Browsing by Subject "Reform"
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Item Azharite Clerics in Egypt : protection of their professional role in a changing religious and political environment, 1805-1968(2015-05) Cumming, Willis Winfield; Di-Capua, Yoav, 1970-; Moin, Azfar AThis study seeks to investigate the relationship of the religious seminary, Azhar, in Egypt between the years of Muhammad Ali's reign (1805-1849), and the 1960s under Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970). It pays special attention to the relationship that developed as a result of the "Development of Azhar Law" that Nasser promulgated in 1961. While the change in politics and popular religious culture during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century initially created difficulties for the institution’s religious scholars in preserving their professional role in Egyptian society, Azhar gained a new political importance as a center for producing works of apology in favor of Nasser's post-colonial regime. This new relationship proved auspicious not only for the state who could rely on Azhar's support against written attacks against it by Islamists, but also for the institution itself which gained the security of state financial support and a vested interest of the state in keeping the seminary graduates employed and active in social and political life. This transformation, although giving the institution a new political relevance, compromised its independence from state control to the point where it incorporated pro-state propaganda into its religious message. Consideration of these historical phenomena lead us to wonder about resulting legacy of Azhar's religious message and the implications it has for popular religion and politics in Egypt.Item Eliminating youth solitary confinement : evidence-based practices & alternative interventions(2017-05) Liebman, Rachel Emily; Sloan, Sarah K.; Springer, David W.Using solitary confinement as a behavior management tool for incarcerated offenders is detrimental, counterproductive and ineffective. For youth under the age of 18, the impacts of solitary confinement can be catastrophic. Youth within juvenile detention facilities are more likely to have experienced violence, trauma and adverse childhood events. They are also more likely to have learning and development disabilities, mental health illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Existing research on solitary confinement is limited to how adults experience this extreme isolation and more qualitative studies are needed to determine the extent to which solitary confinement harms incarcerated youth. This report will introduce the subject of youth solitary confinement, illustrate how it is problematic, review the available research on youth neurological development, and use this information to influence policymakers to take the above into account when writing and implementing policies. The final portion of the report describes guidelines for implementation, policy and advocacy recommendations, and concludes by emphasizing the need for each youth detention facility to shift their institutional culture to a proactive, effective and rehabilitative model.Item The influence of progressive reform on the American library : shifting attitudes toward freedom of information(2011-08) Ferguson, Gregory Lee; Immroth, Barbara Froling; Lukenbill, Bernard W.The foundations of American progressivism were established in the 19th century and were heavily influenced by the emergence of Marxism, immigration, feminism and organized labor movements. These issues were and continue to be influential in American society. The American public library system developed within this context, and its values and goals were influenced by these ideologies. The role of the library was initially conceived to be that of a provider of enlightenment for the underprivileged. The goal was to lift up the common people and help them to become productive citizens of society. But this assistance can also be seen as a form of social control. The selection of materials for a specific purpose is tantamount to censorship. As a consequence, the library’s initial role of censor shifted toward a more user-focused system. Librarians were no longer gatekeepers and censors of information, but rather facilitators of the individual reader. The ALA endorsed and promoted projects that reflect this progressive shift. Consequences of the ALA’s shift toward progressivism include encouragement of radical social changes and changes in the educational system which began to encourage children to question dominant historical narratives. This paper examines the American public library’s relationship to a free society, and the role of the librarian in the public realm.Item Politics from the bimah? A qualitative study of reform and conservative Jews in Fort Worth, Texas(2010-05) Osiatynski, Luba Shoshana; Hooker, Juliet; Tulis, JeffreyMany modern democracies have a hard time dealing with religion. The question of how much religious identity should be respected by government is one that America has spent a great deal of time and intellectual effort on. Because this paper looks at Jewish political communities, it first looks at what kind of religiously-rooted political activism is desirable. It finds that both groups of Jews in this study meet Amy Gutmann’s strict criteria for healthy religious and political entanglement. For the empirical part of this study, Jews have long