Mary Donnelly and Claire Murray (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719099465
- eISBN:
- 9781526104410
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719099465.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
The Irish health system is confronted by a range of challenges, both emerging and recurring. In order to address these, it is essential that spaces are created for conversations around complex ...
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The Irish health system is confronted by a range of challenges, both emerging and recurring. In order to address these, it is essential that spaces are created for conversations around complex ethical and legal issues. This collection aims to provide a basis for ongoing engagement with selected issues in contemporary Irish health contexts. It includes contributions from scholars and practitioners across a range of disciplines, most particularly, ethics, law and medicine. The focus of the collection is interdisciplinary and the essays are situated at the intersection between ethics, law and medicine. Important issues addressed include admission to care homes; assisted suicide; adolescent decision-making; allocation of finite resources; conscientious objection; data protection; decision-making at the end of life; mental health; the rights of older people; patient responsibilities; stem cell research; the role of carers; and reproductive rights. From these discussion, the collection draws out the following interlinking themes, addressing difference; context and care; oversight and decision-making; and, regulating research. The essays are theoretically informed and are grounded in the realities of the Irish health system, by drawing on contributors’ contextual knowledge. This book makes an informed and balanced contribution to academic and broader public discourse.Less
The Irish health system is confronted by a range of challenges, both emerging and recurring. In order to address these, it is essential that spaces are created for conversations around complex ethical and legal issues. This collection aims to provide a basis for ongoing engagement with selected issues in contemporary Irish health contexts. It includes contributions from scholars and practitioners across a range of disciplines, most particularly, ethics, law and medicine. The focus of the collection is interdisciplinary and the essays are situated at the intersection between ethics, law and medicine. Important issues addressed include admission to care homes; assisted suicide; adolescent decision-making; allocation of finite resources; conscientious objection; data protection; decision-making at the end of life; mental health; the rights of older people; patient responsibilities; stem cell research; the role of carers; and reproductive rights. From these discussion, the collection draws out the following interlinking themes, addressing difference; context and care; oversight and decision-making; and, regulating research. The essays are theoretically informed and are grounded in the realities of the Irish health system, by drawing on contributors’ contextual knowledge. This book makes an informed and balanced contribution to academic and broader public discourse.
Cora Bartelink, Tom A. van Yperen, Ingrid J. Ten Berge, and Erik J. Knorth
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190059538
- eISBN:
- 9780190059569
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190059538.003.0011
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
The aim of this chapter is to clarify how decision-making processes within the context of child welfare and child protection could be improved by decision-making theories (i.e., Decision-Making ...
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The aim of this chapter is to clarify how decision-making processes within the context of child welfare and child protection could be improved by decision-making theories (i.e., Decision-Making Ecology [DME] and decisional conflict model), with specific interest in methods intended to support practitioners based on these theories, in particular methods of structured decision-making and actuarial methods. Existing studies indicate that structured decision-making methods have a limited effect on the decision-making process, as well as on the reliability and validity of the judgments and choices made by professionals in cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. Actuarial methods may be more precise in making valid judgments but may ignore factors relevant to decisions concerning treatment and intervention. The DME framework reveals that other factors—in addition to rationally weighing information and arguing—influence the decision-making process and outcomes. Especially the influence of decision-maker factors seems to be ignored in structured decision-making methods. Although systematic methods and instruments do have some value, several additional options are available that take decision-maker factors more into account. This chapter discusses the potentials of critical thinking, team decision-making, systematic feedback, and shared decision-making.Less
The aim of this chapter is to clarify how decision-making processes within the context of child welfare and child protection could be improved by decision-making theories (i.e., Decision-Making Ecology [DME] and decisional conflict model), with specific interest in methods intended to support practitioners based on these theories, in particular methods of structured decision-making and actuarial methods. Existing studies indicate that structured decision-making methods have a limited effect on the decision-making process, as well as on the reliability and validity of the judgments and choices made by professionals in cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. Actuarial methods may be more precise in making valid judgments but may ignore factors relevant to decisions concerning treatment and intervention. The DME framework reveals that other factors—in addition to rationally weighing information and arguing—influence the decision-making process and outcomes. Especially the influence of decision-maker factors seems to be ignored in structured decision-making methods. Although systematic methods and instruments do have some value, several additional options are available that take decision-maker factors more into account. This chapter discusses the potentials of critical thinking, team decision-making, systematic feedback, and shared decision-making.
John D. Fluke, Mónica López López, Rami Benbenishty, Erik J. Knorth, and Donald J. Baumann (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190059538
- eISBN:
- 9780190059569
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190059538.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
Professionals working in child welfare and child protection are making decisions with crucial implications for children and families on a daily basis. The types of judgements and decisions they make ...
