128 research outputs found
Children's socio-economic rights and the courts : evaluating an activist approach
No full textDefence date: 28 October 2005Examining Board: Prof. Wojciech Sadurski, EUI (Supervisor) ; Prof. Carol Sanger, Columbia University (External Supervisor) ; Prof. Philip Alston, New York University ; Prof. Geraldine Van Bueren, Queen Mary/University of Cape TownPDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017Despite the significant growth in academic interest in both children's rights and socio-economic rights over the last two decades, children's socio-economic rights are a comparatively neglected area. This is particularly true with regard to the role of the courts in the enforcement of such rights. Aoife Nolan's book remedies this omission, focussing on the circumstances in which the courts can and should give effect to the socio-economic rights of children. The arguments put forward are located within the context of, and develop, long-standing debates in constitutional law, democratic theory and human rights. The claims made by the author are supported and illustrated by concrete examples of judicial enforcement of children's socio-economic rights from a variety of jurisdictions. The work is thus rooted in both theory and practice. The author brings together and addresses a wide range of issues that have never previously been considered together in book form. These include children's socio-economic rights; children as citizens and their position in relation to democratic decision-making processes; the implications of children and their rights for democratic and constitutional theory; the role of the courts in ensuring the enforcement of children's rights; and the debates surrounding the litigation and adjudication of socio-economic rights. This dissertation thus represents a major original contribution to the existing scholarship in a range of areas including human rights, legal and political theory and constitutional law
Children's Socio-economic Rights, Democracy and the Courts
Get PDFDespite the significant growth in academic interest in both children's rights and socio-economic rights over the last two decades, children's socio-economic rights are a comparatively neglected area. This is particularly true with regard to the role of the courts in the enforcement of such rights. Aoife Nolan's book remedies this omission, focussing on the circumstances in which the courts can and should give effect to the socio-economic rights of children. The arguments put forward are located within the context of, and develop, long-standing debates in constitutional law, democratic theory and human rights. The claims made by the author are supported and illustrated by concrete examples of judicial enforcement of children's socio-economic rights from a variety of jurisdictions. The work is thus rooted in both theory and practice. The author brings together and addresses a wide range of issues that have never previously been considered together in book form. These include children's socio-economic rights; children as citizens and their position in relation to democratic decision-making processes; the implications of children and their rights for democratic and constitutional theory; the role of the courts in ensuring the enforcement of children's rights; and the debates surrounding the litigation and adjudication of socio-economic rights. This book thus represents a major original contribution to the existing scholarship in a range of areas including human rights, legal and political theory and constitutional law.1. Children and Socio-economic Rights 1
2. Children and Democracy 43
3. Exploring the ‘Counter-Majoritarian Objection’ 93
4. A Question of Balance? The Separation of Powers, Constitutional Supremacy and Children’s Socio-economic Rights 134
5. The Issue of Efficacy 187
6. Using the Courts to Advance Children’s Socio-economic Rights: Proceed with Caution? 220
7. Conclusions 257
Select Bibliograpy 260
Index 285Published version of EUI PhD thesis, 200
Waste Management and Environmental Initiatives in Accra, Ghana
Get PDFTitle: Waste Management and Environmental Initiatives in Accra, Ghana
Author: Aoife Genevieve Duna ([email protected]; Middlebury College, Anthropology and Dance major)
Objective: The objective of this project was fourfold: • To study the current waste management practices by government and private waste companies • To observe the perspectives of residents on waste disposal • To explore environmental initiatives by citizens, NGOs, and student groups • To investigate the potential projects that could reduce waste
Methodology: For my project, I conducted interviews, made observations, participated in daily personal waste management, visited a landfill, and visited a composting project.
Findings: Waste collection is currently inadequate to support the demand of residents. The waste is then disposed of poorly maintained landfills, which quickly turn into hazardous sites for the surrounding communities and ecology. Poorly managed waste has a number of negative health and environmental consequences, including but not limiting to malaria, cholera, acute respiratory infections, ecological degradation, loss of biodiversity, and flooding. There are some environmental groups working on waste reduction and environmental education initiatives. However, citizens lack the sense of personal responsibility to the trash issue, even though many of them are aware of the effects of insufficient waste management.
