Дисертації з теми "Performance of public action"

La performance de l’action publique territoriale émerge comme un objectif intrinsèque àsa conduite même, en ce qu’elle cristallise des attentes en termes d’efficacité,d’efficience et de transparence qu’il n’est plus possible aujourd’hui d’occulter. Depuis ladécentralisation, l’action publique territoriale connaît une évolution parallèle etdifférenciée par rapport à l’action publique étatique en France. Alors que cette dernièreest entrée dans une phase d’appropriation nette de démarches de performance,notamment avec la LOLF, les collectivités territoriales, qui conduisent l’action publiqueterritoriale, ont connu une évolution à la fois similaire et distincte.En effet, l’action publique territoriale apparaît elle aussi marquée par une évolution assezprononcée vers une plus grande intégration des démarches de performance.Néanmoins, cette appropriation est spécifique, dans la mesure où elle ne repose pas surla même logique systémique. Une étude des différents facteurs de performance, qu’ils’agisse des acteurs, des cadres budgétaires et légaux en vigueur, ou del’environnement des collectivités territoriales, démontre une prise en compte largementincomplète, quoiqu’en net progrès, des logiques de performance.Cette étude factorielle explique les différences d’appropriation majeures constatablesentre différentes collectivités. De l’ensemble de ces analyses découlent finalement desleviers à actionner qui permettraient indubitablement une meilleure appropriation desdémarches de performance par les collectivités territoriales et ainsi la mise en oeuvred’une action publique territoriale plus pertinente, répondant mieux aux attentesassignées
Growing expectations about effectivness, efficiency and transparency of territorial publicaction cannot be undermined any more. Performance of territorial public authorities hasmerged into an intrinsic and decisive goal.Since the beginning of the decentralization process in France, national public action andterritorial public action have been through simultaneous but different evolutions. At statelevel, the 2001’s « LOLF » bill step was a landmark, and authorities have definitely copewith performance approach. Meanwhile, local authorities went to such a process,following their own ways.Territorial public authorities clearly evolved and made performance approaches theirown. However, without needs for a global systemic logic, their ownership processpatterns are different.A study of different performance criteria (such as actors, legal and budgetaryframeworks, and local authorities’ environnements) brings evidence that, despiteundeniable progress, use of performance approaches is quite uncomplete at local level.This factorial study explains noticeable differences between local authorities. Some ofthem are using performance standards in a more global way than others. Accordingly,this study helps to determine levers to encourage a better and quicker emergence of amore relevant territorial public action, therefore meeting assigned expectations

This study found that the performance appraisal process, in particular, is an instrument of the performance appraisal system that contributes tremendous value to planning and implementation. The research found that the performance appraisal process in the City of Cape Town can be improved through addressing the process and improving the approaches followed by the managers in daily appraisals, which can be done by following the complete process and including all the steps it involves, and by having a positive attitude towards the performance appraisal process. This mini&ndash
thesis also provides a set of conclusions and recommendations for the performance management and performance appraisal system, particularly regarding appraisal process enhancement. It is hoped that the lessons learned through this study will inform current practices and provide information for future research at local government level.

Les cercles de contages sont des scènes d’action politique, ce fut les cas au Caire avec le soulèvement populaire en 2011. Cette hypothèse forme le centre de notre problématique. Après la chute du président de l’Egypte Hosni Moubarak, des citoyens ont découvert leur talent oratoire, ils ont inconsciemment renoué avec les pratiques de contages arabes, vieilles de plus de quinze siècles. Lors d’une première phase du travail de terrain, nous avons collecté 253 récits, nous avons choisi d’en étudier sept, en tant que performance mais aussi en y tirant les liens artistiques et politiques avec les cercles contages arabes. Il a fallu alors consacrer la première partie de cette thèse à l’Histoire des contes arabes. Les contes du moment révolutionnaire sont exposés et étudiés dans la deuxième partie, précédés d’un exposé de la situation en Egypte sous le règne de Moubarak. Un troisième chapitre est une description de la situation politique qui a favorisé le retour de l’ancien régime et la politique de diabolisation du soulèvement de Janvier 2011, le silence fut réimposé et les contes de la révolution presque éradiqués de l’esprit des cairotes.La troisième partie expose les contages du Caire sous l’angle de nouveaux champs d’étude. Le rôle des contes dans le combat autour de la mémoire collective, comment les cercles de contage ont fait partie de la lutte pour la visibilité du peuple, de l’occupation de l’espace publique, de l’identité et fonctions des lieux de mémoire du soulèvement populaire.Le dernier plan d’étude des contes du Caire dans un contexte contemporain est celui de leur inscription dans le cadre du Storytelling qui a gagné plusieurs terrains et disciplines
Storytelling circles are scenes of political action, as was the case in Cairo with the popular uprising in 2011. This hypothesis forms the center of our problematic. After the fall of the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, citizens discovered their oratorical talent, they unconsciously returned to the performance and practices of Arab stories, dating back more than fifteen centuries.During a first phase of the fieldwork, we collected 253 stories, we chose to study seven, as a performance but also by drawing artistic and political links with the Arab storytelling circles. It was therefore necessary to devote the first part of this thesis to the History of arabian tales.The tales of the revolutionary moment are exposed and studied in the second part, preceded by an account of the situation in Egypt during the reign of Mubarak. A third chapter is a description of the political situation which favored the return of the old regime and the policy of demonization of the uprising of January 2011, silence was re-imposed and the tales of the revolution almost eradicated from the minds of Cairo.The third part exposes the stories of Cairo from the perspective of new fields of study. The role of tales in the fight around collective memory, how storytelling circles have been part of the struggle for the visibility of the people, the occupation of public space, the identity and functions of places of memory of the popular uprising.The last plan of study of the tales of Cairo in a contemporary context is that of their inscription within the framework of the Storytelling which gained several fields and disciplines

Le rapprochement des administrations déconcentrées et décentralisées en France est une question qui se pose aujourd'hui. Lesexplications en sont multiples mais d'abord d'ordre budgétaire. Les couts d'un système d'administration parallèle tel qu'il est mis en œuvre avec la déconcentration et la décentralisation déployées sur notre territoire ne sont plus, en effet, raisonnables. La distinction entre déconcentration et décentralisation est, au demeurant, bien française, la plupart des pays les englobant sous le même concept de décentralisation. Le concept d'administration « unitoire » tel qu'il se déploie, par exemple, en Allemagne, devra être plus particulièrement exploré. Ce rapprochement entre administrations déconcentrées et décentralisées est aussi inscrit dans l'histoire administrative française ainsi que l'illustre la figure du maire, à la fois agent de l'Etat et exécutif local mais aussi l'histoire plus générale des collectivités territoriales ce qu'il conviendrait d'examiner. Il s'agit, en d'autres mots, d'admettre qu'un même acteur puisse défendre les intérêts nationaux comme locaux et que l'existence et la compétence de l'acteur décentralisé permettent de faire l'économie de l'acteur déconcentré. Un tel changement de perspective, évidemment source d'économies pour l'Etat, peut porter bénéfice aussi aux collectivités, leur permettant d'être de meilleurs acteurs dans la décentralisation. Il s'agira donc d'examiner le passé pour mieux comprendre l'avenir mais aussi de suivre au présent l'ensemble des « signes » permettant de relever un rapprochement des administrations déconcentrées et décentralisées. Il y a les signes mous, les expérimentations en cours des acteurs déconcentrées et décentralisées amenées pour bon nombre de politiques publiques à se coordonner. Les signes durs, ce sont ceux du droit positif. La délégation de compétence est, à cet égard, plus particulièrement emblématique permettant à l'Etat de confier la mise en œuvre d'une compétence qui reste de sa responsabilité, à un échelon territorial décentralisé. La nouvelle charte de la déconcentration du 7 mai 2015 encore introduit le principe de modularité dans l'administration déconcentrée en énonçant que l'Etat administre les territoires dans « une relation de proximité pour s'adapter à la réalité des Français qui n'est pas identique en tous points du pays »
There are many reasons for this, but the first is budgetary. There are many reasons, but the first is budgetary. The costs of a parallel administration, as set up with deconcentration and decentralization in France, are no longer reasonable. The distinction between deconcentration and decentralization is a very French one, with most countries grouping them under the same concept of decentralization. The concept of "unitary" administration, as used in Germany for example, should be particularly explored. This rapprochement between deconcentrated and decentralized administrations is also part of French administrative history, illustrated by the figure of the mayor, both agent of the State and local executive, as well as the more general history of local authorities, which should be examined. In other words, we have to accept that the same actor can defend both national and local interests, and that the existence and competence of the decentralized actor makes it possible to do without the deconcentrated actor. This change ofperspective, obviously a source of savings for the State, can also benefit local authorities, by enabling them to be better players in the decentralization process. The aim is not only to examine the past in order to better understand the future, but also to monitor all the "signs" of a rapprochement between devolved and decentralized administrations in the present. There are the soft signs, the ongoing experiments by decentralized and deconcentrated players, which are leading to the coordination of a good number of public policies. The hard signs are those of positive law. In this respect, the delegation of powers is particularly emblematic, enabling the State to entrust the implementation of a power which remains its responsibility, to a decentralized territorial level. The new deconcentration charter of May 7, 2015 still introduces the principle of modularity in deconcentrated administration by stating that the State administers territories in "a relationship of proximity to adapt to the reality of the French, which is not identical at all points of the country"

