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This thesis investigates how members of the public report neighbourhood problems in telephone inquiry calls to antisocial behaviour, environmental health, and mediation services in the United Kingdom (UK). It provides the first comparative analysis of how similar kinds of concerns (e.g., noise, smells, property access) are designed for different organizations that, in their own way, have a remit to provide service. Despite neighbourhood problems, and neighbour disputes, being such a widespread and pervasive concern in the UK, little is known about the service provided by the somewhat diverse organisations that exist to remedy them. This research examines actual interactions that take place in these institutional settings, focusing on the ways in which people formulate complaints about their neighbours conduct, and how different services offer (or reject) assistance. In so doing, the thesis contributes in new ways to our understanding of how institutional identities, relationships, actions, and activities are shaped in these encounters. Further, it enriches our knowledge of the organisational features of social interaction. The empirical basis for the research comprises a corpus of over 340 telephone recordings of interactions between members of the public and antisocial behaviour, environmental health, and mediation services. The data were transcribed and analysed using the approach of discursive psychology (DP), as embedded within the methodological framework of conversation analysis (CA). The four analytic chapters are organised around different aspects of service provision, and in their own way, address the two core CA concepts of comparative analysis (i.e., comparing interactional features in or across environments) and recipient design (i.e., formulating talk designed to display an orientation to co-present others). The first analytic chapter examines how noise disturbance is initially recipient designed and establishes two predominant formulations callers use - agentive (neighbours are invoked) and agent-free (neighbours are omitted). In mediation calls, the agentive formulation is always used, whilst in environmental health calls, agent-free design is predominantly used. The second analytic chapter investigates the emergence of service-side business and demonstrates how concomitant shifts (i.e. from caller experience to institutional concern) by call-takers treat certain information as adequate, and how callers are given interactional space (or not) to complain in various ways. The third analytic chapter comparatively examines how third-party agencies (TPAs) are recipient designed when making the case for aid specifically, as service-referrals and service-mentions , and brings into focus, the interconnectedness of organisations that manage similar problems. The final analytic chapter investigates call outcomes through offers and signposting to TPAs. Offers might recruit callers in future courses of action or may only be treated as offers by next-turn-proof-procedure. Signposting typically involves rejecting the case for assistance sometimes in normative terms, or in the vehicle of an offer. Through comparative analysis, this thesis contributes significantly to our understanding of the interconnectedness of services and underscores the flexible ways in which neighbourhood problems are recipient designed for, and managed by, call-takers in organisations. This thesis lays the groundwork for future research by introducing new institutional environments for service provision antisocial behaviour and environmental health agencies.

The primary aim of this thesis is to consider whether the social work complaints procedure in Scotland is an appropriate means of dealing with dissatisfaction experienced by users of community care services. Debate in the socio-legal literature has focused on different models of justice in grievance and appeal mechanisms for users of public services. Set in the context of this wider debate, this study looks at the operation of the social work complaints procedure in Scotland, focusing on the experiences of complainants in two local authorities. Setting the research in context, the thesis looks at recent policy developments in community care in Scotland, at recent changes to the health complaints procedure and at proposals to change the social work complaints procedure in Scotland, England and Wales. The main source of data is interviews with people who had made complaints in the two local authorities. As well as looking at complainants’ views, the study also considers the views of people responsible for running the complaints procedure in both local authorities. Focus groups with community care service users were used to explore the views of those who may not have used the complaints procedure. A key concern is whether it is possible to distinguish different types of complaints: those which are primarily ‘appeals’ against refusal of services; and those which are about the way that people are treated. Using the experiences of people who had made complaints in both local authorities and a database of all complaints to one local authority, it is shown that it is not easy to make this distinction although some complaints fall more clearly into one category or the other. The classification of complaints relates closely to what people want from a complaints procedure. The purpose of a grievance procedure can be considered in terms of ‘models of justice’. The motivations of complainants and the views of those who operate the procedure are considered in the context of literature on models of justice. The thesis looks at how the complaints procedure operates in each of the two local authorities and considers the relative value of ‘informal’ and ‘formal’ processes. It goes on to look at what happens when people make formal complaints, whether complaints are resolved and what people think about this. Barriers to complaining are also considered. Finally the thesis looks at complaints which reach the end of the complaints procedure - the complaints review committee - and those which reach the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The thesis concludes that there is considerable ambiguity as to the purpose of the community care complaints procedure. Some complainants use the procedure as an ‘appeal’ against decisions made by the local authority, while others just want to get their problems ‘sorted out’. Some complainants are, at least in part, attempting to get the local authority to improve services for others. The emphasis of local authority staff in this study is primarily on ensuring that complainants have an opportunity to have their ‘voice’ heard. The word ‘complaining’ itself carries connotations which some service users see as negative, although others are more assertive in their use of the word. In procedural terms there is much that can go wrong between the initial ‘informal’ complaint and the more independent level of the procedure: the complaints review committee. There are considerable problems in defining ‘complaints’ and ensuring that they are handled within the guidelines. This means that it is difficult for justice to be seen to be done.

