“The pluses of pulses”: haricot beans and women’s empowerment in Ethiopia

This practical note demonstrates the role that haricot beans play in assisting women to become food and nutrition secure, to generate income, and to have sustainable livelihoods that are resilient to shocks. Based on qualitative research among female and male beneficiaries of a pulse innovation project implemented in southern Ethiopia, the note provides a summary of the critical voices of farmers, and the role that haricot beans play in empowering women. It also outlines some of the challenges that the project faced in achieving its empowerment objectives.     

Investing in multi-stakeholder dialogue to address natural resource competition and conflict

How can multi-stakeholder dialogue help assess and address the roots of environmental resource competition and conflict? This article summarises the outcomes and lessons from action research in large lake systems in Uganda, Zambia, and Cambodia. Dialogues linking community groups, NGOs and government agencies have reduced local conflict, produced agreements with private investors, and influenced government priorities in ways that respond to the needs of marginalised fishing communities. The article details policy guidance in four areas: building stakeholder commitment, understanding the institutional and governance context, involving local groups in the policy reform process, and embracing adaptability in programme implementation.     

Feminism,nationalism, and labour in post-civil war Northern Province of Sri Lanka

This viewpoint highlights the paradox of low labour force participation and high unemployment among women at a time of growing educational levels of women in the former conflict-affected Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It highlights the rise of ethno-feminism and sub-nationalism that undermine what few opportunities open up for women in terms of employment and livelihood opportunities, thereby weakening the peacebuilding efforts of various stakeholders.     

Developing urban space: the changing role of NGOs in Bangladesh

Rapid urbanisation has been an emerging issue in recent decades, particularly for developing countries such as Bangladesh. As one of world’s largest international NGOs, BRAC, based in Bangladesh, is transiting towards a more integrated approach for alleviating urban poverty. This article presents BRAC’s current journey for eradicating urban poverty and outlines the characteristics of urban poverty, key issues faced by the urban poor, and learning that BRAC has accumulated through its urban interventions. Introducing the concept of “coproduction”, the article identifies BRAC’s priorities to eradicate urban poverty within the context of an overall urban strategy.     

日本主权豁免法制的最新发展与启示

作为联合国《国家及其财产管辖豁免公约》的缔约国,日本通过国内立法完成了对公约的转化。出于限制豁免主义立场的考虑,日本在商业交易的判断标准、给予外国国家豁免的具体情形以及外国国家参加法院诉讼的法律效果等问题上对公约进行了较大修改;出于与国内法衔接的考虑,对国家与国家企业的关系采取了回避的态度;而在劳动者损害赔偿诉讼的管辖权等方面,虽然条文表述有异,但却符合公约的精神。日本国内立法的整体方向是扩大日本的司法管辖权,这一点既需要引起我们的警觉,也值得我们借鉴。     

Whatever Happened to the Progressive Century?

In the mid-1990s, after eighteen years of Conservative rule, there was much talk about the prospects for a progressive century. Tony Blair, under the tutelage of Roy Jenkins, made it clear that he wanted to end the schism on the centre-left. Paddy Ashdown saw the same opportunity. Ironically, the electorate's desire to kick out the Conservatives and vote in progressives of any stripe delivered a Labour landslide that made cooperation impossible for Blair and Ashdown. Some progressive policies, notably on the constitution, have been implemented, but the political and intellectual roots to create a progressive century have yet to be properly established. Foreign policy divisions, especially on Iraq, have made this much more difficult. This article looks at the prospects for progressives—under new leadership—up to and after the next election in terms of ideas and policy.     

联合国反腐败公约中确立的刑事程序原则

《联合国反腐败公约》中确立了一系列与刑事诉讼程序相关的原则,在刑事执法主体方面主要明确了专门性和独立性两个原则。在刑事程序运行程序中确定了正当法律程序这一核心原则、行动中的合作原则、程序推进中加强控制的原则等。     

结合联合国反腐败公约的实施推进我国反商业贿赂法治

在经济全球化与网络国际化迅猛发展的21世纪,控制商业贿赂必须采取综合性的法治措施。我国批准联合国反腐败公约是我国推进反腐败领域的国际法治的积极行动,也是我国推进反商业贿赂领域法治的重要措施。作为批准联合国反腐败公约的国家,按照联合国反腐败公约的规定采取综合性的措施推进我国反商业贿赂的法治,不仅是我国履行公约义务开展反商业贿赂的责任,也是高效而有力地预防和打击商业贿赂的必然要求。结合联合国反腐败公约的实施开展我国反商业贿赂法治建设,将有力促进反商业贿赂领域国际法治与中国法治的良性互动。     

Individual Dismissals in Europe and the United States: A Model on the Influence of the Legal Framework on Firing Costs

In this article, we present a model of individual dismissals based on the workers' right to file a suit against their employer arguing that the dismissal is unjustified or unfair. The model is a standard pre-trial bargaining game between a firm and a worker. We study two cases: when the law states the severance pay for unfair dismissal (the European case), and when judges can decide freely on the compensation to be paid to the worker (the American case). The model provides some guidelines for Labour Law reforms. In the European case, a decrease in the severance pay for unfair dismissals fixed by law will decrease the severance pay offered by the firm, and only under some assumptions will decrease the expected firing cost and will increase the settlement probability. In addition, the transition from the European to the American case is likely to increase the probability of settlement (and to decrease it in the opposite case) with ambiguous effects on agreed severance pay and expected firing costs.