Les activités physiques, et les jeux traditionnels font partis de la culture universelle, et appartiennent à l’humanité. Les peuples d’Afrique ont dû abandonner les leurs avec l’arrivée des sports modernes pendant la période de colonisation. Les activités physiques et jeux traditionnels du Gabon avaient dans la plus part des cas un but utilitaire allant de la préparation physique des jeunes au service de la communauté, aux activités de loisirs pour tous comme des danses lors des évènements commémoratifs ou des cérémonies rituelles et initiatiques. Ces activités ont disparu car la politique coloniale consistait à dévaloriser les pratiques autochtones, en valorisant la culture occidentale dont les sports.Nous avons présenté certains jeux traditionnels du Gabon sur la base d’une étude que nous avons commencée depuis quelques années, car nous avons peut-être à travers eux une des propositions que nous ferions, pour redynamiser et diversifier les Activités Physiques et Sportives en milieu scolaire au Gabon. En effet, contrairement aux sports occidentaux, les jeux traditionnels du Gabon ont une exigence matérielle très simple. De plus, les matériaux et les instruments nécessaires à leur pratique se trouvent dans la proximité de leur lieu de pratique. Et nous avons démontré que si les APS disparaissent des emplois du temps dans les programmes scolaires au Gabon, c’est entre autres raisons à cause du coût élevé du matériel didactique de sport, car les sports constituent aujourd’hui l’essentiel des contenus des programmes d’APS. Nous avons aussi présenté les jeux traditionnels du Gabon pour attirer l’attention des autorités gabonaises devant le risque de disparition de cette catégorie du patrimoine culturel national. Nous l’avons fait parce que nous pensons que dans un contexte de mondialisation où chaque entité valorise son identité culturelle et cherche à pérenniser ses traditions, le Gabon pourrait, grâce à ses activités physiques traditionnelles avoir sa propre identité, peut-être s’en référer pour entrevoir une partie de son histoire.Après avoir signalé l’existence des jeux traditionnels du Gabon, il nous a paru opportun d’évoquer le sport qui les a remplacés, sa signification, son expansion et son organisation internationale. Mais que faut-il entendre par le terme sport, au regard des nombreuses définitions qui sont proposées par différents auteurs ? Nous pouvons classer ses définitions selon des spécialités. Ce qui dénote de la complexité à situer le phénomène, tant les pratiques sportives et leurs corollaires se retrouvent dans la quasi totalité de la vie sociale de nos jours.Le Gabon comme beaucoup de pays africains anciennes colonies de la France va hériter des pratiques et des structures sportives du colonisateur. Cependant, le Gabon manque de cadres et de techniciens du sport, les équipements et infrastructures sont précaires et insuffisants. Il convient de mettre en place des politiques sportives réalistes et se projeter sur le long terme. Au contraire les autorités gabonaises vont semble-t-il faire le choix du sport de haut-niveau au détriment du sport scolaire et du sport de masse qui sont de notre point du vue de véritables bases de politiques sportives pouvant garantir des résultats constants et durables.Pour réaliser cette étude donc la problématique pose la question du fonctionnement et du rendement des institutions sportives mises en place par l’Etat pour apporter du prestige et le rayonnement du Gabon au niveau international. Il a fallu faire objectivement le constat d’une insuffisance de résultats d’une manière générale du sport gabonais. Pour cela des études au niveau des trois groupes d’institutions reconnus comme étant dépositaires du destin du sport et des politiques publiques, ont été réalisées. Elles nous ont entrainées dans l’administration centrale de l’Etat, et nous y avons étudié l’organisation et le fonctionnement du Ministère des Sports, de ces services extérieurs et organes sous tutelles. Nous avons par la suite étudié le deuxième acteur public de la gestion du sport au Gabon, qui sont les collectivités territoriales, et nous avons observé que leur rôle dans le contexte de l’inapplication de la loi sur la décentralisation reste tout à fait symbolique. Le troisième acteur ou groupe d’acteurs que nous avons étudié dans cette recherche est le mouvement olympique gabonais, dont l’organisation est recommandée par les institutions sportives internationales. Et nous avons rappelé cette hiérarchisation du sport mondial. Le Gabon qui accède à l’indépendance le 17 Août 1960 et expérimente la démocratie multipartite depuis 1990 est un pays potentiellement riche et politiquement stable, ces deux atouts auraient pu favoriser le développement du sport. Au contraire, certaines fédérations sportives n’existent que de nom, le sport scolaire et l’EPS tendent à disparaître des emplois du temps. Les équipements sportifs sont insuffisants. La formation et la recherche sont en friche. En compétitions officielles les performances des équipes gabonaises laissent à désirer.Certains spécialistes de sciences politiques affirment que si la société doit être transformée, cela ne peut commencer que par les institutions, instances de médiations entre les élites politiques et les citoyens. Si l’hypothèse est recevable, quel rôle peuvent tenir les institutions sportives dans cette perspective au Gabon ? Les institutions de sport au Gabon ne semblent pas avoir atteint leurs objectifs au vu des nombreux conflits internes, des irrégularités continuelles dans leur fonctionnement, et des insuffisances observées dans les performances sportives actuelles en compétitions officielles. Ces institutions sportives vivent-elles l’expérience démocratique engagée dans le but de restaurer l’autorité de l’Etat, libérer les énergies créatrices, protéger les droits des populations, et favoriser le développement global (l’émergence) du Gabon? Au regard des perspectives politiques récentes, un changement pourrait s’amorcer
Physical activities and games are part of universal culture, and mostly of humanity. African populations had to give up theirs with the creation of modern sports during the settlement era. Physical activities and traditional games in Gabon had mostly a practical aim, going from physical training for teenagers to community service, to leisure activities for all, just like dances during memorial events or initiatory and ritual ceremonies. These activities have disappeared because the colonial policy was to depreciate native practices, by promoting western culture that included sports.We have presented some traditional games in Gabon on the basis of a study we started a few years ago, because we may have found though this study a suggestion we would make, to revitalize and diversify Sport and Physical Activities (SPA) in the school area in Gabon. Indeed, contrary to western sports, traditional games in Gabon have a fewer equipment needs. Moreover, equipment and instruments needed for their practice are located around the area of practice. And we have demonstrated that if SPA disappear from schedules in Gabonese schools, this is mainly due to a high cost for sport didactic equipment as today, sport is the main part of the SPA schedules.We have also presented Gabon traditional games to draw Gabonese Authorities attention to the risk that this category of national cultural patrimony may disappear. We did it as we think that in a globalization context in which each entity promotes its cultural identity and aims at making durable its traditions, Gabon could have its own identity thanks to its traditional physical activities. And it could also use it as a reference for a part of its history.After we informed the existence of traditional games in Gabon, we found it appropriate to mention the sport that replaced them, its meaning, its expansion and its international organization.But what is sport exactly, if we refer to many definitions suggested by different authors? We can order these definitions through specialties. This shows how complicated it is to evaluate this phenomenon. Besides, nowadays we can find sport practices and their corollaries nearly everywhere in social life.Gabon, such as many African countries being former colonies from France, is going to inherit practices and sport structures from its colonizer. However, Gabon is short of sport executives and technicians, equipment and facilities are precarious and insufficient. Realistic sport policies have to be set up, and a long-term projection has to be considered. On the contrary, Gabonese authorities may choose high-level sport to the detriment of school and leisure sport, which are, according to us, real basis of sport policies to guarantee continuous and lasting results.The main issue of this study is about the functioning and productivity of sport institutions introduced by the State to bring prestige and Gabon influence at an international level. To realize this study, we had to notice insufficient results, generally speaking, in Gabonese sport. So, studies were made around the three groups of institutions dealing with public policies and sport destiny.They led us to the State central administration, and we studied the organization and functioning of the Sport Department, its external services and trust organs. Then we studied the second public actor in the sport management in Gabon, which are territory collectivities, and we noticed that their role remains really symbolic, in their failure to enforce the law on decentralization. The third actor or group of actors we studied in this research is the Gabonese Olympic movement, which organization is recommended by the international sport institutions. And we reminded this global sport hierarchy.Gabon that became independent on the 17th of August 1960, and that tries out multipartite democracy since 1990, is a politically stable and wealth country. These two assets could have helped to develop sport. On the contrary, some sport federations only exist thanks to their name; school sport and the SPE are to disappear from schedules. Sport equipment is insufficient. Training and research are wasted. During official events, Gabonese teams performances are quite below-average.Some political scientists claim that if society has to be transformed, it has to start with the institutions, authorities for negotiation between politic elites and citizens. If the possibility is acceptable, what is the role of sport institutions in this perspective in Gabon? Sport institutions in Gabon do not seem to have reached their targets if we look at the numerous internal frictions, constant irregularities in their functioning, and insufficiencies in their current sport performances in official events. These sport institutions live the democratic experience in order to reestablish State authority, to release creative energies, to protect populations’ rights, and to promote Gabon global development?With regard to the recent political views, a change could get under way

2012-2013
La mia ricerca è volta ad indagare i principi ispiratori ed i profili applicativi della disciplina di cui al D.Lgs. 20 dicembre 2009, n. 198, in materia di ricorso per l’efficienza delle amministrazioni e dei concessionari pubblici, in attuazione dell’art. 4 della legge 4 marzo 2009, n. 15, meglio conosciuta come <>, nell’ambito di una rivisitazione complessiva del sistema di valutazione delle strutture e dei dipendenti delle amministrazioni pubbliche, in un’ottica di ottimizzazione della produttività e di valorizzazione del risultato conseguito. L’azione collettiva pubblica, infatti, è concepita come strumento di controllo esterno di tipo giurisdizionale esperibile nei confronti delle pubbliche amministrazioni e dei concessionari di pubblici servizi, che si discostano dagli standard di qualità, economicità e tempestività dell’azione amministrativa latamente intesa. [a cura dell'autore]
XII n.s.

