Mainstreaming climate change into local governance: financing and budgetary compliance in selected local governments in Ghana

Through an interpretive research paradigm, we investigated the extent to which six local governments across three administrative regions of Ghana have complied with mandated climate change financing and budgeting guidelines. Five interesting findings emerged. First, there is enormous evidence of climate change budgeting compliance across all six local governments despite weak compliance incentives. Second, local governments that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change are more willing to comply and also allocate more resources for adaptation-related activities than those that are less vulnerable. Third, local governments that complied least are likely to take ad hoc adaptation actions which are often uncoordinated and poorly monitored. These local governments are least likely to attract auxiliary funds that could provide additional resources for adaptation financing. Lastly, the evidence of compliance is only quantitative, presented in various local governments’ fiscal documents, with no qualitative or other relevant explanatory factors on the extent of impact on adaptation.     

The Imbalance between Public Expectations and Resource Provision in Developing Countries: Can Inter-Assemblies Cooperation Reduce the Gap?

ABSTRACT

Local authorities have long sought for solutions to the numerous service delivery challenges arising out of increasing demands from the general public coupled with budgetary constraints. One such solution is inter-organisational cooperation which has been found as an alternative cost-effective way of providing services to the general public. Drawing on resource-dependency theory, this paper explores the possibilities and challenges of cooperation among Assemblies in Ghana by adopting a qualitative approach. The findings reveal that inter-district cooperation is still at its development stages in Ghana despite the respondents’ recognition that it has the potential to address most of the problems faced by District Assemblies in Ghana.     

Toilet is not a dirty word: close to meeting the MDGs for sanitation?

Improving access to water and sanitation facilities has been a priority on the international development agenda. Halving the number of those who do not have access to sanitation facilities is an MDG target. This study assessed the toilet conditions in an urban slum in Ghana. Many felt that the sanitary conditions were deplorable; they were unsatisfied with having to walk over half a kilometre before using a toilet. Government efforts to improve hygiene and address sanitation problems need to take into account financial, religious, and other factors that promote the supply and maintenance of appropriate toilet facilities and services in urban communities.

Toilettes n'est pas un mot tabou : à deux doigts d'atteindre les OMD en matière d'assainissement ?

L'amélioration de l'accès à l'eau et aux installations sanitaires a été une priorité de l'ordre du jour international en matière de développement. La réduction de moitié du nombre de personnes qui n'ont pas accès à des installations d'assainissement est un OMD. Cette étude a évalué les conditions sur le plan des toilettes dans un bidonville urbain du Ghana. De nombreuses personnes estimaient que les conditions d'assainissement y étaient déplorables; elles n'étaient pas satisfaites de devoir parcourir plus d'un demi-kilomètre pour pouvoir utiliser des toilettes. Les efforts fournis par les pouvoirs publics pour améliorer l'hygiène et résoudre les problèmes d'assainissement doivent tenir compte des facteurs financiers, religieux et autres qui favorisent la fourniture et l'entretien d'installations et de services de toilettes dans les communautés urbaines.

Excusado no es una mala palabra: ¿se está próximo a cumplir con los odm en el área de saneamiento?

La ampliación del acceso al agua potable y al saneamiento ha sido una prioridad del desarrollo internacional. Una de las metas de los odm es reducir a la mitad el número de personas que actualmente carecen de acceso al saneamiento. El presente artículo valora las condiciones en que se encuentran los excusados en un barrio pobre de Ghana. Muchos de quienes residen allí consideran que las condiciones de saneamiento son deplorables, manifestando su desacuerdo con tener que caminar más de medio kilómetro para hacer uso del excusado. Los esfuerzos realizados por el gobierno para mejorar la higiene y enfrentar los problemas de saneamiento, deberán tomar en cuenta tanto los factores financieros como los religiosos u otros que promuevan la oferta y el mantenimiento de excusados, así como la posibilidad de otros servicios de saneamiento en las comunidades urbanas.

Banheiro não é uma palavrão: estamos prestes a cumprir os ODMs para saneamento?

