Life without Fieldwork: Some Lecturers' Perceptions of Geography and Environmental Science Fieldwork

The purposes of this paper are to discuss the historical emergence of academic geography in Canada, and how it has been tied closely to the nation-state. Canadian geography is not simply a slice from a pre-existing disciplinary block but has been actively formed and moulded by a set of evolving national imperatives determined and coordinated by the state. Justification for this larger argument derives from science studies which aver that context, in this case the national one of Canada, enters into the very lineaments of knowledge. The paper is divided into three main sections. The first is a conceptual discussion drawn from science studies of the relation between national context and disciplinary knowledge. The second sets out the historical development of Canadian geography from the seventeenth century until the inaugural meeting of the Canadian Association of Geographers in 1951. The final section reviews the subsequent 50 years of Canadian geography by focusing on four important moments within the discipline's history, each of which reflects in various forms the nation-state: the quantitative revolution, humanistic geography, the development of GIS, and immigration and the Metropolis project.     

Of Barriers to Entry for Medium and Large n Multiple Streams Applications: Methodological and Conceptual Considerations

Recent literature reviews on contributions applying the multiple streams framework (MSF) concluded that although the framework is prolific, there is a lack of contributions testing it in a larger sample size. By addressing which barriers to entry medium and large n MSF applications face and by suggesting ways to handle them, we aim at providing researchers with a benchmark contribution for developing MSF‐guided research designs based on a medium to a high number of cases. Building on an overview of the few existing medium and large n MSF studies, we address three challenges researchers must deal with: (1) choice of dependent variables and case selection; (2) operationalization and measurement of the framework's (predominantly figurative) key concepts; and (3) choice of a method that corresponds with the framework's research questions. In the latter regard, we focus on the pros and cons of employing regression analysis and qualitative comparative analysis. We conclude that although the barriers to entry are high for testing the MSF in a larger sample size, they are not insurmountable.     

An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Strategic Spatial Planning: A Study of Sardinian Municipalities

A political and technical debate about the effectiveness of strategic spatial planning results is ongoing. The debate has taken this direction, rather than focusing on the methods, procedures and organization of spatial planning, because it is difficult to contextualize the development of programmed steps within the time required for their implementation. This article explores the potentialities and challenges of this debate, focusing on its evolutionary excursus in Italy and the region of Sardinia. The aim of this article is to propose a qualitative assessment methodology, capable of comparing different spatial strategic plans, in order to understand the extent to which the plans’ stated objectives were achieved, and to assess what changes the implementation of these objectives achieved in the external environment over the medium and long term.     

Emigration,return migration and surprise homecomings in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland

This article explores the cultural and ideological management of mass migration in twenty-first-century Ireland, arguing that narratives of return have come to dominate representations of emigration. The almost universal focus on the moment or experience of return distinguishes the current era from other periods of high emigration in Ireland. The phenomenon of the surprise homecoming video is scrutinised alongside recent cinematic releases, newspaper articles, blogs and cultural events including The Gathering (2013) and the Marriage Equality Referendum (2015). By drawing these sources together, the article exposes how cultural representations of emigration have been shaped to fit with official narratives of a business-friendly nation in recovery. By repeatedly showcasing the emotional pleasures of return these popular culture forms support a fantasy of easy return and mask the real economic and social problems driving the latest wave of emigration.     

Resolving Water Conflicts: A Comparative Analysis of Interstate River Compacts

This paper examines compacts used by U.S. western states to engage in shared governance of interstate rivers. Compacts are viewed as inflexible, rigid governance structures incapable of responding to changing environmental and institutional settings because of the use of unanimity rules and the inability to directly regulate water users. Using data from a study of 14 western interstate river compacts we examine this claim. In particular, we explore the response of compacts to water conflicts. We find that members of compacts, closely related water agencies, and compact governments are capable of responding to conflicts. To better understand this finding, we identify the conditions under which compacts are likely to address conflicts, as well as the types of conflict solutions compact governments adopted.     

华山风景区旅游形象感知研究——基于游客网络日志的文本分析

本文通过网络日志研究游客对目的地形象的感知。利用百度、Google以及各旅游网站采集游客记述华山旅游的网络日志和网友点评,按照设定的条件进行筛选后得到了92篇日志和181条负面点评;然后运用质性研究的文本分析法,通过这些材料研究游客对华山形象的感知。结果发现,利用网络日志研究旅游目的地形象具有良好的效果：从92篇日志中提取出华山旅游形象的7个积极感知因素,181条负面点评被归纳为5个核心类属1、3小类的消极感知因素。此外研究还发现,华山风景区还未曾深入发掘两种会令游客产生积极形象感知的因素,即华山的文化底蕴和地质旅游资源。     

Is Q for you?: using Q methodology within geographical and pedagogical research

Q methodology is receiving growing interest as a research technique. Its use of factor analysis and a well-defined methodological approach may appeal to quantitative researchers who need to investigate issues more commonly associated with qualitative techniques. Such issues frequently arise when investigating student learning. This paper suggests that, appropriately used, Q is a methodology to be embraced by quantitative and qualitative researchers alike. Drawing on work within the field of education, as well as two case studies, the method's utility is illustrated, and Q is suggested as another potential method for investigating the subjective views of our students.     