It is proposed by scholars of consumer complaining behaviour that dissatisfaction occurs at two levels: (1) the primary level resulting from product or service failure; and (2) the secondary level resulting from an unsuccessful attempt at complaint resolution with the company held responsible. This thesis provides an integrated analysis of the triggers of voiced and non-voiced consumer responses to the level of primary dissatisfaction. A deductively derived two-factor taxonomy of consumer responses to dissatisfaction was developed out of the extant literature, to identify those responses to dissatisfaction analogous with both primary and secondary dissatisfaction. Based on this taxonomy, a deductively derived typology of consumer responses to primary dissatisfaction, together with two truncated alternatives, was also proposed. The proposed typologies facilitated two levels of analysis: (1) the unidimensional level relating to whether or not the dissatisfaction was voiced to the company held responsible; and (2) the multi-dimensional level of response style engaged in. At each level of analysis, the contribution to total explained variance of six trigger sets was assessed: pre-dissatisfaction situation, post-dissatisfaction situation, company/consumer relationship, marketplace/consumer relationship, psychographics and demographics. The validity of both the proposed two-factor taxonomy and the three typologies was examined through a cross-sectional survey of 1000 dissatisfied consumers across eight product and service categories. Findings supported the deductive basis of the taxonomy, where it was found that whilst exit behaviours and private negative word-of-mouth are analogous with the level of primary dissatisfaction, the incidence of public negative word-of-mouth, third party action and grudge holding was significantly greater among consumers experiencing secondary dissatisfaction. These findings also supported the deductive basis of the proposed typologies of responses to primary dissatisfaction, by empirically identifying those responses analogous with this level of dissatisfaction. At the unidimensional level of analysis, the trigger sets explained 54% ofthe variance between a voiced and a non-voiced instance of primary dissatisfaction. At the multidimensional level of the response style, 63% of variance was explained between response styles in the truncated typology with the most practical use for suppliers. On the basis of these findings, recommendations are made to practitioners on how to encourage supplier-friendly consumer response styles following primary dissatisfaction, and to discourage less friendly styles. The empirically supported truncated typology -distinguishing between passive, private responses, telling, and telling + private responses -represents an important strategic tool for suppliers to monitor and benchmark responses to primary dissatisfaction among their customer base.

Feelings of irritation often emerge in romantic relationships, but the theoretical mechanisms determining whether individuals reveal or conceal these specific feelings to their romantic partner remain underdeveloped. Using a two-month longitudinal survey design involving 448 participants, the current study tested the Revelation-Risk Model (RRM) as a potential mechanism for predicting individuals’ decisions to reveal or conceal their feelings of irritation. The RRM was also examined in its ability to predict the disclosure strategies individuals anticipated using at Time 1 and actually employed at Time 2. In addition, the original RRM considerations were extended by examining the additive role of relationship power in predicting individuals’ disclosure decisions. Results suggested that the original components of the RRM (i.e., closeness, risk, communication efficacy, willingness to disclose) predict individuals’ decisions to disclose feelings of irritation. Relationship power also emerged as a significant predictor of the risk individuals associated with disclosing their feelings of irritation. The findings are discussed in terms of their contributions to existing research on disclosure, irritations, and power in romantic relationships.

