International Development (international + development)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Humanities and Social Sciences


Selected Abstracts


POPULATION AGING AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: ADDRESSING COMPETING CLAIMS OF DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE

DEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 1 2007
MICHAL ENGELMAN
ABSTRACT To date, bioethics and health policy scholarship has given little consideration to questions of aging and intergenerational justice in the developing world. Demographic changes are precipitating rapid population aging in developing nations, however, and ethical issues regarding older people's claim to scarce healthcare resources must be addressed. This paper posits that the traditional arguments about generational justice and age-based rationing of healthcare resources, which were developed primarily in more industrialized nations, fail to adequately address the unique challenges facing older persons in developing nations. Existing philosophical approaches to age-based resource allocation underemphasize the importance of older persons for developing countries and fail to adequately consider the rights and interests of older persons in these settings. Ultimately, the paper concludes that the most appropriate framework for thinking about generational justice in developing nations is a rights-based approach that allows for the interests of all age groups, including the oldest, to be considered in the determination of health resource allocation. [source]


GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING IN NORWAY: A DISCUSSION WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008
Norvald Monsen
Accrual accounting is now being introduced in governmental organizations internationally. Some scholars have, however, questioned this development, implying that other accounting theories, like cameral accounting, should also be considered for use in these organizations. Since Norway is a country, which has not introduced accrual accounting in the governmental sector, the purpose of this paper is to study the evolution of governmental accounting in this country. Based on the Norwegian experiences, the paper aims to present some conclusions for the further international development of governmental accounting. [source]


New Pathways in International Development: Gender and Civil Society in EU Policy , Edited by M. Lister and M. Carbone

JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 2 2007
GIULIA PIETRANGELI
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


What is the enabling state?

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2004
The views of textiles, garments entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe
This paper summarizes the approach and findings of a piece of research sponsored by the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK and carried out in 1998 and 1999 mainly in Harare and Bulawayo. The primary aim of the work was to contribute to an improvement in facilitating an enabling environment for the private sector in Zimbabwe. It aimed to achieve this objective by developing and testing a participative methodology based on the use of historical profiles, checklists, Venn diagrams, master charts, workshops and other participative methodologies. These processes were introduced and developed with a group of 40 entrepreneurs and managers and several representatives from trade unions, government, and agencies. The design aimed to allow participants to express their own agendas, ideas and approaches instead of reacting to a more rigid approach reflecting the agendas of the research team. The research team adopted a broad structure based around three main areas affecting firms: the policy, agency and firm environments. The use of semi-structured interviews and workshops allowed a detailed exploration of these issues and produced a comprehensive list of problems identified and proposed solutions. The importance of the research is in its ability to construct a firm level, rather than government or donor level view of the enabling environment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Stepping Back, Stepping Forward

NURSING FOR WOMENS HEALTH, Issue 5 2001
Woman's Health Care in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Little has been written about the health care system of the former Yugoslavia. In 1996, the U.S. Agency for International Development (US AID) awarded a 2 million grant to Buffalo General Hospital and The Children's Hospital of Buffalo, two of the five hospitals that now form Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY, to provide training, education and supplies to the Tuzla Clinical Center in Bosnia. The funds were targeted at [source]


Latin,American public financial reporting: recent and future development

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2007
Carmen Caba Pérez
Abstract In recent years, numerous Latin,American countries have carried out reforms in their public accounting systems, with technical cooperation provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Taking into account the lack of international accounting standards for the public sector, USAID has designed a model termed Integrated Financial Management System for Latin America and the Caribbean (IFMS or SIMAFAL). This model is intended to provide better financial information for governmental decision-taking as regards the allocation of resources; a further goal is to achieve greater transparency and for a higher degree of responsibility to be accepted for the commitments made and the results of activities undertaken. Important changes are currently taking place on the international public accounting scene and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) is pressing for the adoption of a set of international public accounting standards by Latin,American countries. In this article, we compare the level of information included in the year-end governmental public report in Latin,American countries which have carried out their reforms outside SIMAFAL with that of others which have followed this model. Second, we examine the extent to which the public financial reporting practices recommended by IFAC coincide with those adopted by the above countries. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Nurturing knowledge: the UK Higher Education Links scheme,

