There has recently been a large increase in global land acquisitions for fuel and food production. This has been spurred on by the combined global food, fuel and financial crisis. Speculators have been seeking out ‘cheap’ and what the investors and international development agencies term ‘idle land’ to occupy or lease. Large tracts of land are being allocated predominantly from developing nations such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe – and in the majority of cases the land is not ‘idle’ at all.
The large scale biofuel industry plays a significant role in this and has expanded rapidly in recent years, particularly in Mozambique. In this thesis the author aims to examine whether developing nations such as Mozambique have achieved poverty reduction through large scale biofuel projects and the assesses the impact it has made on many ordinary landowners in that country.
Author: Claire Burgess Follow @Claireburgo
Large Scale Biofuel Projects in Mozambique: A Solution to Poverty? (131)
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Large Scale Biofuel Projects in Mozambique: A Solution to Poverty?
The Sustainability of Development Cooperation – An Assessment of North-South and South-South Approaches
Contemporary development cooperation is at a crossroads. Global climate change, a legacy of failed aid, and the recent economic crises have made it abundantly clear, that the global North can no longer claim a leading role in international development. Postulating as axiomatic that international cooperation needs to be sustainable in order to produce effective change, this thesis presents a sustainability assessment of development cooperation. The trends outlined above bring South-South cooperation into the spotlight and justify the question: “To what degree can North-South and South-South cooperation be considered sustainable?” Using incentives, ownership and accountability as indicators for sustainability, this study shows that South-South cooperation (SSC) can contribute important knowledge about the architecture of development aid. However, the discourse about SSC is not yet as established as the discussion of North-South aid. Hence, there is room for stronger institutionalization and the potential to rewrite the course of international development cooperation.
Author: Svenja Quitsch Follow @SvenjaQ
The Sustainability of Development Cooperation – An Assessment of North-South and South-South Approaches (149)
‘One size fits all.’ How much does donor influence in setting educational policy in poor countries lead to improved quality outcomes?
This paper explores the extent to which Donors influence educational policy and the implications this has for education quality in low income countries. The author assesses the evidence using a conceptual framework developed by combining the ideas of several key researchers in this area, to present a clear way of defining ‘quality’ in education.
It aims to demonstrates that donor influence has not led to improved quality and the author will utilise the framework themes to structure possible new visions of education and how it could be harnessed to bring about development.
This paper was submitted in part of the MSc in Development Management at the Open University.
Author:Ashten Regan-Denham Follow @Ashtenr
‘One size fits all.’ How much does donor influence in setting educational policy in poor countries lead to improved quality outcomes? (148)
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The Learn Africa Project: Public Health, Applied Learning and Research Internship
Trevor Mattos is a Pike Scholar at Gordon College, Massachusetts. Earlier this year he and a colleague Miranda MacKinnon travelled to Togo, West Africa to direct a Development and Public Health project that had been planned since the previous year.
This project report details the establishment of the ‘The Learn Africa Project’ and highlights some of the challenges and planning required in establishing a community development and public health project from the base up in a Developing Country. It also highlights the principle research undertaken in preparation for the estabishment of the project.
Report Author: Trevor Mattos
Demographic Dimensions and their Implications on the Incidence of Street Begging in Urban Areas of Central Tanzania: The Case of Dodoma and Singida Municipalities
This study explores the implications of demographic dimensions on the incidence of street begging in urban areas of central Tanzania with Dodoma and Singida Municipalities as case studies. This study was conducted on different days at different streets and public spaces in Dodoma and Singida Municipalities to obtain data on incidence of street begging. A cross-sectional survey was employed and involved 130 street beggars. Structured questionnaires were administered on randomly selected beggars to obtain data on their demographic dimensions. Group discussions, key informant interview, and observations were also used to collect data relevant for the study.
Authors:Baltazar M.L. Namwata, Maseke R. Mgabo and Provident Dimoso
Demographic Dimensions and their Implications on the Incidence of Street Begging in Urban Areas of Central Tanzania (1581)
Dadaab Refugee Camps, Kenya
With conflict and continuing uncertainty affecting the future of Somalia following the US backed Ethiopian invasion it is little wonder Somalis continue to flee their disintegrating country. Since the early 1990’s when large scale civil war broke out the Somali Diaspora has spread far and wide. Nearly a million have fled to already poor neighbouring countries and 400,000 of those headed south to Kenya. Though many have managed to return since there remains over 100,000 mostly Somali refugees in Northern and Eastern Kenya.
Featured Articles & Papers
Large Scale Biofuel Projects in Mozambique: A Solution to Poverty?
