Recommendations

Chapter 9 lays out proposals for change. They range from simple and uncontroversial ones, like requiring the government to collect reliable statistics about the number of jobs lost through mergers and outsourcing, to controversial proposals, like adding labor representation to the corporate boards of directors. Although some antitrust scholars have recently proposed changing merger review to include consideration of the effects on labor, the chapter argues that changing the current process is not feasible. Instead, the chapter proposes the creation of a new government panel to review proposed mergers and outsourcing. The board would assess the expected displacement of labor in comparison with a realistic appraisal of the expected gains to consumers. The chapter argues that the proposed reforms cannot be achieved until the influence of business on Congress is limited. The chapter also deals with political effects, by pointing out that the harm to workers has aggregated over the years, culminating in popular support for both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election. There is a dark side to this growing populist movement, however, because disgruntled labor has played a role in nationalistic and fascistic movements during the twentieth century.

Democratic Theory and the Empirical Study of Popular Vote Processes

Altman, David. 2018. Citizenship and Contemporary Direct Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Dyck, Joshua, and Edward Lascher. 2019. Initiatives without Engagement: A Realistic Appraisal of Direct Democracy’s Secondary Effects. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.Hollander, Saskia. 2019. The Politics of Referendum Use in European Democracies. London: Palgrave MacMillan.Matsusaka, John G. 2020. Let the People Rule: How Direct Democracy Can Meet the Populist Challenge. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Assessing Institutional Support for Remote Adjunct Faculty Teaching Online

Creating an inclusive culture for remote adjunct faculty teaching online involves a holistic shift to embrace contingent faculty as integral, value-added members of the institution. The first step in this shift mandates a realistic appraisal of the current “remote adjunct friendliness” status of the institution. The Institutional Inclusive Practice Appraisal: Remote Adjunct Faculty offers an actionable self-assessment to examine policies, procedures, communication, engagement opportunities and professional growth that may impact the working environment for remote adjunct faculty teaching online.

Okot p’Bitek’s Attitude Towards the African Past: A Study of Song of Lawino

This paper attempts to textually examine Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino and find out how Okot deals with the theme of the past versus the present (tradition versus modernity) and what attitude he spells out through the song. Is he just advocating an idealization of the past and utterly rejecting the western culture and ways or is he one of those writers who are in favor of a realistic appraisal of the past and blending the modern with the traditional, the western with the African? While the song addresses many issues, this paper will focus on the two issues of Christianity and western education being the most important root causes of the cultural conflict depicted in the song.

The sluggish Emirati economy faces new challenges

Significance This partly reflects the February 16 decision of DP World to delist its shares, which dominated the Nasdaq Dubai, but also comes amid other troubling recent economic developments for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including the continued decline in the Dubai and Abu Dhabi real estate markets and the mounting impact of COVID-19 coronavirus. Impacts If successful, Expo Dubai could provide a short-term boost for the suffering real estate market and hospitality sectors. The natural gas find still needs realistic appraisal but might help the UAE move away from being a net gas importer. DP World’s removal from the Nasdaq Dubai will reinforce arguments for the creation of a unified UAE equities market.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Schools

This chapter reviews the status of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) in schools by raising and answering a handful of key questions relevant to both researchers and practitioners: (1) What are mindfulness and MBI? (2) How are MBI structured and used in schools? (3) How effective are MBI with students and teachers? (4) What is still unknown about MBI in schools? (5) How can MBI be applied within a multitiered system of supports in schools? The chapter concludes by suggesting that enthusiasm for MBI in schools must be checked-and-balanced by a realistic appraisal of the available empirical evidence to promote the best outcomes for students and teachers.

Judging clinical competence using structured observation tools: A cautionary tale

Background:One method for appraising the competence with which psychological therapy is delivered is to use a structured assessment tool that rates audio or video recordings of therapist performance against a standard set of criteria.Aims:The present study examines the inter-rater reliability of a well-established instrument (the Cognitive Therapy Scale – Revised) and a newly developed scale for assessing competence in CBT.Method:Six experienced raters working independently and blind to each other’s ratings rated 25 video recordings of therapy being undertaken by CBT therapists in training.Results:Inter-rater reliability was found to be low on both instruments.Conclusions:It is argued that the results represent a realistic appraisal of the accuracy of rating scales, and that the figures often cited for inter-rater reliability are unlikely to be generalizable outside the specific context in which they were achieved. The findings raise concerns about the use of these scales for making summative judgements of clinical competence in both educational and research contexts.