Interorganizational Partnerships as a Strategy for Lobbying: Nonprofit Administrators’ Perspectives on Collaborating for Systems-Level Change

Participation in coalitions has been identified as a policy advocacy behavior for nonprofit organizations, although few studies have examined nonprofit leaders’ perceptions of coalition building as a strategy for lobbying. This study conducted focus groups and in-person interviews with nonprofit administrators to explore how interorganizational collaboration is utilized to address their organizations’ policy advocacy goals. The findings indicate that nonprofit administrators view their participation in coalitions as a means of achieving several policy advocacy goals, including increasing their capacity to lobby and protecting them from exposure as lobbyists. Implications for practice and research are provided.     

Evaluating Climate Migration

Climate change will negatively impact human communities and ecosystems, including driving increased food insecurity, increased exposure to disease, loss of livelihood and worsening poverty. Recent climate debates have focused attention on climate migrants, people who are displaced by the ecological stresses caused by climate change. To date, these debates have focused a great deal of attention on state security issues and have left the gender implications largely unexplored. In this article we examine the securitization of climate migration debates through gender lenses. We find that gender helps reveal and focus attention on the human security implications of climate migration and offers a useful discourse for climate policymaking.     

Triangulating perspectives to inform the development of a smartphone application for foster,kinship, and adoptive parents

Abstract

This article describes the initial phase of a user-centered, inductive process for informing the development of a smartphone application (app) to complement an in-person trauma-focused knowledge and skills training class for child welfare resource parents (i.e. foster, kinship, and adoptive parents). Based on the participatory design approach for technology development, a qualitative study was designed to capture and triangulate relevant knowledge and opinions from resource parents, training instructors, and parenting education experts. The most prevalent themes emerging among these stakeholder groups included the need for a simple app interface and the potential for the app to (1) cultivate connection, affirmation, and combat resource parent feelings of isolation; (2) reinforce in-class knowledge and support skill practice at home; and (3) monitor resource parent, child, and family progress over time. Detailed findings are presented, including direct quotes from focus group and interview participants and elaboration on the prevalent themes, which may benefit others in the early stages of human services app design and contribute to the creation of guidelines for the development of technology-based human services interventions.     

“I don't have a father”

This case presentation discusses the treatment process with a six‐year‐old African American boy who confronts the loss of his father, a man who perpetrated domestic violence in the boy's home. It documents the therapeutic journey of the young boy and his attempt to balance his disappointment and anger towards his father with his desire and need for the same man. The journey consisted of building a strong therapeutic relationship and interventions aimed at moving Steven from a place of denial to acceptance of both his father and himself.     

Hospitalizations for fall-related injuries among active-duty Army soldiers, 1980-1998

Data from the Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database (TAIHOD) were used to describe 28,352 fall-related hospitalizations among active-duty Army soldiers between 1980 and 1998. Soldiers who were younger than age 26, single, and had a high school education or less were at greatest risk. Falls from a height were more likely to be fatal than other types of falls, accounting for 88% of all fatalities. In cases where duty status was known, 64% of the falls took place while the soldier was on duty and half of these occurred during training. The most common type of fall during training was fall from a height (37%). Falls on stairs and ladders accounted for 49% of all off-duty falls. Future research should include identification of specific behavioral and occupational risk factors for falls, particularly those occurring during training activities, and falls occurring off duty.     

The effects of backpack load carrying on dynamic balance as measured by limits of stability

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to determine if standing dynamic balance was affected by carrying a backpack. SUBJECTS: Data was obtained from 50 healthy college students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Limits of stability was assessed using the Smart Equitest Balance Master System(R). Reaction time, movement velocity, end point excursion, maximum excursion, and directional control were measured to evaluate movement, with and without a loaded backpack. DATA ANALYSIS: Reliability was established using an Intra-Class Correlation Coefficient (2,1). MANOVA was utilized to analyze the effect of the backpack. SUMMARY DATA: Movement velocity significantly decreased during backpack loaded trials (p=0.004). Directional control was significantly different with respect to direction (p=0.006). No significant difference in reaction time, maximum excursion, or end point excursion was observed with backpack loading (p=0.10-0.93). CONCLUSION: This study concludes that backpack load carrying has an effect on movement velocity and directional control.     

A Sociological Analysis of the Presidential Staff*

All chief political executives face the management problem of controlling their subordinates in order to direct the activity of the state. The author argues that the presidential staff emerged in this country as a strategy of control because of expanding state functions and an increasingly entrenched officialdom—the same conditons that gave rise to personal staffs in patrimonial administrations. The presidential staff's organization structure underlies its distinctive capabilities for centralizing and extending the personal control of the executive. The author compares dimensions of staff organization with dimensions of bureaucratic structure. She suggests why an important personal political staff emerged in the United States in this century but in no other advanced western democracy.     

Les pathologies hypermodernes: expression d'une nouvelle normalité?

Speaking about “hypermodern pathologies” aims to show the relation between features of the “hypermodern society” and different types of pathologies associated with these characteristics. Globalisation and the greater overall flexibility of the economy, the revolution in communication technologies and consequent need for ever-greater reactivity, the triumph of market logic and the disintegration of all limits that had previously overseen the construction of individual identities have led to the emergence of a compulsive individual, whose behaviour is marked by excess: an individual with no resources outside of his own person, whose sensations have overtaken his sentiments.

Physical and psychic pathologies affecting the hypermodern individual reflect the functioning of this society: attachment pathologies such as the addiction to substances designed to increase performance; eating disorders such as obesity and anorexia which also constitute ways of experimenting with the last remaining limits, those of the body; and professional “overheating” pathologies linked to the “hyperfunctioning” required of individuals, which compels them to an ever-quicker work rhythm, exhausts their limits and leads them to brutal disconnections.

In this article, I explain how these pathologies are the expression of changes in the normal/pathologic balance. They indicate the appearance of a new kind of normality, especially belonging to our contemporary society and linked to the adaptation skills that this society requires of individuals.     

Introvision als Entspannungsverfahren – Auflösung von chronischen Nackenverspannungen durch Konstatierendes Aufmerksames Wahrnehmen und Introvision –

According to current research, chronic back tensions – in contrast to other tensions – cannot be reduced permanently and significantly by existing relaxation techniques like for instance the “Progressive Muscle Relaxation” technique. The goal of the presented pilot study called “Eine empirische Untersuchung zur Auflösung von muskulären Dauerverspannungen durch Introvision als Methode der pädagogisch-psychologischen Intervention” was to show, based on a first survey, whether muscle tension, especially in the neck area, could be dispersed permanently or at least clearly reduced by another intervention process namely the “Konstatierende Aufmerksame Wahrnehmen” (attentive establishing perception) and introvision. A control group design with measuring repetitions (N = 17) and with pre-, post- und follow-up measurements could show that, during a five week introductory course, in combination with three individual consultations, a significant reduction (EMG and questionnaire) of neck tensions could be achieved.