Relative Roles of State and Ngos in Community Development with Respect to Housing as Service Delivery Essay Example

Relative Roles of State and Ngos in Community Development with Respect to Housing as Service Delivery Essay What are the developments options the state and the Non-governmental organisations have performed for the Peddie Extension area with regard to the housing delivery. Aims and Objectives of the study: Two aims and objectives have been identified for this study, namely to: * assess whether the stakeholders from the community are satisfied with the housing delivery process and how they have benefitted from the process. * Understand, and analyse the roles played by the state in housing delivery and Non-governmental organisations in service delivery for the rural poor in Peddie Extension.When a state attempts to employ strategies to reduce poverty, to provide necessary service delivery, to involve the poor in their communities in development decision making and resource allocation, it is probable to find its normal and suggested mechanisms inadequate. Additionally when the state endavours to develop the communities by providing with economic policy, basic services and infrastructure, but i s rarely targeted toward rural areas and people. Within the context, more is being asked whether the contribution of voluntarily sector to development provides more emphasis on poverty reduction, a community and participatory development.As the state endavours to develop communities, the social, economic and political environment created an operational environment for the NGOs. Literature on Non-governmental organizations indicates that NGOs have played a major role in an attempt to secure the protection of human rights nationally and internationally. Chakawarika (2011) argues that, the existence of NGOs is proving to be a necessity rather than a luxury in societies throughout the modern world. It is evident that in many developing countries, the role of NGOs has evolved in response to the market gaps left by the government (Gaist: 2009).Impelled by the inadequacies of the state and the market, citizens across the globe have developed NGOs to deal with a diversity of social needs. C onsequently, it could be argued that NGOs are increasingly identified as crucial role-players in community and people-centred development. Gaist (2009) indicates that the NGOs have frequently been regarded as very important for democracy since they have a strong support at grassroots level and their ability to develop and empower poor communities. This is a well-needed attribute in Zimbabwe as most of the communities are beyond being poor.Nzimakwe (2002) also supported this nature of NGOs saying they are enormously vital mechanisms in rural development as they benefit from the goodwill and reception of the community, consequently the NGOs have become very crucial players in the field of social development. There are other researchers who have conceptualized development such as Manuel Castells who was a sociologist who has theorised about the information age. His emphasis on development is mainly on the economic, political and cultural aspects.His major claim relevant to this study i s that, because of the rise of the information age, individual states are no longer able to do what is needed to develop the citizens of their individual countries. He is therefore very pessimistic about the role of the state as agent for development. 2. THE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The issue of service delivery in Eastern Cape has become the point of interest in the past few years in South Africa. The Bill of Rights embodied in the South African Constitution (Act No. 108 of 1996) (RSA, 1996) states in section 24 that: ‘Everyone has the right to have adequate housing’.Consequently authorities are increasingly confronted with challenges to increase the delivery of houses to citizens. Scholars (Irurah and Boshoff, 2003) argue that, the delivery has not been followed through in implementation in various sectors of the economy. It is essential that these challenges be addressed by making use of correct implementation knowledge, proper analysis and evaluation policies of hous ing delivery. There is no public service can be rendered without suitable governing and administrative arrangements.Millions of historically disadvantaged South Africans, however, still live in rural communities or informal settlements that lack basic shelter and other services (Lawson, 1991). The Eastern Cape housing department provides the legislative and constitutional mandate to provide houses to the poor rural citizens of this province. It stands to reason that, citizens of this province would have access to decent and adequate houses. Rendering of housing services by government has resulted in uncompleted and defective houses due to inexperienced contractors providing poor workmanship and corruption in the housing programmes.Consequently, the state interventions of attempting to provide basic service delivery such as housing delivery in rural areas have been largely ineffective. Castell (2000:92) argues that some obstacles for development come from government bureaucracies. Ho wever, the latter, is only possible when the government policies are haphazard and an approach to community development is uncoordinated. Thus far, there are comprehensive national housing policies to really guide developments.After 1994 the ANC-led government embarked on housing delivery programme to rectify the past imbalances and this hampers the provision of housing in post-Apartheid South Africa. This provision enhanced human settlement development nationally, provincially and locally to meet the needs of South African citizens. These include, among others, expressing housing policies, confirming adequate access to relevant information so that citizens and civil society can mobilise around housing rights, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation of housing progress and implementation (â€Å"Expanding Socio-Economic Rights and Access to Housing, 29 October 2003, p. ). African communities from urban areas benefited from housing delivery as they were entitled to have title deeds of the houses they lived in and some have their houses built. In contrast, black rural communities were not part of the planning and development decisions that affect the quality of their lives as a result, the state did not build houses for people from rural areas. Consequently, the government has been criticised by many dissatisfied South Africans, politicians and the media. Some criticisms were mainly from the media highlighting the corruption, mismanagement with regard to community projects as well as poor service delivery.According to the state which remains as the major protectors and abusers of human rights, NGOs have materialised as central players in the promotion of human rights around the world. Varona (2006) further argue that, citizens felt that