L’évolution des démarches qualité conduit à prendre en compte le processus de production selon une logique globale. En effet, les différents apports, outils et démarches ont souvent été techniques et prescriptifs: passage du contrôle, à l'assurance qualité, puis à la qualité totale. En suivant cette évolution, on ne doit plus considérer les unités opérationnelles uniquement comme des systèmes formels maitrisables mais bien comme des ensembles d'acteurs capables de produire décisions et comportements. Effectivement dans un environnement complexe et incertain, l'efficacité des systèmes de production n'est pas totalement rationalisable, donc programmable. La réactivité et l'adaptabilité du système productif exigent alors de savoir gérer des événements imprévus ou singuliers. Or, au poste de travail, la manière dont sont traités de tels événements dépend des modes d'action et stratégies choisis par les opérateurs ou équipes de travail en tant qu'acteurs autonomes. Ce sont donc de nouveaux comportements qui permettront d'inventer ces solutions inédites (au moins en partie) et pertinentes pour réagir à l'événement et s'en servir comme, levier dans la recherche de la performance. Notre recherche-action vise à analyser la prise en compte de ces événements du quotidien au niveau de la production, et à en mesurer l'impact sur les objectifs industriels. La conception fonctionnelle d'un cadre expérimental pour l'observation et le pilotage nous servira pour aborder notre étude sur deux secteurs de production d'un site industriel. C’est notre contribution au pilotage d'actions qualité utilisant l'événement imprévu comme levier, qui nous servira pour observer les pratiques et méthodes utilisées par les différents acteurs dans leur cadre de travail

This study investigates the challenges facing the management of public enterprises in the Democratic of Congo. The study is based on the hypothesis that poor performance by state-owned enterprises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been influenced by inadequate management which has led to the dissatisfaction of citizens. Due to this problem increasing attention is being paid by the DRC Government to encouraging private sector involvement in services such as water and electricity. This study investigates the arguments for and against privatization, especially in the water and electricity sectors. In pursuing this debate the study explores the following main research question: To what extent will the DRC Reform Law aimed at transforming the commercialisation of public enterprises enhance the effectiveness of basic services such as water and electricity services in the DRC? A case study of the city of Bukavu in the eastern DRC is used to explore this question.

This study focused on the developments of Civil Service Reform (CSR) in Mozambique, and the priority issues pertaining to human resources management in the country. This research investigation performed an assessment of the human resources management priorities and its effectiveness in civil service reform in the Government of Mozambique.

Organizations play key roles in modern societies. The importance of organizations for a society requires an understanding of organizations. In order to fully understand public organizations, it is necessary to recognize how organizational settings affect subjects of organizations and organizing. Although public and private organizations interrelate with each other, the two types are not identical. In this dissertation, I attempt to describe public organizations in their own setting by discussing three important topics in public organization theory: (1) innovation adoption in the public sector; (2) representative bureaucracy; and (3) decline and death of public organizations. In Chapter II, I scrutinize early adoption of innovations at the organizational level and explore which public organizations become early adopters in the diffusion process. The adoption of an innovation is directly related to the motivation to innovate. That is, organizations performing poorly will have a motivation to seek new solutions. I estimate the strength of the motivation by observing prior performance. The main finding of the second chapter is that performance-based motivation has a twofold impact on early innovation adoption: negative for organizations with low performance, but positive for those with very high performance. This study estimates top 3.8% as the turning point defining which organizations attain outstanding performance and show the positive relationship between performance and innovation adoption. In Chapter III, develop a theoretical framework for predicting and explaining active representation in bureaucracy and test two hypotheses from the framework to test its validity. First, active representation requires the loss of organizational rewards. Second, a minority group mobilizes external support to minimize the cost of active representation. These findings support that active representation is a political activity in which bargaining between formal and informal roles occurs. In addition, I add evidence to the literature demonstrating that the two prerequisites – policy discretion and a critical mass – must be satisfied for active representation to occur. In Chapter IV, I argue that organizational change is a result of a relationship between an organization and the environment. And, I suggest and advance the theory of organizational ecology for examining environment effect on organizational decline and death. The theory has been extensively studies in the business sector, so I advance the theory to be applicable to the public sector. First, I add political variables, such as change in the executive branch and the legislature, unified government, and hypothesize that (1) an organization established by a party other than the one in the executive branch in any given year will be more likely to be terminated or decline; that (2) an organization established by a party other than the one in the legislature in any given year will be more likely to be terminated or decline; and that (3) if an unfriendly party controls both the executive branch and the legislature, organizations established by other parties are more likely to be terminated or decline. Second, the effect of the economic environment on the life cycle of public organizations is not as straightforward and simple as their effect on business firms.

The present study focusses on the theatre audience, and on its’ role in the maintenance of the theatrical situation. Using video-recorded performances of relatively naturalistic, modern dramas, the study examines the behaviour of the audience in relation to the unfolding of stage events. Such behaviour is described through close inspection of the sounds the audience produces, consisting primarily of coughing, throat-clearing, and laughter. The study contributes to the growing body of research surrounding ethnomethodological conversation analysis (CA). CA methods are used to analyse not only an audience’s overt reactions to stage events, but also the actions occurring outside these relatively short-lived phenomena in the context of a theatre performance. It is demonstrated that members of the audience refrain from making « vocal noise » during the verbal interaction of actors, and some of the resources used to achieve this end are described. These include the interpretation of the emerging dialogue, of the relative positioning of actors and of the actors’ use of gesture. Members of the audience are observed making vocal noise around possible completions in the sequence of ongoing stage actions, a placing which seems to make it maximally unobtrusive. Furthermore, the audience’s laughter is described. It is argued that members of the audience negociate collective moments of laughter with each other and with the actors. In doing so, the audience displays a sensitive awareness of the other members of the audience and the performers on stage. It is finally suggested that vocal noise on one hand and laughter on the other are differently placed in relation to an emerging action. This relative placing seems to indicate their producers’ different orientations to these actions, according to which vocal noise is to be hidden and laughter to be taken as an overt reaction.

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the managerial â actionâ of public administrators in the management of their organizations within the brazilian context. It seeks to understand the relationships between managers and formal management mechanisms by exploring the complementary nature of the effective managerial action in the face of structural deficiencies and flaws, considering the possibility of overcoming the structuralism-subjectivism dichotomy present in the construction of the Theory of Organizations. Initially, the study provides a review of the literature on organizational design. It highlights the â goodness of fitâ proposition on strategic choice issues concerning the main organizational variables design and organizational goal attainment. It also calls special attention to the emerging interest of designing theorists on interpretivist aproachs to the matter, such that of Karl Weick. A review of the the administrative reforms in Brazil is made from the perspective of the main stream organizational design conceptual framework. It highlights the complex dynamics of a constant search for differenciation and flexibilization subject to patherns of advances and reversals, due to the centrality, streng and pervasiveness of the bureaucratic model. It is concluded that in no single given moment, a public manager and his team, may count on a formal organizational design wich attends the â congruencyâ criteria, devised by organizational design conceptual frameworks, to explain organizational results in different environmental sets. Although this conclusion may explain failure at the public sector, it can not provide understanding on the many instances of significative success attained by government operations in spite of inadequate formal administrative structures. This point calls for a better understanding from the interpretivist aproach, on how public administrators, strongly associated with good organizational results, engage into transformative action, in order to superate administrative structures flaws and disfuncional cultural patherns of conduct, structurally present and constantly reproduced, in vigorous develloping countries, such as Brazil. The dissertation transcribes the testimony of four outstanding public administrators, doing a deep incursion in the managerial real world of public administration, as subjectivelly defined by them and transformed by their engagement into action.Through the thematic version of the Oral History methodology, full segments of the complete enterviews are cathegorized into the thirty two managerial strategies captured wich are presented on a recathegorized manner under eight main strategies: (1) Interchanging Frames of Reference; (2) Exploring the Formal Limits; (3) Playing the Bureaucracy Game; (4) Inducing the Inclusion of Others (5)Promoting Internal Cohesion; (6) Creating Shields against Transgressions; (7) Overcoming Internal Restrictions; (8) Letting the Structures Blossom. Each one of these eight blocks of strategies presented, deserves further reflexive interpretation by the author, on the light of the interpretivist aproach to organizational design. A final effort is made, now on theory building, for improuving understanding on the matter. In order to find a significant meaning underlining all the strategies extracted from the â practical constiounessâ of the enterviweers as revealed in their report, the author resort to a methafor. This methafor helps to: (1) better describe and understand a not adequately treated phenomenon, namely, good results under inadequate structural social and organizational conditions; (2) reveal the logic and the meaning underlining all the strategies adopted to generate results under these unfaithfull conditions; (3) name, accordingly to the nature of the managerial transformative social action envolved, an open ended class of managerial interventions of a pragmatic sort driven by an ethics of results much common to good managers, that is, the concept of â managerial equalizationâ ; and (4) give back to public administrators, represented by the enterviwees, to be incorporated in their â discursive counciousnessâ , something the most effective and experienced public managers already have as tacit knowledge built in their â practical counsciousnessâ , and so, help the education and development of new talents.
Ph. D.

Au même titre que d’autres démocraties capitalistes, le Chili a mis en œuvre des instruments de mesure de la performance visant à améliorer l’efficience et l’efficacité de l’action publique. Sous l’emprise du paradigme de la Nouvelle gestion publique, les gouvernements de la Coalition de centre gauche (1990 à 2010) ont mis en place des outils provenant du secteur privé afin de garantir des standards d’objectivité, d’impartialité et de performance dans le secteur public. À travers l’approche des sciences de gouvernement et de l’instrumentation de l’action publique et suivant l’hypothèse énoncée par Pierre Lascoumes et Patrick Le Galès remettant en question la neutralité de ces outils, ce travail de thèse doctorale s’interroge sur les dimensions politiques de la mise en œuvre des outils de gestion publique et de mesure de la performance au Chili. Ainsi, nous analyserons l’importance du contexte politique dans la mise en place et la traduction de ces instruments à la réalité chilienne, les enjeux de leur mise en œuvre, et leurs effets sur les rapports de pouvoir et de responsabilisation entre les différents acteurs qui ont participé à leur implémentation. Pour ce faire, la recherche utilise des données issues des entretiens semi-directifs réalisés auprès des acteurs concernés comme des sources secondaires telles que le discours des autorités et des documents officiels
Like other capitalist democracies, Chile has implemented performance measurement instruments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public action. Under the influence of the New Public Management paradigm, the governments of the Centre-Left Coalition (1990-2010) have put in place tools from the private sector to ensure standards of objectivity, impartiality and performance in the public sector. Through the approach of government sciences and public action instrumentation and following the hypothesis put forward by Pierre Lascoumes and Patrick Le Galès questioning the neutrality of these tools, this PhD thesis work questions the political dimensions of the implementation of public management and performance measurement tools in Chile. As such, we will analyze the importance of the political context in the implementation and translation of these instruments to the Chilean reality, the challenges of their implementation, and their effects on the power and accountability relationships between the different actors who participated in their implementation. To achieve this, the research uses data from semi-directive interviews with stakeholders as secondary sources such as government speeches and official documents

The health care system within the United States is in a state of transition. The industry, confronted with a variety of new technologies, new ways of organizing, spiraling costs, diminishing service quality and new actors, is changing, almost on a daily basis. Reports issued by the Institute of Medicine raise quality issues such as avoidable errors and underuse/overuse of services; other studies document regional variation in care. Improvement in the quality of care, according to health care experts is accomplished through measuring and comparing performance, but there are a number of disparate actors involved in this endeavor. Through a network of both public and private actors, collaboration on the development of a set of national performance measures is underway. Organizations such as the National Quality Forum (NQF), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other have formed networks to develop and standardize performance measurement systems that can distinguish between quality services and substandard ones. While there is some available research about the processes involved in performance measurement system design, there is little known about the factors that influence the development and work of the network, particularly the selection of hospital performance measures. This dissertation explored the development of a national performance measurement system for hospitals, using an institutional rational choice perspective and actor-network theory as frameworks for discussion. Through qualitative research methods such as direct observation, interviews, participant observations and document review, a theoretically informed case study of the NQFâ s Hospital Steering Committee was performed, to address the following questions: How is a national performance measurement system developed and what is the role of federal agencies (e.g., AHRQ and CMS) in the process?
Ph. D.