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Professionals working in child welfare and child protection are making decisions with crucial implications for children and families on a daily basis. The types of judgements and decisions they make vary and include decisions such as whether a child is at risk of significant harm by parents, whether to remove a child from home or to reunify a child with parents after some time in care. These decisions are intended to help achieve the best interests of the child. Unfortunately, they can sometimes also doom children and families unnecessarily to many years of pain and suffering.
Surprisingly, despite the central role of judgments and decision making in professional practice and its deep impact on children and families, child welfare and protection training and research programs have paid little attention to this crucial aspect of practice. Furthermore, although extensive knowledge about professional judgment and decision making has been accumulated in relevant areas, such as medicine, business administration, and economics, little has been done to help transfer and translate this knowledge to the child welfare and protection areas.
This book represents our aspiration to fill this critical gap in the child welfare and protection research agenda, while providing an up-to-date resource for practitioners and policy makers. It is our purpose to provide the reader with the ideas, methods and tools to improve their understanding of how context and decision-maker behaviors affect child welfare and protection decision making, and how such knowledge might lead to improvements in decision-making.Less
Professionals working in child welfare and child protection are making decisions with crucial implications for children and families on a daily basis. The types of judgements and decisions they make vary and include decisions such as whether a child is at risk of significant harm by parents, whether to remove a child from home or to reunify a child with parents after some time in care. These decisions are intended to help achieve the best interests of the child. Unfortunately, they can sometimes also doom children and families unnecessarily to many years of pain and suffering.
Surprisingly, despite the central role of judgments and decision making in professional practice and its deep impact on children and families, child welfare and protection training and research programs have paid little attention to this crucial aspect of practice. Furthermore, although extensive knowledge about professional judgment and decision making has been accumulated in relevant areas, such as medicine, business administration, and economics, little has been done to help transfer and translate this knowledge to the child welfare and protection areas.
This book represents our aspiration to fill this critical gap in the child welfare and protection research agenda, while providing an up-to-date resource for practitioners and policy makers. It is our purpose to provide the reader with the ideas, methods and tools to improve their understanding of how context and decision-maker behaviors affect child welfare and protection decision making, and how such knowledge might lead to improvements in decision-making.
Mary Donnelly
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719099465
- eISBN:
- 9781526104410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719099465.003.0016
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
This chapter examines the legal context within which decisions about the end of life are made. It argues that an ethical approach to end-of-life care must be centred on the dying person and that ...
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This chapter examines the legal context within which decisions about the end of life are made. It argues that an ethical approach to end-of-life care must be centred on the dying person and that finding ways to ensure that this person’s voice is heard must be core to the development of legal frameworks. In this respect, the law has, to date, been inadequate. It explores the ways decisions about the end of life are made in Ireland and identifies likely changes, including an increased formalisation of dying. Drawing on experiences from the United States and the United Kingdom, it develops arguments regarding the most appropriate decision-making structures within which to consider difficult questions around end-of-life care.Less
This chapter examines the legal context within which decisions about the end of life are made. It argues that an ethical approach to end-of-life care must be centred on the dying person and that finding ways to ensure that this person’s voice is heard must be core to the development of legal frameworks. In this respect, the law has, to date, been inadequate. It explores the ways decisions about the end of life are made in Ireland and identifies likely changes, including an increased formalisation of dying. Drawing on experiences from the United States and the United Kingdom, it develops arguments regarding the most appropriate decision-making structures within which to consider difficult questions around end-of-life care.
Mary Keys
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719099465
- eISBN:
- 9781526104410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719099465.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
This chapter identifies the area of decision-making as central to the protection of older people. It addresses the recognition of legal capacity as a central issue to avoid choices being ignored and ...
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This chapter identifies the area of decision-making as central to the protection of older people. It addresses the recognition of legal capacity as a central issue to avoid choices being ignored and not respected. The chapter discusses some of the law and policy reforms necessary to meet international human rights standards, as set out in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European Convention on Human Rights. Lessons from research in other jurisdictions are highlighted to avoid the pitfalls identified from similar law reform elsewhere.Less
This chapter identifies the area of decision-making as central to the protection of older people. It addresses the recognition of legal capacity as a central issue to avoid choices being ignored and not respected. The chapter discusses some of the law and policy reforms necessary to meet international human rights standards, as set out in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European Convention on Human Rights. Lessons from research in other jurisdictions are highlighted to avoid the pitfalls identified from similar law reform elsewhere.
