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Participatory budgeting (PB) is a novel way to understand the ways in which local projects are funded. Citizens engage in direct participation at every level of the project from designing, evaluating, modifying, and eventually disbursing funds. In short, PB is a fair and practical way for citizens to participate in direct democracy, rather than passive engagement through voting and waiting for elected officials to render a decision. In addition, due to its commitment to community-based philosophy, PB represents a radical move toward social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Difficulties with social communication may present challenges in gathering data from individuals with autism in research. To encourage individuals with autism to participate directly in research, methods that allow for autistic symptomology should be considered. An online forum was developed to enable adolescents with autism to share their social experiences. Ten female adolescents with autism, aged 12 to 19, engaged with the forum over 12 weeks. Questions were posted weekly and data were collected on the frequency of participant responses, quality of responses, and participants' engagement with each other. Data indicated that the frequency and quality of participants' responses were high, and participants' engagement with each other facilitated the introduction of new topics. The online forum was an effective tool for adolescents with autism to have direct participation in research. It offers promise in future studies as a practical research tool that accommodates the social communication challenges of individuals with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A better psychosocial work environment is associated with direct participation (DP). • Low skilled jobs could be designed healthier by using direct participation formulas. • Psychosocial work environment is better for women when direct participation is used. • Direct participation practices by themselves would not degrade working conditions. • DP appears to be a valid component for primary prevention at workplace level. To explore the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and labour management practices involving direct participation among salaried workers; to examine whether this relationship varies according to occupational group and sex. Based on a representative survey of the wage-earning population in Spain (n = 4911) using the Spanish version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ-ISTAS21), ordinal logistic models were fitted in order to assess associations. The psychosocial work environment factors control , social support and rewards were significantly and positively associated with direct participation practices, after adjusting for ten indicators of other labour management practices (working hours, contractual relationship, promotion, salary and staffing) and three socioeconomic characteristics (occupational group, sex and age). No association was observed with the factor demands. When used simultaneously, delegative and consultative direct participation practices obtained more frequent and stronger associations with psychosocial work environment factors than when used separately. Stratifying the salaried population by sex and occupational group, associations were observed in all strata except for supervisors and higher professionals. A better psychosocial work environment is associated with direct participation practices among lower level occupational groups and among women. Direct participation practices appear to be valid components of preventive interventions at the workplace level, and may help to reduce occupational health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work is to describe and analyze the perceptions of residents of Amazonian communities relative the forms of insertion and participation in the conservation programs of the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and the tracajá (Podocnemis unifilis). From the systematic observation and semi-structured interviews, the research analyzes the constructs that characterize the community participation in the conservation of the species, directly and indirectly. The perceptions show that the participation in the conservation of the tracajá occurred directly, where the community members are inserted in the majority of the stages of the management of the chelonians, with prevalence in non technical activities but with protagonist action in the conservation program. The conservation of the harpy eagle occurred indirectly. The people who participated in the program were located near the place and habitat of the bird. Their participation was marked by the performance as observers of the technical processes, auxiliary agents. In this context, externalities have emerged and have given new ways to act in conservation, favoring the biocultural scenario. The form of participation in both cases is related to the management strategies and structures used by the programs, where co-management is the model to be evidenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By examining legal documents, doctrine and experts' opinions and the ICRC's position on the matter, the present article demonstrates that child soldiers do not bear the necessary requisites to be legally capable of directly participating in hostilities, as these children lack the intent that must be considered a conditio sine qua non for such acts to be carried out. By demonstrating this, the article shows that all children associated with armed forces or groups must be considered as victims, exploited by the adults that welcome or force them into joining belligerent parties. This conclusion, while not preventing belligerents from seeking a military victory, calls on them to take into account the specific situation of these children as they should be computed as potential collateral damage in targeting operations and treated as victims in need of special care for their rehabilitation when captured. The final sections of the article analyze in detail such consequences for belligerents that capture child soldiers or target forces with children in their ranks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Society is every day demanding more active participation in shaping its own political future. Proof of this is the gradual increase in the number of popular legislative initiatives presented at the regional, national and European levels. This new scenario occurs even though its regulation could be seen as a discentive. There is a common mistrust of this legal formulation because it calls into question the coherence and consistency of representative democracy in comparison with direct democratic alternatives. The mere possibility of encouraging or reconfiguring this institution therefore exposes the fragility of Parliament. This article aims to analyze the citizen's legislative initiative in relation to its engagement with the current state of Parliament. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, 'participatory governance' has emerged as an important concept within the governance domain. It is a policy that insinuates participation of local citizens to implement locally based propeople development initiatives. International aid agencies have been pursuing this agenda with an aim to provide greater legitimacy to development projects for economic growth in developing countries. In response, the government of Bangladesh has been trying to implement participatory governance policies for aid-assisted development projects for the last three decades. However, empirical studies reveal that the level of participation of local citizens in development projects has hardly been improved despite such attempts. Relying on six aid-assisted project-based case studies, this article explores the reasons of such a failure and has found out that the dysfunctional political system and corruption in Bangladesh have compromised the role of the state in ensuring any meaningful participation of ordinary citizens in local-level development activities. Related Articles [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ICRC's published 'Interpretive Guidance on the Notion of Direct Participation' by civilians in hostilities contributes usefully to the debate but is flawed. It creates an imbalance between members of the armed forces on the one hand, who are targetable at all times, and members of organised armed groups who do not have a continuous combat function, and civilians who persistently participate in hostilities on the other, who are said to be protected during intervals between specific acts of hostility. This imbalance is exacerbated by assertions that there is a presumption at law that civilians are not directly participating, that to be DPH there must be a single causal step linking the civilian's activity with the hostilities, that voluntary human shields may not be direct participants and that periods of preparation for, deployment towards and return from acts of direct participation, during which a civilian is liable to lawful attack, must be interpreted restrictively. This article takes aspects of the interpretive guidance in turn, analysing them to determine their legal and practical acceptability. It concludes that states must consider the guidance with some caution before determining their own position on this vexed issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]