PARCC NEWS 

Systems Research and Behavioral Science Special Issue: Collaborative Problem Solving Amid Conflicts 

PARCC Director, Catherine Gerard, along with former PARCC Visiting Fellow and Professor of Public Administration of the Department of Public Management at Beijing Institute of Technology, Ya Li, are  two of the co-editors of Systems Research and Behavioral Science Special Issue: Collaborative Problem Solving Amid Conflicts.  In addition to writing the Opening Editorial for the Special Issue, they co-wrote an article along with Zhichang Zhu, of the University of Hull Business School, United Kingdom, "Learning from Conflict Resolution: An Opportunity to Systems Thinking."   

Louis Kriesberg,  Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies, and founding director of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (1986–1994) at Syracuse University, also wrote an article, "Mediation in Conflict Systems," which is published in the journal.  

 Globalization and Third World Women- Exploitation, Coping, and Resistance  

Adopting the notion of “third world” as a political and geographical category, this volume analyzes marginalized women’s experiences of globalization. It unravels the intersections of race, culture, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and class that have shaped the position of these women in the global political economy, as well as their cultural and national history. In addition to a thematically structured and highly informative investigation, the authors offer an exploration of policy implications, which are commonly neglected in mainstream literature. The result is an invaluable volume for scholars in the fields of sociology and women’s studies, social policy experts, and professionals working within non-governmental organizations. Edited by Ligaya Lindio-McGovern is professor of sociology at Indiana University. She is the author of Globalization, Labor Export and Resistance: A Study of Filipino Migrant Domestic Workers in Global Cities. and Isidor Wallimann is a visiting research professor at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He is the coeditor of On the Edge of Scarcity: Environment, Resources, Population, Sustainability, and Conflict.   

Climate Change and Threatened Communities:  Vulnerability, Capacity, and Action  

Co-Edited by A. Peter Castro, Associate Professor of Anthropology and PARCC Faculty Associate.  This book addresses global climate change  and how it disproportionately affects rural people and indigenous groups, but their rights, knowledge, and interests concerning it are generally unacknowledged. Shifts in precipitation, cloud cover, temperature, and other climatic patterns alter their livelihood pursuits and cultural landscapes, accentuating their existing social and economic marginalization. This book argues that planners and researchers of climate change mitigation and adaptation must take into account the knowledge and capacity of rural people, and engage them as active participants in the design and governance of interventions, not as a matter of courtesy, but because it is their right. Furthermore, inclusion of local communities in genuine partnership will likely make climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts more effective.  Presents 15 case studies and a variety of approaches to document the capacities and constraints to be encountered among communities facing changing climates in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, South Africa, Sudan, United States, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.  

 "A Manager's Guide to Evaluating Citizen Participation"

PARCC Faculty Affiliate and Associate Professor of Public Administration, Tina Nabatchi authored, "A Manager’s Guide to Evaluating Citizen Participation," which was just published by the IBM Center for The Business of Government.  This report provides a practical assessment guide for government program managers so they can assess whether their efforts are making a difference.  The report lays out evaluation steps for both the implementation and management of citizen participation initiatives as well as how to assess the impact of a particular citizen participation initiative.  An appendix provides helpful worksheets, as well.