An analysis of donor engagement with education policy development in Lao PDR from 1991 to 2000

This paper describes the relationship between donor agencies and government during the development of Lao basic education policy in the post‐Cold War period, 1991‐2000. We argue that Laos had only recently been ‘re‐ born’ from colonial regimes, and was thus unable to resist or mediate donor policy agendas and donors who acted on behalf of economically developed nations. The nature of the power relationship between donor and government is explored through an analysis of policy developed at that time as well as the perceptions of aid conditionalities, as recalled by government officials and those working in the aid sector at that time. These perceptions were gathered through interviews conducted by one of the authors.     

Explaining how unexploded ordnance clearance enhances livelihoods in the Lao PDR

BackgroundFollowing violent conflict, the continued presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance pose a barrier to rebuilding livelihoods. Mine action removes these explosive remnants of conflict to enable communities to safely return contaminated land to productive use. There is limited understanding, however, of how, why, in what context and in what respects mine action contributes to livelihoods. Yet, such information is required for effective resource allocation, checking underlying program assumptions, understanding benefits and potential harms.MethodsThe evaluation was undertaken in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. It used an interpretive case study design and applied the principles of realist evaluation. Program staff and local government authorities were interviewed (N = 37) and program beneficiaries. In total, 38 individual interviews with program beneficiaries were conducted and eighteen focus group interviews (9 with males, 9 with females), each with 6–9 participants.ResultsThe evaluation identified two main mechanisms through which the program ‘worked’: (1) communication pre- and post-clearance and (2) the delivery of the product (cleared land).ConclusionThe realist approach helped to refine the program theory, highlighted the role of self- and task-efficacy and community communication, assisted in identifying contextual factors that influence outcomes and suggested a revision of expected outcomes.     

Methods to assess measurement error in questionnaires of sedentary behavior

Sedentary behavior has already been associated with mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Questionnaires are an affordable tool for measuring sedentary behavior in large epidemiological studies. Here, we introduce and evaluate two statistical methods for quantifying measurement error in questionnaires. Accurate estimates are needed for assessing questionnaire quality. The two methods would be applied to validation studies that measure a sedentary behavior by both questionnaire and accelerometer on multiple days. The first method fits a reduced model by assuming the accelerometer is without error, while the second method fits a more complete model that allows both measures to have error. Because accelerometers tend to be highly accurate, we show that ignoring the accelerometer's measurement error, can result in more accurate estimates of measurement error in some scenarios. In this article, we derive asymptotic approximations for the mean-squared error of the estimated parameters from both methods, evaluate their dependence on study design and behavior characteristics, and offer an R package so investigators can make an informed choice between the two methods. We demonstrate the difference between the two methods in a recent validation study comparing previous day recalls to an accelerometer-based ActivPal.     

澳大利亚家庭法的家事调解制度对我国的启示

由于经济的快速发展和国内外环境的不断变化,我国的调解制度在调解主体和调解方式上暴露出一些问题,通过介绍澳大利亚家庭法的首要争议解决制度(PDR)的内容,重点研究调解制度的适用与排除条件,找出我国调解制度存在的相关问题,并提出一些个人的建议。     

New Health Risks and Sociocultural Contexts: Bird Flu Impacts on Consumers and Poultry Businesses in Lao PDR

Avian flu has been identified as one of the most challenging new risks, global in impact due to the "highly interconnected and integrated world economy along with other unpredictable events such as the Asian financial crisis and global terrorism." We have chosen the case of Lao PDR to shed light on an area in which local people consume chicken as one of their staple foods. Our research analyzes consumer behavior, poultry business modification patterns in a high-risk country, and government reaction for business resilience. The geographic choice is motivated by the 2006 EIU report on Catastrophe Risk Management that indicated that Asian-Pacific companies are better prepared for such risks as bird flu than European business is, despite the many cases found in both regions.     

Poverty–Environment Nexus in the Lao PDR: Analysis of Household Survey Data

The results of the household survey (n=1602) analysis suggest that a poverty–environment nexus exists in the Lao PDR but the nexus depends on the environmental problem. The most explicit relations were those between poverty and using fuelwood for cooking, and poverty and access to safe drinking water, whereas recent negative changes regarding deforestation and land erosion exhibited only a weak connection. Outdoor air pollution was the most common problem experienced, although no connection to poverty was found. The two most common recent improvements were related to indoor air quality and sanitation, and they had been more prevalent for wealthier households.     

试析朝鲜全方位外交

朝鲜首脑同韩国首脑会晤,同美国展开对话,同欧盟各国建立外交关系,都是朝鲜施行全方位外交的结果.     

澳大利亚家庭法院的特点及对我国的启示

澳大利亚家庭法院是世界上为数不多但却极富特色的法院之一。在处理家事法律问题上，它的一些理念、经验与做法正吸引着越来越多国家的目光。但在我国，学术界对其研究几乎接近空白。文章对澳家庭法院的特点包括其地位、管辖权与人事体系等问题作了一定的介绍和分析，并探讨了它的争端解决机制及实践效果。从中可以看出，无论是在处理管辖权先天不足上，还是在其他家事法律问题的解决上，家庭法院无不以人为本，并表现出特别的智慧与技巧。作为一个把当事人当作用户提供相应法律服务的专门法院，澳大利亚家庭法院的存在将会成为我国今后婚姻家庭立法与司法改革的一个坐标。