Heideggerian existentialism and social work practice with death and survivor bereavement

Heideggerian existentialism has not been applied on a widespread basis to the Generalist Social Work Practice Model. This paper explores the relationship between social work practice with bereavement issues and Heideggerian existentialism. Applications of Heideggerian existentialism in the social work profession with clients and families experiencing bereavement are examined. Conceptual applications also address future utilization of Heideggerian existentialism.     

Redefining viability: Aboriginal homelands communities in north‐east Arnhem Land

The current policy debate about the future of small Indigenous homelands communities in remote Australia is being framed in terms of a narrow economic definition of ‘viability’, with little attention to factors such as the social characteristics of such communities and the health, well‐being, and aspirations of those who choose to live there. The debate is taking place in the absence of comparative socio‐demographic data on these communities as opposed to other kinds of settlements in remote Australia. This paper argues for a broader conceptualisation of viability. It outlines some reasons why governments might consider helping homelands communities to become more economically self‐sufficient rather than starving them of support so that their inhabitants increasingly face a ‘choice’ between a marginalized and impoverished existence on the homelands and recentralisation in larger settlements. The argument is based on an analysis of ethnographic data from north‐east Arnhem Land that demonstrate the social cohesiveness and functionality of homelands communities as compared to larger hub settlements.     

The 1960s: A decade of progress for blacks?

Between 1960 and 1970 blacks, as well as whites, improved their socioeconomic status. Among both races, educational attainment increased, the occupational distribution was upgraded, and real purchasing power rose markedly. In almost every comparison, the gains were somewhat greater among blacks than among whites and thus most indicators of racial differentiation declined. Nevertheless, the changes of this decade failed to eliminate racial differences with regard to socioeconomic status. In all comparisons, except for the income of certain groups of women, blacks were at a disadvantage when compared to whites both at the start and at the end of this decade, and very large racial differences remain. Further socioeconomic progress by blacks during the 1970s will probably not eliminate racial differences. The article concludes by relating the socioeconomic trends to such other aspects of race relations as integration, governmental policy, and the attitudes of whites and blacks.     

An interview with W. H. Hutt

W. H. Hutt is 85 years old and is one of the most important economists of this century. That this is too little appreciated is largely because his academic career did not take place in his native England. Instead, in 1928, after a short career in publishing, the graduate of the London School of Economics set sail for South Africa and the University of Cape Town. During his 37 years there, Professor Hutt produced an impressive body of work, some of which have become classics among his devotees, includingThe Theory of Collective Bargaining (1930),Economists and the Public (1936),The Theory of Idle Resources (1939),Plan for Reconstruction (1943),Keynesianism — Retrospect & Prospect (1963), andThe Economics of the Colour Bar (1964). Hutt came to the United States in December 1965 to serve as a visiting professor at the University of Virginia, and has served in a similar capacity at many American universities. While in the United States Hutt has produced such works asThe Strike-Threat System (1973),A Rehabilitation of Say’s Law (1975), andThe Keynesian Episode (1979). Professor Hutt currently is Emeritus Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Dallas and he continues to work on an autobiography and a new book, tentatively titledLabor’s Disadvantage.     

Min-energy voltage allocation for tree-structured tasks

We study job scheduling on processors capable of running at variable voltage/speed to minimize energy consumption. Each job in a problem instance is specified by its arrival time and deadline, together with required number of CPU cycles. It is known that the minimum energy schedule for n jobs can be computed in O(n³) time, assuming a convex energy function. We investigate more efficient algorithms for computing the optimal schedule when the job sets have certain special structures. When the time intervals are structured as trees, the minimum energy schedule is shown to have a succinct characterization and is computable in time O(P) where P is the tree’s total path length. We also study an on-line average-rate heuristics AVR and prove that its energy consumption achieves a small constant competitive ratio for nested job sets and for job sets with limited overlap. Some simulation results are also given. This work is supported in part by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong under grant No. CityU 1165/04E, National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 60135010, 60321002 and the Chinese National Key Foundation Research & Development Plan (2004CB318108).     

Beating the virus: an examination of the crisis communication approach taken by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely tested the leadership and communication abilities of political leaders globally. Guiding an effective response to the global pandemic has required leaders to demonstrate not only effective planning and coordination skills, but the ability to communicate clear consistent messages in an empathetic manner as well. In New Zealand the first confirmed case of Covid-19 was recorded on February 28 and over the course of March and April 2020, 1,132 further cases of Covid-19 were confirmed and 19 deaths – a much lower transmission rate than most industrialized nations. On 27 April 2020, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that they had won the battle against community transmission of Covid-19. This paper analyses the speeches and public statements (n = 40) made by Prime Minister Ardern in March and April 2020 through the lens of crisis leadership and crisis communication. In particular, it looks at the use of different mediums (parliamentary statements, daily briefings, Facebook Live broadcasts and podcasts) as mechanisms for engaging in narrative and dialogue with the public. The paper underscores the importance of communication in crisis management and looks at how positive and consistent messaging inspires confidence and social solidarity.