GSDRC newsfeed on Asia

Afghanistan's Parliament in the Making: Gendered Understandings and Practices of Politics in a Transitional Country

Andrea Fleschenberg — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can a viable Afghan parliament be developed that will serve citizens� interests and promote peace and reconstruction? What are possible entry points for parliamentary institution-building, particularly regarding female parliamentarians (MPs)? This report from Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and UNIFEM is based on extensive interviews with Afghan parliamentarians during 2007-2008. Women�s parliamentary participation is of the utmost importance, but is largely dependent on the overall gendered political and security context as well as the progress of and challenges to state- and institution-building. Nevertheless, female MPs� political effectiveness could be increased through mutual cooperation and networking.

Society in State-building: Lessons in Improving Democratic Governance - Synthesis Report

Edward Bell — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What is the best way to promote democratic governance in fragile and conflict-affected countries? By directing attention to interactions between state and society, this Initiative for Peacebuilding report aims to help external agencies and conflict-affected societies generate a culture of democratic politics. Drawing on analyses of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia and Pakistan, the paper recommends using the potential that is inherent in all development assistance to improve governance. This includes using the processes for defining development strategies to widen and deepen ownership by society as a whole.

Do No Harm: International Support for Statebuilding

OECD DAC — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can donor interventions hinder or assist statebuilding processes? This report from the OECD's Development Assistance Committee draws on country case-studies to examine five key areas of statebuilding. Donors operating in fragile states need to analyse where their own countries� strategic objectives contradict statebuilding objectives and where statebuilding objectives are themselves at odds. Donors can assist statebuilding by promoting: (1) inclusive political processes; (2) state legitimacy; (3) constructive state-society relations; (4) social expectations that are realistic but push states to do more; and (5) the development of sustainable capacities to carry out state functions.

How to Bring About Change in the Bangladesh Civil Service? Attempts to Change Mindsets, Behaviours and Practice

Colin Jacobs — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What is the way forward for civil service reform in Bangladesh? This article from Public Administration and Development looks at the role that the Bangladesh civil service might play in enabling pro-poor reform and growth. It explores how a senior leadership programme, such as Managing at the Top (MATT2), can create a critical mass of reform minded civil servants. Developing leaders, reforming their attitudes and providing practical skills are all critical aspects of enabling change. However, a single programme is unlikely to be successful. Furthermore, while an incremental approach to reform may be realistic it should not fall into an acceptance of the current status-quo.

Citizen Mobilisation in Nepal: Building on Nepal�s Tradition of Social Mobilisation to Make Local Governance more Inclusive and Accountable

C. Jha, S. Prasai, M. Hobley and L. Bennett — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can citizen mobilisation be supported to make local governance more inclusive and accountable in Nepal? This report from the Local Governance and Community Development Programme (LGCDP) analyses social mobilisation in Nepal. Transformational mobilisation processes are needed to build peoples� capacity to actively participate in their own governance. Lessons learned include providing evidence of change in the 'capability to demand' and addressing obstacles in processes that target the disadvantaged by engaging the elites as �champions of the poor�.

State Growth and Social Exclusion in Tibet: The Challenges of Recent Economic Growth

Andrew Martin Fischer — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

How has economic growth and transformation in China influenced structural marginality in Tibetan areas? This book uses a macro socio-economic perspective to trace how economic growth and transformation interact with social change and population transitions in the Tibetan areas, and how these processes influence the emergence or exacerbation of structural marginality and social exclusion. It argues the most pressing economic issues facing the Tibetan regions relate to the socio-economic marginalisation of the majority of Tibetans from rapid state-led growth.

From �Refugee Warriors� to �Returnee Warriors�: Militant Homecoming in Afghanistan and Beyond

Kristian Berg Harpviken — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Why do some refugees, upon return to their countries of origin, engage in violent action? This paper from George Mason University assumes that in some refugee situations a significant share of returnees engage in militant action. It examines three sets of explanatory factors (enabling environment, ideology and organisation) in order to contribute to an expanding analytical framework for refugee warrior phenomena, and to identify an agenda for future research.

Inclusive Growth in Nepal

Magnus Hatlebakk — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How can inclusive growth be promoted in Nepal? This paper from the Chr. Michelsen Institute examines pathways out of poverty in Nepal between 1995 and 2003 and proposes ways in which the government, non-governmental organisations and international donors can help foster future inclusive growth. Targeted education and training schemes for the poor and for excluded groups, subsidised health care and investment in infrastructure are key areas of intervention.

'Citadel of Women': Strengthening Female Leadership in Rural Cambodia

Thavy Chhoeun, Panha Sok, Clodagh Byrne — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What opportunities has the decentralisation process given women in Cambodia to participate in political leadership? What obstacles and challenges hinder women's participation and leadership at the local level? This article from Gender & Development discusses the work of Banteay Srei, a Cambodian NGO, in building the capacity of women to participate in leadership. It describes how Banteay Srei's leadership training activities have enabled women in the targeted villages to make the most of leadership opportunities. However, challenges to women's effective political leadership still remain and it is important for NGOs and women leaders to develop strategies to overcome these challenges.

Ethno-Religious Conflicts: Exploring the Role of Religion in Conflict Resolution

S. A. Kadayifci-Orellana — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can the religious texts, values and beliefs used to incite conflict be harnessed to promote peace-building and reconciliation? What contributions can faith-based actors make to conflict resolution? This chapter from the SAGE Handbook of Conflict Resolution examines the ways in which religion can be used to inspire both war and peace. The revival of religiously motivated conflicts, and the increasing involvement of religious actors in resolving them, requires understanding of their dynamics.

