Under-development in practice: Nigeria and the enduring problem of corruption

Nigeria's abundant natural resource endowments should earn the country's bragging rights as the “Giant of Africa”. Instead, 52 years of corrupt practices among the often recycled ruling elites in post-independence Nigeria have crippled this giant and turned what should be one of the country's strongest assets – its vast oil wealth – into a curse. This article critically examines the concerns for corruption as an enduring obstacle to Nigeria's development writ large. After providing a historical trajectory of corrupt practices in Nigeria from the mid-1980s to the present, it discusses some of the recent corruption scandals in the country, in particular the issues surrounding the US$6.8 billion that was drained from Nigeria between 2009 and 2012 in the fuel subsidy scam. The conclusion makes a case for the reworking of a pervasive system in Nigeria that “pardons” corruption and “recycles” corrupt rulers.     

A quantitative assessment of the extent and distribution of textile fibre transfer to persons involved in physical assault

Knowledge of the number of fibres transferred during a particular activity is essential for the interpretation of findings in similar criminal cases. In this regard, violent contacts and physical assaults still present a challenge, due to a lack of robust published data. Hereby, we present the outcome of an empirical study where different assault activities were simulated by a Jiu Jitsu team and participants were asked to play either the role of an aggressive ‘assailant’ or a defensive ‘victim’, wearing cotton garments (i.e., Gi’s). Four different scenarios were simulated in replicates (n = 5), each of them involving different intensity levels (low and high) and duration times (30 and 60 s). Results showed that approximately 1,000 to 44,000 fibres were cross-transferred between the participants’ garments, with noticeable differences between the different scenarios. These values were significantly larger than those published in previous studies and, therefore, suggested the possibility of a current underestimation of the number of fibres transferred in physical assaults. Furthermore, statistical analysis by ANOVA indicated that the all the variables tested (i.e., intensity level, duration time, and participants role) had a significant effect on the number of transferred fibres (p < 0.001) and, consequently, that some knowledge of the case circumstances may be important to make more educated estimations. This is the first time that such a methodology has been applied for the quantitative assessment of fibre transfer between participants in assault activities. Data are expected to help practitioners with the interpretation of findings in real casework and lead to a more robust evidential assessment.     

Management and safety of a medical mission: occupational hazards of volunteering

Medical aid missions involve travel to conflict or danger zones, posing safety risks in addition to the usual occupational risks arising from daily medical work. The note reports on a volunteer mission, using personal reports, anecdotal experiences, and the formal annual report to undertake an assessment similar to worksite assessments for hazards and control measures. Hazards were found to be prevalent, including physical noise and heat, infectious exposure from patients and local vectors, poor water sanitation, and psychosocial stress from unfamiliar environments and large patient numbers with limited means. Implementable preventative measures include increasing awareness with appropriate protective equipment usage and safety guidelines. Mission planning and management should also involve occupational health input.     

The role of the IFI and the EU Peace III Fund in creating sustainable peace in Northern Ireland and the border counties

NGOs aided by external economic aid can play a critical part in post-accord peacebuilding situations. This article explores the impact of the International Fund for Ireland and the European Union Peace III Fund in nurturing sustainable peace through development in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland by examining the perceptions and experiences of 107 local NGO leaders and 13 funding agency development officers. During the summer of 2010, 120 people were interviewed using semi-structured interviews in Derry city and nine border counties. The article explores the role of external economic international assistance aids in building sustainable development, reconciliation, and peace in Northern Ireland and the border counties.     

Reflections of an evaluator navigating between community development and welfare paradigms

This practical note discusses some of the challenges evaluators face when their values clash with those of their employer. A case example where the author was commissioned to complete an evaluation for a community development project within a welfare-minded NGO highlights evaluation issues for welfare-minded NGOs attempting to deliver community development programmes. A fundamental issue is the differing interpretation of key terms including evaluation, participation, and empowerment. The note discusses how the author attempted to navigate between maintaining community development principles in the evaluation process while at the same time fulfilling quantitative evaluation requirements mandated by the organisation and funders.     

当代中国公共服务实践反思:公共服务全程评估的意义

本文首先概括了当代中国公共服务实践中存在的诸多“怪相”,并把“怪相”归为公共服务需求、供给和结果三类问题,而问题的根源在于公共服务体制缺陷。然后,从公共服务过程的角度,提出公共服务全程评估的概念,即对公共服务需求一供给一结果整个过程的评估,并认为公共服务全程评估,是既定公共服务体制下的一种可行的公共服务改革策略,也是改善公共服务的一种机制保障。     

中美公共政策评估系统比较及启示

构思精美,设计精良的政策并非都能达到预期的效果.由于认知的局限性和政策的复杂性,在政策实践中,事与愿违的现象是普遍存在的.因此,政策评估至关重要.现代意义上的政策评估兴起于上世纪60一70年代的美国,而我国在引进政策科学后总体上仍处于"引进"阶段,尚未完全完成"消化、吸收尤其是创新"过程.本文通过比较研究中美两国在公共政策评估系统的差异,从评估者、评估对象、评估目的、评估标准和评估方法五个方面对比分析,得出一些针对我国公共政策评估系统存在问题的启示.     

我国政府公共危机管理问责制的完善——基于矿难行政责任追究的视角

现阶段我国政府公共危机管理的绩效评价工作才刚刚起步,"官员问责"还存在着一些问题。在政府公共危机管理体系中,绩效评价和问责是较为薄弱的一环。从我国近几年发生的六起煤矿特别重大事故行政责任追究结果的分析看,我国政府公共危机管理绩效评价和问责存在的抗拒执法,非法生产;超负荷组织生产;管理混乱,腐败等问题。因此需要借鉴国外政府公共危机管理绩效评价工作的做法,建议应分别从问责目标、问责主体、问责对象、问责内容、问责程序和方法、问责结果的应用等方面完善我国政府公共危机管理问责制。     

中国市场经济法律:进展与评价

我国建立社会主义市场经济是在计划经济的基础上进行的,由此决定了市场经济法律体系的特殊性。目前中国的市场经济法律体系已初步形成,但仍存在不足：如观念尚待更新;企业受到过多的行政管制;市场经济法律体系有待完备,须及早颁行反垄断法、国有资产法、国民经济稳定增长法、计划法等;法律可操作性不够。今后,更重要的将是提高执法水平、严格执法程序、惩治司法腐败。     

人身伤害重新鉴定的困惑与出路

刑事诉讼法和司法解释对人身伤害重新鉴定立法位置安排的不当和程序设计的缺失,遭到了鉴定实践的抗争,默默演变为不断重复鉴定的制造源。因此,应当完善人身伤害重新鉴定的启动程序,经过文证审查的过滤,建构专家委员会的终结性复核鉴定制度,并通过诉讼程序消解鉴定障碍,达到公正选择适用重新鉴定程序规则的目的。