Enhancing the effectiveness of international development: a systems approach

Every day 25,000 people die of hunger and hunger-related causes. While it is recognised that the international development system is not as effective as it should be, years of endeavours to achieve greater harmonisation of international aid and to create an effective architecture pass by without adequate results. The article introduces a framework for enhancing the effectiveness of the international development system, based on fundamental concepts of Systems Thinking. It discusses the complex systemic challenges to development and suggests that more effective control is a key precondition for greater effectiveness in development as a whole.     

Wellness and illness: the aftermath of urban mass housing in Lagos,Nigeria

Mass housing policy and an attendant population increase play a vital role in the socio-economic profile of Lagos. The article, using data from mass housing projects, explains the effects of these projects on intra-urban dynamics and the implications in Lagos. The pace of urban growth is increasing, and there is an absence of supporting infrastructures. The areas where populations are decreasing happen to be where contemporary housing construction is concentrated. Therefore, programmes aimed at providing housing and improving quality of life should, as a priority, deal with factors affecting population growth and spatial distribution.     

Stakeholders’ relations and power dynamics in development cooperation: lessons learnt from Egypt

One of the key factors why international development cooperation programmes do not achieve sustainable results is their failure to respond to the dynamics of local stakeholders’ relations. This article highlights the case of a fruit and vegetable market in an informal area of Greater Cairo that was redeveloped by a programme supported by German International Cooperation. Although the market was developed using participatory methods, the vendors deserted it. Analysis reveals the conflicting interests of vendors and the district administration were reflected in divergent models of market operation. The paper recommends that development cooperation recognise the legitimacy of existing power structures and stakeholders’ relations.     

Implementing national food policies to promote local family agriculture: Belo Horizonte's story

Policies in Brazil promoting family agriculture such as the Food Acquisition Programme (PAA) and the 30% minimum procurement law for the National School Meals Programme have had varying success across the country. To understand why these policies work effectively only in some areas, the implementation processes must be clarified. This exploratory, ethnographic study identifies the causal mechanisms involved in implementing PAA and the 30% law in the city of Belo Horizonte. The findings reveal that although beneficial, large supply volumes and transportation costs are challenges faced by farmers in the implementation process.     

从平民保护到安全治理 ——加强联合国与所在国政府及民间组织的合作

冲突中的平民保护问题已经与人权、人道主义干预、保护责任等涉及《联合国宪章》基本原则和国际法基本原则的问题密切相关,是联合国维持和平、建设和平授权的主要内容之一,也是国际法院、国际刑事法院判案的重要依据之一。虽然联合国在平民保护问题上已做出相关决议,但在实践方面,其效果与预期设想还存在差距,也存在诸多困难。将“平民保护”与“安全治理”联系起来,使“平民保护”成为安全治理的一个部分,加强联合国与所在国政府和民间社会在平民保护问题上的积极合作与相互监督,这对提高联合国平民保护效果是非常必要的。     

Building indicators to address community sustainability: learning from the Mixteca region,Mexico

This article reports on an indicator model to assess sustainability at the community level that was developed by an interdisciplinary work group. We applied this model in a case study of the Mixteca region in Oaxaca, Mexico, and provided a tool guide to measure the effectiveness of community-based actions. Two innovative aspects are presented: an iterative process with the community to develop a locally appropriate set of indicators drawn from the literature, and a baseline diagnostic assessment of the community’s performance on these indicators. This assessment may serve as a basis for future research and community-driven projects.     

Does women’s empowerment increase accessibility to healthcare among women facing domestic violence?

This article aims to understand whether women’s empowerment increases access to healthcare among women facing domestic violence within the Indian context. It reports on a multi-centre cross-sectional study covering 18 states of India, with 14,405 women respondents through a systematic multi-stage sampling strategy. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Despite substantive possession of the existing attributes of empowerment, women fail to receive necessary healthcare services. This reflects a situation of biased policy processes and institutional frameworks, which are a manifestation of existing patriarchal norms and which result in the piecemeal processes of entitlements.     

社会论证——越南公民参与政府政策制定的重要形式

制定周延而明智的公共政策的能力和发展不同方案以执行政策的能力是构成当代政府治理能力的两大要素。目前,对越南而言,实行社会论证既是公民有效地参与政府政策制定的重要途径,也是推进民主治理的重要方式。本文旨在分析当前越南实行社会论证的机制、特点与实践价值。     

公共治理视域下自动化应用的法律规制

技术飞跃与治理提升之间的关联通常被假定,也早已被吸纳进“数字中国”“智慧社会”等政策实践,但法律的习惯性滞后带来了监管套利的空间。公共治理领域的自动化应用经历了从基于数据库编码的计算机自动化到基于机器学习的算法自动化再到基于神经网络的超级自动化的逐步跃迁,从早先自下而上专业人士的“辅助/参考”和个别部门的“部署/应用”嬗变为自上而下的社会化“嵌入/集成”,公权力、私权力及私权利的关系发生了结构性转换。相应地,国际通行、日益趋同的个人隐私保护(事前同意)、算法可解释性(事中监测)和完整履责链条(事后追责)的监管范式也应依照宏观技术共治、中观价值位阶和微观权利保障三位一体的规制路径进行体系化重构。     

新时代国家治理视野中的人民法庭及其功能塑造

人民法庭作为国家司法权在基层社会的表征,在不同时期发挥着不同功能。新时代人民法庭是乡村社会"在法治轨道上推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化"的重要参与者,承担着通过乡村法治推进国家法治秩序生成的职责,应当着眼于乡村社会结构变迁、"自治、法治、德治相结合"的乡村治理体系以及制度规范引领下的乡村治理逻辑,重新审视人民法庭的设立依据,并赋予法律适用、乡村规范型塑、价值判断和法治文化培育等功能,打造以人民法庭为中心的乡村法治权威,建立现代乡村法治秩序。