Democracy, poverty and civil society in Mozambique

National elections were held in Mozambique for the fifth time in October 2014. As a state, Mozambique – like many ‘fourth-wave’ transition countries – fulfils the formal criteria of democracy. But to what extent are the mechanisms of accountability implemented? In Africa, two issues have been identified as key impediments for successful democratic transition: failure to improve the welfare of the poor and the ‘pre-modern’ character of civil society. In Mozambique, robust economic growth has been accompanied by growing inequality, while traditional civil society organisations (CSOs) have become increasingly visible on local level since the political transition in 1994. Based on the analysis …

Saying the Saffu and Beating the Law: The Changing Role of Sacred Sites in the Oromo Politico-Juridical System

This chapter presents a semiotic analysis of the role of sacred sites and other physical features and objects in key political/religious rituals of the Oromo people living in the Horn of Africa. Theoretically, it builds on Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction of the concept of ‘archive’ as an intersection of the topological and the nomological of the place and the law. For Derrida, the place of the archive is not a locatable place, but a topos, the marking of a discourse. In contrast to the European tradition based primarily on archives inscribed in writing and summarised in a codified law, for the traditional Oromo society, laws were part of the oral tradition – a mixture of religion, law and …

Emerging and Traditional Donors in the ‘Post-Busan’ Context: Assessing Brazil’s and Finland’s Cooperation Practices in Mozambique

At the same time as the ‘emerging donors’ have gained relevance in the development cooperation system, they have also challenged established principles of aid. This article compares Brazil's and Finland's development cooperation practices in the light of recent global tendencies in the aid architecture. Based on empirical research carried out in Mozambique, Brazil, and Finland, the article gives a detailed review of the institutional and historical settings of each bilateral cooperation. The authors then analyse how two central concepts reinforced during the Busan High Level Forum have been put into practice by a ‘new emerging’ and a ‘traditional Nordic’ donor. For ‘development effectivenes…

sj-pdf-1-sjp-10.1177_14034948221074974 – Supplemental material for Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-sjp-10.1177_14034948221074974 for Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme by Laura Peutere, Terhi Ravaska, Petri Bӧckerman, Ari Vӓӓnӓnen and Pekka Virtanen in Scandinavian Journal of Public Health

sj-docx-1-sjp-10.1177_14034948221074974 – Supplemental material for Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-sjp-10.1177_14034948221074974 for Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme by Laura Peutere, Terhi Ravaska, Petri Bӧckerman, Ari Vӓӓnӓnen and Pekka Virtanen in Scandinavian Journal of Public Health

Global Climate Policies, Local Institutions and Food Security in a Pastoral Society in Ethiopia

This paper explores climate change adaptation within national policy priorities in a least developed country (LDC). The premise of the article is that when considering food security, climate is an exogenous trigger, while the deeper causes lie in social problems. Therefore, adaptation is subordinate to poverty alleviation. The paper examines how these two goals, climate adaptation and poverty alleviation, can be combined. Recent studies have shown that the most effective way to adapt to changing climate conditions in a poor country is to rely on local institutions that have established and sustainable mechanisms to deal with extreme climatic conditions. This research analyzes the stakeholde…

Global, National, or Market? Emerging REDD+ Governance Practices in Mozambique and Tanzania

This article examines emerging governance practices in the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiative. We examine three different general governance practices (neoliberal, post-national, and government-led practices) that have been applied in the interaction between international organizations and two REDD target countries: Mozambique and Tanzania. In these countries, we find that emerging REDD+ governance practices are a mixture of international organizations’ procedural practices and the target country’s established governance practices, whereas neoliberal practices are weakly expressed. These findings call into question the simplified assumption of re…

Complex effects of natural disasters on protected areas

It is now broadly recognised that in order to be sustainable, protected areas (PAs) must bring concrete benefits to local populations who suffer from the restrictions imposed for conservation. Natural disasters, such as major floods, bring additional challenges to conservation efforts and related support activities, notably nature-based tourism. Disasters often intensify conflicts between conservation objectives and local community needs, but they may also bring some mutual benefits. Reduced income from decreased nature-based tourism can, for example, lead to expansion of agricultural fields to protected forests, and subsequent land-use conflicts. Yet, disasters can also strengthen feelings…

Assessing tolerance for wildlife: human-elephant conflict in Chimanimani, Mozambique

Human–elephant conflict (HEC) is a common problem for rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent studies have shown that willingness to tolerate wildlife is largely a function of perceived risks and benefits, but most technical assessments are limited to the immediate cause of the conflict and neglect the broader socioeconomic and political contexts. Based on two sets of interviews, this article provides a socioeconomic analysis of HEC in the buffer zone of Chimanimani National Reserve in Mozambique. Although traditional methods to scare off elephants were found to have little effect, a beehive fence introduced in 2016 initially appeared to be successful. However, follow-up three years…

Making conservation sustainable under unfavourable conditions : the case of Chimanimani National Reserve, Mozambique