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2003
Derek A. Eldridge
This article examines the development of academic networks and expertise through the UK Higher Education Links scheme, which is funded by the UK Department for International Development, managed by the British Council and supported by the principals of UK higher education institutions. The links are established between UK and overseas universities primarily to enhance research and/or teaching capacity, with the ultimate aim of alleviating poverty and promoting sustainable development. This article draws on data gathered for a large-scale, multiple-method evaluation which endorsed the scheme's continuation. It is argued that a crucial factor helping to make individual links a success was good relationships between respective co-ordinators, although the nature of these relationships varied. The article discusses the extent to which the formation of fruitful academic networks and partnerships enabling knowledge transfer were encouraged. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Shifting Environmental Governance in a Neoliberal World: US AID for Conservation

ANTIPODE, Issue 3 2010
Catherine Corson
Abstract:, By exploring the shifting and uneven power relations among state, market and civil society organizations in US environmental foreign aid policy-making, this article forges new ground in conversations about conservation and neoliberalism. Since the 1970s, an evolving group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has lobbied the US Congress to support environmental foreign assistance. However, the 1980s and 1990s rise of neoliberalism laid the conditions for the formation of a dynamic alliance among representatives of the US Congress, the US Agency for International Development, environmental NGOs and the private sector around biodiversity conservation. In this alliance, idealized visions of NGOs as civil society and a countering force to corporations have underpinned their influence, despite their contemporary corporate partnerships. Furthermore, by focusing on,international,biodiversity conservation, the group has attracted a broad spectrum of political and corporate support to shape public policy and in the process create new spaces for capital expansion. [source]


The Short cut to international development: representing Africa in ,New Britain'

AREA, Issue 1 2000
Marcus Power
Summary Under New Labour, the British Department for International Development (DFID) promises a radical and alternative new ,development agenda' and, more specifically, an end to ,development handouts'. The short cut to international development envisioned by Secretary of State Clare Short is explored in this paper, as is the ,messy' contextuality of writing about development in ,New Britain'. This paper raises questions about New Labour's discussion of the ,moral authority' for international development in ,post-colonial' Britain, particularly in light of the recent ,arms-to-Africa' affair involving Britain and Sierra Leone. The paper argues that Britannia's neoliberal vision of development is not so ,cool' and that, in ethical terms, the development of foreign policy toward Africa has not been consistent. In conclusion, the paper raises doubts about the likelihood of world poverty being halved by 2015 (as the DFID has confidently predicted). [source]


Relocating Participation within a Radical Politics of Development

DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2005
Sam Hickey
In response to (and in sympathy with) many of the critical points that have been lodged against participatory approaches to development and governance within international development, this article seeks to relocate participation within a radical politics of development. We argue that participation needs to be theoretically and strategically informed by a radical notion of ,citizenship', and be located within the ,critical modernist' approach to development. Using empirical evidence drawn from a range of contemporary approaches to participation, the article shows that participatory approaches are most likely to succeed: (i) where they are pursued as part of a wider radical political project; (ii) where they are aimed specifically at securing citizenship rights and participation for marginal and subordinate groups; and (iii) when they seek to engage with development as an underlying process of social change rather than in the form of discrete technocratic interventions , although we do not use these findings to argue against using participatory methods where these conditions are not met. Finally, we consider the implications of this relocation for participation in both theoretical and strategic terms. [source]


Disaster risk, climate change and international development: scope for, and challenges to, integration

DISASTERS, Issue 1 2006
Lisa Schipper
Abstract Reducing losses to weather-related disasters, meeting the Millennium Development Goals and wider human development objectives, and implementing a successful response to climate change are aims that can only be accomplished if they are undertaken in an integrated manner. Currently, policy responses to address each of these independently may be redundant or, at worst, conflicting. We believe that this conflict can be attributed primarily to a lack of interaction and institutional overlap among the three communities of practice. Differences in language, method and political relevance may also contribute to the intellectual divide. Thus, this paper seeks to review the theoretical and policy linkages among disaster risk reduction, climate change and development. It finds that not only does action within one realm affect capacity for action in the others, but also that there is much that can be learnt and shared between realms in order to ensure a move towards a path of integrated and more sustainable development. [source]


GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING IN NORWAY: A DISCUSSION WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008
Norvald Monsen
Accrual accounting is now being introduced in governmental organizations internationally. Some scholars have, however, questioned this development, implying that other accounting theories, like cameral accounting, should also be considered for use in these organizations. Since Norway is a country, which has not introduced accrual accounting in the governmental sector, the purpose of this paper is to study the evolution of governmental accounting in this country. Based on the Norwegian experiences, the paper aims to present some conclusions for the further international development of governmental accounting. [source]


Development Section, April 2008

GEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2008
Cheryl McEwan
EDITORIAL It is a great privilege to serve as Editor for the Development section of Geography Compass. The journal is an exciting new venture in electronic publishing that aims to publish state-of-the-art peer-reviewed surveys of key contemporary issues in geographical scholarship. As the first Editor of this section, it is my responsibility to establish the key aims and innovations for this section of the journal. These include: publishing reviews of scholarship on topics of contemporary relevance that are accessible and useful to researchers, teachers, students and practitioners; developing the range of topics covered across the spectrum of development geography; helping to set agendas in development geography by identifying gaps in existing empirical and conceptual research; commissioning articles from both established and graduate/early career researchers who are working at the frontiers of development geography; and communicating the distinctiveness of Geography Compass. Part of this distinctiveness is in publishing articles that are both of scholarly excellence and accessible to a wide audience. The first volume of Geography Compass was published in 2007, covering a wide range of topics (e.g. migration, children, technology, grassroots women's organizations, civil society, biodiversity, tourism, inequality, agrarian change, participatory development, disability, spirituality) in a number of specific geographical areas (e.g. Africa/southern Africa, Caribbean, China, Peru). Forthcoming in 2008/2009 are articles on the Gambia, Latin America, the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh and South Africa, focusing on topics such as food security, comparative post-socialism, foreign aid and fair trade. Building on these diverse and excellent articles, I plan to communicate the distinctiveness of Development in a number of ways. First, I encourage an ecumenical approach to the notion of ,development geography' and welcome contributions from scholars across a range of social science disciplines whose work would be useful to a geography audience. This is important, not least because both development and geography, in disciplinary terms, are largely European inventions. Many scholars in Latin America, Africa and Asia, for example, do not refer to themselves as either development specialists or geographers but are producing important research in areas of direct relevance to students and researchers of ,development geography'. As the first editions illustrate, I also seek to publish articles that reflect ,development' in its broadest sense, encompassing economic, (geo)political, social, cultural and environmental issues. 2008 will be an interesting year for development, with a number of important issues and events shaping discourse and policy. These include: the Beijing Olympics and increasing focus on China's role in international development; political change in a number of African countries (Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa); the US presidential elections and potential shifts in policy on climate change, trade and security; the impacts of the Bali roadmap on climate change in the current economic context; the increasing number of impoverished people in Asia (notably China and India), sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America (notably Brazil) that even the World Bank has acknowledged; the implications of the increasing role of philanthropic foundations (e.g. the Gates Foundation and those emerging in India and Russia) in international development. I hope to see some of these issues covered in this journal. Second, I am keen to break down the association between ,development' and parts of the world variously categorized as ,Third World', ,Global South' or ,Developing World' by publishing articles that cut across North and