Financial Inclusion of The Small and Marginal Farmers by the Banking Sector in Kerala

Financial inclusion for inclusive growth is central to the developmental philosophy of most of the nations over the past decade. It has been a priority for policy makers and regulators in financial sector development for improving access and usage of financial services to achieve comprehensive financial inclusion. The initiatives taken towards financial inclusion can promote a more effective and efficient process to achieve significant improvements in financial inclusion are to establish and achieve shared and sustainable development and growth. Realising this, an increasing number of countries are committing to promote financial inclusion, encouraged by the growing body of country level experiences (World Bank, 2012). Financial inclusion basically means, broad based growth through participation as well as sharing the benefits from the growth process along with the under privileged and marginal segments of the economy. Evidence suggests that it has substantial benefits for equitable and sustainable growth. Inclusive growth ensures that while economy grows rapidly, all segments of society are involved in this growth process, ensuring equal opportunities, devoid of any regional or sectoral disparitiesIt is widely acknowledged that the objective ofinclusive growth is accomplished through the process of financial inclusion. Financial inclusion envisages bringing everyone, irrespective of financial status, into the banking fold for the individual progress and development and thereby achieving comprehensive growth with equity

Representações e Atitudes sobre Igualdade de Género no Trabalho e nas Organizações dos Funcionários e das Funcionárias de um Município Português

Em Portugal, as iniciativas no âmbito da conciliação trabalho-família e a igualdade entre mulheres e homens têm-se fortificado nos últimos anos. A presente dissertação estuda as “Representações e atitudes sobre igualdade de género dos funcionários e funcionárias de um município português”, tendo partido do desafio de acompanhamento de um processo de planeamento e mudança organizacional - Plano para a igualdade de género - para a eliminação da desigualdade de género numa Câmara do interior centro do país. Analisaram-se os dados de um inquérito por questionário respondido por 206 colaboradores/as da autarquia, dos quais 51,2% são homens e 48,8% mulheres. Com uma escala composta de 34 itens procurámos conhecer a extensão e a expressão dos valores e da estereotipia de género, bem como o reconhecimento da desigualdade e o acolhimento de práticas e políticas igualitárias por parte deste universo. Concluiu-se que ao mesmo tempo que já se admite e se aceita cada vez mais o facto de numa família, os dois cônjuges trabalharem fora e se dedicarem a uma carreira profissional, ainda está presente nas pessoas inquiridas a ideia de que as tarefas vinculadas ao âmbito doméstico são responsabilidades das mulheres, ainda que elas já recebam auxílio dos seus companheiros. Assim, percebemos que embora o mundo público seja cada vez mais ocupado por mulheres, ainda se vincula o espaço “profissional” aos homens e as responsabilidades ligadas ao lar e aos filhos às mulheres. Foi também possível concluir uma forte estereotipia de género que justifica de forma essencialista aquilo que são, na realidade, efeitos da desigualdade de género. Este diagnóstico permitiu desenhar um plano de formação organizacional com enfoque no combate à estereotipia de género e seus efeitos nefastos na gestão das pessoas, na igualdade de oportunidades e no desenvolvimento organizacional. / In Portugal, the initiatives in the scope of the bond work-family and the equity between men and women have been strengthened in the last few years. The present thesis studies the “Representations and attitudes about gender equity between men and women employees of a Portuguese city”, that started with the challenge of overlooking a process of planning and organizational change – Plan for gender equity – in order to eliminate the gender inequity within a City Hall in the interior of the country. Data collected from a questionnaire was analysed. This questionnaire was answered by 206 City Hall employees, of which 51,2% are men and 48,8% are women. With a scale composed of 34 items we sought to understand the extent and the expression of the values and gender stereotyping, as well as the inequity acknowledgement and the reception of equity practices and policies by this universe of people. It is concluded that although, more and more, it is allowed and accepted that in a family both spouses work and dedicate themselves to a professional career, within the people surveyed the idea that the household chores are of the women’s responsibility is still present, the “professional” field is still linked to the men and the responsibilities related to the home and the children are linked to the women. It was also possible to conclude that a strong gender stereotyping justifies, in an essentialist way, what are, in reality, the effects of gender inequity. This diagnosis enabled the design of an organizational training program, with the emphasis on the battle against gender stereotyping and its adverse effects in people management, in equal opportunities between men and women and in the organizational development.

