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Fleeing Brains: An Essay on the Iranian Brain Drain
No full textThis paper analyses the Iranian brain drain to the United States—home to by far the largest Iranian population outside of Iran—from the 1960s up to the present. In the first half of the essay, it will be established that the brain drain has for decades been caused primarily by socio-political and economic factors. This trend was only intensified following the Iranian revolution of 1979 as the country experienced war, sanctions, chronic unemployment, and an increase in the overall authoritarian nature of the state. Similar to most other cases of brain drain, Iran’s is also a symptom of a more extensive disease that plagues the nation. In 2009, the International Monetary Fund ranked Iran number one in the world for its brain drain with an estimated cost of $40 billion annually.Thus far, the Iranian government’s attempts to reverse the brain drain have been unsuccessful. This is not surprising, however. It would be unreasonable to expect (as the Iranian government repeatedly has) that the brain drain could be curbed through purely economic measures while leaving the corrupt, undemocratic, and centralized political structure intact. Political reform, due to its ability to generate spillover effects onto other branches of society (e.g. economic and social), is the prerequisite to any sustainable, long-term reverse brain drain policy. Finally, due to the scope of this paper and the lack of scholarly information on Iran’s brain drain, potential external causes (i.e. globalization) will not be examined—though it is widely agreed upon by scholars that internal factors are the main driving force behind Iran’s brain drain
Faith-Based Non-Governmental Organizations: Motivations and Impacts
No full textNon-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often seen as the best way in which to pursue development, and are commonly thought to be objective third parties in international relations. However, NGOs are far from objective parties, and have private agendas they seek to pursue. This paper explores the growing role of faith-based NGOs in developing nations through a literature review of relevant sources. The definition of a faith-based organization is examined in terms of the aid given and how it is distributed. Examples of the various roles of faith-based NGOs, whether in working closely with local peoples to deliver more efficient aid, or in situations where the distribution of aid was impacted based on religious views of those in need. Special consideration is given to the ways in which faith-based NGOs impact the HIV/AIDS crisis in Uganda and Kenya, as religious beliefs may come into play in determining which forms of prevention may be used. The need for new and better methods of development is discussed, through consideration of post-development theories in determining what is development and how to pursue it, and how these theories impact faith-based NGOs
Entente de publication et licence de droits d’auteur (Creative Commons)
No full textPublication Agreement and Creative Commons Copyright Licence / Entente de publication et licence de droits d’auteur (Creative Commons) (see PDF document / veuillez voir le document en format PDF
Differences in the Relationship and Interaction Between Goldenrod Plants and Their Inhibitors in Varying Habitats and Locations
No full textThere are many complex interactions between organisms in an ecosystem. This experiment focused on the interactions between the Goldenrod plant, its gall inducer, the Eurosta solidaginis larva and its enemies, the Eurytoma gigantea, Eurytoma obtusiventris, and Morellistena unicomor. The study was done in four sites north of Toronto: Minesing (ditch), Minesing (uphill), Glengarry Notch, and North Glengarry. A total of 15 samples were analyzed for their relationship between plant density and number of galls; the correlation between the height of the plant and the number of galls; the differences in the size of galls that had one gall and multiple galls; and the differences in the size of galls between Eurosta larva and Eurytoma larva. It was found that the number of galls increases with increase in plant density, since the induction of galls increases stem production in plants. The number of galls significantly varied between habitat and soil texture. The height of the plant decreased with increasing gall numbers, due to the damage caused by gall induction. However, this factor was also explained by low availability of resources and presence of high levels of competition in the habitat. The size of the galls were bigger in plants that had multiple galls, due to the host’s stress tolerability encoded by genotype; the less stress-tolerant plants were rejected by the gall-inducing insects. Finally, the gall size was determined through a balancing selection between the small gall size preferred by the Eurytoma and the large gall sizes that were more susceptible to predation by birds
United We Stand, Divided We Fall: The Case for a World Environment Organization
