Foreign aid and national priorities

Foreign aid evolved from a combination of postwar trends—reconstruction efforts, U.S. foreign policy objectives, post-colonial relations, and humanitarianism. At no prior time has foreign aid played a role in relations among nations; and there are signs—relative stagnation of aid flows, increased doubts about the aid relationship—that aid in its present form may not be a permanent feature of the international scene. One of the important questions to be addressed as we speculate about the prospects for the Second Development Decade and beyond, is whether this is a process to be resisted or an evolution to be aided.     

Sopranos but not tenors live longer

The longer life spans of females compared to males has been attributed to the effects of sex hormones. Since experimental tests of this possibility in humans are unethical, indirect studies have been relied on for evidence. The present study offers such indirect evidence by comparing life spans of female and male opera singers, since sex hormones are known to influence development of voice. Life spans of sopranos were found to be significantly greater than those of lower voice registered contraltos, even after controlling for birth year. Differences among male opera singers were not statistically significant. The data support the hypothesis that females live longer than males because of the beneficial effects of estrogens on longevity-related genes.     

Spatial Contestation,Victimisation and Resistance during Xenophobic Violence: The Experiences of Somali Migrants in Post‐Apartheid South Africa

This article discusses how violence between South Africans and Somali migrants plays out in different forms of spatial contestation, victimization and resistance during xenophobic attacks. It analyses Somalis’ entrepreneurial strategies and the implications for access and appropriation of social and economic spaces around Cape Town. The article attempts to connect Somali perceptions of xenophobia and South Africans’ claims of spatial entitlement to issues of spatial control, belonging and social inclusion in South Africa. It argues that by establishing businesses in urban spaces and townships, Somali migrants have managed to establish stronger bonds and a collective identity, which give them better control over these spaces. Although their business tactics have propelled spatial contestations in which they have become easy targets during xenophobic incursions, the clustering of businesses has also created Somali‐dominated localities around Cape Town, which facilitates rapid mobilization to respond to or to resist different forms of crime and violence.     

Community Structure and the Mobilization of Support

Grâce à l'étude d'un mouvement social en faveur de l'incorporation de deux banlieues dans une agglomération, les auteurs examinent le succès du leadership à s'assurer l'appui populaire en rapport avec les structures sociales de la communauté. Leur analyse indique que l'obtention de cet appui est affecté par deux ensembles de conditions. Premièrement, les dispositions structurales qui contribuent à la communauté. Leur analyse collectivité nuisent aux leaders dans leur tâche alors que celles qui l'intègrent morphologiquement la facilitent. En second lieu, la position sociale de ceux qui assument la direction du mouvement et leurs liens avec divers organismes communautaires affectent aussi leurs possibilités de mobiliser l'appui populaire qu'ils souhaitent.     

北京市社会办养老院入住老人生活状况及满意度调查分析

随着社会福利社会化及相关政策的出台,社会办养老院迅速发展起来,机构养老方式也逐渐为更多的老人所接受。在养老院数量快速增加的同时,其服务质量也应得到及时的关注。本文在对北京市社会办养老院入住老人生活状况和满意度问卷调查的基础上,分析了入住老人的生活质量和支持网络,并且从服务使用者的角度探析社会办养老院的服务状况和服务质量,并藉此对此类养老院近期的发展提出建议。     

Blowing the Same Trumpet? Pluralist Protest in Burkina Faso

Protesters employed a great variety of organizational forms in the cycles of popular contention that rocked the West African country of Burkina Faso from early 2011 through the overthrow of President Blaise Compaoré in October 2014. While some actions appeared largely leaderless and unstructured, others were clearly better organized and under some central direction. The organizations ranged from very local and loosely linked networks of student and community activists to professional national structures, such as union federations and political parties. The latter may have been better at articulating grievances and directly confronting state power and policies. But the former exhibited considerable tenacity and could more quickly draw in wider sectors of the population. Activists did not necessarily see one form as superior to the other; they had different strengths and weaknesses, depending on the particular conjuncture and goal. The big challenge, many agreed, was how to better coordinate their struggles.     

The Relationship Between Spiritual Well-Being and Health-Related Quality of Life in College Students

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and various aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQL) of college students. Participants and Methods: Two hundred twenty-five participants were surveyed during October 2010 to assess SWB and HRQL using the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and questions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's scale for HRQL, respectively. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses tested the relationship between SWB and multiple measures of HRQL while controlling for sex, age, and race. Results: Participants who reported higher SWB scores were more likely to participate in religious-type activities and report better HRQL compared with students who reported a moderate sense of SWB. Jointly, SWB and participation in religious activities explained 18% of the variance in HQRL in this sample. Conclusions: SWB made a significant contribution to HRQL in a sample of college students. Such a relationship should be considered by campus health program planners to improve the quality of life of young adults.