Journey towards independent living: a grounded theory investigation of leaving the care of Girls & Boys Town,South Africa

The journey out of care and towards independent living is a challenge for many care-leavers. There has been little research into the social processes involved in this care-leaving journey. This paper presents the results of a grounded theory investigation into the care-leaving journeys of nine young men who had, several years previously, been in the care of Girls & Boys Town in South Africa. Working from a resilience perspective, with an ecological emphasis, four central social processes emerged that together explain the care-leaving experiences of the participants. These processes are striving for authentic belonging; networking people for goal attainment; contextualised responsiveness and building hopeful and tenacious self-confidence. These four processes are located within contextual boundaries and at the social environmental interface. The paper presents these processes in detail, drawing on selected narratives of the participants and integrated with additional theory. It is hoped that this paper may contribute to theory building concerning care-leaving processes and enhance youth care practices for youth in care and leaving care.     

Testing the validity of social capital measures in the study of information and communication technologies

Social capital has been considered a cause and consequence of various uses of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, there is a growing divergence between how social capital is commonly measured in the study of ICTs and how it is measured in other fields. This departure raises questions about the validity of some of the most widely cited studies of social capital and ICTs. We compare the Internet Social Capital Scales (ISCS) developed by Williams [2006. On and off the ’net: scales for social capital in an online era. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 593–628. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00029.x] – a series of psychometric scales commonly used to measure ‘social capital’ – to established, structural measures of social capital: name, position, and resource generators. Based on a survey of 880 undergraduate students (the population to which the ISCS has been most frequently administered), we find that, unlike structural measures, the ISCS does not distinguish between the distinct constructs of bonding and bridging social capital. The ISCS does not have convergent validity with structural measures of bonding or bridging social capital; it does not measure the same concept as structural measures. The ISCS conflates social capital with the related constructs of social support and attachment. The ISCS does not measure perceived or actual social capital. These findings raise concerns about the interpretations of existing studies of ‘social capital’ and ICTs that are based on the ISCS. Given the absence of measurement validity, we urge those studying social capital to abandon the ISCS in favor of alternative approaches.     

Power To Our Journeys: Re‐membering Michael

The following personal reflections are in honour of Michael and all that he contributed to our lives. And, we honour Brigitte a key member of the group who died in 2006. Mem, Sue and Veronica, December 2008.     

继嗣与交换:地域社会的构成--对摩哈苴彝村的历史人类学分析

关于地域社会的构成,宗族继嗣理论注重宗族裂变的作用,社会交换理论则强调"女性交换"的意义.本文通过对摩哈苴彝村口述史材料的分析,揭示了如下两个基本事实第一,宗族裂变分支的散布与婚姻联盟的范围在地域上可以是吻合的,由此消除了继嗣理论与交换理论的对立;第二,在父系社会中,不仅存在着"男性的继嗣"与"女性的交换",而且也存在着"女性的继嗣"与"男性的交换",后者亦为地域社会构成的重要路径.     

《根》中黑人文化身份的嬗变与重建?

《根》是美国黑人作家亚历克斯·哈利在二十世纪七十年代出版的一部家史小说。小说在追溯家族七代黑人曲折命运的过程中,清晰折射出黑人祖先身上不同的文化身份。通过对黑人家族三个典型人物文化认同的分析来探析黑人文化身份的嬗变与重建过程,这将对文化大融合背景下的少数边缘人群寻找精神归宿起到一定的指导意义。     

德国保护地体系评述与借鉴

德国保护地体系是沿袭历史逐步形成的。首先论述了德国保护地体系的法律基础,并对11类德国保护地的定义、现状和管理事权进行了解释。继而对德国保护地体系进行归纳总结:各类保护地由《联邦自然保护法》统筹、分级管理,以自然保护为核心目标;各类保护地地界交织现象广泛存在,从而实现更广泛的连接;关注文化与自然的融合,强调文化景观管理;各类保护地倾向不同功能,平衡保护与利用并合理发展可持续旅游;法治巩固本土特色的保护地。最后对我国的保护地体系进行相关思考:法定保护地须纳入国土空间规划;包容自然与文化景观的保护地可与"自然公园"相得益彰;对保护地的利用及管理需要通过统一规划实现。     

