrations are misinterpreted.     

Availability of Caregiver Support Services

Abstract

This study examines the scope and range of existing resources for family caregivers from the perspective of the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), which are charged with implementing Title III-E of the reauthorized Older Americans Act. California is used as a case example because of its substantial experience in providing caregiver support services. In particular, we examine the extent and adequacy of resources available in California corresponding to each of the five Title III-E service areas, utilizing data from AAA Area Plans, a follow-up survey of AAAs, and an Internet search. AAAs identified more than 276 providers of caregiver support services, and our Internet search identified another 195. Nearly two-thirds of these programs offer access to respite care, while other support services (e.g., counseling, training, support groups) are less often available. Service gaps most frequently identified included culturally and linguistically appropriate caregiver services, transportation, respite care, financial assistance, and services in rural areas. These findings suggest the need for enhanced efforts to improve the service network for supporting family caregivers, as states implement the National Family Caregiver Support Program.     

Policy strategies for economic development in Cuba: A simulation model analysis

The economic reforms implemented in Cuba since 2008 do not adequately deal with the structural issues that hamper the country's economic development. The article presents a system dynamics model to investigate Cuba's development process, and a simulation analysis to compare different policy scenarios that may be realized in the future as economic reforms will continue. The results indicate that the most effective development policy would be to combine active public policies to enhance the research and development sector on the one hand, and to foster the emergence of an efficient private sector that will develop the capital infrastructure of the economy on the other.     

A Preliminary Qualitative Analysis on the Feasibility of Using Gaming Technology in Caregiver Assessment

This exploratory qualitative study examined the feasibility of utilizing gaming technology that will ultimately assess task performance and stress among caregivers of dementia patients. The long-term goal is to use this unobtrusive application (app) to detect caregiver burnout for the purposes of early intervention. This preliminary study examined participant interface with a specific gaming technology called CAST (Caregiver Assessment Using Serious Gaming Technology). Ten dementia caregivers participated. Participants attended a demonstration and then interacted with a preliminary version of the CAST tablet application. Social work researchers interviewed participants using open-ended questions to gauge interest, technology skill level, and comfort with the app. Participants expressed interest and identified potential ways to further develop the system in order to increase ease of use, decrease time commitment, and improve suitability for daily use. The provided feedback will be used to refine the user interface of the application, which will then be used to monitor caregivers’ stress in future development.     

A rural development model with potential international applications

A major project in rural planning and development was initiated in the eastern counties of Washington (State) beginning in 1976. The purpose was to merge several previous ‘model’ within a new conceptual framework incorporating collaboration among diverse organizations as a means of integrating development activity. Institutions of higher education, state and federal agencies, regional secondary education organizations, a regional educational laboratory, counties, and local communities, among other units, were drawn together initially as members of the partnership. A process was designed and implemented, based on contemporary findings of social science research, to systematically support ongoing interaction and collaboration in solving specific rural problems or bringing to realization new opportunities. The major thrust of this paper is to report results from the project, suggesting the broad applications of the findings to other rural regions in both developed and less developed nations.     

Caregiving for the Elderly Person: Discourses Embedded in the Brazilian Practical Guide for the Caregiver

It is estimated that in 2025, Brazil will have the sixth largest elderly population in the world. Beyond the economic consequences of this projection, this changing demographic portends significant changes in the social realm. The aim of this study was to review and consider a range of government documents, developed during the past thirty years and directed toward elderly Brazilian citizens, to explore the ways that caregivers of older persons are positioned in daily care practices through the discourses such documents deploy. The analysis draws on Foucault’s genealogical approach, and begins with a review of the historicity of policies, regulations, and legislation related to older people, followed by an analysis of the discourses embedded in the Practical Guide for the Caregiver, a document created by the Brazilian Ministry of Health to provide guidance to informal caregivers in the actual provision of care to elders. The analysis shows that throughout the Guide, caregivers are portrayed as multifaceted subjects; yet at the same time, three primary positionings for the caregiver and her or his work are emphasized: the almost-angel, the almost-healthcare professional, and the almost-household professional.     

Caregiver role strain of older workers

The purpose of this study was to measure role strain in older adult workers who were also caregivers of frail elders according to Komarovsky's role strain theory, and to determine whether different patterns of role strain exist for male worker-caregivers than females. METHOD: Researchers developed the Job-Caregiver Role Strain Scale Survey, which was adapted from a survey that measured role strain in working parents and spouses. Surveys were distributed to 11 male and 34 female older workers who were also caregivers. RESULTS: A factor analysis was completed, which isolated four factors of role strain. Researchers named the factors time management and arrangements, health and competing role demands, low rewards, and reactions to perceptions. Role strain in older adult worker-caregivers is complex and involves multiple variables. A discriminant function analysis predicted differences in the way older male and female worker-caregivers perceived role strain. Use of role strain theory can assist employers and occupational therapists in developing and maintaining work environments that support not only the older employee's work performance, but participation in the role of elder caregiver as well.     

Networks of action and events over time. A multilevel discrete-time event history model for longitudinal network data

Longitudinal network data recording the moment at which ties appear, change, or disappear are increasingly available. Event history models can be used to analyze the dynamics of time-stamped network data. This paper adapts the discrete-time event history model to social network data. A discrete-time event history model can easily incorporate a multilevel design and time-varying covariates. A multilevel design is needed to account for dependencies among ties and vertices, which should not be ignored in a small longitudinal network. Time-varying covariates are required to analyze network effects, that is, the impact of previous ties. In addition, a discrete-time event history model handles constraints on who can act or who can be acted upon in a straightforward way. The model can be estimated with multilevel logistic regression analysis, which is illustrated by an application to book reviews, so network evolution can be analyzed with a fairly standard statistical tool.     

