Not Afraid at All? Dominant and Alternative Interpretative Repertoires in Discourses of the Elderly on Fear of Crime

This article demonstrates how a dominant and an alternative interpretative repertoire are activated and negotiated within two focus group discussions conducted with elderly people around the issue of fear of crime: the active, competent actor and the potential victim. In contrast to quantitative generalist studies that tend to neglect the ambiguity and complexity of group membership and identification, a contextualized, dynamic, and interactive understanding of the elderly – as well as of the victim – identity is presented.     

Constructing Crime against the Elderly in Swedish Crime Prevention Campaigns

The study investigates how crime prevention activities frame the problem of crime against the elderly, regarding character, causes, effects and solutions. Data was collected through participant observations, interviews and analysis of a film produced by a local crime prevention council in Sweden. It is concluded that crime prevention for seniors produces complex and contradicting images of the problem. In situational crime prevention seniors are warned to look out for strangers stalking them or trying to access their homes. Statements that victimization is uncommon among the old are combined with warnings that invoke images of mysterious ever-present perpetrators. In social crime prevention, where causes and interventions of crime are discussed, crime prevention officers link the problem to established social problems such as drug abuse and juvenile delinquency. This way of framing the problem is typical for a Swedish Social Democratic perspective, where lack of community and integration are defined as causes of social problems. It is concluded that warnings to look out for strangers who ask for help may be at odds with this striving towards community.     

The absence of a home curriculum in post-apartheid education in South Africa

Abstract

While it is important that education be relevant to the context of students, education systems struggle to introduce curricula that relate to the context of students. In South Africa the national curriculum, which is outcomes based, attempts to address the local context of students by introducing critical outcomes restricted to learning areas, and guide classroom methodology, the selection of content and the motivations for teaching and learning. In this article I argue that due to centralisation and bureaucratisation, the national curriculum does not sufficiently address the context of students. In the analysis, I discuss critical aspects of the curriculum development process, and argue that in order to address the local context, the home curriculum must be introduced in schools. In this way the education system will be striving for the Africanisation of education.     

Freedom of choice,gender equality,or employment promotion? Finnish party positions on childcare in the light of election manifestos 2015

The principle of freedom of choice in childcare matters has been a central element of Finnish family policy since the 1980s and is something that makes the country unique in an international comparison. One the one hand, this principle has been manifested as a legislated right for parents, notably mothers, to choose paid work supported by the use of public childcare. On the other hand, it has also given parents with children under three the right to stay at home with their children and to receive a child home care allowance during this period. This dualism has been widely popular among parents and has also been seen by most leading parties as something that is good for families. However, since the outbreak of the international financial crisis, this system has faced increasing criticism from some experts and politicians, which has made the principle of freedom of choice, and especially the child home care allowance/leave, susceptible to renegotiation. This article investigates how the principle of freedom of choice was politicized by eight leading parties during the Finnish parliamentary election campaign in 2015, through an analysis of election manifestos. First, we analyse to what extent this principle was politicized, and by whom. Secondly, we study how the principle was framed. The findings show that the principle of freedom of choice was a rather politicized topic, creating a cleavage between conservative and leftist/liberal parties. Moreover, they indicate a renegotiation of this principle in favour of higher parental employment promotion and gender equality.     

试论房地产公司利用“假按揭”骗取贷款案件的侦防措施

在中国经济体系中房地产市场占有着相当大的部分,随着近几年来房价的一路走高,犯罪分子也将触角伸向了房地产市场这块巨大的蛋糕。要深入剖析房地产公司利用"假按揭"这种手法骗取银行贷款案件发生的原因、产生的危害后果、犯罪过程以及相关的侦防对策。     

Does caregiver abuse history relate to caregiver focus,support, and attendance at follow-up sessions in a child advocacy setting?

Utilizing quantitative and qualitative clinical service data collected at a Child Advocacy Center, the present study investigated whether caregiver history (history of childhood abuse or adult victimization, mental health treatment history) was associated with caregiver focus and attendance at a scheduled follow-up appointment. Results of mixed method analyses indicated that caregiver history of abuse was positively associated with caregivers being supportive/protective. Other than a history of prior service-related problems, our study did not identify any predictors of attendance at follow-up sessions. This and other findings are discussed in the context of engaging caregivers in child welfare services.     

日本居家护理服务的发展与启示

日本自20世纪70年代进入人口老龄化社会,老人的养老护理成为社会问题,为应对人口老龄化的挑战,日本建立护理保险制度,护理保险由居家护理服务和设施护理服务两部分组成,主要为居家护理服务。日本的居家护理服务很好地解决了日本养老服务问题,呈现出自己的鲜明特点,对我国养老服务提供了有益的借鉴。     

‘Social Investment’ or Back to ‘Familism’: The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Family and Care Policies in Italy and Spain

Family policies have traditionally been weak in Southern Europe. In the last two decades, however, and following a ‘catching up’ course, Spain has created new family programmes and expanded existing ones. Meanwhile, the picture for Italy during the years preceding the crisis is more of a ‘frozen landscape’. However, the diverging paths of the two countries in terms of policy reform in the years preceding the crisis do not place them in substantially different positions. The economic crisis and the austerity measures that followed have aggravated the weaknesses of family and care policies in both countries.     

The Project for the Education of Israeli Children in the Kibbutz Movement

Summary

In Israel there are various settings in which children can be raised if for various reasons they cannot live with their families. This article describes one of these programs, The Project for the Education of Israeli Children (Mif'al Lehahsharat Yaldei Israel) (Brashi, 1994), and focuses on the role of the kibbutz movement. The Project is special in that children are placed in foster families (or family homes), offering them not only warmth and love but also the opportunity for a remedial experience of family life in functioning families that provide physical and emotional support. The first part presents a general outline of the Project, and the second part describes the development of the Project in the kibbutz movement: the absorption procedures, the foster families and foster family homes, and the advantages and difficulties of absorbing children within a kibbutz framework.     

Strong and Weak Gender Quota Regimes

A study of the introduction and adoption of gender quotas that does not examine both the interpretation of the problem and the process of implementation is insufficient. A gender quota regime may be promising in its formal features, without guaranteeing the intended results in more informal practices. Six criteria form the basis for a strong gender quota regime: (1) unambiguous and concrete goals, (2) rank order of candidates, (3) evaluations and adjustments of the regime, (4) information from superior authorities, (5) satisfactory implementation by the actors involved, and (6) control and sanctions. An evaluation of these six criteria presupposes the use of a variety of methodological approaches. The development of specific criteria for strong versus weak quota regimes makes it possible to identify both the weak points of the legislation and the failures of implementation. In addition, these criteria will contribute to comparative studies on gender quota regimes and supplement the work of cumulative research. This study applies the six criteria in order to evaluate the Norwegian gender quota regime in local politics and shows that even if four criteria are fulfilled the result is still not satisfactory. The practices of implementation among politicians at the local level as well as among the supervising bodies (county governors) vary. Different discourses create various practices that force or obstruct the implementation of gender balance.