there is a need for organising NGOs to develop alternative strategies and acquire new skills and capabilities in order to facilitate this access to housing, serviced land and basic services as lately, for informal settlements to ge t the attention of government in their bid for housing and land tenure, a presentation of concrete development plans, studies and options for housing development is needed.A year after 2006 local government elections, the Minister of Safety and Security reported some 5085 protests against unskilled and corrupt local government nationwide (Robert, 2007: 14). It stands to reason that, there is an escalation of corruption and squandering of resources by government officials and of which result on poor service delivery. In Philippines for instance Varona (2006) argue that inefficient government housing programs has aggravated and made poor communities lose confidence in an ability of the government to provide for basic services like housing and serviced land.Marie Huchzermeyer (2003) points out that, it is the lack of formal rights that allows for exploitation by politicians, by irresponsible or even repressive bureaucracies, and by informally operating groups or individuals in the cont rol over land, access to services, commercial activities, etc. Some researchers indicate that black rural communities have been excluded from participating in the conceptualisation process, planning and development decisions that affect the quality of their lives.Miraftab (2003) advocates that critics point out that viewed in this way, community participation may indeed ameliorate communities’ immediate problems but seldom then continues beyond the life of the specific projects and does not result in any greater community influence in decision making. As a result of that, the rural communities do not actively participate in local governance. 3. THE PROBLEM STATEMENT The purpose of this study is to show that the state has not been performing or has performed poorly in its role as provider of houses in the rural areas of Ngqushwa Local Municipality in Peddie Extension.Therefore, rural citizens are left with no other option than to make use of alternative building, their houses built with mud of which are sometimes not safe and secure. The absence of the decent houses has the risk involve to citizens namely, catching cold and storms outbreak. This problem is predominant in the remote rural areas. In some areas foundations of houses have been laid or walls are built for almost years but no roofs, windows or doors. But there are elected politicians, NGO officials and appointed officials who are supposed to be role-players for the benefit of the citizens.Theirs is to play the role of local government in terms of community development and service delivery as mandated by the constitution. They need to be able to deal with the challenges confronting the local government with regard to service delivery. It stands to reason that, community involvement in decision making is vital during planning. If community participation is neglected or limited then planning and delivery will experience implementation problem.Other problem that has been identified with regard to officials is a lack of understanding of the service delivery processes as well as lack in capability to administrative work. It is thus clear that there is a fundamental problem of rendering service delivery in Peddie Extenstion by incompetent local and non-government officials who do not play their essential roles in satisfying the demand for rural community development. It is thus evident that the municipal officials hamper the implementation processes of the housing delivery provided by the state policies.Consequently they fail to satisfy the demand for the sustainable housing service. 4. RESEARCH QUESTION What are the community development programmess the state and Non-governmental organisations have implemented for the Peddie Extension with regard to the housing delivery service? 5. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY * To assess whether the community members from the Peddie Extension are satisfied with the housing delivery process and how they have benefitted from the process. Un derstand, and analyse the roles played by the state and Non-governmental organisations in housing delivery for the rural poor in Peddie Extension. 6. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY The study will be limited to the Ngqushwa area particularly in Peddie Extension. The intention is to look at community with rural geographical location. Participants in this study will be voluntary. Thus, factors that may limit this study may include access to information, time, travelling funds, unwillingness of participant and insufficient literature on the specific study. 7. THE LITERATURE OF THE STUDYService delivery programmes played an important role in the development of South Africa. The housing sector this is particularly significant as the delivery of housing to low-income communities has been one of the key programmes of the South African government since 1994 (Irurah and Boshoff, 2003). Housing delivery in Eastern Cape in particular which is mostly rural, is forced by a various challenging issues. Pr imarily the Apartheid government has focused only to the white people, the African people in rural areas were almost forgotten, hence the backlog.As a result, this backlog and other challenges overlapped into the present state. Castells (1996) also wishes to demonstrate the role of information technology in transforming the whole economic, social and cultural environment of our times. Researchers such as (Cassier and Kesteloot, 2012) stress that in an information society, there are increasing inequalities that bring about intensifying processes of economic globalisation, capital and labour flexibility and welfare restructuring. Information society, however, is empowered by capital rules in financial form.It stands to reason that the information age comprises of unevenness of development, of the new inequalities and deprivations. Castells claims a new society has risen as a result of the information technology revolution, the economic crisis of capitalism and statism (communism) and the blooming of new social movements like environmentalism and feminism. He argues that more of the worldwide communication is happening through the electronic media, like social networks, electronic mails, cellular phone and so forth.And this network society is global, it is based on global networks and it manifests itself in many forms of production systems and new culture. Castells indicates that, together these three processes are causing a new social structure ‘ a network society’, a new economy ‘a global informational economy’ and a new culture ‘a culture of real virtuality ( in van Dijk, 2001). Harding (2006) argues that multifaceted virtual culture, enforces powerful economic decisions at every moment in the life of the network. Castells’ focus and ideas about development contradicts with those of neo-liberals and neo-Marxists.He focuses on the economic as well as the political and cultural aspects of development while neoliberalsâ€⠄¢ view of development as about the shift of control of the economy from the ‘public sector’ to the ‘private sector’. The philosophy behind neoliberalism is to maximise the role of the private sectors. In essence the aim of neoliberalism is to strive for national success in terms of the global market and that social life should be determined by the market which can be considered to be the best design for the society. Neoliberals also encourage the maximization of contract as well as the entrepreneurial precepts.It also resulted into the forms of work contracts, such as temporary, part-time, contract, and casual workers (Peck, 1996:119) Globalization and neoliberalism are sometimes used interchangeably, if one could argue under the notion of making the economic structure in an outline of a uniform, that is, interconnection of nations through trading. In addition, the keywords between globalization and the neoliberalism are, ‘global capitalism’ a nd ‘privatization’. Neo-liberal restructuring is central to the globalisation process which demands free-market, privatisation, externalisation, casualisation, and more.Conversely, Holm and Sorensen (1995:4) define globalization as the intensification of economic, political, social and cultural relations across borders. Globalisation is made to be valid and it is not seen as an economic aspect, however; one could argue that it is a new phase of capitalism. Harding (2006) adds on what Castells propounds on that the new flexibility offered to capital by information technology is intimately linked to the accelerating progress of globalization, permitting capitalists to keep down labour costs while exploiting emerging markets.Moreover, ideology serves as tool belief with a great political influence to make neoliberalism and globalization acceptable. On the other hand neo-Marxism focuses the most on the social inequalities and it shows the uprising of opposition that counter s inequalities. This theory arose from the work of Karl Marx and it is for the ideas of Max Weber who have theorized on social inequalities for example status and power. Neo-Marxism theory view class division as more important than gender or sex division or issues of race and ethnicity.Moreover Neo-Marxism theory seeks to reveal the hegemony of the dominant class which results to political power. Castells attributes that indeed, the vanguard social and cultural values are in the very design innovations that powered and shaped the oncoming technological revolution (Harding, 2006). There exists what is known as the policy making which is a large sector of elite control within government whereby the corporate community consisting of the upper class work hand in hand in overlapping spheres of economic and political entities (Domhoff,1990: 105).The economy is considered as a fundamental strong point of any society (Livingston, 1939: 53) as people are dependent on an income for basic surv ival necessities, thus if the government favours policies which inadvertently co-operate with the views of the corporate power then the needy are inevitably cared for and corporate elitist take on roles of leadership within the community (Domhoff 2006: 103). 8. FOCUS STUDY AREA The Ngqushwa Municipality is in the ex-homeland an area of the Ciskei. It has only one small town and the majority of the population live in rural areas.Consequently they live in traditional dwellings made of wattle and mud bricks. A large number of citizens build their own dwellings using their own labour and local materials. The most common houses or brick structure are on separate stand or yard, which applies to rural settings. High levels of poverty and difficulties prevails throughout the country, in urban and rural areas alike, due to high levels of unemployment and severe shortages of formal housing. Most members in rural community would not have access to credit for the construction of dwellings in co mmunal or informal tenure areas. 9.RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This will provide an understanding in which the methodology will be used in this study. In this study, it will cover the essence of research design, data collection and data analysis. 9. 1 RESEARCH DESIGN Research design is concerned with defining the type of study to be assumed to produce the intended results. The research design is a key element in its success. Leedy (1997) states that the design process is the planning of the research and includes visualization of the data and problems associated with the use of those data in achieving the results of the research project.The study will make use of an empirical research design which will be informed by the literature review and analysis. Qualitative research is descriptive in that the researcher is interested in process, meaning, and understanding gained through words or pictures. According to Leedy (2001:191) descriptive survey involves distinguishing the characteristics of something. He further suggests that descriptive method is suitable for data obtained from observation. Qualitative researchers are concerned primarily with process, rather than outcomes or products.Struwig and Stead (2001:12) identify that qualitative researchers are very interested in understanding the issues being researched from the perspective of the research participants. The quantitative principles are based on the view that the world is organised and bound by rules. Also quantitative research seeks to use the existing data to analyse the given data in order to validate the representations with regard to the role of state and NGOs in development. Quantitative research makes perfectly clear that seeks to employ mathematical and statistical models pertaining phenomenon.The reason for using quantitative research, intends to understand participants’ experience pertaining to challenges of housing delivery in Peddie Extension by describing housing project management which res ulted in poor or better quality of housing delivery service. It also brings about the broader understanding of the effectiveness of the state or NGOs in rural housing delivery to develop the community. 9. 