Mandeep K Dhami
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199684571
- eISBN:
- 9780191765032
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199684571.003.0011
- Subject:
- Law, Criminal Law and Criminology, Constitutional and Administrative Law
The field of decision science has shown that decision-making can be aided by guidance that overcomes constraints of the human mind, and simplifies and clarifies the decision task. Making precise ...
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The field of decision science has shown that decision-making can be aided by guidance that overcomes constraints of the human mind, and simplifies and clarifies the decision task. Making precise guidelines that are easy to follow can increase the consistency and transparency of sentencing, and reduce the impact of extraneous factors. I critique the sentencing guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council, and raise concerns about their ability to have the desired impact on sentencing. I propose flowchart-type guidelines that standardize the whole decision-making process, including what factors to use and how to use them at each stage of sentencing.Less
The field of decision science has shown that decision-making can be aided by guidance that overcomes constraints of the human mind, and simplifies and clarifies the decision task. Making precise guidelines that are easy to follow can increase the consistency and transparency of sentencing, and reduce the impact of extraneous factors. I critique the sentencing guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council, and raise concerns about their ability to have the desired impact on sentencing. I propose flowchart-type guidelines that standardize the whole decision-making process, including what factors to use and how to use them at each stage of sentencing.
Clive Diaz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781447354444
- eISBN:
- 9781447354468
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447354444.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
This book presents new research on the extent to which parents and children participate in decision making when childcare social workers are involved and it considers two key meetings in depth: child ...
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This book presents new research on the extent to which parents and children participate in decision making when childcare social workers are involved and it considers two key meetings in depth: child protection conferences and child in care reviews.
There is currently a great deal of interest in how social workers can work more effectively with families and in particular give children a voice. There is also considerable public and media interest in the child protection system, in particular relating to how children are safeguarded by social workers. This book will argue that unless we listen to (and act upon whenever possible) the views of children it is very difficult to safeguard and offer them an effective service.
The unique selling point of the book will be that it is based on original solid empirical research following interviews with multiple stakeholders across two local authorities in England including children (n=75), parents (n=52), social workers (n=11, independent reviewing officers (n=8) and senior managers (n=7).
This book will consider how 10 years of austerity has impacted on the child protection system and it will have a particular focus on how current practice leads to children and parents often feeling oppressed and excluded in decision making about their lives. The book promises to be authoritative and informed on issues on the ground and very relevant to both policy and practice.Less
This book presents new research on the extent to which parents and children participate in decision making when childcare social workers are involved and it considers two key meetings in depth: child protection conferences and child in care reviews.
There is currently a great deal of interest in how social workers can work more effectively with families and in particular give children a voice. There is also considerable public and media interest in the child protection system, in particular relating to how children are safeguarded by social workers. This book will argue that unless we listen to (and act upon whenever possible) the views of children it is very difficult to safeguard and offer them an effective service.
The unique selling point of the book will be that it is based on original solid empirical research following interviews with multiple stakeholders across two local authorities in England including children (n=75), parents (n=52), social workers (n=11, independent reviewing officers (n=8) and senior managers (n=7).
This book will consider how 10 years of austerity has impacted on the child protection system and it will have a particular focus on how current practice leads to children and parents often feeling oppressed and excluded in decision making about their lives. The book promises to be authoritative and informed on issues on the ground and very relevant to both policy and practice.
Susan P. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226615608
- eISBN:
- 9780226615882
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226615882.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gerontology and Ageing
Seventy percent of Americans age 60 or over requiring decisions about medical treatment in the final days of life lack capacity to make these decisions. The biggest life-and-death decisions of their ...