A simultaneous equation model of economic development and income inequality

The paper extends existing work on inequality and economic development by estimating a cross-country structural model that identifies bi-directional relationships between income inequality and other indicators of social and economic development. Overall, lower inequality is associated with improvements in other development indicators, but this is the result of several complex interactions. The most striking feature of the structural model is the insight it provides into the reasons behind the negative ‘Africa dummy’ in previous cross-country growth studies.     

Objective and subjective conditions for the continuity of the Peruvian extractive development model

ABSTRACT

The Peruvian economy depends for its growth on the export of its mineral resources. The core of the current economic development model is the export of the country's commodities and a free and (relatively) unregulated functioning of the markets. We argue that the continuity of the country's extractive development model is the consequence of the interplay between the objective and subjective conditions of Peruvian capitalist development. The analysis of the objective conditions is focused on the role of the country in the international division of labour, the relation between this role and the country’s economic and business structure, and the functionality of the extractive development model for the Peruvian State. In the case of the subjective conditions, the strength of the political Left, the labour movement and the social movements against mining capital are analyzed     

The National Family Caregiver Support Program: A Multivariate Examination of State-Level Implementation

Research on caregiver support policy implementation has offered valuable insights but has not incorporated theoretical frameworks or multivariate analysis. This article describes how the communications model for intergovernmental policy implementation was used as a framework to examine predictors of successful statewide implementation of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). Using data from the National Center on Caregiving State of the States survey, U.S. Census, Administration on Aging, and historical records, implementation (extent of service delivery) was examined in 50 states and the District of Columbia. State-level characteristics (demographic, historical, political, and organizational) were tested for their ability to explain more or less successful implementation. Bivariate and multivariate findings suggest that historical characteristics predict the likelihood of delivering more counseling, support group, and training. States that recognize caregivers as both service recipients (through counseling and support groups) and service providers (through training) may demonstrate more effective implementation.     

Availability of caregiver support services: implications for implementation of the National Family Caregiver Support Program

This study examines the scope and range of existing resources for family caregivers from the perspective of the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), which are charged with implementing Title III-E of the reauthorized Older Americans Act. California is used as a case example because of its substantial experience in providing caregiver support services. In particular, we examine the extent and adequacy of resources available in California corresponding to each of the five Title III-E service areas, utilizing data from AAAArea Plans, a follow-up survey of AAAs, and an Internet search. AAAs identified more than 276 providers of caregiver support services, and our Internet search identified another 195. Nearly two-thirds of these programs offer access to respite care, while other support services (e.g., counseling, training, support groups) are less often available. Service gaps most frequently identified included culturally and linguistically appropriate caregiver services, transportation, respite care, financial assistance, and services in rural areas. These findings suggest the need for enhanced efforts to improve the service network for supporting family caregivers, as states implement the National Family Caregiver Support Program.     

A user-focused model for the utilization of evaluation

It is proposed that the present low level of utilization of evaluation findings is traceable in part to their failure to address directly the information needs of a clearly specified decision maker. An alternative model proceeding from such specification is proposed here, with evaluation closely interwoven with the on-going innovation process. The model suggests a number of implications for the organizational role of evalutors, for the design of evaluations, and for directions for methodological development. In particular, we suggest that evaluation designs be assessed against possible “threats to utility” as well as against the traditional “threads to validity.”     

Caregiver Needs Following Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse

Caregiver support is vital in improving outcomes for child sexual abuse victims; however, the disclosure can significantly affect caregivers, thus impacting their ability to meet their children’s needs. To maximize the support from caregivers, their own needs following disclosure need to be met. This study investigated the impact of child sexual abuse disclosure and associated needs as identified by caregivers. Sixty needs assessment forms were collected from families who accessed a parenting support pilot program run in New Zealand. These forms were completed by nonoffending caregivers during an assessment session with their counselor and consisted of both open-ended and Likert scale questions focusing on both the needs of the child and the family. Caregivers identified a range of impacts of the disclosure on their children, themselves, and other families members and the related support that may be needed. In particular, caregivers identified that they needed support with child behavior management and with their own coping. The findings suggest that interventions with caregivers following disclosure of child sexual abuse may be a valuable adjunct to therapy provided directly to the child.     

大都市圈边缘地区旅游业发展模式研究——广东省韶关市旅游业考察报告

随着大都市一体化战略的提升,如何依托核心区发展旅游经济已成为边缘区的重大课题。韶关通过积极探索,依托深圳、广州等核心区域,充分挖掘旅游资源的潜力,积极调整发展模式,主动引入外部力量,有效突破生态保护、财力有限和发展模式三重制约,破解了大都市边缘区普遍存在的"有资源不等于有市场,有优势不等于有品牌"的困境,促进旅游经济快速增长,为大都市边缘区旅游发展提供了有益的借鉴。     

A behavioral model of the demand for consumer durables

It is argued that models of the demand for consumer durables would be strengthened by the introduction of a behavioral element reflecting the nature of the decision making process within the individual household. A possible behavioural model is described. It is suggested that this would consist of the following elements: general economic confidence of the consumer (derived from personal expectations and attitudes to the general economic situation): general durable purchasing orientation (including willingness to devote resources to durable purchasesand house moving expectations); specific product choice considerations (including orders of acquisition of new durables: the implicit depreciation of existing equipment; perceptions of the characteristics of new products; purchase expectations). Such a model is more extensive than that normally described by others working in this field. The interaction between the different variables is discussed. It is shown that all these elements can be estimated through regular surveys and so the model can be made operational for forecasting purposes. However, it needs to be recognised that there are also unexpected even as which will affect the outcome in individual circumstances and the nature of these is also considered.