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Common Sense Diagrams: The US Two-Party System in Magruder’s American Government, 1917–2023
Full text linkThis article investigates how the two-party system is analysed in text and diagrams in US government textbooks. The diagrams are analysed with the help of theories from the cognitive sciences. Magruder’s American Government has dominated the US civics textbook market since its first edition in 1917. That year, the textbook referred to “the four leading parties,” and the two-party system concept first appeared in a diagram in 1930. From 1939, the two-party system was considered a trait of English-speaking countries and was contrasted to the chaotic multiparty systems in Europe, which could end up in dictatorship. From the 1950s, the two-party system was explained as an effect of the electoral system and as a reflection of the lack of divisions in US society. Diagrams of the party system were gradually simplified until the 1990s, when they implied that Democrats and Republicans had unbroken roots in the late 1700s. From the 2010s, more critical explanations of the two-party system appeared, such as that the major parties issue legislation that hinder the formation of new parties
Review (English): Merethe Roos, The Quest for a New Education: Social Democracy, Educational Reforms, and Religion in Norway after the Second World War
No full textReview (English): Ebba Christina Blåvarg, Psykologi på schemat: Formeringen av ett skolämne, 1960–2015
No full textTransitioning from Donor-Financed to Publicly Financed Health Systems: Key Insights from the Puntland Health Financing Conference 2025
Full text linkFragile and conflict-affected settings often rely heavily on external assistance to maintain health systems, leaving them vulnerable to geopolitical shifts and donor fatigue. Puntland State of Somalia exemplifies this challenge, with over 90% of its health sector historically funded by international donors. In response to growing concerns over aid reductions and the sustainability of health services, the Puntland Health Financing Conference 2025 convened a broad array of stakeholders, including government officials, international donors, diaspora representatives, private sector actors, and community members, to discuss pathways toward sustainable, publicly financed health systems. This commentary summarises the conference discussions, highlighting the current financing landscape, the roles of key actors, and strategies proposed to reduce donor dependence. Recommendations emphasised expanding domestic revenue mobilisation, leveraging diaspora contributions, strengthening public-private partnerships, and formalising community-based health financing mechanisms. The commentary also explores political feasibility, implementation challenges, and potential timeframes, drawing lessons from comparable fragile states. Insights from the conference underscore the importance of integrated, locally led financing frameworks in enhancing health system resilience, equity, and sustainability in Puntland and similar contexts
Reimaginando la innovación en equidad en salud: Argumentando a favor de un espacio de aprendizaje participativo integrado en la comunidad para la investigación en salud de los Adivasi
No full textIntroduction: This paper explores the development of the Realist Implementation Action Research Lab (RIAL), a participatory learning site aimed at addressing health disparities among Adivasi communities in India. Despite national health improvements, Adivasis face significant health inequities. RIAL employs a realist-inspired, theory-driven design to co-create solutions with communities, fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. The paper discusses insights from the establishment of RIAL, focusing on strategies implemented, opportunities identified, challenges encountered, and lessons learned to inform public health research and practice for Adivasi populations.
Methods: We utilized processual analysis to examine the evolving dynamics of RIAL, combining historical and current documentation with collaborative team reflections. Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) configurations were developed to tailor interventions to community needs and foster stakeholder engagement. These methods emphasized the contextual nature of health interventions, aligning with a systems-oriented, participatory approach. The establishment of RIAL involved consultations with community-based organizations, capacity-building workshops, and collaborative platforms to engage community leaders, healthcare providers, and policymakers, ensuring a participatory and contextually relevant foundation.
Results: RIAL’s implementation highlighted the importance of reconfiguring power dynamics and fostering participatory processes. Strategies included co-design workshops, town hall assemblies, and capacity-building sessions, which enhanced community ownership and engagement. Challenges such as gender norms, logistical barriers, and resistance from non-Adivasi stakeholders were encountered, but iterative adaptation allowed for overcoming these barriers. Key findings included improved intervention receptivity, such as the successful relocation of a deaddiction clinic to a community-trusted NGO hospital and the implementation of sports-based psychosocial interventions for Adivasi youth, which demonstrated increased mental health awareness and reduced stigma.