Compared to What? Changes in Interest Group Resources and the Proposal and Adoption of State Teacher Policy

What is the relationship between changes in interest group resources and the proposal and adoption of state policy? Using a dataset of proposed and enacted teacher policies across five legislative cycles in all 50 states and measures of interest group relative and absolute resource strength, I estimate a series of within-state fixed effects models that gain identification from changes in interest group resources and teacher policy over time. I find that legislatures propose more unfavorable and fewer favorable policies toward teachers' unions in states where teachers' union opposition interest groups are expending more election (but not lobbying) resources over time. Further, I find that more unfavorable and fewer favorable policies are adopted in states where teachers' union opposition groups are growing in election resource strength. Expanding on prior empirical work, this study suggests that interest group resources matter for policy change and highlights the importance of capturing interest group resource dynamics over time.     

战时陕甘宁边区的劳动英模运动

典型人物英雄化或先进化是中共的一项重要政治仪式。抗战时期,中共在陕甘宁边区发动了大规模的劳动英模运动,创造和发现了一大批典型人物,形成中国历史上第一个劳动英模群体。该项活动既是中共在抗战时期根据地政权建设的基本内容,又是中共中央直接领导陕甘宁边区社会建设的新型组织形式。奖励劳动英模的根本目的在于使之在群众中发生作用,组织起一个群众性运动,以达到发展生产、巩固根据地、促进各项建设事业的目标。     

试析人民公社化运动中党对农民的思想教育

“大跃进”时期党对农民进行的思想教育促进了人民公社化运动的迅速展开。人民公社化运动中,党的权威、组织基础以及“大跃进”的全面展开为党对农民进行的思想教育提供了有利的社会条件;广大农民易于接受党的教育,但仍存在着文化水平低等问题;农村基层干部自身也有很大不足,政治热情过高,但工作认真、努力;电影、报纸、有线广播等过热宣传共产主义的即将实现,加上农村开展的社会主义和共产主义教育运动、全民学哲学等,使广大农民打破传统,以前所未有的热情投入到人民公社化运动中。     

华洋义赈会的农村合作运动述论

华洋义赈会为防救农村灾害,为复兴农村,而倡办了农村合作社。这逐渐为其他注重农村的团体所仿效,从而形成了民国时期的农村合作运动。该运动中,华洋义赈会的成效最为突出,对当时社会产生了积极影响。     

"大跃进"时期扫除文盲运动述评

1958～1960年,是新中国历史上的"大跃进"时期.在各行各业"大跃进"的带动下,全国也很快地掀起了扫除文盲的"跃进"运动.这一运动随形势发展,由兴到衰,经历了一个曲折的发展过程.在扫除文盲运动中,存在着严重的浮夸现象,但一些具体的做法也不无借鉴意义.     

Causal Assessment in Small‐N Policy Studies

The identification of cause‐and‐effect relationships plays an indispensable role in policy research, both for applied problem solving and for building theories of policy processes. Historical process tracing has emerged as a promising method for revealing causal mechanisms at a level of precision unattainable through statistical techniques. Yet historical analyses often produce dauntingly complex causal explanations, with numerous factors emerging as necessary but insufficient causes of an outcome. This article describes an approach that renders complex causal narratives more analytically tractable by establishing measurement criteria for ranking the relative importance of component causes. By focusing on subjectively useful measurement attributes, the approach is well suited to the policy sciences' unique combination of explicitly normative aspirations and a commitment to the systematic assessment of causal claims.     

Securing field learning using a twenty-first century Cook's Tour

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of incorporating digital video into a traditional Cook's Tour as part of a 7-day road trip around the east coast of New Zealand's North Island over a 4-year period. Student-generated video diaries summarized landscape features and processes at fieldsites, empowering students through active learning and small group collaborations. Student response was assessed via pre- and post-fieldtrip questionnaires, focus group and video diary reflection. Marks were analysed before and after the introduction of on-site student video production. Results of this research indicate the positive influence and statistically significant effects of this approach on student learning.