South, East and West. The intellectual and disciplinary practices within (Western) geography that separate those researching issues in the South and post-socialist contexts from those researching similar issues in advanced capitalist economies are, it seems, no longer sustainable or sensible. Moreover, while studies of transnational and ethical trade, neoliberalism, household economies and ,commodity chains', for example, incorporate a multitude of case studies from across the world, these tend to be understood through conceptual lenses that almost always have their theoretical antecedents in Western theorization. The notion of ,learning from' debates, policy and practice in other parts of the world is still relatively alien within the discipline. There are thus issues in how we research and teach ethically and responsibly in and about different parts of the world, and in which this journal might make a contribution. Third, and related, part of my responsibility is to ensure that Compass reflects the breadth of debate about ,development' by publishing articles written by a truly international range of scholars. This has proved to be a challenge to date, in part reflecting the newness of the journal and the difficulties posed by English language publication. However, an immediate aim is to publish the work and ideas of scholars based outside of Anglophone contexts, in the Global South and in post-socialist contexts, and to use international referees who are able to provide valuable commentaries on the articles. A longer-term aim is to also further internationalize the Editorial Board. Currently, one-third of the Editorial Board is non-UK and I plan to increase this to at least 50% in future. Fourth, I plan to ensure that the Development section takes full advantage of electronic publication and the opportunities this offers. Thus, while I am keen to retain a word limit in the interest of publishing accessible articles, the lack of constraint regarding page space enables authors to include a wide range of illustrative and other material that is impossible in print journals. I plan to encourage authors to make greater use of visual materials (maps, photographs/photo-essays, video, sound recordings, model simulations and datasets) alongside text as well as more innovative forms of presentation where this might be appropriate. Finally, in the coming year, I intend to work more closely with other Compass section Editors to realize the potential for fostering debate that cuts across subdisciplinary and even disciplinary boundaries. The journal publishes across the full spectrum of the discipline and there is thus scope for publishing articles and/or special issues on development-related topics that might best be approached through dialogue between the natural and social sciences. Such topics might include resources (e.g. water, oil, bio-fuels), hazard and risk (from environmental issues to human and state security), and sustainability and quality of life (planned for 2008). Part of the distinctiveness of Compass is that electronic-only publication ensures that articles are published in relatively quick time , in some cases less than 3 months from initial submission to publication. It thus provides an important outlet for researchers working in fast-changing contexts and for those, such as graduate and early-career researchers, who might require swift publication for career purposes. Of course, as Editor I am reliant on referees both engaging with Manuscript Central and providing reports on articles in a relatively short space of time to fully expedite the process. My experience so far has been generally very positive and I would like to thank the referees for working within the spirit of the journal. Editing a journal is, of course, a collaborative and shared endeavour. The Development Editorial Board has been central to the successful launch of Development by working so generously to highlight topics and potential authors and to review articles; I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tony Bebbington, Reg Cline-Cole, Sara Kindon, Claire Mercer, Giles Mohan, Warwick Murray, Richa Nagar, Rob Potter, Saraswati Raju, Jonathan Rigg, Jenny Robinson and Alison Stenning. The Editors-in-Chief , Mike Bradshaw and Basil Gomez , have provided invaluable advice while adding humour (and colour) to the editorial process. Colleagues at Wiley-Blackwell have provided superb support, in particular, Helen Ashton who is constantly on hand to provide advice and assistance. I look forward to working closely with these people again in the coming year, as well as with the authors and readers who are vital to ensuring that Geography Compass fulfils its remit. [source]