Conclusion: RIAL exemplifies the potential of participatory and context-aware methodologies in addressing health inequities among marginalized populations. Although scalability and resource availability pose limitations, this paper advocates for a shift from techno-centric solutions to those that are participatory, emphasizing sustained community engagement and co-creation of health interventions. The insights from RIAL's implementation offer potential implications for adapting similar models in other contexts, aiming to reduce health disparities through inclusive research practices.Introducción: Este artículo explora el desarrollo del Laboratorio de Investigación-Acción para la Implementación Realista (RIAL), un espacio de aprendizaje participativo diseñado para abordar las inequidades en salud entre las comunidades Adivasi en la India. A pesar de los avances en salud a nivel nacional, los Adivasi continúan enfrentando desafíos significativos. RIAL emplea un diseño basado en teoría y en el enfoque realista para co-crear soluciones con las comunidades, promoviendo la colaboración entre diversos actores. Este artículo presenta estrategias implementadas, oportunidades identificadas, desafíos enfrentados y lecciones aprendidas para mejorar la investigación y la práctica en salud pública enfocada en los Adivasi.
Métodos: Se realizó un análisis procesual para examinar la evolución de RIAL, combinando documentación histórica y actual con reflexiones colaborativas del equipo de investigación. Se utilizaron configuraciones de Contexto-Mecanismo-Resultado (CMR) para adaptar las intervenciones a las necesidades de la comunidad y fortalecer la participación de los actores clave. La creación de RIAL involucró consultas con organizaciones comunitarias, talleres de fortalecimiento de capacidades y plataformas colaborativas para asegurar una base participativa y contextualizada.
Resultados: La implementación de RIAL destacó la importancia de reconfigurar dinámicas de poder y fomentar procesos participativos. Se aplicaron estrategias como talleres de co-diseño, asambleas comunitarias y sesiones de capacitación, lo que fortaleció la apropiación comunitaria. Se enfrentaron desafíos como normas de género, barreras logísticas y resistencia de actores externos, pero la adaptación iterativa permitió superarlos. Entre los principales logros se encuentran una mayor receptividad a las intervenciones, la reubicación exitosa de una clínica de rehabilitación en un hospital comunitario de confianza, y la implementación de intervenciones psicosociales basadas en el deporte para jóvenes Adivasi, que promovieron la conciencia sobre la salud mental y redujeron el estigma.
Conclusión: RIAL ejemplifica el potencial de las metodologías participativas y contextualmente informadas para abordar inequidades en salud en poblaciones marginadas. Aunque la escalabilidad y la disponibilidad de recursos siguen siendo desafíos, este artículo aboga por un cambio de enfoques tecnocéntricos hacia soluciones co-creadas con la comunidad. Los aprendizajes de RIAL pueden guiar la adaptación de modelos similares en otros contextos, contribuyendo a la reducción de desigualdades en salud mediante prácticas de investigación inclusivas y sostenibles
Promoción y protección de la salud mental de personas con ceguera adquirida y baja visión: una revisión exploratoria de factores protectores y de riesgo
No full textIntroduction: People living with visual impairment (VI) have a higher prevalence of mental health challenges versus those without VI. The occurrence of clinical depression has been estimated at 10% to 40% among this population. Specifically, adults of working age (18-65 years) living with adventitious VI have a higher risk of severe psychological distress, disruption of employment status and attendant loss of income. Hence, our overall research question was: What is known from existing literature about the protective and risk factors for mental health of working age adults (18-65 years) with adventitious total bilateral blindness and low vision?
Methods: Using Joanna Briggs Institute guidance, articles in English were systematically searched across six databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycArticles, Web of Science. Searches were also conducted in various websites such as: World Blind Union, World Vision, African Union, and Royal National Institute of Blind People. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts. Full texts were then reviewed by the team. Of 4,352 identified titles, 92 were included. We thematically analysed the evidence using inductive and deductive approaches with the latter informed by Dahlgren and Whitehead’s socioecological model.