2 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The data to be used in this paper will be developed from both primary and secondary sources.Primary data The primary data will come from in-depth interviews with grass-roots members of community and government officials. The reason to focus on government officials is that they have detailed information and knowledge on housing delivery. Representatives from non-governmental organisations could be interviewed so as to acquire a broader understanding of the social and political relations in Peddie Extension. Observations and photographs will be used to collect more primary data. Secondary dataThis information will be collected through quantitative approach by describing the state and NGOs’ effectiveness in the issues of service delivery in rural areas. A desk study and network research will be employed to review more additional data from archival documents, housing legislations, policies and programmes in government housing interventions. And from resource relevant databases, related case studies, researches, surveys and publications. The quantitative data on housing delivery will be obtained from the local state municipality offices.The other data will be attained through analysis of relevant sources focusing on housing delivery, statistics, housing policy, frameworks, process and practice and other official reports on housing programmes or projects. 10. TIME FRAMES AND BUDGET To make the study to have meaningful analysis with regard to the role of the non-governmental organisations and state, the study will be based on collaboration between NGOs, government officials and other participant in housing delivery projects during the period April to October 2013 in the Ngqushwa rural area.The rationale for this period will be a ffected by factors such as financial constraints and the nature of the study. 11. OUTLINES OF CHAPTERS Chapter one will be concerned with an introduction to the study which describes and explains the background, problem statement, research questions, objectives, necessity, study plan, limitations of the study, and the definition of words and terms used in the study. Chapter two will provide a literature review of study, framework, concepts and theories which are concerned with community development.Theories that describe the role of the state and NGOs in service deliver. The challenges of grow of homelessness of rural community members as revealed by poverty; lack of access to basic services, facilities and lack of participation of communities in decision-making in the poor communities. Chapter three will outline the research methodology; define the research techniques, data collecting instruments, and the analysis techniques. Chapter four will represent the data presentation, analy sis and interpretation and will provide the criteria for analysis and the actual analysis.Chapter five will deal with the conclusion and will summarise the findings and deductions made in the preceding chapters. Specific inadequacies and problem areas in the role of state and NGOs in community development services will be explained and recommendations to remedy such situation and future actions will be provided.

Politics Essay Example

Politics Essay Example Politics Essay Politics Essay Political Science is the systematic study of the state and government. The word political is derived from the Greek polis, meaning a city, of what today would be equivalent of sovereign state. Science comes from the Latin score, to know Scope of Political Science: 1 _ Political theory 2. Public Law 3. Public Administration Political Theory It refers to the inure body of doctrines relating to the rolling, form, behavior, and purposes of the state are dealt with the study of political theory. Public Law the (a) organization of governments, (b) the limitations upon government authority, (c) the powers and duties of governmental offices and officers, and (d) the obligations of one state to another are handled In the study of public law. Private Laws are the one which govern the relations among individuals, public law is so specialized that separate courses offered in each of its subdivisions, namely: (a) constitutional law, (b) administrative law, and (c) international Law. Public Administration attention Is focused upon methods and techniques used branches of government. N. B, today, legislative bodies have been forced to delegate greater discretion to executive officers responsible for the conduct of government policies and powers. Thus we find many administrative agencies exercising quasi-legislative and quasi- judicial powers. Interrelationship of Political Science with other branches of learning: History History is past politics and politics is present history. Political Scientist adopts a historical approach and employs knowledge of the past when he seeks to interpret present and probable developments in political phenomena. 2. Economics Refers to the study of production, distribution, and conservation, and consumption of wealth. Political Scientist adopts an economic approach when seeking to interpret matters like public financial policies and government regulation of business. 3. Geography Geopolitics It is concerned with the study of the influences of physical factors such as population pressures, sources of raw materials, geography, etc. Upon domestic and foreign politics. 4. Sociology anthropology It is deeply concerned with the origins and nature of social control and governmental authority, with the abiding influences of race and culture upon society, with the patterns of collective human behavior. 5. Psychology It promotes studies of the mental and emotional processes motivating the political behavior of individuals and groups. Particular topics under this are: public pinion, pressure groups, and propaganda. 6. Philosophy in academic philosophy and also to the political scientist. 7. Statistics and Logic Political theorist must have abroad background knowledge of current political problems and he must employ scientific methods in gathering and evaluating the data in drawing conclusions. 8. Jurisprudence This branch of public law is concerned with the analysis of existing legal systems also with the ethical, historical, sociological, psychological foundations of law. Concepts of State Meaning of the State State is a community of persons more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of territory, having a government of their own to which the great body of inhabitants render obedience, and enjoying freedom from external control. Elements of State: 1. People 2. Territory 3. Government 4. Sovereignty 5. Recognition This refers to the mass of population living within the state. There is no requirement as to the number of people that should compose a state. But it should be neither too small nor too large: small enough to be well-governed and large enough to be self-sufficing. The smallest state is Vatican. China has the largest population. 2. Territory Components of Territory: . Terrestrial/land mass 3. Fluvial 4. Maritime Domain The smallest state is Vatican State with an area of 0. 