Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Figurational Dynamics And Parliamentary Discourses Of Living Standards In Ireland, Paddy Dolan

Articles

While the concept of living standards remains central to political debate, it has become marginal in sociological research compared to the burgeoning attention given to the topic of consumer culture in recent decades. However, they both concern how one does and should consume, and, indeed, behave at particular times. I use the theories of Norbert Elias to explain the unplanned but structured (ordered) changes in expected standards of living over time. This figurational approach is compared to other alternative explanations, particularly those advanced by Bourdieu, Veblen and Baudrillard. Though these offer some parallels with Elias’s theories, I argue that consumption …

Right By Children: Children's Rights And Rights Based Approaches To Policy Making In Early Childhood Education And Care: The Case Of Ireland, Noirin Hayes, Siobhan Bradley

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Potato In Irish Cuisine And Culture, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Pádraic Óg Gallagher

Articles

This article will discuss the introduction of the potato from its South American origin into Irish cuisine and culture. The authors will outline the stages of devopment from introduction to acceptance as a winter vegetable, to widespread acceptance, moving on to overdependence and leading to subsequent famine. The article will discuss the varieties of potatoes used, the methods of production at different levels of society, and a number of quintessentially Irish potato dishes including boxty, champ, and colcannon, which will be compared with similar potato dishes in other cultures.

Higher Education At A Time Of Economic Crisis: Is It Good-Bye To The Celtic Tiger?, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

This presentation provides an overview of the effect of the global economic crisis on Irish higher education.

Trends In Higher Education: What’S Happening In Ireland, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

This presentation provides an overview of trends in higher education policy worldwide, and their implications for Ireland.

The Language Of Food: A Review Of The 2009 Oxford Symposium On Food And Cookery, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article reviews the 2009 Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, which was held in St. Catherine's College, Oxford. This year's theme was Food and Language and over forty papers were delivered to and audience of over two hundred leading food writers, historians, scientists, anthropologists, linguists, culinary students, and general food enthusiasts.

Does Gender Impact On Career Progression In The Garda Síochána?, Goretti Sheridan

Dissertations

Little is generally known about the factors affecting the managerial advancement of women in police forces internationally. There is a dearth of research on women and policing in the Garda Síochána. Women are 50 years in policing in Ireland and would appear to have been totally restricted in their progression up until the last decade. The principle aim of this study is concerned with exploring the research question ‘Does Gender Impact on Career Progression in the Garda Síochána?’ It concentrates solely on policewomen. A comprehensive analysis of national and international literature is summarised in a literature review. An extensive examination …

Migrant-Led Organisations And Their Communities: Participation, Shirine Beausang

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the processes of participation of migrant-led organisations and migrant communities in the Irish ‘intercultural’ sector, and also the broader third sector. The rational behind this research is to gain an understanding of the types and levels of participation in order to ascertain if inequities exist between the involvement of migrant communities and indigenous Irish people. Participation is assessed in relation to the emergence of barriers to participation, and how involvement is supported and facilitated by the organisations and the intercultural sector in general. This qualitative research utilises a critical ethnography, which integrates …

Revitalisation, Rigour And Relevance: The Citizen-Client And Planning In The Health Services., Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

Whereas, in many OECD countries strategic planning in health care has been in evidence since the 1970s, in Ireland the emergence of strategic management processes in health care planning didn’t occur until the 1990s.

This paper reports on part of a comparative study of health services planning in Ireland and in Canada. How can the strategic management of the Irish health services in the form of service planning be implemented? The focus of this paper is the identification of two key stumbling blocks to success in this endeavour. These include the limitations of the control mechanism, the legislation, underpinning service …

The Future Of The Oecd, Richard Woodward

Books/Book Chapters

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is one of the least written about and least understood of our major global institutions. This new book builds a well-rounded understanding of this crucial, though often neglected, institution, with a range of clearly written chapters that:

• outline its origins and evolution, bringing its story fully up-to-date

• present a clear framework for understanding the OECD

• set the institution within the broader context of global governance

• outline key criticisms and debates

• evaluate its future prospects.

Given the immense challenges facing humanity at the start of the 21st century, the need for the OECD …

A Strategy For Small Nations In A Time Of Economic Crisis, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

This presentation presents a higher education strategy for small nations.

Dit’S Dynamic Speech Corpus, Dermot Campbell, Ciaran Mcdonnell, Marty Meinardi, Charles Pritchard, Bunny Richardson, Yi Wang

Articles

The Technological University Dublin’s FLUENT Dynamic Speech Corpus is aimed at learners, teachers, authors and researchers. When the prototype is complete (target: July 2009) it will afford access to a unique audio resource based on dialogues. Users will be able to find samples of native-to-native speech on a chosen topic, listen to phonetically interesting sections and explore the dynamic environment which gave rise to the spoken features studied. At all stages the user will be able to slow down sequences for heightened intelligibility.

