Search results for ""Barbara Budrich""

As children grow up, they discover taboo areas in their environment and in life. They are in need of advice to prevent them from placing themselves in risky situations. The primary preventive approach to a life skills programme on HIV/AIDS and sex education, called “Child Mind Project”, can be seen as such an initiative.

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Why do we need evidence based youth policies? International in scope, this book presents a systematic and interdisciplinary reflection on what has been termed the “magic triangle”, i.e., the relationship between youth policies, youth research and practical youth work, based on the necessity of organising knowledge exchange between different actors in the youth field. On this basis, researchers from across the globe analyse and discuss youth policy development, the theories that underlie youth policy, as well as the models and impact of youth policy in different societies. They respond by: - Analysing the impact of economic, social and cultural change on young people in different world regions, locations and social contexts; - Presenting and explaining theories of youth; - Discussing strategies for the development and implementation of youth policies in different world regions; - Evaluating the impact of current youth policies at regional, national and international levels; - Analysing and discussing applied models of cross sectional policy and practice in the youth sector; - Discussing contributions of youth research to the development of evidence based youth policies in areas such as values, employment, participation, citizenship, migration, social exclusion and vulnerability.

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Non scholae, sed vitae… ? Institutions for and processes of out-of-school education are of growing importance in modern societies. This is the case not only with a view to the scale of the (public or private) range of education but also with a view to the need, i.e., from families that are ambitious with a view to education and training. The contributions deal with the importance, the impact, as well as the future of out-ofschool education—processes as well as institutions— from eight different European countries.

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What is special about small states? How do they adapt their policies and patterns of governance to meet turbulent times such as a new security environment and the international financial crisis? Answers to these and further questions are provided by experts. What are the constraints on and opportunities of governance of small states in an interdependent and increasingly turbulent global setting? How do small states deal with radical changes in the international environment? What is the role of political institutions in facilitating and constraining policy responses to a rapidly changing international environment? How can political leadership contribute to stability in times of change? This book seeks to answer these questions by taking a comparative perspective on the processes of change and adaptation in the governance of Norway and Slovakia. These two small European states with highly open economies have been exposed to the same set of global turbulences related to post Cold War changes in the security environment and the global financial crisis; they are also facing internal challenges that spring from rapidly rising expectations while demographic shifts put pressure on their welfare systems. Their governance structures and processes are informed by their different political-administrative cultures, different history and levels of stability of democratic governance structures and, indeed, by their different modes of attachment to the European Union and other regional integration frameworks. These differences and a comparative approach in exploring the questions raised above can shed light not only on the specific forms of adaptation of governance structures in two small European states, but also generate insights into the role of integration structures in facilitating and constraining change.

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The volume relates the Capabilities Approach to research and practice in education, welfare economics and social policy. Thus, it challenges traditional objectives and approaches in these fields. The authors suggest a capabilities perspective that calls into question the metric of success of these disciplines and in the fields of politics. It moves the attention away from economic growth and human capital towards autonomy and “agency freedom” of (young) individuals. Especially with respect to the young this implies a substantial shift of perspectives. Young persons have been particularly highlighted in the political debate: on the one hand side they are one of the groups with the highest risk to face situations of poverty, on the other hand side young persons are the main focus group of educational strategies in the form of investments in human capital which dominate the discourse. In this context, the capability perspective implies a provoking shift of paradigms because it takes place against the background of capitalist societies redefining their notion of “the public” and diminishing the collective responsibility for the vulnerable. The volume discusses whether and in how far the capabilities perspective makes a difference and provides additional value in terms of promoting democracy and justice on a social level as well as well-being on the level of individual (particularly young) individuals.