Results: Thirteen (13) risk and 10 protective themes were identified. Rehabilitation (protective) was the commonest theme in 30.4% of studies, followed by negative social support (risk) at 17.4%. Most research was conducted in the US (43.5%). Critical findings included: strong socially determined nature of mental health; coexistence of positive and negative social support and limited studies of lived experience. Our analysis also revealed layers of under and mis-representation; these included scarce research from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), non-uniformity in definitions of blindness and incomplete reporting of participant characteristics.
Conclusion: This is the first scoping review to comprehensively explore protective and risk factors for mental health for people living with adventitious total bilateral blindness and low vision. This study reports multiple upstream drivers acting singularly and in concert to exert a profound determining influence on the mental health of our target population. It also highlights the institutional ways that the condition and related issues are reported, recorded and researched.Introducción: Las personas que viven con discapacidad visual (DV) presentan una mayor prevalencia de problemas de salud mental en comparación con quienes no tienen DV. Se ha estimado que la depresión clínica afecta entre el 10 y el 40% de esta población. En particular, los adultos en edad laboral (18 a 65 años) con DV adquirida tienen un mayor riesgo de sufrir malestar psicológico grave, interrupciones en su situación laboral y la consecuente pérdida de ingresos. Por ello, nuestra pregunta de investigación fue: ¿Qué se sabe, según la literatura existente, sobre los factores protectores y de riesgo para la salud mental de adultos en edad laboral (18 a 65 años) con ceguera bilateral total adquirida y baja visión?
Métodos: Siguiendo las directrices del Instituto Joanna Briggs, se realizó una búsqueda sistemática de artículos en inglés en seis bases de datos: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycArticles y Web of Science. También se hicieron búsquedas en sitios web como World Blind Union, World Vision, African Union y Royal National Institute of Blind People. Dos revisores evaluaron de forma independiente los títulos y resúmenes, y luego todo el equipo revisó los textos completos. De 4.352 títulos identificados, se incluyeron 92. Analizamos la evidencia de manera temática utilizando enfoques inductivo y deductivo, este último guiado por el modelo socioecológico de Dahlgren y Whitehead.
Resultados: Se identificaron trece temas de riesgo y diez temas protectores. La rehabilitación (factor protector) fue el tema más frecuente en 30,4% de los estudios, seguida del apoyo social negativo (factor de riesgo) con 17,4%. Gran parte de la investigación se realizó en Estados Unidos (43,5%). Entre los hallazgos clave destacan: la fuerte influencia social en la salud mental, la coexistencia de apoyo social positivo y negativo, y la escasez de estudios sobre experiencias vividas. El análisis también reveló varias formas de infrarrepresentación y mala caracterización, incluida la escasa investigación en países de ingresos bajos y medianos, la falta de uniformidad en las definiciones de ceguera y la insuficiente descripción de las características de los participantes.
Conclusión: Esta es la primera revisión exploratoria que analiza de forma integral los factores protectores y de riesgo para la salud mental de personas con ceguera bilateral total adquirida y baja visión. El estudio muestra múltiples determinantes estructurales que actúan de forma individual y conjunta, influyendo de manera profunda en la salud mental de la población objetivo. También destaca las formas institucionales en que esta condición y sus temas relacionados se informan, registran y estudian
“Life” and Democratisation in the Swedish Welfare State School: Experimental Research Projects on Children’s “Life Questions” in Religious Education, Late 1960s to Early 1990s
Full text link“Life questions” (livsfrågor) was inserted in religious education in the Swedish curriculum for comprehensive school in 1969. This was in line with the democratisation aspirations of one school for all, in which both modernisation and secularisation were important aspects. In relation to this, the National Board of Education commissioned a large experimental research project on teaching methodology in religious education that was later followed by a series of projects focusing on children’s life questions. This article explores the history of three of these projects and their knowledge production and discusses how the recontextualisation of religious education and the pedagogic interest in life questions related to school reforms during 1960–1990s. Life questions as a student-centred pedagogical model had its peak in the 1980s but lost its central role in the new prescriptive model of knowledge that was launched in the curriculum of 1994. Life questions aspired to the ambitions of democratisation through individualisation and can be seen as a continuation of earlier school reforms aiming at the individualisation of religious practice