An Exploration Of Manager’S Practices In And Attitudes Towards Staff Vetting In Children’S Residential Centres, Catherine Hanly

Dissertations

The aim of this study is to explore the practices of centre managers in vetting staff for employment in residential child care. The study also aims to explore the attitudes of these managers towards current vetting requirements. The study examined practices and attitudes of managers of children’s residential centres within the non-statutory sector only but on a national basis. The methodology utilised in this study is a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data was subsequently analysed in order to develop a questionnaire. On development, sixty-nine anonymous self completion questionnaires were distributed …

Síolta The National Quality Framework For Early Childhood Education; Teacher’S Perspectives., Sandra O'Neill

Dissertations

The current fragmentation of the early education field in Ireland (primary schools, sessional services, full day care and childminding all coming under this umbrella term) has lead to difficulties in implementing universal quality initiatives. The government has taken steps to address this with the introduction of Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Now in its pilot phase, there has been poor uptake from National schools. In this study, semi structured interviews and focus groups were carried out with a group of Infant class teachers and Principals from the pilot programme to explore what factors influence their decision …

Digital Radio For Ireland: Competing Options, Public Expectations, Brian O'Neill, Helen Shaw, Agata Olbrycht

Reports

The Broadcasting Bill 2008 provides for digital terrestrial sound broadcasting services. This project will contribute to the debate on digital radio with research on the sector’s preparedness for digital radio. It will survey both professionals and potential users of digital radio and assess the environment within which public expectations for new audio media services are formed. REPORT PUBLISHED IN SEPTEMBER 2009

What Do Young People Think Of The Gardaí?:An Examination Of Young Peoples Attitudes Toward And Experiences Of The Gardaí, Niamh Feeney

Dissertations

National strategies point toward the importance of young people being consulted in relation to services and policies that affect them. Interest in the attitudes of young people to police has increased in recent decades yet this has not yet been explored in Ireland. This thesis examines the attitudes of a sample of young people in the Garda Dublin Metropolitan Region North to the Gardaí as well as their experiences of contacts with members of An Garda Síochána. This is done mainly through the quantitative research method of a survey. One hundred and three young people aged 15-19 in four different …

Children As Victims, Children As Clients Towards A Framework Of Best Practice In Services For Children Who Experience Domestic Violence, Emma Byrne-Macnamee

Dissertations

Historically, the core focus of domestic violence services in Ireland and elsewhere has been to support and empower women. Children’s needs have been seen as secondary to their mothers’, although services have generally provided opportunities for play and recreation. An increasing recognition of the direct effects of family violence on children and a growing trend in child and family provision towards monitoring progress and identifying outcomes has created a necessity for services working with children who experience domestic violence to examine and appraise the nature and scope of their work. Within this context, this study describes existing provision for children …

Approaches To Qualitative Research: Theory And Its Practical Application (A Guide For Dissertation Students), John Hogan, Paddy Dolan, Paul Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

Qualitative research is a multifaceted approach that investigates culture, society and behaviour through an analysis and synthesis of people’s words and actions. Qualitative methods produce compelling knowledge of how and why people behave as they do, whether in organisational, family, personal, or other social roles.

The primary objective of this book is to introduce students to the concepts underlying qualitative research and how this kind of research can be conducted in a practical manner. To this end, it discusses various approaches to qualitative research and provides examples of these approaches being carried out in practice. In doing so, the book …

Civil Partnership: Your Questions Answered - A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Civil Partnership Bill, Fergus Ryan

Reports

The Civil Partnership Bill 2009 arguably represents the most momentous change in Irish Family Law in a generation. The Bill proposes a substantial new legal status for registered same-sex partners, as well as important changes to the law as it relates to cohabitants. This report addresses the provisions of the Bill as initiated, analysing the potential impact of the Bill in clear and accessible language. The Report also highlights potential difficulties with the Bill, and suggests possible enhancements to the Bill as initiated.

The Impact Of Policy Tool Selection On Early Childhood Education And Care (Ecec) In Ireland, Bernie O'Donoghue Hynes, Noirin Hayes

Conference Papers

This paper looks at the range of policy tools selected by the Irish State to fund and develop Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The choice is influenced by cultural norms and ideological predisposition with Ireland demonstrating a pro-market bias and relying on a range of interdependencies and third parties for delivery of services. The tools selected by the Irish State are typically those associated with States that promote a liberal agenda, sometimes referred to as the Anglo/American model (Salamon 2002). However, a closer review of the tools characteristics in Ireland reveal a tendency to adopt a conservative corporatist (Dean …