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Values – elites and ordinary people This book reveals the diverse worlds of history, civic culture and values of South Africa, South Korea, Chile, Poland, Turkey, Germany and Sweden. It explores the similarities and contrasts between the values of the elites and the ordinary people. Written from various disciplinary perspectives and offering both empirical evidence and insiders’ knowledge, this book is bound to interest a wide variety of readers. The study on which the book reports was in the main based on analyses of value orientations of the parliamentary and media elites and those of the ordinary citizens. The data for the elites were obtained from surveys conducted for the purposes of the study; the data for the general population were drawn from the latest World Values Surveys. The volume is divided into two parts. The first part, entitled Theory and history, considers the quality of democracy in the context of the historical and cultural heritage of the seven countries, their civic culture and notions of citizenship, and their constitutions as foundations of the democratic political order. The second part of the book, entitled Theory and empiricism, assesses the quality of democracy by means of comparative analyses of the convergence and divergence in value orientations of the elites and the masses, both within each case and across all the seven cases.

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Family in all its aspects Familienbande International experts provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art of European family research and outline the multiple formations, structures and configurations of family in Europe. Four aspects are discussed in depth: family images, sex/gender roles, globalisation and family development processes. Influenced by globalisation, European countries experience processes which still have greatly varying consequences. Cultural differences, reflected in a range of family schemes and national family policies, are one reason for the continued existence of differences in the scope and speed of change processes. Quite generally, images and concepts of family have become more heterogeneous and flexible. The flip side of this coin is that family members are increasingly faced with the challenges of achieving a satisfactory work-life balance – a task aggravated by globalisation. We therefore need to ask how family policy can help families enjoy adequate freedom of action and latitude for their decision-making. To summarise: a read well worth the effort for all experts working in family research and family policy.

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Job-related spatial mobility is a subject of great importance in Europe. But how mobile are the Europeans? What are the consequences of professional mobility for quality of life, family life and social relationships? For the first time these questions are analysed on the basis of the data of a large-scale European survey. This vo l - ume analyses the causes and determinants of job mobility and their individual and societal consequences in cross-national comparison.

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The World of Political Science - New volumes The book traces the disciplinary development of political sociology and the transdisciplinary research into the overlapping issues involving politics and society. The contributions cover overviews of the history, methodological and theoretical development of this academic discipline. Successes as well as failures in past, unexplored areas and salient issues in ongoing research are also highlighted. From the Contents: Subrata K. Mitra and Malte Pehl, Taking Stock of Political Sociology Dirk Berg-Schlosser, Political Culture at a Crossroads? Kay Lawson and Mildred Schwartz, Parties, Interest Groups and Social Movements: Shall Change be Mid - wife to Truth? Eva Etzioni-Halevy, Socio-Political Inequalities: Elites, Classes and Democracy Prakash Sarangi, Contemporary Approaches to the Study of the State Jan van Deth, Political Sociology: Old Concerns and New Directions

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How can sustainable peace be achieved? The book identifies potential supranational, state and non-state actors involved in peacebuilding processes. Further - more, it develops strategies to address the problems and dilemmas of international peacebuilding. An important contribution to a highly topical debate. Hopes for a less conflict-prone world after the end of the Cold War were bitterly disappointed. Instead, the international community is faced with protracted wars and violent conflicts today. In addition, social, economic and cultural insecurities as well as fragile statehood challenge the post-Westphalian environment. As a result, scholars and policy-makers alike are trying to develop viable strategies for sustainable peace. The book contributes to this debate, as it illustrates current research results on the topic and addresses the complex problems and dilemmas that various international peace - building actors are confronted with.

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Although the concept of power is central to the study of politics, there is no agreement as to what exactly power is. Power is often viewed negatively, as domination, though it is also the case that power is created by people acting in concert, in which case it can have positive effects. Making sense of this puzzle is one of the aims of this book, which provides the reader with a clear and coherent way of understanding the various forms and manifestations of power, and it does so by bringing together the most important and influential perspectives on power within the political and social sciences. From the Contents: Mark Haugaard and Kevin Ryan: Power in Social and Political Theory John Gledhill: Power in Political Anthropology Stewart Clegg: Foundations of Organizational Power Jill Vickers: Gendering Power: Feminist Approaches John A. Hall and Siniša Maleševic: The Political Sociology of Power Philip G. Cerny: Power and International Relations

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This research considers the mixed results of international agencies in democracy promotion despite their attempt to shape a common policy emphasized in various international agreements. On the background of backlashes and the search for new answers it analyses how the UNDP and the EC promoted democracy in Rwanda from 2003 until 2013. As a result, the author outlines how democracy strategies differ; she defines variance factors in impact, and develops a new concept of variances.