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Seventy percent of Americans age 60 or over requiring decisions about medical treatment in the final days of life lack capacity to make these decisions. The biggest life-and-death decisions of their lives—literally—had to be made by someone else. Yet despite their critical role, we know remarkably little about these surrogate decision makers, the process they follow, the criteria they consider, the choices they make, and the challenges they face. Drawing on observations of two diverse intensive care units, day after day, for more than two years, this book exposes how and why surrogates navigate this grueling role and the impact of the course they fashion. Readers will learn how decision makers are selected, the interventions they weigh in on, the information they seek and evaluate, the values and memories they draw on, the criteria they weigh, the outcomes they choose, the conflicts they become embroiled in, and the challenges they face. Observations also provide insight into why some decision makers authorize one aggressive intervention after the next while others do not—even on behalf of patients with similar problems and prospects. And they expose the limited role of advance directives in structuring the process decision makers follow or the outcomes that result. These findings provide important lessons to future patients, their loved ones and surrogates; those who serve, counsel, or care for those as they near life’s end and their families (physicians, nurses, chaplains, social workers, and lawyers); and scholars, bioethicists, and health policy makers as well.Less
Seventy percent of Americans age 60 or over requiring decisions about medical treatment in the final days of life lack capacity to make these decisions. The biggest life-and-death decisions of their lives—literally—had to be made by someone else. Yet despite their critical role, we know remarkably little about these surrogate decision makers, the process they follow, the criteria they consider, the choices they make, and the challenges they face. Drawing on observations of two diverse intensive care units, day after day, for more than two years, this book exposes how and why surrogates navigate this grueling role and the impact of the course they fashion. Readers will learn how decision makers are selected, the interventions they weigh in on, the information they seek and evaluate, the values and memories they draw on, the criteria they weigh, the outcomes they choose, the conflicts they become embroiled in, and the challenges they face. Observations also provide insight into why some decision makers authorize one aggressive intervention after the next while others do not—even on behalf of patients with similar problems and prospects. And they expose the limited role of advance directives in structuring the process decision makers follow or the outcomes that result. These findings provide important lessons to future patients, their loved ones and surrogates; those who serve, counsel, or care for those as they near life’s end and their families (physicians, nurses, chaplains, social workers, and lawyers); and scholars, bioethicists, and health policy makers as well.
Aron Shlonsky and Rami Benbenishty
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199973729
- eISBN:
- 9780199386703
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199973729.003.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
The ways in which decisions are made impact the use of evidence informed services at all levels of the child welfare system, including decisions made by administrators, program managers, workers, and ...
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The ways in which decisions are made impact the use of evidence informed services at all levels of the child welfare system, including decisions made by administrators, program managers, workers, and families. In this chapter the authors review some of the general decision making literature related to decision making at the case level, and then present the Decision Making Ecology/General Assessment and Decision Making Model (DME/GADM). This framework describes some of the influences and constraints that influence decision-making in Child Welfare, addresses the crucial role of child welfare assessment, and describes the factors that influence decisions outside of the assessment process. The implications for evidence informed approaches are provided, with the prospect of improving the uptake and use of these approaches.Less
The ways in which decisions are made impact the use of evidence informed services at all levels of the child welfare system, including decisions made by administrators, program managers, workers, and families. In this chapter the authors review some of the general decision making literature related to decision making at the case level, and then present the Decision Making Ecology/General Assessment and Decision Making Model (DME/GADM). This framework describes some of the influences and constraints that influence decision-making in Child Welfare, addresses the crucial role of child welfare assessment, and describes the factors that influence decisions outside of the assessment process. The implications for evidence informed approaches are provided, with the prospect of improving the uptake and use of these approaches.
Heidi Hardt
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199337118
- eISBN:
- 9780199356546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199337118.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Comparative Politics
This chapter offers a typology of decision-making on crisis response across four international organizations. However, unlike previous scholarship, this research focuses on how decisions are taken in ...
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This chapter offers a typology of decision-making on crisis response across four international organizations. However, unlike previous scholarship, this research focuses on how decisions are taken in practice rather than the formal rules themselves. The chapter also discusses the interactions between the existing formal rules and the informal norms that develop around them and that guide actors’ behavior. The formal institutional design of an organization sets the tone for how such informal norms will be institutionalized. To measure institutional differences, the author focuses on four key metrics: environment, socialization, friendships, and perceived culture. These factors are reflected in the survey questions asked of staff and ambassadors involved in the peace and security committees of four international organizations. The chapter then presents the results of the survey data in conjunction with scholarly data. Through the use of original and comprehensive analyses, the chapter is able to systematically explain variation in institutional culture across the peace and security committees of each organization. The typology’s descriptions of different regional styles of crisis response encompass formal rules, informal norms, and relevant anecdotes of the contentious deliberations.Less
This chapter offers a typology of decision-making on crisis response across four international organizations. However, unlike previous scholarship, this research focuses on how decisions are taken in practice rather than the formal rules themselves. The chapter also discusses the interactions between the existing formal rules and the informal norms that develop around them and that guide actors’ behavior. The formal institutional design of an organization sets the tone for how such informal norms will be institutionalized. To measure institutional differences, the author focuses on four key metrics: environment, socialization, friendships, and perceived culture. These factors are reflected in the survey questions asked of staff and ambassadors involved in the peace and security committees of four international organizations. The chapter then presents the results of the survey data in conjunction with scholarly data. Through the use of original and comprehensive analyses, the chapter is able to systematically explain variation in institutional culture across the peace and security committees of each organization. The typology’s descriptions of different regional styles of crisis response encompass formal rules, informal norms, and relevant anecdotes of the contentious deliberations.