Nursing home aides provide the bulk of direct care in the nations' nursing homes. Despite their importance nursing homes often experience low retention rates of these critical workers. Although it would make sense that job stability would be important, relatively few studies have assessed the association between quality and retention. Seven studies of retention consistently showed quality improvements associated with higher nurse aide retention. The current study advances knowledge by modeling the retention-quality relationship, using many measures that have not been examined in previous studies. With a sample of Ohio nursing homes (n=690) from the 2017 Biennial Survey of Long-Term Care Facilities, nurse aide retention rates were grouped into four categories based on quartiles (Low: 0-48%, Medium: 49-60%, High: 61-72%, Very high: 73% and above). Dependent variables on quality were derived from the 2017 Ohio Nursing Home Resident Satisfaction Survey, 2017 Automated Survey Processing Environment, and 2017 Care Compare Archives. Structural characteristics, financial resources, staffing and management, aggregate resident characteristics, retention practices, and county characteristics were used in the analysis. High retention facilities had better resident care experience scores than low retention facilities. Compared to low retention facilities, high retention received 30% fewer total allegations, substantiated and unsubstantiated allegations, as well as fewer total complaints. Similarly, at the annual recertification survey, facilities with high nurse aide retention outperformed low retention by 25% or more: they received 1.69 fewer deficiencies and 11.44 fewer points on the deficiency score. High retention facilities also received significantly fewer deficiencies compared to the very high retention facilities. The odds of having 3-, 4-, or 5-star overall ratings and survey star ratings for high retention facilities were 2.22 and 2.42 times the odds of low retention facilities respectively. The quality star rating and the long-stay MDS measures were not associated with retention. A somewhat unexpected finding was that very high retention was not the best performing category. To improve quality, targeted policies and research are needed to improve working conditions, provide targeted supports to low retention facilities, and understand what retention practices are meaningful and effective.

In many states, the highest number of docketed grievances arise out of criminal and family law matters. This report analyzes the 4,898 grievances filed with the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation (“OLR”) in family or criminal law matters during the period from 2013-2016. The OLR provided the data, enabling analysis of the grievances by gender, age, length of time since law school graduation, type of matter, prior experience with diversion or discipline, and geographical location. The data also revealed the frequency of allegations by practice matter, the types of allegations that led to discipline, and the frequency with which lawyers who received grievances were represented by counsel. A number of the study findings are consistent with results from other jurisdictions. The data also revealed some unexpected results, including that approximately 40% of the grievances during the period studied were against lawyers who had either been subject to diversion, a discipline sanction, or both. While family and criminal law are areas that attract a large number of grievances—many of which are unfounded—the 40% figure suggests that a large percentage of lawyers may not be learning the intended lessons from their exposure to the discipline system. In addition, a surprising percentage of recent law graduates face grievances in family and criminal matters, and many grievances against Wisconsin lawyers in family and criminal matters were based on improper advocacy. The report includes some specific recommendations to improve the Wisconsin discipline process.

How do welfare programs shape the economic and political behavior of recipients? This dissertation is a series of three empirical articles that examine the effects of two programs in India. The first paper finds that a subsidized housing program increases the educational attainment and employment prospects of beneficiaries' children. The second finds that this same program increases everyday local level political participation to improve public goods and services. The third paper finds that a national rural employment guarantee decreases participation in state-level elections among the target beneficiary group. Overall, the dissertation finds that welfare programs can alter beneficiaries' economic and political behavior in important and unexpected ways, thereby providing a vast open agenda for future research.

