Research Design and Methodology

This chapter presents the research design methodology. It outlines the research process and the philosophical underpinning for this research. It has set out the research problem under investigation and mapped out the various steps that were undertaken. This research adopted a mixed research method approach as the most appropriate and a survey was the most effective instrument in addressing this enquiry of SPP. The philosophical position adopted within this study was one of the pragmatists, which has the capacity to hold different world views and not be constrained by one specific philosophical position. Pragmatists are not committed to one system of philosophy and reality, and researchers are free to choose the methods, techniques, and processes that have the best fit to meet the needs of the research.

Sytuacja prawna ofiary przestępstwa w postępowaniu wykonawczym w perspektywie sprawiedliwości naprawczej

The article is devoted to the legal situation of a crime victim in the course of executive penal proceedings. The starting point for the considerations was the statement that Goffman’s concept of total institutions and the resulting negative consequences, such as the effects of deculturation or deprivation affecting inmates, are still valid in relation to Polish penitentiary units. It is considered that restorative justice can be an effective instrument for the transition from a total institution to its negation, that is, a permeable institution, especially insofar as it promotes tools for victim and community activation in criminal proceedings. Therefore, the situation of the victim in the current model of executive proceedings was analyzed from the perspective of the possibility of implementing the idea of restorative justice. The subject matter of the article is not limited only to a synthesis of the victim’s rights under the current Executive Penal Code. The provisions normalizing the rights of the victim were analyzed in the context of the whole Code regulation and with reference to the earlier stages of criminal proceedings. In this way a complete and actual picture of the victim’s situation at this stage of criminal proceedings was presented, which was then compared with the standard of restorative justice. The critical analysis made it possible to identify the shortcomings in the current regulation of the victim’s legal situation and to outline the direction in which the legislator should proceed in order to achieve the standard of restorative justice, which will make it possible to increase the permeability of penitentiary units and thus minimize their total character.

Electrophysiology and Auditory Training

Electrophysiology is an objective evaluation method that allows investigating the responses of the central auditory nervous system arising from the capture of neuronal responses through surface electrodes. In addition to the possibility of investigating and diagnosing different pathologies, electrophysiology proves to be an effective and effective instrument in monitoring auditory intervention programs. Auditory rehabilitation programs is based on the premise of neuroplasticity that derives from a capacity for neuronal change due to intense sound stimulation, specific and directed to the patient’s needs. Throughout this chapter, current studies that correlate electrophysiology with auditory training programs in different clinical populations will be presented, such as: hearing in typically developed individuals, hearing and school difficulties, hearing and CAPD, hearing and otitis media, hearing and hearing loss, and hearing and voice. Electrophysiological tests are important objective measures in predicting the gains to be expected from auditory training programs.

Tax Expenditures in Local Taxes - an Effective Instrument of Local Tax Policy? The Example of Poland

This study examines the size and diversity of tax expenditures (TEs) by gminas (municipalities) in Poland between 2007 and 2019. Consequences of gminas' taxing power and the reduction of revenues resulting from statutory tax preferences were taken into account. To analyze the data, we used: scatter graphs (showing the relationship between two selected variables) and plot graphs (showing the course of the values of the studied variables over time, to show the dynamics of the phenomena). The scatter graphs showed, sometimes strong, linear correlative relationships. No clear curvilinear relationships were found, therefore we applied Pearson correlation. Gminas used TEs to a small but also highly variable extent. The factors determining their use involved: the type and potential of the gmina; the type of local tax. The research hypothesis was partially positively verified. The increase in the incremental % of TEs' share in tax revenue has a positive impact on the incremental trend of revenue growth in the following year. The use of TEs in real estate and vehicle taxes may have strengthened the revenue potential of some gminas in the consecutive years.

Anxiety Reduction and Improved Concentration in Schoolchildren through Wingwave® Coaching

(1) Background: For nearly 20 years, the wingwave® method, which combines elements of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and a muscular strength test, has been used to reduce anxiety and improve relaxation in subjects. Past studies have scientifically evaluated this method in various contexts and have found it to be effective. In this study, we investigated the effects of short-term wingwave® coaching on specific anxiety parameters regarding school, concentration ability, and subjective feelings towards two self-chosen themes in schoolchildren. (2) Methods: A group of 53 schoolchildren aged 11 to 12 years were randomly divided between an experimental and a control group. The experimental group received an intervention of three wingwave® coaching sessions (one hour each). In these sessions, past and present negative feelings towards school as well as psychological resources to face future tasks in school were focused on and utilized. (3) Results: The results showed that the overall text anxiety, manifested anxiety, and dislike of school decreased significantly in the experimental group after the three coaching sessions compared to the control group. Furthermore, both concentration ability and the subjective feeling towards self-chosen subjects improved significantly in the experimental group compared to the control group. (4) Conclusions: Our results indicate that the wingwave® method is an appropriate and effective instrument to reduce school anxiety and to improve concentration performance in schoolchildren—at least in the short and medium term.