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Migration, mobility, and globalization are transforming ways of working and living. Business activities, relationships and a sense of belonging are often not tied to any one place. This book explores biographies of highly mobile startup founders who often run startups that have been called „born global“. It describes how they move, how they orientate and perceive themselves, and how migration and mobility play a role beyond the physical act of `moving’. Presenting current ethnographic research, the book critically discusses approaches in migration and mobility studies and the research field of the „migration of the highly skilled“. Increasing mobility and migration are a dominant contemporary topic. This book explores how founders of born global startups experience and navigate mobility. Based on an ethnographic field study, the book presents condensed accounts of biographies and examines the protagonists’ migration strategies, dimensions of mobilities, transurban spaces of movement, orientation schemes and self-perceptions. It asks how these living arrangements can be understood and questions the concepts of “migration” and “highly skilled” in this context. Instead, it suggests working with a multilayered understanding of mobility, transurban space and orientation schemes. The research design combines perspectives from economic entrepreneurship studies and migration and mobility studies. Instead of focussing on ethnic or national groups, it focusses on a professional group as an entity for research.

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Is Japan prepared for an ethnically diverse society? The volume examines the past and future trajectory of Japan’s immigration and integration policies and related institutions, taking a cross-disciplinary approach in social sciences. The authors highlight critical issues and challenges that the nation is facing as a result of the government’s inarticulate migrant-acceptance policy, e.g. in the fields of deportation, refugee policy, multicultural education and disaster protection. How can the situation be improved? The book investigates the changes and initiatives needed to build a resilient policy regime for a liberal, pluralistic, and inclusive Japan.

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In diesem Buch wird die Theorie der politischen Führung, die ein noch wenig erforschtes Feld der Politikwissenschaft ist, beleuchtet. Sie ist verwandt mit dem philosophischen Streit um Determinismus versus Aktivismus und hilft den Grundkonflikt des 21. Jahrhunderts zwischen liberaler Demokratie und neuem Autoritarismus zu verstehen. Das Buch befasst sich mit Max Webers Typologie politischer Herrschaft und seinem Konzept der Verantwortungsethik, welche der Schlüssel zur Theorie der Führung sind. Der Autor zeigt auf, dass der unvollendete Wettstreit zwischen Demokratie und neuem Autoritarismus im 21. Jahrhundert die Bedeutung von Führung in alten und neuen Demokratien sowie in den neoautoritären Regimen bestätigt und einen neuen Typus politischer Führungskräfte fordert.

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This publication collects contributions to understanding and addressing migration flows from Africa to Europe and supporting social coexistence in the destination countries. Written by experts in psychology and social work, the articles approach the topic of immigration based on empirical research in their academic and professional specialties. The book focuses on issues of intervention, letting the research be the starting point for further plans. This focus makes the book valuable for professionals as well as policy makers.

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The book explores different questions, for example the status and role of BRICS in the changing international order; how countries in the Global South can use regionalism to change the world order; the competing worldviews that manifest themselves in the institutional variety of regionalism; and, most importantly, how all these changes push International Relations as a field to become more global, or at least to go beyond Westphalian thinking – thus bringing the role of multilateralism back to the discussion. The book critically analyzes the ongoing changes in the regional, intra-regional, and global dynamics of cooperation, from a multi-disciplinary and pluralist perspective. It is based on the insight that in a post-hegemonic world the formation of regions and the process of globalization can be largely disconnected from the orbit of the US, and that a plurality of power and worldviews has replaced US hegemony. In spite of these changes, most existing analyses of current changes in the world order still rely upon Western-centered approaches, and Westphalian thinking. Against this backdrop, the book proposes to advance a truly global IR understanding of the post-hegemonic world, and weaves together the pluralist and multi-disciplinary perspectives of scholars located all around the world.

