The Secular State Under Siege: Religion and Politics in Europe and America

Throughout human history, religion and politics have entertained the most intimate of connections as systems of authority regulating individuals and society. While the two have come apart through the process of secularization, secularism is challenged today by the return of public religion. This cogent analysis unravels the nature of the connection, disconnection, and attempted reconnection between religion and politics in the West. In a comparison of Western Europe and North America, Christianity and Islam, Joppke advances far-reaching theoretical, historical, and comparative-political arguments. With respect to theory, it is argued that only a “substantive” concept of religion, as pertaining to the existence of supra-human powers, opens up the possibility of a historical-comparative perspective on religion. At the level of history, secularization is shown to be the distinct outcome of Latin Christianity itself. And at the level of comparative politics, the Christian Right in America which has attacked the “wall of separation” between religion and state and Islam in Europe with the controversial insistence on sharia law and other “illiberal” claims from some quarters are taken to be counterpart incarnations of public religion and challenges to the secular state. This clearly argued, sweeping book will provide an invaluable framework for approaching an array of critical issues at the intersection of religion, law and politics for advanced students and researchers across the social sciences and legal studies, as well as for the interested public.

Évaluation: l’indépendance à l’épreuve de la relation entre mandants et mandataires

L’article suivant rend compte des résultats d’un atelier tenu à l’occasion du congrès 2015 de la SEVAL. L’atelier portait sur l’indépendance des évaluateurs et des évaluatrices du point de vue de leur relation avec les commanditaires de l’évaluation. Sur la base d’un exemple de mandat concret présenté par deux intervenants – l’évaluatrice ainsi que le conseiller d’État mandant de l’évaluation en question – les différents garde-fous contractuels, communicationnels et procéduraux aptes à garantir une pleine indépendance de l’évaluation ont été discutés. Il en est ressorti que quatre dimensions étaient cruciales pour le succès de la démarche : les conditions-cadres de l’évaluation, la récolte des données, les relations avec les évalués, ainsi que la phase de restitution des résultats.

The Process of Starting a Business

Many students are inspired to start their own business venture after taking some courses in school or simply just taking an idea and turning it into a business. The beginning process is usually most difficult in terms of establishing a functioning business, getting the right connections, and avoiding discouragement to follow through with the business. That is why many businesses fall into the categories of starting, failing along the process, or failing to get started. There is a lot to be learned from the process of starting a business venture. In addressing this issue, some of the questions this research study aims to explore and study are how people go about their new venture efforts? Second, what steps they undertake? Third, from whom do they get information? And fourth, how do they use that information? This study will seek a variety of insights that can help answer these questions and improve our understanding of why some businesses fail, succeed, or never get started.

Covert or Overt Intervention? The Reagan Administration in Latin America

In my thesis I looked at Cold War interventionism by America. In the Post WWII period, many countries were searching for freedom from colonial rule, and many were attracted to the idea of communism or socialism. In this context of a destabilized world and power struggle between the U.S.A and the U.S.S.R., revolutions often became points of interests and parts of this larger power play. Any type of revolution was a destabilization, in a system that was unstable at best, and peace between the powers rested precariously on the idea of “Mutually Assured Destruction.” I would like to look more specifically, at the Latin American Region, which seemed full of upheaval, and was an area of much intervention, especially during the Reagan Administration. This administration had varying goals and conflicts about the region. The large amount of interventionism in the 1980s was in part a response to the Vietnam War, which was seen as an American failure, since prevention of communism did not occur. Following this, American strength needed to be shown again in the international stage, especially in Latin America, due to its close proximity to America. I would like to explore the intervention in Grenada and see if it followed a pattern of intervention in the region. This will be contrasted with the case of Nicaragua, which seemed more typical of interventions in the region. The causes of intervention in the region as well as the reasons these interventions took such different courses will be explored and investigated.

