NIRMAN For Youth’s Post

Hi everyone, I am very proud to announce that my novel academic research paper, “‘Canadianism’, the welfare state, and policy growth” was officially published by the Canadian Journal for the Academic Mind on July 16th, 2024. My 33 page piece reaches deep into the fields of economics, history, philosophy, public policy and sociology to deliver a new and specific approach to understanding Canadian public policy, especially in relation to our healthcare system. This paper coins a fresh term into academia, “Canadianism” - and I discuss the ways in which I believe policy growth is hindered by the types of identity that interplays within policy making cycles to deliver an effective policy strategy. My paper is now officially copyrighted, peer reviewed and digitally / physically published for you all to read; As well as for any of you with an interest or other academic scholars to cite in your own research or create your own commentary on. Click the link below or search up my/CJAM's name on google to read my article, and let me know your thoughts! So proud to become a published writer at 20, first of many to come 🩷

** Publishing the unpublishable ** Have you ever wondered how bad ideas get published in #academia? In our latest work, "The Ex Post Egalitarian Manual for Publishing the Unpublishable," co-authored with Antoine Bommier, we expose the tricks and tactics that allow deeply flawed concepts to see the light of day in top journals. Using the framework of ex post egalitarianism—a #welfare approach that can justify forbidding life-saving health measures or forcing the elderly into poverty—we illustrate how, with enough spin, even the most unthinkable ideas can be packaged into celebrated academic contributions. This isn’t just about pushing boundaries—it’s about how the #publishing system itself can allow questionable ideas in #economics to thrive. You will learn techniques ranging from the manipulation of language and unnecessary mathematical complexity to vanishing assumptions, red herrings, evidence creation and circular logic. We also review ethical considerations and a few ways of handling critique.

Demystifying the myths of Aboriginal Australia is so incredibly important… We are teachers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, architects, judges, designers, entrepreneurs, therapists, politicians and so much more! It starts with non-Aboriginal people, both professionally and personally, how will you educate yourself, and then, more importantly, challenge the bias attitudes and beliefs of those around you in your sphere of influence? Education and awareness is key to unlearning and relearning truth telling in this country. It is then we will start to see eradication of racism and prejudice. Nik&Co. Consultancy is here to support and guide your journey of cultural understanding. #stopthestereotypes #togetherwecanmakeadifference

Another great reminder from Ken Opalo. For those of us working in #internationaldevelopment in #Africa, two things are true: the median NGO or social enterprise could stand to become more #evidencebased in its programs, AND we all need to embrace and lean into the sometimes slow but very much "worth it" legitimacy-building processes by which governments develop and implement their policies. Incidentally, the closer #policyresearch gets to answering the questions that governments (rather than #funders or tenure review boards) need answered, the more utile it can be. #policy #health #healthcare #povertyalleviation #education #rct #africandevelopment https://lnkd.in/eem4iYZy

Reflecting on the enriching experience of presenting my research paper 'Empowering the Future: Interplay between the Mental Well-being of Today's Youth and the Resilient Society at the national seminar on 'Effectiveness of Skill Development in Empowering Youth' in Uttar Pradesh The research was about Delving into the crucial connection between youth mental well-being and a resilient society for a brighter tomorrow. #VirtualConference #YouthEmpowerment #ResearchPresentation #ResearchPaper

Social scientists 📢 ESRC: Economic and Social Research Council has funding available to conduct innovative social science research on the topic of labour force shortages within the long term care sector. This funding call aims to address how new forms of technological development and digitisation could mitigate labour shortages in the care sector. Proposals must address the following interrelated topics: ➡ Working situation ➡ Role of AI ➡ Cross-national differences and similarities within different welfare systems ⏰ The deadline for applications is 14 May 2024. Find out more ➡ https://lnkd.in/ddf5kBSr

Since we are now talking about politics with reference to NTA, RCI and other bodies that regulate the future of our work, here are a few reminders: 1. The government we choose is accountable to its citizens and not the other way round. It is our right to expect things from our governments and their officials. When one person is given the omnipotent god like position in the system, the democratic process not only loses meaning, but it also loses its dignity. 2. The governments that WE elect, need to have the understanding and respect for the agendas that we care about. When the government works with propaganda instead of an agenda, education, health and other social programs get ignored and maligned. Listen to what the standing platform of your political representatives is. 3. Being apolitical is a choice that only a few can afford. If you’re one of the few, it might be important to know why and how you got there. 4. It is interesting to see how for decades minorities have complained about the political systems and have been subjected to all kinds of violence because of it but their pleas have been unheard till now. Maybe I hold some anger towards the “awareness” we have right now as a collective (of therapists). 5. Educate. Agitate. Organise!

