scholarly journals Sex robot technology and the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF): A relationship in the making?

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 390-403
Author(s):  
David C. Mainenti
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Societal Norms ◽  
Technological Artifacts ◽  
The Social ◽  
Robot Technology ◽  
Narrative Policy Framework

AbstractThe use of sex robots is expected to become widespread in the coming decades, not only for hedonistic purposes but also for therapy, to keep the elderly company in care homes, for education, and to help couples in long-distance relationships. As new technological artifacts are introduced to society, they play a role in shaping the societal norms and belief systems while also creating tensions between various approaches and relationships, resulting in a range of policy-making proposals that bring into question traditional disciplinary boundaries that exist between the technical and the social. The Narrative Policy Framework attempts to position policy studies in such a way so as to better describe, explain, and predict a wide variety of processes and outcomes in a political world increasingly burdened by uncertain reporting, capitalistic marketing, and persuasive narratives. Through content analysis, this study identifies coalitions in the scientific community, based on results gathered from Scopus, to develop insights into the manner in which liberal, utilitarian, and conservative influences alike are shaping narrative elements and content both in favor of and against sex robot technology.

Between entrepreneurs and workers: Cleavages and compromises in rationales and policy solutions regarding ‘dependent contractors’

2021 ◽  
pp. 0143831X2110303
Author(s):  
Louis Florin ◽  
François Pichault
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Narratives ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Narrative Policy Framework ◽  
Policy Solutions ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Labour Regulation

The emergence of dependent contractors challenges the existing institutions regarding social protection and labour regulation. This article aims at identifying the political narratives that explain the emergence of New Forms of Employment (NFE) and dependent contracting along with the policy solutions proposed by the social partners at the EU and international level. By analysing policy documents from the social partners through the lens of a qualitative version of the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), the authors indentify two distinct narratives – ‘devaluation of work’ and ‘entrepreneurship and flexibility’. The authors show how these rationales lead to various policy solutions and identify oppositions and possible compromise.

World System History

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Denemark
Keyword(s):  
World System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Continuity Hypothesis ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
The Social ◽  
Intellectual Origins ◽  
History Of ◽  
Transition To Capitalism

World system history is a perspective on the global sociopolitical and economic system with a structural, long-term and transdisciplinary nature. The intellectual origins of the study of world system history can be characterized by three general trajectories, beginning with the work of global historians who have worked to write a “history of the world.” Attempts were also made by scholars such as Arnold Toynbee to write global history in terms of “civilizations”. A second pillar of world system history emerged from anthropology, when many historians of the ancient world, anthropologists, and archaeologists denied the importance of long-distance relations, especially those of trade. A third pillar emerged from the social sciences, including political science and sociology. One of the central ideas put forward was that sociopolitical and economic phenomena exhibited wave-like behavior. These various intellectual strands became self-consciously intertwined in the later 1980s and 1990s, when scholars from all of these traditions began to cross disciplinary boundaries and organize their own efforts under the rubric of world system history. This period saw Gunder Frank and Barry K. Gills questioning the value of identifying a uniquely modern system based on a transition to capitalism that was said to have occurred in the West. Frank and Gills introduced the “continuity hypothesis,” which suggests that too much scholarly emphasis has been placed on the search for and elucidation of discontinuities and transitions. World system history faces two important challenges from determinism and indeterminacy, and future research should especially address the implications of the latter.

scholarly journals Creative Cultural Industries: A Great Economic Capital for the Social, Political and Economic Development of Africa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Larson ◽  
James Hugo
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
African Art ◽  
Initiation Rites ◽  
The Social ◽  
Marital Sex

The cultural and artistic productions of Africa have various dimensions that emphasize the pivotal role art plays in the development of societies. This justifies why art and societal living and progression are intertwined. This article explains the influence of art in the social, political, and economic development in African societies. African art is related to the development of the total life of Africans. This includes the dressing styles, eating habits, values and the norms in the African society. It also embraces the use of art and our cultural heritage in addressing the social problems faced by the ethnic societies in the African continent. Many modern societies in Africa are faced with the challenge of teenage pregnancy, environmental pollution and other forms of social vices. Strategies and solutions to these staggering problems can be found in the sound values, norms, belief systems and practices in Africa. For instance, many scholars in African studies and cultures are calling for a re-visitation and revival of the indigenous practices of initiation rites for the youth that ensured that moral chasteness was maintained by the youth, including the abstinence from pre-marital sex and all other forms of social vices associated with the youth today. It was the measure put in place by the elderly members of the societies in introducing the mantle of leadership to the youth. The initiation rites were platforms for keeping the youth abreast with their social duties as responsible adults.

scholarly journals The Crime Victims' Rights Act: Rhetoric or Reality?