Serviços de Ação Social da Universidade de Coimbra: a política de atribuição de bolsas de estudo e o Serviço Social

Este trabalho analisa as políticas de ação social escolar no ensino superior público a partir da década de 60, nomeadamente na atribuição de bolsas de estudo a estudantes da Universidade de Coimbra. Analisa ainda as alterações que estas políticas têm vindo a sofrer ao longo dos anos e a sua relação com o direito ao ensino e igualdade de oportunidades de acesso e êxito escolar consagrado na Constituição Portuguesa. O Serviço Social tem uma intervenção relevante nos Serviços de Ação Social da Universidade de Coimbra, em várias áreas, praticamente desde a sua criação. Neste trabalho, a análise das práticas do Serviço Social centra-se na atribuição de bolsas de estudo, nos últimos 10 anos. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório realizado com base em pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. Outra fonte de recolha de informação foi a entrevista, realizada à Assistente Social, e Responsável pelo Serviço de Bolsas entre 1978 e 2012, Dra. Elisa Decq Motta. As alterações às políticas de ação social no que se refere à atribuição de bolsas de estudo, relacionadas com o cálculo dos rendimentos ou com as condições de elegibilidade, têm vindo a pôr em causa o direito à igualdade de oportunidades dos estudantes, no acesso e na permanência no ensino superior. Muitos deles, economicamente carenciados, estão a ficar de fora do sistema de ação social no ensino superior em virtude destas alterações. É preocupação dos Serviços de Ação Social da Universidade de Coimbra a regressão a que se tem vindo a assistir, e as suas consequências para os estudantes do ensino superior, pelo que é urgente inverter este caminho. / This study analyses the academic social policies in the high-level educational institutions since the 60’s, namely in the allocation of scholarships to students from the University of Coimbra. Furthermore, the changes that such policies have been suffering over the last years, and their relationship with the right to education and equal opportunities to the access and scholar success that every citizen has, as stated by the Portuguese Constitution, are also examined. Since its establishment, the Social Service is a relevant area of the Social Services of the University of Coimbra, in several areas. The analyses present in this study will focus on the last 10 years, specifically on the scholarships allocation. This study is based on literature and documents research, as well as on an interview to the Social Worker responsible for the Scholarships Service from 1978 to 2012, Dra. Elisa Decq Motta. The social policies changes related with the scholarships assignment, especially those associated with the income assessment and eligibility conditions are serious hindrances to the right of equal admission opportunity and maintenance in higher education that all students have. Due to these changes, several students with financial issues are not supported by the social service in higher education. The observed changes, and its consequences for students are a matter of concern for the Social Services of University of Coimbra. It is imperative to revert the current situation.

The Effect of Wasta on Business Conduct and HRM in Jordan

Despite rapid globalisation, boom in multinational business and increasing interest in international human resource management (IHRM) generally, research on developing countries in the Middle-East is limited. A three year PhD research project seeks to begin to fill this gap by studying the effect of Jordanian culture on the transfer of western recruitment and selection (R&S) frameworks into Jordan. This paper opens up an investigation into a cultural concept at the heart of management and human resource management (HRM) in Jordan: ‘wasta’. Wasta is a concept that springs from tribalism; favouritism based on family and tribal relations. For multinational organisations this presents a challenge in balancing the western idea of fairness, equal opportunities and diversity and the local system based on favouritism. We argue that the perceived benefits of wasta cannot match the moral case for a merit based model.

Inclusão de estudantes com necessidades especiais no ensino superior

Desde a exclusão social vivida pelas pessoas portadoras de deficiência nas civilizações da Antiguidade até ao conceito de Inclusão, têm-se registado inúmeras transformações sociais e políticas, relacionadas com a luta pela igualdade de oportunidades e pelo cumprimento dos Direitos Humanos das mesmas. Também ao nível da Educação estas mudanças são visíveis. Atualmente, é dada uma maior importância ao Ensino Especial e promove-se a Escola Inclusiva, tendo esta evolução possibilitado o gradual aumento do número de estudantes universitários com Necessidades Especiais. A Educação Inclusiva tende a estender-se até ao Ensino Superior, mas continuam a verificar-se ainda situações de isolamento, discriminação e preconceito. Com o presente trabalho, apresenta-se um projeto de construção de um contexto de Inclusão, Participação e Autodeterminação, desenvolvido na Universidade de Aveiro, em conjunto com um grupo de alunos com Necessidades Especiais.

Bland byggtjejer och småbarn : - En genusstudie om pedagogers förhållningssätt och normer i förskolan

I denna studie har vi undersökt fyra förskolepedagogers förhållningssätt, normer och tankar kring genus samt om deras uppfattning stämmer överens med deras agerande i den praktiska verksamheten. Syftet med denna studie var att få mer kunskap om hur genusmedvetenheten kan se ut på förskolan idag samt att ta reda på om alla barn ges samma förutsättningar i vår studerade leksituation; bygg och konstruktionsleken. En framträdande frågeställning har varit att få fatt vilka normer som råder bland pedagogerna och hur de tar sig uttryck i verksamheten. Som teoretisk ansats har vi använt oss utav feministisk poststrukturalism och data har vi samlat in genom observationer av verksamheten samt intervjuer med pedagogerna. Resultatet visar på att det finns en motsättning mellan pedagogernas egna uppfattningar om sitt förhållningssätt och deras agerande i det praktiska arbetet. I resultatet framkom även att pedagogerna såg sig själva som genusneutrala, trots detta framträdde en viss könstraditionell syn på föreställningen kring barns agerande och fysiska uttryck. Gällande alla barns likvärdiga förutsättningar visar ett av våra huvudresultat på en tydlig diskriminering gentemot de yngsta barnen på förskolan.

