The instatement of order: state initiatives and hegemony in the modernization of French forest policy

Theories of France’s political integration, from Tocqueville to the present day, frequently disregard the political achievements of the nineteenth century state and assert that the infrastructures needed for effective governance were created during the absolutist period. Using the case of forest policy, one of the major policy domains for local and national regimes during the absolutist and nineteenth century periods, this study argues against prior accounts. It shows how the nineteenth century state, led by an elite faction of the bourgeoisie, gained infrastructural power by promoting its preferred policies as the only means of avoiding disorder and chaos. These policies advanced private property as the natural (hegemonic) form of land control. It was this project, rather than the earlier absolutist regime, that led to effective state authority over France’s territory and the achievement of the nation’s political integration. This study of forest policy provides an opportunity to evaluate state efforts to regulate economic and political life, as well as the resistance to these efforts that arose.     

Politics Makes Strange Webfellows

Several political commentary journals are among America's best-known print journals. This article analyzes their online editions to see how well they are making use of such elements as interactive discussion, rapid publication, and ancillary links. Political discourse has been a mainstay of journal publishing since Addison and Steele started the Spectator, the first periodical for a popular audience, in London in 1711. Some of the oldest American journals are those featuring political commentary. Such journals proliferated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when some of their writers and editors like William F. Buckley Jr. grew to be considered powerful political forces in their own right.     

"Not a Cigarette Paper Between Us": Integrated Inspection of Children's Services in England

Children's services in England are undergoing their most radical transformation since 1948 following the passage of the Children Act 2004. A key part of these changes is the legal requirement to have an Integrated Inspection Framework to assess the extent to which the new Children's Services Authorities have succeeded in meeting five key outcomes—being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well‐being. To this end, up to ten national inspectorates have to coordinate their activities to a hitherto unparalleled extent. This article describes the nature and scale of the new remit and identifies a number of unresolved issues that could impede progress. It is argued that the policy has the hallmarks and accompanying limitations of a top–down exercise in policy formulation and implementation.     

In their Own Right: Translating the Policy of Carer Assessment into Practice

Successive legislation has underscored the importance of assessmentsthat are sensitive to the needs of carers and take into accounttheir ability and willingness to continue caring. This papersynthesizes qualitative and quantitative findings from a continuingprogramme of carer-related research that began in 1993 and hascontinued in parallel with legislative changes. It considersthe process and characteristics of carer assessment from theperspectives of carers for individuals with a range of healthand social care needs, and practitioners. This paper exploresthe assessment of carer need over time and highlights the considerableand enduring gap between policy and practice. It considers practitioners’reluctance to offer separate carer assessments, identifies confusionrelating to the interpretation of eligibility criteria and documentsthe limited contribution of health service staff. The need foran evidence-based framework for good practice, that distinguishesbetween carer needs, service provision and carer outcomes, ishighlighted. The paper concludes by identifying key changesthat are necessary to promote future good practice, such asstaff training and information strategies and the need for practitionersto engage with carers as partners in the care process.     

Criteria Air Pollution and Marginalized Populations: Environmental Inequity in Metropolitan Phoenix,Arizona*

Objectives. Our objective is to examine spatial relationships between modeled criteria air pollutants (i.e., nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide, and ozone) and sociodemographics in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Modeled air pollution offers environmental justice researchers a new and robust data source for representing chronic environmental hazards. Methods. We used multiple regression equations to predict criteria pollution levels using sociodemographic variables at the Census block group level. Results. We find that Census block groups with lower neighborhood socioeconomic status, higher proportions of Latino immigrants, and higher proportions of renters are exposed to higher levels of criteria air pollutants. Proportion African American, however, is not a significant predictor of criteria air pollution in the Phoenix metro area. Conclusions. These findings demonstrate clear social‐class and ethnic‐based environmental injustices in the distribution of air pollution. We attribute these patterns to the role of white privilege in the historical and contemporary development of industrial and transportation corridors in Phoenix in relation to racially segregated neighborhoods. Although all people are implicated in the production of criteria pollutants, lower‐income and ethnic‐minority residents are disproportionately exposed in metropolitan Phoenix.     

Rural social workers and their jobs: An empirical study

Abstract

Results are reported from a national survey of 194 social workers commencing rural positions in Australia in 1994 and 1995. This paper focuses on: practitioner, position and community characteristics; which location the practitioners came from; their professional, rural practice and rural living experience; preparation for the positions by employers and educators; satisfaction with rural work and life; and anticipated length of stay. Results challenge myths about rural social workers and support key themes of rural practice literature. Respondents were mixed with respect to age and experience, scattered widely throughout Australia in different-sized communities, mostly living and working in the same communities and engaged predominantly in generic practice. There appears to be a pool of rural practitioners in Australia who are committed to living and working in rural places. Implications are developed for practice, employers, the profession, professional education, research and theory. Tentative explanations are offered for high rural staff turnover.