been of interest to political scientists because their partisan ties are stronger and more uniform than most other groups. This paper looks at how Jewish political identity is shaped by Jewish elite messages in the forum of worship. Earlier studies have shown empirically that there are not substantive systematic differences in the political views of Conservative and Reform Jews. This earlier research has not addressed the issue of differences in Jewish denomination and elite political messages. Specifically, this paper explores the differences in the political tenor of the messages of the leaders in a Conservative Congregation and those of leaders in a Reform Congregation in Fort Worth, Texas. Based on the data collected in nine in-depth interviews with Rabbis, board members, Jewish Federation Executive Directors, and other active community members, this paper looks at how elites express their political views in their respective congregational settings. It finds that elites in the Jewish Reform movement in Fort Worth are more overt in their combination of worship and politics, while Jewish Conservative elites feel less comfortable with politicizing the bimah.Item Postsecondary systems change through Early College reform : a grid and group analysis of two community colleges(2022-04-22) Bailie, Christine M.; Sáenz, Victor B.; González, Juan C; Ellis, Martha M; Flores, Ruben MichaelMy research examines the systems change occurring within two exemplar community colleges in Texas associated with the implementation of Early College (EC). Extant literature indicates EC is an effective policy tool to increase postsecondary completion rates for underrepresented minority students. The body of literature is focused on EC reform within the K-12 system. Emerging research on systems change focuses on pathway alignment happening outside of the college. I examine the underexplored topic of systems change occurring within the college. This qualitative comparative case study provides a deeper understanding of the potential of EC to effectively align disparate K-12 and higher education systems (Royse et al., 2016). I employ Mary Douglas’s institutional theory of culture and utilize grid and group analysis (Douglas, 1973, 1982, 1986; Harris, 1995, 2005, 2015), surveying 10 EC stakeholders to systematically classify the cultural typology of each EC program. Drawing on 11 interviews of EC stakeholders, I provide a rich description of five components of systems change grounded in the context of each institution’s unique cultural typology (Alvarado & Vargas, 2019b; Greiff et al., 2003). Findings illuminate practical applications for institutional leaders seeking to address historical patterns of systemic inequity.Item Power sector reform and renewable energy in the MENA region : a study of interaction between these two initiatives in the UAE, Egypt and Morocco(2012-05) Eyges, Eric; Aghaie, Kamran Scot; Aghaie, Kamran ScotIn light of the Arab Spring, media professionals and academics have expanded the scope of their focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Yet, relatively little attention has been paid to two powerful forces that could significantly affect its economic and political landscape: power sector reform and renewable energy development initiatives. This paper attempts to outline the history and future of these initiatives in the region by focusing on three MENA region countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a focus on Abu Dhabi, along with Egypt, and Morocco. Furthermore, this paper analyzes how these two initiatives are affecting one another in the context of the domestic political landscape and economy. The results of this analysis point to three key aspects of power sector reform initiatives affecting domestic renewable energy development: the level of governmental financial supervision, electricity subsidies, and the terms of engagement between the state-run single buyer utility and independent power producers (IPPs).Item Princes, diwans and merchants : education and reform in colonial India(2012-05) Bhalodia-Dhanani, Aarti; Minault, Gail, 1939-Scholarship on education and social reform has studied how communities with a history of literacy and employment in pre-colonial state administrations adjusted to the new socio-political order brought about by the British Empire in India. My work shifts the attention to the Indian aristocracy and mercantile communities and examines why they promoted modern education. I argue that rulers of Indian states adapted to the colonial environment quite effectively. Instead of a break from the past, traditional ideas of rajadharma (duties of a king) evolved and made room for reformist social and economic policies. This dissertation examines why many Indian princes (kings and queens) adopted liberal policies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I argue that English-educated rulers of Indian states became reformers and modernizers to enhance their monarchical authority. The main audience for princes was their own state population, neighboring princes, imperial officials, and Indian journalists and politicians. I have carried out research at government archives and public and private libraries in India and the United Kingdom. Sources used include official records and correspondence, annual administrative reports, newspaper accounts, social reform journals, and weeklies and monthlies dedicated to educational topics. I have also consulted memoirs and