Addressing shortcomings in the Household Responsibility System - Empirical analysis of the Two-Farmland System in Shandong Province

Despite apparent overwhelming benefits, implementation of the Household Responsibility System (HRS) in China contained a number of flaws. The Two-Farmland System (TFS), which originated in Pingdu City in Shandong Province, sought to address the twin problems of land fragmentation and economies of size. A stochastic frontier production function analysis that isolates the impacts of land allocation reforms suggests that the TFS increased efficiency by around 7%. This article highlights the need for empirical analysis to assess objectively the merits or otherwise of particular reforms. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

The limits of environmental responsibility - A stormwater case study

The motivation for concern about the environment beyond one's neighborhood is still relatively poorly understood. This article examines the determinants of feelings of responsibility at a regional watershed level. Using demographic, attitudinal, self-reported behavior and neighborhood mapping measures from four cities in Australia, five hypotheses were derived. These were that wider environmental concerns would depend on (a) the physical and social characteristics of the respondents' neighborhoods, (b) the size of their perceived neighborhoods, (c) the length of residence at their localities, (d) educational level and attitudes toward environmental moral responsibility (and the interaction between them), and (e) the level of reported environmentally friendly behavior. Support was gained for all hypotheses except length of residence and the role of general moral attitudes toward the environment. It is concluded that to explain community action at the regional level, it is important to include both spatial and psychological insights and methodologies in research.

The politics of suffering: Progress, modernity and the adolescent crisis

A concern for progress is central to the public agendas of modern societies. Political actors compete with one another mainly with regard to their respective claims to bring about a better future, particularly in the economic and technological spheres. The focus on progress has, however, deeper roots which date back to the aspirations of the Enlightenment. Around that time, the belief arose that systematic improvements are made possible by the structural features of modern society and culture, improvements that will gradually release humanity from much of the suffering characterising its historical past. This article argues the persistence of a culture of progress, rather than easing suffering, in fact enhances and mobilises it for the pursuit of superficial forms of gain. It is also claimed the attempt by Habermas' critical theory to develop a broader and more satisfactory conception of progress fails to address this problem. The article suggests an alternative and more fundamental critique of progressive ideas is required. It reflects upon these abstract theoretical questions in connection with the concrete example of the 'adolescent crisis' and the role ideas of progress play within it.

A educação ambiental nos espaços de convivência : tecendo a cultura da sustentabilidade nas redes cotidianas de uma escola municipal de Vila Velha/ES

Este trabalho tem como objetivo problematizar a ecoformação de professoras e alunos em espaços de convivência, potencializados com as experiências da IV Conferência Nacional Infanto-juvenil de Meio Ambiente (CNIJMA), visitas monitoradas, aulas de campo e saídas. Ancorada na Política Estruturante de Educação Ambiental, entendo que esses espaços de convivência expressam um processo educacional, permanente, continnum e transformador. Tendo como mediadora a COM-Vida (Comissão de Meio Ambiente e Qualidade de Vida) e o Tratado de Educação Ambiental para as Sociedades Sustentáveis e Responsabilidade Global, a Educação Ambiental visa fortalecer a cidadania ambiental em movimento escola-comunidade-escola. Impregnada de sentidos e significados, busquei pesquisar a ecoformação dessa coletividade pelo viés do Paradigma da Complexidade, que me apresentou as incertezas como um processo potencializador da criatividade, da amizade e da solidariedade que tecem a rede de saberes e fazeres que envolvem esses sujeitos investigados, além de evidenciar o cuidado de si com o outro e com o mundo. Ao trilhar os caminhos desta pesquisa, optei por abordagens qualitativas inspiradas na fenomenologia-existencial proposta por Martin Heidegger, Michèle Sato e Paulo Freire e, dessa forma, pude investigar os saberes ambientais que atravessam as redes cotidianas da escola pesquisada, potencializando a cultura da sustentabilidade. Valendo-me da observação participante das práticas pedagógicas, encontrei nas narrativas das professoras e alunos a expressividade de um processo ecoformativo que instiga outras racionalidades comprometidas com a ética, a coletividade, a afetividade, a solidariedade, as transformações sociais, a diversidade e a outridade.

