Poor communities as corporate stakeholders: A bottom-up research approach

Abstract

This article strives to provide an understanding of salient issues affecting the daily lives of participants from various developing communities in the country, and within the bigger picture, discuss some implications for organisations that affect or are affected by such communities. A key implication is that the process of constant connectivity and dialogue, including dissent, with communities as corporate stakeholders, may be more important in establishing trust and earning accountability, than the outcomes of well-planned corporate social responsibility campaigns. The study is based on qualitative research undertaken between 2006 and 2008 in 35 South African rural and township communities in Limpopo Province, North-West and Gauteng. A bottom-up research approach was proposed by the researchers, which, instead of evaluating the effects of corporate communication campaigns on communities, was to begin at a grassroots level with communities themselves, by exploring top-of-mind issues. From the findings it was apparent that a vicious cycle of extreme and endemic poverty was the focal area that occupied community members’ minds. This study provides a linkage between certain aspects of corporate social responsibility, normative stakeholder theory, strategic communication and stakeholder dialogue, in an attempt to provide organisations with guidelines to evaluate and respond to the challenges of poor communities, and offer a perspective on the way strategic communication with poor communities should take place.     

War and other insecurities in East Asia: what the security studies field does and does not tell us

Abstract

Terrorism has become a challenge to which Southeast Asian studies need to respond. This article scrutinizes political and economic developments in regard to democracy and poverty in Southeast Asia, in particular the degree of change, and studies their influence on terrorism. The main question being asked here is whether external support for political and economic development could contribute to the Southeast Asian battle against terrorism. At the same time, this article seeks ways in which the international community, especially Europe, could support and participate in Southeast Asian efforts to address the root causes of terrorism. Finally, a global quantitative analysis of relevant factors is undertaken, and global conclusions are related to the developments and processes observed in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia. On the basis of the analysis, it can be established that some of the root causes of terrorism are indeed related to poverty and the lack of democracy. While it is clear that terrorist strategies to address these grievances by targeting innocent civilians are unacceptable, grievances related to poverty and the lack of democracy are perfectly legitimate. It seems that in order to inhibit individual terrorist motivations, democratization of political systems would do some good. However, the main economic and political grievances that are associated with the growth of terrorism are related to transnational communities. Thus, while Southeast Asian countries should continue to develop and democratize, they should also work together with the international community to democratize the international structures of governance.     

金融支农扶贫模式研究——兼论对河北省“环首都扶贫攻坚示范区”的启示

作为有效的经济杠杆和调控手段,金融手段对扶贫开发具有重要作用。近年来,国内外微型金融扶贫模式取得了较大发展,而国内拾荷模式、乡村金融服务站、农地金融和社区发展基金等金融扶贫模式也各具特色。与国家集中连片特殊困难地区扶贫攻坚战略相对应,河北省提出了打造"环首都扶贫攻坚示范区"的战略目标,而借鉴国内外金融扶贫模式,以金融手段推进"环首都扶贫攻坚示范区"建设就成为必然选择。     

Structural violence and politics

Abstract

In Red Tape, I do not use the term “arbitrary” in opposition to “systematic”, as is alleged by Harriss and Jeffrey. Arbitrariness accompanies systematic forms of discrimination, and is the result of both, the indifference to outcomes and to the chaotic style of functioning of Indian bureaucracies. Interpreting structural violence, or explaining injustice, requires understanding what the state means to different people. The chief argument that poverty is a form of violence, and represents the killing of the poor, underlines the injustice that results from treating poverty as a biopolitical fact. I employ a notion of politics that is not restricted to parties and mobilization, but which saturates all relations of inequality. Despite voicing dissatisfaction with the analysis presented in Red Tape, Harriss and Jeffrey fail to forward an adequate and coherent alternative.     