“I Really Belong Here”: Civic Capacity-Building among Returning Citizens

This article focuses on unlikely movement actors whose civic engagement has been understudied: people with criminal records (“returning citizens”). We present findings from 18 months of ethnographic research with members (leaders) of Fighting to Overcome Records and Create Equality (FORCE), a civic group led by returning citizens. FORCE leaders received institutional support from Community Renewal Society (CRS), a larger faith and community-based organization, to lead a rights reform movement in Chicago. Findings suggest that FORCE leaders constructed notions of kinship, recognition, and power through civic capacity-building efforts—and that social belonging was core to such capacity-building efforts. While bonding social belonging occurred as FORCE leaders formed kinship with people facing similar social and economic marginality, bridging social belonging emerged as leaders felt recognized by CRS staff organizers, affiliates, and elected officials. Bonding and bridging social belonging enabled FORCE leaders, who faced constant social exclusion in society, to experience much needed kinship, recognition, and power. Future studies should continue to uncover how local capacity-building processes have life-changing relational effects on movement participants from socially and economically marginalized groups.     

属地管理扩张下的基层治理困境及优化研究

基层治理是国家治理的基石,其直接关系到国家发展与社会稳定。属地管理是我国基层治理的重要方式,在基层治理中发挥了重要的作用。当前,基层治理出现诸如负担过重、权责失衡和效率下降等问题,属地管理的异化是主要原因,具体而言就是属地管理在基层治理中出现了过度扩张的情况。属地管理的生成与发展是国家治理权威性和有效性平衡的体现,其在基层治理中的作用不可或缺,但因为过度扩张也对基层治理产生了负面影响。职责同构下的模糊治理是基层治理中属地管理扩张的动因,而政区空间的固定性、职能部门的资源调控性和基层政府的治理直接性是属地管理扩张的“触发条件”。基于此,基层治理中出现了治理失序的困境,具体表现为基层治理的负担超载、权责失衡和功能弱化。在属地管理扩张的背景下,可以尝试通过纵向政府层级、横向政府机构及条块结构三方面的协同,厘定属地职责、搭建联动机制和建构协调系统,实现基层治理的优化。     

建设工程施工合同纠纷管辖制度探究——对《民诉解释》第28条第2款的质疑

建设工程施工合同引起的纠纷,现行法律规定按照不动产纠纷适用专属管辖,但在司法实践中,此类案件的管辖争议屡屡发生.无论从法理还是实践层面,建设工程施工合同属于特殊的承揽合同,因其引起的纠纷本质属于债权纠纷范畴.所以,建议修改《民诉解释》第28条第2款内容,建设工程施工合同纠纷适用一般地域管辖,且允许双方当事人协议管辖更为合理.     

论涉外动产物权的法律适用问题——以我国“涉外民事关系法律适用法”为视角

我国《涉外民事关系法律适用法》规定,对于涉外动产物权的法律适用问题,以当事人的意思自治为优先原则,再依照“物之所在地法”的原则进行法律适用。将债法的意思自治原则引入物权领域的规定融合了物权债权化的发展趋势,但是也冲击了传统的物权的法理领域,可能不利于国际商事交往中的交易安全。纵观世界,现在大部分国家对动产和不动产统一适用“物之所在地法”原则,“动产随人”的“属人法”原则逐渐在各国的立法中淡化。但是,涉外动产的法律适用问题要远远比不动产复杂,在适用法律的实践过程中又会因为动产的构成因素复杂性与不同动产处所的不可确定性等问题在运用冲突法原则上产生问题,于是,许多国家又为此规定了例外的情形。