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-58
Author(s):  
Patricia Lynne Sattler
Keyword(s):  
Crime Victims ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Justice Model ◽  
Victims Of Crime ◽  
Enforcement Mechanisms ◽  
Narrative Policy Framework

Crime victim’s rights legislation including the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982 (VWPA) and the Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004 (CVRA) brought attention to the plight of the crime victim and called on justice professionals and the public to recognize victims’ value, worth, and role within a justice model that seeks to hold offenders accountable and increase public safety. The CVRA was the first federal policy to grant participatory rights to victims of crime; it served as a model statute for states enacting similar legislation. Beyond the eight participatory rights, implementation and administration of the CVRA is recommended but not required by law enforcement, prosecutors, or the judiciary. Instead, these justice professionals are encouraged to “make a good faith effort” in delivering these rights to victims of crime. This paper tells the story of the victims’ rights movement before utilizing the Narrative Policy Framework to analyze the CVRA.  Highlighting several key issues of relevance to the social work profession, a call to action is issued for social workers and policymakers to shift current narratives and more clearly define who constitutes a victim, how these rights are to be implemented and by whom, and to develop enforcement mechanisms. 

scholarly journals Alleviating Society’s Economic Crisis: Narrative Policy on Social Safety Nets Policy Process During Covid-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Alih Aji Nugroho ◽  
Ilima Fitri Azmi
Keyword(s):  
Policy Process ◽  
National Level ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Social Safety Net ◽  
Setting Process ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Safety Nets ◽  
Narrative Policy Framework ◽  
Policy Setting

This study aimed to see how the coalition policy at the national level narrated the social safety net (JPS) policy as an effort to save people from the crisis during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) was used to analyze the influence of the policy narrative component from experts, executives, and their supporters on the JPS policy process. The method of the study was descriptive qualitative. The result of the study showed that the strategy of policy coalitions at the meso level in policy narrative influenced the social safety net policy-setting process. In the JPS policy narrative, groups supporting the policy fall into the category of status quo group which positioned itself as a hero. This group came from government circles who claimed that the JPS policy is for the benefit of the community. The second group (victims) came from people who believed in the notion that the implementation of JPS policies was problematic and inappropriate. Villain from the JPS narrative was characterized from a group that took advantage of the situation for personal gain. Moral of the story from JPS policy was that the hero tried to lead the narrative so that the story built legitimized the policy.

HUBUNGAN AKTIVITAS FISIK DENGAN FUNGSI KOGNITIF LANSIA DI PANTI WREDHA YAYASAN SOSIAL SALIB PUTIH SALATIGA

2019 ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Dennys Christovel Dese ◽  
Cahyo Wibowo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Moderate Physical Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Normal Cognitive Function ◽  
Intellectual Capacity ◽  
Independent Variable

Peningkatan jumlah lansia setiap tahunnya harus dijadikan perhatian, akibat adanya peningkatan jumlah lansia masalah yang dihadapi akan menjadi semakin kompleks, salah satunya adalah masalah yang berkaitan dengan gejala penuaan. Menurunnya kapasitas intelektual berhubungan erat dengan fungsi kognitif pada lansia. Aktivitas fisik diidentifikasi sebagai salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi fungsi kognitif. Aktivitas fisik bermanfaat untuk lansia sebagai pencegahan dan demensia. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian analitik observasional dengan menggunakan pendekatan cross sectional. Penelitian dilakukan di yayasan sosial Panti Wredha Salib Putih Salatiga pada bulan Juni 2018. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah lansia yang berumur ?60 tahun. Subjek pada penelitian ini berjumlah 16 responden. Variabel independen dalam penelitian ini adalah aktivitas fisik yang dinilai dengan menggunakan instrument GPAQ. Sedangkan variabel dependen dalam penelitian ini adalah fungsi kognitif yang dinilai dengan instrument MMSE. Terdapat 4 orang (25%) yang masuk dalam kategori fungsi kognitif normal dengan kategori aktifitas fisik sedang 1 orang dan aktifitas berat 3 orang, kemudian yang termasuk dalam kategori gangguan fungsi kognitif ringan sebanyak 11 orang (68,75%), dengan kategori aktifitas fisik sedang 8 orang dan aktifitas ringan 3 orang. Sedangkan yang termasuk dalam kategori gangguan fungsi kognitif berat, terdapat 1 orang (6,25%) dengan kategori aktifitasnya ringan. Taraf signifikansi antar variabel tingkat aktifitas fisik dan fungsi kognitif pada lansia adalah p=0.007 atau p<0,05, sehingga dapat disimpulkan ada  hubungan antara tingkat aktifitas fisik dengan fungsi kognitif pada lansia.   Increasing the number of elderly people every year should be a concern, due to an increase in the number of elderly problems faced will become increasingly complex, one of which is a problem related to the symptoms of aging. Decreased intellectual capacity is closely related to cognitive function in the elderly. Physical activity is identified as one of the factors that influence cognitive function. Physical activity is beneficial for the elderly as prevention and dementia. This study was an observational analytic study using a cross sectional approach. The study was conducted at the social foundation nursing home in the white cross in June 2018. The population in this study was elderly aged ≥60 years. The subjects in this study were 16 respondents. The independent variable in this study is physical activity that is assessed using the GPAQ instrument. While the dependent variable in this study was cognitive function which was assessed by the MMSE instrument. There are 4 people (25%) who fall into the category of normal cognitive function with moderate physical activity categories 1 person and heavy activities 3 people, then those included in the category of mild cognitive function disorders are 11 people (68.75%), with the category of physical activity being 8 people and 3 light activities. While those included in the category of severe cognitive function disorders, there is 1 person (6.25%) with a mild activity category. The significance level between the level of physical activity and cognitive function in the elderly is p = 0.007 or p <0.05, so it can be concluded that there is a relationship between the level of physical activity and cognitive function in the elderly.