Based on a case study from the Chimanimani National Reserve in Mozambique, this article analyses to what extent different types of operational practices can contribute to the sustainability of protected areas in relatively unfavourable external conditions. While current conservation policies highlight community participation and market-based approaches, the same “best practices” are not equally valid under different conditions. Where unfavourable natural conditions, lack of infrastructure, difficult access and political instability limit the potential for upmarket ecotourism, actors should focus on community empowerment, diversification of livelihoods, and building joint conservation ideolo…

Budjettitukiyhteistyön tuloksellisuuden ja vaikuttavuuden arviointi: Suomen yleinen budjettituki Mosambikille

Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of general budget support: Finnish support to Mozambique The Paris Declaration commits both donors and recipients to hold each other accountable for the effectiveness of aid. In this context, general budget support (GBS) has been promoted as the most suitable form of aid for fulfilling commitments made under the declaration. The article examines the challenges faced in evaluating the effectiveness and impact of Finnish GBS to Mozambique. The evaluation of GBS is approached focusing on three elements of the theory of change behind the programme: setting the boundaries of GBS, identifying various interpretations of ‘mutual accountability’, and assess…

Intention and practice in environmental governance : Integrated Landscape Approach & REDD

Practices of development assistance and climate change mitigation in reshaping the Mozambican REDD+ strategy

ABSTRACTThis paper studies how the practices of climate change governance and development assistance have reshaped the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) process in Mozambique. We look at how the original goals of the Mozambican REDD+ strategy changed in the interplay of different governance-related practices, both those originating locally and nationally, and those coming from international organisations. The paper is based on the frameworks of multilevel governance and practice theory. We identify six combinations of practices that are relevant in the REDD+ programmes and projects. Three of them are incorporated in the general idea of sustainability, inclu…

Rewriting Oromo History in the North: Diasporic Discourse about National Identity and Democracy in Ethiopia

This article analyzes the way the Oromo intellectuals living in diaspora have reflected on and positioned themselves in the ethno-political conflict and related debate between the dominant Amharic- and Tigrinya-speaking “Abyssinian” groups and the descendants of the various Oromo groups, which were conquered by the former during the nineteenth century. Even though they are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, a large part of the Oromo perceive themselves as discriminated against and exploited by the groups holding political power, and many have fled the country. In the debate, the Oromo diaspora has had an important role. Theoretically, the article takes off from the concept of “orientati…

Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme

Aims: Psychotherapy is a widely used treatment for mental disorders, but whether it also improves employment and other labour market outcomes remains inconclusive. This study examined the effectiveness of a nationwide subsidized psychotherapy programme using extensive register-based data. Methods: The sample consisted of individuals who applied for rehabilitative psychotherapy in Finland in 2009–2012 ( n = 35,083). Prior to 2011, some applications were rejected due to the limited budget that the central government provided for the programme. From 2011, all eligible applicants were granted rehabilitation. We used propensity score matching to create balanced samples of those who received a ne…

Áreas protegidas e urbanização : o caso da APA da ilha do Combú, Belém-PA

The paper seeks to answer two questions: what is the influence of the geographical location of the island of Combú in the metropolitan area of Belém, PA, and whether its current status as an Area of Environmental Protection (APA) has any impact on biodiversity and socioeconomic development? Similar to other riverside areas in the Amazon, Combú has a long history of involvement in the trade of extractive products. However, its geographical proximity to Belém and consequent access to markets made producers less dependent on intermediaries, while the ownership of resources was based on independent family units. Therefore, the dominant mode of caboclo extractivism, together with limited access …

Impact of Conservation Policies on Households’ Deforestation Decisions in Protected and Open-Access Forests: Cases of Moribane Forest Reserve and Serra Chôa, Mozambique

Tropical deforestation is considered a global priority due to its environmental, social, and economic impacts at international, national, and household levels. Conservation policies constitute one of the pathways to reverse this scenario. This paper examines the influence of forest protection measures on local communities’ livelihood decisions regarding forest clearing. It compares deforestation, access to forest resources, and households’ strategies in protected and open-access forests: the Moribane Forest Reserve (MFR) and Serra Chôa (SCH), two environmentally sensitive areas with different conservation statuses in Manica Province, central Mozambique. Socioeconomic data were collected fro…

sj-pdf-1-sjp-10.1177_14034948221074974 – Supplemental material for Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-sjp-10.1177_14034948221074974 for Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme by Laura Peutere, Terhi Ravaska, Petri Bӧckerman, Ari Vӓӓnӓnen and Pekka Virtanen in Scandinavian Journal of Public Health

Pacted transition to democracy : The case of Mozambique

The findings of “third wave” studies on democratic transitions in Southern Europe and Latin America from the 1970s suggested that a democratic outcome is most likely when contending parties are relatively equal and elites make a pact to navigate the transition process. However, later studies of post-communist transitions do not support this inference. This paper analyses the transition process in Mozambique, a former “Afro-communist” regime, during the early 1990s. The findings show that – contrary to the conclusions drawn from the “third wave” studies – in Mozambique the pact concluded in the context of the peace accord of 1992, which ended a sixteenyear civil war, had contradictory result…