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Social cohesion has emerged as a powerful hybrid concept used by academics and policy analysts. Academics use the concept to underline the social and economic failings of modernity, linking it to the decline of communal values and civic participation. Policy analysts use it to highlight the social and economic inequities caused by globalization. The desired effect of using this concept is often to influence governments to implement policies that will enhance social cohesion by reducing social and economic disparities. Despite its widespread use, however, statistical measures of social cohesion tend to overlook local, non-Western strategies of social inclusion as well as the social impact of non-Western economic systems, such as the mixed economy typical of many Aboriginal communities in North America. In this paper, we develop a model of social cohesion that addresses these omissions through the use of social indicators that measure both the behavior and perceptions of Inuit living in the Canadian Arctic with respect to the social, cultural and economic conditions of Arctic communities. We explain how and why measuring social cohesion is optimized by combining both culturally-specific and non-specific social indicators.

A large-scale economic and social analysis of the commercial, domestic, and sport fisheries of the Ontario portion (247,000 hectares) of Lake of the Woods was undertaken in 1980-1982. Data were collected through surveys of Indian bands, commercial fishermen, local residents and cottagers, tourist operators, and tourist guests. Direct revenues and costs of commercial and sportfishing enterprises and of the resource management agency were estimated; domestic harvests were valued on a substitution valuation basis; and anglers' consumer surplus was valued on a contingent valuation basis. Social benefits were assessed on the basis of anecdotal information collected. Economic responses to changes in harvests were predicted, employing users' predictions of their behavioral changes in the case of the sport fisheries. As harvests were exceeding sustainable yields, four alternative allocations of the sustainable yield among user groups were identified, and the economic and social impacts and management implications of each alternative were estimated. The results were arrayed to allow decision makers and members of the public to employ their own total value frameworks in making allocation and management decisions. However, for various reasons, some inherent in social science research for resource management agencies, the study was not used to its potential as a decision-making tool after completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines pre-registration nursing students' perceptions of the practice of intentional rounding and perceived benefits for nurses and patients. Intentional rounding was developed to ensure nursing staff regularly check on patients to ensure that all care needs are met. It has been linked to a reduction in falls and call bell use, and an increase in patient safety. No previous studies have examined pre-registration nursing students' role in the practice of intentional rounding during clinical placements nor the perceptions of rounding practices, important from a future workforce perspective. A cross-sectional multisite study was undertaken, and pre-registration nursing students completed the Nurses' Perceptions of Patient Rounding Scale between August 2017– June 2018, distributed using online education platforms and email. Strobe reporting guidelines were used to report findings. Participants perceived positive benefits in intentional rounding for nurses and patients. Mixed opinions surrounded the sufficiency of education received around the intervention. Previous nursing experience was linked to opposing opinions of intentional rounding, depending on education levels. Participants had a positive perception of intentional rounding practices overall. Education surrounding intentional rounding needs to be consistent, and introduced before students are expected to actively participate in the practice of rounding on clinical placement. • Nursing students benefit from intentional rounding practices, as do their patients. • Nursing students require education and active participation in intentional rounding. • There are inconsistencies in theory and observed practice of intentional rounding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]