ISLAMIC SOCIAL SCIENCES

1988 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Abul Fadl
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Foundations ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Human Value ◽  
The Social ◽  
Western Values ◽  
Culture Brokers

The need for a relevant and instrumental body of knowledge that can secure the taskof historical reconstruction in Muslim societies originally inspired the da’wa for the Islamizationof knowledge. The immediate targets for this da’wa were the social sciences for obvious reasons.Their field directly impinges on the organization of human societies and as such carries intothe area of human value and belief systems. The fact that such a body of knowledge alreadyexisted and that the norms for its disciplined pursuit were assumed in the dominant practiceconfronted Muslim scholars with the context for addressing the issues at stake. How relevantwas current social science to Muslim needs and aspirations? Could it, in its present formand emphasis, provide Muslims with the framework for operationalizing their values in theirhistorical present? How instrumental is it in shaping the social foundations vital for the Muslimfuture? Is instrumentality the only criteria for such evaluations? In seeking to answer thesequestions the seeds are sown for a new orientation in the social sciences. This orientationrepresents the legitimate claims and aspirations of a long silent/silenced world culture.In locating the activities of Muslim social scientists today it is important to distinguishbetween two currents. The first is in its formative stages as it sets out to rediscover the worldfrom the perspective of a recovered sense of identity and in terms of its renewed culturalaffinities. Its preoccupations are those of the Muslim revival. The other current is constitutedof the remnants of an earlier generation of modernizers who still retain a faith in the universalityof Western values. Demoralized by the revival, as much as by their own cultural alientation,they seek to deploy their reserves of scholarship and logistics to recover lost ground. Bymodifying their strategy and revalorizing the legacy they hope that, as culture-brokers, theymight be more effective where others have failed. They seek to pre-empt the cultural revivalby appropriating its symbols and reinterpreting the Islamic legacy to make it more tractableto modernity. They blame Orientalism for its inherent fixations and strive to redress its selfimposedlimitations. Their efforts may frequently intersect with those of the Islamizing current,but should clearly not be confused with them. For all the tireless ingenuity, these effortsare more conspicuous for their industry than for their originality. Between the new breadof renovationists and the old guard of ‘modernizers’, the future of an Islamic Social Scienceclearly lies with the efforts of the former.Within the Islamizing current it is possible to distinguish three principal trends. The firstopts for a radical perspective and takes its stand on epistemological grounds. It questionsthe compatibility of the current social sciences on account of their rootedness in the paradigmof the European Enlightenment and its attendant naturalistic and positivist biases. Consistencedemands a concerted e€fort to generate alternative paradigms for a new social science fromIslamic epistemologies. In contrast, the second trend opts for a more pragmatic approachwhich assumes that it is possible to interact within the existing framework of the disciplinesafter adapting them to Islamic values. The problem with modern sciene is ethical, notepistemological, and by recasting it accordingly, it is possible to benefit from its strengthsand curtail its derogatory consequences. The third trend focuses on the Muslim scholar, rather ...

Care of Elderly Germans Suffering from Dementia and other Diseases in Private Social Welfare Institutions in Poland — A Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-85
Author(s):  
Nicole Horáková ◽  
Jan Kajfosz
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Institutional Care ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Field Research ◽  
High Standard ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Private Care ◽  
The Social ◽  
Care Of Elderly

The European society is getting older and nobody knows how to deal with this problem. There are different models from family care, special housing for elderly to professional institutional care, which has the disadvantage of being very expensive. In Germany we have noticed in the last two or three years a special trend to send old people suffering from dementia to foreign countries, because these people need intensive care and the social services for example in Poland have a high standard. The aim of our survey is to dismantle, by the example of the private care institution situated in Poland, Upper Silesia which specializes on German customers, the social practices associated with placing the elderly in such institutions and also the methods of constructing meanings of these practices providing clarity in the various groups that take part in this process. To reach this aim we used qualitative field research, including discourse and narrative analysis of various materials (interviews, promotional texts, websites), which beside other things allowed us to reconstruct the media image of the surveyed residences for the elderly and show it in a wider context.

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