Abstract: The lack of literature reporting on the use of customer-satisfaction-augmenting Management System Standards (MSS) in health care provided an opportunity to explore the use of one such augmenting (AUG) MSS, namely ISO 10002, for managing feedback in a Canadian provincial health care organization (i.e., the Case Study Organization, CSO) and to identify subsequent research components, one of which was the development of an interdepartmental process audit. After examining literature on interdepartmental audits, and determining the opportunity to develop a method that would enable the auditing of interdepartmental processes through a focus on ‘interactions’, the “Boundary Audit Method” (BAM) was developed, verified and validated. Lastly, exploratory research was undertaken regarding the potential use of Financial Statements (FS) and Financial Ratio Analysis (FRA) with MSSs. The anticipated academic value of this research includes: a) The study was the first to examine the use of an AUG MSS such as ISO 10002 (2014) in a provincial health care organization for handling not only concerns but also commendations and suggestions. b) To my knowledge, the BAM is the first method for auditing interdepartmental processes through a focus on interactions. The designation “1.5-party audit” (first-and-a-half or one-and-a-half party audit) is another contribution, used to reflect the examination of a department’s own involvement in a process in addition to that of any other process partners. c) A novel model was proposed for structuring and integrating MSSs requirements. The model is the result of abstracting the Income Statement and Balance Sheet components and their interrelationships and using such a framework to organize (and integrate when multiple) MSSs requirements. d) A novel assessment technique was proposed for examining SMS-component interrelationships. The assessment technique adapts FRA and substitutes the numbers in the ratios with the juxtaposed SMS components, questions are then prepared to examine how SMS-components interrelate amongst each other, answers to the questions are found by examining documentation, interviewing personnel or observing the SMS, and recommendations for improvement are ultimately provided to management of the organization.

This dissertation examines the establishment of state institutions, the role of state agents, and the emergence of a self-conscious, municipally-based civil society in northern Patagonia in the six decades after it was conquered and incorporated into Argentina. In Patagonia, the Argentine government embarked on an ambitious project of forging a society from above, by creating new state institutions and encouraging new settlement. But these ambitions soon ran aground thanks to limited funding and political gridlock. What emerged instead was a ramshackle combination of authoritarian central administration with significant local autonomy that I call the “skeletal state.” Underfunded police officers, an overworked judiciary, and aloof governors made up the state presence in the frontier, with courts playing a central role as guarantors of social order. The “skeletal state” arrangement became remarkably resilient, as state agents proved flexible in overcoming scarce resources and institutional fragility, establishing legitimacy through legal action and ad-hoc extralegal responses to settler demands. The effectiveness of the “skeletal state” was intrinsically linked to the settler’s need for it, as both developed simultaneously.Chapter One details the establishment, interaction, and trajectory of state institutions, looking closely at how state agents learned to operate within and beyond the system’s constraints. Chapter Two looks at how local and regional authorities attempted to discipline and acculturate the surviving indigenous population of the region. Prejudices, suspicion, and exigency shaped how state agents treated individuals perceived as indigenous, even as they tolerated the survival of indigenous communities in remote rural areas. Chapter Three follows the arrival of immigrants from Chile, Europe, and the Middle East to northern Patagonia, tracing their settlement patterns and the uncertain process by which they resisted, subverted, and sometimes allied themselves with the state. Chapter Four centers on family conflicts to explore how private affairs affected public perception of individuals, and the consequences of these conflicts on reputation-based social networks, which were critical to accessing justice in the frontier. Chapter Five examines the emergence of a municipal political identity (“vecino”) which was tirelessly cultivated by prominent and plebeian settlers alike. Vecinos, and the social networks they built, were a restraint on state power—blocking investigations, filing complaints against “bad police,” and agitating in the national press, providing resources and infrastructure for police to operate, acting as justices of the peace, housing runaways, and collaborating in investigations. Chapter Six surveys cases of the illegal practice of medicine to argue that these social networks were ultimately used to challenge the legitimacy of state-appointed authorities on the frontier, as communities banded together to defend healers and uncertified doctors against state prosecution.The establishment of a functioning state apparatus on the frontier ultimately depended on the ability of state agents to creatively navigate the limited resources of the “skeletal state” and settler’s active desire for state presence. This reciprocity was not only unusual, it was also an ironic turn for a nation-building project that had imagined a strong state as the prerequisite for a vibrant civil society and proven suspicious of settlers’ ability to safeguard democratic principles.