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Russia, the European Union, and NATO still share some important common interests that need to be given greater attention. A return to strategic partnership is not conceivable without resolving the Ukraine confl ict, but prudent management of the antagonism in order to keep open the prospect of a peaceful new normal is crucial. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that the persistent volatility of the international environment could further complicate this already diffi cult process.

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The book explores how the European Union and its members have been renegotiating Europeanisation and renationalisation in response to the multiple crises they faced in recent years. The authors highlight varying understandings of ´crises´ in different national and supranational policy and institutional contexts. They show how in some cases these have challenged the legitimacy of European Union norms and institutions and even triggered disintegration, while in other cases these crises have served as sources of inspiration for European social innovation and political development.

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Why is there so much reservation and scepticism among the Czech public as well as politicians towards the European Union? Has the experience of the Czech Republic as a member of the EU changed Czech Euroscepticism since 2004? The authors provide a detailed analysis of the dynamics of Euroscepticism using the concept of Europeanisation. The unique connection of the concepts of Euroscepticism and Europeanisation creates an innovative research framework.

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This book offers insights and perspectives from a study of “Cultural Encounters in Intervention Against Violence” (CEINAV) in four EU-countries. Seeking a deeper understanding of the underpinnings of intervention practices in Germany, Portugal, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, the team explored variations in institutional structures and traditions of law, policing, and social welfare. Theories of structural inequality and ethics are discussed and translated into practice. Using a shared qualitative methodology, space was created to listen to professionals discussing the challenges of intervention and as well to hear voices of women who had escaped domestic violence or trafficking for sexual exploitation and of young people who had been taken into care due to abuse or neglect. Voices of professionals as well as of women and young people who have experienced intervention illuminate how and why practices may differ. The authors examine how existing theories can illuminate complex inequalities or encompass the experiences of minorities against the background of European colonial history, and what streams of ethical theory apply to the dilemmas and challenges of intervention practice. Analytical descriptions of the legal-institutional frameworks for each of the three forms of violence set the stage for comparison. Drawing on a rich store of empirical data, five chapters discuss key issues facing policy-makers and practitioners seeking effective strategies of intervention that can diminish violence while strengthening the agency of women and children. Unique among comparative studies, CEINAV integrated creative art workshops into the research and involved both professionals and survivors of violence in the process. “Reflections” include a discussion of different intervention cultures in Europe, alongside working with different voices and making cultural encounters visible through art. Overall the authors argue that overcoming violence cannot be achieved by standardising procedure but require an ethical foundation, for which they offer a proposal.

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How is tolerance reflected in urban space? Which urban actors are involved in the practices and narratives of tolerance? What are the limits of tolerance? The edited volume answers these questions by considering different forms of urban in/exclusion and participatory citizenship. By drawing together disparate yet critical writings, Doing Tolerance examines the production of space, urban struggles and tactics of power from an interdisciplinary perspective. Illustrating the paradoxes within diverse interactions, the authors focus on the conflict between heterogeneous groups of the governed, on the one hand, and the governing in urban spaces, on the other. Above all, the volume explores the divergences and convergences of participatory citizenship, as they are revealed in urban space through political, socio-economic and cultural conditions and the entanglements of social mobilities.

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Is civil society’s influence favorable to the evolvement of democratic structures and democratic gender relations? While traditional approaches would answer in the affirmative, the authors highlight the ambivalences. Focusing on women’s organizations in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, they cover the full spectrum of civil society’s possible performance: from its important role in the overcoming of power relations to its reinforcement as backers of government structures or the distribution of antifeminist ideas.

