“Let’s Talk About Children” resource: A parallel mixed method evaluation

Psycho-education interventions for families affected by parental mental illness have been found to be effective. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a psycho-educational resource for parents, designed to initiate family discussions about parental mental illness and educate parents about the impact of their illness on children. In a mixed methods design, 19 parents read the “Let’s Talk About Children” psycho-educational resource and completed pre-and-post questionnaires measuring their perspectives of mental illness and awareness of the impact of mental illness on their children and family. 18 of these participated in a follow-up, one hour, individual interview to obtain further feedback on the resource. After viewing the resource, changes in parents’ attitudes and/or behavior in relation to mental illness and parenting were recorded. Interview findings indicate that the resource gave parents an awareness of the skills and knowledge needed for initiating family discussions about parental mental illness. The results of this study can be used to inform future interventions targeting parents who experience mental illness.     

The Global Politics of Forced Labour

This article examines the politics of governing forced labour. It develops and applies an approach drawing on Marx’s conception of the historical formation of ‘free’ labour in the process of ‘primitive accumulation’ and Gramsci’s conception of the ‘relations of force’. Viewed through this lens, rather than representing discrete ontological categories, the boundary between ‘free’ and ‘forced’ labour is repositioned as largely a contested and ambivalent artefact of governance. The concept of the ‘political relations of force’ highlights the ways in which such constructions are shaped by complex intersections between a diversity of different social forces. This approach is subsequently applied in an analysis of an International Labour Organization project on dealing with ‘traditional slavery’ in Niger.     

Generalized simultaneous confidence regions for regression coefficients and their ratios

This study constructs a simultaneous confidence region for two combinations of coefficients of linear models and their ratios based on the concept of generalized pivotal quantities. Many biological studies, such as those on genetics, assessment of drug effectiveness, and health economics, are interested in a comparison of several dose groups with a placebo group and the group ratios. The Bonferroni correction and the plug-in method based on the multivariate-t distribution have been proposed for the simultaneous region estimation. However, the two methods are asymptotic procedures, and their performance in finite sample sizes has not been thoroughly investigated. Based on the concept of generalized pivotal quantity, we propose a Bonferroni correction procedure and a generalized variable (GV) procedure to construct the simultaneous confidence regions. To address a genetic concern of the dominance ratio, we conduct a simulation study to empirically investigate the probability coverage and expected length of the methods for various combinations of sample sizes and values of the dominance ratio. The simulation results demonstrate that the simultaneous confidence region based on the GV procedure provides sufficient coverage probability and reasonable expected length. Thus, it can be recommended in practice. Numerical examples using published data sets illustrate the proposed methods.     

Asymmetric learning in a short-term,macro-oriented international students’ exchange: an exploratory study

International social work organizations’ call for a Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development emphasizes promotion of social justice-oriented policies. A major challenge for international student exchange programs, especially when the visitors are from affluent countries, is to overcome the asymmetric process of the relative lack of power, in student hosts’ in comparison to student visitors’ relationships, as well as to focus on macro-practice orientation. Through analyzing a case study of student exchange, we propose a set of pedagogical strategies that may help to overcome these challenges through using processes of mirroring to address this asymmetric situation. This exploratory research is based on a three-year assessment of a short-term, macro-oriented MSW travel study course between graduate students from two universities (in the US and in Israel) using an exchange framework. It includes a comparison of joint experiences of students using both written and arts-based data. The findings demonstrate that the use of relationship building and mirroring enables both hosts and guests to learn about their own macro-reality through the eyes of the others and helps diffuse asymmetry and create relationships not only on the micro-, but also macro-levels. Implications for teaching methods in international courses are discussed.     

The social benefits of water and sanitation projects in Northern Colombia: Cost‐Benefit Analysis,the Water Poverty Index and beyond

Water, and Sanitation projects play an important role in alleviating water‐related poverty in developing countries. There are several methodologies that will not only assess the performance of these projects but will also help to better identify the problem and its characteristics, and to improve the efficiency of the investment. The Water Poverty Index is one of them. It is a very useful tool that helps to measure water stress at the household level in a holistic way, and to identify priorities. It is important, however, to complement it with a Cost‐Benefit Analysis that will take into account the costs of the project. A case study in Northern Colombia illustrates this point.     

The relationship between the community participation of disabled youth and socioeconomic factors: mixed-methods approach in rural Sri Lanka

Mixed methods were applied to examine the association of community participation by disabled youth with socioeconomic factors in rural Sri Lanka. There was a significant association between community participation and socioeconomic factors in the quantitative survey (n = 116): participants living in socioeconomically disadvantaged conditions had lower levels of community participation than those living without these disadvantages. Consistent with the findings of the survey, previous educational experiences, household economic conditions, and perceived resource information were common themes in the qualitative study (n = 26). The dynamics of these factors, including marginalisation of disabled youth within the household, were also observed.     

网络沟通下政府形象“距离悖论”的解析及应对

网络沟通的兴起,使政府形象塑造的环境发生了变化,政府形象的“距离悖论”出现新特点,其突出表现是,民众对政府形象的评价与该级政府同民众的距离（包括空间距离和时间距离）成反比。在网络沟通下,形象良好的政府须具有回应性,倡导科技领先,强调参与和协作以及具有预见性,因此,政府应从树立形象意识、完善电子政府工程、提升政府媒体公关能力和公信力以及提高危机处理能力等方面着手,来应对政府形象的“距离悖论”,以塑造良好的自身形象。     

三国故事传播史述论

三国故事的漫长传播史,经各类传播方式长期参与,由历代文人撰述与丰富的民间记忆共同构成。三国故事传播史多元并存的独特结构,是孕育培养《三国演义》的文化沃土。然此杰出的古典长篇小说,亦属三国故事漫长流播史的环节和支脉,而非三国故事漫长传播的最后定本。     

在华国际非政府组织法律规制缺陷及应对

国际非政府组织在华已经活动三十年有余,中国仍然在对其法律规制层面存在种种缺陷,这与中国根深蒂固的对其不信任态度及防范意识分不开的.鉴于其在中国经济建设中发挥出的出色积极作用,在没有满足颁布诸如《非政府组织法》等专门法规条件之前的过渡期之内,中国政府应该转变对其的指导思想及态度,通过完善现有中央层面及地方层面法规,加强对其法律规制.除此之外,在华的国际非政府组织应该通过完善与缔结自身行为准则等途径,提高自身素质,积极寻求与中国政府合作的机会,获取国家及人民的信任;同时,中国本土的非政府组织也应该勇敢的走出国门,提高国际事务的参与度.