Public participation and the politics of humiliation

ABSTRACT

The article contends that the most popular form of Public Participation (PP) in SA is public protest, which, as a result of historical continuity, represents a direct response to the humiliations experienced by the poor, unemployed and socially excluded. Despite an enlightened human rights Constitution, if citizens are treated as consumers and left to the vagaries of the market PP mechanisms are likely to fail as they do not address the real social issues at the root of the discontent.     

Marital Aspirations,Sexual Behaviors,and HIV/AIDS in Rural Malawi

We explore how marital aspirations are related to the sexual behaviors of adolescents and young adults in Malawi, where HIV/AIDS prevalence among adults exceeds 10%. We also consider whether the specter of AIDS is shaping ideals about marriage. By combining survey data (N = 1,087) and in‐depth interviews (N = 133) with young Malawians from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project, we show that looking for and finding a suitable spouse are linked to sexual behaviors and, thus, HIV risks. Moreover, concerns about contracting HIV are closely tied to the ideal characteristics of a future spouse. Our findings draw long‐overdue attention to the importance of marital aspirations in understanding adolescent sexual behaviors and risks in the era of AIDS.     

Uncertainty and the Second Space: Modern Birth Timing and the Dilemma of Education

This paper focuses on the relationship between experiential and statistical uncertainties in the timing of births in Cameroon (Central Africa). Most theories of fertility level and change emphasize the emergence of parity-specific control, treating desired family size as both central, and stable across the life course. By contrast, this paper argues for a theory of reproduction that emphasizes process, social context, and contingency. The paper concentrates on the second birth interval, showing that it is longer and more variable among educated than among uneducated women. The paper argues that this difference is due to the specific forms of uncertainty associated with education in contemporary Cameroon.     

评1980年代撒哈拉以南非洲国家的经济结构调整

1980年代,在世界银行和国际货币基金组织的指导下,大部分撒哈拉以南国家进行了经济结构调整。世界银行和国际货币基金组织所制订的结构调整方案,有一定的合理因素,比如建立市场经济体系和重视农业生产等。但是,由于方案以西方国家经济发展模式为蓝本,与非洲国家的国情不符,改革最终失败。     

非洲的环境危机和可持续发展

非洲确已出现严重的环境危机,但不同于工业化国家的环境公害,环境退化与贫困化、经济危机和社会政治不稳定共同作用、使非洲陷入以欠发展为特征的“发展陷阱”,只有实施以反贫困为突破口,把环境保护、经济发展、社会稳定和政治变革结合起来的可持续发展战略,非常才 能遏止边缘化的趋势。     

Structural Pluralism and Life Expectancy in Less-Developed Countries: The Role of Women's Status

This study replicates a previous finding forthe U.S. counties that showed a strongassociation, net of controls between``structural pluralism' and lower mortality. ``Structural pluralism' refers to a community'scapacity for political competition, and is acore element of ``democracy.' Pluralism hasthis effect because it facilitates theacquisition of appropriate medical facilitiesand because it tends to optimize the biologicalfunctioning of the residents. Working from amajor component of pluralism, minorityparticipation, this hypothesis is tested byshowing that women's status in less developedcountries improves life expectancy net ofcontrols. A path analysis demonstrates thatthe structural dimensions work through healthorganization as an intervening variable, andthe future testing of biological optimizationis outlined. Location in Africa south of theSahara is a partially unexplained controlvariable that has a powerful negative impact. Interpreting women's status as a component ofpluralism explains why it predicts increasedlife expectancy for all citizens, not justwomen. It is a global dimension that affectsall the members of a community.     

The witch doctor's pharmacist

This article explores the state of, and prospects for, training and development within the South African maritime industry, and is based on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with employers, the principal union, training institutions and regulatory bodies. Findings are that a deeply embedded racial division of labour persists, that there is a serious shortage of employment opportunities, and that training and certification remain fragmented. The article concludes that the quality of training provided is of a high standard, but there is a vital need for a coherent overall policy linking initial training with employment opportunities, ongoing skills development and the promotion of greater equality.     

试析日本对南非的经济战略

在经济全球化的国际背景下，日本对外经济政策一直顺应国际形势的发展变化，在实施亚洲战略的同时，又高度关注非洲。这对于一个资源极其缺乏的日本而言，是非常重要的。日本经济的发展需要大量进口诸如铂、锰、钴、钒等稀有矿产，而这些矿产主要盛产于非洲，尤其是南非，其稀有资源的储量居于世界前列。为此日本在经济战略上一直关注南非。两国经贸关系虽然经历了两次世界大战、世界经济危机和国际社会对南非制裁的洗礼、以及当今国际社会对南非稀有金属市场的关注和争夺，但两国一直保持着良好的发展势头，南非在日本的经贸关系的重要地位也逐渐凸现出来。特别是进入2I世纪以后，日本已将确保稀有金属列为国家能源及资源战略的重要一环。日本与南非的战略贸易关系也变得更为密切。     

Impacts of the Triple Global Crisis on Growth and Poverty: The Case of Yemen

Yemen is an oil‐exporting and food‐importing country with the highest levels of poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. The impacts of the triple crisis are likely to further complicate pre‐existing conditions of conflict, oil depletion and governance failure. Using a dynamic CGE model, this article finds that oil‐driven growth in 2008 dominated the negative growth impacts of the food crisis, but that growth was not pro‐poor. The financial crisis of 2009 slowed growth sharply and raised the poverty rate to 42.8%, up from 34.8% in 2005/6. Poverty continues to be higher in rural areas, where almost half the population live in poverty.