Righting anachronistic exclusions: The ethics of blood donation by men who have sex with men

ABSTRACT

Recently, the FDA announced that it would soon lift the long-standing lifetime ban on blood donation by men who have sex with men (MSM). Reexamining blood donation by MSM, it is clear that there are several ethical goods that must be balanced. Through balancing the primary duty to safety with the imperatives to craft a policy that is formally equal, upholds the public's trust, and is nondiscriminatory, an ethical blood donation deferral guideline may be advanced, both for MSM and the population at large.     

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: A Policy Solution to Rural Poverty in India?

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was developed by the Indian government to reduce rural poverty through 100 days of guaranteed employment per year. Using focus group methods, we explore whether this scheme has provided rights' based social protection through guaranteed employment for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. We found that the experiences of participating in MGNREGA varied depending on how MGNREGA wages compared to market wages in the region, as well as local implementation of the program. Although MGNREGA offered some basic employment for marginalized groups, it did not provide substantial help to the most vulnerable. However, there was some evidence of small but significant shifts in labour relations. Higher wages, more opportunities for work, better implementation and a greater recognition of the caregiving responsibilities of women will be required for this policy to fully meet its goals.     

Institutional Diversity and Performance in African Cotton Sectors

This article analyses the performance of cotton sectors across East, Southern, and West Africa, paying particular attention to the wide diversity of institutional arrangements that they now exhibit. It finds strong support for earlier contentions regarding trade‐offs between competition and coordination, and between the roles of public and private sectors. New insights provide concrete and context‐specific guidance to policy‐makers and stakeholders regarding the key challenges they will face and the risks they will need to manage as they work to improve productivity and ensure an equitable division of benefits within cotton sectors.     

Participation and Emotions: Troubling Encounters Between Children and Social Welfare Professionals

This paper explores the emotional aspects of participation within social welfare contexts. The focus is on individual professionals, such as social workers and children’s rights workers and their articulation, management and negotiation of the emotional when working with children and young people. The institutions of welfare are also shown to be ambiguous in their approaches to participation. Lastly, the dimensions of power that are enacted in relations between professionals and children reveal some of the complex dynamics in this fraught area of social welfare policy and practice.     

Producing and Using Video Data in the Early Years: Ethical Questions and Practical Consequences in Research with Young Children

This article considers ethical questions and practical challenges arising from the production of video data with young children, and suggests that such considerations are reciprocal and that video data should be seen as constructed collaboratively by all participants. Video data can be a valuable means of eliciting children’s perspectives, but it raises particular issues of consent and confidentiality. Opportunities for young children to use video cameras are helpful in supporting informed consent and active participation, whilst the visual nature of video renders anonymity and confidentiality more difficult, and anonymisation of images may impact upon data quality. Video, like all research data, is influenced by the actions and biases of participants, and young children’s experiences as consumers of television will influence their reading of, and responses to, video data. An advantage of video is that it can provide participants with feedback about their participation. Challenges remain with regard to ownership.     

新民居建设中土地整理利用现状调查分析

土地整理和利用是新民居建设中的重要工作点,对新民居建设以及社会主义新农村建设的深入推进具有重要影响。通过对河北省廊坊市新民居建设中土地整理利用工作开展调查,分析当前现状及存在问题,探讨如何合理规划利用土地,切实推进新民居建设。     

Social Workers’ Conflict of Loyalty in the Context of Social Activism: The Case of the 2011 Social Protests in Israel

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study examined the experiences of social workers who participated in the 2011 Israeli social protests. Data were collected through 1 focus group interview. The sample included 11 social workers employed in 11 social welfare departments throughout the country. Findings highlight the complexities and dilemmas experienced by social workers who protested against the system that employs them. Research findings contribute to the discourse regarding the conflict of loyalty experienced by public social workers engaged in social activism that targets the system that employs them.     

Transnational Social Movements,Civil Society,and a Secret State: The Idea of a Nuclear-free World through Israel's Vanunu Affair

Studies on transnational social movements in world risk society tend to emphasize their centrality and effectiveness as the result of two major transformations: the decline of the nation-state as a primary locus of power and sovereignty, and the rise of assertive civil societies' subpolitics. Drawing on the ‘Vanunu affair’ (the Israeli technician who was sentenced to eighteen years in prison for making public Israel's nuclear secrets), and the reactions it elicited at the local and global levels, the article analyzes the obstacles that may prevent the effective influence of anti-nuclear transnational social movements, and their difficulties in contributing to global framing. These obstacles are related mainly to the cultural politics of a ‘secret state’ that constructs national sovereignty, and mobilizes the local civil society, by means of nuclear secrecy and opacity.     

Chapter 6 Life-Span Design in the Near Environment

Abstract

Elderly are influenced daily by their buildings and their very independence can be shaped by the design of residential structures and interiors. This article addresses the incorporation of assistive technology into the design of near environments for this population. First, a brief overview of assisted living in the United States, identifying the definitional and regulatory problems confronting assisted living is provided. Next, we identify the importance of the near environment in life-span design. We then examine the Nordic model of design for assisted living and efforts in the United States relating to the design component of assisted living facilities. We conclude by reviewing the importance of the near environment and its role in housing policy, regu-lation, productdesign, andfacilitydesign.     

货币政策的债券市场传导机制——对利率的预期渠道

从对利率预期的角度探讨债券市场在货币政策传导到实体经济过程中的作用十分重要,将该传导机制细分为两个阶段:货币政策对债券市场的影响和债券市场对实体经济的影响,经理论建模和实证发现:两阶段的传导都非常有效,货币政策的债券市场传导机制确实存在。将两阶段结合起来看债券市场的传导效果,发现存贷款基准利率、法定存款准备金率及公开市场操作利率等货币政策工具能够对经济增长和通胀水平产生显著影响。实证结果还表明:在货币政策的实施过程中应当充分挖掘收益率曲线中包含的信息;央行的货币政策遵循了逆周期的原则,很好地熨平了经济的异常波动;应当提高货币政策体制的可信度和透明度,形成稳定的长期利率目标。