Policy Wars for Peace: Network Model of NGO Behavior,

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 3 2009
Anna Ohanyan
The challenge of orchestrating coordination and cooperation among the many international organizations active in international development has attracted much interest from academics and practitioners alike. This study addresses a particular piece of the larger puzzle: as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and their donors, each usually with much different policy orientations, coalesce within interorganizational networks, what determines whose policy preferences are pursued, implemented, and delivered on the ground? Within the network-based model of NGO behavior introduced in this article, certain attributes and the internal institutional composition of NGO,donor policy networks are significant determinants in shaping opportunities for NGOs and in giving both NGOs and donors leverage over the policy process. The model focuses specifically on demonstrating the effects of a network on NGO autonomy,that is, an NGO's ability to advance its own policy preferences regardless of their congruency with those of its donors. The network typology presented in this study identifies the comparative advantages of distinct network types in which the NGO is most empowered as an autonomous policy actor and is best equipped to withstand parochial donor preferences. Using network analysis and the proposed network-based model, this research takes the form of a comparative study of four NGO,donor policy networks from the postconflict microfinance sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The study also charts new research paths toward developing network-based approaches to the study of international institutions. [source]


Is Bt Cotton a Pro-Poor Technology?

JOURNAL OF AGRARIAN CHANGE, Issue 4 2010
A Review, Critique of the Empirical Record
Policy makers, journalists and other commentators have hailed genetically modified (GM) crops as a ,pro-poor' success in the developing world. Their confidence appears to be justified by the encouraging conclusions reached by academic studies on the performance and impacts of GM crops, which seem to provide convincing evidence of substantial benefits for smallholders in developing countries. However, a detailed, critical examination of studies on transgenic, insect-resistant cotton in China, India and South Africa demonstrates that the technology's impacts have been evaluated and represented in selective and misleading ways. The performance and impacts of GM crops have in fact been highly variable, socio-economically differentiated and contingent on a range of agronomic, socio-economic and institutional factors. The shortcomings of the GM crop-impacts literature have done a disservice to public and policy debates about GM crops in international development and impeded the development of sound, evidence-based policy. [source]


Agroindustrialization, globalization, and international development: An overview of issues, patterns, and determinants

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2000
Thomas Reardon
Abstract This paper offers an overview for a special issue on agroindustrialization, globalization, and international development. It sets out a conceptual framework for understanding the links among these three broad phenomena and then discusses emerging issues and evidence concerning the factors conditioning agroindustrialization in developing countries and the subsequent effects on employment, poverty, and the natural environment. We conclude with a research agenda. [source]


Introduction to climate, disasters and international development

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2010
Ilan Kelman
Abstract This Policy Arena provides four papers exploring development policy for climate-related disaster risk reduction, including but not limited to climate change. The first two papers explore popular concepts, first ,vulnerability', ,capacity' and ,resilience' and second ,climate refugees' and ,climate conflict'. The last two papers each cover a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Samoa, respectively. The key development policy lesson from the papers is a framing that places climate change within wider climate, disaster risk reduction and development perspectives. That is further highlighted here through describing the Many Strong Voices programme that learns from the past to aim for a better future by tackling climate change. Learning from the history of international development assists in addressing root causes, such as vulnerability and poverty, to achieve effective development policy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The private sector, poverty reduction and international development

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2007
Chris Garforth
Abstract The private sector, after shifting fortunes in development theory and practice over the years, is now widely recognised as the key to economic growth, which itself is indispensable for poverty reduction. The Development Studies Association (DSA) Annual Conference in 2006 brought together academics, private sector actors, NGOs and policy makers to share insights and experiences on how this vital contribution to growth, development and poverty reduction can be realised. This paper summarises the main themes and discussions of the conference and introduces the papers selected for inclusion in this conference issue. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Policy entrepreneurship for poverty reduction: bridging research and policy in international development

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2005
Julius Court
Bridging research and policy is a topic of growing practical and scholarly interest in both North and South. Contributions by four experienced practitioners and in four papers by researchers illustrate the value of existing frameworks and add four new lessons: the need for donors and research foundations to foster research capacity and to protect it from political interference; the need for researchers to use detailed case material in order to inform high-level policy debates within and across national boundaries, often by working in cross-country teams; the importance of presenting research results in such a way that they cannot be over-simplified; and the value of creating alliances between researchers and civil society advocacy groups. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Research, policy and practice: why developing countries are different

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2005
John Young
Better utilization of research and evidence in development policy and practice can help save lives, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life. However, there is limited systematic understanding of the links between research and policy in international development. The paper reviews existing literature and proposes an analytical framework with four key arenas: external influences, political context, evidence and links. Based on the findings of stakeholder workshops in developing countries around the world, the paper identifies four key issues that characterize many developing countries. These are: (i) troubled political contexts; (ii) problems of research supply; (iii) external interference; and (iv) the emergence of civil society as a key player. Despite these challenges, two institutional models seem to be particularly effective: (i) think tanks and (ii) regional networks. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Explaining organizational change in international development: the role of complexity in anti-corruption work

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 8 2004
Bryane Michael
What explains the rapid expansion of programmes undertaken by donor agencies which may be labelled as ,anti-corruption programmes' in the 1990s? There are four schools of anti-corruption project practice: universalistic, state-centric, society-centric, and critical schools of practice. Yet, none can explain the expansion of anti-corruption projects. A ,complexity perspective' offers a new framework for looking at such growth. Such a complexity perspective addresses how project managers, by strategically interacting, can create emergent and evolutionary expansionary self-organisation. Throughout the ,first wave' of anti-corruption activity in the 1990s, such self-organization was largely due to World Bank sponsored national anti-corruption programmes. More broadly, the experience of the first wave of anti-corruption practice sheds light on development theory and practice,helping to explain new development practice with its stress on multi-layeredness, participation, and indigenous knowledge. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Youth and violence: Phenomena and international data

