Creating Interpretive Space for Engaged Scholarship

2013 ◽  
pp. 161-180
Author(s):  
Gabriel J. Costello ◽  
Brian Donnellan
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Process Innovations ◽  
Temporary Employee ◽  
The Status ◽  
Important Challenge ◽  
New Form ◽  
Principal Researcher ◽  
Research Domain

The purpose of this chapter is to argue that the approach of engaged scholarship provides interpretive space for practitioners who are introducing change in their organization. In this case, the change involved implementation of process innovations, which continue to be an important challenge for business and public sector bodies. The research domain was a subsidiary of APC by Schneider Electric located in Ireland and involved a two-year study where the principal researcher had the status of a temporary employee. A new form of Action Research (AR) called dialogical AR was tested in this study. Key finding from an analysis of the interviews showed that the approach was both helpful and stimulating for the practitioner.

Paludes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Literary Creation ◽  
Mise En Abyme ◽  
The Status ◽  
Diary Writing ◽  
New Form

Gide’s experimentation with diary-writing continues in Paludes. Like Les Cahiers d’André Walter, it is the diary (journal intime) of a character writing a novel (in this case also entitled ‘Paludes’, creating a structure of mise en abyme). The work’s exploration of diary-writing depends on a dizzying, comical instability in the text’s structure: first, the status of the main narrative (as a diary or some other sort of narrative) is never resolved; secondly, the relation between the main narrative and the narrator’s own literary creation (‘Paludes’) remains unclear. Paludes continues some of the theoretical themes from Les Cahiers d’André Walter, but the narrator of Paludes is more focused on embracing the contingency of diary-writing, as a way to escape the deterministic necessity of existence and achieve some sort of action and freedom in writing. The work calls for a new form of literary œuvre that can accommodate this diaristic contingency.

Pentecostalism as an Informal Political Institution: Experimental Evidence from Ghana

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 761-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. McCauley
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Dictator Game ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Informal Institution ◽  
Resource Endowment ◽  
The Status ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
New Form ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Cultural Leaders

AbstractInformal institutions continue to govern political exchange in Africa, but the traditional, ethnic-based form of “big man rule” is now threatened by an alternative informal institution — charismatic Pentecostalism. This study evaluates the status of Pentecostalism empirically, in a micro-level experiment in Ghana. Using data from a variant of the dictator game, in which participants divide a resource endowment with randomly assigned partners as well as cultural leaders, the study provides evidence of Pentecostal exclusivity, excessive allegiance to leaders, and a shift away from ethnic-based patronage to Pentecostal patronage. As Pentecostalism continues to expand, these findings suggest a modification in the exchange of resources for loyalty in Africa, and grounds for viewing the movement as a new form of big man rule in the region.

Sociology after Fordism: Prospects and problems

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Holmwood
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Special Interest ◽  
Social Knowledge ◽  
Sociological Knowledge ◽  
The Public ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
New Form

A number of commentators have suggested that the shift from a Fordist to a post-Fordist regime of political economy has had positive consequences for sociology, including the reinforcement of critical sociologies ( Burawoy, 2005 ; Steinmetz, 2005 ). This article argues that, although disciplinary hierarchies have been destabilized, what is emerging is a new form of instrumental knowledge, that of applied interdisciplinary social studies. This development has had a particular impact upon sociology. Savage and Burrows (2007) , for example, argue that sociological knowledge no longer has a privileged claim to authority and is increasingly in competition with social knowledge produced by the private sector and agencies of the public sector. The response of many sociologists to such claims has been to reassert the importance of the discipline as the purveyor of critically relevant knowledge about society. The article traces how the idea of internal critique within sociology has developed to embrace ‘knowing capitalism’ ( Thrift, 2005 ), at the same time as declaring the impossibility of sociological knowledge. The critique of sociology also becomes the critique of critique and what remains is the instrumentalization of knowledge. Where many sociologists continue to claim a special interest in critical knowledge, the article suggests that, in contrast, we potentially confront the problem that such knowledge may itself be facing a crisis of reproduction.

scholarly journals Empirical Assessment of Good Governance in the Public Sector of Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maizatul Akmar Khalid ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Jamaliah Said
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
The Status ◽  
Questionnaire Respondent ◽  
Service Groups

To improve the trust of citizens and delivery of services, employing good governance principles in the public sector is very crucial. Despite efforts to improve service delivery, criticisms and complains toward public services remain evident. This study aims to assess the status of good governance practices in the public sector of Malaysia. Primary data were collected from the responses of 109 department heads under 24 federal ministries to a survey questionnaire. Respondent perception of good governance practices was measured using a seven-point Likert scale and analyzed by descriptive statistics and path measurement modeling. Standard diagnostic tests were also conducted to check the reliability of the data and model. Results indicated that nine factors were significant in the measurement of good governance practices. However, very few people in the public sector of Malaysia practice fraud control, which is at the lowest intensity. Among the service groups, the engineer group practiced good governance at the highest level, whereas the health service group practiced good governance at the lowest level. Therefore, still there are scopes available to improve good governance systems to become more reliable and efficient public sector in Malaysia. Findings of the study will help policy makers improve the efficiency of the public sector of Malaysia and other countries.

scholarly journals Public Accountability System: Empirical Assessment of Public Sector of Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamaliah Said ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Mohamad Azizal bin Abd Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
System P ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
The Status ◽  
Auditor General ◽  
Strongly Agree