Lo scopo principale di questa ricerca è quello di inquadrare le possibili relazioni causali fra corruzione negli approvvigionamenti pubblici e performance delle amministrazioni locali. A tal fine, viene adottato un disegno di ricerca che integra dinamicamente metodi quantitativi e qualitativi in ogni fase del processo di studio. Gli approcci Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) e Governance (DPG), supportati da interviste approfondite non-strutturate, modellazioni formali e simulazioni quantitative, sono qui adottati per analizzare un caso di studio rappresentativo di un piccolo comune italiano in cui si sono verificati alcuni episodi di corruzione nelle attività di approvvigionamento nei primi anni 2000. In particolare, l'Ente locale in questione è stato sciolto due volte per infiltrazioni di stampo mafioso e, attualmente, versa in una situazione di dissesto finanziario. Il lavoro analizza i possibili esiti di tali fatti sulla performance organizzativa dell'Ente nel suo complesso sulla base di tre fonti: dati primari qualitativi generati da interviste frontali convergenti non-strutturate; dati secondari estrapolati da sentenze passate in giudicato e da archivi ad accesso aperto; ed un'ampia rassegna della letteratura. All'inizio, una panoramica della letteratura aiuta il lettore a comprendere i contenuti, le teorie ed i confini della corruzione. Successivamente, viene proposto un esame delle strategie di misurazione e delle misure più diffuse per prevenirla e contrastarla. Nel complesso, una particolare attenzione è riservata agli approvvigionamenti nei contesti pubblici locali. A seguito di una discussione sui possibili vantaggi e svantaggi, in termini di opportunità e deterrenze corruttive, derivanti dall'adozione dei paradigmi di governance nel settore pubblico più diffusi, gli approcci DPM e DPG vengono analizzati per comprendere il loro contributo teorico nel supportare i responsabili politici ed i manager ad arginare i fenomeni di corruzione. Successivamente, sulla base di alcune tecniche di codifica applicate alle interviste frontali non-strutturate svolte con alcuni Pubblici Ufficiali, un approccio esplorativo-descrittivo del caso-studio selezionato consente di comprendere la misura in cui gli eventi corruttivi investigati in questa sede abbiano inciso nel tempo sulla performance complessiva del Comune preso in esame. In seguito, viene adottata una prospettiva sistemica e dinamica di performance management per inquadrare le relazioni di causa-effetto emergenti dal caso di studio. L'assunzione di un approccio DPM consente ai politici ed ai dirigenti pubblici di progettare, implementare e valutare strategie anticorruzione fattibili, efficaci ed efficienti a livello di governo locale. Più precisamente, l'utilizzo, in un grafico DPM, di driver di performance adeguati al rischio di corruzione legato alle sue cause strutturali ed individualistiche può porre rimedio non soltanto alle riconosciute ambiguità e carenze derivanti dall'adozione di “bandiere rosse” nei processi di approvvigionamento pubblico, ma anche ai fallimenti dei controlli direzionali meccanicistici nel rilevare l'effettiva presenza di corruzione, fornendo ai decisori tempestivi segnali derivanti dagli effetti deleteri prodotti da siffatte pratiche clandestine. Inoltre, enfatizzare il ruolo della moralità civica comunitaria a livello di sistema può supportare la comprensione di alcuni risultati controintuitivi della passata ricerca sulla corruzione negli approvvigionamenti pubblici e dedurre in che modo gli investimenti nelle tecnologie dell'informazione e della comunicazione (TIC) e la formazione del personale possano migliorare responsabilità e competenza dei governi locali. Per quanto riguarda la professionalità dei dirigenti e dello staff quale causa individualistica di corruzione, il patronage politico derivante da opportunità legali risulta, per il caso di studio, significativo nello spiegare il cattivo andamento degli approvvigionamenti pubblici nel tempo. All'interno di questo quadro, la visualizzazione DPM consente altresì di distinguere più dettagliatamente la corruzione dallo spreco di risorse dovuto ad azioni non corruttive. In sintesi, un approccio DPM può consentire ai manager pubblici di mantenere i loro “radar cognitivi” costantemente (re)attivi, in modo da: identificare e sopprimere pratiche illecite negli approvvigionamenti pubblici; rilevare illeciti emergenti che potrebbero essere trascurati dai tradizionali approcci diagnostici e interattivi del controllo direzionale; favorire l'apprendimento etico e migliorare il valore pubblico generato. Infine, la prospettiva DPG può essere efficace nel supportare la formulazione e la messa a punto di strategie anticorruzione basate sulla collaborazione multistakeholder, nonché nel sondarne la fattibilità e gli impatti nel tempo all'interno di aree locali caratterizzate da strutture di governance carenti. Pertanto, sulla base di precedenti progetti di successo realizzati da governi locali di diverse parti del mondo, nell'ultima parte di questa tesi di ricerca viene utilizzato un approccio DPG per delineare e valutare una strategia anticorruzione per il caso in esame secondo un'impostazione di collaborative governance, così da inquadrare possibili sinergie ed interdipendenze tra i soggetti rilevanti, quali leve critiche per contrastare il rischio sistemico di corruzione a livello locale.
The main purpose of this research is to frame the possible causal relationships between corruption in public procurement and performance of local governments. With this aim, a fully-integrated research design is adopted to dynamically mix quantitative and qualitative methods at every phase of the research process. The Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) and Governance (DPG) approaches, supported by in-depth interviews, formal modelling and simulations, are here adopted to analyse a representative case-study of an Italian small Municipality, where some corruption episodes in procurement activities occurred in the early 2000s. In particular, the local Authority in question was disbanded twice for mafia-like infiltrations and is currently facing a financial instability. In the light of that, the overall work studies the possible outcomes of those facts on the organisational performance as a whole, based on three sources: qualitative primary data generated by face-to-face convergent interviews; secondary data retrieved from both documents describing legal cases and open-access repositories; an extensive literature review. At the beginning, a broad and composite literature overview helps the reader become aware about the contents, theories and boundaries of corruption. Thereafter, an examination of the most widespread measurement strategies and measures to either prevent or repress it is proposed. Overall, a special focus is set on procurement in local public contexts. Following a discussion on the possible advantages and disadvantages of the most common public sector paradigms in terms of opportunities and constraints for corruption, the DPM and DPG views are explored to understand their theoretical contribution in supporting policy- and decision-makers to curb corruption phenomena in heterogeneous governance contexts. Afterwards, based on coding techniques, an exploratory-descriptive approach of the selected case-study allows for a better understanding of the extent to which the investigated corruption events impacted on the overall performance of the Municipality under scrutiny over time, by means of non-structured face-to-face interviews held with some Public Officials in 2019. Therefore, a system perspective in performance management is adopted to frame the emerging cause-and-effect relationships of the case-study. Assuming a DPM approach allows politicians and public managers to design, implement and assess feasible, effective and efficient anti-corruption strategies at local government level. More precisely, the use in a DPM chart of performance drivers adjusted for the risk of corruption linked to its structural and individualistic causes may not only put right to ambiguities and flaws deriving from the adoption of ‘red-flags’ in public procurement, but also to failures of mechanistical controls in detecting the actual presence of corruption, thus providing decision-makers with prompt signals arising from the emergent effects of clandestine practices. In addition, emphasising the role of community civic morality at system level may back up the understanding of some counterintuitive results in the past research on corruption in public procurement and deduce to what extent investments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and personnel training may enhance local government accountability and expertise. With regard to managers’ and staff’s professionalism, as individualistic cause of corruption, political patronage stemming from legal opportunities results significant in explaining poor performance in public procurement over time. Within this framework, the DPM view also allows for better singling corruption out from resource waste due to non-corrupt actions. In summary, a DPM approach may lead public managers to constantly maintain their ‘cognitive radar’ reactive, so as to identify and suppress unlawful practices in procurement, detect emerging malfeasances that could be otherwise overlooked by traditional static diagnostical and interactive approaches, foster ethical learning and enhance community outcomes. Finally, the DPG perspective may be effective in supporting formulation and fine-tuning of collaboration-based anti-corruption strategies and probing their feasibility and impacts over time within local areas characterised by poor governance structures. Hence, on the basis of previous successful projects throughout the world, in the last part of this research thesis a DPG approach is used to outline and evaluate an anti-corruption strategy for the case under scrutiny according to collaboration settings, in a way to frame possible synergies and interdependencies among relevant participants as critical levers to hinder systemic risk of corruption at local level.