Tali Gal
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199744718
- eISBN:
- 9780199897476
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199744718.003.0005
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
This chapter begins by exploring the potential benefits of restorative justice for child victims. It then reviews five restorative justice programs in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. All these ...
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This chapter begins by exploring the potential benefits of restorative justice for child victims. It then reviews five restorative justice programs in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. All these programs have included child victims, in some more than in others; they have all been evaluated and therefore provide valuable lessons from their levels of success, and most of them included sexual assaults, family violence and abuse. The chapter discusses the major concerns that emerge in relation to the involvement of child victims in restorative processes, and considers some of the solutions deployed in these case studies. The concluding section uses the Needs/Rights model to demonstrate the challenges to RJ involving child victims and its potential benefits for them.Less
This chapter begins by exploring the potential benefits of restorative justice for child victims. It then reviews five restorative justice programs in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. All these programs have included child victims, in some more than in others; they have all been evaluated and therefore provide valuable lessons from their levels of success, and most of them included sexual assaults, family violence and abuse. The chapter discusses the major concerns that emerge in relation to the involvement of child victims in restorative processes, and considers some of the solutions deployed in these case studies. The concluding section uses the Needs/Rights model to demonstrate the challenges to RJ involving child victims and its potential benefits for them.
D. Preston Stephanie and D. Vickers Brian
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262027670
- eISBN:
- 9780262325387
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027670.003.0007
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience
Human and nonhuman animals share an adaptive capacity to plan for the future by acquiring and saving important items, such as food to survive long, cold winters. In addition, humans amass material ...
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Human and nonhuman animals share an adaptive capacity to plan for the future by acquiring and saving important items, such as food to survive long, cold winters. In addition, humans amass material goods well beyond what they appear to need—a tendency that we refer to as “acquisitiveness.” The current chapter frames our view of acquisitiveness as a typical, human phenomenon that exists across individuals to varying degrees, from a “Spartan” desire to avoid excess possessions or clutter, through normal levels of acquisition, up through the excessive acquisition and retention observed in hoarding disorder. Acquisitiveness is adaptive at most levels but shares features in common with the excessive hoarding of clinical populations including hoarding disorder, OCD, frontal lobe syndrome, and eating disorders. Acquisitiveness appears to derive from multiple underlying instincts, including the tendency to hold on to goods that are needed in the future, the desire to display one’s quality to mates and social partners, and the “nesting instinct” to surround oneself with materials that afford a feeling of security. We summarize this framework and our own work on the phenomenon. Acquisitiveness is an important and ubiquitous human behavior that reflects adaptive instincts, which can nevertheless negatively impact personal finances, emotional well-being, and the environment in ways that we need to understand.Less
Human and nonhuman animals share an adaptive capacity to plan for the future by acquiring and saving important items, such as food to survive long, cold winters. In addition, humans amass material goods well beyond what they appear to need—a tendency that we refer to as “acquisitiveness.” The current chapter frames our view of acquisitiveness as a typical, human phenomenon that exists across individuals to varying degrees, from a “Spartan” desire to avoid excess possessions or clutter, through normal levels of acquisition, up through the excessive acquisition and retention observed in hoarding disorder. Acquisitiveness is adaptive at most levels but shares features in common with the excessive hoarding of clinical populations including hoarding disorder, OCD, frontal lobe syndrome, and eating disorders. Acquisitiveness appears to derive from multiple underlying instincts, including the tendency to hold on to goods that are needed in the future, the desire to display one’s quality to mates and social partners, and the “nesting instinct” to surround oneself with materials that afford a feeling of security. We summarize this framework and our own work on the phenomenon. Acquisitiveness is an important and ubiquitous human behavior that reflects adaptive instincts, which can nevertheless negatively impact personal finances, emotional well-being, and the environment in ways that we need to understand.
Barbara A. Fallon, John D. Fluke, Martin Chabot, Cindy Blackstock, Vandna Sinha, Kate Allan, and Bruce MacLaurin
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190059538
- eISBN:
- 9780190059569
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190059538.003.0010
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
This chapter summarizes a series of published papers that used data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) to explore the influence of case and organizational ...
