The Politics of Climate Change Adaptation in Development: Authority,Resource Control and State Intervention in Rural Zambia

In this article, we call for more attention to the national and local politics of climate change in developing countries, and contribute to this through a study of climate change adaptation interventions in Zambia. We show how such interventions form part of central state efforts to extend authority and control over natural resources, and how competing institutional actors such as local governments and chiefs seek to counter this. The article thereby shows how climate change adaptation is emerging as a new arena for deep-seated political and institutional struggles over issues such as authority, land control and devolution in development.     

Victim Offender Overlap: Dual Trajectory Examination of Victimization and Offending Among Young Felony Offenders Over Seven Years

The relationship between victimization and offending has been shown consistently across different samples, settings, and crime types. This study uses data from the Pathways to Desistance Study to examine dual trajectories of offending between the ages of 15 and 24 in a sample of male felony offenders. The dual trajectory models demonstrate substantial convergence in victimization and offending. And while there are sizable numbers of youth who continue to be victimized, but desist or decrease in their offending behaviors, very few youth continue to offend in the absence of continued victimization. This study also proposes and tests three criminological theories that have been employed as explanations for the victim-offender overlap—low self-control, lifestyles/routine activities, and street-code attitudes. The logistic regression results indicate that involvement in risky and/or unstructured, unsupervised activities is a key correlate of the victim-offender overlap. The strength of the relationship between routine activity variables and the victim-offender overlap supports the provision of structured, supervised activities for youth and young adults as a way of preventing future victimization and offending, particularly among youth who have high exposure to violence.     

Spouse Abuse by Black and White Offenders in the U.S. Army

Black soldiers are overrepresented in the U.S. Army Central Registry of spouse abuse cases. For each year between 1989 and 1997, the number of black offenders outnumbers white offenders, while the white population outnumbers the black population. When age-specific rates per 1000 were computed, the rates for blacks were greater than those for whites in every age group. The highest rates for both races were in the 18- to 21-year age group. Age-specific rate ratios between blacks and whites for 1997 ranged from 3.4 for the 18- to 21-year-old group to 1.9 for the 42- to 46-year age group. All of the rate ratios except the one for the 42 to 46-year age group were statistically significant. Socioeconomic status (SES) is an unlikely explanation for these findings as SES was reasonably controlled. Culturally specific longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the reasons for differences in black and white spouse abuse incidents.     

Adolescents’ Experiences of Sexual Assault by Peers: Prevalence and Nature of Victimization Occurring Within and Outside of School

This study examined adolescent peer-on-peer sexual assault victimization occurring within and outside school. The sample consisted of 1,086 7th through 12th grade students, with a mean age of 15. Most of the respondents were White (54%) or Black (45%), and approximately half of respondents were female (54%). A modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey was used to assess opposite sex sexual victimization in 7th through 12th grade students. Rates of peer sexual assault were high, ranging from 26% of high school boys to 51% of high school girls. School was the most common location of peer sexual victimization. Characteristics of assault varied by location, including type of victimization, victims’ grade level, relationship to the perpetrator, type of coercion, and how upsetting the assault was. Distinctions between sexual assault occurring in and out of school are conceptualized with literature on developmental changes in heterosexual relationships and aggression.

Was There Ever a Time when Girls Weren't in Trouble?

Contemporary writing about girlhood is often gloomy in tone. Girls are represented as the victims of all manner of social trends: capitalism, consumerism, body obsessions, ‘sexualisation’, pornography, etc. Or girls themselves come under attack for bad behaviour, as ‘ladettes’ or ‘living dolls’. But in some parts of the world at least, young women enjoy more freedom and opportunities than ever before. Looking back over her own lifetime, the author argues that feminism has been a potent force for betterment—a belief that things can and do sometimes improve serves to sustain political projects.     

Food security and access to healthy foods in Indian country: Learning from the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

Food access, food security, and nutrition‐related health disparities have long been recognized as particular challenges for Native Americans living on tribal land. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides nutrition assistance to tribal communities through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). In 2016, we completed a study of the FDPIR program for USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. This was the first national update since 1990. We found that FDPIR continued to serve people of all ages. However, since 1990, participation by children decreased whereas participation by elders increased. Consistent with the 1990 study, we found that FDPIR households are a very low‐income population. Households reported significantly higher rates of food insecurity than national averages—34% experienced low food security, and about 22% experienced very low food security. Changing demographics call for continued attention to the diverse nutritional needs of young and elderly program participants in tribal communities. Although barriers to food access persist in Indian country, FDPIR and locally sourced food initiatives help to meet needs. Nutrition and wellness education addresses health disparities and fosters healthy lifestyles. Partnerships operating at multiple levels support food production and distribution, improve access to healthy foods, and encourage healthy diets. From a policy and practice perspective, the study findings offer insights for tribal communities and rural areas that have limited access to healthy food options and illustrate how nutrition assistance programs can coexist with local initiatives to provide practical approaches to ensure healthy and adequate nutritional support.