43 square kilometers. It would fit in Racial Park in Manila. The biggest state is Canada with an area of 3,852,000 square miles which covers a surface nearly as large as Europe. The Philippines has a total land area of about 115,707 square miles . It refers to the agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and carried out. It is the supreme power of the state to command and enforce obedience to its will from people within its Jurisdiction, and to have freedom from foreign control. Two manifestations of Sovereignty: 1. Internal or the power of the state to rule within its territory; 2. External or the freedom of the state to carry out its activities without subjection or control by other states. External sovereignty is often referred to as independence. N. B these internal and external aspects of sovereignty are not absolutely true in practice because of the development of international relations and consequently international law. . Legal sovereignty is the possession of unlimited power to make laws. It is the authority by which law has the power to issue commands. 2. Political sovereignty is the sum total of all the influences in a state which lie behind the law. It is roughly defined as the power of the people. What is emporium? Dominion? Secure obedience thereto, maintain peace and order within its territorial limits, defend the State against foreign invasion, and do any other act of government over its people and territory. Dominion refers to the independent proprietary right of possession, use, conservation, disposition or sale, and control by the State over its territorial lands. How do you treat the Claim of the Philips. Over Saba? Is it emporium or dominion? Answer: It is both emporium and dominion. We seek to own exclusively Saba and in so owning, we have to exercise our sovereignty to govern the same. Characteristics of Sovereignty Permanence; Exclusivity; Comprehensiveness; Absoluteness; Individuality; Inalienability; and Impressibility Permanence means it exist in the same form forever or for a very long time. Exclusivity means it is limited to a group of people. Comprehensiveness means including everything, so as to be complete comprehensive knowledge of the subject. Absoluteness means possessing unlimited power: having total power and authority. Individuality means the state or condition of being separate from others. Inalienability means it is impossible to take away or not able to be transferred or taken away, e. G. Because of being protected by law. Impressibility it means not to be taken away or impossible to remove or violate the peoples imperceptible rights. Governance manner of government: the system or manner of government; 2. Tate of governing a place: the act or state of governing a place; 3. Authority: control or authority It means the management of the affairs of a business, organization, or institution. GOVERNMENT Forms of Government: The principal forms are the following: 1 . As to number of persons exercising sovereign powers; 2. As to extent of powers exercised by the cen tral or national government; 3. As to relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of the government; 4. As to source of power or authority: 1 . As to number of persons exercising sovereign powers: A. Government by one AY) Monarchy or one in which the supreme and final authority is in the hands of a single person without regard to the source of his election or the nature or duration of his tenure. Monarchies are further classified into: Monarchy, form of government in which one person has the hereditary right to rule as head of state during his or her lifetime; the term is also applied to the state so governed. Monarchs include such rulers as kings and queens, emperors and empresses, tsars, and Kaisers. Two types of Monarchical government: 1 . Absolute Monarchy or one in which the ruler rules by divine right; and 2. Limited monarchy or one in which the ruler rules in accordance with a constitution. The power of the monarch varies from absolute to very limited; the latter is AAA Authoritarian or one in which the supreme power of the dictator whose power is usually through force. 1 . Strict and demanding obedience: favoring strict rules and established authority; 2. Demanding political obedience: belonging to or believing in a political system in which obedience to the ruling person or group is strongly enforced. B. Government by few Bal Aristocracy or one in which political power is exercised by few privileged class. . People of highest social class: people of noble families or the highest social class 2. Superior group: a group believed to be superior to all others of the same kind 3. Overspent by elite: government of a country by a small group of people, especially a hereditary nobility 4. State run by elite: a state governed by an aristocracy. 82 Oligarchy 1 . Small governing group: a small gr oup of people who together govern a nation or control an organization, often for their own purposes; 2. Entity ruled by oligarchy: a nation governed or an organization controlled by an oligarchy; 3. Overspent by small group: government or control by a small group of people. Sources of their power: By births. By wealthy. By wisdom In an aristocracy, although the power of government is wielded by a few, hermetically the administration of government is carried on for the welfare of the many. Whenever the interests of the people as a whole are made subservient to the selfish interests of the rulers, aristocracy becomes a form of government known as oligarchy. CLC Democracy or one in which political power is exercised by the majority of the people. It is further classified into: CLC . Direct or pure democracy or one in which the will of the state is formulated or expressed directly and immediately through the people in a mass meeting or primary assembly rather than through the medium of representatives chosen by the people o act for them. CLC . 2 Indirect, representative or republican democracy or one in which the will of the state is formulated and expressed through the agency of a relatively small and select body of persons chosen by the people to act as their representatives. 2. As to extent of powers exercised by the central or national government: A. Unitary government or one in which the control of national and local affairs is exercised by the national government; B. Federal government or one in which the powers of government are divided between two sets of organs, one for national affairs and the other for local affairs, ACH organ being supreme within its own sphere. Didst. Bet. Federal Unitary Covet Federal states, such as the U. S. And Switzerland, comprise unions of states in which the authority of the central or national government is constitutionally limited by the legally established powers of the constituent subdivisions. In unitary states, such as the United Kingdom and Belgium, the constituent subdivisions of the state are subordinate to the authority of the national government. Countries with federal political systems have both a central government and overspent based in smaller political units, usually called states, provinces, or territories. These smaller political units surrender some of their political power to the central government, relying on it to act for the common good. In a federal system, laws are made both by state, provincial, or territorial governments and by a central government. In the United States, for