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This chapter summarizes a series of published papers that used data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) to explore the influence of case and organizational characteristics on decisions to place Aboriginal children in out-of-home placements. The premise of the analyses was that these influences were consistent with the framework of the Decision-Making Ecology. In Canada, Aboriginal children are overrepresented at all points of child welfare decision-making: investigation, substantiation, and placement in out-of-home care. Case factors accounting for the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children at all service points in the child welfare system include poverty, poor housing, and substance misuse, and these factors, when coupled with inequitable resources for First Nations children residing on reserves, result in the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the Canadian child welfare system. For this study, the authors examine case characteristics and organizational factors in a multilevel context, hypothesizing that children are more likely to be placed out of home in agencies that serve a relatively high proportion of Aboriginal children. According to the statistical models presented, the most important of these factors is whether the provincial government operates the child welfare agency. As with the proportion of Aboriginal children on the caseload, the risk of a child being placed is greater in government-run agencies compared to agencies operated by private funders. Further analysis needs to be conducted to fully understand individual- and organizational-level variables that may influence /decisions regarding placement of Aboriginal children.Less
This chapter summarizes a series of published papers that used data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) to explore the influence of case and organizational characteristics on decisions to place Aboriginal children in out-of-home placements. The premise of the analyses was that these influences were consistent with the framework of the Decision-Making Ecology. In Canada, Aboriginal children are overrepresented at all points of child welfare decision-making: investigation, substantiation, and placement in out-of-home care. Case factors accounting for the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children at all service points in the child welfare system include poverty, poor housing, and substance misuse, and these factors, when coupled with inequitable resources for First Nations children residing on reserves, result in the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the Canadian child welfare system. For this study, the authors examine case characteristics and organizational factors in a multilevel context, hypothesizing that children are more likely to be placed out of home in agencies that serve a relatively high proportion of Aboriginal children. According to the statistical models presented, the most important of these factors is whether the provincial government operates the child welfare agency. As with the proportion of Aboriginal children on the caseload, the risk of a child being placed is greater in government-run agencies compared to agencies operated by private funders. Further analysis needs to be conducted to fully understand individual- and organizational-level variables that may influence /decisions regarding placement of Aboriginal children.
Heidi Hardt
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199337118
- eISBN:
- 9780199356546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199337118.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Comparative Politics
This chapter offers a discussion of the relevance of international organizations’ efficiency in crisis response. It is framed in broader scholarly and policy debates on the effectiveness of peace ...
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This chapter offers a discussion of the relevance of international organizations’ efficiency in crisis response. It is framed in broader scholarly and policy debates on the effectiveness of peace operations. The chapter introduces the book’s argument that differences across organizations’ informal norms and networks can explain variation in organizations’ response rates in the context of conflict. This focus on informal factors challenges traditional explanations of decision-making in international organizations because they concentrate on the interests of individual member states. In an overview of the methodology, the author describes the use of elite interviews and discourse analysis to gain insider perspectives on decision-making from those actors directly involved in security negotiations. Survey-based interviews were specifically conducted with 50 ambassadors and more staff from four international organizations (the AU, EU, OAS, and OSCE). Following a discussion on how response rates can be measured, the subsequent section presents an original database of response rates. Finally, a sociological institutionalist explanation sheds light on why a more affluent organization, such as the EU, might prove more efficient than those with fewer resources and capabilities.Less
This chapter offers a discussion of the relevance of international organizations’ efficiency in crisis response. It is framed in broader scholarly and policy debates on the effectiveness of peace operations. The chapter introduces the book’s argument that differences across organizations’ informal norms and networks can explain variation in organizations’ response rates in the context of conflict. This focus on informal factors challenges traditional explanations of decision-making in international organizations because they concentrate on the interests of individual member states. In an overview of the methodology, the author describes the use of elite interviews and discourse analysis to gain insider perspectives on decision-making from those actors directly involved in security negotiations. Survey-based interviews were specifically conducted with 50 ambassadors and more staff from four international organizations (the AU, EU, OAS, and OSCE). Following a discussion on how response rates can be measured, the subsequent section presents an original database of response rates. Finally, a sociological institutionalist explanation sheds light on why a more affluent organization, such as the EU, might prove more efficient than those with fewer resources and capabilities.
Mark E. Walton and Nicholas A. Nasrallah
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199862580
- eISBN:
- 9780199369638
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199862580.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Moral Philosophy
It is increasingly believed that neuropsychiatric disorders such as addiction may be examples of pathological value-guided decision making. There is substantial overlap between the neural mechanisms ...
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It is increasingly believed that neuropsychiatric disorders such as addiction may be examples of pathological value-guided decision making. There is substantial overlap between the neural mechanisms normally required to evaluate the costs and benefits of a course of action and those altered in addiction. However, there are several dissociable neural systems for constructing “value”, and dysfunction in any single component may cause a diverse range of behavioral impairments. Here, we will consider how advances in our understanding of the separate processes for valuation, self-control, and decision making in the brain may provide a window into the causes of addictive behavior and help shape law and policy in this area.Less
It is increasingly believed that neuropsychiatric disorders such as addiction may be examples of pathological value-guided decision making. There is substantial overlap between the neural mechanisms normally required to evaluate the costs and benefits of a course of action and those altered in addiction. However, there are several dissociable neural systems for constructing “value”, and dysfunction in any single component may cause a diverse range of behavioral impairments. Here, we will consider how advances in our understanding of the separate processes for valuation, self-control, and decision making in the brain may provide a window into the causes of addictive behavior and help shape law and policy in this area.
