Polarised narratives and complex realities in Tanzania’s Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor

This article assesses the controversy surrounding a high-profile agricultural investment initiative, the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), which aims to modernise, commercialise, and transform Tanzania’s agricultural sector. Drawing on a review of SAGCOT literature and findings from consultations with SAGCOT stakeholders and intended beneficiaries, the article outlines the polarised narratives of “opportunity” and “risk” informing SAGCOT debates, and presents research findings that challenge these narratives. The findings suggest that agricultural investments are rarely as glamorous or as gloomy in practice as the polarised narratives around SAGCOT suggest, and illustrate the challenges involved in directing agricultural investments in ways that balance multiple interests and objectives in practice.     

Into the sea: capacity-building innovations and the maritime security challenge

Abstract

Maritime security capacity-building is a growing field of international activity. It is an area that requires further study, as a field in its own right, but also as an archetype to develop insights for capacity-building and security sector reform in other arenas. This article is one of the first to analyse this field of activity. Our empirical focus is on the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. Here, international actors have launched multiple capacity-building projects, initially in response to Somali piracy. We document the significance, extent and variety of capacity-building activities in this region and examine the ways in which capacity-building at sea has incorporated innovative characteristics that develop and expand the capacity-building agenda as traditionally understood. Our conclusion highlights the need to pay more attention to the maritime domain in international security and development studies and considers ways in which the maritime capacity-building experience may offer important lessons for other fields of international policy.     

Revitalizing the Parramore heritage renovation area: Florida's state housing initiatives partnership program and Orlando's historic African‐American community

Abstract

Housing programs increasingly contribute to broader community revitalization efforts rather than strictly serving production‐oriented goals. As implementation of this strategy moves beyond the traditional housing leaders in cities such as Boston, Cleveland, and Baltimore, an assessment of other areas is instructive. This article examines how the nation's largest housing trust fund, which Florida directs primarily to local governments through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), contributed to Orlando's ambitious community revitalization effort in the Parramore neighborhood.

Given the consistency between SHIP goals and those of the Parramore project and Orlando's experience with developing partnerships and affordable housing initiatives, SHIP should have proven an effective tool. The initial findings demonstrate that housing programs need to be sufficiently flexible to permit a comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization. Such an approach should seek a balance between product‐based redevelopment and people‐based housing strategies, expand the role of community development corporations, and create housing choice.     

Social housing under the Workers’ Party government: an analysis of the private sector in Brazil

This article examines the patterns of government intervention in social housing in Brazil to analyse the role of the private sector in the elaboration and implementation of social housing policies during the Workers’ Party government. It draws on case study research, and I examine areas which impact on the way social housing has been implemented since 2003 to study the concentration of decision power the private construction sector has on social housing policymaking, which sets the tone of government intervention on social housing. I argue this was part of the Workers’ Party’s approach to neoliberal policies in a more moderated style, a type of intervention repeated on numerous occasions under previous administrations. This article concludes by noting the prominent role of the private sector in social housing developments.     

Are healthier people happier? Evidence from Chile and Uruguay

Based on data from the Latinobarómetro, this study analyses data on happiness to establish the probability that an individual is happy. The focus is put on self-reported health status as a key aspect in increasing levels of happiness. The probability of being happy is econometrically estimated by probit models for each country. Results show that the main relationship is between happiness and health status. Whether this is a causal effect or only a correlation, is not clear. This issue is explored by using propensity score matching methods. These show that good health status increases the probability of being satisfied with life by between 13 and 17 percentage points. In line with the literature, we find that the relationship between age and happiness is U-shaped, with happiness at its lowest point at the age of 48.2.

Les personnes en bonne santé sont-elles plus heureuses ? Données concrètes en provenance du Chili et de l'Uruguay

Sur la base de données tirées du Latinobarómetro, cette étude analyse des données sur le bonheur afin d'établir la probabilité du bonheur de personnes données. L'accent est mis sur l'état de santé présenté par la personne elle-même comme aspect clé du niveau croissant de bonheur. La probabilité de bonheur est estimée économétriquement au moyen de modèles probit pour chaque pays. Les résultats indiquent que le principal rapport est celui qui relie le bonheur et l'état de santé. Quant à savoir si c'est là une relation de cause à effet ou seulement une corrélation, ce n'est pas évident. Cette question est traitée au moyen de méthodes d'appariement par score de propension, qui montrent qu'un bon état de santé accroît la probabilité de se sentir satisfait de sa vie de 13 à 17 pour cent. Conformément aux documents écrits sur ce thème, nous constatons que le rapport entre l'âge et le bonheur est en forme de U, le bonheur atteignant son niveau le plus bas à l'âge de 48,2 ans.

¿Son más felices las personas sanas? Hallazgos en Chile y Uruguay

A través del Latinobarómetro para Chile y Uruguay 2007, se estima a través de modelos probit la probabilidad de que un individuo sea feliz. La principal correlación positiva se da entre la felicidad y el buen estado de salud. A efectos de controlar la potencial heterogeneidad observable de esta variable, se utilizan técnicas de correspondencia encontrando que tener buena salud aumenta entre 13 y 17 puntos porcentuales la probabilidad de ser feliz para los datos agrupados regionales. Consecuentemente con la literatura, se encuentra una forma convexa con respecto a la edad, siendo los 48.2 años la edad de mínima felicidad.