This study is an investigation in and through media arts practice. It set out to develop a novel type of new media artistic praxis built upon concepts drawn from the disciplines of scientific and cultural ecology. The rationale for this research was based upon my observation as a practising new media artist that existing praxis in the new media domain appeared to operate largely without awareness of the ecological implications of those practices. The thesis begins by explaining key concepts of ecology, spanning the arts and the sciences. It then outlines the thinking of contemporary theorists who propose that the problem of ecology is a critical issue for the 21st century, suggesting that our well-documented ecological crisis is indicative of a more general crisis of human subjectivity. It then records an investigation into particular strategies for artistic praxis which might instigate an active engagement with this problem of ecology. The study employed a methodology based in action research to focus upon the development and analysis of three new artistic works, '#14', ' Public Relations' and 'transit lounge'. These were used to explore diverse theories of ecology and to hone a series of pointers towards Ecosophical arts/new media praxis. This journey constitutes an emergent theory for new media space design. The thesis concludes with a toolkit of tactics and approaches that other arts/new media practitioners might employ to begin working on the problem of ecology.

Active citizenship and collaborative governance can be supported to enhance urban regeneration and social inclusion through Dynamic Performance Governance (DPG). The problem of urban decay and urban decline is identified as the main problem that continues to affect cities and urban areas. The study focuses on the urban regeneration experience of the historic urban neighborhood of Ballaro which is located in the historic city of Palermo. Urban regeneration is essential for transforming urban neighborhoods which are at risk of decline and blight. However, the lack of a social aspect such as social inclusion through active citizenship was identified to affect the sustainability of urban regeneration policies. This study therefore illustrates how social inclusion as a social aspect of urban regeneration can be attained through active citizenship. It also illustrates how active citizenship can be supported by collaborative governance so as to generate community outcomes. The main goal of the study is to demonstrate how DPG can be applied by decision makers to design and implement sustainable urban regeneration policies. In this regard, urban regeneration was depicted as an intervention within an interconnected system, rather than a sum of single interventions. The study therefore identifies social inclusion as a key variable which can be promoted through active citizenship and collaborative governance so as to ensure sustainable urban regeneration. The following objectives were studied: (1) To identify factors which influence the growth and decline of cities and urban neighborhoods. (2) To illustrate how active citizenship can be generated so as to foster collaborative governance. (3) To determine how stakeholder collaboration can be used to generate sustainable outcomes. (4) To demonstrate how DPG can be applied in local areas strategic planning to support sustainable outcomes. Findings from the study indicate that factors associated with urban decline include the presence of social ‘wicked’ problems and dynamic complexity. The factors that support urban growth include, the balanced scorecard for strategic planning, social inclusion, system dynamics, and implementation of urban regeneration policies. Active citizenship was found to sustain collaborative governance. Collaborative governance across stakeholder groups was found to be essential in fostering sustainable outcomes. The study illustrates the role of DPG in decision making and strategic planning. In addition, DPG was used as a methodology in the study. The study recommends a theoretical and practical integration of Dynamic Performance Management and Governance in urban settings which will enrich this field of study, and improve the way decision makers approach urban regeneration.
Active citizenship and collaborative governance can be supported to enhance urban regeneration and social inclusion through Dynamic Performance Governance (DPG). The problem of urban decay and urban decline is identified as the main problem that continues to affect cities and urban areas. The study focuses on the urban regeneration experience of the historic urban neighborhood of Ballaro which is located in the historic city of Palermo. Urban regeneration is essential for transforming urban neighborhoods which are at risk of decline and blight. However, the lack of a social aspect such as social inclusion through active citizenship was identified to affect the sustainability of urban regeneration policies. This study therefore illustrates how social inclusion as a social aspect of urban regeneration can be attained through active citizenship. It also illustrates how active citizenship can be supported by collaborative governance so as to generate community outcomes. The main goal of the study is to demonstrate how DPG can be applied by decision makers to design and implement sustainable urban regeneration policies. In this regard, urban regeneration was depicted as an intervention within an interconnected system, rather than a sum of single interventions. The study therefore identifies social inclusion as a key variable which can be promoted through active citizenship and collaborative governance so as to ensure sustainable urban regeneration. The following objectives were studied: (1) To identify factors which influence the growth and decline of cities and urban neighborhoods. (2) To illustrate how active citizenship can be generated so as to foster collaborative governance. (3) To determine how stakeholder collaboration can be used to generate sustainable outcomes. (4) To demonstrate how DPG can be applied in local areas strategic planning to support sustainable outcomes. Findings from the study indicate that factors associated with urban decline include the presence of social ‘wicked’ problems and dynamic complexity. The factors that support urban growth include, the balanced scorecard for strategic planning, social inclusion, system dynamics, and implementation of urban regeneration policies. Active citizenship was found to sustain collaborative governance. Collaborative governance across stakeholder groups was found to be essential in fostering sustainable outcomes. The study illustrates the role of DPG in decision making and strategic planning. In addition, DPG was used as a methodology in the study. The study recommends a theoretical and practical integration of Dynamic Performance Management and Governance in urban settings which will enrich this field of study, and improve the way decision makers approach urban regeneration.

Proponents of embodied cognition claim that the meaning of language is not stored amodally but is grounded within modality-specific brain regions. A large body of work supports this view by demonstrating that action language processing elicits motoric activation and behaviourally interacts with action performance. The fMRI and behavioural experiments described in the following chapters aimed to address several gaps in our current understanding of the nature of these language-induced motoric representations. By manipulating particular aspects of action language such as hand use and physical effort, the fMRI data supports the hypothesis that language evokes the activation of very specific and detailed action representations. As the effort information could only be derived from the combination of word meaning across the sentence, it was shown that these effects are not simply driven by single action verbs but by the integration of several activated semantic networks. Furthermore, the regions that were activated by action language are those that are involved in action planning as opposed to action execution, highlighting that these action representations are of a cognitive and abstract nature. Behavioural experiments were conducted to evaluate the functional significance of these embodied motoric activations. Despite observing modality specific representations using fMRI, when action and language shared specific physical effort attributes, behavioural interaction effects were absent, indicating that motoric activity may not necessarily be required for the processing of action language. The role that the motor system plays in the comprehension of action language is unclear from the evidence presented, as methodological issues may have played a part in generating this null result. The conclusions made from this selection of experiments and the implications of this research within the wider literature are further discussed.

Cette thèse a pour but d’identifier, dans la mise en scène européenne des années 1990-2000, les pratiques de la frontalité et d’en déterminer les enjeux en termes de mise en scène, de jeu et de présence de l’acteur et de réception du spectateur. L’analyse distingue trois modalités d’intervention de la frontalité, chaque fois remises dans leur perspective historique. La première est celle de l’interpellation, dans l’héritage du théâtre de foire ou d’intervention. La frontalité y est le support d’un acte de communication. Deuxièmement, la frontalité prend une dimension cérémonielle et devient le fondement de l’acte théâtral pour élaborer, cette fois, une relation indirecte avec les spectateurs. Dans sa troisième modalité, la frontalité dépasse le face-à-face entre acteurs et spectateurs, soit par le recours à l’image vidéo, créant un face-à-face médiatisé, soit par l’extension de la frontalité à l’ensemble de la scène. Finalement, l’usage de la frontalité témoigne d’une nouvelle économie de la représentation fondée sur un principe de réciprocité entre le geste du metteur en scène, l’engagement de l’acteur, la production scénique et l’individu spectateur. Au-delà du souci de conduire le spectateur à une activité critique ou à une participation fusionnelle, la frontalité invite à interroger sa position de retrait et sa passivité extérieure
This thesis aims at identifying the practices of frontal acting in the European performances between the 1990’s and the 2000’s in order to define its challenges with regards to the staging, the acting, the actor’s presence on stage as well as in terms of spectator’s perception. Our analysis distinguishes three modes of frontal acting, by replacing each of them in its historical context. The first one is “interpellation” inherited from the Theatre performances at fairs and the Agit-Prop Theatre. In this case, frontal acting is considered as a medium for communication. The second mode, frontal acting takes a ceremonial dimension and becomes the basis of the theatrical moment in order to create, this time, an indirect relationship between actors and spectators. In its third mode, frontal acting exceeds the face-to-face between actors and spectators either thanks to the use of the video – creating media attention around the face-to-face – or thanks to the extension of frontal acting to the full stage. Finally, the use of frontal acting indicates the emergence of a new performance mode based on a reciprocity principle between the gesture of the director, the commitment of the actor, the performance and the spectator as an individual. Beyond the willingness to lead the spectator to a critical thought processor to a fusional participation, frontal acting invites to question his distant position and his external passivity

Mental Health service provision organizations have strong professional norms of cooperation, which exert pressures on organizational actors to integrate and coordinate services to better, serve clients. Pressures to integrate services sometimes run counter to the funding mechanisms employed in delivery systems. This is especially true for managed care. This study examined whether integration increased or decreased as a result of the introduction of risk-based managed care in one community. Data were collected at two points in time, 1996 and 1999, in order to assess changes in services integration over time. Survey instruments and field interviews were employed to collect the relevant data. Standard network analysis techniques and simple content analysis were used for the analysis. The theoretical portion of this dissertation sought to determine which set of literature better described what occurred in a normatively cooperative network with competitive, managed care incentives. I reviewed literature in organization theory, common pool resources, and mental health to support a cooperative view of mental healthcare delivery, and reviewed principal-agent theory and managed care to support a non-cooperative view of mental healthcare delivery. I found that despite the competitive incentives introduced into the mental health delivery network, integration increased over a three-year period. Integration was measured using network measures such as density, degree centrality, cliques, core provider analysis, and blockmodels. The network findings were further supported by the qualitative analysis performed on the interview data. The latter part of the dissertation develops a model that explains collective action in interorganizational networks. It draws upon the organizational theory literature by describing the determinants necessary for network formation and using the concepts of communication, norms, time, and context. The common pool resource literature contributes a diagnosis stage to the model that assists in explaining how networks change and develop desirable characteristics over time, while supplementing the OT literature's perspective on communication, context, and time. I also suggest ways in which this dissertation contributes to practice, focusing on the systems design of mental health delivery systems.

