title: Do returns to schools go up during transition? The not so contrary case of Vietnam

authors: Doan, Tinh Thanh

subjects: economic transition

abstract: A key stylized fact about transition economies is that the returns to schooling rise as economic reform progresses. Existing research suggests that Vietnam is an exception to this pattern, with a decrease in males’ return from 1992 to 1998, and little increase in the return to females’ education (Liu, 2006). This exception may be because of the gradual economic reform applied in Vietnam, whilst in Eastern European countries the “Big Bang” transformation was conducted. Therefore to see whether Vietnam is still a counter example, we re-examine the trend in the rate of return to schooling in Vietnam over the 1998-2004 period, where the reforms have had a longer time to have an effect.

text: Do returns to schools go up during transition? The not so contrary case of Vietnam A key stylized fact about transition economies is that the returns to schooling rise as economic reform progresses. Existing research suggests that Vietnam is an exception to this pattern, with a decrease in males’ return from 1992 to 1998, and little increase in the return to females’ education (Liu, 2006). This exception may be because of the gradual economic reform applied in Vietnam, whilst in Eastern European countries the “Big Bang” transformation was conducted. Therefore to see whether Vietnam is still a counter example, we re-examine the trend in the rate of return to schooling in Vietnam over the 1998-2004 period, where the reforms have had a longer time to have an effect.

year: 2009-10

title: Sports and Bodies: An exploration of bodily inscription through the practice of sport

authors: Baker, Tegan

subjects: Sports

abstract: Sport is an integral aspect of contemporary society; it is also a political, economic, educational, religious and scientific activity. The body and embodied experiences are central to the practice of sport. This research is concerned with both the embodied nature of sport and the potential for sport to mirror, and channel, discourses from wider society. Drawing from the fields of sports geography, bodily geography, and relevant literature from sports studies, the notion of bodily inscription through sport is the focus of this report. Data was collected through focus groups containing a range of social and amateur sports-people with additional data gained through analysis of sports and fitness magazines. The theoretical framework used to contextualise this data is that of Henning Eichberg’s sports trialectic and the wider concept of body culture. This allows for the mapping of bodily inscription via the different characteristics of sport associated with branches of the trialectic; achievement, fitness and body experience. The work of Eichberg also adds another dimension to this analysis - the comparison between sport, democracy and varying iterations of society. In particular, neo-liberalism which is evident through the dominance of efficiency, competition and individualism in sport, is a potent presence. Through the connection between the ‘obesity epidemic’ and neo-liberalism, an over-riding theme is body weight; the defining inscription of a sporting body as leanness. The dominance of concerns over body weight prompted a revision of Eichberg’s sports trialectic model in an attempt to encompass the role of neo-liberalism and the absence of the heuristic element of body experience.

text: Sports and Bodies: An exploration of bodily inscription through the practice of sport Sport is an integral aspect of contemporary society; it is also a political, economic, educational, religious and scientific activity. The body and embodied experiences are central to the practice of sport. This research is concerned with both the embodied nature of sport and the potential for sport to mirror, and channel, discourses from wider society. Drawing from the fields of sports geography, bodily geography, and relevant literature from sports studies, the notion of bodily inscription through sport is the focus of this report. Data was collected through focus groups containing a range of social and amateur sports-people with additional data gained through analysis of sports and fitness magazines. The theoretical framework used to contextualise this data is that of Henning Eichberg’s sports trialectic and the wider concept of body culture. This allows for the mapping of bodily inscription via the different characteristics of sport associated with branches of the trialectic; achievement, fitness and body experience. The work of Eichberg also adds another dimension to this analysis - the comparison between sport, democracy and varying iterations of society. In particular, neo-liberalism which is evident through the dominance of efficiency, competition and individualism in sport, is a potent presence. Through the connection between the ‘obesity epidemic’ and neo-liberalism, an over-riding theme is body weight; the defining inscription of a sporting body as leanness. The dominance of concerns over body weight prompted a revision of Eichberg’s sports trialectic model in an attempt to encompass the role of neo-liberalism and the absence of the heuristic element of body experience.

year: 2014

title: A case study of Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku

authors: Tamoko-o-te-rangi, Ormsby

subjects: environmental initiatives

abstract: This thesis is an examination and analysis of the environmental initiative Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku, co-founded by Waimirirangi Ormsby (née Koopu-Stone) and myself, Tamoko Ormsby. The primary aim of this research was to achieve an understanding of the PKP initiative at the individual level and to inform future collective action at the community level. As such, my primary research question is:

How can Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku inform community-scale action that contributes to our more-than-human relationship with Papatūānuku within our current capitalist settler-colonial context?

The study is part-autoethnographic in that it is informed by my personal reflections and experiences as a co-founder, operator, and participant of the initiative. In addition, the study explores the number of participants who signed up yearly for each action and employs a brief descriptive analysis of the initiative.

The literature review explores how common Western notions of environmentalism are devoid of the spiritual, cultural, and relational aspects present within indigenous and Māori knowledge systems. It touches on the histories of capitalism and colonialism and how these have led to the consumptogenic society we are in. It aims to illustrate the nexus between the Māori and Western Eurocentric worlds.

He Whatu is the framework that has emerged from this case study as the means to respond to the primary research question. The framework was developed by analyzing the key themes of PKP over the years 2017 to 2021. He Whatu has five key elements: Identity, Language, Distance, Practicality, and Influence; each with three subcategories. It is activated through provoking key conversations to inform future community action.

text: A case study of Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku This thesis is an examination and analysis of the environmental initiative Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku, co-founded by Waimirirangi Ormsby (née Koopu-Stone) and myself, Tamoko Ormsby. The primary aim of this research was to achieve an understanding of the PKP initiative at the individual level and to inform future collective action at the community level. As such, my primary research question is:

How can Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku inform community-scale action that contributes to our more-than-human relationship with Papatūānuku within our current capitalist settler-colonial context?

The study is part-autoethnographic in that it is informed by my personal reflections and experiences as a co-founder, operator, and participant of the initiative. In addition, the study explores the number of participants who signed up yearly for each action and employs a brief descriptive analysis of the initiative.

The literature review explores how common Western notions of environmentalism are devoid of the spiritual, cultural, and relational aspects present within indigenous and Māori knowledge systems. It touches on the histories of capitalism and colonialism and how these have led to the consumptogenic society we are in. It aims to illustrate the nexus between the Māori and Western Eurocentric worlds.

He Whatu is the framework that has emerged from this case study as the means to respond to the primary research question. The framework was developed by analyzing the key themes of PKP over the years 2017 to 2021. He Whatu has five key elements: Identity, Language, Distance, Practicality, and Influence; each with three subcategories. It is activated through provoking key conversations to inform future community action.

year: 2023