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, Issue 119 2008
Sandra Legge
The topic of youth, violence, and disintegration needs addressing because young women and men are the world's greatest capital. They have the energy, talent, and creativity for building a future. But this group also suffers grave vulnerabilities. The time of adolescence includes important and difficult periods of life (for example, becoming more independent from the family, finding an adequate position in society, and starting a family of one's own). All of these points are strongly correlated with social integration, employment, and a place in the labor market,important factors in this context. This article gives an overview of the international development and the actual situation of socially harmful behavior among youths,both fatal violence (homicide) and nonfatal violence (such as bullying, fighting, and carrying weapons). The author shows that different kinds of youth violence represent social problems in every society. The data show that youths are not only perpetrators but also the group with the highest risk of becoming victims of violence. Furthermore, the data from around the world show that their vulnerability is not limited to this sphere. It arises also from their social conditions, especially their high risk of being disintegrated from the labor market. The parallels in the data underline the significance of a functioning institutional structure without positing a deterministic relationship between the risk of economic disintegration and violent behavior. [source]


Rapid knowledge: ,Bridging research and policy' at the Overseas Development Institute,

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2009
Diane Stone
Abstract Numerous organizations advocate the need to ,bridge research and policy'. Philanthropic foundations, national social science funding regimes and international organizations have sought to improve knowledge utilization. Similarly, research consumers such as NGOs and government departments complain of research irrelevance for policy purposes. The concern of this article is with ,evidence informed policy' within the field of international development in which the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a London-based think tank, forms the case study. Most think tanks are driven by the need to influence immediate political agendas but ODI has also developed organizational strategies of policy entrepreneurship that extend to longer term influence through creating human capital, building networks and engaging policy communities. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Individual learning and building organisational capacity for development,

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2007
Hazel Johnson
Abstract Building capacities and capabilities for international development is an ongoing subject for debate, further fuelled by recent interest in learning and knowledge. This article focuses on how, and the extent to which, individual learners in education and training programmes for development policy and management interact with their organisations to build capacities and capabilities. It demonstrates some of the ways that individual learning and organisational capacity are linked by examining case studies from Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The article reflects on the complex nature of this interaction and on the broader challenges of linking learning to development. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Perils of religion: need for spirituality in the public sphere

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2006
Paul Collins
Abstract On both sides of the Atlantic, there is increased professional concern over roles in international public sector management,whether those of the policy makers, administrators or consultants. Growing numbers across many sectors feel an unprecedented crisis of identity and integrity. In international development, institutions often find themselves subordinated to the military in ever increasing conflict situations (the ,development-security complex'). Locally, the global tendency is for public administration to be ,re-engineered' on the basis of so-called ,market' values (the ,New Public Administration'). Private sector management models are, nevertheless, hardly exemplary. Corporate greed and scandals proliferate in a world featuring increasing poverty extremes, resurgence of old or advent in new diseases (e.g. HIV/Aids), environmental degradation and racism. This article takes, as its starting point, the fact that the workplace has become an insecure and alienating environment. In pursuing the relationship between spirituality and religion, the article next distinguishes between, the dogmatic, institutionalised and potentially dangerous characteristics of many religions and the more intuitively contemplative character of spirituality with its stress on awareness of self, impact on others and feeling of universal connectedness. Bearing in mind the often extremism as well as variety of religions (as distinct from spirituality), the second section examines the interrelationship between the two. A number of models are advanced concerning relationships between belief, belonging, salvation and ritual. It is argued that attention needs to be given to the inner side of religion, which requires individuals to embark on a spiritual journey through contemplation and reflection, rather than the more visible side of religion expressed in ritual. In sum, spiritual dialogue is offered as a way forward and as a mechanism for building spiritual community through engagement. The final part of the article focuses on a trans-Atlantic spiritual engagement initiative. Faith-based discussion groups have been formed amongst business executives and professionals in USA (the Woodstock Business Conference promoted out of Georgetown University) and more recently in the City of London at the St Paul's Cathedral Institute (the Paternoster Pilot Group). These aim to develop more meaningful work orientation: rediscovery of higher purpose and its relevance to restoration of ethical business and public service values, as well as better integration of personal and social domains. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Front and Back Covers, Volume 25, Number 5.

ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 5 2009
October 200
Front and back cover caption, volume 25 issue 5 FIELDWORK AND TECHNOLOGY The images on the front and back covers illustrate two of several reflections in this issue on the impacts of technology on the world studied by anthropologists. On the front cover, an internet cafe is one of the first sights to greet visitors to Dhunche, once a ,remote' area in northern Nepal. On the back cover, a youth tries out a telescope during the commemoration of the confirmation of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity at Roça Sundy, Príncipe, where Arthur Eddington observed a total solar eclipse. In his editorial, Bob Simpson remarks on how much the craft of fieldwork has changed as a result of the widespread on-site availability of communications technology, placing even the remotest sites within reach of home or employer. In this post-Malinowskian fieldwork, where the distinction between back here and out there has disappeared, what are the implications of this for our craft and for the quality of our obversations? Gisa Weszkalnys reflects on her fieldwork site of Príncipe as the location of one of the most important events in 20th-century science, the confirmation of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. She overlays the 2009 commemoration of this event, with international institutions promoting scientific knowledge and tourism, with another, colonial history of Príncipe as the focus of a controversy around the alleged use of slave labour in its cocoa plantations. As Kristín Loftsdóttir argues in her article, science and technology are among a range of markers used to determine who is most in need of international development, thus contributing to what she calls the ,racialization of development'. Akbar Ahmed alerts us to the fear in Washington, DC and Islamabad that the Taliban, who have recently taken over his field site in Swat Province, could potentially destabilize world order by appropriating nuclear technology. There are evidently many ways in which science and technology can and do affect our field sites. One of the greatest challenges for anthropology will be to experiment creatively and innovate with appropriate technologies in partnership. In this way we can generate more egalitarian conversations in an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust and tolerance. Whatever fieldwork becomes, it must be founded on such engagement with the broadest of publics, while making the most of these new technologies. [source]


Invisible colour: Landscapes of whiteness and racial identity in international development

ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 5 2009
Kristín Loftsdóttir
Racialized identity in relation to international development is a surprisingly unanalyzed theme within anthropology, even though extensively explored in connection with contemporary western multi-cultural societies and historical relations between different parts of the world. In the paper I explore race and whiteness in relation to international development, emphasizing the importance of analyzing how the historical construction of racial identity continues to inform actual lived relationships of people belonging to different geographical spaces. In order to capture the importance of development in visual and everyday lives of people in different parts of the world, I use the term "developscape", adapting Arjun Appadurai's (1996) idea of globalization consisting of different "scapes", furhtermore, as asking how this "developscape" is racialized. [source]


The Short cut to international development: representing Africa in ,New Britain'

AREA, Issue 1 2000
Marcus Power
Summary Under New Labour, the British Department for International Development (DFID) promises a radical and alternative new ,development agenda' and, more specifically, an end to ,development handouts'. The short cut to international development envisioned by Secretary of State Clare Short is explored in this paper, as is the ,messy' contextuality of writing about development in ,New Britain'. This paper raises questions about New Labour's discussion of the ,moral authority' for international development in ,post-colonial' Britain, particularly in light of the recent ,arms-to-Africa' affair involving Britain and Sierra Leone. The paper argues that Britannia's neoliberal vision of development is not so ,cool' and that, in ethical terms, the development of foreign policy toward Africa has not been consistent. In conclusion, the paper raises doubts about the likelihood of world poverty being halved by 2015 (as the DFID has confidently predicted). [source]


Trade in Services: Wider Implications for Accounting Standard-Setters and Accountants

AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 33 2004
Susan Newberry
This article identifies a source of influence in the international development of biased rules that systematically privilege engagement in PPPs, noting that the use of PPPs was one of several projects. The full set of projects is consistent with a larger agenda, trade liberalisation of services through enforceable rules. Members of an international web of relationships promoting PPPs and, in effect, the rules-based trade liberalisation agenda, include the accounting profession. The profession's active involvement in this web of relationships compromises its legitimacy as a standard-setting body. [source]


Exploring the dilemma of local sourcing versus international development , the case of the flower industry

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2008
Diane Holt
Abstract This paper examines the debate surrounding local versus international sourcing of retail products, particularly food and flowers, in light of the emerging carbon imperative. It begins by examining the Fairtrade market and then examines ,food miles' and carbon impact. The complexity of sourcing decisions when considering both international development issues and the emerging carbon agenda is considered using the case of the cut flower industry. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]