School administrators are responsible for ensuring state and federal special education laws and regulations are being implemented properly. This study examined the amount of training a Virginia school principal receives while attending principal preparation programs as well as professional development offered by their school division on how to handle any legal issues that may arise pertaining to special education. In 1975 Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) and amended in 1997 as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Education for All Handicapped Children Act was introduced in Congress to ensure that students with disabilities were provided the same opportunities as general education students. This legislation was later renamed IDEIA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, in 2004. A web-based survey was used to obtain information from principals in school divisions with high or no incidences of special education complaints. The survey was sent to 12 school divisions with 189 schools and 21 divisions with 189 schools respectively. The data collected from participants was analyzed with JMP software to determine patterns in principal responses based on their employment in divisions with high or no incidences of special education complaints. Statistical analysis included measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode), frequencies, and percentages of the data collected at the state and regional level, by high or no incidence groups to determine if better prepared, more experienced, more informed principals that have had on-going training are able to administer special education programs effectively and therefore have fewer parent complaints. The results of the study indicated a need for higher education institutions (colleges and universities) to increase course offerings at the principal preparation level in the area of special education. Additionally there is a need for superintendents and division leadership to continue to develop and seek partnerships to deliver relevant ongoing professional development, as well as for principals to explore special education networking opportunities external to the division.

This essay uses the Australian proactive approach to regulating attorneys as a springboard to discussing the role of proactive regulation of lawyers in advancing public protection. The essay provides information on the genesis and implementation of “proactive management-based regulation, the system in Australia. The essay reviews key research findings from empirical studies on the impact of the new system on complaints registered against lawyers and the conduct of lawyers in firms. The essay suggests possibilities for using management-based principles to improve lawyer regulation and conduct in the United States and other jurisdictions. The author concludes with a challenge for regulators and regulated persons to transform the heavy reliance on a “disciplinary” approach that largely swoops in after alleged misconduct to an “integrity” system in which lawyers and regulators work in partnership to raise the ethical bar in the interest of public protection.

Using quantitative analysis, complaints received by the Observatorio de la Imagen de las Mujeres (Monitoring Centre for the Portrayal of Women) during the period of 1999-2009 have been studied. This is with the objective of understanding the evolution of content that has been classified as unlawful advertising in the framework of article 3 of the General Advertising Law, 10 reports have been examined. The results show that in the Spanish advertising domain, the use of the female stereotype as an object is no longer a recurring element; however, sexism maintains its presence through other criteria that also trigger complaints.

Introduction: Foodborne illnesses are common, with an estimated 76 million cases in the U.S. annually. They are also becoming harder to prevent with the increasing complexity of food distribution networks and product types. There has been an increased call to improve the food safety in the United States through improved foodborne disease surveillance. The aim of this dissertation was to improve foodborne illness surveillance, by examining a statewide complaint surveillance system and development of methods to more effectively use incoming data. Methods: In manuscript one, the complaint surveillance system in Minnesota from 2000-2006 was evaluated and characteristics of outbreak related complaints were analyzed. In manuscript two, predictors for Salmonella complaint calls were examined to develop a screening tool to be used on incoming complaint data. A predictive model for Salmonella-like calls was developed and validated using bootstrap methods. The third manuscript used cusum methods to detect temporal correlations in complaint calls and flag weeks of unusually high calls. The fourth manuscript, described the current use of complaint based surveillance systems by local health departments in the U.S. Results: Complaint based surveillance was responsible for detection of 72% of outbreaks in Minnesota. The predictive model for Salmonella was able to discriminate between Salmonella-like and non-Salmonella-like calls with an adjusted AUC of 0.88. An algorithm to flag suspected outbreak weeks had a sensitivity and specificity of 63% and 84% in detection of norovirus outbreaks. An estimated 81% of health departments in the U.S. use a complaint based surveillance system; however, ability of the system to detect outbreaks varies between jurisdictions.] Conclusions: This dissertation provides a framework to improve food safety in the U.S. through the development of complaint based surveillance systems and application of methods to better use incoming data. Complaint systems are a powerful tool to complement pathogen specific surveillance.

