Facilitating industrial symbiosis programmes in developing countries: reflections from Gauteng,South Africa

This viewpoint reflects on how to improve the process of introducing facilitated industrial symbiosis programmes (FISPs) to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. Although FISPs are a long-established industrial practice, their formal introduction to SMEs in developing countries has only recently begun, mostly through support from international development agencies. Based partly on anecdotal evidence from Gauteng, South Africa, we identify six key questions which need to be addressed to improve the process of facilitating FISPs.     

中国法史学基础问题反思

中国现代法律史学是在传统法律史学和外来法律史学的双重基础上建立起来的。正确认识中国法律史学的学科性质,对完善这门学科的独立品格,促进这门学科的进一步发展具有重要意义。运用现代法学理论,特别是运用部门法理论去分析中国传统社会的法史材料,是中国现代法史学研究方法形成和发展的主要标志。但不应简单地用部门法理论、现代法理学的一般概念去比附评论中国传统法史材料,使中国法史学研究带上过分浓厚的现代色彩。应重视法史学研究的学术批评问题,提倡既非庸俗吹捧也非恶意贬低的高水平的独立评论。     

行政立法中的最好行政

在现代社会,行政除扮演“传送带”角色外,还承担起积极的形成功能。因此,现代行政法在守望司法审查面向的传统控权理念的同时,还应当加强对行政实体问题的关注。对涉及大量管制事项的行政立法而言,这就需要在“最好行政”的指针下,选择恰当的管制方式,并经由整体制度的设计,实现管制目标,促进公共福祉。     

Participation,education, and pluralism: towards a new extension ethic

The concern driving current debate on agricultural extension is increasingly that of how to help farmers learn how to deal with the complex world around them responsibly and profitably, in such a way that the extension worker is ancillary. This article seeks to deconstruct and provide a more reasoned assessment of agricultural extension services through a reflection on development paradigms, adult education, individual empowerment, and institutional pluralism. By calling into question the underlying ethical dimensions of agricultural extension, it is possible to develop an alternative paradigm and thereby generate new insights into it. The article concludes that the raison d'être of agricultural extension today must be to create an ethical basis which ensures that extension practices are more inclusive and thus responsive to the needs of farmers and other rural populations, integrating individual expectations into the wider socio-economic, cultural, political, and geographical environment.     

Increasing strategic accountability: a framework for international NGOs

The accountability of international development NGOs (INGOs) has attracted a great deal of interest from academics and development practitioners. INGO accountability falls into two categories: practical accountability (for the use of inputs, the way activities are performed, and outputs) and strategic accountability for INGOs' performance in relation to their mission. This article presents a conceptual framework for exploring INGO accountability. It is based on information collected through a literature review and semi-structured interviews with representatives from 20 UK-based INGOs. The research found that INGOs tend to use a number of quality-assurance mechanisms to achieve ‘practical’ accountability. However, it is suggested that this kind of accountability will not necessarily enable INGOs to achieve their missions to alleviate poverty and eliminate injustice. Furthermore, the predominant use of practical accountability has led to a number of gaps in INGO accountability. It is suggested that, like the term ‘participation’ before it, accountability has been co-opted for its instrumental benefits to INGO project performance and management. It is argued that if INGOs are to achieve their missions, this will require more ‘strategic’ forms of accountability, geared towards fundamentally changing those social, economic, and political structures that promote poverty.     

论创建学习型公安机关的方法和途径

创建学习型公安机关是创建学习型社会的重要组成部分,是提高公安机关整体队伍素质的有效途径。创建学习型公安机关的主要方法和途径:建立共享目标;团队学习;改善民警的心理状态;激发民警的个人潜力;构建公安机关的长效机制。     

试论计算机犯罪侦查取证的方法

由于计算机犯罪具有智能性、隐蔽性、跨地域性、以及资料易被篡改、销毁等特性,并且在侦查取证时技术复杂、要求较高,因而此类案件的侦查取证工作较之于传统案件相对困难。一方面要坚持和遵循传统侦查方法,另一方面在确定犯罪现场、勘察现场以及对数据证据的技术分析等方面,要根据计算机犯罪自身的特点和内在的规律找出有效的侦查方法。以打击计算机犯罪。     

Measuring changes in women's empowerment and its relationship to intimate partner violence

This article uses survey data to examine changes over time in the relationship between women’s empowerment and intimate partner violence (IPV) in six Bangladeshi villages. Prior analyses using a limited set of empowerment indicators available in both 2002 and 2014 suggested a persistent positive association between empowerment and IPV. The article’s analysis, using an updated set of measures derived from extensive qualitative studies, suggests that empowerment may be shifting from a risk factor for IPV to a protective factor. The article discusses the methodological limitations posed by the shifting manifestations of empowerment and its social meanings within and across settings.     

Changing knowledge and perceptions of African indigenous vegetables: the role of community-based nutritional outreach

African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) have potential to sustainably address malnutrition, a growing problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Their consumption is however, limited by poor perceptions and lack of awareness of nutritional benefits. There is limited evidence of the effectiveness of community-focused information dissemination approaches in influencing participants’ perceptions and uptake of innovations in AIVs to address malnutrition. This article aims to fill this knowledge gap, using a case study focusing on pastoral communities in Monduli district in northern Tanzania. Target communities participated in a community-based nutritional outreach facilitated by the Good Seed Initiative (GSI), held at Monduli district hospital in September 2014. The results provide evidence of the achievements of the GSI intervention, and the effectiveness of alternative information dissemination approaches.     

The political strategy of external aid

When creating a process of international aid, the definition of a political strategy is critically important. In theory, a government able to deliver services and goods to its population and to guarantee participation in decision-making might not need the presence of international aid. International aid should bridge an existing gap between a government and its own population by adopting a relevant political strategy. This viewpoint proposes a reference framework for international cooperation actors to define their basic political strategy and provides a comprehensive framework for situating different political strategies into a wider approach.