Community rehabilitation workers as catalysts for disability: inclusive youth development through service learning

This paper explores access to health and education for disabled youth in sites with and without community rehabilitation workers (CRWs). A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was undertaken in nine sites in South Africa, and a snowball sample of 523 disabled youths of both sexes, aged between 18 and 35 years, was selected. The survey found that a significantly larger proportion of disabled youth living in sites with CRWs were seen by health care workers at home, and that there was a large difference in educational access between sites with and without CRWs. CRWs are well positioned to promote equal citizenship for disabled youth through service learning with occupational therapy final year students to improve access to health and education, so that barriers to their participation in economic development are removed.     

Social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities: practical lessons from Bangladesh

People with disabilities remain one of the most excluded minorities, often deprived of the benefits of mainstream development programmes. This practical note reports on lessons learnt in delivering a programme combining a community based rehabilitation (CBR) and self-help group approach with disabled persons in rural Bangladesh. Our findings demonstrate how targeted programmes can bring about the social and economic inclusion of disabled persons. We also highlight the greater effectiveness of CBR programmes when targeting a more diverse client base, when not based on debt recovery, and how targeted programmes can even benefit the wider community.     

Benefits and challenges of micro-enterprise participation: women's cottage industry in Kaimosi,Kenya

This article investigates the perspectives of Kenyan women in the Kaimosi cottage industry regarding the benefits and challenges of producing craft commodities for the global marketplace. Utilising qualitative methods, the research provides an understanding of issues the women faced in producing and marketing goods and offers insights for NGOs into some pitfalls for the sustainability of micro-enterprises. The women asserted that participation in the micro-enterprise had improved their family's economic well-being, helped finance their children's education, and improved their community status. This supports the literature that has found that women's involvement in micro-enterprises reduces poverty and improves well-being.     

Investment Treaty Law and the Fear for Sovereignty: Transnational Challenges and Solutions

This article addresses the vagueness, and the interpretative challenges associated with, international investment agreements (IIAs) and develops a new normative framework for interpreting these treaties. It focuses on the historical embedding of investment protection as a means of facilitating economic development as well as upon its synthetic public law nature. The analysis shows that a teleological approach to interpretation imposes boundaries on the meaning of substantive IIA provisions. The article then elaborates how the transnational dimension of IIAs provides a benchmark, which is the level of protection offered to economic actors against interference by the state in countries with the highest rule of law standards. The article then shows how the resulting challenges of comparative public law could be addressed through the methodology of re‐ and pre‐statement of transnational uniform ‘principles’: sophisticated and detailed rules striking the proper balance between private economic interests and the public regulatory interest, so as to provide more legal certainty for both investors and host states.     

中国现代化进程与新农村建设

新时期中国的现代化在取得巨大成就的同时也表现出相当严重的发展失衡状态,城乡发展失衡尤为突出,农村长期被边缘化。建设社会主义新农村,是矫正中国现代化发展严重不平衡状态的重大战略举措;是促使我国现代化在新阶段实现协调、平衡发展,逐步走向成熟的必然要求;也是中国共产党领导的社会主义现代化基本价值诉求的体现。在现阶段,国家的大力帮助和扶持是新农村建设的必要前提;以技术化为核心的农业现代化是新农村建设的主要着力点;调整城市化战略是新农村建设有效推进的重要条件。     

区域协同对我国企业创新和经济发展影响及完善路径探讨——以沪港通为例的研究

区域协同是新时代具有标志性意义的重大国家战略,加快推进区域协同创新发展,不但关系到我国经济能否平稳发展,而且对于实现区域充分平衡发展以及构建新常态语境下具有可持续发展动能的区域"增长极"大有裨益,并影响着我国创新型国家建设进程以及经济增长方式转变的有效探索。基于区域协同创新和"增长极"的理论视角,在阐释区域协同发展对企业创新和国家经济发展的影响基础上,以沪港通为例进行回顾和总结,分析了大力发展沪港通对于推动我国企业创新和经济发展产生了哪些积极影响,未来又面临哪些挑战,并提出有针对性的对策建议。     

国家与乡村社会关系的演绎与1959-1961年的农业危机

1959-1961年的农业危机是在国家控制力极强、乡村社会自治性极弱的政治格局下,基层民众被迫执行国家一系列非理性政策的结果.近代以来,国家政权建设表现为单方面的国家权力下沉态势,地方社会的自治性不断削弱.随着1949年新政权的建立,国家对乡村社会的控制达到前所未有的规模与深度,二者演变为控制与被控制、挤压与被挤压的极端不对等关系.在此状态下,国家权力极度扩张而发生非理性的行为,乡村社会"缓冲地带"消融,面对外界的过度索取失去免疫力,无力抵抗,最终酿成农业危机.     

论用科学发展观统领西部大开发

用科学发展观统领西部大开发,首先要深刻认识科学发展观的历史地位、实践基础和重大意义,同时要遵循一系列基本原则,把握新的发展思路。     

深刻领会中国特色社会主义理论体系的基本内涵

党的十七大创造性地提出并系统地阐述了中国特色社会主义理论体系。坚持和发展中国特色社会主义理论体系的基本要求就是要充分认识其历史地位,全面掌握其科学内涵,深入学习贯彻落实好科学发展观,充分发挥其指导作用。     

文化软实力为宁夏跨越式发展服务的硬道理

宁夏跨越式发展对宁夏文化软实力的提升提出了十分紧迫的要求。宁夏文化发展必须对宁夏跨越式发展给予迅速的回应。宁夏文化软实力为跨越式发展服务,是宁夏文化发展的硬道理。