Cedric J. Robinson and Erica R. Edwards
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469628219
- eISBN:
- 9781469628226
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469628219.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Political History
In this chapter, Robinson discusses the leader as a manifest idea, the relationship of political leadership to political authority, the leader as a deviant, the conceptual imprint of the market ...
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In this chapter, Robinson discusses the leader as a manifest idea, the relationship of political leadership to political authority, the leader as a deviant, the conceptual imprint of the market society, and the decision as a logical-positivist event. He analyzes the meaning(s) of leadership to identify the perceived character of political authority and political order extant in a particular community. Robinson suggests that political authority is integrated in the dialectic of the social, economic, conceptual, and ideological forces of a society. It is a dynamic, developing aspect of the culture of that society, an historical expression. And political leadership is inseparable from political authority.Less
In this chapter, Robinson discusses the leader as a manifest idea, the relationship of political leadership to political authority, the leader as a deviant, the conceptual imprint of the market society, and the decision as a logical-positivist event. He analyzes the meaning(s) of leadership to identify the perceived character of political authority and political order extant in a particular community. Robinson suggests that political authority is integrated in the dialectic of the social, economic, conceptual, and ideological forces of a society. It is a dynamic, developing aspect of the culture of that society, an historical expression. And political leadership is inseparable from political authority.
Susan P. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226615608
- eISBN:
- 9780226615882
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226615882.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gerontology and Ageing
This chapter considers the role of law in the ICU and presents the legal and bioethical scripts for surrogate decision making. It describes legal provisions for advance directives that specify the ...
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This chapter considers the role of law in the ICU and presents the legal and bioethical scripts for surrogate decision making. It describes legal provisions for advance directives that specify the patient’s wishes and/or decision maker and the criteria for the selection of a default surrogate when no decision maker was appointed. The chapter reviews the bioethical standards which surrogates should follow when deciding for another—beginning with the patient’s explicit instructions and, when they are unknown, substituted judgments of the patient’s wishes, followed by the patient’s best interests—as well as the evidentiary rules to guide surrogate judgments. Surrogates encounter many difficulties following these scripts in the real world, even as so many families and health care providers don’t even know that they exist. One of those difficulties results from the impossibility of truly knowing another’s wishes, another from conflicts of interest at the bedside which are inevitable when loved ones, with the most to gain or lose, are entrusted with life-and-death decisions. Yet another reflects the heuristic and cognitive biases that compromise the judgments of physicians and decision makers alike. The chapter concludes by reviewing the challenges of implementing law at the bedside.Less
This chapter considers the role of law in the ICU and presents the legal and bioethical scripts for surrogate decision making. It describes legal provisions for advance directives that specify the patient’s wishes and/or decision maker and the criteria for the selection of a default surrogate when no decision maker was appointed. The chapter reviews the bioethical standards which surrogates should follow when deciding for another—beginning with the patient’s explicit instructions and, when they are unknown, substituted judgments of the patient’s wishes, followed by the patient’s best interests—as well as the evidentiary rules to guide surrogate judgments. Surrogates encounter many difficulties following these scripts in the real world, even as so many families and health care providers don’t even know that they exist. One of those difficulties results from the impossibility of truly knowing another’s wishes, another from conflicts of interest at the bedside which are inevitable when loved ones, with the most to gain or lose, are entrusted with life-and-death decisions. Yet another reflects the heuristic and cognitive biases that compromise the judgments of physicians and decision makers alike. The chapter concludes by reviewing the challenges of implementing law at the bedside.
Heidi Hardt
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199337118
- eISBN:
- 9780199356546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199337118.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Comparative Politics
This chapter provides an introduction to the informal level of decision-making and presents the book’s central argument. That is, the ways in which actors interact and negotiate within international ...