Conclusion: Much more must be done to improve the waste management crisis in Accra. Problems will continue to worsen if nothing is done in the near future, and the challenges will be more daunting down the road if they are not tackled now. Citizens and government must collaborate to find solutions to waste issues. There is huge potential for innovation in composting, recycling, and repurposing materials. The citizens of Accra could turn waste problems into new projects and green jobs
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Children's socio-economic rights, democracy and the courts /
No full text"This book is concerned with children's economic and social rights (sometimes referred to simply as children's social rights). Despite increased academic interest in both children's rights and socio-economic rights over the last two decades, children's social and economic rights remain a comparatively neglected area. This is particularly true with regard to the role of the courts in the enforcement of such social rights. Aoife Nolan's book remedies this omission, focussing on the circumstances in which the courts can and should give effect to the social and economic rights of children. The arguments put forward are located within the context of, and develop, long-standing debates in constitutional law, democratic theory and human rights. The claims made by the author are supported and illustrated by concrete examples of judicial enforcement of children's social and economic rights from a variety of jurisdictions. The work is thus rooted in both theory and practice. The author brings together and addresses a wide range of issues that have never previously been considered together in book form. These include children's socio-economic rights; children as citizens and their position in relation to democratic decision-making processes; the implications of children and their rights for democratic and constitutional theory; the role of the courts in ensuring the enforcement of children's rights; and the debates surrounding the litigation and adjudication of social and economic rights. This book thus represents a major original contribution to the existing scholarship in a range of areas including human (and specifically social) rights, legal and political theory and constitutional law. 'Children's rights were often thought to be synonymous with economic and social welfare prior to the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Ironically, since that time, remarkably little scholarship has been devoted to the vitally important economic and social rights dimensions of children's rights. Nolan's book singlehandedly remedies that neglect and does so in a sophisticated, nuanced and balanced way. It provides a superb account of the pros and cons of judicial activism in promoting these rights.'Philip Alston, John Norton Pomeroy Professor, NYU Law School 'Thus far the burgeoning literature on the judicial enforcement of socio-economic rights has failed to engage in a sustained, systemic manner with this topic from the perspective of children and the complexity of their status as citizens within contemporary democracies. This book fills this gap and makes a major contribution to the literature in the three interrelated areas of the judicial review of socio-economic rights claims, children's rights, and democratic theory. Nolan navigates skilfully through the dense, but rich literature in these areas as well as relevant international and comparative law. In so doing she illuminates both the pitfalls and potential of resorting to courts in a partial response to the multifaceted and deeply entrenched global phenomenon of child poverty.' Professor Sandra Liebenberg, HF Oppenheimer Professor of Human Rights Law, University of Stellenbosch Law Faculty. Winner of the Kevin Boyle Book Prize 2012, awarded by the Irish Association of Law Teachers to a book that is deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of law."--Bloomsbury Publishing
Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Recent Advances in Vaccine Development
No full textPseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic human pathogen. Using its arsenal of virulence factors and its intrinsic ability to adapt to new environments, P. aeruginosa causes a range of complicated acute and chronic infections in immunocompromised individuals. Of particular importance are burn wound infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and chronic infections in people with cystic fibrosis. Antibiotic resistance has rendered many of these infections challenging to treat and novel therapeutic strategies are limited. Multiple clinical studies using well-characterised virulence factors as vaccine antigens over the last 50 years have fallen short, resulting in no effective vaccination being available for clinical use. Nonetheless, progress has been made in preclinical research, namely, in the realms of antigen discovery, adjuvant use, and novel delivery systems. Herein, we briefly review the scope of P. aeruginosa clinical infections and its major important virulence factors
The correlation between learning and development related to career progression.
