European Social Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

European Social Policy - Essay Example Ebing-Andersen understands the â€Å"role in society† of social assistance programs as complicit with the principal of â€Å"not to spend or tax†. It is also self-avowedly distancing itself from anything that resembles an institution in the aid of â€Å"creating equality†. These are some of the important dimensions of their position as stated in the conclusion from â€Å"The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. While it should be argued that essential attributes include subsistence, this would entail creating equality and that is unquestionably not one of the concluding marks made by Ebing-Andersen. It remains to be asked, to what extent does the exclusion effect or mediate the interpretation? What is 'neglected' can often and at least, sometimes, be victim of abuse. By systemically neglecting the creation of equality, Ebing-Andersen is a-priori creating a condition under which gender equality becomes likewise an issue that is challenged. Ebing-Andersen: An Overv iew. Within the domain of the published literature about contemporary, social policy theory, many references can be found to Ebing-Andersen's Welfare Reform Theory. Before getting to the kernel of this idea, some remarks will be made on the broader context or background of the seminal 1990 publication. There is a gravitas about welfare that carries with it a weight that is only comparable to health-care. In an age or era when Western governments routinely preside over conditions of a â€Å"welfare deficit†, a consideration of one over-lap with health care is the quantifiable amount of neglect involved that can be attributed to, or said to be caused by poverty? Ebing-Andersen define a welfare-deficit as a system under which: â€Å"the essential welfare contribution to the household is no longer available" [Ebing-Andersen, 1990, p. 49]. Written in 1990, the context or background environment was marked by government cutbacks to social assistance in the United States in particul ar. The rising cost of childcare which by then was 23 percent of the total income for poor people [Ebing-Andersen, 1990, p. 59]. What was then an â€Å"emerging deficit† [Ebing-Andersen, 1990, p. 49] was compounded further by the fact that in the majority of the states at the time, the majority of children from identifiably economically deficient backgrounds, had no access to any type or form of childcare [Ebing-Anderse, 1990, p. 64]. As a preliminary consideration, the impact of the cutbacks with respect to who it effected, has to bear in mind that childcare is unquestionably a burden that is being quantifiably shouldered by women. Ebing-Andersen on Decommodification. Ebing-Andersen goes far in explaining who is burdened under these circumstances with his notion of â€Å"decommodification† or the â€Å"the degree to which individuals, or families, can uphold a socially acceptable standard of living independently of market participation† [Ebing-Andersen, 1990, p . 37]. A commodity in the sense used by Ebing-Andersen is the participation of labor, and thus to decommodify this means to stand outside of the boundaries of â€Å"market participation†. Women who stay at home raising children are unfortunately a good proportion of the individuals accepting social assistance, and being beyond market participat

What Special Effects Were Used To Stage The Medieval Mystery Play Essay

What Special Effects Were Used To Stage The Medieval Mystery Play Noahs Ark - Essay Example There were varied usage of the methods of production alongside the complexity of the plays from place to place, but the creation of theatrical, imaginary space was a notable characteristic of "Noah's Ark."2 In "Noah's Ark," processional staging was used and was considered an important aspect of the play. Processional staging was considered an extremely taxing task as compared with other theatrical forms, but was a distinctive physical feature of "Noah's Ark," being a medieval play. The play involved planning a clearly defined circuit, which can be pushed through a synchronized schedule and traversed in a reasonable amount of time. The actors and actresses were also faced with several difficulties, such as the rigors of continuously staging a single episode repeatedly throughout the day. Revivifying "Noah's Ark" entailed experiments different from the traditional mobile pageantry stations or theatre-in-the round which used to characterise past presentations. A mobile is an important part of the special effects of "Noah's Ark," which involved the creation of a convincing scene.3 An isolated staging place was needed when the play was finally staged. The pageant wagons, which were also known as carriages, were considered a high place, constructed into a house with two rooms, being open in its upper floor. The lower room served as the dressing room while the higher room served as the stage on which the actors performed. ... The audiences would be waiting in advance at the time the wagons arrived, wherein the most well-off people were seated in specially constructed scaffolds.5 When the first pageants proceeded to the first station, which was at 4:30 in the morning, it was a signal that the performance would then start. It is noteworthy to mention in this paper that the medieval cycle, in which "Noah's Ark" was part, involved 48 plays, indicating that the last play would end at the last station until after midnight. There must be 19 hours of uninterrupted attention that the entire cycle required of its audience.6The pageant master took care of matters pertaining to costumes, which were predominantly with little attempts at historical accuracy and did not bear any distinctions of race or rank. The outfits of soldiers, peasants, and tradesmen may be described as visually anachronistic, which provided a frame of reference against which the audience may determine the rest of the action.7 It was necessary tha t "Noah's Ark" use mask as part of the costume, as all other medieval plays of this time. The costume of the angels includes a half-gold mask, a large, tall golden hat crown and a blue robe with dash of gold. Specificity to the social status was essential feature of some characters, such as slouchy robes and hats for the male characters, while the female ones wore robes and short hats. Year after year, the play loaned some garments from members of the public, such as showy cloaks, dresses belonging to the ampler women of the community, or rich mantles characteristic of theatrical impression. Cast-off clothing of richer people was used as costumes, cunningly worked together to form slashed garments of masters and mistresses.8"Noah's Ark" did