Following the Treaty of Versailles, European nation-states were faced with the challenge of instilling national loyalty in their new borderlands, in which fellow citizens often differed dramatically from one another along religious, linguistic, cultural, or ethnic lines. Peripheries at the Centre compares the experiences of schooling in Upper Silesia in Poland and Eupen, Sankt Vith, and Malmedy in Belgium — border regions detached from the German Empire after the First World War. It demonstrates how newly configured countries envisioned borderland schools and language learning as tools for realizing the imagined peaceful Europe that underscored the political geography of the interwar period.

Involving citizens in policy decision-making processes - deliberative democracy - has been a central goal of the Labour government since it came to power in 1997. But what happens when members of the public are drawn into unfamiliar debate, with unfamiliar others, in the unfamiliar world of policy making at national level? This book sets out to understand the contribution that citizens can realistically be expected to make. Drawing on the lessons from an ethnographic study of a public involvement initiative in the health service - the Citizens Council of NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) - the book explores the practical realities behind the much-quoted faith in 'deliberation' that underpins so many models of public involvement and presents the analysis of sixty four hours of video and audiotape capturing a warts-and-all picture of deliberation in action. It sets deliberative participatory initiatives within a broad inter-disciplinary context and challenges politicians, policy-makers and academics to develop more realistic approaches to democratic innovation. Citizens at the centre will be of interest to academics and students in social policy, sociology, politics, health, social care, economics, and public administration and management. It will also be valuable to anyone involved in the policy making process, not only in the UK, but also in Europe, the USA and other countries where deliberative democracy is being implemented or discussed.

Taking the students’ perspective, Education Policy Outlook 2018: Putting Student Learning at the Centre analyses the evolution of key education priorities and key education policies in 43 education systems. It compares more recent developments in education policy ecosystems (mainly between 2015 ...

Youth participation is a buzzword in 21st-century development. When is it a practical instrument of development, and when is it mere window-dressing? This text draws together experiences and views on the subject from agencies and individuals.

This report looks at how governments can ensure that everyone has access to justice, and that justice processes and services are responsive to people’s needs. Based on lessons derived from people-centred service delivery, the report identifies access to justice principles and promising practices, as well as measurement tools and indicators to help countries monitor their progress.

While Cape Breton's culture is typically depicted as a scenic snapshot of Scottish fiddlers and tartans, the essay in this book go beyond this tourism image. Focusing on pastimes, the arts, community, family and identity, the authors have interpreted the ways that cultural practices act to maintain a cohesive and rich social world on this singular island. The themes in this book offer Cape Bretoners a glance at themselves and provide visitors with unsung sketches of Cape Breton life.