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This chapter provides an introduction to the informal level of decision-making and presents the book’s central argument. That is, the ways in which actors interact and negotiate within international organizations can explain why some find consensus more quickly than others. The chapter adopts sociological institutionalism as a theoretical framework and applies it to explain how informal norms and informal relations among key actors affect speed of response. The text distinguishes between informal and formal modes of decision-making and the conditions under which informality can facilitate the building of consensus and, ultimately, quicker multilateral responses to crises. As the argument is unpacked, interpersonal trust is identified as a key mechanism. The chapter offers two final and detailed sections: one providing the theoretical argument behind the role of informal norms and one providing the theoretical argument behind the role of informal relations.Less
This chapter provides an introduction to the informal level of decision-making and presents the book’s central argument. That is, the ways in which actors interact and negotiate within international organizations can explain why some find consensus more quickly than others. The chapter adopts sociological institutionalism as a theoretical framework and applies it to explain how informal norms and informal relations among key actors affect speed of response. The text distinguishes between informal and formal modes of decision-making and the conditions under which informality can facilitate the building of consensus and, ultimately, quicker multilateral responses to crises. As the argument is unpacked, interpersonal trust is identified as a key mechanism. The chapter offers two final and detailed sections: one providing the theoretical argument behind the role of informal norms and one providing the theoretical argument behind the role of informal relations.
Nina Holm Vohnsen
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781526101341
- eISBN:
- 9781526128539
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526101341.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
The absurdity of bureaucracy offers an ethnographic portrayal of an attempt to make and implement evidence-based policy set in the Danish labour market system in 2009. It departs from the author’s ...
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The absurdity of bureaucracy offers an ethnographic portrayal of an attempt to make and implement evidence-based policy set in the Danish labour market system in 2009. It departs from the author’s puzzlement that the civil servants she met during her research would maintain a double stance towards their work; they were convinced they were in the process of constantly improving the welfare system while at the same time they found the outcome of their decisions and the system they constructed in the process deeply absurd. The main protagonist of the book is the randomized controlled trial Active – Back Sooner which was a central component of the Danish Government’s Action Plan on Sickness Benefit meant to reduce to the cost of sickness benefit and to secure the ‘active labour force’. It is the continuous planning and disintegration of this effort and the myriad of decisions made in relation to it that is the primary object of empirical portraiture and theoretical discussion. Based on 12 months of participant observation and ethnographic interviewing in the Danish Ministry of Employment and one of the implementing municipalities the book documents how rejected reasons and alleyways of action return to haunt the decision-makers (be they caseworkers, the government administration, or politicians) creating an absurd world of contradictions and dilemmas. The book documents how ‘going wrong’ is built into the very nature of decision-making and suggests that the analysis of absurdity is central to any understanding of how policy develops and how implementation works.Less
The absurdity of bureaucracy offers an ethnographic portrayal of an attempt to make and implement evidence-based policy set in the Danish labour market system in 2009. It departs from the author’s puzzlement that the civil servants she met during her research would maintain a double stance towards their work; they were convinced they were in the process of constantly improving the welfare system while at the same time they found the outcome of their decisions and the system they constructed in the process deeply absurd. The main protagonist of the book is the randomized controlled trial Active – Back Sooner which was a central component of the Danish Government’s Action Plan on Sickness Benefit meant to reduce to the cost of sickness benefit and to secure the ‘active labour force’. It is the continuous planning and disintegration of this effort and the myriad of decisions made in relation to it that is the primary object of empirical portraiture and theoretical discussion. Based on 12 months of participant observation and ethnographic interviewing in the Danish Ministry of Employment and one of the implementing municipalities the book documents how rejected reasons and alleyways of action return to haunt the decision-makers (be they caseworkers, the government administration, or politicians) creating an absurd world of contradictions and dilemmas. The book documents how ‘going wrong’ is built into the very nature of decision-making and suggests that the analysis of absurdity is central to any understanding of how policy develops and how implementation works.
Sven Biscop
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- January 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781529217506
- eISBN:
- 9781529217544
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781529217506.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter explains why the implementation of grand strategy requires agility: the capacity to take decisions rapidly, and to translate them into practice, so as to adapt to changing circumstances. ...
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This chapter explains why the implementation of grand strategy requires agility: the capacity to take decisions rapidly, and to translate them into practice, so as to adapt to changing circumstances. A strategy that does not adapt fast becomes unstrategic. US grand strategy since the turn of the century lost agility, whereas China flexibly adapted to the changing balance of power and established itself as a great power. The focus of Russian grand strategy leaves little room for agility. The EU is handicapped as compared to the other great powers, because it lacks centralised decision-making in foreign and defence policy.Less
This chapter explains why the implementation of grand strategy requires agility: the capacity to take decisions rapidly, and to translate them into practice, so as to adapt to changing circumstances. A strategy that does not adapt fast becomes unstrategic. US grand strategy since the turn of the century lost agility, whereas China flexibly adapted to the changing balance of power and established itself as a great power. The focus of Russian grand strategy leaves little room for agility. The EU is handicapped as compared to the other great powers, because it lacks centralised decision-making in foreign and defence policy.