No full textThe aims and objective of the project is to understand the correlation between learning and development in relation to career progression for those in full-time permanent employment. Through qualitative applied research exploring definitions and aspects of learning, development and career development, the author delves into how career progression is impacted by an individual's investment in learning and development. Primary research consists of a sample size of fifty ranging from twenty to fifty five years old and in full-time permanent employment in Ireland
Effects of circuit training on short-term memory & recall, self-perceived academic performance and mood
No full textThis study was carried out to investigate whether Circuit training had a positive effect on Short-Term Memory & Recall, Self-Perceived Academic Performance and Mood, as well as to see if there was a correlation between the number of hours of exercise carried out per week and Self-Perceived Academic Performance. Three sample groups of male secondary school students took part in this experiment. Students answered questionnaires regarding Self-Perceived Academic Performance and Mood along with similar Recall tests both before and after a bout of circuit training. Non-significant positive improvements were found in overall combined post-exercise Mood levels and post-exercise Self-Perceived Academic Performance. While a significant decrease in correct Recall scores was found. Similarly no significant correlation was found between hours of exercise carried out per week and Self-Perceived Academic Performance. Author keywords: Short-term memory, recall, self-perceived academic performance, mood, exercise, academic performance, sports psychology, educational psycholog
Nanotechnologies for tissue engineering and regeneration: Nanoengineered/nanopatterned materials for cell and tissue guidance
No full textStem cells (SCs) can self-renew or differentiate into different cell types, which makes them an ideal cell source for therapies based on tissue engineering. Despite these characteristics, the employment of SCs in clinics has seen alternating fortunes because of our limited understanding of the signals governing SC functions and fate, which impairs our ability to engineer systems to deliver SCs in vivo and to guide their correct biological processes. However, experimental evidence demonstrated that SCs are able to recognize biochemical and biophysical signals displayed by material surfaces; most importantly, cells integrate these signals to elaborate fate decisions. Although the mechanisms underlying signal recognition and response have not been thoroughly characterized, there is a general consensus that the cell adhesion process plays a central role. Adhesion represents a communication gate between exogenous signals and intracellular signaling cascades involving the cytoskeleton and the nucleus. In this work we present recent findings on materials engineered to control cell functions through adhesion processes. In particular, we emphasize the role of material signals on SC behavior. Finally, we discuss a few sensing and transductive molecular mechanisms in an effort to draw out unifying elements concerning cell recognition of and reaction to biophysical/biochemical material signals aimed at controlling cell fate through cell adhesion
The effects of sleep quality and coping strategies on the cognitive reappraisal ability amongst residential social care workers
No full textThe purpose of this study is to investigate the interactions and effects of sleep quality, cognitive coping strategies on cognitive reappraisal ability among Residential Social Care Workers in a statutory agency. It is an experimental correlational study in which Residential Social Care Workers (RSCW’s) were purposively sampled. The primary hypothesis that sleep quality and cognitive coping strategies were predictive of Cognitive Reappraial Ability (CRA) was not supported by the regression analysis but were retained based on supplementary findings. The supplementary findings indicated that the overall sample of RSCW’s scored significantly low in CRA. Further investigation identified that in particular RSCW’s in position for less than three years and male RSCW’s were predictive of significantly low CRA. Significant differences in sadness perceptions were found between two sample groups of RSCW’s resulting in overall high sadness scores. In addition post hoc tests indicated a significant negative relationship between negative coping strategies and sleep quality. Author keywords: Cognitive coping strategies, CRA, sleep qualit
A comparison of the effects of violent and non-violent video games on aggressive behaviour in adolescent males
No full textThis study was conducted to compare the effects of violent and non-violent video games on aggressive behaviour in adolescent males. The aim of this study was to show whether violent video games led to aggression in adolescent males when they are working in teams. A group of adolescent males were divided, based on how skilled they were at computer games. One group played a non-aggressive game, Fifa 15, and the other played an aggressive one, Halo: Reach. Each individual carried out Buss & Perry’s aggression questionnaire, before and after they played the game. Before the participants took the final aggression questionnaire, they took part in a team building exercise where their aggressive tendencies were observed. A 2x2x4 mixed within-between ANOVA was conducted to explore the impact the games had on aggressive behaviour. Overall, no significant main effect was found for the variable group, suggesting that the nature of the video game did not significantly impact aggression scores. Similarly, no main effect for time was found, suggesting that the introduction of a video game has no impact on aggression, regardless of its degree of violence. Author keywords: Aggressive behaviour, violent video games, non-violent video games, adolescent male
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