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For the foreseeable future the overall use of nuclear electricity in the European Union is unlikely to change significantly despite the controversies surrounding its use amongst the EU’s nation states. The author questions the role that nuclear electricity plays in meeting the challenges of providing secure, competitive and sustainable energy to support the development of the low carbon economy in the EU. Analysis presented focuses on the evolution of the discourse on nuclear energy amongst policy makers at European and national levels as well as amongst the public.

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Given the fact that two-thirds of all intrastate wars since 1945 have included foreign interventions, what drives sovereign states to support non-state conflict parties? In order to understand causes and calculations of this particular type of third party intervention, this book connects some of the most important contemporary debates in international relations, ranging from security cooperation between states and non-state actors to the effects of intervention on both local conflict dynamics and interstate relations. Presenting a new theoretical framework and a multidimensional concept of support (endorsement, hosting, as well as financial and military assistance), this book establishes a systematic path between international as well as domestic incentives and specific types of sponsorship policies. In a subsequent comparative analysis, the author examines conditions and dynamics of Syria’s cooperation with Fatah, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and Hizballah from 1964 to 2006.

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The book explores the concept of artistic witnessing as political activity. In what ways may art and artists bear witness to political events? The contributors engage with dance, film, photography, performance, poetry, and theater and explore artistic witnessing as political activity in a wide variety of case studies.

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The citizens of Europe are facing increasingly complex challenges to their career development nowadays. Over the span of their lifetime, they need to manage their careers, and make numerous decisions concerning education, training and employment – decisions, which seriously impact their futures and their wellbeing. To prepare citizens for these challenges, and to support them in the progress, competent career practitioners are needed. But what kinds of career practitioners are we talking about? And what do they need to be able to do? How can the quality of their training be assured? This handbook introduces common European competence standards for the academic training of career practitioners in Europe, together with some proposals and examples, of how to implement and establish such competence standards in practice. More than 200 experts from all across Europe have contributed to the development of these shared standards of the Network for Innovation in Career Guidance and Counselling in Europe (NICE). The standards are already being used in many countries for the development of degree programmes.

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Our social interactions are driven by complex biopsychic processes that are complicated by the fact that humans are individuals and at the same time members of one or more social systems, such as schools. This book contributes to explaining the social mechanisms influencing students' "need to belong" fulfilment at school. The theoretical framework is informed by human needs understood as cognitive mechanisms of neural processes that regulate human behaviour and bio-values. The fieldwork was conducted in two secondary schools in Austria and Australia. Based on the findings, the transformative three-step approach suggests a course of action for student belonging.

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Narratives of Triumph and Loss explores the successes, challenges and controversies of women‘s post-conflict political leadership. Through interviews with women who have held significant leadership positions, the book explores the relationships between their educational, professional, activist and personal backgrounds. It situates their stories within historical and contemporary political contexts, illustrating the gendered ways in which women experience politics as citizens and politicians.

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How can one write the history of disability, and what are the consequences for the disabled themselves? This is the key question that Pieter Verstraete addresses in this pioneering book that tries to rethink the possible bonds between disability, history and politics. Since the 1990’s the concept of disability has gained in prominence. Perhaps more than in other branches of historical enquiry, disability historians have attributed a crucial place to the notion ‘identity’. Re-cently, however, the suitability of identity for the realization of libera-ting and emancipatory politics for people with disabilities has been questioned. This book aims to incorporate some of the critical approaches towards identity and to suggest a complementary connection between history and political reform.

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Latin America is considered the most unequal continent in the world. Paradoxically, the development of resource-intensive social systems has done little to change the social imbalance. The author traces this paradox using Argentina as an example, uncovering the underlying conflicts of power and interests, and identifying successful strategies for implementing inclusive policies. As the first study of its kind, it systematically examines the long-term development of social security for low-income earners in Argentina and analyzes the decisive political, social, and economic factors influencing it.

