Inclusive ideologies and passive performances: exploring masculinities and attitudes toward gay peers among boys in an elite youth football academy

Abstract

Drawing on data generated from semi-structured, one-to-one interviews in 2012, this article focuses on the attitudinal disposition toward homosexuality of 12 English academy level football players aged 14–15. Results highlight the presence of progressive attitudes toward homosexuality even though some of the youth feel they lack the agency to contest homophobia when espoused in their schools. Using a blend of two dominating masculinities theories, we use these interviews to highlight that boys in this setting are best understood as a complex imbrication of inclusivity yet socially-passive acceptance. We suggest that boys of this age are now primed for learning agency to contest the social marginalization of others.     

Historical memory education for peace and justice: definition of a field

This article proposes a new of field of research in social sciences education: Historical Memory Education (HME). Despite the large amount of educational experiences following the end of violent conflicts and totalitarian regimes during the twentieth century, historical memory has not been recognized as a field in educational research. From a review of research and experiences worldwide, the authors identify a new field in education research that cannot be reduced to peace education, bullying prevention, or history education, but that takes elements from all these fields, as well as from local pedagogical experiences, to face the challenge of healing the wounds of longstanding violent conflicts. This article organizes prior research in a comprehensive framework that describes the levels, pedagogical principles, and spaces of HME.     

The rise of public sector innovation labs: experiments in design thinking for policy

Governments are increasingly turning to public sector innovation (PSI) labs to take new approaches to policy and service design. This turn towards PSI labs, which has accelerated in more recent years, has been linked to a number of trends. These include growing interest in evidence-based policymaking and the application of ‘design thinking’ to policymaking, although these trends sit uncomfortably together. According to their proponents, PSI labs are helping to create a new era of experimental government and rapid experimentation in policy design. But what do these PSI labs do? How do they differ from other public sector change agents and policy actors? What approaches do they bring to addressing contemporary policymaking? And how do they relate to other developments in policy design such as the growing interest in evidence-based policy and design experiments? The rise of PSI labs has thus far received little attention from policy scientists. Focusing on the problems associated with conceptualising PSI labs and clearly situating them in the policy process, this paper provides an analysis of some of the most prominent PSI labs. It examines whether labs can be classified into distinct types, their relationship to government and other policy actors and the principal methodological practices and commitments underpinning their approach to policymaking. Throughout, the paper considers how the rise of PSI labs may challenge positivist framings of policymaking as an empirically driven decision process.     

Between Euroscepticism and Eurosupport: The Attitudes of Urban and Rural Populations in Poland 2000–2008

Three main factors explain public support for EU membership: utilitarian expectations, the role of values and ideas, and class partisanship. In the Polish case, public opinion polls and issues more specific to Poland, such as the role of the Catholic Church, populist political parties and profound Euroscepticism among farmers, suggest that although these theoretical explanations overlap, each of them has a different explanatory value. The economic approach remains the best predictor of support for EU membership, and whereas values and identity are closely linked to and dependent upon economic expectations, the impact of national politics appears largely decoupled from Polish Euroscepticism.     