O sentido de ser educadora das/ nas brinquedotecas do hospital infantil de Vitória/ ES: um estudo a partir dos conceitos de experiência, narrativa e cuidado

O ato de brincar tem sido considerado como vital à saúde mental, emocional, física e intelectual do ser humano. Todos esses elementos são vividos no brincar de modo indissociado. A brinquedoteca Hospitalar possibilita melhores condições para a recuperação da criança internada, minimizando situações traumatizantes e tornando a sua estadia no hospital mais alegre. Este trabalho propõe um estudo de inspiração fenomenológico existencial OBJETIVANDO: desvelar - o sentido de ser educadora nas brinquedotecas do Hospital Infantil de Vitória/ ES, focando as experiências delas narradas e cuidadosamente vividas (e ou experienciadas) nos modos subjetivos delas serem no mundo objetivo, vivências que serão narradas por elas nesse espaço-tempo de ludicidade que se presta à Pedagogia Hospitalar nas suas vertentes de atendimentos escolares (Educação Especial numa perspectiva inclusiva) e não-escolares donde a Pedagogia hospitalar compõe um ramo da Pedagogia Social, oferecendo assim atendimentos às crianças e jovens especialmente, mas não só (podendo abarcar adultos e idosos). MARCO TEÓRICO: o termo teórico central do nosso marco teórico é Cuidado (SORGE), como em BOFF (2012) e WALDOW(1993; 1998; 2006) e Experiência em PINEL (2004;2006) de ser (ter sido) de alguma forma criadora desse espaço-tempo de brincar ( e de estudar) no hospital, confabulando tanto uma Educação Não Escolar (Pedagogia Social) e Escolar (Pedagogia Escolar). A angústia de ser educadora das brinquedotecas pareceu-nos que se constituirá em uma característica imprescindível para a compreensão da sua existência do ser no ofício, bem como sua interação consigo mesmo, com o outro e com o mundo das Brinquedotecas Hospitalares. Entendemos os sentidos da alegria, calma e alegria, coragem e profissionalismo, transform(ação), direito e escolaridade e humanização e dor como elementos que compuseram o complexo mosaico de Cuidado (Sorge) – próprios daquele que se propõe cuidar de si, do outro e das coisas do mundo pelo viés de cuidar.

Gifted: the monolingualism of corporate social responsibility

Acts of Corporate Social Responsibility are more often than not portrayed as success-story narratives. A quasi-ethnographic study in Senegal shatters the underlying assumptions of these accounts. First a computer donation from a Northern country is described with all the usual incidents and related vocabulary. Later, during a visit to a Senegalese rubbish dump, the story starts to falter, as countless questions arise about what is actually going on there, and how we can know and represent it (both as a portrayal and as a voice). A tipping point in an interview serves to reveal the ambiguities of the position adopted and the difficulties of expressing oneself in a different language. The CSR language is described as a kind of monolingualism, which employs a particular vocabulary and grammar for what is said or thought. This is the monolingualism of the other. Some of the implications of this monolingualism are examined, and this leads to the conclusion that there is a need to take measures with regard to the CSR language and that more than one language is needed to speak about CSR.

Corporate social responsibility practices at brazilian firms

Corporate Social Responsibility practices have been on the rise in recent years in firms all over the world. Brazil, as one of the most important countries emerging on the international scene, is no exception to this, with more and more firms taking up these practices. The present study focuses on analyzing the corporate social responsibility practices that Brazilian companies engage into. The sample used is comprised of 500 firms grouped by geographical area; the theoretical framework is based on stakeholder and institutional theories; and the technique used for the analysis is the biplot, more specifically the HJ Biplot and cluster analysis. From the results obtained it is possible to infer that the CSR variables corresponding to environmental practices are more closely linked to companies located in the northern areas of Brazil. Social and community practices are related to companies primarily in the southern and northeastern regions of the country.