Specific Social Issues Research Articles

Slumming in Utopia: Protest Construction and the Iconography of Urban America

This article examines the use of construction as a means of protest, particularly as it relates to the established symbolic imagery of traditional civic architecture and urbanism. The iconography of cities is divided. While the idealized image of official America symbolizes the aspirations of society, the image of the ghetto represents the failure of society. This article studies two projects which manipulate these images. The projects were built not by architects but by activists for various causes who coopted architecture as a tool for political demonstration. Their position outside of conventional architectural practice allowed them to challenge the habits of that practice. While the constructions were intended to protest specific social issues, they may also be viewed as general indictments of conventional urbanism and architectural representation.

Rent control measures of immediate post‐war period (1944–1952) and their impact on urban development in Greater Athens

The purpose of this paper is first to highlight the importance of the immediate post‐war period in influencing development trends and spatial policy in post‐war urban Greece and Athens in particular. Second in this respect, to stress on the critical impact of rent control measures adopted in response to specific social economic and political issues which emerged at the time. Rent control—together with other exceptional reconstruction measures—contributed above all to the reinforcement of the post‐war development pattern, founded on owner occupation and self‐financed Property development. This in the short run acted against a planned policy rationale and to the various planned attempts formulated during reconstruction. In the long run, it has also acted as a determinant for the consolidation of an ‘non‐planning policy’ situation persistent in Athens and in most urban areas in Greece.

Specific privatization issues applicable to water and electricity utilities in the Gulf Cooperation Council States

Most of the GCC States have attempted the path of privatization in recent years in order to relieve the financial burdens of capital expenditure from the government. A sudden rush towards privatization has resulted in unfortunate obstacles to most of the proposed privatization of utilities projects in the GCC States. The paper deals with specific economic, political and social issues that impact on the administrative and financial style of management in the GCC States which in turn has reflected on the performance and cost to the government and the public, as compared to utilities management elsewhere in the developed countries. A review of the forces which drive the GCC governments to the privatization process that took place and the obstacles which have hindered the progress towards successful privatization, with alternatives, in order to achieve the privatization goals and a high standard of service to the community at the least cost in order to support the economic and social development of the GCC States. Suggestions of steps towards a privatization process to ensure its success are also presented. The review also identifies some examples of successful and efficient independent authorities, with a comparison of the various types of utilities management, i.e. government, independent authority and private company showing the strength and weakness of each type. The social and the political implications of the privatization process have also been identified, with particular emphasis on tariffs and employees. The issue of ownership and funding of water and electricity utilities has been reviewed as most important commodity affecting the economic and social development of the country. Suggested recommendation is given towards balancing the risks if a decision is made to proceed with privatization projects. The paper concludes that successful privatization will depend on the ability of achieving better customer services and creating a base of highly trained productive employees and delivering the products at a lower cost than existing government or independent authorities.

Towards Healthy Ageing of Women with Long Term Disabilities

Women with longterm or lifelong disabilities are invisible in Australian statistics on disabilities or ageing. Current literature indicates unrecognised and untreated secondary conditions may lead to increased disability. Definitions of disability are explored for their relevance to the experience of women with disabilities and for health promotion within this group. A Victorian study included anecdotal accounts by some women with disabilities which identified both a knowledge of the wider meaning of health, and specific social issues which prevented their achievement of maximum wellbeing. Strategies are suggested for enabling women with disabilities to age more healthily.

The Greening of Industry Resource Guide and Bibliography

A valuable guide to industrial sustainability's most respected and useful research, The Greening of Industry Resource Guide and Bibliography presents analysis and commentary on critical issues in today's changing environment. Chapters address specific economic, social, and technical issues, including environmental performance assessment, cleaner production, strategic cooperation and product life cycle management, organizational learning and personal development, and greening leadership for developing countries.

Special Publications: Social and Sexual Influences on Learning

Abstract Educators have long recognized the importance of mental and physical health on students' learning potential. Many of the finest developments in the education field, such as the establishment of kindergarten classes, were responses to mental and physical health issues. But children's problems continue to grow—faster than solutions can be found. A decade ago, drugs, alcohol and youthful rebellion were the primary issues of concern. Today, while these problems persist, we are also confronted with ever-increasing levels of teenage sexual activity and childhood stress related to shifting family structures. Schools, organizations and government agencies are attempting to address specific social issues in efforts to alleviate the many difficulties faced by today's students. Each of the following publications presents information on issues of concern in America's schools. The first, Learning Readiness: Promising Strategies, provides a directory of model programs addressing social problems that impede lea...

The Temple in Persian Period Prophetic Texts

Persian period prophetic texts do not suggest that prophets during this era were any more in the service of the temple system than were their pre-exilic predecessors. Rather than suggesting a change in the prophets' roles, these texts attest to the new realities of post-exilic Judah and to the new meanings of the second temple, which was not, as was the first temple, the chapel of a nation state. Just as prophets of the monarchic era addressed issues that grew out of the specific social and religious issues of that time, so too prophets of the second temple period addressed issues specific to that time, e.g., issues of status and power in the second temple Judean community. A new form of community with a new temple involved the prophets in new topics, e.g., eligibility to participate in temple worship, as well as old, e.g., veneration of false gods.