No full textThe first global response to the impending crisis of climate change occurred with the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1972. Since then, conferences have been convened, agreements have been adopted, and another body has been formed without any substantial global progress on the environment having transpired. I examine how current institutional arrangements have failed and prescribe the construction of a World Environment Organization (WEO) as a normative remedy. Such a body would need to be well resourced, with its mandate expanded to the effect that it could compete against the legally binding edicts of the World Trade Organization (WTO). A WEO could also replace dishevelled inter-state action on climate change with centralized, international agreement, implementation, and enforcement of initiatives. I also explore the moral obligation the industrialized North has to assist the underdeveloped South in actualizing the latter’s environmental commitments, and mechanisms that would give the South a greater degree of decision-making power than it presently has. Liberal market environmentalism, an anti-thesis to the proposed WEO, is explained and rebutted. The role of Canada’s current administration in the global response to environmental degradation is likewise studied and critiqued. Though the conclusions I draw from my survey of the literature are normative, I utilize various examples in current affairs to suggest that a productive, cooperative WEO can realistically be consummated
Drivers of Globally Distributed Lake Surface Water Temperature Trends, 1985-2009
No full textClimate change may have profound implications on aquatic ecosystems by increasing lake surface water temperatures. Increasing surface water temperatures have been demonstrated to affect the distribution of fish species, primary productivity rates, and food web dynamics of aquatic systems. It is important to understand how lake surface water temperatures (SWT) are changing globally, and what drivers are influencing these changes. Changes in lake surface water temperatures of 78 globally distributed lakes were assessed between 1985 and 2009. Ninety percent of the lakes studied experienced increasing SWT trends over the 25-year period. Histograms were developed to investigate patterns in various morphological and climatic variables with regards to SWT trends. In addition, a regression tree analysis was performed in order to investigate the drivers of SWT trends. The trend in summer solar radiation was the most important predictor of summer surface water temperature trends of the globally distributed lakes, such that mean surface water temperatures increase with increasing summer solar radiation. Summer air temperatures were also important predictors of surface water temperatures, with little variation explained by lake morphology. This is the first study to provide limnological evidence for the importance of two large-scale phenomena, global brightening/dimming and global climate change, for lakes worldwide
“Steak, Blé d’Inde, Patates”: Eating National Identity in Late Twentieth-Century Québec
Get PDFThis paper explores the connections between pâté chinois and Québec national identity during the second half of the twentieth century. The respective French, British, and Native roots of the ingredients are highlighted and discussed, with a particular emphasis on socioeconomic and cultural terms that also extends to the analysis of the historical preparation of the layered meal, more akin to “daily survival” than to gastronomy. Special attention is also given to the significance of the dish’s origin myths, as well as to cultural references on a popular television series. Those origin myths are separated along the French/English divide, thus evoking the often-tempestuous relationship between these two languages and their speakers in Québec. The progression of the discourse surrounding pâté chinois, from a leftover dish prior to the rise of nationalism in the ’70s, to a media darling in the decade following the 1995 referendum, corresponds with efforts to define and then to redefine Québécois identity. The history of the dish tells the tumultuous history of the people of Québec, their quest for a unique identity, and the ambiguous relationship they have with language. Pâté chinois became a symbol, reminding French Canadians of Québec daily of their Québécois identity
The Danger of Shareholder Primacy: Harm to Stakeholders, Shareholders, and the Well-Being of the Corporation
Get PDFThe shareholder primacy model has been increasingly used to manage corporations, even though U.S. and Canadian corporate law does not require it. This paper analyzes three major arguments for using this model. The first relies upon contract law, the second appeals to concerns regarding agency costs, and the third focuses on property. In spite of these pervasive arguments, the adverse consequences of shareholder primacy are much greater than its benefits. Three adverse consequences include clashing interests between shareholders and creditors; the inadequacy of this model to address the interests of different shareholders; and the model’s inefficient and inequitable effects on stakeholders and the corporation. Instead of pitting the interests of stakeholders against each other, we should be developing a model whereby the value of each stakeholder to the corporation is calculated according to each corporation’s unique financial and social situation