biographies of kings, queens, diwans (prime ministers) and merchants. My source material is in English and Gujarati. I draw evidence from princely states across India with a focus on Hindu Rajput and Pathan Muslim states in the Gujarat (specifically Saurashtra) region of western India, neighboring the former Bombay Presidency. Due to Gujarat's strong mercantilist tradition, commercial groups played an influential role in society. I examine how and why merchants in princely states supported their ruler's educational policies. I also discuss how mercantile philanthropy crossed political and religious boundaries with the Gujarati (Hindu, Muslim and Jain) diaspora across India, Africa and Burma supporting educational institutions in Gujarat. My dissertation examines the interactions between the English-educated upper caste Hindus, the Anglicized Rajput rulers and the Gujarati merchants to understand how they all contributed to the shaping of modern Gujarati society.Item The surrender of secrecy : explaining the emergence of strong access to information laws in Latin America(2010-05) Michener, Robert Gregory; Madrid, Raúl L.; Alves, Rosental C.; Brinks, Daniel; Greene, Kenneth F.; Weyland, Kurt G.; Edwards, David V.Worldwide, the remarkable diffusion of transparency and access to information laws poses a monumental challenge to the state’s most enduringly undemocratic feature— excessive secrecy. Will recent laws lead to an effective surrender of secrecy? The incipient literature on transparency reform says little about the strength of current legislation or how strong laws emerge. This dissertation addresses these theoretical and empirical gaps. First, it articulates a theory on the political determinants of strong access to information laws. Second, employing an original evaluation, it scores the strength of twelve access to information laws advanced throughout Latin America between 2002 and 2010. Two extreme outcomes are examined in detail: a failed comprehensive reform in Argentina (1999-2005), which resulted in a limited presidential decree (2003), and the adoption of a seminal law in Mexico (2002). These cases are then compared with others across Latin America with special attention placed on Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, and Uruguay. I find considerable variance in the strength of the region’s laws: the average score is “moderately strong,” while the median and mode scores are “moderately weak.” Evidence shows that while civic coalitions and external pressure often help drive reform, they cannot explain observed variation in legal strength. Rather, I find that laws emerge more robust and earlier-on within the electoral cycle (within the first half of a president’s term of office), in countries where 1) presidents lack control over the legislature and 2) news media coverage of access to information laws is strong. By contrast, where news media coverage is weak and presidents possess strong negative agenda setting powers (partisan majorities or constitutional means of denying a vote), I find that laws tend to emerge later-on during the electoral cycle (within the last third), and are considerably weaker. I also find that press advocacy for access to information laws tended to be greater in countries where presidents were weaker and news media ownership concentration was low. The dissertation addresses key institutional preconditions for good governance and transparency reform. More specifically, it speaks to the determinants and power of the news media as an agent of democratic advancement (and stagnation), and the importance of weak leaders and partisan competition in promoting good governance reform.Item Telecommunications in Mexico since the 2013 reform : Federal Telecommunications Institute delivers, competition issues remain(2017-05) Gamboa, Lucía; Rodríguez, Victoria Elizabeth, 1954-In June 2013, Mexico reformed its Constitution to promote competition, diminish entry barriers, and strengthen its telecommunications sector. The Economic Competition Federal Law marked Mexico’s most radical move yet to revamp its telecommunications institutional framework, fight vested interests, and change the competitive landscape in hopes to boost investment and improve services. This report evaluates the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) policy decisions and looks at market indicators in the fixed and mobile markets to assess change. The IFT has had important institutional wins effectively implementing most asymmetric regulations. The courts have upheld its decisions, and –amid some controversy– selected a winner for the 700MHz band PPP contract. While three years is hardly enough time for structural change to take effect, evidence shows overall sector growth but little or no change in the competitive landscape trend. Market concentration remains high, broadband coverage and internet access remain at lower income country levels, and while mobile telephony prices have decreased, broadband prices have not. Furthermore, total investment and investment per revenue increased in the fixed market, although not in the mobile market. Finally, eliminating foreign investment caps has already benefited consumers with AT&T entering the mobile market and its subsequent removal of national and international roaming fees. This report concludes that, despite their shortfalls, the 2013 Constitutional Reform and Telecommunications Law have contributed to overall institutional stability and sector growth.