Increasing urbanization in the US is leading to development or re-development of lands adjacent to solid waste facilities and these lands are being considered for residential communities and commercial projects. Thus, the potential for nuisance complaints against the pre-existing solid waste facility operations has become an increasing reality. The objective of this study was to develop a methodology to gather scientific and quantifiable data related to potential nuisances caused by landfills to determine setbacks and buffer zones near landfill and transfer station operations. Appropriate recommendations for these setbacks were made from case studies conducted at two landfills in Florida. The study involved making measurements related to odor, noise, litter and dust. Impact on housing prices was also evaluated by analyzing publicly available house price data. In this study volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration was used as a surrogate measure for gaseous impacts. The mass flux of VOCs was measured on the landfills using the dynamic flux chamber method. The ultimate purpose of flux measurements was to provide input data for dispersion modeling to analyze the extent of odor impact around the landfills, which is outside the scope of this study. Ambient measurements were also made around Landfill A for validating the dispersion model. Although there are no significant health and odor impacts caused by the landfill, higher background concentration extend 1.2-1.5 km from the landfill center on the Southeast side of the landfill. Litter from the road sides around the landfills was collected and catalogued based on size and material type. Litter count per site obtained for both landfills was less than the 2001 and 2002 state-wide counts. The difference was statistically significant. Noise measurements were made at landfills during incineration and landfilling. Based on average measurements (Leq) obtained at various distances from WTE facility and landfilling activity, and considering EPA recommended noise level of 55 dB(A) for a quiet neighborhood, a set back distance of 1.6-1.9 km was recommended. Impact on house prices near the landfills was done for four landfills in Florida. Analysis showed that three out of four landfills had significantly impacted the house price within 0.6-0.8 km from the edge of the landfill. Dust measurements were made at Landfill B using particulate samplers, quantifying the dust associated with landfilling. Measured values were below National Ambient Air quality Standard (NAAQ) for PM10. Finally, recommendations were developed to mitigate some of these nuisances

This study was conducted in the context of the regulation of professional nursing and midwifery practice in the Australian health care system. In this environment, professional regulatory authorities established by State and Territory legislation in all jurisdictions, regulate and control the work of health professionals. In Queensland, registered nurses, enrolled nurses and midwives are regulated by the Queensland Nursing Council, the statutory body created by the Nursing Act 1992 (Qld). Part of the regulatory role of this and other authorities is to discipline professionals whose conduct or behaviour falls short of appropriate and acceptable standards of practice. All regulated health professionals, including nurses and midwives, are potentially subject to professional disciplinary action if a complaint is lodged in relation to their conduct. This being an important issue in the management and delivery of health care, and an increased trend among health care consumers, the dearth of existing research into the disciplinary process is a major concern. This exploratory study examined the disciplinary role of the Queensland Nursing Council in adhering to its legislative mandate to ensure safe and competent nursing practice. The study focused on the extent to which structural (legislation and policy), professional, and process factors impacted on the outcomes of disciplinary Tribunals and Committees in cases of incompetent or unsafe practice and sexual misconduct. The study was situated within the interpretive paradigm using a case study approach. Specifically, it investigated cases of sexual misconduct by nurses and unsafe or incompetent practice by midwives. The study was guided by Donabedian's conceptual framework of structure-process-outcome. This framework was seen to be most suited to the aims of the study and provided a template for in-depth analysis of the data emerging from the two cases. The findings of this study provided insight into the factors underpinning the decisions of the disciplinary bodies in making determinations and formulating outcomes. There was found to be a lack of consistency and predictability in both the legislative frameworks and the interpretation of terms and concepts used to identify conduct warranting a disciplinary response from regulatory authorities. Although the processes of disciplinary proceedings are prescribed by both legislation and policy, their practical application was characterised by considerable challenges, which resulted in varying outcomes. The thesis reports this information so that it can be used as an initial basis to build a body of knowledge from practical experience with disciplinary proceedings that will inform future processes. Subsequent case studies in other contexts and systems will increase the level of knowledge available to nurses, other health care providers, health care institutions and regulatory authorities. The initial base of evidence suggests implications for practice, education and further research which are outlined in the final chapter of the thesis.