Should governments help people overcome their self-control failures? What exactly are "self-control failures" and how can we measure them? Are self-control failures costly and do they reduce welfare? And how do people feel in moments when they fail to resist temptations? These are complex questions and the discussions are ongoing in behavioural public policy and behavioral welfare economics. Liam Delaney and I thought about how data from everyday life can contribute to these discussions. Our paper on this is now published open access in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications in a Behavioural Public Policy Collection. Feel free to read our paper "Self-control failures, as judged by themselves" here: https://lnkd.in/eUHzWGGK. I think this is a "special" paper in the sense that it is not your typical off-the-shelf research. Liam and I thought out of the box which was great fun.

Extracted from the Preface: The messages to the young reader are: (i) be informed; it is crucial to be aware of one’s rights and the systems that will protect those rights; the Constitution of India should be seen as a holy book; (ii) be communicative; a book like this may be heavy in content and tough in language for an ordinary reader; pass on your learning to the common person who needs information and assistance from educated and socially committed persons; (iii) participate—vote in elections, be involved in social audits, attend grassroots-level meetings like Gram Sabhas and Ward Committees; (iv) be responsible—respect the laws of the land and perform one’s fundamental duties; and (v) assert one’s rights—utilise the right to information, grievance redressal mechanisms in government, and the right to judicial remedies.   Let me reply to 3 questions that the reader may have.   First, in any developing country, the governance of education and public health are critical. Why has this book not touched on these sectors? I have no satisfactory answer to this. Education is a sector dear to me, and I have a special interest in higher education. Public health has assumed a lot of significance after the world went through COVID-19, when governance was primarily pandemic management. My only explanation is that these and other sectors of governance would have made the book bulky and unwieldy.     Second, why is there no critical analysis of unacceptable governmental actions? Well, the book’s purpose is to inform and guide the young Indian. We are passing through a period of political schism. But, even with that constraint, there is space for neutral and unbiased thinking, the only concerns being our country and our people. The thirty-eight-year period in the civil service has provided me with opportunities to gain considerable insight into almost all matters in the governmental system and society. And, gazing at current affairs through the looking glass of experience, one finds several faultlines. Past knowledge plus current information could generate valuable opinions and observations. But then, how important and relevant are such views in the overall scheme of things? More important is the need to build the capacity of the new generation to think independently and arrive at informed conclusions.   Third, does this book help civil service aspirants? Yes, I would consider it useful reading for the young Indians who aspire to join the top civil services. This book does not go by any examination syllabus, but it will help the candidates in the general studies papers and the essays. My advice would be to read the book one year before the examinations and get a broad picture of the most crucial aspects of governance. With this as the foundation, candidates could go for detailed curriculum-based and question paper-based preparation during the year before the examination. And they could come back to this book while preparing for the personality test.

Public servants often need to prioritize clients in public services, because of the limited resources they have for dealing with an almost infinite demand of public and social needs. Read here how citizens think that teachers DO and SHOULD prioritize students, based on criteria such as the student’s (1) effort in class, (2) performance, (3) migration background, and (4) gender. The public opinion is that: hard-working students are and should be prioritized; but also that those not performing well (i.e. low grades), could/should need some extra supportive ‘push’. Only (very) limited prioritization should/could happen based on migration background and/or gender.   https://lnkd.in/d32d7zDS Research with: Paw Hansen (VIVE—The Danish Center for Social Science Research), Mogens Jin Pedersen (Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen), and Jurgen Willems (WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business)) #OpenAccess #Teachers #Public