Respecting communities: languages and cultural understanding in international development work

This viewpoint summarises the key research themes from “The Listening Zones of NGOs” research project, that brought together NGO practitioners, language practitioners and academics from a number of disciplines. The research found that paying close attention to languages contributes to successful development programmes, according to the staff of both international and national NGOs. However, the general shift towards an emphasis on technical and thematic expertise among many INGOs has led to the risk that contextual knowledge and the resourcing of language and cultural understanding are not given priority. For INGOs, listening to the competing voices of multiple actors and organisations presents major challenges. The viewpoint presents ways of addressing those challenges.     

Political economy of road maintenance: a utility diagnostic

Sub-Saharan Africa requires US$30 billion annually for its infrastructure maintenance, with every dollar spent saving the economy about four times that. However, many governments still do not recognise the need for road maintenance, increasing vehicle operating costs – to more than 1% of GDP in some regions. Still, there are too few political economy diagnostics of this problem and policy responses aiming to ring-fence dedicated funds have had mixed results. This article proposes a diagnostic through which to understand the institutional root causes of the problem using the case of Moldova.     

俄国驻中国喀什噶尔领事彼得罗夫斯基与近代英俄大博弈

尼古拉·费奥多罗维奇·彼得罗夫斯基是俄国驻我国新疆喀什噶尔第一任领事,其任期正值近代英国与俄国的中亚大博弈时期.彼得罗夫斯基利用其在当地的影响力,精心编织情报网络,培训情报人员,收集新疆地区军事政治要情,为俄国推行对华侵略政策提供信息服务,并严密监视英国动向,协助俄国军队占领我国帕米尔地区.在经济方面,彼得罗夫斯基通过扩大俄国商圈、打压英国在新疆的贸易和扰乱金融体系等手段,帮助俄国扩大对新疆的贸易.此外,彼得罗夫斯基利用职务之便在我国新疆喀什噶尔及其周边地区大肆劫掠文物,并与俄国国内积极互动,为俄国考察者提供文物信息和物质支持,在此方面,也将英国视为最大竞争对手.在彼得罗夫斯基的苦心经营下,19世纪末20世纪初俄国在新疆地区的影响力得到极大的扩张,无论在政治、经济还是文物掠夺方面,相对于英国均占据了先机.     

What can we learn from programme reports? Lessons from international forestry programmes

This article discusses the current state of knowledge sharing and reporting by international development agencies and NGOs by examining several major internationally supported forestry programmes in Kyrgyzstan. The programme reporting practices of a selection of international development agencies and their limitations are discussed in light of recent developments in the areas of open data, knowledge management, and global reporting standards. The article proposes that focusing on learning and knowledge sharing rather than merely accountability, as well as building on corporate reporting standards, could help establish an easy-to-use global knowledge pool to eventually ensure more effective, evidence-based international development.     

Ethnic boxes: the unintended consequences of Habsburg bureaucratic classification

The classificatory efforts that accompanied the modernization of the Habsburg state inadvertently helped establish, promote, and perpetuate national categories of identification, often contrary to the intentions of the Habsburg bureaucracy. The state did not create nations, but its classification of languages made available some ethnolinguistic identity categories that nationalists used to make political claims. The institutionalization of these categories also made them more relevant, especially as nationalist movements simultaneously worked toward the same goal. Yet identification with a nation did not follow an algorithmic logic, in the beginning of the twentieth century, sometimes earlier, various nationalisms could undoubtedly mobilize large numbers of people in Austria–Hungary, but people still had agency and nation-ness remained contingent and situational.     

从政治视角理解把握十九届五中全会的精神品质与要义

党的十九届五中全会提出并讨论通过了国民经济和社会发展第十四个五年规划和二○三五年远景目标,这是富于强烈政治制度色彩以及持续性极强的国家治理方式和举措,是党的政治领导与思想指导反映于国家经济社会发展领域的重要制度安排,是中央政府宏观指导地方与地方党委政府了解把握全局的结合点和切入点,是引导社会与凝聚民心士气的有效方式和重...     

Uzbekistan among the great powers

Under the authoritarian regime of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan has achieved independence and stability by exploiting its natural resources through a strategy of “staple globalism” and by balancing the great powers against each other. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the new regime first distanced itself from Russia and tried regional alliances, then accepted help from NATO, and most recently turned cautiously to Russia (and China). Throughout, Uzbekistan has managed to receive considerable assistance from international agencies and military aid from several outside powers, albeit relatively little private foreign investment, owing to its poor business climate. The country has also handled potential conflicts with neighbors without significant violence.     

Post-Soviet politics in Kyrgyzstan: between centralism and localism?

Kyrgyzstan is a country that has recently attracted attention with its different features in post-Soviet Central Asia. The country could not be institutionalized by either an authoritarian means or a democratic regime after her independence in 1992. Political life has been shaped by political confrontation between administrative authorities that have tendencies to strengthen the authoritarian regime and local political leaders who act centrifugally. This article, in the light of this background, aims to investigate the political process in the framework of the ‘Tulip Revolution’ that took place in 2005. Initially, social, economic and cultural dynamics, which have impacts on the political processes, are analysed, and next, the contemporary implications of these dynamics are examined in detail. Finally, probable influences of the political developments witnessed after 2005 and the potential direction of transformation of the political regime are discussed.     

波兰参与中东欧区域合作机制的策略与挑战

波兰是世界上公认的典型的“中等强国”,是中东欧区域实力最强的国家。冷战结束以来,波兰利用自己特殊的地缘优势,积极加强与中欧、东部邻国和广大中东欧国家的合作,创建或参与了“维谢格拉德集团”“东部伙伴关系”“中欧倡议国”组织“三海倡议”等合作机制,力图成为这些合作机制中的核心和引领国家,并希望借助这些合作机制,加强波兰的影响力。波兰对中东欧区域合作的积极参与和倡导,极大地加强了“大海之间”国家的合作,但由于波兰综合实力有限,加上中东欧各国的国家利益具有较大差异,并普遍存在对俄罗斯的能源依赖,波兰在实现战略目标时面临巨大的限制和挑战。如果波兰试图在区域合作中四处出击,平均用力,反而不利于其发挥“中等强国”的影响力。     

构建和谐社会与亲民的发展思路--解读党的十六届五中全会对边缘群体问题的关注

十六届五中全会将构建社会主义和谐社会确立为“十一五”时期经济社会发展的重要目标。党中央关于构建社会主义和谐社会的思考在不断深化,亲民的发展思路越来越清晰并被付诸实施。和谐社会应该是能有效化解人民内部矛盾和妥善解决社会问题的社会。当前,中国社会边缘群体的问题非常突出,执政党亲民、爱民的价值取向在解决边缘群体问题上可以得到充分地体现。