Rights at Risk: Refugees in the New South Africa

This thesis seeks to analyze the relationship between public attitudes toward refugees in a refugee receiving state and the realization of the legal rights afforded refugees (de facto rights). I hypothesize that the more negative a host culture is toward refugees, the less refugees are able to realize their rights. Conversely, the more positive a host culture is toward refugees, the more refugees are able to realize their rights. I test the hypothesis through a case study of refugee populations in Cape Town, South Africa, based on research conducted from May to June 2007. The orientation (positive or negative) of the host culture's perceptions toward a refugee group (Independent Variable) is measured through: (1) a coded content analysis of the South African media, (2) a coded content analysis of semi-structured interviews, and (3) an assessment of secondary source public opinion surveys and reports. The realization of refugee rights (Dependent Variable) is operationalized as a function of two rights: (1) the right to personal physical integrity and (2) the right to protection from unlawful detention. These rights are measured by coding (1) media reports and (2) interviews, and by (3) assessing NGO reports and secondary source public opinion surveys. My empirical data shows that the cultural orientation toward refugees is not overwhelmingly negative, and the realization of rights is not conclusively "low." However, the frequency of data coded "negative" and "low" versus "positive" or "high" suggest that South Africans regard refugees somewhat negatively and that rights are not fully realized. This finding is strengthened by the analysis of secondary sources and field notes.

The Treatment Action Campaign's First Decade: Success Achieved?

South Africa is known to have the largest HIV epidemic in the world with 5.7 million people currently living with HIV, according to UNAIDS. In light of the crisis, South Africa's Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has led the social movement for increased treatment access for people living with HIV through lobbying the government, multinational pharmaceutical companies, and grassroots campaigning. Since it's founding a decade ago, TAC has been highly acclaimed both regionally and internationally for its success. In order to determine the success of this social movement organization, social movement theories, such as mobilization potential, external political opportunity structure, and framing of the social context of issues will be examined. The assessment of TAC's success will be made based on two outcomes: political outcome and social/cultural outcome. The assessment of TAC's success, using this framework has shown that TAC is a successful social movement organization overall.

Na 1 Nachlass Max Horkheimer, 600 - Korrespondenzen u.a. mit Friedrich Pollock (p. VI 42, 211-386)

Briefwechsel zwischen Max Horkheimer, Frederick Pollock und Karl August und Olga Wittfogel; 2 Briefe zwischen Edith B. Bernett und Max Horkheimer, April 1940; 2 Briefe zwischen Max Horkheimer und Philip Vaudrin, Juli 1939; 3 Briefe an David H. Stevens von Max Horkheimer, 26.03.1938; 1 Brief von A. Radcliffe an Frederick Pollock, 18.11.1937; 3 Briefe an Max Horkheimer von der Columbia University Faculty of Political Science (New York), November 1937; 2 Briefe von der Columbia University Department of History (New York) an Max Horkheimer, November 1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Sharon Beard, 27.11.1937; 1 Brief von Ruth Benedict an Max Horkheimer, 19.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Franz Boas, 19.11.1937; 1 Brief von R. E. Chaddock an Max Horkheimer, 21.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Ch'ao-ting Chi, 19.11.1937; 1 Brief von J. M. Clark an Max Horkheimer, 22.11.1937; 1 Brief an Dr. Wertheimer von Morris R. Cohen, 29.11.1937; 1 Brief von Alfred E. Cohn an Max Horkheimer, 26.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von John J. Coss, 22.11.1937; 1 Brief von George S. Counts an Max Horkheimer, 24.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von A. P. Evans, 22.11.1937; 3 Briefe von Gertrude Stewart an Max Horkheimer, 20. - 24.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von L. C. Goodrich, 22.11.1937; 1 Brief von John W. Innes an Max Horkheimer, 20.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Philip C. Jessup, 24.11.1937; 1 Brief von John A. Krout an Max Horkheimer, 23.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Bruno Lasker, 20.11.1937; 1 Brief von Samuel McCune Lindsay an Max Horkheimer, 24.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von K. N. Llewellyn, 26.11.1937; 1 Brief von R. S. Lynd an Max Horkheimer, [November 1937]; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von R. M. MacIver, 19.11.1937; 1 Brief von Julian W. Mack an Max Horkheimer, 24.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Arthur Maxmahon, 20.11.1937; 1 Brief von Jerome Michael an Max Horkheimer, 26.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Wesley C. Mitchell, 22.11.1937; 1 Brief von der Columbia University School of Business (New York) an Max Horkheimer, 22.11.1937; 2 Briefe zwischen Max Horkheimer und der John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (New York), November 1937; 2 Briefe von der Columbia University Department of Psychology (New York) an Max Horkheimer, November 1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Goodwin Watson, 23.11.1937; 1 Brief von Otto Nathan an Max Horkheimer, 26.11.937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von John K. Norton, 23.11.1937; 1 Brief von der Columbia University Department of Chinese (New York) an Max Horkheimer, 23.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Gerold Tanquary Robinson, 19.11.1937; 1 Brief von der Columbia University Department of Public Law and Government (New York) an Max Horkheimer, 22.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von R. C. Sailer, 20.11.1937; 1 Brief von Herbert W. Schneider an Max Horkheimer, 22.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von R. L. Schuyler, 20.11.1937; 1 Brief von Pauline Steorns an Max Horkheimer, 22.11.1937; 1 Brief an Max Horkheimer von Frank Tannenbaum, 19.11.1937; 1 Brief von Alfred Vagés an Max Horkheimer, 26.11.1937;

