A gendered analysis of goat ownership and marketing in Meru,Kenya

Studies show that women are more likely to own small, rather than, large livestock. This study sought to establish gendered preference for different livestock species while focusing on the gendered differences in ownership, management, and marketing of goats in Meru, Kenya. Men demonstrated a higher preference for cattle than women, who had a higher preference for poultry than men. Men and women preferred goats equally, but women derived and managed more income from goats than men. Development projects should apply a gender lens before introducing different livestock species as gender differences exist in the preference and the management of different livestock.     

Unintended consequences of state-building and the management of diversity in post-conflict Kosovo

This paper examines the adoption of a multiethnic liberal-democratic model of governance in post-independence Kosovo and the dual task of state-building to secure unity and manage diversity. This article explains why in post-conflict and post-independence Kosovo, its domestic sovereignty and legitimization have become conditioned by the integration, accommodation, and protection of its minorities. While the existing literature has mainly focused on the shortcomings deriving from the exogenous character of state-building in Kosovo, this paper aims to challenge and complement this view by drawing on the “state-in-society” approach developed by Joel Migdal, which highlights that the actual states have less coherence than their theoretical counterparts. Analysis of post-independence Kosovo reveals the legislation-implementation gap and the unintended consequences arising under the impact of endogenous factors. Overall, this article shows that multiethnic state-building in Kosovo has been crucially transformed and “limited” by local idiosyncrasies.     

How gendered is Gender and Development? Culture,masculinity, and gender difference

Gender studies in general, and Gender and Development (GAD) in particular, through their belief in a cultural conditioning of gender behaviour, use the idea of ‘culture’ in a restrictive sense which perpetuates a conceptual difference between men and women, and also between First World and Third World women. There is a tendency among gender experts to magnify the difference between men and women, and categorise them into two radically different realms. This article argues for a gender project based on the idea of culture as lived experience. It approaches gender not as a category of exclusion but as a problematic construct that is constantly restructuring itself.     

Responses to the ‘policy science’ problem: reflections on the politics of development

Taking as its point of departure the failure of the ‘policy science’ project, the article discusses the declining authority of ‘one size fits all’ policy advice. It relates this to the absence of a robust empirical basis for such positions, as shown by the cross-country regressions literature, and relates it also to changes in a range of disciplines, including natural sciences and mathematics. It discusses the rising tolerance for inconsistency between implementation logics and argues that these issues, while of general importance, are most obvious in the context of development, where ‘one size fits all’ policy logics have been heavily contested.     

How people can influence government policy – stories from the Caucasus

It is very motivating to see vulnerable people becoming strong advocates for their own rights and persuading their government to act; or to see passionate young economists influencing the state and effecting positive change for tens of thousands of poor households. It is impressive to see dedicated work by a national NGO to build successful community health-care programmes that influence the health services of a whole country. The three stories from the Caucasus presented in this article show what can be done when people become strong advocates for their own rights or for the rights of others living in poverty.     

Practical lessons from four projects on disability-inclusive development programming

This article considers early lessons learned from the inclusion of disabled people, based on socially inclusive principles, in World Vision programming work in Angola, Armenia, Cambodia, and Senegal. Externally led reviews and evaluations conducted between July 2007 and April 2008 drew out seven key lessons. In summary: the substantial effect of stakeholders' attitudes on practical implementation; the importance of authentic consultation with a range of disabled people; appropriate budgetary considerations; and a need for caution regarding livelihoods work.     

土壤细菌群体多样性的T-RFLP分析应用探讨

目的探讨土壤细菌群体多样性的末端限制性片段长度多态性（terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism，T-RFLP）分析在法庭科学应用的相关问题。方法依据不同土壤中的细菌群体存在多样性和差异，联合利用细菌16SrDNA序列、末端限制性片段长度多态性（terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism，T-RFLP）方法对5个来源不同的土壤样品和4个同一来源土壤样品的细菌群体多样性进行比较分析，计算土壤样品间的相似系数。结果不同来源的5个土壤样品间相似系数，最大者为0．44，最小为0．3；同一来源的4个土壤样品相似系数，最大为0．87，最小为0．76。结论不同来源土壤的细菌群体多样性存在差异。     

Forensic value of 14 novel STRs on the human Y chromosome

We identified and characterized 14 novel short-tandem-repeats (STRs) on the Y chromosome and typed them in two samples, a globally diverse panel of 73 cell lines, and 148 individuals from a European–American population. These Y-STRs include eight tetranucleotide repeats (DYS449, DYS453, DYS454, DYS455, DYS456, DYS458, DYS459, and DYS464), five pentanucleotide repeats (DYS446, DYS447, DYS450, DYS452, and DYS463), and one hexanucleotide repeat (DYS448). Sequence data were obtained to designate a repeat number nomenclature. The gene diversities of an additional 22 Y-STRs, including the most commonly used in forensic databases, were directly compared in the cell line DNAs. Six of the 10 most polymorphic markers include the newly identified Y-STRs. Furthermore, these novel Y-STRs greatly improved the resolution of paternal lineages, above the level obtained with commonly used Y-STRs, in the European–American population.     

也谈党校函授面授教学方法

“教”与“学”是党校函授教育的一对基本矛盾,而教学方法是联接“教”与“学”的中介和桥梁。教给学员学习方法,使学员由被动的吸收知识转化为主动的吸收知识。启发式教学的特点在于强调学员是学习的主体、学员智力的充分发展及内在学习动力和责任感。     

Gender,energy, and empowerment: a case study of the Rural Energy Development Program in Nepal

Rural women in general, and mountain women in particular, are greatly involved in managing household energy systems in Nepal. Alternative energy technologies have a high potential to reduce women's workloads and improve their health status, as well as increasing efficient energy supply. Interventions in rural energy are primarily aimed at reducing firewood use and increasing economic growth through rural electrification, rather than aiming to reduce human drudgery, especially that of women. Hence, such intervention takes place without considering the needs, roles, interests, and potential of rural women, even though women are the primary users and managers of rural energy resources. This article aims to analyse the gender implications of rural energy technologies in Kavre district, where the Rural Energy Development Program (REDP) has been implemented, especially in terms of saving women's labour and increasing socio-economic opportunities for women.