Education and labour migration in Solomon Islands: Policy interaction between the education system and the labour market

<p>Education is considered, in every sense, as one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable development and economic growth without a systematic education system. Education raises people’s productivity and competency to build a strong economy and society. Many different development theories have influence and inform education systems in many countries in different ways. Solomon Islands’ education system has shifted from traditional knowledge to Western oriented style of learning influenced by different development ideas, modernisation, capitalism and globalisation. Traditional knowledge existed for many generations before the introduction of Western education system. The transition period encountered more policy setbacks, rejection of traditional knowledge and incoherent policy models. These transformations happened in the political spheres, social ideas and economic system, influenced by the modern education system. Today, Solomon Islands’ economy and population are largely diverse across the country. The recognition of alternative opportunities available through diverse economies model by Gibson-Graham will help national policymakers to see different education priorities and development needs. Even with the rapid change in the state’s modern machineries, political system and institutions, more responsibility and cooperation is required to tackle the relation between education, migration and development. Education must empower people of ages and market levels to realise their full potentials by becoming an effective instrument to provide an answer for linking education, migration and development. The policy dialogue and discussion must open despite many agreements and disagreements.</p>

Education and labour migration in Solomon Islands: Policy interaction between the education system and the labour market

<p>Education is considered, in every sense, as one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable development and economic growth without a systematic education system. Education raises people’s productivity and competency to build a strong economy and society. Many different development theories have influence and inform education systems in many countries in different ways. Solomon Islands’ education system has shifted from traditional knowledge to Western oriented style of learning influenced by different development ideas, modernisation, capitalism and globalisation. Traditional knowledge existed for many generations before the introduction of Western education system. The transition period encountered more policy setbacks, rejection of traditional knowledge and incoherent policy models. These transformations happened in the political spheres, social ideas and economic system, influenced by the modern education system. Today, Solomon Islands’ economy and population are largely diverse across the country. The recognition of alternative opportunities available through diverse economies model by Gibson-Graham will help national policymakers to see different education priorities and development needs. Even with the rapid change in the state’s modern machineries, political system and institutions, more responsibility and cooperation is required to tackle the relation between education, migration and development. Education must empower people of ages and market levels to realise their full potentials by becoming an effective instrument to provide an answer for linking education, migration and development. The policy dialogue and discussion must open despite many agreements and disagreements.</p>

A Study of the Coevolution of Digital Organisms with an Evolutionary Cellular Automaton

This paper presents an Evolutionary Cellular Automaton (ECA) that simulates the evolutionary dynamics of biological interactions by manipulating strategies of dispersion and associations between digital organisms. The parameterization of the different types of interaction and distribution strategies using configuration files generates easily interpretable results. In that respect, ECA is an effective instrument for measuring the effects of relative adaptive advantages and a good resource for studying natural selection. Although ECA works effectively in obtaining the expected results from most well-known biological interactions, some unexpected effects were observed. For example, organisms uniformly distributed in fragmented habitats do not favor eusociality, and mutualism evolved from parasitism simply by varying phenotypic flexibility. Finally, we have verified that natural selection represents a cost for the emergence of sex by destabilizing the stable evolutionary strategy of the 1:1 sex ratio after generating randomly different distributions in each generation.

One House for €1: Case Studies on the Governance of Abandoned Properties in Small Villages

This proposal aims at analyzing the Italian initiative “Case a 1 €” launched in 2009 for the preservation of abandoned goods, in Gangi, a small village near Palermo. The Municipality has put for sale the ruined houses for the symbolic prize of 1 €. As this initiative has been imitated by other municipalities in Italy and thus become a model, my intention is to explore how it works based on two different levels of investigation, in terms of: 1) contractual schemes (parties and respective rights and obligations) and 2) policy choices, comparing proposed and achieved goals by the administrations and the parties. Some relevant issues arise after 12 years: is the initiative an appropriate answer for the management of abandoned properties, both private and public? Is it an effective instrument to undermine the idea that such properties are a burden? Can they become a resource for collective, social and economic development? Is it a model to regain cultural identity revitalizing the small, abandoned centers, promoting inclusion, participation and environmental sustainability? I will use both inductive and deductive methods, examining and comparing some case studies in Sicily, among those municipalities that adopted this policy (Cammarata, Sambuca, Gangi, Itala, Salemi, Regalbuto, Mussomeli and Saponara). In order to investigate level 1), I will identify the contractual frames and documents provided online by the Municipalities administrations. To find answers on level 2), I will analyze (when available) the number of goods transferred from private parties to Municipalities and of those finally assigned to the final buyer. I will interview the administration’s civil servants and the final buyers to understand if their expectations (private and collective) have been satisfied.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: A Qualified Success for Beijing's Economic Statecraft

In 2013, China's growing economic capacities motivated Beijing to launch a multilateral bank to advance its diplomatic agenda. Scholars are still debating precisely what Beijing seeks to accomplish through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). This article surveys the key literature on the AIIB, identifying twenty scholarly interpretations of Beijing's strategic goals. The purpose of this research is to understand Beijing's initial design for this bank and evaluate whether this new multilateral development bank can function as an effective instrument for Beijing's economic statecraft. Over its first five years, as an economic tool for Beijing, the AIIB has performed quite remarkably well. The bank not only operates smoothly, generating a reasonable amount in net income for its shareholders, but also serves Beijing's strategic purposes in expanding China's regional influence, enhancing its international status, and ascending toward global leadership.