Lessons from selected development policies and practices

This article identifies lessons learned from field research and related analysis, to address three fundamental aspects of development that are often overlooked: culture and governance, inclusive development, and market-based approaches. All three cases address issues of poverty and inequality. In addition, the critical role of institutions in governance and development is also highlighted. Finally, by bridging the gap between culture, economy, and society through these approaches, better and more effective development policies and programmes can be formulated and implemented.     

Facilitators of development or Kapos for capital: the primrose path to GATS

This article arose from work undertaken on behalf of a UK-based NGO developing a policy response to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It looks at GATS as a key to locating development NGOs (NGDOs) within the broader field of development aims and practices, examining the long-term implications of GATS with respect to the idea of a ‘fourth position’ for such NGOs. It is argued that this theoretical position fails to take into account changing imbalances of power between NGDOs and their Southern counterparts that began under structural adjustment, as a consequence of which many NGDOs now occupy a position from which effective mediation between civil society, the state, and the market would be difficult if not impossible. In addition, GATS represents a step-change along the evolutionary path towards a market-oriented ideology whose verticalist worldview represents a profound contradiction to the avowedly progressive aims of most NGDOs.     

Are current aid strategies marginalising the already marginalised? Cases from Tanzania

Engaging with and assisting marginalised communities remains a major challenge for governments of developing countries, as many national development strategies tend in practice to further marginalise chronically poor communities. Development aid strategies, including poverty-reduction initiatives, have focused primarily on economic development. As a result they have contributed to the erosion of the asset base of these communities, and in particular their access to natural resources. While questioning the impact of aid arrangements on the poorest and most vulnerable communities in society, this article recognises that current aid arrangements, such as national poverty-reduction strategies, have created an environment in which chronic poverty can be addressed by national governments and other stakeholders. The authors emphasise the need for greater sensitivity in the processes of planning and managing national development strategies that seek to reduce poverty, as well as a commitment to institutional arrangements that include marginalised groups in the country's political economy.     

"More In Than Out": Switzerland's Association With Schengen/Dublin Cooperation

From the point of view of modes of governance and constellations of interdependence, EU research policy offers ideal conditions for the flexible inclusion of non‐member states: it is based on transgovernmental coordination through policy networks rather than supranational legislation, it follows scientific rather than political imperatives, and cooperation is in the interest of both the EU and of Switzerland. This article analyses the degree to which these factors have allowed for Switzerland's inclusion into the regulatory and organisational aspects of EU research policy, and highlights the limits of such flexible sectoral integration.     

Swiss Energy Policy and the Challenge of European Governance

The European Union establishes external relations with third countries in different ways. Network governance is considered as an organisational opening that provides for more cooperative flexibility and inclusion. In this article, I examine to what extent network governance enables Switzerland's inclusion in the European energy sector. I argue that, as the network governance of EU energy policy becomes more institutionalized – from the regulatory forums of Florence and Madrid to the European Regulators Group for Electricity and Gas (ERGEG) – Switzerland tends to be excluded. I further argue that this lack of political inclusion is partly compensated by patterns of market governance that favor Swiss firms. Neither network nor market governance, however, is a sufficient form of coordination and traditional options such as bilateral agreements (electricity) and autonomous adaptation (gas) seem inevitable.     

School Governance in Wales

Abstract

This article focuses on the involvement of governors in the governance of schools in Wales. Set within the context of the devolved education system, school governance has gone from being on the margins of interest to centre stage. This reflects a new focus on pupil performance and outcomes and the need for pupils in Wales to be successful internationally. As new regulations come into place in Wales which demand more from governors in relation to promoting school performance and educational achievement, there is a requirement for governors to undertake particular training. Governors will have to decide whether to federate governor arrangements or not in relation to their leadership of schools. Two key themes emerge in this article. First, there is greater control and direction from the centre over governors in how they undertake their governance roles. Second, there is an expectation that governors will collaborate with each other in the governance of schools. Both of these aspects are different from existing governance arrangements and the extent to which pupil outcomes improve will be fundamental to the success of the new regulations.     

跨域生态环境治理的府际合作研究——基于京津冀地区海河治理政策文本的量化分析

生态环境治理效益具有强外溢性,必然求地方政府打破"行政区行政"及"部门利益梗阻",达成政府间合作.对海河流域水污染治理政策文本的量化分析,有助于研究跨域生态环境治理中府际合作的推进动因、运行机制与合作效果.研究发现,海河流域治理中的府际合作网络已基本形成;在体制内行政力量和体制外利益机制的推动下,合作行动目标明确,激励...     

歙白术与其他产地白术中白术内酯类成分含量比较

目的 以白术内酯类成分为评价指标,比较歙白术与其他产地白术的质量差异。方法 采用高效液相色谱法同时测定安徽、浙江5个产地白术药材中白术内酯Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ的含量。色谱柱：Agilent TC-C18(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm);流动相：甲醇-水(70∶30);检测波长：白术内酯Ⅰ、Ⅲ的检测波长为220 nm,白术内酯Ⅱ的检测波长为276 nm;流速：1.0 ml/min;柱温：室温;进样量：20 μl。结果 歙白术中白术内酯Ⅱ的含量显著高于其他产地白术。结论 白术内酯类成分可作为不同产地白术质量的评价指标。     

乡村振兴背景下欠发达地区健康治理效能提升研究——以山西促进社会办医参与健康治理为视角

以促进社会办医参与推进健康治理,对我国欠发达地区实现乡村振兴具有重要的实践意义,其逻辑需求蕴含于新时代健康目标、健康返贫风险性及现实新机遇中.基于健康治理分析框架和对山西相关调研,可以发现在促进社会办医参与健康治理中,目前存在影响制约健康治理效能的多重因素,包括经营管理目标理念失当、参与机会空间难以拓展、人才短缺限制自...