This thesis describes and analyzes a practice as research study (2008 - 2011) which comprised performances, ongoing workshops and a symposium. Its focus is the (re)examination of voice training for the contemporary performer exploring what existing methods are sti11 relevant, what gaps exist in current training, and how these might be bridged. The methodology is that of a feedback loop in which theoretical research informs practical explorations (conducted by the researcher on herself) which inform practical applications (in which the research is applied with other performers in a pedagogical context). The inquiry is divided into two main topics: training for Vocal Presence and for Vocal Composition. In the first, the theoretical base is that of Konstantin Stanislavski's method of physical actions and its interpretations by Jerzy Grotowski and Ingemar Lindh, with a further link made to the work of positive psychologist Mihaly Czilcszentmihalyi. In the second, the starting points are the work of John Britton and Anne Bogart's Viewpoints. Within both areas, these theories and their related practices are explored through the creation of two perfonnance pieces: lhe sound of m/y/our name ... and One By One and then applied in the creation of a method of vocal (re)actions. This work was presented through a practice as research symposium and is documented on DVD and in an interactive website. This thesis argues for the importance of mapping the connections between different aesthetic and cultural methods for voice training. For the performer, it proposes a non-aesthetic-specific practical method and terminology, which can be used to work both within and across different vocal techniques as well as between body and voice. It thus aims to broaden the repertoire of approaches to voice work for vocal training and for devising performance.

Within the past two decades, the snowboard and freeski disciplines of halfpipe, slopestyle and big air (collectively Park & Pipe) have progressed dramatically in objective performance levels while transitioning into Olympic sports. This thesis investigates the nature and impact of this transition, with a focus on athlete performance and coaching. A general overview of the sport from a biopsychosocial perspective is followed by a more specific investigation into skill acquisition and the role of the coach in Park and Pipe as an action sport. A retrospective analysis of trick progression amongst eight elite performers at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics is complemented by interviews with ten current elite Park and Pipe coaches and an athlete survey to achieve triangulated perspectives exploring approaches to training and associated coaching methods. The inherent risk of injury in action sports is considered throughout, along with approaches to managing this risk at an athlete, coach and systemic level. A suite of both formal and informal tools is presented including the application and use of professional judgment and decision making (PJDM, Collins & Collins, 2014). This thesis provides insight for the action sports athlete, coach, high performance support team and management, exploring theory and application, examining change, success, failure, and providing a number of solutions to the optimal performance challenge. By establishing what current Park and Pipe best coaching practice looks like and comparing this to athlete preference, this research provides a picture of where the sport is currently at, proposes direction for the future, and highlights potential transfer to other action sports. Specific areas of focus and contribution to existing knowledge include sport progression modelling, holistic long-term athlete development, the use of motor imagery in skill acquisition, risk management, decision-making, and the periodisation of risk.

The development of affirmative action strategies designed to achieve equal employment opportunity has been studied along six dimensions of functioning within four separate organisations. Three of these organisations were participants in the Federal Government's Affirmative Action Pilot Program in 1984/5, and one was not. It has been shown that change occurred in a continuous developmental sequence, here called an "Affirmative Action Continuum", within each of these six dimensions over the period of study, with each organisation following a similar sequence of movement. Exceptions occurred where an organisation made no movement at all, or where one or more of the sequential processes was omitted or displaced, in a dimension. The reasons for some of these exceptions, and some of their consequences for later action, have been explored. It has been shown that simultaneous activity occurred across several, dimensions, so that no organisation acted upon only one dimension in isolation from all others. There was some chronological sequencing between dimensions. The indicators of movement along the Affirmative Action Continuum within each dimension were used to describe the change process in each organisation. These indicators proved to be useful both in this regard, and in placing each organisation an the Affirmative Action Continuum in each dimension at two different points in time. In this way, the indicators' usefulness was shown to generalise to four very different institutions, thus suggesting applicability beyond the bounds of this particular study. It is intended that the results of this dissertation, and in particular the model of the Affirmative Action Continuum and the indicators described in Chapter Two, be used by Equal Employment Opportunity practitioners to facilitate their decision making about sequencing of activities designed to achieve equal employment oppportunity.

The South African public service has been undergoing fundamental transformation since 1994. The new government has had to build a democratic, inclusive and responsive public sector to the extent that the last two decades have witnessed the most dramatic shifts in public reform. After 1994, the public sector had to be transformed so that it could be representative of the nation’s racial composition, caters for the needs of all citizens irrespective of their racial, ethnic, gender, sexual persuasion and orientation. The government agenda of reconstructing and developing a democratic state depends on the willingness, capabilities and patriotism of the public service. As part of its transformation agenda, the government had to introduce policies that were focusing on promoting affirmative action and employment equity. Through this policy and other related employment equity measures, the South African public sector had to be transformed in terms of racial and gender representivity. This study assesses and evaluates whether the policies and legislation that were geared towards the transformation and democratization of public sector have yielded positive or negative results. By way of a literature review and comparative analysis, this study examines the objectives of affirmative action and analyses the approaches that have been taken since the adoption of this policy in the workplace. It looks at public sector and argues that there are still flaws relating to the implementation of affirmative action in public sector. The extent to which affirmative action programs attempt to implement affirmative action differs if South Africa and the United States of America can be taken as examples. The study considers some of the challenges faced by the new South African government in transforming public sector and interrogates the courts’ application and interpretation of affirmative action legislation. It concludes with recommendations that could be put in place in order to position affirmative action policies in line with the objectives of the South African Constitution, labour laws and American approach where the policy was adopted from.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1986.
Title from title page screen, viewed July 14, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Ronald S. Halinski, Mary Ann Lynn (co-chairs), Charles E. Morris, Jeanne B. Morris, Thomas W. Nelson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-93) and abstract. Also available in print.

L’image de l’homme de théâtre Jean Vilar reste aujourd’hui bien réductrice. Elle peut se résumer en deux mots : Avignon, TNP. L’étude vise à effacer cette caricature, tente de retrouver le parcours de Vilar dans sa totalité : se soustraire à la légende et recouvrer l’histoire. Formation, influences, hésitations, impasses, difficultés tout au long de son chemin avant de rencontrer le théâtre. Autrement dit, dévoiler un itinéraire d’homme et non pas une icône. Itinéraire également, celui du praticien et de la réflexion née du travail en vingt-cinq ans de carrière. Au sein des trois composantes qui constituent à ses yeux l’essentiel de son art – répertoire, réalisation, public – Vilar fait-il montre d’une pensée univoque ou au contraire laisse-t-il entrevoir des ruptures, voire des contradictions ? Conduite à partir de ses textes – écrits et oraux – publiés ou inédits, l’étude dessine un Vilar bien plus complexe que l’image qui en reste ne le laisse soupçonner. Parfois malaisé à saisir, bâti de doutes et de certitudes, de mal être et d’assurance, de timidité et d’orgueil, d’échecs et de réussites, tel est l’homme qui a marqué d’un sceau indélébile le théâtre du milieu du vingtième siècle
The image of the man of the theatre Jean VILAR remains quite reductive today. It can besummed up in two words: Avignon, TNP. The study aims erasing this caricature, it tries to recover VILAR’s course in full: getting out of the legend and back to history. Training, influences, hesitations, deadlocks, difficulties all along his way before he met the theatre. In other words, revealing the itinerary of a man and not a mere icon. An itinerary as well, that of the practitioner and of the thought that grew out of a twenty five years’ career in theatrical work. Within the three components he considers as the very main points of his art – repertoire, creation, audience – does VILAR display a univocal thought or on the contrary does he let one have an inkling of breakings or even of contradictions? Led from his texts – both written and oral – published or unpublished, the study shows a VILAR who is much more complex than the image that remains of him allows one to suspect. Sometimes rather difficult to grasp, built up on doubts and certitudes, ill-being and self-assurance, shyness and pride, failures and successes, such is the man who left an indelible mark on the theatre of the middle of the twentieth century

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Bachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Legal Studies

This thesis investigates how rural communities negotiate the development of renewable energy projects. Public and local community acceptance of these new technologies in rural areas around the world is uncertain and spatially uneven and represents an area of emerging public policy interest and one where scholarly theory is rapidly developing. This thesis uses Habermasian concepts of public sphere, communicative action and deliberative democracy, as well as the concept of “wicked problems” from the planning studies literature combined with geographical concepts of place and scale to advance theoretical and empirical understanding of how public opinion on renewable energy technologies is formed in place. It documents energy use patterns, attitudes and sociopolitical relations at a time when considerable state and business efforts are directed at the construction of solar, wind, biomass and small-hydro technologies in rural regions. These concepts and theories are applied in a case study of rural communities in the Eastern Ontario Highlands, an impoverished area undergoing rapid restructuring driven by centralization of services and amenity migration but with abundant natural resources in form of forests, numerous waterways and open space which have attracted a broad range of new energy developments. Overall high levels of support for alternative energy development particularly for solar power were found, albeit for reasons of local energy security and not for reasons of preventing climate change. There was some evidence that seasonal residents are less supportive of hydro and biomass projects than permanent residents possibly reflecting broader trends in rural economies away from productive uses of land to consumptive appreciation of rural landscapes. The thesis suggests that collective action to advance energy projects in the case study area require agreement along three world-claims (truth, rightness and truthfulness) and that communication leading to discourse which uncovers hitherto hidden reasons for action is possible. These findings offer rare empirical evidence of the predictions of deliberative democratic theory in environmental planning settings. However, multiple barriers to communicative action were also identified and there is evidence that the state’s reliance on market incentives may have long term costs in terms of diminished public reasoning around renewable energy.

Workers in essential services professions protect the safety, health or welfare of a community. Any disruption to the operation of essential services can mean that communities are unable to function effectively. For this reason, additional complications arise when people working in essential fields look to take industrial action. This thesis reflects on the often-competing interests of protecting essential service workers’ liberty to take industrial action (or right to strike) while upholding the life, safety, health or welfare of the community. The purpose of this thesis is to consider whether essential service workers in Western Australia’s Public Sector have sufficient freedom to access their right to strike; or if legislation is overly restrictive in this regard. Secondary purposes to this thesis include consideration of whether Australia’s Federal industrial relations system is more facilitative than Western Australia’s industrial relations system for essential service workers taking industrial action, and, whether some essential service professions should have greater limitations than others when taking industrial action. These issues will be addressed in light of the industrial situation for professions such as policing, teaching, firefighting and nursing. A macro assessment of the historical and present approaches to industrial action taken by essential service professions in Western Australia and Australia will be presented. The macro assessment suggests that industrial actions by core essential services is rarely taken, and, when done, it is reactive and the outcome of sustained frustrations over pay and working conditions. A comparative analysis of Australia’s compliance with international labour obligations on this issue highlights several shortcomings in Western Australia’s labour laws. These shortcomings mean that there is a need for Western Australia to enhance its proactive dispute resolution mechanisms to facilitate better access to the right to strike, and to bring domestic laws into better compliance with international obligations.