As pessoas mais saudáveis são mais felizes? Evidências do Chile e Uruguai

Baseado em dados do Latinobarómetro, este estudo analisa dados sobre felicidade para estabelecer a probabilidade de um indivíduo ser feliz. O enfoque é dado na condição de saúde auto-relatada como aspecto-chave para aumentar os níveis de felicidade. A probabilidade de ser feliz é econometricamente estimada por modelos probit para cada país. Resultados mostram que a principal relação é entre felicidade e condição de saúde. Se isto é um efeito causal ou apenas uma correlação, não está claro. Esta questão é explorada utilizando-se métodos PSM (Propensity Score Matching). Estes métodos mostram que boas condições de saúde aumentam a probabilidade de satisfação com a vida em cerca de 13 a 17 pontos percentuais. Em sintonia com a literatura, constatamos que a relação entre idade e alegria tem a forma de U, com a alegria em seu ponto mais baixo na idade de 48.2.     

From Tuscany to Victoria: Some Determinants of Sustainability Reporting by Local Councils

This paper seeks to respond to recent calls by the academic community for studies investigating sustainability reporting by the public sector, as well as for more engagement-based studies of this issue by examining the views of managers within local councils (LC). The objective of this project is to provide insights as to the possible reasons and explanations for the types of sustainability disclosures among a group of local councils operating in Italy and Australia. In particular, an international comparison is undertaken to ascertain the effect of culture on the adoption of sustainability reporting (SR). Evidence is collected from semi-structured interviews with managers and accountants from ten local councils consisting of five from Italy (Tuscany) and five from Australia (Victoria). The findings suggest that although there are available some general policy documents relating to sustainability reporting, councils are left to their own discretion as to what they consider fit under the definition of sustainability and therefore, determine to a large extent, what to report to stakeholders. Moreover, there was a range of legitimacy type behaviours displayed by a number of councils while others were influenced by notions of public sector accountability and transparency. Adopting Hofstede's cultural framework, the research also highlights the relevance of the Italian and Australian cultural settings in shaping the SR practices used by LCs. The findings suggest that differences regarding cultural dimensions, such as ‘power distance’ and ‘uncertainty avoidance’, influence key aspects of SR.     

Economies of scale in Danish municipalities: Expenditure effects versus quality effects

A change in the cost structure in the Danish municipalities seems to have occurred bringing in a larger fixed element in the cost function and making unit costs higher in small municipalities than in large. The paper examines the hypothesis that small municipalities in their reaction to their higher unit costs for management make a trade-off between raising expenditures and the tax level, on the one hand, and reducing the quality of the production, on the other. Using accounting data for 1980, 1990 and 2000 it is shown that the expenditure structure has shifted since 1980 so that small municipalities now exhibit higher unit expenditures than larger municipalities. However, there also seems to be a quality substituting effect in the small municipalities as a reaction to the higher unit costs. From data based on a questionnaire to the chief executives in all municipalities indications of weak political and administrative leadership in the small municipalities are demonstrated. We find that population size and administrative capacity explain significant differences in municipal understanding of the consequences of the central government regulation defining the conditions for the local production of services.     

Dutch disease and the Azerbaijan economy

The novelty of this study is that it empirically tests four hypotheses of the Dutch Disease in the Azerbaijan economy while systematically controls for other possible explanations of the observed processes over the period 2000–2007. The study concludes that an “absolute de-industrialization” has not taken place in Azerbaijan, rather the country suffers from a “relative de-industrialization” in the non-oil tradable sector. Additionally, the paper shows that the non-tradable sector has substantially expanded during the 2000–2007 period. Analysis also presents that the government expenditures have created a “spending effect”, which is more crucial than the “resource movement effect”. Furthermore, it was found that rapid increases in the wages and the non-tradable prices have led to appreciation of the real exchange rate in Azerbaijan. Finally, the study reveals that foreign direct investments inflow to the oil sector is harmful for non-oil exports and therefore, it contributes to deepening of resource, or oil, dependence. Findings in this paper support the view that to obtain a diversified economy with a long-term balanced growth development of the non-oil tradable sector should be of the major focus for the policymakers.     

Interest Arbitration in the Federal Service

The binding decisions of the Federal Service Impasses Panel are examined through logistic regression and discriminate function analysis. A sample of eighty-four issues decided by the Panel between 1987 and 1999 were coded for content to identify factors influencing Panel decision making. Seven standards are posited as having influence over Panel decisions. The article concludes that the decision processes of the Panel are subject to various arguments used by labor and management, and the impact of these processes on Panel decision making varies by party. Further, final offer procedures are the dominant procedure used by the Panel. Finally, it appears the Panel may weight the arguments of the parties differently depending on the issue in dispute.