Using television: Programme content and need gratification

It is shown that audience members actively select amongst available programmes on television. This selection is based upon the social role and situational characteristics of the viewer and it is also directly related to the reasons given by viewers for watching television.

Patterns of programme selection are related to three clusters of needs and reasons. The two most important of these are composed of needs relating to information and diversion. The least important cluster is concerned with the self and social contact.

Escape and diversion needs are satisfied by almost any programme; selection is minimal by those viewers expressing these needs. Information needs are best satisfied by news and other informational programmes, while social and self needs are best satisfied by quiz and variety programmes, popular drama and movies.     

Uganda: Contradictions of the IMF Programme and Perspective

This critique of the Structural Adjustment Programme in Uganda is argued at three levels. A discussion of the immediate consequences of SAP is based on empirical data on economic performance compiled by the Government of Uganda, IMF and World Bank. Second, information for a longer-term historical analysis is culled from the author's own research. Its purpose is to raise more fundamental issues of social transformation. Finally, these perspectives are reinforced through a comparative discussion using South East Asian development experience. The author argues that there are diverse paths to capitalist development, with diverse and contradictory social and political consequences. The real issue in contemporary Uganda is not one of the state or the market, but of the transformation of relations internal to both from the point of view of democratization.     

Food mapping: a psychogeographical method for raising food consciousness

Food mapping is a new, participatory, interdisciplinary pedagogical approach to learning about our modern food systems. This method is inspired by the Situationist International's practice of the “dérive” and draws from the discourses of critical geography, the food movement's research on food deserts, and participatory action research. Using a “critical food lens,” this experiential exercise encourages participants to look beyond their plates and think about the health, economic, and ecological impacts of food. This ethnographic activity produces user-generated data and has the potential to transform participants' understanding of how agricultural practices effect other societal institutions.     

The New Mental Health Programme of WHO

Abstract

Over 40 million persons are suffering from severe mental illness allover the world and their number will grow during the next decades. The reasons why their treatment is often neglected and of low priority are reviewed, and research in the subject is criticized as being insufficiently interdisciplinary. During the last three years WHO has developed a new approach to mental health, urging mental health professionals to reorient their philosophy of work. Suggestions for urgent interdisciplinary research projects conclude the review.     

Social Policy for Neoliberalism: The Bolsa Família Programme in Brazil

The Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) is one of the largest conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes in the world. CCTs have been described as a ‘magic bullet’ for development, and PBF is widely regarded as an exemplary programme. Examination of its conceptual underpinnings, features, impact and limitations shows that PBF provides substantial income support to the poorest. However, PBF is also self‐limiting and it can offer only limited long‐term gains to the poor. More significant outcomes require the expansion of the scope of PBF and other social programmes towards the universalization and decommodification of social provision in Brazil.     

Monitoring Cultural Heritage in a Long-Term Project: The Norwegian Sequential Monitoring Programme

Abstract

A sequential monitoring programme for archaeological sites and monuments was started in Norway in 1997. The purpose of this ongoing monitoring was to produce more accurate figures for loss and damage and to detect long-term trends in loss/damage patterns. In this article we present the method used to document the sequential monitoring, the extent of and the most important causes of loss and damage to archaeological heritage, and we discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of the method used in this monitoring programme. The results so far point to agriculture as the single most important cause of loss, and together with housing and leisure it is also the most important cause of damage. In the large parts of Norway where agriculture is marginal and has been characterized by small farms and grass based livestock production, regrowth of fallow fields leads to cultural landscape change and the loss of archaeological sites.     

Strategic Alliances in Action: Toward a Theory of Evolution

The popularity and prevalence of strategic alliances for problem solving has been well documented in research on the corporate sector and public policy. However, there has been limited work to date on building a comprehensive theory about the evolutionary process of alliances. The purpose of this article is to synthesize current research on alliance development in order to develop a model of strategic alliance evolution. The theoretical model is built with ideas from prior research as well as findings from our own recent research on alliances in education. We conducted a national study of strategic alliances in charter schools focused on uncovering the process of evolution—including how alliances are initiated, operated, and evaluated—and the various internal and external factors that influence alliance development and progress. Our findings offer a model of strategic alliance evolution and provide direction for future research.     

Strategic Spatial Planning: Collective Action and Moments of Opportunity

The theory and practice of strategic spatial planning makes a significant contribution to debates about contemporary European planning. Whilst its proponents describe a progressive style of governance and new territorial imaginations it is difficult to point to success on the ground. The paper argues that the normative conception of strategic spatial planning and focus on the failure of planners to live up to the ideal diverts attention from understanding the day-to-day work of planners and the ordinary politics of planning. We review some potentially helpful work in political sociology to develop framework that, rather than seeing planners failing to develop appropriate spatial and governance imaginations, may contribute to a better understanding of how planners pursue interests, attempt to manage the costs of collective action and assess institutional constraints and political opportunities.