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How have the immediate school-to-work transition and the early career changed in different labour market entry regimes since the early 1980s? How do institutional frameworks differ with regard to insecurity perception? Ellen Ebralidze investigates these topics from a cross-national perspective while focusing on Denmark, the darling of flexicurity literature. The results show that in all the labour market entry regimes, the school-towork transition has become increasingly difficult, and flexible forms of work are more typical in the first job. Furthermore, the liberal institutional framework of the United States seems to produce a similarly low degree of job-loss worry among young people in their early career as the Danish paradigm.

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This monograph is a major survey of East Central European (ECE) political elites and concentrates on Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. It is grounded within classic elite theory slightly adapted to ECE necessities. More practically, the book examines political elite composition and identifies political elite fragmentation in ECE. The author questions that East Central European political elites have incorporated democratic values and conduct. The main argument is that there is a significant gap between the formal democratic ECE institutions and political elite behaviour. This gap has different dimensions which are relevant at the domestic level and also cause problems at the EU level. Ultimately, the political elite-institution gap questions democratic political achievements after 1989. In providing a major analysis of ECE political elite structure and conduct the book points to the most urgent challenges of ECE political systems – the reform of the political elite. From the content: The Importance of Analysing ECE Elites Forms of Political Elite Formation and Activity Political Elite Fragmentation in ECE Elite Formation and Reproduction in East Central Europe Patterns of Political Elite Behaviour Influencing Political Elite Behaviour Institutional Change after 1989 The Relationship between Europeanisation and Euroscepticism Elite Systems in East Central Europe Case Studies: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary Implications of Elite Attitudes for Europeanisation Political Elites: Incapable Europeanisers?

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This book examines under which conditions information technology can stimulate high-quality learning, in particular at the undergraduate level and in social science courses. It also reports on possible effects the use of technology might have on student learning. Ex-amples provided by the authors show that emerging technologies can be particularly help-ful while teaching large student groups or while teaching courses with rapidly changing content.

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This book presents a broader, more courageous interpretation of economic thinking and associated tasks of policy making. The reader will go far beyond traditional boundaries of economic thought and practice. While conceptualizing in broader manner, the fundamentals of economic and managerial thought in the context of today’s transformation process, it offers a genuine account regarding the pace of adaptation and change, in the wake of globalization’s latest phase. It asserts that knowledge management has become an essential component beyond previous assumptions, while complimenting and enhancing larger achievements at domestic and international levels. Increasingly, necessary managerial skill levels and ability, including enhanced leadership skills, effective communication, and capacities for knowledge mobilization, while enhancing ethical outcomes, help lead societies towards greater success amidst greater uncertainty.

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The book uses a comparative study of Germany and Britain to reveal how national institutions shape the labour market careers of higher education graduates. It identifies four institutional spheres that are important: the structure of higher education systems, the content of study, the structure of graduate labour markets, and labour market flexibility. Due to country differences, the transition from higher education to work in Germany follows a smooth path, while in Britain it is more comparable to a long and winding road.

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The book compares five newly emerged democracies in Europe, South East Asia, Latin America and Africa. Cutting across vastly dif¬fer¬ent historical and cultural backgrounds it tells the story of how societies come to terms with a painful past and how politics, culture and the economy intertwine in the process of creating new democratic nations.

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The guidebook to Social Sciences in Europe offers students and researchers going abroad an insight into the origins, the methods and the current trends in four Social Science disciplines in six European countries (Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and Great Britain), as well as an overview of the university system and student life in those countries. For each country, insights into the national traditions and characteristics of Sociology, History, Geography and Political Science are combined with practical information on teaching and assessment methods.