Interim Institutions and the Development Process: Opening Spaces for Reform in Cambodia and Indonesia

Daniel Adler, Caroline Sage, Michael Woolcock — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can donors facilitate the development of better governance institutions in developing countries? This paper from the Brooks World Poverty Institute analyses current development practice in institution-building through two case studies in Cambodia and Indonesia. It argues that traditional, linear, technically-driven approaches are unproductive due to the inherent unpredictability of socio-political processes. Donors should instead embrace the concept of �interim institutions� as a means of promoting equitable political contestation and facilitating positive and sustainable change.

Examining Conditional Cash Transfer Programmes: A Role for Increased Social Inclusion?

Benedicte de la Briere, Laura B. Rawlings — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Conditional Cash Transfer programmes (CCTs) provide money to poor families, contingent on specific verifiable actions such as children's school attendance or preventative health care. How successful are CCTs in addressing social inclusion and inter-generational poverty? What is their impact on social accountability relationships between beneficiaries, service providers and governments? This summary focuses on the Social Inclusion section in a World Bank paper. While CCTs hold promise, they are not a panacea against social exclusion. They should form part of comprehensive social and economic policy strategies and be applied carefully in different policy contexts.

'Financial Peacebuilding': Impacts of the Nepalese Conflict on the Financial Sector and its Potential for Peacebuilding

Ulrike Joras — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How can the local financial sector contribute to peacebuilding in countries emerging from violent conflict? This paper from Swisspeace explores the issue, with a focus on Nepal. The Nepalese private commercial financial sector is relatively healthy and should have the economic flexibility to support national peacebuilding efforts. External encouragement and awareness-raising is required for the financial sector to appreciate how it can influence conflict and peacebuilding and to increase understanding of the economic long- and short-term benefits of peace its their own operations.

Power-sharing, Transitional Governments and the Role of Mediation

Katia Papagianni — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Power-sharing transitional governments are common components of peacemaking and peacebuilding efforts. They guarantee the participation of representatives of significant groups in political decisionmaking and reduce the danger that one group will become dominant. Power sharing among former enemies is difficult to manage and potentially conflict provoking. This paper from the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue argues that the international community therefore has an important role to play in assisting power-sharing governments to manage their country�s political transition. It draws on examples from Burundi, Iraq, Cambodia, Nepal and Liberia.

Making Reform Work: Institutions, Dispositions and the Improving Health of Bangladesh

Jean-Paul Faguet, Zulfiqar Ali — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What is the role of social attitudes in supporting institutional reform? This article from World Development explores the institutional and social underpinnings of service provision by comparing decentralised health provision in the Bangladesh upazilas (sub-districts) of Rajnagar and Saturia. Regional variation in health outcomes is explained by the presence or absence of a dense web of relationships that enmeshed reformers in local systems of authority and legitimacy. Policymakers must focus on tailoring service provision to the specific needs and characteristics of the population. This involves increasing local level participation, improving accountability mechanisms, and providing incentives for good performance.

A Clash of Emotions: The Politics of Humiliation and Political Violence in the Middle East

K. Fattah, K. M. Fierke — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What role does emotion play in political violence in the Middle East? Why are discourses of humiliation so pervasive in the region? This article from the European Journal of International Relations explores why humiliation provides such a powerful motivation for political violence. Both militant Islamists and the United States, through its War on Terror, have exacerbated the sense of humiliation in the region. The principle of human dignity needs to be used to rethink the international approach to the Middle East.

Assessing Women's Political Party Programs: Best Practices and Recommendations

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How can policymakers increase women's political participation in developing countries? The National Democratic Institute (NDI) explores this issue by analysing the progress of its women�s political participation programmes in Morocco, Indonesia, Serbia, and Nepal. While there is a definite increase in women�s participation, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of female political leaders. Future programming must focus on preparing women to take on these leadership roles.

Reforming Institutions: Where to Begin?

M. Idrees Khawaja, Sajawal Khan — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can institutions in Pakistan be reformed? This working paper from the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics analyses the current literature on institutional change. For institutional change to happen, cultural belief systems must be shaped in a way that provokes a shift in the institutional power structure. Given the current institutional framework and social situation in Pakistan, institutional reform should focus on changing cultural belief systems through education policy reform.

Muslim Narratives of Schooling, Social Mobility and Cultural Difference: A Case Study in Multi-ethnic Northwest China

Lin Yi — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

What explains the persistent poor educational performance of China�s Muslim minority populations? This paper from the Japanese Journal of Political Science draws on community level interviews with Muslim communities in the Qinghai-Gansu borderland to analyse the impact of cultural exclusion on ethnic minority educational attitudes and performance. There is a tension between Muslims' desire for full social citizenship in the form of rights to employment and education and the limited social and cultural capital they possess with which to achieve these goals. The party-state needs a more coherent approach to national identity and minority rights, so as not to exacerbate existing tensions between minorities and the wider society.

Harmful Traditional Practices in Three Countries of South Asia: Culture, Human Rights and Violence against Women

UNESCAP-Social Development Division — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can research, advocacy, and legal reform reverse social acceptance of practices that violate the human rights of women and girls? This paper by UNESCAP explores these issues through case studies from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka and finds that harmful practices have evolved from originally non-harmful colonial, religious and cultural traditions. Combating the entrenched social norms that promote these practices requires a comprehensive, human rights-based approach.