Unravelling the linkages between the millennium development goals for poverty,education, access to water and household water use in developing countries: Evidence from Madagascar

All members of the United Nations have pledged to meet eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015. This study looks at the MDG objectives and linkages between poverty, education, access to water, and household water use based on primary data collected in Madagascar. We find strong links between these MDGs. Better educated and higher income households rely significantly more on private water supplies and use significantly more water. Econometric results show that, for poorer households who rely on public sources, improving access to public water taps (by reducing the distance to such a water source) would not alter dramatically water use patterns. Improved access does free up a significant amount of time that could contribute to poverty reduction. The willingness of households to pay for improved access is very price sensitive, probably because of the liquidity constraints of these households.     

Responding to Food Insecurity: Employing the Market Information and Food Insecurity Response Analysis Framework in Rural Northern Kenya

Aid agencies are increasingly advocating for cash transfers as a substitute or complement to food transfers when responding to both emergency and chronic food insecurity. Yet, cash is not always optimal. In this article, we demonstrate how a newly developed response analysis tool, the Marketing Information and Food Insecurity Response Analysis (MIFIRA) framework can guide evidence-based identification of appropriate transfers. We present findings from a MIFIRA analysis in Marsabit; a remote and generally food-insecure district of northern Kenya. As a demonstration of the analytical versatility of MIFIRA, we utilise a variety of data, ranging from rigorously-collected household data, to market surveys and rapid assessments in focus groups. As a proof of concept, this article shows how MIFIRA can be effectively deployed in other regions facing chronic or emergency food insecurity to help response agencies make systematic decisions on a solid evidence base.     

‘Labour Chains’: Analysing the Role of Labour Contractors in Global Production Networks

Third party labour contractors are increasingly prevalent in global production networks (GPNs), and can provide a channel for new forms of unfree labour. Review of case study evidence from South African and UK horticulture suggests this often emerges off-site through labour intermediaries. Analytical approaches to labour in GPNs and value chains are examined. The article argues that labour contracting is driven by the commercial dynamics of global outsourcing. A ‘cascade system’ allows unscrupulous intermediaries to coerce vulnerable workers. We examine strategies of civil society alliances, and regulatory reform, and argue for extending liability of all commercial actors across global boundaries.     

Other publications received

Raw Materials and International Control. By H. R. G. Greaves. Pp. vi. +166. London: Methuen. 5s.

Soviet Money and Finance. By L.E.Hubbard. 8? × /3/4>”. Pp. xx+339. Macmillan. 1936. 12s. 6d.

Big Horse's Flight. By Sven Hedin. Translated by F. H. Lyon. Pp. 248. Illustrations and map. London: Macmillan and Co. 1936. 21s.

South to Samarkand. By Ethel Mannin. Pp. 355, 20 illustrations and sketch maps. London: Jarrolds. 1936. Price 12s. 6d.

Sven Hedin's Archæological Collections from Khotan. By Gösta Montell. Reprinted from the Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 7. Stockholm. 1936.

The Quest for Cathay. By Brigadier‐General Sir Percy Sykes, K.C.I.E., C.B., C.M.G. Pp. xii+280. A. and C. Black. 15s.

Tamerlane or Timur the Great Amir. Translated by J. H. Sanders, from the Arabic Life by Ahmed ibn Arabshah. 8vo. Pp. xvii + 341. With a map and a frontispiece. Luzac and Co. 1936. 12s. 6d. net.

Cronica de Dom João de Castro. By Leonardo Nunes. Edited with an Introduction by Professor J. D. M. Ford. Demi‐oct. Pp. xxviii+241. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1936. 10s. 6d.

The Making of Modern Turkey. By Sir Harry Luke, C.M.G. 8/1/2>” × 6”. Pp. viii + 248. Frontispiece. Macmillan. 1936. 10s. 6d.

Quinze Ans de Mandat; I'?uvre Francaise en Syrie et au Liban. Anonymous. Pp. 69.

Euphrates Exile. By A. D. Macdonald. 7/3/4>" × 5/1/4>”. Pp. 301. Illustrated. G. Bell and Sons, Ltd. 7s. 6d.