Infrastructure is presenting significant national and global challenges. Whilst often seen as performing well, infrastructure tends to do so against only limited terms of reference and short-term objectives. Given that the world is facing a new infrastructure bill of ~£40T, improving the benefits delivered by existing infrastructure is vital (Dobbs et al., 2013). This thesis investigates strategic intent and the management of infrastructure systems; how factors such as organisational structure and business practice affect outcomes and the ways in which those systems — not projects — are managed. To date, performance has largely been approached from the perspective of project investment and/or delivery, or the assessment of latent failures arising from specific shocks or disruptive events (e.g. natural disaster, infrastructure failures, climate change). By contrast, the delivery of system-level services and outcomes across the infrastructure system has been rarely examined. This is where infrastructure forms an enduring system of services, assets, projects, and networks each at different stages of their lifecycle, and affecting one another as they develop, then age. Yet system performance, which also includes societal, organisational, administrative and technical factors, is arguably the level relevant to, and the reality of, day-to-day public infrastructure management. This research firstly investigated industry perceptions in order to test and confirm the problem: the nub of which was the inability to fully deliver appropriate and relevant infrastructure outcomes over the long term. Three detailed studies then explored the reasons for this problem through different lenses; thereby providing an evidence-base for a range of issues that are shared by the wider infrastructure industry. In confirming its hypothesis that “the strategic intent and the day-to-day management of infrastructure systems are often misaligned, with negative consequences for achieving the desired long-term infrastructure system outcomes”, this research has increased our understanding of the ways in which that misalignment occurs, and the consequences that result. It found those consequences were material, and frequently not visible within the sub-system accountable for the delivery of those outcomes. That public infrastructure exists, not in its own right, but to be of benefit to society, is a central theme drawn from the definition of infrastructure itself. This research shows that it is not enough to be focused on technical outcomes. Infrastructure needs to move beyond how society interacts with an asset, to the outcomes that reflect the needs, beliefs, and choices of society as well as its ability to respond to change (aptitude). Although the research has confirmed its hypothesis and three supporting propositions, the research does not purport to offer ‘the solution’. Single solutions do not exist to address the challenges facing a complex adaptive system such as infrastructure. But the research does offer several system-oriented sense-making models at both the detailed and system-level. This includes the probing methodology by way of a diagnostic roadmap. These models aim to assist practitioners in managing the transition of projects, assets, and services into a wider infrastructure system, their potential, and in (re)orienting the organisation to the dynamic nature of the system and its societal imperative.

An increase in the property tax rate of a school district creates an increase in local revenues for the district (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. [MODESE], 2017). The overarching question becomes: Do increases in the local tax levy compare to improved student performance? The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference between property tax rates of Missouri public school districts to student performance as viewed through the lens of benefit tax theory (Duff, 2004). Secondary data were obtained via the MODESE which included property tax rates and information from the Annual Performance Reports for public school districts for academic years 2014–2015, 2015–2016, and 2016–2017. The categories examined from the Annual Performance Reports were: academic achievement, subgroup achievement, career and college, attendance, and graduation. Public schools with higher tax rates were found to have the best attendance rates and the highest graduation rates. Overall, public school districts with higher tax rates realized higher Annual Performance Report scores.

Situated within the theatrical turn in Christian theology, this project explores theatre as a model for theological ethics, looking particularly at the dynamic interplay between formation as disponibility (availability) and performance as fittingness (appropriateness). A primary goal is to demonstrate how disponible formation and fitting performance are multi-dimensional realities oriented simultaneously toward the triune God (as playwright-producer-protagonist), Scripture (as transcript and prescript), the church (as characters in company), tradition (as performance paradigms), unbelievers (as audience), and local context (as theatrical environment and place). As a result, this theodramatic approach seeks to integrate theology and ethics, describing and resourcing everyday Christian practice with reflection on the theodrama. In addition, focusing on the dynamic interplay between formation and performance represents an attempt to unify agent-oriented with action-oriented theological ethics within a holistic, theodramatic framework. Finally, through attentive interaction with theatrical theory and practice, this project contributes to a fruitful and growing dialogue between Christian theology and the arts, particularly how theatre provides imaginative, heuristic models for theological ethics pursued within the liberating constraints of confessional Christianity.

Driving is a complex task that is highly reliant on attention. Research states that distrac-tions cause performance errors thus it is important to find ways to reduce driver distraction or assist drivers with ways to improve their cognitive resources if distraction is unavoidable. Moreover, research indicates that action video game players outperform non-players on lab-based tests of visual and cognitive abilities. However, research also exists that is contrary to these find-ings. Some researchers suggest that methodological deficiencies could be the cause of the significant findings in the literature. With such fervor of debate on the subject, the question re-mains of whether players acquire skills through playing action video games and if so can these games be used as research or training tools to enhance performance on realistic tasks. To answer this question, 45 male participants were tested using psychometric measures of spatial ability (Spatial orientation and visualization) and failures of attention (Cognitive Failures Question-naire), and then all participants drove four 10-minute drives in a driving simulator. The first drive was a practice, followed by a control drive. Participants were then distracted using a hands free phone conversation. Following that, participants completed a final control drive. Both overall video game experience and action video game experience was positively related to higher spatial ability scores. Additionally, participants with higher action game experience exhibited fewer lane deviations during driving overall, but not during the distraction condition. On the other hand, participants with higher spatial ability scores exhibited fewer lane deviations during the distraction condition, but not during the control drives. Furthermore, action video game ex-perience was not significant on the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. Therefore, it was conclud-ed that individuals who have higher action game experience do not show improvements on any abilities of attention tested in this study. However, higher experience action video game players may perform better in simulated environments than those with less experience.
ID: 031001555; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Adviser: Janan A. Smither.; Title from PDF title page (viewed August 26, 2013).; Co-adviser: Mustapha Mouloua.; Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-87).
M.S.
Masters
Psychology
Sciences
Modeling and Simulation

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This paper is intended to analyze some of the major aspects of award calculation and performance of generic conviction issued in a class action lawsuit concerning the protection of homogeneous individual rights. For this purpose, we systematically analyzed the Public Civil Action Act and the Consumer Protection Code - chief laws that regulate class actions - and were supported by the most authoritative and recent doctrine on the matter. The study took an approach to the legislative evolution of our collective procedural law , mentioned some proposals disclosed in the Bill of the Brazilian Code of Collective Lawsuits as well as some instruments of collective rights protection. With the aim of better analyzing the proposed matter, some peculiarities of the public or collective civil action were examined, such as legitimacy, jurisdiction, lis alibi pendens and res judicata. Based on such elements and on the general aspects of the award calculation and performance within the framework of individual rights occasion in which some amendments incorporated by the recent procedural reform of Act 11 232/05 were discussed - we took an approach to the central matter so as to analyze the main issues regarding award calculation and performance of generic conviction issued in a class action lawsuit for the protection of homogeneous individual rights. At the end, some aspects of debtors modes of defense were analyzed - stressing on opposition - and also some brief considerations were given to the institute of fluid redress and behavior adjustment commitment
O presente trabalho tem por objetivo a análise de alguns dos principais aspectos da liquidação e do cumprimento da sentença genérica proferida em ação coletiva relativa a tutela de direitos individuais homogêneos, sendo que, para tanto, é realizada a análise sistemática da Lei de Ação Civil Pública e do Código de Defesa do Consumidor, principais diplomas legais que regulamentam as ações coletivas, como também buscou-se o amparo da mais abalizada e recente doutrina sobre o assunto. Foi realizada uma breve abordagem acerca da evolução legislativa do nosso direito processual coletivo , inclusive com a menção a algumas das propostas veiculadas no Anteprojeto de Código Brasileiro de Processos Coletivos, e também a alguns dos instrumentos para a proteção dos direitos coletivos. Com vistas a possibilitar a melhor análise do tema efetivamente proposto, examinaram-se algumas das peculiaridades da ação civil pública ou coletiva, tais como a legitimidade, competência jurisdicional, litispendência e coisa julgada. A partir destes elementos, e não sem antes abordar os aspectos gerais da liquidação e do cumprimento de sentença na esfera do direito individual - oportunidade em que, inclusive, foram discutidas algumas das alterações introduzidas pela recente reforma processual operada pela Lei 11.232/05 - é que foi feita a abordagem do tema central, buscando analisar as questões mais problemáticas a respeito da liquidação e do cumprimento da sentença condenatória genérica proferida em ação coletiva relativa a tutela de direitos individuais homogêneos. Ao final, foram analisados alguns aspectos dos modos de defesa do devedor, com ênfase para a impugnação, e também foram feitas breves considerações sobre o instituto da reparação fluida e o compromisso de ajustamento de conduta

