Digital Commons Network^™

How On Earth Can We Live Together? In Search Of The Common Sense, N.A.

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Beginning on June 26, 2008 the Tällberg Forum will gather leaders and thinkers from seventy nations for four days of conversations and workshops related to the opportunities and chal- lenges of global interdependence. Tällberg conversations have increasingly focused on the sys- tems problems emerging from the growing imbalance between nature and human activity. Can we design, govern and manage the sustainable interaction between natural systems and the systems of human activity? Can we negotiate among ourselves the resolution of the planetary crisis? Can we find better ways to integrate the work of governments and institutions with the actions of other …

What Makes For Effective Labor Representation On Pension Boards?, Johanna Weststar, Anil Verma

Management and Organizational Studies Publications

This article examines the efficacy of labor representation on pension boards. Using existing literature and interviews with labor trustees, this article develops a model where a more formal approach to recruitment and selection, skill acquisition, and accountability is hypothesized to aid labor trustees in achieving effective integration and representation on pension boards. Data indicate that labor trustees are placed in a challenging environment with insufficient support from their union, other trustees, or the board. These findings have important implications for the selection, training, and integration of labor trustees and the success of a labor agenda on pension issues.

Finding Nina, Inge Meyer

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper provides an account of the unique cultural experience of observing an Aboriginal infant within her extended family system while overcoming the challenges of separation from the seminar group through geographical distance. Underpinning the entire process were multiple layers of transgenerational and personal loss. There were many poignant moments in this rich observational experience.

Aboriginal Rights Deliberated, Fred Bennett

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Democratic deliberation is credited with a variety of virtues, including its possi- ble usefulness in resolving, or at least ameliorating, inter-cultural conflicts. This paper ques- tions this claim. First, it overlooks that the facts and principles involved in these conflicts generally prove contestable and that such contestation is likely to be greater the less homoge- nous societies are. Second, it neglects that many, if not most, citizens have neither the time nor the inclination to acquire the conceptual and factual knowledge needed to try and over- come these differences. As a result, the more inclusive and popular deliberation becomes, the …

Desistance And Identity Change Among Aboriginal Females, John D. Hundleby, Barbara M. Gfellner, Darrell Racine

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This study concerns the factors that are involved in a change from antisocial and criminal behavior to the development of a prosocial sense of identity in ten Aborigi- nal females. Data were obtained from recorded semi-structured interviews that in- cluded questionnaires and open-ended questions. These women had dysfunctional backgrounds and lifestyles yet ceased such behavior and entered university life. Findings indicated the resilience of these women. They overcame extreme disadvan- tages and “turned around” to develop purposeful and adaptive lives. Gaining a sense of their cultural background and integrating aspects of Aboriginal heritage into their sense of self were interwoven …

Learning From The Grandmothers: Incorporating Indigenous Principles Into Qualitative Research, Charlotte Loppie

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

In this article, the author describes the process she undertook to incorporate Indigenous principles into her doctoral research about the midlife health experiences of elder Aboriginal women in Nova Scotia, Canada. By employing qual- itative methods within the context of an Indigenous worldview, she gained knowledge of and developed competence in Aboriginal health research. The emergent partnership among Aboriginal community research facilitators, participating Mi’kmaq women, and the researcher provided many opportunities for the researcher to incorporate the paradigmatic and methodological traditions of Western science and Indigenous cultures. The application of these principles to this study might provide a useful example …

Social Support And Thriving Health: A New Approach To Understanding The Health Of Indigenous Canadians, Chantelle A.M. Richmond, Nancy A. Ross, Grace E. Egeland

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objectives. We examined the importance of social support in promoting thriv- ing health among indigenous Canadians, a disadvantaged population.

Methods. We categorized the self-reported health status of 31 625 adult indig- enous Canadians as thriving (excellent, very good) or nonthriving (good, fair, poor). We measured social support with indices of positive interaction, emotional support, tangible support, and affection and intimacy. We used multivariable lo- gistic regression analyses to estimate odds of reporting thriving health, using social support as the key independent variable, and we controlled for educational attainment and labor force status.

Results. Compared with women reporting low levels of …