New directions for pastoral development in Africa

The last few years have seen a major rethinking of some of the hallowed assumptions of range ecology and range-management practice. The usefulness of terms such as ‘vegetation succession?s, ‘carrying capacity?s, and ‘desertification?s is being reassessed, particularly for the dry rangelands which are dominated by highly variable rainfall and episodic, chance events such as drought. This article examines the management and policy implications of this thinking for pastoral development in dryland areas. It briefly examines the consequences of environmental variability for pastoral development planning, range and fodder management, drought responses, livestock marketing, resource tenure, institutional development, and pastoral administration. By offering new directions for development workers, researchers, and policy planners, the article illustrates, in practical terms, a future for pastoral development in dryland Africa that recognises both the importance of pastoral livelihoods and the significance of environmental variability.     

The electoral geography of immigrant groups in Britain

Recent interpretations of British politics have moved from the social and political homogeneity thesis to acknowledgment of Britain as a multinational and multiethnic state. An ‘ethnic marginals’ argument even contends that immigrant groups have played a crucial role in the outcome of recent general elections. This paper tests the electoral impact of different immigrant groups by matching the results of the 1981 Census by parliamentary constituency to the results of the 1983 general election. Immigrant groups collectively and individually are found to have almost no net effect on party voting patterns, but a substantial impact, largerly negative, on turnout. This evidence does not support the ethnic marginals argument. Although Britain is a multi-ethnic society, political cleavages not yet based on ethnic lines.