There has recently been a large increase in global land acquisitions for fuel and food production. This has been spurred on by the combined global food, fuel and financial crisis. Speculators have been seeking out ‘cheap’ and what the investors and international development agencies term ‘idle land’ to occupy or lease. Large tracts of land are being allocated predominantly from developing nations such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe – and in the majority of cases the land is not ‘idle’ at all.
The large scale biofuel industry plays a significant role in this and has expanded rapidly in recent years, particularly in Mozambique. In this thesis the author aims to examine whether developing nations such as Mozambique have achieved poverty reduction through large scale biofuel projects and the assesses the impact it has made on many ordinary landowners in that country.
Author: Claire Burgess Follow @Claireburgo
Large Scale Biofuel Projects in Mozambique: A Solution to Poverty? (131)
Is it better to be poor in a high-income or a low-income country? – Counter-intuitive reflections, measuring well-being and the impact of inequality
Common-sense may suggest that the poor in rich countries will live better lives than the poor in poor countries. After all, the amenities of modern living are at their disposal and, in most cases, the state provides their basic needs. On one level, this assertion is difficult to refute – with a few rare exceptions, the poor in wealthy countries do not experience the famine or extreme starvation we associate with ‘Developing World poverty’.
However, in the last few decades we have begun to acknowledge that poverty is not just about material needs. There has been a growing understanding that happiness and well-being are central to human existence, and a growing awareness that poverty is actually a multi-dimensional phenomenon that also includes such life characteristics as lack of control over resources, lack of education, poor health and many other non-economic factors. Poverty is also ultimately experienced subjectively and the relationship between this subjective experience and objective life circumstances can at times be quite loose. Given this subjectivity, it is far less clear whether the subjective experience of being poor in a rich country can really be said to be in any way ‘better’ than that of being poor in a poor country.
This essay explores approaches to defining what is meant by ‘better’. It considers the impact of ideas such as Subjective Wellbeing, Happiness and Quality of Life, which focus as much on what people ‘internally’ think and feel about their lives as on the ‘external’ things they have or can do and defines a set of proxies by which this multi-dimensional idea of ‘better’ can be understood.
Author: Matt Haikin Follow @MattHaikin
Is it better to be poor in a high-income or a low-income country? Counter-intuitive reflections, measuring well-being and the impact of inequality (121)
‘One size fits all.’ How much does donor influence in setting educational policy in poor countries lead to improved quality outcomes?
This paper explores the extent to which Donors influence educational policy and the implications this has for education quality in low income countries. The author assesses the evidence using a conceptual framework developed by combining the ideas of several key researchers in this area, to present a clear way of defining ‘quality’ in education.
It aims to demonstrates that donor influence has not led to improved quality and the author will utilise the framework themes to structure possible new visions of education and how it could be harnessed to bring about development.
This paper was submitted in part of the MSc in Development Management at the Open University.
Author:Ashten Regan-Denham Follow @Ashtenr
‘One size fits all.’ How much does donor influence in setting educational policy in poor countries lead to improved quality outcomes? (148)
Is it better to be poor in a high-income or a low-income country? – Counter-intuitive reflections, measuring well-being and the impact of inequality
Common-sense may suggest that the poor in rich countries will live better lives than the poor in poor countries. After all, the amenities of modern living are at their disposal and, in most cases, the state provides their basic needs. On one level, this assertion is difficult to refute – with a few rare exceptions, the poor in wealthy countries do not experience the famine or extreme starvation we associate with ‘Developing World poverty’.
Is it better to be poor in a high-income or a low-income country? Counter-intuitive reflections, measuring well-being and the impact of inequality (121)
However, in the last few decades we have begun to acknowledge that poverty is not just about material needs. There has been a growing understanding that happiness and well-being are central to human existence, and a growing awareness that poverty is actually a multi-dimensional phenomenon that also includes such life characteristics as lack of control over resources, lack of education, poor health and many other non-economic factors. Poverty is also ultimately experienced subjectively and the relationship between this subjective experience and objective life circumstances can at times be quite loose. Given this subjectivity, it is far less clear whether the subjective experience of being poor in a rich country can really be said to be in any way ‘better’ than that of being poor in a poor country.
This essay explores approaches to defining what is meant by ‘better’. It considers the impact of ideas such as Subjective Wellbeing, Happiness and Quality of Life, which focus as much on what people ‘internally’ think and feel about their lives as on the ‘external’ things they have or can do and defines a set of proxies by which this multi-dimensional idea of ‘better’ can be understood.
Author: Matt Haikin Follow @MattHaikin
Posted in Comment & Analysis, Development