Lehrererwartungen und Ethnizität. Innerschulische Chancendeterminanten bei Migrantenschülern in den Niederlanden

Der Autor legt dar, daß es in den Niederlanden immer noch eine indirekt von ständischen Prinzipien bestimmte Schule gibt, in der die soziale Herkunft der Schüler das Lehrerverhalten bestimmt und an den Schüler je nach Schichtzugehörigkeit unterschiedliche Anforderungen gestellt werden. Der Beitrag untersucht aber auch die Rolle des Faktors Ethnizität bei der Behandlung und Beurteilung von Schülern. Die Arbeit ist Teil einer größeren Repräsentativstudie, die an 44 niederländischen Grundschulen mit einem hohen Anteil von Migrantenschülern durchgeführt wurde. In der Untersuchung erwies sich die Schichtzugehörigkeit der Schüler als bedeutsamer als die ethnische Zugehörigkeit. Das hat auch Konsequenzen für pädagogische Maßnahmen. (DIPF/Orig.)

Impacto del liderazgo de género en los estilos de dirección de las organizaciones

La investigación tuvo como objetivo conocer los rasgos de personalidad predominantes en un grupo de líderes y de igual manera describir el impacto de sus estilos de liderazgo de acuerdo al género. Metodológicamente, fue una investigación cuantitativa, descriptiva y con un diseño no experimental. La población se conformó por líderes de empresas con presencia en la ciudad de Medellín. Por un muestreo de tipo intencional, se seleccionaron 20 líderes a quienes se les aplicó una encuesta estructurada de acuerdo a los objetivos de la investigación. La incorporación de mujeres a posiciones directivas se perfila como una vía útil para aprovechar los recursos humanos disponibles, en situación de igualdad de oportunidades, la diversidad de estilos y la variabilidad individual. En los últimos años, la investigación acerca de las relaciones entre género y estilos de liderazgo ha insistido en la idea de reivindicar el papel de la mujer y su contribución al desarrollo de las organizaciones. Los resultados de la investigación permiten afirmar que la extraversión constituye uno de los rasgos de personalidad distintivos de la muestra investigada y del liderazgo carismático; también se obtuvieron puntajes relevantes en apertura, rasgo distintivo del liderazgo transformacional. La alta efectividad representa la fortaleza más importante de la muestra, conjuntamente con la marcada conducta de entrenar, dirigir y delegar. Las relaciones encontradas entre las variables indican asociación significativa entre hombres y mujeres que lideran en las organizaciones.

Equality of opportunity and equality of outcome

The report on the findings of extensive empirical research on equality of educational opportunities carried out in the US on a very large sample of public schools by Coleman and his colleagues has had a major impact on education policy and has given rise to a large amount of research and various interpretations. However, as some interpreters have highlighted, even more important than the findings of the survey themselves has been Coleman’s redefinition of equality of opportunity, abandoning the then prevailing conception of equality of educational opportunities as equality of starting points and replacing it with the concept of equality of educational opportunities as equality of educational outcomes. The question is, therefore, whether equality of outcomes really is one of the two types of equality of opportunity. The purpose of the present article is to show that equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes are two different types of equality. If they are different, the interpretation that Coleman has redefined the concept of “equality of educational opportunity” turns out to be incorrect. (DIPF/Orig.)

Equality of opportunity, cultural diversity and claims for fairness

The present paper examines some of the tensions, problems and challenges associated with claims for equality of opportunity (the fairness argument). The introductory part identifies three separate forms of justification for public education, including the argument associated with equality of opportunity. Part II examines in detail two questions that reveal part of the anatomy of equality of opportunity: (1) what an opportunity is, and (2) when individuals’ opportunities are equal. This is followed by a presentation of the two basic principles of equality of opportunity: (1) the principle of non-discrimination, and (2) the “levelling the playing field” principle. The next part takes up the multiculturalist hypothesis advanced by minority groups for the accommodation and recognition of cultural diversity. This is followed by the identification of a set of claims comprising the “fairness argument”. The last section focuses on the “currency problem” associated with cultural diversity as a form of “unfair disadvantage”. Part V examines two of the major shortcomings associated with the multicultural conception of equality of opportunity, while the concluding part discusses some of the questions that must be answered by any conception of equal opportunities. (DIPF/Orig.)