example, people who live in the state of Ohio must obey the laws made by the Ohio legislature and the Congress of the United States. Federal political systems divide power and resources between central and Central governments decide issues that concern the whole country, such as organizing an army, building major roads, and making treaties with other countries. In unitary systems, with laws giving virtually all authority to the central government. The central government may delegate duties to cities or other administrative units, but it retains final authority and can retract any tasks it has delegated. The central government in a unitary system is much more powerful than the central government in a federal system. Government: A. Parliamentary government or cabinet gobo. Is one in which the executive and selective branch of the government are dependent or executive branch is part of the legislative branch. B. Presidential government or one in which the state makes the executive independent from the legislative. Distinctions bet. Presidential Parliamentary In parliamentary governments, of which the United Kingdom, India, and Canada are examples, the executive branch is subordinate to the legislature. In presidential governments, such as in the U. S. , the executive is independent of the legislature, although many of the executives actions are subject to legislative review. A. De facto is one not so constituted or founded with the existing constitution but has the general support of the people and has effective control of the territory over which it exercises its powers. B. De Cure is one which is constituted or founded in accordance with the existing constitution of the state but has no control of the territory. C. Hereditary Elective Checks and Balances, the doctrine and practice of dispersing political power and creating mutual accountability among political entities such as the courts, the president or prime minister, the legislature, and the citizens. The first check comes from the fact that different branches of the government have overlapping authority, so each branch can act as a limit on the other. For example, the president can veto an act of Congress. A two-thirds majority in Congress can then override the presidents veto. The president appoints major federal officials, but only if the Senate by majority vote agrees. Separation of Powers, the doctrine and practice of dividing the powers of a government among different branches to guard against abuse of authority. A government of separated powers assigns different political and legal powers o the legislative, executive, and Judicial branches. The legislative branch has the power to make laws. The executive branch has the authority to administer the law†primarily by bringing lawbreakers to trial†and to appoint officials and oversee the administration of government responsibilities. The Judicial branch has the power to try cases brought to court and to interpret the meaning of laws under which the trials are conducted. A government of separated powers is less likely to be tyrannical and more likely to follow the rule of law: the principle that government action must be constrained by saws. A separation of powers can also make a political system more democratic by making it more difficult for a single ruler, such as a monarch or a president, to become dictatorial. The division of powers also prevents one branch of government from dominating the others or dictating the laws to the public. Most democratic systems have some degree of separation of powers. POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES Liberalism, attitude, philosophy, or movement that has as its basic concern the development of personal freedom and social progress. The course of liberalism in a given country is usually conditioned by the character

The Roman Tetrarchy and the Rule of Four

The Roman Tetrarchy and the Rule of Four The word Tetrarchy means rule of four. It derives from the Greek words for four (tetra-) and rule (arch-). In practice, the word refers to the division of an organization or government into four parts, with a different person ruling each part. There have been several Tetrarchies over the centuries, but the phrase is usually used to refer to the division of the Roman Empire into a western and eastern empire, with subordinate divisions within the western and eastern empires. The Roman Tetrarchy Tetrarchy refers to the establishment by the Roman Emperor Diocletian of a 4-part division of the empire. Diocletian understood that the huge Roman Empire could be (and often was) taken over by any general who chose to assassinate the emperor. This, of course, caused significant political upheaval; it was virtually impossible to unite the empire. The reforms of Diocletian came after a period when many emperors had been assassinated. This earlier period is referred to as chaotic and the reforms were meant to remedy the political difficulties that the Roman Empire faced. Diocletians solution to the problem was to create multiple leaders, or Tetrarchs, located in multiple locations. Each would have significant power. Thus, the death of one of the Tetrarchs would not mean a change in governance. This new approach, in theory, would lower the risk of assassination and, at the same time, made it nearly impossible to overthrow the entire Empire at a single blow. When he split up the leadership of the Roman Empire in 286, Diocletian continued to rule in the East. He made Maximian his equal and co-emperor in the west. They were each called Augustus which signified that they were emperors. In 293, the two emperors decide to name additional leaders who could take over for them in the case of their deaths. Subordinate to the emperors were the two Caesars: Galerius, in the east, and Constantius in the west. An Augustus was always emperor; sometimes the Caesars were also referred to as emperors. This method of creating emperors and their successors bypassed the need for approval of emperors by the Senate and blocked the power of the military to elevate their popular generals to the purple. [Source: The City of Rome in late imperial ideology: The Tetrarchs, Maxentius, and Constantine, by Olivier Hekster, from Mediterraneo Antico 1999.] The Roman Tetrarchy functioned well during Diocletians life, and he and Maximian did indeed turn over leadership to the two subordinate Caesars, Galerius and Constantius. These two, in turn, named two new Caesars: Severus and Maximinus Daia.  The untimely death of Constantius, however, led to political warring. By 313, the Tetrarchy was no longer functional, and, in 324, Constantine became sole Emperor of Rome.   Other Tetrarchies While the Roman Tetrarchy is the most famous, other four-person ruling groups have existed through history. Among the best-known was The Herodian Tetrarchy, also called the Tetrarchy of Judea. This group, formed after the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE, included Herods sons.

