Seeds of revolution

Abstract

The most significant technological innovation of the postwar period, from the point of view of the Third World, has been the development of new, high-yield hybrids of food grains such as wheat, corn and rice, which are especially well adapted to tropical climatic patterns. The development and spread of the use of these seeds and their associated agricultural technologies is of such recent date and as yet so incomplete that the above statement may seem premature. Nevertheless, the experience of the last four years and the prospects for the future, as well summarized in Mr. Brown's book. suggest that the rubric “The Green Revolution” may be much more than another typically American confusion of the terms “revolution” and innovation.     

Steuerung jenseits von Hierarchie

The paper sheds new light on recent debates about governance and approaches contemporary problems of governing from the perspective of contemporary theories of power. The concept of “soft governing” is developed in order to capture horizontal mechanisms of power intentionally used to govern beyond formalised hierarchies characteristic of processes of governance. The paper describes in particular the horizontal forms of governing through discursive practices, argumentation and symbols and the ways in which they interact. The example of campaigns against female genital mutilation is introduced in order to illustrate possible forms of governing beyond hierarchy.     

Reply to Miller on agendas and sincerity

Contrary to Miller, Farquharson’s agenda trees do omit real parliamentary information. And the assumptions he uses to justify Farquharson’s definition of sincere (or naive) voting justify too little (e.g., he drops maximax) and rule out too much (e.g., non-pre-set agendas and principled sincere voting).     

Agro-Gentechnik, Bienen und Honig

Zusammenfassung Der Aufsatz befasst sich mit der Anwendung des gentechnikrechtlichen Postulats der Koexistenz auf eine konkrete Konfliktlage: die Verunreinigung von Honig infolge des Anbaus gentechnisch ver?nderter Kulturpflanzen. Der Autor stellt die Spezifika der rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen für die Honiggewinnung dar und kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass der Eintrag von Blütensaft oder Pollen gentechnisch ver?nderter Kulturpflanzen in den Honig zwar dessen Einordnung als gentechnisch ver?ndertes Lebensmittel zur Folgen haben kann und den Bewirtschafter der GVO-Anbaufl?che spezifische Rücksichtnahmepflichten treffen, die dem Imker zumutbaren Gegenma?nahmen aber durch die für Honig vorgeschriebene Naturbelassenheit begrenzt sind.     

Reaching the Millennium Development Goals: equality and justice as well as results

Though less than expected, resources are available for simple, cheap interventions that can accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Results-based management has been the key to increasing access to education and health care, but it does little to change the political, social, and economic conditions that make people poor. Unless there is a better balance between the drive to achieve measurable impact, investments in long-term poverty-eradication measures, and the creation of space where poor people can discuss and develop strategies for achieving equality and social justice, it will not be as easy to make poverty history as many people think.