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Limited Progress (limited + progress)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

FIGHTING FIRE WITH A BROKEN TEACUP: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOUTH AFRICA'S LAND-REDISTRIBUTION PROGRAM,

GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, Issue 3 2008
WILLIAM G. MOSELEY
ABSTRACT. Since the rise of its first democratically elected government in 1994, South Africa has sought to redress its highly inequitable land distribution through a series of land-reform programs. In this study we examine land-redistribution efforts in two of South Africa's provinces, the Western Cape and Limpopo. By analyzing a cross-section of projects in these two locales we develop a political ecology of stymied land-reform possibilities to explain the limited progress to date. Given South Africa's ambitious goal of redistributing 30 percent of its white-owned land by 2014 and the incremental and flawed nature of its redistribution program, we argue that the process is like trying to put out a fire with a broken teacup. Our results are based on interviews with policymakers, commercial farmers, and land-redistribution beneficiaries, as well as on an analysis of land-use change in Limpopo Province. [source]

Comparative Policy Brief: Status of Intellectual Disabilities in the Republic of Zambia

JOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2008
James Mung'omba
Abstract, In the Republic of Zambia, an estimated 256,000 persons have some form of disability, and of these, 5.4% have intellectual disabilities. Even now, traditional beliefs about the etiology of intellectual disabilities persist and considerable stigma is attached to the presence of persons with intellectual disabilities who are often excluded from community life. Recently, antidiscrimination legislation has been enacted and there is a policy related to pupils with special educational needs. Although a range of Zambian and international nongovernmental organizations and church groups have developed services for children and their families, their impact is impeded by widespread poverty. Adults remain vulnerable, with no entitlement to social welfare benefits and very limited access either to government-led trust funds for persons with disabilities or to employment. The most striking issue is poverty (Zambia is one of the world's poorest nations) and an absence of even basic support for people with intellectual disabilities outside of families. Other key issues include a lack of useful data, no specific policy related to persons with intellectual disabilities, and limited progress in achieving education for all. [source]

Definitions of the phenotypic manifestations of sickle cell disease,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Samir K. Ballas
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a pleiotropic genetic disorder of hemoglobin that has profound multiorgan effects. The low prevalence of SCD (,100,000/US) has limited progress in clinical, basic, and translational research. Lack of a large, readily accessible population for clinical studies has contributed to the absence of standard definitions and diagnostic criteria for the numerous complications of SCD and inadequate understanding of SCD pathophysiology. In 2005, the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers initiated a project to establish consensus definitions of the most frequently occurring complications. A group of clinicians and scientists with extensive expertise in research and treatment of SCD gathered to identify and categorize the most common complications. From this group, a formal writing team was formed that further reviewed the literature, sought specialist input, and produced definitions in a standard format. This article provides an overview of the process and describes 12 body system categories and the most prevalent or severe complications within these categories. A detailed Appendix provides standardized definitions for all complications identified within each system. This report proposes use of these definitions for studies of SCD complications, so future studies can be comparably robust and treatment efficacy measured. Use of these definitions will support greater accuracy in genotype,phenotype studies, thereby achieving a better understanding of SCD pathophysiology. This should nevertheless be viewed as a dynamic rather than final document; phenotype descriptions should be reevaluated and revised periodically to provide the most current standard definitions as etiologic factors are better understood, and new diagnostic options are developed. Am. J. Hematol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Transactions costs as an obstacle to fisheries self-governance in New Zealand

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2010
Ralph E. Townsend
When faced with opportunities for greater self-governance, the New Zealand fishing industry managed to make only limited progress. Why industry was unable to progress self-management more effectively remains an interesting question. This paper argues that the benefits of greater self-governance were probably less than the significant transactions costs to self-organise. The benefits were probably smaller in New Zealand than elsewhere, because reform had already reduced the costs of fisheries administration. And the transactions costs confronting industry were substantial. First, unanimous agreement was required for self-governance, which created high transactions costs. Second, the tools for private enforcement were limited. Third, policy failed to specify clearly the expectations of self-governance, so the investments in self-governance are unusually risky. The government had unrealistic expectations that self-governance would solve third-party environmental externalities as well as fishing externalities. This implied high transactions costs to negotiate with third parties, such as environmental groups. Fourth, the standards for accountability were difficult to specify. This experience identifies four key policies if devolved fisheries governance is to be promoted: non-unanimous decision-making; private enforcement; clarity on areas for self-governance; and clarity on accountability standards. [source]