Coleman’s third report

The article analyses the (third) Coleman Report on private and public schools. The report scrutinises the relationship between private and public schools and shows that private school students show better academic achievement. Coleman concluded that these findings provided a strong argument in favour of public financial support for private schools. However, he identified a number of school characteristics that he believed to be related to student achievement. According to his analysis, these characteristics were not limited to private schools; public schools exhibiting the same characteristics also had good results. Coleman interpreted the available data in favour of financial aid to private schools, although this was not the only possible interpretation. An alternative conclusion would have been to encourage these characteristics in public schools. Why did Coleman disregard this possibility? Why did he deviate from his usual scientific rigour? The present article suggests that there appear to be two reasons for the narrow interpretation of the relationship between public and private schools in Coleman's third report. The first lies in Coleman's notion of contemporary society as a constructed system in which every individual actor holds a place in the structure and requires incentives in order to act to the benefit of society. In the case of education, the goal of the institution is to ensure the high cognitive achievement of students, and the incentive is related to choice and competition. The second reason is related to Coleman's vision of sociology as a discipline aiding the construction of an effective society. (DIPF/Orig.)

The age of studies and reports: selected elements concerning the background of encounters defining the power of education

In the present paper, we discuss the time before the “age of reports”. Besides the Coleman Report in the period of Coleman, the Lady Plowden Report also appeared, while there were important studies in France (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1964; Peyre, 1959) and studies that inaugurated comprehensive education in Nordic countries. We focus on the period after the World War II, which was marked by rising economic nationalism, on the one hand, and by the second wave of mass education, on the other, bearing the promise of more equality and a reduction of several social inequalities, both supposed to be ensured by school. It was a period of great expectations related to the power of education and the rise of educational meritocracy. On this background, in the second part of the paper, the authors attempt to explore the phenomenon of the aforementioned reports, which significantly questioned the power of education and, at the same time, enabled the formation of evidence-based education policies. In this part of the paper, the central place is devoted to the case of socialist Yugoslavia/Slovenia and its striving for more equality and equity through education. Through the socialist ideology of more education for all, socialist Yugoslavia, with its exaggerated stress on the unified school and its overemphasised belief in simple equality, overstepped the line between relying on comprehensive education as an important mechanism for increasing the possibility of more equal and just education, on the one hand, and the myth of the almighty unified school capable of eradicating social inequalities, especially class inequalities, on the other. With this radical approach to the reduction of inequalities, socialist policy in the then Yugoslavia paradoxically reduced the opportunity for greater equality, and even more so for more equitable education. (DIPF/Orig.)

The sources of inequity in the education system of Serbia and how to combat them

The concept of equal opportunity for all students is deeply embedded in the Serbian constitution and in education laws. On that level, there is no doubt that everyone is ensured an opportunity to receive quality education. Many measures in education policy have been created specifically to achieve this objective and make the system fair and inclusive. The Coleman Report was linked to a wave of optimism that certain educational measures would help in achieving these noble goals. This aim is a high priority in education in a democratic country, and due to its importance needs to be re-examined. Thus, the present research examines the equity of students in the Serbian education system, detecting areas on all educational levels that could be (or already are) systemic sources of inequity (e.g., criteria for preschool institution enrolment, the system of student awards, rationalisation of the school network, the concept of entrance exams to secondary school or university, etc.). A number of measures have already been taken in the system specifically to deal with inequity (e.g., the Preschool Preparatory Programme, dropout measures, inclusion, scholarships, etc.). The effects of these measures in particular are analysed in the present work. In addition to an analysis of the systemic sources of inequity in the Serbian education system, the article also makes recommendations for their overcoming. (DIPF/Orig.)

As respostas sociais para o estudante do ensino superior com paralisia cerebral

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Paula Frassinetti para obtenção do grau de mestre em intervenção comunitária, especialização em contextos de risco

Erziehung zur Gleichheit. Mathilde Franziska Annekes Töchter-Institut in Milwaukee und ihr Eintreten für Rechte der Frauen

Im Zentrum der vorliegenden Untersuchung steht das 1865 gegründete Töchter-Institut Mathilde Franziska Annekes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dieses Schulprojekt der Achtundvierzigerin und Frauenrechtlerin wird verglichen mit Bildungsreformansätzen der Amerikanerin Catherine Beecher sowie solchen deutscher Pädagogen. Zum einen soll dabei die Besonderheit von Annekes Konzept herausgearbeitet werden, zum anderen soll der Stellenwert der Schule in den Frauenrechtsaktivitäten von Anneke beleuchtet werden. Die Analyse der sozialen Herkunft ihrer Schülerinnenschaft ergibt eine Neubewertung von Annekes Stellung als Frauenrechtlerin in Milwaukee. (DIPF/Orig.)