Texas Health & Safety Code, Section 165.002 - Right to Breastfeed in Texas

The language used in Section 165.002 of the Texas Health and Safety Code renders breastfeeding women vulnerable and susceptible to harassment, discrimination, and persecution via the Texas Penal Code, Sec. 30.05 (Criminal Trespassing), Sec. 21.08 (Indecent Exposure), and Sec. 21.22 (Indecency with a Child). ^ The overall goal of this paper is to develop a solution to this problem via a proposed law or legislative action that offers protection and support for breastfeeding women who choose to nurse in public. Data to inform these recommendations were collected through a literature review and structured interviews with several breastfeeding stakeholders. A literature review of state and federal breastfeeding legislation was conducted to compare and contrast differences between existing legislation in the United States. Interviews were conducted with breastfeeding legislation stakeholders, which included state legislators who have been active in breastfeeding legislation, breastfeeding mothers, and representatives from the Central Texas Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition (Centex HMHB Coalition), Texas Breastfeeding Coalition (TXBF coalition), La Leche League International, and the Texas Business Association. Data from the literature and legislation reviews and interviews were transcribed and examined for common themes using qualitative data techniques. ^ Overall, most of the stakeholders came to a general consensus on three points, (1) breastfeeding women are supported by stakeholders within the community, (2) other legislation or penal codes should not override the right to breastfeed, and (3) the current breastfeeding legislation needs to be improved to adequately support breastfeeding women. The interviews with breastfeeding legislation stakeholders yielded two major recommendations for the improvement of Section 165.002 of the Texas Health and Safety Code: advocacy efforts to change the wording of the legislation and education to inform people about the legislation. ^ The right to breastfeed is an important public health issue in that it provides a host of health benefits for mothers and children, and is more economical and environmentally superior to alternative feeding methods. While breastfeeding in public is not illegal nor ever has been, adequate legislation is important to affirm this right for women so that they can confidently feed their children without embarrassment or harassment.^

Standardization of data collection for the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH)