Richard Burton, Explorer. By Hugh J. Schonfield. 8/3/4>” × 5/3/4>”. Pp. 303. Frontispiece. London: H. Joseph. 1936. 15s.

Hebrew Origins. By Th. J. Meek. The Haskell Lectures for 1933–1934. Pp. viii+219. New York: Harper and Brothers. 1936. $2.

Thy Neighbour. By Lord Melchett. 7/3/4> × 5. Pp.284. 2 illustrations and 2 maps. London: Muller. 1936. 7s. 6d.

A Plan for Lasting Peace in Palestine. By Nevill Barbour. Jerusalem. 1936. Equivalent 1s.

A Palestinian Kaleidoscope, “ Palestine on the Eve.” By Ladislas Farago. Two maps. Sixty‐three illustrations. Putnam. 10s. 6d.

New Zionist Publications—No. 2. New Zionist Press, 47, Finchley Road, London, N.W. 8. 1s.

From Alexander Burnes to Frederick Roberts. A Survey of Imperial Frontier Policy. By J. L. Morison.

The 1st Battalion Duchess of Connaught's Own (late 124th D.C.O. Baluchistan Infantry) and the 10th Battalion (late 2/124th Baluchistan Infantry), the 10th Baluchistan Regiment. By O. A. Chaldecott. 8/3/4>” × 5?”. Pp. xiv+250. Eleven maps, two portraits. (Lieut.‐Col. J. N. Soden, Baluchistan Regiment, Karachi.)

Diamonds and Dust; India through French Eyes. By Baron Jean Pellenc. 9” × 6”. Pp. 306. Illustrations and map. London: Murray. 1936. 10s. 6d.

The Tiger Hunters. By Brigadier‐General R. G. Burton. 8¾> × 5¾>. Pp. xvi+225+xxxii. 16 illustrations. Hutchinson. 12s. 6d.

Honoria Lawrence : A Fragment of Indian History. By Maud Diver. Pp. 524. John Murray. 16s.

Scott of the Shan Hills: Orders and Impressions. Edited by G. E. Mitton (Lady Scott). 9 × 6. Pp. 333. Illustrations and maps. London: John Murray. 15s.

Return to Malaya. By R. H. Bruce Lockhart. Pp. i+426. Putnam. 10s. 6d.

Far East in Ferment. By Guenther Stein. Methuen. 10s. 6d.

Key Economic Areas in Chinese History. By Ch'ao‐ting Chi, Ph.D. George Allen and Unwin, Ltd.

China's Red Army Marches. By Agnes Smedley. 8? × 5/1/2>? Pp. xxii+311. London: Lawrence and Wishart, Ltd. 5s.

"Living China”: Modern Chinese Short Stories. Compiled and edited by Edgar Snow. With an Introduction by the Editor and an Essay on Modern Chinese Literature by Nym Wales. 8? × 5”. Pp. 355. Frontispiece. London: Harrap. 1936. 8s.

River of Golden Sand. By Thomas Woodroofe. 8/3/4>” × 5/1/2>”. Pp.325. Faber and Faber, Ltd. 8s. 6d. net.

Manchoukuo: Jewel of Asia. By D. M. B. Collier and Lieut.‐Colonel C. L. E. Malone. 8/3/4> × 5/3/4>”. Pp. iv+267. Sixteen photographs. Allen and Unwin, Ltd. 12s. 6d. net.

When Japan Goes to War. By O. Tanin and E. Yohan. 8/1/4>” × 5/1/2>”. Pp. 271. London: Lawrence and Wishart. 1936. 5s.

Japan : Recollections and Impressions. By Grace James. Pp. 285. Illustrated. George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. 1936.

Militarism and Foreign Policy in Japan. By E. E. N. Causton. George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. 7s. 6d.

Stalking in the Himalayas and Northern India. By Lieut.‐Colonel C. E. Stockley, D.S.O. Pp. 250. Illustrated. Herbert Jenkins. 15s.     

The rise of radical African studies

African Social Studies: A Radical Reader. Edited by Peter C. W. Gutkind and Peter Waterman. Heinemann Educational Books, 1977. Pp. ix + 481. Paper £2–90.