The Very Basics Of Sustainability - An Alternative Viewpoint, Jim Mcgovern

Other resources

This paper examines the context and meaning of the term ‘sustainability’, the factors that determine and govern climate on Earth, the population of the Earth and its trends and influencers, the requirements for sustaining life and the options that are available to humankind. Some viewpoints are presented that are alternative to ‘conventional alternative’ thinking. The author advocates keeping an open mind on all available options, including the use of oil, gas, coal, tar sands, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power etc., as well as the technologies that are more widely considered ‘green’ and also argues that humankind needs to face …

The Very Basics Of Sustainability - An Alternative Viewpoint (Slides With Audio) (Large File! To Speed Up Download, Right-Click On "Download" Link To Save To Own Pc.), Jim Mcgovern

Other resources

This presentation sets out the very basics of ‘sustainability’, although a definition of sustainability is not attempted. Some of the very basics are the context in which the Earth and humankind exist in space and time, the Earth’s climate, the Earth’s population and humankind’s options and choices. The author advocates keeping an open mind on all available options, including the use of oil, gas, coal, tar sands, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power etc., as well as the technologies that are more widely considered ‘green’. The author also argues that, in addressing the challenges that humankind faces, globally concerted effort …

Communication Rights, Digital Literacy And Ethical Individualism In The New Media Environment, Brian O'Neill

Conference Papers

Recent developments in European media policy have given priority to the notion that all citizens need to be digitally literate to fully participate in the emerging Information Society. Media literacy or digital literacy, it is argued, will be required to able to exercise informed choices, understand the nature of content and services and take advantage of the full range of opportunities offered by new communications technologies. Further, being media literate, citizens will be better able to protect themselves and their families from harmful or offensive material. The inclusion of media literacy within the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (Commission of the …

Objectivist Problematics: Planning For Leisure From An Experiential Perspective?, Ross Neville

Articles

Despite the fact that the experiential perspective has had a profound impact on the way we view leisure behaviour, experiential matters have been renounced for being overtly subjective. As a corollary, experiential matters have been castigated for their inability to offer concrete criteria for leisure policy and the provisions of services. This paper argues that this dismissal of experiential matters is based on an overinflated dichotomy – the fact/value dichotomy – and that, by valorising objectivist approaches to managing leisure resources, experiential matters have become nothing more than a policy-making faux pas. The paper argues that while experiential matters bring …

Confidential Sources And Contempt Of Court: An Argument For Change, Angel Fahy

Dissertations

This thesis sought to examine the law on contempt of court as it pertained to journalists’ refusal to give evidence that would reveal the identity of their confidential sources of information. It argued that current law in this jurisdiction does not go far enough to protect journalists’ sources and, consequently, press freedom. It contended that despite the introduction of a statutory provision in the UK to provide qualified immunity from contempt charges for journalists who refused to reveal their sources, the law is not sufficiently clear to allow journalists to grant confidentiality without fear of prosecution. This thesis found that …

The Mexican Economic Crisis Of 1982 And The Brazilian Economic Crisis Of 1999 - Critical Junctures In Economic Policy, John Hogan, Ana Maza

Articles

This paper utilises a new critical juncture framework to help us determine whether changes to Mexican macroeconomic policy in the early 1980s, and Brazilian macroeconomic policy at the turn of the century, were clean breaks with the past, or continuations of previously established policy pathways. The framework consists of three elements, which must be identified in sequence in order to declare, with some certainty, if an event was a critical juncture. These are crisis, ideational change, and radical policy change.

Re(Dis)Covering Organizational Forming: The Case Of Ireland’S Industrial Development Authority, Paul Donnelly

Conference papers

Organizational form, as an issue, has been the focus of attention since Weber’s formulation of the ideal-type bureaucracy. For organizational scholars, the very concept of form is at the heart of organization studies, such that “[w]here new organizational forms come from is one of the central questions of organizational theory” (Rao, 1998: 912). The Weberian “ideal type,” with its focus on the ontological possibility of identifying form, represents the inaugural moment in organization theory. Since that moment, and based on the need to say what is “organization” as the condition for having “organization theory,” it is a requirement of organization …

Community Engagement As Social Innovation, Ellen Hazelkorn

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Global Positioning Of Irish Higher Education: The Way Forward, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

This presentation addresses the question as to how Ireland should globally position itself, and what are the appropriate policies and processes that should be adopted to best enable Ireland to respond.

Applying Computational Models Of Spatial Prepositions To Visually Situated Dialog, John D. Kelleher, Fintan Costello

Articles

This article describes the application of computational models of spatial prepositions to visually situated dialog systems. In these dialogs, spatial prepositions are important because people often use them to refer to entities in the visual context of a dialog. We first describe a generic architecture for a visually situated dialog system and highlight the interactions between the spatial cognition module, which provides the interface to the models of prepositional semantics, and the other components in the architecture. Following this, we present two new computational models of topological and projective spatial prepositions. The main novelty within these models is the fact …