659 research outputs found
Addressing inequalities in oral health in India: need for skill mix in the dental workforce
Dentistry has always been an under‑resourced profession. There are three main issues that dentistry is facing in the modern era. Firstly, how to rectify the widely acknowledged geographical imbalance in the demand and supply of dental personnel, secondly, how to provide access to primary dental care to maximum number of people, and thirdly, how to achieve both of these aims within the financial restraints imposed by the central and state governments. The trends of oral diseases have changed significantly in the last 20 years. The two of the most common oral diseases that affect a majority of the population worldwide, namely dental caries and periodontitis, have been proved to be entirely preventable. Even for life‑threatening oral diseases like oral cancer, the best possible available treatment is prevention. There is a growing consensus that appropriate skill mix can prove very beneficial in providing these preventive dental care services to the public and aid in achieving the goal of universal oral health coverage. Professions complementary to dentistry (PCD) have been found to be effective in reducing inequalities in oral health, improving access and spreading the messages of health promotion across entire spectrum of socio‑economic hierarchy in various studies conducted globally. This commentary provides a review of the effectiveness of skill mix in dentistry and a reflection on how this can be beneficial in achieving universal oral health care in India.Manu Raj Mathur, Ankur Singh, Richard Wat
Meeting the targets of a healthier future: vision for tobacco endgame
EditorialMonika Aror, Amit Yadav, Manjusha Chatterjee, Abhinav Bassi, Ankur Singh, Radhika Shrivastav, Manu Raj Mathur, K. Srinath Redd
Interpersonal communication pattern of farmers through key communicators regarding some selected Gram Panchayat activities
Devolution of power to the grassroot organisations has increasingly been supported in recent years within the context of participatory development. The role of interpersonal communication to actualise such development has also become an area of fresh enquiry. To explore the pattern of interpersonal communication regarding the functioning of panchayati raj institutions (PRI), hence, was taken up for the present study. Key communicator network of farmers was studied as neighbourhood, friendship and discussion group pattern to explore farmers’ interpersonal communication pattern regarding PRI activities. Sociometric technique was employed to identify the key communicators and their networks. Neighbourhood pattern of interaction showed least dense key communicator network and least dependence of farmers on these key communicators for securing information. Friendship pattern of interaction featured higher number of respondents seeking information from more than one key communicator; whereas, discussion group pattern of interaction showed least number of key communicators and highest inter-key communicator interaction. These networks can be fruitfully used to identify and facilitate information flow regarding PRI functioning; at the same time capacity building of key communicators can contribute towards the smooth functioning of these grassroot organisations.Panchayati Raj Institutions, interpersonal communication, key communicator, key communicator network
Interpersonal communication pattern of farmers through key communicators regarding some selected Gram Panchayat activities
Devolution of power to the grassroot organisations has increasingly been supported in recent years within the context of participatory development. The role of interpersonal communication to actualise such development has also become an area of fresh enquiry. To explore the pattern of interpersonal communication regarding the functioning of panchayati raj institutions (PRI), hence, was taken up for the present study. Key communicator network of farmers was studied as neighbourhood, friendship and discussion group pattern to explore farmers’ interpersonal communication pattern regarding PRI activities. Sociometric technique was employed to identify the key communicators and their networks. Neighbourhood pattern of interaction showed least dense key communicator network and least dependence of farmers on these key communicators for securing information. Friendship pattern of interaction featured higher number of respondents seeking information from more than one key communicator; whereas, discussion group pattern of interaction showed least number of key communicators and highest inter-key communicator interaction. These networks can be fruitfully used to identify and facilitate information flow regarding PRI functioning; at the same time capacity building of key communicators can contribute towards the smooth functioning of these grassroot organisations.Panchayati Raj Institutions, interpersonal communication, key communicator, key communicator network
Book Ends & Odd Books : Publications Refuting Conventional Form from the Banff Centre Library Collection
Mathur explains how he "unselected" nearly 200 works for this exhibition of unconventional publications by international artists and authors, recognizing the influence of Ulises Carrion's article "The New Art of Making Books." The author reflects upon the roles of language and poetics, the distinction between book and text, and how politics and power affect the making and reception of these works. 2 bibl. ref
"How Did I Get to Princess Margaret? (And How Did I Get Her to the World Wide Web?)"
The paper explores the growing use of tools from the arts and humanities for investigation and dissemination of social science research. Emerging spaces for knowledge transfer, such as the World Wide Web, are explored as outlets for "performative social science". Questions of ethnics and questions of evaluation which emerge from performative social science and the use of new technologies are discussed. Contemporary thinking in aesthetics is explored to answer questions of evaluation. The use of the Internet for productions is proposed as supporting the collective elaboration of meaning supported by Relational Aesthetics. One solution to the ethical problem of performing the narrations of others is the use of the writer's own story as autoethnography. The author queries autoethnography's tendency to tell "sad" stories and proposes an amusing story, exemplified by "The One about Princess Margaret" (see http://www.qualitative-research.net/fqs-texte/07-3-3-e_app.pdf). The conclusion is reached that the free and open environment of the Internet sidelines the usual tediousness of academic publishing and begins to explore new answers to questions posed about the evaluation and ethics of performative social science
STRENGTHENING DECENTRALIZATION - Augmenting the Consolidated Fund of the states by th Thirteenth Finacnce Commission: A NORMATIVE APPROACH
One of the terms of reference of the Thirteenth Finance Commission (ThFC) calls upon the Finance Commission to look at ‘Measures needed to augment the consolidated fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State’. In view of this, the present study examines issues related to fiscal federalism at the third tier in general and grants to local bodies in particular. It is well documented in the literature that the state of finances of local bodies, both urban and rural, displays a dismal picture in India. In contrast, the finances of the Central and State Governments are on a healthier track with the implementation of the rule based fiscal framework. The study opines that there is a need to fine tune the micro design of grants for local bodies (both urban and local) and their devolution across the States.
Book review: paper tiger: law, bureaucracy and the developmental state in Himalayan India by Nayanika Mathur
Following eighteen months of intensive fieldwork, in Paper Tiger: Law, Bureaucracy and the Developmental State in Himalayan India author Nayanika Mathur details the everyday absurdities of bureaucracy in the Himalayan borderlands, showing the frequent gulf between ‘real life’ and the abstract workings of the law. Elisabetta Iob highly recommends this accessible, witty and vividly written book as an outstanding and essential example of ethnographic research
FINANCING COMMUNITY FACILITIES: A CASE STUDY OF THE PARKS AND RECREATIONAL GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND MEASURE OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
This study of the City of San Jose’s Parks and Recreation General Obligation (GO) Bond Measure seeks to identify the politics-, management-, and planning-related lessons learned by the City as it developed its community facilities using the GO bonds proceeds. The study finds that these lessons include: be conservative in what you promise the residents; be prepared for changes in economic environment by identifying supplementary funding sources should the primary source not yield adequate funds; make sure that the jurisdiction is organizationally capable of handling the increased workload; and prepare detailed project plans prior to the bond issuance.Community Infrastructure and Services; Municipal Bonds; Public Finance
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