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After 9/11 presents 17 interviews with America´s leading political thinkers. Renowned experts such as Zbigniew Brzezinski, Francis Fukuyama, and Noam Chomsky discuss the nation’s foreign policy in the post-9/11 world. Yet, they also comment on their own role in US society – and the mounting challenges they face today. The conversations illustrate the hopes and expectations, the anger and frustration, the shattered beliefs and unshakable convictions of the nation´s preeminent minds – at a time when America made its epic transition from George W. Bush to Barack Obama. Renowned experts engage in a vibrant debate about their nation´s position on the global stage: What is America´s foreign policy in the post-9/11 world? What should it be? What led to the catastrophe of September 11? How best to prevent another one, and how to restore America´s damaged reputation? What to expect of Obama? While struggling to define their nation´s role in a world that has changed since the terror attacks, the intellectuals discuss their own role in 21st-century society – a society that thrives on public discourse. The book is written for students, graduates, and lecturers in political science, sociology, culture studies, philosophy, and history. However, anyone interested not only in the political positions of America´s most prominent thinkers but also in how these thinkers feel about what they do and how they do it will enjoy this book. Interview partners: Benjamin Barber John Bolton Zbigniew Brzezinski Noam Chomsky Francis Fukuyama Jean Bethke Elshtain Robert O. Keohane James M. Lindsay Michael Novak Joseph Nye Clyde Prestowitz Anne-Marie Slaughter Nancy Soderberg Strobe Talbott Michael Walzer Cornel West Howard Zinn (†)

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Action Research Action research is a specific approach to empirical school research. In fourteen articles different authors explain, how, why and under which circumstances AR – done by teachers and focused on practice-related problems in schools – can initiate curriculum development and help teachers to increase their professionalism. This book contains fourteen articles from European authors on the theoretical and practical development of action research. In Europe this approach is also called “practitioner research”, “school improvement research”, “teacher research” or “team research”. All of these synonyms focus on a type of educational research concentrating on practice-related problems in schools and aiming for practical improvements. The research practitioners are teachers as well as students, and the places of research are all fields of day-to-day school life. Experts from the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, and Germany discuss the history, nature, purpose, and outcomes of action research.

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This book explores the politics of gender and democracy in post-communist Europe. Utilising the concept of political representation, the book scrutinises women’s legislative presence and highlights the opportunities and obstacles to parity democracy in this region of Europe. The book examines the link between women’s membership of national parliaments and the substantive representation of gender interests. It investigates the role of civil society, the state and the European Union in representing women’s interests and in promoting gender politics. The book provides an important and timely contribution to the classical political questions of who represents, what is represented, and how representation takes place. In adopting an integrated approach to political representation, the book extends current understanding of this fundamental concept. Using new research, it provides the first comprehensive comparative analysis of the interplay between emerging democracies and gender politics in post-communist Europe.

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The quest to create an evidence-based Social Work practice is emerging strongly in different fields of Social Work and social policy. In this volume internationally renowned proponents and opponents of this approach deliver profound analyses of the meaning and implications of an evidence based perspective which clearly challenges the nature of the knowledge base of the established Social Work practice and apparently reevaluates and reshapes the character of welfare professionalism. Aus dem Inhalt: What Knowledge? Evidence-based Practice, Profession and Users Organising, Measuring and Implementing Evidence Towards an Evidence-based Professionalism

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The book Political Psychology provides detailed information about the development of the field of political psychology, a subfield of both political science and psychology. It describes the evolution of concepts and theories within political psychology, international influences in the field, current concepts and methodology, and trends that augur for the future of the enterprise. Contributors: Betty Glad, Kathleen M. McGraw, Elizabeth Marvick, Brent Strathman, Donald A. Sylvan, Linda Valenty, David G. Winter

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Why is there a regional participation of Saxony-Anhalt within the European Multi-Level Governance system? The author provides an account of the characteristics of European Multi-Level Governance (EMLG) and regional participation therein, by describing the EMLG and identifying its topics and categories of meaning for regional participation. She establishes the mechanisms responsible for regional participation, highlighting the patterns that emerge.

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Women‘s movements in Islamic countries have had a long and arduous journey in their quest for the realization of human rights and genuine equality. The author examines whether discriminatory laws against women do in fact originate from Islam and, ultimately, if there is any interpretation of Islam compatible with gender equality. She investigates women’s rights in Iran since the 1979 Revolution from the perspectives of the main currents of Islamic thought, fundamentalists, reformists, and seculars, using a sociological explanation.

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