Search results for "Development economics"
showing 10 items of 243 documents
Addressing informality, gender and ethnicity in domestic labour
2014
The legal framework concerning household employment has undergone a number of changes worldwide. The 100th International Labour Conference in June 2011 was highly significant as it adopted the first international labour standards specifically for domestic workers: Convention No. 189 and the supplementing Recommendation No. 201. This article analyses recent Spanish reforms (2011–2013) in order to assess the effects of these changes, taking into account the characteristics of domestic work: feminized, informal, ethnicized and vulnerable. Although aimed at improving employment and working conditions, the new Spanish legislation has resulted in a number of setbacks as well as some progress. The…
How Can World Leaders Understand the Perverse Core of Terrorism?
2017
Based on the recently-dated terrorist attacks perpetrated in Europe, where terrorists weaponized classic forms of transport against civilian targets, one might speculate that likely mobilities and terrorism would be inextricably intertwined. In the mid of this mayhem, this chapter centers on the mobilities-paradigm as an ideological platform that keeps the interests of ruling elite, inasmuch as only 1% of mankind is legally authorized to travel worldwide. It is vital for social scientists to interrogate on the cultural effects of 9/11, in a world which is characterized by serious economic imbalances. In this world of full contrasts, while first world tourists are encouraged to move from one…
COVID-19, an opportunity for developing countries?
2020
The COVID-19 outbreak was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as global pandemic in March 2020. Considering the necessity to implement rapid response to control the pandemic and the fragility and the state of need of low income countries, it will be mandatory to develop a global approach in order to reduce the spread of infection and the creation of community viral reservoirs. So far, we could hypothesize a worst case scenario in which when the COVID-19 outbreak hits a peak in Africa and in low-income countries, the majority of such countries will be unprepared, with low resources allocated for affording the viral emergency and the consequences will be catastrophic with no lesso…
The politics of space in Borana Oromo, Ethiopia: demographics, elections, identity and customary institutions
2010
This article addresses the protracted state of political violence in and around the Borana and Guji zones of Oromia region after the introduction of ethnic federalism in Ethiopia. To account for the persistence of the conflict, we must elaborate on the connections between ethnic identity, natural resource and customary institutions by introducing the notion of oprimary identityo. Since the turn of the millennium there is in Ethiopia a theoretically grounded attempt to co-opt customary institutions and elders into modern governance, particularly in the pastoral sector. Field-research focused on the interplay of customary and modern politics during two electoral events, the 2004 referendum or…
Urban Development and Social Change in Qatar: The Qatar National Vision 2030 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup
2012
On 2 December 2010, Qatar, the exotic outsider, surprisingly won the bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, thereby becoming the first Middle Eastern country chosen to host the global festival of this ‘royal football league’. Qataris have high hopes for the tournament, and ambitious aims for their country's development in preparation for 2022 and beyond. Since the rise to power of the current Amir, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in 1995, he has gradually introduced neoliberal policies in an attempt to build a knowledge-based economy. These developments are taking place in the context of Qatar's National Vision 2030, the blueprint for Qatar's economic, social, human, and environmental developm…
Freedom from Hate: Solidarity and Non-violent Political Struggle in Poland
2002
Thirty-first August 2001 marked the 21st anniversary of the end of prolonged strikes in Poland that resulted in the forming of the trade union Solidarity. The struggle of Solidarity remains a powerful lesson in political non-violence. In spite of the wide support it enjoyed in Polish society, Solidarity was outlawed in December 1981 and its leaders were imprisoned. If one is suppressed by force, one can answer with force. But Solidarity did not. Was it an ethical standpoint that Solidarity used only peaceful means in its defence or a utilitarian or pragmatic strategy? The paper argues that it was both. The struggle of Solidarity was not only guided by pragmatic considerations on how to achi…
The dark side of cultural policy: economic and political instrumentalisation, white elephants, and corruption in Valencian cultural institutions
2017
Cultural policy is usually assessed as a positive element for socio-economic development and therefore, its criticism is generally confined to poor implementation and discussion of its social effec...
Cultural policy and cultural diversity in Finland
2008
Post‐war immigration has produced new ethnic and cultural diversity in European societies. The issues of multiculturalism and interculturalism have also gradually entered the agendas of local and national cultural policy makers. In this article, we explore the development of the relationships between cultural diversity, immigration policy, and cultural policy in Finland. Special attention is given to the capital city of Helsinki. The analysis of policy documents, institutional arrangements and interviews carried out with key actors reveal discrepancies between official intentions and practical solutions. Neither is the incorporation of the diversity into the traditional minority policy unam…
Through the Gaze of Morbidity and Consumption
2019
The chapter theorizes the rise of dark tourism in Southeast destinations. This represents an unexplored segment for the specialized literature that devotes its efforts in studying Western study cases. There were two important findings. Firstly, and most importantly, dark tourism gives an ideological explanation to the Cold War that sometimes singles out the history of colonialism, the rise of the US as a superpower, and the interests of the Soviet Union. Essentially in consonance with Tzanelli, Sather Wagstaff, and Guidotti Hernandez, the authors hold the thesis that the heritage of dark tourism serves an ideological instrument of power, which is orchestrated by a ruling elite to promote a …
A look into the future of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe : an expert consultation
2021
How will the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic develop in the coming months and years? Based on an expert survey, we examine key aspects that are likely to influence COVID-19 in Europe. The future challenges and developments will strongly depend on the progress of national and global vaccination programs, the emergence and spread of variants of concern, and public responses to nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). In the short term, many people are still unvaccinated, VOCs continue to emerge and spread, and mobility and population mixing is expected to increase over the summer. Therefore, policies that lift restrictions too much and too early risk another damaging wave. This ch…