Cette étude propose une histoire des pratiques qui, à Paris, entre 1946 et 1969, ont lié poésie et performance et fait de la profération leur champ d’investigation principal. À partir de l’observation des manifestations publiques d’Antonin Artaud en 1946-47, de l’irruption en ces mêmes années du mouvement lettriste à Saint-Germain-des-Prés, de l’arrivée de la Beat Generation à la fin des années 1950, et des différents événements organisés par Jean-Jacques Lebel, Jean-Clarence Lambert et Henri Chopin durant les années 1960, cette thèse analyse les pratiques qui ont agité le champ artistique durant deux décennies et préparé l’imaginaire et le terrain revendicatif de Mai 68.En reprenant le flambeau des avant-gardes du début du XXe siècle, ces expériences, traversées par le faisceau de problématiques et de propositions ouvert par Artaud après guerre, aspirent à une poésie définie comme action et cherchent à relier art, vie et politique à travers une seule et même forme d’engagement. Ouvrant plusieurs chantiers qui prennent appui sur autant de refus : celui du livre, celui du spectacle, celui du langage comme propagande politique et publicitaire, elles placent l’ « engagement physique » du poète, à la fois auteur et performeur, au centre de leurs préoccupations et mettent en place un vaste champ d’expérimentations, notamment à travers l’utilisation du magnétophone qui marque la naissance de la « poésie sonore », avec les cut-ups de Brion Gysin et William S. Burroughs, les audiopoèmes de Henri Chopin, les mégapneumes de Gil J Wolman, les crirythmes de François Dufrêne, les poèmes-partitions de Bernard Heidsieck.En retraçant les trajectoires mais aussi leur croisement et en analysant les prises de position et les différentes stratégies, ce travail observe et questionne l’émergence et l’évolution de la figure du « poète-performeur », son savoir-faire scénique et ses aspirations ; il s’attache à des pratiques – encore méconnues (voire évincées) du domaine des Études théâtrales – qui continuent à irriguer de leur inventivité la scène performative et théâtrale d’aujourd’hui
This study examines the history of practices in Paris between 1946 and 1969 that brought poetry and performance together and made proféraction their main field of investigation. Beginning with observations on the public performances of Antonin Artaud in 1946-47, and the sudden appearance in those same years of the Lettrist movement, continuing with the arrival of the Beat Generation at the end of the 1950’s, followed by the various events organised by Jean-Jacques Lebel, Jean-Clarence Lambert and Henri Chopin in the 1960’s, this work analyses practices that stirred the world of the arts over two decades and influenced the collective imagination, sowing the seeds of the social activism of May 68.By taking up the torch of early 20th Century avant-gardistes, these endeavours, illumined by the array of questions and proposals that Artaud ignited after the war, sought to create poetry as action and to link art, life and politics in a single form of engagement.Work went forward in several fields, often based on rejection of the conventional: in regard to books, to performing arts, to language as a tool for propaganda and advertising. The “physical engagement” of the poet, both author and performer, became the centre of their preoccupations and created a wide open space for experimentation, in particular: through the use of the tape recorder, bringing about “sound poetry”, with Brion Gysin’s and William S. Burroughs’ cut-ups; Henri Chopin’s audiopoèmes; the mégapneumes of Gil J Wolman; the crirythmes of François Dufrêne; and Bernard Heidsieck’s poèmes-partitions.By marking out the different trajectories and the points where they intersect, by analysing the statements and positions and different strategies, this work observes and questions the emergence and evolution of the figure of the “poet-performer”, his theatrical skills and aspirations; it sheds new light on practices – as yet little recognized by (even banished from) the field of Theatre Studies – that continue to provide a source of innovative inspiration to the world of performance and theatre today

This thesis investigates two source memory errors: observation inflation, where observed actions are misremembered as being performed; and self-action inflation in which self-performed actions are misremembered as having been performed by somebody else. It has been proposed that these inflations occur because of overlapping brain activity during observation and performance. This has been attributed to mirror neurone activity. To test this, observation and self-action inflations are investigated for different types of actions (meaningful, meaningless and communicative) known to evoke different mirror neurone activity. Different age groups (young adult, and elderly) were studied as were the effects of relative ethnicity between observer and performer. The Remember-Know-Guess paradigm was used. This showed that people make inflations with high qualitative details and confidence. As anticipated, elderly participants made significantly more observation inflations than young adults. Across both age groups, significantly more inflations occurred for communicative and meaningful actions than for meaningless actions supporting the idea that mirror neurones may be involved in formation of inflations. However when the effects of relative ethnicity were included in the paradigm it was found that significantly more observation inflations were formed after observing different ethnicity actors. It has been hypothesised that if mirror neurone involvement is involved in observation inflations then the highest number of inflations are expected for the same ethnicity condition because of the overlap between participant and performer. This thesis therefore suggests a less simplistic explanation of the underlying mechanisms responsible for these types of memory error.

This paper details a class taught in the Virginia Commonwealth Theatre Department in Fall of 2015 on the works of William Shakespeare. Within both the class and this paper, I attempted to form the beginnings of a pedagogy of Shakespearean literature that incorporated elements of literary criticism, historical context and performance theory. Dramatic literature, including Shakespeare, is a moving target, as the text is reimagine and reinterpreted on stage again and again. My goal with this paper is to examine both how dramatic literature can be taught and the special challenges present in teaching it using Shakespeare as a case study, and to explore what is particularly meaningful about Shakespeare in the classroom.

Waka have a special place in the heart of many Maaori. The waka that brought the ancestors of the Maaori to Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu are valued symbols of identity, both culturally and metaphorically. With the effects of colonisation the use of waka as a means of transport disappeared leaving it to re-emerge in the 20th century as a symbol of the revitalisation of Maaori society. Through the construction of waka-taua, ocean going waka and the emergence of waka-ama as a sport, Maaori have endeavoured to reclaim their association to the seas and waterways of New Zealand. This research is a case study of Tupuwae, a kaupapa Maaori injury prevention project using traditional Maaori concepts regarding waka and applying it to a contemporary context. Tapuwae have used this attachment of Maaori to different forms of waka to associate the message of not drinking and driving using purpose-built waka-ama in the southern part of Te Waipounamu. This research identifies some of the wider outcomes that come from a kaupapa Maaori project, but, more importantly it identifies some of the processes that are important in implementing such a project by Maaori living in Otago, outside their tribal boundaries. This research also raises questions about the theoretical underpinnings of kaupapa Maaori theory and argues that there are two threads to this approach, one from a critical theory informed approach and the other from a native theory approach. Key words:Waka, Community Action, Community Development, Kaupapa Maaori, Maaori Development, Maaori Advancement, Native Theory.

The purpose of this study is to define and apply an engagement framework built upon Inclusive Management theory to examine the practice of participation as understood by administrators, elected officials, NGO leaders and public participation practitioners across multiple countries and to illustrate the framework through three case studies. Specifically, it asks how does Inclusive Management guide us in understanding participation as practiced by managers/leaders with responsibility for this work? It also considers the potential connections between management and participation as demonstrated in the data, and further, it seeks to identify how IM as a theory may be enriched or empirically elaborated as a result of this examination. This research examines the observation of phenomena identified by study participants ordinarily not considered a consequence of efforts that engage the public. Using inclusive management theory, the resulting engagement framework includes clusters of outcomes, continuous events and capacity-building as its core elements. The framework shows inclusive management in action and offers a different way of knowing (Feldman, Khademian, Ingram, & Schneider, 2006; Gomez, Bouty, & Drucker-Godard, 2003; Nicolini, Gherardi, & Yanow, 2003) participation in government decision making than generally is depicted in the public participation literature or characterized anecdotally. The engagement framework also corresponds in several ways to the techniques of dialogue, deliberation and appreciative inquiry. As the data will demonstrate in this dissertation, the engagement framework may draw upon these techniques, and moreover, that the relational, informational and stewardship dimensions of engagement reinforce one another. This dissertation also addresses a longstanding gap in the participation literature, in that it provides strategies that connect management theory and practice with participatory principles.
Ph. D.

This paper examines common and past applications of affirmative action, including arguments for and against the application; presents John Rawls’ theory of justice, and proposes a framework using Rawls’ theory for future applications of affirmative action. The proposal relieves heavily on the principle of fair equality of opportunity, both as an indicator for when using affirmative action is appropriate as well as a tool to help identify the people that affirmative action programs should target. Using this framework, the public education system is identified as a sector of society that fails to provide fair equality of opportunity for all citizens, and an example of how the Rawlsian conception of affirmative action should be used in practice to help address the inequalities and help restore equality of opportunity within the public education system is given. Objections to affirmative action, both in general and more specifically tailored to the model proposed in this paper, are raised and responded to. This paper comes to the conclusion that affirmative action programs, when targeted towards individuals who are denied fair equality of opportunity and have low rates of social mobility, will help create a more just society.

This study examined perceptions toward Affirmative Action beneficiaries among non-racists, aversive racists, and blatant racists, and the effects of evaluating a mediocre Black employee on subsequent attitudes toward Affirmative Action. Using a novel procedure for categorizing participants into one of these three racism groups, which utilized both implicit and explicit measures of racism, undergraduate students (n = 127) rated the job performance of a White or Black attorney in a positive or mediocre performance condition and provided their attitudes toward Affirmative Action. Although differential evaluations of job performance were not affected by racism type, a significant three-way interaction (employee race X performance condition X racism type) for attitudes toward Affirmative Action was found. Aversive racists, compared to non-racists and blatant racists had lower attitudes toward Affirmative Action after evaluating the mediocre Black attorney and more positive attitudes after evaluating the strongly performing Black attorney. This finding supports Gaertner and Dovidio's (2000) proposition that aversive racists have fragile pro-Black attitudes that may easily erode when presented with stereotype-confirming exemplars.

The relevant literature consistently suggests that understanding citizen participation in community action programs is needed to maximize network governance efforts. Yet, there is no empirical evidence demonstrating a relationship between levels of network governance (NG) and citizen participation rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which levels of NG is correlated with levels of citizen participation in community action agency (CAA) programs, and whether variations in NG or variations over time in average income level is more strongly related to participation. The research was guided by the integrative model of democracy, which emphasizes citizen participation and is seen in Moynihan's theory of self-governance through community action agencies. The study utilized a secondary analysis of data retrieved from on state's Department of Development website. Participation rates of 10 state CAA programs were drawn from these public records and correlated with number of collaborative NG partnerships and mean state income levels over a 5-year period (2004-2008). Pearson's r tests indicated that number of network partnerships was positively correlated with participation in 8 out of 10 CAA programs including workforce development, education, housing, transportation, medical and food assistance, financial management, and maximum feasible participation programs. Participation in medical and food assistance programs was not related to partnerships. Additionally, variations in average income level were not correlated with program participation. The findings can contribute to positive social change by informing new NG practices to maximize collaborative community efforts to increase community participation, thereby possibly increasing self-sufficiency and reducing poverty.