Economic Stress and Psychological Distress Among Urban African American Adolescents

SUMMARY

The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal depression and negative parenting mediate the relationship between economic stress and psychological symptoms among urban African American youth. Two distinct economic Stressors were examined: (1) acute economic loss and (2) chronic economic strain. Each of these economic Stressors was expected to predict maternal depression, which, in turn, was expected to predict negative parenting, which, finally, was expected to predict adolescent symptoms. Results suggest that maternal depression and negative parenting partially mediate the relationship between economic stress and adolescent psychological symptoms among urban African American youth. Directions for future research and intervention implications are outlined.     

Knowledge generation,political action and African development: A polycentric approach

ABSTRACT

Knowledge generated to meet societal needs is the bedrock of development. Africa's development crisis is marked by the persistent gap between the application of intellectual rigours and political action. Despite abundant development potential (human and natural resources, and scientific knowledge), coupled with reform declarations and commitments by African leaders over the past four decades, development remains illusory. This article examines the relationship between key development players (African public officials and African scholars), and how generated knowledge is applied to respond to the needs of African citizens. Using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework (otherwise known as new institutionalism) this article examines weaknesses in the interaction of knowledge, political action and development, while at a local level African citizens, through shared strategies and problem-solving interdependency, are effectively transforming indigenous knowledge inherited from their parents to confront daily challenges. The article suggests ways of bridging the gap between development players by proposing an African Development Institutional Mechanism (ADIM) aimed at enabling key development players to operate in synergy.     

Living on the edge: Migrant women in Malta

Research on ethnic minorities in Malta is relatively infrequent. Research on ethnic minority women is even scarcer. However, there is consensus in the literature that migrant women can face additional disadvantages when compared with minority men and women in the host country. More specifically, migrant women are at risk of the most extreme forms of poverty and social exclusion, in many if not all dimensions of life: housing, education, employment, health care, and multiple discrimination. This paper presents a critical overview of the socioeconomic situation of migrant women in Malta as a first and crucial step toward a better understanding of the disadvantages and specific needs faced by this vulnerable group. It then goes on to discuss the role of the state for evidence-based decision making and policy responses. I finally argue for active inclusion policies that redress social inequalities, and that encourage the full integration of migrant women living on the edge of Maltese society.     

Economic Sanctions,Poverty, and International Terrorism: An Empirical Analysis

This study examines the impact of economic sanctions on international terrorism. It is argued that sanctions intensify economic hardships on the poor within countries and this increases their level of grievance and makes them more likely to support or engage in international terrorism. Further, economic sanctions are conceptualized as creating an opportunity for rogue leaders to manipulate aggrieved poor people to terrorize foreign entities who are demonized as engaging in a foreign encroachment on the sanctioned nation's sovereignty. A cross-sectional, time-series data analysis of 152 countries for the past three decades provides evidence that ceteris paribus, economic sanctions are positively associated with international terrorism. This finding suggests that, although the main purpose of economic sanctions is to coerce rogue countries to conform to international norms and laws, they can unintentionally produce a negative ramification and become a cause of international terrorism.     

英国消除未成年贫困政策及对我国的启示

未成年贫困是英国的一个较为严重的社会问题,为了消除未成年贫困现象,英国政府在促进父母就业,为家庭提供援助,针对子女进行补贴以及提供子女照顾和教育服务等方面制定并实施了一系列政策,降低了未成年贫困率,对我国发展子女保障事业,促进社会公正具有一定的借鉴意义。     

贫困与留守儿童心理健康关系研究——以江西省修水县分析为例

贫困对儿童心理健康的影响研究尚存学术争议,学界对留守儿童群体的相关实证研究较为缺乏。文章基于社会因果论的理论分析框架,通过分析江西省修水县625名留守儿童的问卷调查数据,验证贫困对留守儿童心理健康的影响。结果表明：（1）留守儿童的贫困程度较高,多维剥夺现象严重;（2）贫困对留守儿童的消极心理健康和积极心理健康均有显著性影响,但影响程度有差异;（3）留守儿童的心理健康存在显著年级差异,高年级留守儿童的心理健康水平相对较差。文章的研究发现为提升贫困留守儿童心理健康水平提供了重要依据。