State Decay: A Conceptual Frame of Failing and Failed States in West Africa

Civil wars in Africa have brought many states to near collapse while many others have been plagued by political and economic failures. Studies of Africa have frequently noted the prevalence of weak and failed states. However, the notion of state failure rests more on the outcome of the political, economic, and social crises that have undermined African states, rather than the process of state failure. While the notion of state failure is a useful concept for studying the realities of war-torn African states, it is an inadequate concept to explain the conditions that lead African states into civil war. This study develops the notion of state decay and contends that it is a much more useful concept for examining the conditions that lead to civil wars and state failure in Africa.     

Short-Term Impacts of Solar Lanterns on Child Health: Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh

We implemented a 16-month randomised field experiment in unelectrified areas of Bangladesh to identify health impacts of solar lanterns among school-aged children. Our analysis of various health-related indicators – self-reporting, spirometers, and professional medical checkups – showed modest improvements in eye redness and irritation but no noticeable improvement in respiratory symptoms among treated students. Varying the number of solar products received within treatment households did not alter these results. This limited health benefit was not caused by nonutilisation of the products by treated children, spillover effects from treated to control students, or contamination resulting from unfavourable family cooking environments.     

Health for All by the Year 2000: What about the nomads?

Health for All by the Year 2000 (HFA/2000) was a goal embraced in 1978 by all countries, especially the developing countries. Therefore to that end, many countries have since established policies and plans to make healthcare accessible to all of their citizens. Such access has come to be regarded as a right, and the last 30 years have seen major growth in national systems of healthcare provision. However, while remarkable advances have been made in both health status and the healthcare sector in general, nomadic people still lag the furthest behind in every field of progress. They continue to be neglected and left out of the development mainstream, including access to health services. Some countries have large nomadic populations, such as Somalia, with more than 60% of its population nomads. All nomads share characteristics which include an unstable life pattern, an interest in livestock, suspicion of outsiders, strong cultural beliefs, and faith in their traditional medicine. Nomads' self-reliance and independence, their sense of identity and community organization, and the predictability of their movements between water-points favor the development of health services. In the interests of equity and social justice, and if HFA/2000 is to become a reality, nomadic people must have equal rights to better healthcare.     

Brinkley Messick,The Calligraphic State: Textual Domination and History in a Muslim Society

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique -