The Rawls-Tawney theorem and the digital divide in postindustrial society.

The digital divide continues to challenge political and academic circles worldwide. A range of policy solutions is briefly evaluated, from laissez-faire on the right to “arithmetic” egalitarianism on the left. The article recasts the digital divide as a problem for the social distribution of presumptively important information (e.g., electoral data, news, science) within postindustrial society. Endorsing in general terms the left-liberal approach of differential or “geometric” egalitarianism, it seeks to invest this with greater precision, and therefore utility, by means of a possibly original synthesis of the ideas of John Rawls and R. H. Tawney. It is argued that, once certain categories of information are accorded the status of “primary goods,” their distribution must then comply with principles of justice as articulated by those major 20th century exponents of ethical social democracy. The resultant Rawls-Tawney theorem, if valid, might augment the portfolio of options for interventionist information policy in the 21st century

Beyond Equality of What: Sen and Neutrality

Based on a close reading of the debate between Rawls and Sen on primary goods versus capabilities, I argue that liberal theory cannot adequately respond to Sen’s critique within a conventionally neutralist framework. In support of the capability approach, I explain why and how it defends a more robust conception of opportunity and freedom, along with public debate on substantive questions about well-being and the good life. My aims are: (i) to show that Sen’s capability approach is at odds with Rawls’s political liberal version of neutrality; (ii) to carve out a third space in the neutrality debate; and (iii) to begin to develop, from Sen’s approach, the idea of public value liberalism as a position that falls within that third space.

Corporate institutions in a weakened welfare state: a Rawlsian perspective

This paper re-examines the import of Rawls’s theory of justice for private sector institutions in the face of the decline of the welfare state. The argument is based on a Rawlsian conception of justice as the establishment of a basic structure of society that guarantees a fair distribution of primary goods. We propose that the decline of the welfare state witnessed in Western countries over the past forty years prompts a reassessment of the boundaries of the basic structure in order to include additional corporate institutions. A discussion centered on the primary good of self-respect, but extensible to power and prerogatives as well as income and wealth, examines how the legislator should intervene in private sector institutions to counterbalance any unfairness that results from the decline of the welfare state.

Offender reintegration : an RNR-GLM framework

According to the Good Lives Model, the inability to meet human needs in an adaptive manner - through lack of suitable circumstances, abilities, or opportunity - compels the individual to address this deficiency through other (maladaptive) means available to them. Thus the GLM contends that offending behavior serves a specific function and that different behaviors (crimes) are used to meet different needs. This presentation will discuss how the Good Lives Model can be used, in conjunction with that of the Risk-Needs Model, in a prison service. The combined model develops and implements programming for offenders prior to release into the community by mapping the offender's offence, social and psychological history against the secondary goods described in the Good Lives Model (i.e., the concrete means by which primary goods or human needs can be achieved), with identified deficits in secondary goods being the focus of intervention.

Good lives model applied to a forensic population

According to the good lives model (GLM) all human beings seek primary goods (i.e., activities or experiences that benefit them) and offending reflects attempts to pursue these goods in ways that are unacceptable to society and damaging to the individual and others. The aim of this article was to explore how the GLM can be developed for use with a forensic population, a heterogeneous group of individuals whose common feature is the interface of the criminal justice and mental health systems. The conceptual, clinical and philosophical implications of using the good lives model of forensic mental health (GLM-FM) are explored. Three case studies are used to illustrate the ways in which the enriched model can provide a holistic approach to conceptualizing offending that occurs in the context of mental illness and in guiding treatment planning. It is suggested that the augmented model provides a clinically flexible and ethically sound framework for formulating treatment issues for forensic patients.

A good lives model of clinical and community rehabilitation

Aims of the paper. The aim of this paper was to introduce the Good Lives Model, originally developed for offender rehabilitation, to the clinical rehabilitation community. We argue that this model has considerable promise, both as a ‘thinking tool’ and as an integrative framework emphasizing the centrality of the person in clinical and community rehabilitation for complex and chronic health conditions.

Key findings and implications. The essential features of a good rehabilitation theory are first outlined. These are the general principles and assumptions that underpin a theory, the aetiological assumptions and the intervention implications. The Good Lives Model for clinical rehabilitation is then described in terms of these three components of a good rehabilitation theory.

Conclusions and recommendations. The Good Lives Model has considerable promise as a tool for integrating many diverse aspects of current best practice in rehabilitation while maintaining the individual client as the central focus. At the same time it is provisional and further theoretical development and empirical support is required.

Motivating offenders to change in therapy: an organizing framework

Objectives. Motivating offenders to change in therapy is an important aspect of effective offender treatment, yet despite this, offenders' motivation to change has received little close attention in the academic and professional literature. This situation is a result of an over-emphasis on the risk management model of rehabilitation, and a consequent failure to construe motivation within an overarching theory of offender rehabilitation.