This study investigated the effects of gender, both patient and physician, on how a medical complaint is perceived and acted upon by health professionals. A 2 x 2 factorial design was used, with gender of physician and patient as the two factors, respectively. The participants were physicians (M.D.s) who were recruited by approaching local hospitals/clinics and requesting their participation in the research. They were asked to respond to a patient vignette and a questionnaire assessing the physician's beliefs about and intentions toward the patient. Using a 2 x 2 ANOVA with a specified .05 significance level, no statistically significant differences were found in the assessment of the perceived seriousness of a medical complaint, in the aggressiveness of the work-up provided, and in the diagnoses given to patients. The findings from this study are of value in exploring the existence of gender bias in the medical setting. The absence of gender bias, as it occurred in this study, is an encouraging finding for members of the health care community.

Spenser's Complaints volume is a Menippean satire, a form characterized by mixture. Within this mixture of forms and voices, the three beast poems, Virgils Gnat, Prosopopoia or Mother Hubberds Tale, and Muiopotmos are unified by shared traditions in Classical Aesopic beast fable and medieval beast poetry. Reading these three poems as a set reveals Spenser's interpretation of the literary history of beast poetry as one of several competing forms of order. The beast poems show ordering schemes of hierarchy, proportion, imitative practice, and dialectic, yet none of these is dominant. Thus, in the overall Menippean mixture that makes up the volume, the beast poems present an additional and less obvious mixture: the kinds of order available to a literary artist. Spenser's Complaints volume was the object of some censorship, and scholars still debate whether he or his printer, William Ponsonby, designed the book. The many kinds of organization demonstrated by the beast poems coalesce to form a theory of contestatory imitation in which the dominant order is disorder itself, represented by the ruin brought about by time's passage. Spenser appropriates both satiric and serious voices in the beast poems. He reflects on his political ambition to achieve the status of poet laureate in a noble, courtly manner, but he snarls like a fox, too, when he considers the ruin of his ambition.

Environmental justice is concerned with the equitable distribution of environmental benefits and harms. In the U.S., environmental injustice primarily involves the disproportionate exposure of minority and low-income groups to environmentally hazardous facilities (landfills, incinerators, etc.) and other environmental problems. In February 1998 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) released the Interim Guidance for Investigating Title VI Administrative Complaints Challenging Permits in an effort to establish a policy framework for environmental justice concerns. For this study, an in-depth case study analysis (including semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and archival data retrieval) was conducted for three of the 94 environmental justice complaints that USEPA has received. The three cases were selected from among those cases which are under active investigation by USEPA, and in which strong economic counter arguments (job creation or retention) were present. The study focuses on the perspectives of the primary stakeholders connected with environmental justice issues---community groups or individuals, government agencies, and industry. Previous research has primarily involved the community perspective of environmental injustice. This is logical as communities of color and low-income communities bear the brunt of environmental hazards. However, it is also important to understand the perspectives of other stakeholders in order to identify the full range of barriers and strategies for resolving environmental injustice. Key findings from this study include the varying stakeholder perceptions of disproportionate environmental risk, the conflicting stakeholder conceptions of justice, and the understanding of environmental justice as a multidimensional and historical process. In particular, the research suggests that while state environmental permitting authorities often espouse strong equity goals pertaining to environmental justice, these goals are dismissed when confronted with stronger organizational goals supporting key constituents such as industry. In addition, incorporating clearer notions of social justice concepts and principles with respect to environmental justice policy initiatives can potentially reduce the incidence of environmental injustices. Finally, this research refutes a common perception that concerns about environmental justice run counter to job creation and retention. Rather, in most situations there are few employment opportunities and/or substantial economic benefits from the disputed industrial activity for the host communities.