The Political Economy of Contemporary Africa. Edited by Peter C. W. Gutkind and lmmanuel Wallerstein. Sage Publications, 1976. Pp. 318.

Nigeria: Economy and Society. Edited by Gavin Williams. Rex Collings, 1976. Pp. 226. Hardcover £5.25.     

A Review of Alcohol‐Impaired Driving: The Role of Blood Alcohol Concentration and Complexity of the Driving Task

The operation of a motor vehicle requires the integrity of sensory, motor, and intellectual faculties. Impairment of these faculties following the consumption of alcohol has been studied extensively through laboratory, closed‐course and on‐road driving, and epidemiological studies. The scientific literature was reviewed critically, with a focus on low‐to‐moderate blood alcohol concentrations (BAC ≤ 0.100%), to identify the most reliable determinants of alcohol‐impaired driving. Variables such as age, gender, driving skill, and tolerance were shown to have limited impact on impairment. It was concluded the most relevant variables are BAC and complexity of the driving task. The scientific literature provides a high degree of confidence to support the conclusion that a BAC of 0.050% impairs faculties required in the operation of a motor vehicle. Whether impairment is apparent depends upon the complexity of the driving task, which applies to both study design and actual driving.     

The Privatization of Public Safety in Urban Neighborhoods: Do Business Improvement Districts Reduce Violent Crime Among Adolescents?

The business improvement district (BID) is a popular economic development and urban revitalization model in which local property and business owners must pay an assessment tax that funds supplementary services, including private security. BIDs constitute a controversial form of urban revitalization to some because they privatize economic development and public safety efforts in public space. This study examines whether BIDs provide tangible benefits beyond their immediate boundaries to local residents in the form of reduced violence among adolescents. The empirical analysis advances an existing literature dominated by evaluation studies by introducing a theoretically driven dataset with rich information on individual and neighborhood level variables. The analysis compares violent victimization among youths living in BID neighborhoods with those in similarly situated non‐BID neighborhoods. We find no effect of BIDs on violence. However, we do find that youth violence is strongly correlated with neighborhood collective efficacy and family‐related attributes of social control. In conclusion, we argue that BIDs may be an agent of crime reduction, but this benefit is likely concentrated only in their immediate boundaries and does not extend to youths living in surrounding neighborhoods.     

Bacterial Degradation of Risperidone and Paliperidone in Decomposing Blood

The stability of two benzisoxazole antipsychotics was determined in vitro in decomposing porcine blood inoculated with bacteria, utilizing a high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and fluorescence detection method for drug quantitation. Stability experiments for risperidone and paliperidone were conducted at 7, 20 and 37°C for 4 days using sterile and bacterially inoculated porcine blood. The drugs were stable in sterile blood at each temperature and in inoculated blood at 7°C, but degraded significantly in inoculated blood at 20 and 37°C. Complete loss occurred within 2 days when incubated at 37°C. The benzisoxazole‐cleaved degradation products for both drugs were identified as 2‐hydroxybenzoyl‐risperidone and 2‐hydroxybenzoyl‐paliperidone utilizing liquid chromatography quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and accurate mass measurements. The degradation products have been found in postmortem case studies, including one case where risperidone and paliperidone were not detected, indicating complete conversion can occur in situ.     

Analyzing Forensic Evidence Based on Density with Magnetic Levitation

This paper describes a method for determining the density of contact trace objects with magnetic levitation (MagLev). MagLev measurements accurately determine the density (±0.0002 g/cm³) of a diamagnetic object and are compatible with objects that are nonuniform in shape and size. The MagLev device (composed of two permanent magnets with like poles facing) and the method described provide a means of accurately determining the density of trace objects. This method is inexpensive, rapid, and verifiable and provides numerical values—independent of the specific apparatus or analyst—that correspond to the absolute density of the sample that may be entered into a searchable database. We discuss the feasibility of MagLev as a possible means of characterizing forensic‐related evidence and demonstrate the ability of MagLev to (i) determine the density of samples of glitter and gunpowder, (ii) separate glitter particles of different densities, and (iii) determine the density of a glitter sample that was removed from a complex sample matrix.