Digital Commons Network^™

Foreword, Elaine Werby, Donna Haig Friedman

New England Journal of Public Policy

Interspersed throughout this issue are Voices of Community Action — the voices of executive directors, board members, and staff. Some are personal reflections; others describe their work or tell of the struggles of those who live with poverty. All speak to the commitment of service and change, to personal development and growth, and to the worth of their work. Their stories are 10 matched in the testimony of those who have received services or participated in community action programs. All of these stories bear witness to the importance of what happens on the front lines among leaders, board members, staff, …

Defining "Public Justice" In A Pluralistic Society: Probing A Key Neo-Calvinist Insight, Jonathan Chaplin

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Towards Community Without Unity: Thinking Through Dis-Positions And The Meaning Of Community, Jonathan Lepofsky

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

No abstract provided.

The Christmas Tree And The Two Churches, Johannes V. Knudsen

The Bridge

Part of the Danish American heritage is the fact that there were, unfortunately, some believe, two separate Danish American Lutheran Church groups. Because of theological differences (and perhaps personality conflicts, as well) between these two groups, they remained separate entities from their complex beginnings in the latter half of the nineteenth century until mergers took place with a number of other ethnic Lutheran church groups in the early 1960s, culminating in the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988. The histories of and differences between the two synods, the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical …

The Power Of The Urban Canvas: Paint, Politics, And Mural Art Policy, Maura E. Greaney

New England Journal of Public Policy

In cities across America, outdoor mural paintings have brought public art to the urban landscape. Paint and politics have been splashed upon city walls for decades, replacing bleak, often graffitied, exteriors with vibrant color. But this transformation runs deeper than the artistry of the murals; the real works of art are the changes these collaborative projects inspire within communities. Mural projects mobilize communities to articulate dreams, express frustrations, and most importantly, consider strategies for change. Thus, they are a worthy consideration for public policymakers. This case study traces the contemporary mural movement in three cities: Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. …

Flower Power: Lucile Belen And The Politics Of Integrity, Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

Those who decry the character and quality of our political leadership — usually for good reason — often fail to present us with an alternative, or remind us of those whose public trust has been both well earned and well served. This article does the latter, profiling Lucile Belen, a Midwestern politician who has carried on a legendary family tradition of service that continues to inspire. Her entire life has been lived in democracy’s shadow, working to improve her community as a politician, businesswoman, and civic leader. In many respects, it is also the story of the evolution of public …

Living Legitimacy: A New Approach To Good Government In Africa, Ajume H. Wingo

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article argues for the reorientation of African governments from a model that privileges the central or garrison states to one rooted in the living experiences of citizens, such as their economic conditions, fellowship associations, local governments, and community self-reliance. It begins by describing and analyzing in depth an example of a set of moral, political, and social institutions that still work well to make collective decisions that the members of the community consider legitimate and follow without coercion. It demonstrates that a legitimate government is not and should not be a matter of instituting finished, polished, or ready-made solutions …

From Correctional Custody To Community: The Massachusetts Forensic Transition Program, Stephanie W. Hartwell, Donna Haig Friedman, Karin Orr

New England Journal of Public Policy

Offenders with mental illness who are serving correctional sentences are released to the community.Without support systems linking their transition to community-based programs following release from prison, the services necessary for their community reintegration are often fragmented and attenuated. Nearly two thirds of all inmates return to prison, and offenders with mental illness face major challenges during reintegration and have an even more difficult time living in the community without specialized, informed services. This article describes a Massachusetts program designed to bridge the transition of offenders with mental illness from incarceration to the community.The authors review historical and recent trends that …

Describing The Elephant: Christianity In A Media-Driven Culture, Syd Hielema

Pro Rege

This paper was presented as a Plenary Speaker's address to the B. J. Haan Education Conference held at Dordt College in March 2000.

On Blues, Marx, And Elvis: Why We Need A Meaningful Participation Model To Frame Spatial Theory, Sabrina L. Williams

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

The Symbiotic Circle Of Community: A Comparative Investigation Of Deviance Control In Intentional Communities, Zachary Rothenberg

Cleveland State Law Review

With each community considered, I will try to paint a picture of the many collectivizing factors at work: (1) the history or tradition of the community; (2) its underlying ideology, belief and value systems, and/or common interests or goals; (3) the nature of its communalism; (4)the nature of its isolation from the outside world; and (5) its decision-making and governance structure. Finally, I will look to its "gate-keeping" or circumference-drawing functions-how the community controls deviance and maintains unity within, while distinguishing itself from the chaos without. In Section I, I will consider two extreme examples of community (the Oneida Community …

Disrupting Individualism And Distributive Remedies With Intersubjectivity And Empowerment: An Approach To Justice And Discourse, John A. Powell

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Through A Lens Darkly--Superfund Spectacles On Public Participation At Brownfield Sites, Kris Wernstedt, Robert Hersh

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors discuss the recent trend in brownfield site development against a backdrop of Superfund experience and explore current barriers to public participation.

Community Versus Assimilation: A Study In American Assimilation At Saint Joseph's Indian Industrial School, Sarah Shillinger

Ethnic Studies Review

No govemment policy has had more of an impact on American Indians than the boarding school movement of the early to mid-twentieth century. This movement isolated American Indian children from their homes and communities and attempted to assimilate them into European-American society. This article studies the effects of this policy on children at the Saint Joseph's Indian Industrial School in Wisconsin. It uses oral history to recapture the voices and experiences of teachers and students. The use of oral history allows a comprehensive understanding of the cultural, social and academic atmosphere of the school.