Problems due to the lack of data standardization and data management have lead to work inefficiencies for the staff working with the vision data for the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health. Data has been collected over 50 years in a variety of manners and then entered into a software. The lack of communication between the electronic health record (EHR) form designer, epidemiologists, and optometrists has led to some level to confusion on the capability of the EHR system and how its forms can be designed to fit all the needs of the relevant parties. EHR form customizations or form redesigns were found to be critical for using NASA's EHR system in the most beneficial way for its patients, optometrists, and epidemiologists. In order to implement a protocol, data being collected was examined to find the differences in data collection methods. Changes were implemented through the establishment of a process improvement team (PIT). Based on the findings of the PIT, suggestions have been made to improve the current EHR system. If the suggestions are implemented correctly, this will not only improve efficiency of the staff at NASA and its contractors, but set guidelines for changes in other forms such as the vision exam forms. Because NASA is at the forefront of such research and health surveillance the impact of this management change could have a drastic improvement on the collection of and adaptability of the EHR. Accurate data collection from this 50+ year study is ongoing and is going to help current and future generations understand the implications of space flight on human health. It is imperative that the vast amount of information is documented correctly.^

Something real: A social marketing approach to smoking prevention among Montevideo youth

Uruguay has some of the strictest tobacco-control laws in Latin America. Despite this, youth smoking rates in Uruguay are amongst the highest in South America. Thus, it is important to identify strategies to prevent youth smoking in Uruguay. The current qualitative research study sought to identify intrapersonal and socioenvironmental factors that are associated with smoking among middle school youth in Uruguay. It also sought to develop potential prevention strategies and media messages that would resonate with youth for a social media campaign. The study was grounded in social cognitive theory and the theory of reasoned action/planned behavior, among other behavioral science theories; anthropological perspectives were also considered. To achieve these goals, 29 group and individual structured interviews were conducted in two private middle schools catering to lower and higher SES youth in Montevideo, Uruguay during the summer of 2012. One hundred and three study participants, including students, parents, and teachers, were interviewed. The structured interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, back translated, coded and analyzed. The study findings show that positive attitudes towards smoking (i.e. to be seen, to increase status, to ensure women's equality, to looking old, and to service as a rite of passage), delinquent behavior (i.e. transgression/deviant behavior), social norms that support smoking (i.e. peer pressure and modeling, group membership/sense of belonging, parental modeling, and family support), easy access and availability to tobacco (i.e. retails stores) were factors associated with youth smoking. Potential protective factors may include parental support, negative attitudes towards smoking, sports/music, and smoke-free environments. Because study participants are accustomed to government-sponsored strong countermarketing graphic imaging, study participants selected even stronger images and messages as the preferred way to receive tobacco prevention messages. Something Real ("Algo Real") was a theme that resonated with the participants and chosen as the name for the proposed campaign. This campaign was designed as a multiple component intervention that included mass, school base, and family based strategies to prevent tobacco use. Some intervention materials specific to these intervention components were developed to target relevant intrapersonal and socioenvironmental factors identified above. These materials will be tested in future pilot studies and larger scale evaluation with this population, outside the scope of this dissertation. ^

El uso del caso en el dispositivo de formación en la cátedra de Institución Educativa

Con la apertura del Ciclo de Profesorado destinado a los licenciados en Sociología, Ciencia Política y Administración Pública, Trabajo Social y Comunicación Social en 2003, se abre la cátedra de Institución Educativa. Uno de los rasgos de la configuración de la propuesta fue la construcción y uso de un caso. A nueve años y seis cohortes de egresados nos preguntamos ¿qué rasgos tiene el dispositivo de formación de la cátedra Institución Educativa? y ¿cómo se ha configurado el caso en el dispositivo de formación propuesto por dicha cátedra?

Corporate Governance in Indonesia: A Study on Governance of Business Groups

This study deals with the issue of corporate governance in the case of Indonesian business groups. It examines what factors can be attributed to failures of corporate governance. Through case studies of six different types of business groups, it evidences that self-governance by owner-managers can function well if there is no other key stakeholder and no collusion with the government. When this is not the case, however, self-governance does not work, and governance by creditors or professional managers over owner-managers has limitations. For better corporate governance, there is a need not only for building internal governance mechanism of business groups, but also for strengthening external monitoring institutions including creditors, capital markets, the governmental as well as non-governmental systems.