The Last Will and Testament of Lolita, The Very Best Bad Girls Create…

Collective creations have played an important role in the development of new forms of Canadian theatre. While each collective develops its own individual approach and methodology, in most cases the creation is inspired by a particular social or ideological interest and developed through research and improvisation. More significantly, the project is from its inception a true collaboration, generated and performed by a collective of individuals. This approach is revolutionary, as it denies the traditional supremacy of the single authorial voice by incorporating equally the interests and concerns of the group. As a result, numerous feminist groups have worked collectively to create new works that address specific social and political issues. Some, like Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre, have begun to test the boundaries of the form itself and to generate work from new sources of inspiration.

Toward a Populist Nigerian Theatre: the Plays of Femi Osofisan

Though his work is as yet less familiar in Europe and the USA than that of Wole Soyinka. Femi Osofisan, while acknowledging a discipleship to his predecessor, is more concerned with specific social issues than with universalized themes, and is pre-eminent among contemporary Nigerian playwrights in combining a radical perspective with a recognition of the importance of cultural traditions. In this article. Sandra L. Richards explores his work in terms of the way that its social analysis elicits an active response from its audiences, through the reshaping of recognizable forms – ‘whodunits without solutions’ – while accepting the often-limited resources of theatre machinery and personnel on which most of his directors will be able to call. Sandra L. Richards spent two years in Nigeria as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Benin, and is presently Assistant Professor of Drama and Director of the Committee on Black Performing Arts at Stanford University, California. An earlier version of the present article was presented at the annual African Literature Association conference held at Michigan State University in 1986.

Burke on Political Economy: The Nature and Extent of State Authority

The interpretation of Edmund Burke as a laissez-faire economist has a long pedigree but is inaccurate. Rather, Burke is best seen as a moderate Whig who believed that governmental social and economic policy should be based on pragmatic and prudential considerations. However, utilitarian rule-making makes most sense when the rules can be formulated in terms of realizing some more abstract goal. This goal Burke obtained from his reading of the Scotch moral sense writers, who convinced him that man has an innate moral nature which can be improved through association with other men in society. Consideration of Burke's writings on a variety of specific economic and social issues, ranging from poor relief and economic reform to the slave trade, confirms this instrumental interpretation of Burke's economic thought.

British Drama 1975-1985

The major thrust of contemporary British theatre appears to me to be political in some sense, but whereas the decade began with a good deal of overtly political, agit-prop (agitation-propaganda) plays, there has been a shift in many writers from tub-thumping to more open, universal treatment of political issues. Going hand in hand with this is a marked development away from external, quasi-historical, quasiobjective treatments of issues to a much more thorough examination of the internal worlds of the characters presented. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the work of David Edgar. From specific and closely defined plays about political, and often party-political, issues, he moves suddenly in 1979 from a treatment of external socio-political kinds of war to an examination of internal war in the schizophrenia of Mary Barnes. When he turns to the feminist movement in his next play, Teendreams, the examination is far less rigid; instead he presents an extremely complex and internal account of women's struggles. The same tendency can be seen in the work of women writers, writers of comedies, and writers of plays about specific social issues, as well as in the work of Harold Pinter and Simon Gray. There seems to be a consistent and determined move among modern British dramatists to see the ills of the world as no longer solvable externally; we must look inside first.

A Three-Factor of Corporate Social Responsiveness.

A three-factor model is developed for predicting a corporation's response to specific social issues contingent upon the company's planning posture, management's philosophy, and stage of development in the issue's evolution. The model is then applied and supported in a preliminary probe of the development of minority purchasing programs in eleven corporations.

Reviews

Energy forecasters agree on broad policy directions, but they fail to detail rational plans and end up disagreeing on specific political, social, and institutional issues. Several recent publications illustrate the lack of consensus on the character of the 1973-74 oil crisis except to say that only cheap oil is running out, that conventional oil production may have already peaked, that producing countries will restrict supplies, and that global demand will continue to grow. A comparison of several studies shows disagreement on long-term goals and the policies required to meet those goals. Analysts seem unable to deal with conflicting real world interests, as evident in the debate over price decontrol, that politicians face daily. Analysts tend to ignore the questions of equity and consistency which are basic to decision making. Future studies could deal with things which really matter by starting with future energy supplies and analyzing how to adjust demand rather than trying to find the supplies to meet projected demand. (DCK)

British Town Planning Ideology and the Welfare State

ABSTRACTThis paper relates the nature of planning thought to the administrative and legal context, and to possible welfare objectives. The question is raised as to whether town planners have become concerned with specific social benefits. An analysis of the preoccupations of planners is made, using data available in Royal Town Planning Institute literature. From branch meetings data, conclusions are drawn as to changing areas of interest. It is noted that planners did not develop a very strong preoccupation with specific social issues over the 1947–71 period. Factors that may have influenced the evolution of professional thought are then examined. In particular, a hypothesis is put forward that the nature of the planning machinery has been such as to deter discussion about specific welfare implications. Other factors have included traditions, alternative preoccupations, and a lack of coherent attempts to link theoretical analyses with implementation. The paper comments briefly upon the town planning approaches that would be necessary if a more definite welfare outcome were desired. Town and country planners have thought in terms of physical development standards mainly because of the character of the land use planning system.