Conflicting Views On Fair Siting Processes: Evidence From Austria And The U.S., Joanne Linnerooth-Bayer, Kevin B. Fitzgerald

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors maintain that, by granting legitimacy to different notions of fairness and building on common values such as responsibility, it is possible to design siting procedures that promote social cohesion, trust and a sense of fair play.

Procedural And Substantive Fairness In Landfill Siting: A Swiss Case Study, Ortwin Renn, Thomas Webler, Hans Kastenholz

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors describe the design and implementation of a process for siting a landfill. They see it as an application of procedural equity expressed in discourse ethic philosophy - one that includes checks for competence and substantive fairness.

Impediments To The Cultivation Of The Folk School Spirit In A North American Context: The Case Of Grand View College, Dennis Bielfeldt

The Bridge

In the 1995-96 academic year Grand View College will

celebrate its first hundred years of life. In anticipation of

this milestone, suggestions have been made to designate

1994-95 the "Year of Grundtvig," and to formally observe

with the entire Grand View community the influence of

the great Dane upon the college and its educational philosophy.

What, after all, could be more fitting for a college

whose most recent Academic Mission Statement proudly

declares its founding "by Danish immigrants who sought

to give the educational vision and ideals of N.F.S.

Grundtvig an institutional presence?"

Mapping--The Missing Link In Reducing Risk Under Sara Iii, Ute J. Dymon

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Dymon explains how maps can, e.g., hasten effective community responses to natural and artificial hazards and laments widespread failure to prepare and use hazard maps more extensively.

Originally From Dorchester: Arrivals And Departures In A Neighborhood, Kathleen Kilgore

New England Journal of Public Policy

In "Originally from Dorchester," her portrait of a neighborhood that wrestled — and continues to wrestle — with problems of race, ethnicity, cultural values, economic development, and mobility, Kathleen Kilgore captures the nuances of the small gesture, whether of defiance or gentility, that reveal the underside of social conflict more eloquently than databases or court findings. "The neighborhood," Kilgore writes, "weakened and aged, and forcibly resisted change." But it then began to adapt, the influx of the young and the upwardly mobile providing a lifeline that facilitated a process of renewal and accommodation, in which, in the best sense, diversity …

Danebod Family Recreation Camps, Otto G. Hoiberg

The Bridge

"The family that plays together , stays together !" Implied conversely in this generalization , one finds at least a partial explanation of the troubled waters presently navigated by the family in America. Whereas in years gone by , much recreational activity was enjoyed jointly by the various members of a family , in this day and age each member tends to go his own way to satisfy his leisure time needs and desires. After the dinner hour , Dad has a bowling engagement , Mom goes to a meeting of her Study Club , Susie heads for a Girl …

Challenge Of Poverty To The Reformed Community, Fred J. De Jong

Pro Rege

This article is the third in a series of three on the concept of poverty. The product of a series of seminars sponsored by the Social Sciences Division at Dordt College, the earlier articles defined poverty, introduced related Biblical concepts, and discussed the role of the state. For reference, see: Jasper Lesage, "Justice for the Poor: The Political Problem of Poverties," Pro Rege (14,2: December, 1985), p. 2-15; and Maarten Vrieze, "The Reformed College Confronts Poverty," Pro Rege (13,4: June, 1985), pp. 11-20.

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

Today much of public policy debate takes place in a social vacuum. This is so in part because policy issues are often rather arbitrarily assigned to particular and seemingly unconnected disciplines that put a premium on maintaining their separate baronies of intellectual hegemony, and in part because of our too-pervasive propensity to compartmentalize in order to simplify. One of the aims of the New England Journal of Public Policy is to invade, as it were, these baronies, to liberate the policy issues held hostage there and release them into a broader, more human context, one that accentuates the idea of …

Justice For The Poor: The Political Problem Of Poverties, Jasper Lesage

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Conclusion: Chicago And The Evolution Of The Danish Community

The Bridge

As contemporaries and historians noted, the development of the ethnic American depended upon a unique blend of two cultures. This study has illustrated that fact, beginning with the sources of immigration. We found that immigration resulted from a complex interplay of European and American factors, which influenced not only the immigrant and his community, but the old culture as well. For example, the existence of plentiful American farmland led to an immigration to American farms. As American produce then rose in volume, more was exported to Europe, contributing to an agricultural crisis in Denmark. That in turn generated a new …

Christian's Responsibility In The Political Arena, John B. Hulst

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Leadership And The Christian Community, John B. Hulst

Pro Rege

This article was the keynote address delivered by Rev. Hulst to the National Union of Christian Schools Convention at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 7, 1974.

Forensics At The Grass Roots..., Ralph A. Micken

The Gavel of Delta Sigma Rho

In cooperation with the adult education section of the Extension Service. Iowa State Debaters have for the past several years carried on an interesting series of debates and discussions called the Community Visits. These visits are made throughout the state, to Farm Bureau township halls, adult education classes, church clubs, high school assemblies, and service club dinners. Since the second year of the program we find that we have a core of steady customers —communities to which we are invited year after year, but each winter we add to our list and take on new visits. Trips vary in length …