Parallel universes: Canadian and U.S. public administration study

Abstract: In this article, the discipline/profession of Canadian public administration is compared to its American counterpart. As parallel universes of inquiry and application, both have evolved from administration to management to governance. In spite of this and other similarities, possibilities for greater collaboration and cross‐fertilization have been overlooked and impeded by what the author calls an American attitude of “benign neglect.” The Canadian study of public administration reciprocates with self‐sufficiency and an enviable coherence in spite of similar divisions in the two countries between political science/policy and generic management approaches. To confirm the neglect, the author conducted a mini‐survey of Canadian content in the journal Public Administration Review and in papers presented at U.S. conferences and – for contrast – of American content in the journal Canadian Public Administration and at Canadian conferences. Modest proposals for rectifying the evident parallel but separate trajectories are suggested through greater interaction that would enrich both study and practice. Exploring some of the overlooked successes in Canadian administration would be useful for students of public administration in the U.S. Sommaire : Le présent article établit une comparaison entre la discipline/la profession de l'administration publique canadienne et son homologue aux États‐Unis. En tant qu'univers parallèles d'enquêtes et d'application, les deux ont évolué, passant de l'administration au management, puis à la gouvernance. Malgré cela et d'autres similarités, les possibilités d'une plus grande collaboration et d'enrichissement mutuel ont été ignorées et empêchées par une attitude américaine qualifiée par l'auteur de «négligence bienveillante ». L'étude canadienne de l'administration publique a réagi par l'autosuffisance et une cohérence enviable malgré des divisions similaires dans les deux pays entre les approches de sciences politiques et de gestion générique. Pour confirmer cette négligence, l'auteur a entrepris un mini sondage sur le contenu canadien dans la revue Public Administration Review et lors de conférences américaines et, par contraste, sur le contenu américain dans Administration publique du Canada et lors de conférences canadiennes. De modestes propositions sont faites pour rectifier les trajectoires évidentes, parallèles, et cependant distinctes, suggérant une plus grande interaction qui enrichirait à la fois la théorie et la pratique. Il serait utile pour les étudiants américains en administration publique d'examiner en profondeur certains des succès ignorés de l'administration canadienne.     

Investigations of complaints and quality of health care

Malpractice law is frequently justified by the claim that it improves health care services but this belief remains untested. Using a multiple case study in 16 remote rural areas in New Zealand, this study examined the effects of formal quasi-judicial investigations on the quality of health care services. The study found that the fragile local health systems were damaged by the quasi-judicial investigations of the medical disciplinary body and became less efficient and less user-friendly. A few doctors left rural practice and were difficult to replace. The remaining health workers responded to the investigations in a negative manner, losing confidence, enthusiasm and motivation for work; they performed in a less efficient manner, working more slowly, setting up barriers to access, ordering more tests and referring more to secondary care. Complainants also appeared to have been disadvantaged as a consequence of having complained.     

Luminescent visualization of latent fingerprints by direct reaction with a lanthanide shift reagent.

The utilization of the lanthanide shift reagent tris (6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-2,2-dimethyl-3,5-octanedionato) europium (III) [Eu(fod)3] as a simple one-step reagent for the luminescent visualization of latent fingerprints has been investigated. UV excitation of Eu(fod)3-treated prints, achieved by using a hand-held UV lamp or a Polilight, results in an orange emission at 614 nm. Time-resolved imaging is not required for visualization. Visualization of latent fingerprints on paper under the conditions used, although good, was found to be inferior to that obtained by standard DFO (1,8-diazafluoren-9-one) treatment, whereas visualization of prints obtained on aluminum drink cans and galvanized iron proved superior to that obtained by Superglue/panacryl treatment. Eu(fod)3 treatment can also be used first without compromising subsequent ninhydrin or DFO treatment, making it a 'nothing-to-lose" reagent.     

Comparison of presumptive blood test kits including hexagon OBTI

Four presumptive blood tests, Hexagon OBTI, Hemastix(R), Leucomalachite green (LMG), and Kastle-Meyer (KM) were compared for their sensitivity in the identification of dried bloodstains. Stains of varying blood dilutions were subjected to each presumptive test and the results compared. The Hexagon OBTI buffer volume was also reduced to ascertain whether this increased the sensitivity of the kit. The study found that Hemastix(R) was the most sensitive test for trace blood detection. Only with the reduced buffer volume was the Hexagon OBTI kit as sensitive as the LMG and KM tests. However, the Hexagon OBTI kit has the advantage of being a primate specific blood detection kit. This study also investigated whether the OBTI buffer within the kit could be utilized for DNA profiling after presumptive testing. The results show that DNA profiles can be obtained from the Hexagon OBTI kit buffer directly.