The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of Australian climate scientists in advancing the state of knowledge about the causes and mechanisms of climatic change and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of Australian climate scientists in advancing the state of knowledge about the causes and mechanisms of climatic change and variability in the Southern Hemisphere during the 1970 and 1980s.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses the methods and insights of environmental history and the history of science to analyse archival and published data pertaining to research on atmospheric pollution, the Southern Oscillation and the regional impacts of climate change.
Findings
Australia's geopolitical position, political interests and environmental sensitivities encouraged Australian scientists and policymakers to take a leading role in the Southern Hemisphere in the study of global environmental change.
Originality/value
This article builds on critiques of the ways in which planetary and global knowledge and governance disguise the local and situated scientific and material processes that construct, sustain and configure them.
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This article assesses the development of flood relief and recovery, and their narratives, as political sites for the central and local governments to negotiate each other's…
Abstract
Purpose
This article assesses the development of flood relief and recovery, and their narratives, as political sites for the central and local governments to negotiate each other's standing and role in imperial Japan.
Design/methodology/approach
The article examines local flood narratives, most prominently from Okayama, to assess how imperial Japan's central government intruded into the periphery through disaster relief, and how the localities negotiated and challenged Tokyo's political agenda on the ground and through these narratives.
Findings
The above sources reveal that the national government attempted to use flood experiences to unite the pluralizing society by three main means: building meteorological stations, relief laws, and through the imperial being. The process was systematized gradually, and local prefectures aided and challenged Tokyo's attempts. The prefectures also used disasters to try to bring unity within their community.
Originality/value
Historical flood narratives are often used to mine data from which future preventative and management measures are constructed. The article suggests the narratives' political nature, and hence the nuances that must be considered in these efforts.
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This paper focuses on the adaptations societies make to climate-related disasters. How they learnt from them in the past should indicate how they will respond in the more…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper focuses on the adaptations societies make to climate-related disasters. How they learnt from them in the past should indicate how they will respond in the more climate-stressed future. National typhoon disaster politics arise when citizens demand disaster protection from their state.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyzes one episode of typhoon politics in each of three Asian countries before 1945: the Philippines (1928), India (1942) and Japan (1934). These three countries show high variance in state capacity and level of democracy. Discourse data are found in contemporary newspaper accounts.
Findings
In each case, the typhoon disaster politics were shaped by the “distance” (geographical, institutional, class and cultural) between citizen-victims and the state. Where that distance was great (rural Philippines, Bengal-India), the state tended to minimise victimhood. Where it was small (urban Japan), adaptation was serious and rapid.
Social implications
The findings should stimulate public discussion of the way in which past social relations and power dynamics surrounding climate-related disasters might influence the present. As the political character of climate change adaptation grows clearer, so does the need for debate to be well-informed.
Originality/value
Most historical work on climate-related disasters has focused either on the natural phenomena, or on their societal impact. The present paper's focus on adaptation is part of a small but growing scholarly effort to bend the debate towards the evolution of adaptive capacity.
Laura Farrugia, Gavin Oxburgh and Fiona Gabbert
Effective forensic interviewing is crucial, particularly if the interview is the only source of evidence. Whilst there are a number of interview models that advocate for…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective forensic interviewing is crucial, particularly if the interview is the only source of evidence. Whilst there are a number of interview models that advocate for reflective practice, the evaluation of interviews rarely gets the time or attention it deserves. This is concerning, given that interviewer skills drop significantly after six months, and there are limited opportunities for refresher training. This study aims to explore how law enforcement officers reflect upon and evaluate their interviews and seek their insight into what they believe an effective evaluation tool would constitute.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 32 officers from three police forces in England and Wales and six international security organisations completed a qualitative questionnaire that explored their views on how interview evaluation is conducted and the impact on the interview, and how technology could assist in this important stage in terms of usability, efficacy and capability of a new evaluation tool.
Findings
Thematic analysis was used, resulting in three overall themes being identified from the data. These focused on current evaluation methods, barriers to conducting evaluations and technological solutions.
Originality/value
The findings are discussed in relation to interviewing and the development of tools to assist in evaluations. Implications for practice include the need for much more effort to be put into (re)introducing the evaluation stage into training to ensure that officers are allowed to reflect upon and evaluate their interview performance.
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Fiona Sherwood-Johnson, Kirstein Rummery, Julia Lawrence, Kathryn Mackay, Kathryn Ramsay and Rebecca McGregor
Most abuse affecting older adults in the UK, as across Europe, takes place within caring relationships, where one person is disabled and needs care/support. This paper critically…
Abstract
Purpose
Most abuse affecting older adults in the UK, as across Europe, takes place within caring relationships, where one person is disabled and needs care/support. This paper critically appraises two of the key theoretical explanations. First, feminist theories of “intimate partner abuse” tell us that it is mostly men who perpetrate abuse against women. Second, “carer strain”: the stress caused by caring responsibilities, often with inadequate help from services. Neither fully reflects the complex dynamics of “dangerous care” leading to a lack of voice and choice in safeguarding responses. This paper aims to articulate the need for an overarching theoretical framework, informed by a deeper understanding of the intersectional risk factors that create and compound the diverse experiences of harm by disabled people and family carers over the life course.
Design/methodology/approach
The critical synthesis of the theoretical approaches informing UK policy and practice presented here arises from a structured literature review and discussions held with three relevant third sector agencies during the development of a research proposal.
Findings
No single theory fully explains dangerous care and there are significant gaps in policy, resources and practice across service sectors, highlighting the need for joint training, intersectional working and research across service sectors.
Originality/value
Drawing both on existing literature and on discussions across contrasting policy and practice sectors, this paper raises awareness of some less well-acknowledged complexities of abuse and responses to abuse in later life.
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Evgenia Vassilakaki and Valentini Moniarou-Papaconstantinou
This paper aims to provide a systematic review on library and information science (LIS) profession’s image and stereotypes from 1999 to 2013. In particular, it aims to identify…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a systematic review on library and information science (LIS) profession’s image and stereotypes from 1999 to 2013. In particular, it aims to identify and analyze the prevailing images of librarians in various contexts and explore possible changes occurring over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The method of systematic review is adopted to identify the prevailing images in LIS profession. Specifically, 60 papers were selected and five main themes emerged such as “public’s perceptions”, “librarians’ perceptions”, “students’ perceptions”, “mass media” and “image as an issue” after a thorough analysis of papers’ aim.
Findings
It was found that librarians were negatively perceived by both the wider public and the students. In terms of mass media, the image of “the old maid” was dominant, whereas newspapers focused on the male librarian who was perceived as glamorous. Positive stereotypes were also found in children books. On the whole, librarian’s image and relevant stereotypes have not changed considerably over time.
Research limitations/implications
This literature review considered only papers published between 2000 and 2013 and only in English mainly due to language restrictions.
Originality/value
This review identifies, critically analyzes and discusses the literature on the prevailing images and stereotypes associated with LIS profession in the past 13 years. In addition, it attempts to identify and discuss any changes that occurred in this time frame.