As the recent Auditor General‟s report discovered some corruptions, weakness, and lack of control in asset management in the public sector of Malaysia, this study is an attempt to assess the status of current practices of accountability in public sector of Malaysia. This study collected primary data based on a set of questionnaire survey that was distributed by email using the Google Doc application among the head of department of 682 departments and agencies under 24 federal ministries including the Prime Minister Department in Malaysia. Finally, based on the email responses, the final sample of the study is 109 respondents. The data were collected based on the opinion about ten factors of accountability practices in the department or agency by using seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The data are analysed under descriptive statistics and factor analysis. Further, the reliability of the data is tested by using Cronbach alpha test, and the validity of data is tested by checking the normality of data through Shapiro Wilk test and graphically. Overall, 87.3% of the respondents mentioned that overall they practice accountability in their department. However, the priority of these ten factors of accountability differs among the services schemes. The accountability in the administrative & diplomatic, education, and medical & health is below the overall average accountability. The accountability in the financial and information system schemes is also not strong enough. Therefore the public sector in Malaysia needs to be transformed into becoming a reliable and efficient sector by ensuring proper accountability and its proper assessment system.

scholarly journals Fra hjelper til profesjonsutøver - profesjonalisering av tolkeyrket i Norge

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Kristine Angelshaug
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Access To Education ◽  
National Register ◽  
Professional Skills ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Status ◽  
Professional Title

The title “interpreter” is not a professional title in Norway; Norwegian legislation only applies to “sworn interpreters” authorized by the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi). The interpreter authorization scheme is one of the steps that have been taken to guarantee the quality of the interpreters and their services. Another step has been the creation of the National Register of Interpreters, which provides the public with access to qualified interpreters. However, the register is not flawless and may exclude well-qualified interpreters. The register has five qualification categories with different sets of requirements; the only problem is that the interpreter’s access to the different courses that enables the interpreter to enter the register is limited. This problem could be remedied easily by means of the official exams for the grant of the title ”sworn interpreter”, but regretfully the exams, as well as the necessary courses to advance from category to category in the register, are not available in all language combinations or on a frequent basis. The distinction between an “interpreter” and a “sworn interpreter” may not be the quality, as much as the professional title and having access to education. In this context, the importance of licensing or professionalization linked to the phenomenon of trust becomes evident. The foreign and native speaker have to communicate through an interpreter, they need to trust the interpreter in order to get their message through, but why anyone should do that without a guarantee that the interpreter is qualified is another question. Mainly non-professional interpreters perform interpretation in the public sector and several studies show that the interpreters lack linguistic and professional skills to do their job satisfactory. This problem should not be ignored, but rather properly addressed by establishing a professional graduate degree to ensure the quality of the interpreter and consolidate the status of the interpreter as a professional in the public sector in Norway. However, this is only one side of the problem, it is also necessary to promote and ensure the use of qualified labour in the public sector.

A conceptual model for university-society research collaboration facilitating societal impact for local innovation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Karin Olsson ◽  
Iréne Bernhard ◽  
Tobias Arvemo ◽  
Ulrika Lundh Snis
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Mixed Data ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Societal Impact ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Process Innovations ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
Society Research

PurposeThe purpose is to develop a work-integrated learning (WIL) model for university-society research collaboration facilitating societal impact toward short lag yet sustainable societal impact for local innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology applied was engaged scholarship based on a WIL approach involving a network of collaborating partners from different sectors of society and cross-disciplinary university researchers. Mixed data collection methods were applied.FindingsConceptualization of university-society research collaboration for local innovation is presented as a WIL model including the elements of continuity and commitment, coordination, communication and relationships, trust, courage and creativity and co-creation opportunities. Short lag societal impact as local innovation was identified as product and process innovations.Research limitations/implicationsFurther validation of the model is encouraged for the model to be viable in various contexts and to generate different kinds of societal impact.Practical implicationsThe model may act as a governing tool for project management to facilitate co-creative and short lag societal impact for local innovation to ensure that engaged and learning activities are embedded in the collaborative process.Social implicationsThe model has implications for inclusiveness and co-creation fostering transparency, respect and mutuality in university-society research collaboration and to equate both academic and practice knowledge.Originality/valueThe conclusions drawn support the understanding of a WIL approach practicing engaged scholarship in research collaborations. The main theoretical and practical contributions of the article are the conceptual model for university-society research collaboration generating short lag societal implications and local innovation.

Jordanian perspectives on the disabled at work

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 40-42
Author(s):  
John Wheatcroft
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
Public Sector Employees ◽  
Disabled Employees ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
The Status

Purpose This paper aims to explore attitudes of disabled employees towards their work in the Jordanian public sector, including facilities, the way that they are treated by other employees and working conditions. Design/methodology/approach A sample of disabled public sector employees was selected to participate in the study by filling in a questionnaire. The response rate was very high. Findings Contrary to some previous studies elsewhere, disabled employees reported a relatively moderate level of satisfaction about the availability of facilities. They were also satisfied with the treatment by their supervisors and colleagues and with the working conditions. Disabled female participants and those who hold graduate degrees reported high satisfaction levels. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to investigate the status of disabled public sector employees in Jordan and in the Arab world.

Public entrepreneurship and the economics of reform

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAN SCHNELLENBACH
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Checks And Balances ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Entrepreneurship ◽  
The Status ◽  
Schumpeterian Approach

Abstract:Public entrepreneurship is commonly understood as the outcome of the activities of a Schumpeterian political innovator. However, empirical research suggests that changes to a more efficient economic policy, even if it is known and technically easy to implement, are usually delayed. This is difficult to reconcile with Schumpeterian notions of public entrepreneurship. In this paper, it is argued that the attempt to transfer a Schumpeterian approach to the public sector is fundamentally flawed. Institutional checks and balances that characterize most modern liberal democracies make the strategy of bold leadership an unlikely choice for an incumbent. If change occurs, it occurs normally as a response to the fact that the status quo has become untenable. From a normative point of view, it is argued that if public entrepreneurship nevertheless occurs, it will often be associated with unwanted consequences. A dismantling of formal institutional checks and balances is therefore not reasonable.

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