Melhorar o acesso a redes de abastecimento de água e saneamento tem sido uma prioridade na agenda de desenvolvimento internacional. Reduzir pela metade o número de pessoas que não têm acesso a redes de saneamento faz parte dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento do Milênio (ODMs). Este estudo avaliou as condições de banheiros em uma favela na zona urbana de Gana. Muitos sentiam que as condições de saneamento eram deploráveis e estavam insatisfeitos em ter de caminhar mais de meio quilômetro para usar um banheiro. Esforços do governo para melhorar a higiene e abordar os problemas de saneamento precisam levar em conta fatores financeiros, religiosos, além de outros, que promovam o fornecimento e manutenção de instalações de banheiros e serviços adequados nas comunidades urbanas.     

Atropine Eye Drops: An Unusual Homicidal Poisoning

In March 2009, the body of a 51‐year‐old man was found in the boot of his car. The body had been frozen before being dismembered at the abdomen. The autopsy failed to determine the cause of death. Systematic toxicological analyses of the victim's peripheral blood and urine showed the presence of atropine, a powerful anticholinergic. Atropine was therefore specifically detected and quantified throughout the victim's biologic samples by HPLC‐MS² in the biologic fluids and UHPLC‐MS² in the hair. The atropine concentrations were 887 ng/mL in the cardiac blood, 489 ng/mL in the peripheral blood, 6693 ng/mL in the gastric contents (1.1 μg), 6753 ng/mL in the urine, and 2290 pg/mg in the hair. The blood concentrations measured in the decedent were consistent with an overdose of atropine, which was determined as the cause of death. The manner of death was a homicide with criminal intent.     

Public interest versus interest groups: a political economy analysis of allowance allocation under the EU emissions trading scheme

In a theoretical analysis, we use a common agency model to show that lobbying by energy-intensive sectors covered under an emissions trading scheme (ETS) shifts the regulatory burden of an economy-wide emission constraint to sectors outside the ETS. The emission tax on the latter becomes inefficiently high such that lobbying does not only induce burden shifting but also efficiency losses. A complementary empirical analysis for a cross section of German firms under the EU emissions trading scheme supports our theoretical result on the role of lobbying on allowance allocation.     

Urgent issues and prospects at the intersection of culture,memory, and witness interviews: Exploring the challenges for research and practice

The pursuit of justice increasingly relies on productive interactions between witnesses and investigators from diverse cultural backgrounds during investigative interviews. To date, the role of cultural context has largely been ignored by researchers in the field of investigative interviewing, despite repeated requests from practitioners and policymakers for evidence-based guidance for the conduct of interviews with people from different cultures. Through examining cultural differences in human memory and communication and considering specific contextual challenges for investigative interviewing through the lens of culture, this review and associated commentaries highlight the scope for considering culture and human diversity in research on, and the practice of, investigative interviewing with victims, witnesses, and other sources. Across 11 commentaries, contributors highlight the importance of considering the role of culture in different investigative interviewing practices (e.g., rapport building, questioning techniques) and contexts (e.g., gender-based violence, asylum seeking, child abuse), address common areas of cultural mismatch between interviewer–interviewee expectations, and identify critical future routes for research. We call for an increased focus in the investigative interviewing literature on the nature and needs of our global community and encourage constructive and collaborative discussion between researchers and practitioners from around the world to better identify specific challenges and work together towards evidence-based solutions.     

Short term impact of Tribulus terrestris intake on doping control analysis of endogenous steroids

Tribulus terrestris is a nutritional supplement highly debated regarding its physiological and actual effects on the organism. The main claimed effect is an increase of testosterone anabolic and androgenic action through the activation of endogenous testosterone production. Even if this biological pathway is not entirely proven, T. terrestris is regularly used by athletes. Recently, the analysis of two female urine samples by GC/C/IRMS (gas chromatography/combustion/isotope-ratio-mass-spectrometry) conclusively revealed the administration of exogenous testosterone or its precursors, even if the testosterone glucuronide/epitestosterone glucuronide (T/E) ratio and steroid marker concentrations were below the cut-off values defined by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). To argue against this adverse analytical finding, the athletes recognized having used T. terrestris in their diet. In order to test this hypothesis, two female volunteers ingested 500 mg of T. terrestris, three times a day and for two consecutive days. All spot urines were collected during 48 h after the first intake. The ¹³C/¹²C ratio of ketosteroids was determined by GC/C/IRMS, the T/E ratio and DHEA concentrations were measured by GC/MS and LH concentrations by radioimmunoassay. None of these parameters revealed a significant variation or increased above the WADA cut-off limits. Hence, the short-term treatment with T. terrestris showed no impact on the endogenous testosterone metabolism of the two subjects.