Human Relations And Health Information Management Research Paper

Human Relations And Health Information Management - Research Paper Example Various studies have indicated that these tests are effective in making career-related decisions and are also accurate in providing correct results (Borgen & Betz, 2008; Capraro & Capraro, 2002; Garis & Niles, 1990). These tests have been taken for the purpose of this research paper and the findings are used to identify personality type and suitable career path in prospective employers. Personality Inventory The findings of SIGI3 inventory and its corroboration with MBTI test helped in understanding that my personality type is ESTJ which is an abbreviation of extroverted, sensing, thinking and judging (â€Å"Jung Test Results†, n.d). According to the output of the test, individuals with this personality type have administrative skills and they remain in touch with the external environment. Furthermore, they are very responsible and are named as the pillar of strength by the test. Findings of the SIGI3 test indicated that my personal values are the contribution to the society, high income, leadership, prestige, leisure, independence, and variety. All these values score above average in the field of health information management (SIGI3, 2013). ... findings related to personal interests, skills, and values with MBTI’s results indicated that my personality type is of figure that would assume responsibilities and is able to work in a team-based work environment effectively. In addition to that, I have strong analytical skills that are essential for health information management. My preferred job-related tasks would be the collection of information and deduce necessary trends out of it along with planning concerning numerical data. When examined with the help of SIGI3 preferred employment in the light of the test’s results and my current majors, it was found that my preferred career path would be in the health information administration.

Project management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project management - Coursework Example The Trans-Saharan gas pipeline (TGSP) is a project whose aim is to see Algeria and Nigeria team up in a bid to have a diversification of gas supplies to the European continent. Seen by many analysts as the most incredible venture in Africa, the two countries seek to connect the supply of natural gas at Algeria for further countries to benefit (Nwaoha and Wood 2014). Unknown to many people is that this project was first suggested in the 70s but it has encountered a myriad of challenges before its initiation. It was not until 2009 that ministers from the concerned countries met and agreed to have the project completed by 2015 (Seljom and Rosenberg 2011). However, this is yet to be achieved due to various hurdles standing in the way. Even though this was previously thought to be a Nigeria-Algeria affair, Niger could not be overlooked since the project had to pass through its territory. The project’s scope will see it start from Warri region- which is in Nigeria-, pass through Niger all the way to Hassi R’mel which is in Algeria. Once at R’mel, the project will then connect with the Trans-Mediterranean, Medgaz, Galsi and Maghreb pipelines that currently supply to many parts of Europe (Reymond 2007). In terms of length, the entire project is estimated to cover at least 4,128 km but for the Algerian part, which forms the basis of this Project initiation document, the scope is at 2,310 km. The objectives of this project includes expanding the natural gas market to the European countries, solidify the relations among the involved parties and seeking to find an ending market for the gas product. In addition to having an improved economy, other benefits that will be evident from this project include the strengthened unity of the countries and employment opportunities for a significant number of Algerians. Natural gas is one of the most consumed commodities in not only Europe but also globally (Engerer and Horn 2010) .The

Creative Thinking Essay Example for Free

Creative Thinking Essay Thinking The following transcript is based on material in Skills for Success: The Personal Development Handbook, by Stella Cottrell. Creative thinking can benefit any aspect of life, including academic study or our working day. All too often, we act as if creativity were the preserve of a special breed of people – great artists, musicians, designers and inventors. However, you don’t need to be good at drawing or painting or music in order to be creative. Because of this misperception, we can tend to underestimate our own capacity for creativity and the wide range of situations to which we could apply creative thought. In this audio, we’ll talk about practical ways that you can develop and enhance your creative capacity. What do we mean by creative thinking? Creativity is about applying the imagination to finding a solution. This could be a solution to an artistic problem, but it could just as easily refer to finding an answer to a routine work issue, resolving problems in your life, friendships or relationships, or completing study assignments. The creative aspect is in finding the solution, rather than in simply applying a pre-given formula. If you devise your own solutions, find your answers, you are thinking creatively. Sometimes, a great idea can seem to drop from nowhere. When this happens, it is easy to feel that we are very imaginative and clever, especially if the wonderful idea came to us quickly. More typically, a creative outcome is the result of a series of processes, the application of strategies, and bringing the right attitude to the task – and these may not always feel very creative at the time. Creative thought thrives in certain conditions, so to foster creative thinking, it is worth taking steps to put those conditions into place. Certain types of creative thinking take place when we are very relaxed, with time to spare, when we are only half focused on the issue, perhaps when we are day-dreaming or doodling. We may even be deep in thought about a different activity altogether. When released from having to find a solution to a particular problem, the brain often feels freed up to look for an answer in its own way. You may have noticed this yourself- that when you stop trying too hard, the answer seems to pop out of nowhere when you are least expecting it. Many great discoveries and ideas have been made in this way, or even in dreams. This kind of creative solution does require certain kinds of conditions. In particular, the apparently magic solution often comes after a period of very ordered thinking, working through many possible solutions, followed by change of pace or situation, accompanied by some ‘down-time’ in which the brain can work on the solution. Creative thinking tends to be characterised by a drive to find the very best solution, continually looking for an even better, or quicker, or more effective, or more elegant solution. If you are happy with the first idea that comes along, then there is no real spur to creative thought. An element of moderate dissatisfaction, or an edge of perfectionism, encourages the creative process. You can also help the creative process by putting the right conditions into place and applying some basic strategies. First of all: don’t be satisfied with one solution. Once you have one good idea, look for another, and then another. Give yourself the opportunity to choose the best from several options. Secondly, put yourself under different levels of pressure. Sometimes, we find we respond to pressure; other times we don’t. Thirdly, feed your brain with different experiences. Go on a journey you wouldn’t usually make; read an article from a different subject discipline or a magazine you wouldn’t usually read; undertake an activity that you feel isn’t ‘you’. When the brain is working hard on a problem, it is can be very good at drawing parallels in an apparently unconnected experience. Fourthly, be willing to experiment with ideas that seem unlikely to lead straight to the answer, even if this seems like it may be a waste of time. Combine solutions from other problems that you have answered successfully; play with possible ideas even if these don’t seem very sensible. Many a great idea has started out as something, which seemed wild or unrealistic, modified and adapted and developed into something that really worked. Don’t eliminate ideas too early- look for a way of making them work. Although a particular idea may lead nowhere, the process of working through solutions can help develop a much deeper understanding of the task before you. It is this thorough and complex understanding of the issue, which helps the brain come up with a creative solution. Fifthly, when you have worked in an organised way on developing ideas, give the brain some down-time so it can work on these in an unforced way. This does mean planning your study or work so that there is time to move between structured approaches to the issue, followed by more relaxed, unforced, even unconscious, thought. Finally, once you know the idea you want to work on, be prepared to work at it, and to work at it some more, to fine-tune it. Inspiration is a very small part of creative thinking. Process, strategy, attitude, and application are also essential ingredients. In short, it doesn’t take a special kind of person to engage in creative thinking. There are approaches you can take and strategies you can apply that can assist you in arriving at innovative ways of seeing and thinking. Best of all, as creative thinking benefits from new experiences, doing things a little differently, musing with ideas and being open to playful and unusual approaches, it can make your study very enjoyable. We hope this basic introduction to creative thinking has been useful. If you want to develop your creative thinking further, ask your bookseller for a copy of Skills for Success, written by Stella Cottrell and published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Insulin Response in Low Carbohydrate Diets Essay -- Health Nutrition D

Insulin Response in Low Carbohydrate Diets   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the current popularity of the Atkins diet and similar plans that emphasize a reduced intake of carbohydrates, it is important to understand both the theory underlying these diets and the effects of low carbohydrate consumption on one's health. In particular, it is crucial that anyone considering such a program understand the effects of low carbohydrate diets on the body's insulin response, as well as consequences of low and high insulin levels in the blood. Therefore, the research on the insulin response to reduced carbohydrate energy bars contained in the article "Glycemic and insulinemic responses to energy bars of differing macronutrient composition in healthy adults" by Steven R. Hertzler and Yeonsoo Kim should be considered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The basic concept of the Atkins diet is that certain high carbohydrate foods, such as bread and foods high in sugar, should be reduced or eliminated from the diet, or at least replaced by foods lower in carbohydrates. An example of an acceptable low carbohydrate food is the Atkins Advantage Bar, a low-carbohydrate energy bar that is primarily protein and fat and which represents the low carbohydrate food studied by Hertzler and Kim. The scientific theory behind Atkins' proposed shift from carbohydrate and toward protein and fat is that carbohydrates theoretically elicit an increased insulin response. In this context, "increased insulin response" means that the pancreas releases high amounts of insulin into the bloodstream during the digestion of carbohydrates. The Atkins theory also holds that there is a link between high insulin levels in the blood and undesired metabolic effects. Such effe... ...response may suggest that these diets do not achieve this objective. A probable explanation for the increased insulin response of the low and moderate carbohydrate bars is that protein and/or fat are substituted for the removed carbohydrate, and both protein and fat can trigger an increased insulin response. However, it is more likely that the protein triggered the insulin response since several studies have demonstrated that dietary protein and certain amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are insulinogenic, or insulin inducing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thus, participants in a low carbohydrate program may continue to experience the adverse metabolic conditions of inhibited fat breakdown and increased blood cholesterol. Additionally, these data suggest that such diets might not contribute to weight loss or to bettering one's overall health.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