People with disability and new disaster communications: access and the social media mash-up

This article explores how a lack of access to increasingly complex and overlapping digital communications platforms in times of disaster for people with disabilities has the potential to make already life-threatening situations considerably more dangerous. As we are increasingly coming to rely on a social media mash-up of digital platforms to assist in communications during disaster situations, the issue of accessibility for people with disabilities is as dire as if it was high ground during a tsunami or transport during a typhoon. The contemporary social media environment is characterised by a complex and overlapping network of complementary platforms, populated by user-generated content, where people communicate and exchange ideas. In this environment, YouTube videos are posted to Facebook and embedded in blogs, and Twitter is used to link to these other sites and is itself embedded in other platforms. These networks are increasingly supplementing and supplanting more traditional communication platforms, such as the television and radio, particularly in times of disaster. The concern of this paper is that the elements from which this mash-up of communications channels is made are not always accessible to people with disabilities. This evolving network of social media-based communication exposes the limits of existing Internet-based universal design.     

Teaching Causation in History

Social studies teachers have an obligation to help students grapple with and thoughtfully examine controversial issues, often in a contemporary context. One such issue is the U.S. use of unmanned aerial vehicles, generally known as drones. Whether for surveillance purposes or military missions, the use of drones by the U.S. government has preceded the development of clearly articulated policy guidelines. This article examines the use of drones in U.S. policy, the argument for and against their deployment, and the manner in which social studies educators may effectively teach their students about such a complex, challenging topic. Toward that end, the article also advocates for the use of an ethical and analytical framework, the “just war” doctrine, which can assist students in critiquing how drones are used, under what conditions, and the social impact that may entail.     

Global Governance,neoliberalism and national responses: The case of Bangladesh’s ready‐made garment (RMG) sector

This article on the ready‐made garment (RMG) sector of Bangladesh shows how over‐reliance on foreign capital for development financing and deregulated investment—a hallmark of neoliberal economic arrangements—undermines the incorporation of SDGs’ and INGOs’ equity principles, contributing to biased policy responses yielding unequal outcomes. The article cautions that while countries prioritize economic growth over social and environmental nourishment and continue to adopt neoliberal economic policies to promote economic growth, inequity is unavoidable, if not inevitable. Thus, the way forward may be to shift the focus of ‘development’ from the economy to society, to building ‘good societies’ where institutions and strategies, including those that contribute to economic growth, are organized such that these complement not compromise the evolution of such societies.     

Dementia Policy Revisited

Abstract

Even though state governments assume public responsibility for persons with dementia, formal analysis of state laws concerning individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia has been rare. We responded to this by collecting and evaluating state legislation targeted towards individuals with dementia. These laws were collected by searching online statutory archives and were defined by the type of action, year of passage, and legislative purpose. Our research revealed that the legislatures have targeted an average of slightly more than five actions towards persons with dementia. We also discovered that the earliest legislative act targeting individuals with dementia was passed by South Dakota in 1939, and by the end of the 1997 sessions, 49 state legislatures had enacted at least one targeted law. We sorted the variety of legislative actions into eight categories and illuminated how the purposes of these laws differed from one state legislature to the next. This research expands knowledge concerning state policies targeting people with dementia, introduces a reliable method of collecting state laws, and contributes to the advocacy effort made on behalf of persons with dementia.     

Reputation spillover effects from grant‐providing institutions

There is a broad academic discussion about the impact of funding grants from a foundation or a government department on individual support intentions toward the nonprofit organization receiving the grant. However, the role of the grant provider's reputation has frequently been overlooked. In this study, we experimentally tested whether there is a reputation spillover effect of a grant‐providing organization. Based on a real‐life example, we asked citizens to rate their willingness to donate to a nonprofit organization, and we experimentally manipulated the available information on funding sources. We test this for both a government department and a foundation as a grant provider. Our results suggest that not the act of receiving a grant, but the citizens' awareness about the funding organization—at least in the case of a foundation—has an impact on support intentions. In contrast, for a prominent government department as a grant provider, we did not find support for a reputation spillover effect.     

城市文化建设中商品性文化生产的授益诱导型政府监管模式

对我国城市文化建设中商品性文化生产的＂授益诱导型＂政府监管模式推行的必要性及其内涵、特征、类别、功能以及制度设计应注意的问题展开了论述,以期有助于提升我国城市政府对商品性文化生产监管的有效度,推进城市文化建设的良性运行。     

传统行政心理对贯彻科学发展观的障碍

政府是贯彻科学发展观的重要主体,同时,政府也是既往大量存在过的非科学发展行为的导生主体。这种"双重主体"的性质,使得某些地方政府及其公务员有着较沉重的行政心理积习。如不能有效改变具有负面影响的心理积习,势必妨碍到科学发展观的有效贯彻。     

地方政府购买公益性法律服务：方式、挑战与路径选择

地方政府购买公益性法律服务既是深化服务型政府建设、转变政府职能之需要,也是贯彻落实党的十八届三中、四中、五中全会和十九大报告精神之具体体现。从实践来看,项目招标制和项目资助制业已成为地方政府购买公益性法律服务的主要方式,但是,公益性法律社团发育程度低、服务购买范围模糊、保障机制不健全,以及政府监管能力薄弱等因素日益对地方政府购买公益性法律服务构成严峻挑战。为此,建议从购买方式的选择、购买范围的界定、保障机制的夯实、法律服务社团的培育,以及政府监管能力的强化等方面入手,构建综合性的政策框架,以推动地方政府购买公益性法律服务朝着健康有序的方向发展。     

应急预案重大突发事件情景构建—基于\

现有文献主要基于西方发达国家社会背景,聚焦于社会力量或市场机制主导下的人道主义运营或供应链中断等问题,对于“党委负责、政府主导”的中国救灾模式尚未引起理论界的足够关注。我国强势政府主导下的救灾模式,与国际灾害管理主流文献关注的供应链中断等市场机制、社会捐赠、人道主义物流等热点问题存在着较大的出入。其管理特征表现在：运行目标是确保人民群众生命安全、资源配置方式以各级党委和政府的行政手段为主体、应急救援力量以军队和武警部队作为突击和以公安消防等专业队伍作为骨干等。我国未来救灾体制的演化趋势将是政府主导的基础上,社会参与和市场机制等多种救灾模式相互协同和融合。