Method. We present a social cognitive model of offender motivation — the Good Lives Model (GLM) — that provides a framework for incorporating factors that have been shown to be of importance in enhancing offender motivation. This is based upon the notion that all humans strive to achieve primary goods that are intrinsically rewarding and essential to well-being. Where offenders are concerned, criminogenic problems relate, not to the goods offenders seek, but to the way they seek them. Any treatment approach should take this into account and focus positively on equipping people with the skills required to achieve goals rather than simply look to manage risk. The motivational construct that we use here is that of goals. In the GLM, goals are the less abstract depictions of primary human goods and it is with these that people are typically engaged in their day-to-day activities and lives. Looking at therapeutic goal-setting, methods and styles of therapy, and therapist approaches, we derive theoretically-based key issues in motivating offenders to change in therapy.

Conclusion. In conclusion, we present a summary of 12 strategies and techniques that will not only help practitioners enhance their therapeutic effectiveness, but hopefully also act as a catalyst in the development of research on offenders' motivation to change.

Narrative identity and offender rehabilitation

The rehabilitation of offenders is an evaluative and capability-building process and is concerned with promoting primary goods and managing risk. At the heart of this process is the construction of a more adaptive narrative identity and the acquisition of capabilities to enable offenders to secure important values in their postrelease environments. In this article, the authors examine the idea of narrative identity and its relationship to values and to assessment and treatment.

Striving for a good life : the good lives model applied to released child molesters

The good lives model (GLM) is a strengths-based approach to offender rehabilitation in which treatment aims to equip offenders with the skills and resources necessary to satisfy primary goods, or basic human values, in personally meaningful and socially acceptable ways. The aim of the present research was to explore the practical utility of the GLM with a sample of released child molesters, and investigate the relationship between primary goods attainment and overall re-entry conditions (in terms of accommodation, social support and employment). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 child molesters at one, three and six months following their release from prison. As expected, participants endorsed the majority of GLM primary goods with high importance, and positive re-entry experiences were associated with increased goods attainment. Implications for clinicians, policy makers and society as a whole are discussed.

China's "South-South" trade with Southeast Asia: unequal exchange and combined and uneven development

China’s unprecedented emergence as an economic and political power has created a new geopolitical economy for semi-industrialised and developing economies in Southeast Asia. This paper examines China’s trade relationships with Thailand and Indonesia using the concepts of uneven and combined development (UCD) and unequal exchange. The mass of surplus value obtained through China’s trade with the developed economies has flowed into the considerable expansion in China’s imports from developing countries since 2000. China has maintained a consistent trade deficit with the latter. While the developing countries concerned have benefitted from this set of relationships, the extent to which they have done so has been determined by national strategies. In countries like Thailand – where manufacturing capital and a significant working class has emerged – exports expanded on the basis of mutually advantageous technologically and skills intensive goods. These are produced with a similar organic composition of capital as in China. The result has been a further consolidation of the hegemony of manufacturing capital. Indonesia, however, has a political system and economy long dominated by resource exploitation linked fractions of capital. The result has been a surge in primary goods exports. The current commodity price cycle has meant these goods exchange at prices above their value. The current looming price correction, however, may have negative repercussions. In the meantime, the concentration in raw materials exports is helping to prevent the emergence of a circuit of productive capital in manufacturing. The evidence from these contrasting cases suggests that the degree to which developing economies can benefit from China’s own historically unparalleled combined development remains highly contingent on the strength of the combined development possibilities and efforts within these other national social formations. Above all, there is the degree to which manufacturing sectors of capital can obtain hegemony.

Exploring the role and patterns of developmental trauma in substance using offenders

 The thesis explored the relationship between developmental trauma, substance use and offending behaviour. While a lack of sufficient power did not allow patterns and trajectories to emerge, it was demonstrated that developmental trauma was experienced disproportionally more in offender and substance using populations. Further, the study proposed the utility of the Good Lives Model in developing holistic treatment plans that encompass primary goods identified by these individuals.

Determinantes da apreciação da taxa de câmbio real brasileira nos anos 2000

A forte apreciação cambial que o Brasil sofreu na última década se traduziu em um novo debate acerca da hipótese de Doença Holandesa no país. Como a queda da taxa de câmbio real ocorreu em um período de alta de preços de commodities e nos últimos anos, especialmente após a crise de 2008, vimos uma maior concentração da pauta exportadora em produtos primários, muitos economistas argumentam que a apreciação foi consequência do boom de commodities e que, em razão disso, o Brasil poderia estar sofrendo da Doença Holandesa. Este trabalho mostra que o boom de commodities não foi a principal causa da apreciação da taxa de câmbio real e não representou uma maior dependência destas mercadorias. A mudança do perfil de risco da economia brasileira foi um dos fatores mais importante para a queda da taxa de câmbio. Concluímos, portanto, que a recente perda de competitividade dos demais setores exportadores não pode ser atribuída exclusivamente à valorização das commodities.

Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2010-2011: Internacional integration and macroeconomic policy challenges amid global economic turmoil

Includes bibliography

Activities report of the initiative group of the working group on environmental statistics

Includes bibliography

Trade and investment flows between the Caribbean and the rest of the hemisphere in the context of the FTAA

Includes bibliography