http://www.gsdrc.org Academic and policy-relevant publications on governance and international development. en-uk Copyright © 2012 Governance and Social Development Resource Centre Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:14 GMT Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:14 GMT http://www.gsdrc.org/rss/open george@gsdrc.org george@gsdrc.org http://www.gsdrc.org/images/logos/logo_gsdrc.gif http://www.gsdrc.org 205 90 GSDRC logo Martina Fischer What problems and dilemmas are faced in the development of civil society in war-torn societies? What types of activities do NGOs undertake and what are their strengths and limitations? This chapter focuses on the potential contribution that civil society actors can make to peacebuilding, drawing on lessons from Bosnia-Herzegovina. It argues that support for civil society should be further developed as a key element of development and peace politics, particularly in post-war contexts. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4198&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4198&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Huma Haider This article suggests that transitional justice could contribute more positively to the process of reconciliation, one of its core aims, by: 1) supporting and working alongside coexistence initiatives; and 2) incorporating coexistence frameworks within its own processes and mechanisms. Coexistence initiatives – such as dialogue facilitation, intergroup projects aimed at achieving shared goals, and media campaigns designed to reframe the 'other' – are essential to restoring trust, transforming perceptions and rebuilding relationships in divided societies. Unless people's lived realities are transformed, members of identify groups are likely to continue to focus on 'data' that confirm their existing beliefs. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4178&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4178&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Roger Duthie How does transitional justice fit within broader responses to the problem of displacement? Conflict-induced displacement is an important factor in contexts in which transitional justice operates, yet displacement has received little attention in the literature and practice of transitional justice. This article argues that transitional justice can and should address displacement, but in doing so needs to take account of and establish links with other relevant actors. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4174&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4174&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Alexander Ramsbotham and I. William Zartman This article reviews peacebuilding strategies in Asia, Europe, the Caucasus, Africa, Central America and the Middle East. It shows that country-based analysis can produce flawed conflict responses. Instead, policy based on conflict systems can shape more flexible and comprehensive responses. It can identify actors and dynamics that exist outside state borders, such as narcotic networks that support insurgent groups, and incorporate these into peacebuilding interventions. Thus, cross-border peacebuliding needs to 'think outside the state' – both beyond it, through regional engagement, and below it, through sub-state cross-border community or trade networks. To work effectively, supra- and sub-state initiatives need to be strategically linked. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4168&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4168&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Masud Mozammel (ed.) What is the role of communication in Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) processes? This study looks at communication in PRS processes in Ghana, Tanzania, Moldova and Nepal, and in Latin America and the Caribbean. It also explores how the use of strategic communication is being integrated into national development planning and implementation. The rise of new information technologies has helped make civil society even more central in the national development debate. Improving communication can provide opportunities to reconfigure the relationships among government, donors, and civil society. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4154&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4154&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Clare Castillejo What role do women play in statebuilding? How do statebuilding processes affect women's participation? Support for statebuilding has become the dominant model for international engagement in post-conflict contexts, yet donor approaches lack substantial gender analysis and are missing opportunities to promote gender equality. This paper presents findings from a research project on the impact of post-conflict statebuilding on women's citizenship. It argues that gender inequalities are linked to the underlying political settlement, and that donors must therefore address gender as a fundamentally political issue. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4112&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4112&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT International Institute for Educational Planning This report finds that education can have both negative and positive impacts on fragility. Education planning needs to consider these potential impacts. Education programming can mitigate fragility by; strengthening the education system itself; improving the capacity of individuals and groups to cope with fragility; and targeting the context of fragility (such as by promoting nation-building and good citizenship). http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4106&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4106&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Harry Jones and Simon Hearn What is Outcome Mapping (OM) and why is it valuable? When does it work best? How can donors facilitate its use? This note draws on case studies to review OM – a flexible, actor- and learning-centred approach to planning, monitoring, and evaluating social change initiatives. It finds that adopting OM for appropriate projects could help development agencies to increase their effectiveness and meet commitments to managing for results. OM is well-suited to areas involving complex change processes, capacity building work, and knowledge and decision-making processes. Shifting to OM's learning-oriented mode requires donors to adopt more realistic expectations and to dispense with the idea of 'controlling' change processes. Crucially, OM must be underpinned by real trust between the donor, project implementers and partners. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4098&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4098&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Alan Doig and Martin Tisne As aid donors consider revising their broad governance reform focus and move toward 'good enough governance', what attention might be paid to corruption in the revised approach? Using a series of country studies, this paper discusses the place of anti-corruption in recent post-war donor agendas, finding that it has often been diluted or downplayed. Addressing corruption should be promoted rather than relegated to lower status in any future reform agendas. Failure to address corruption in favour of what are considered more pressing reform issues will further institutionalise corruption and erode public confidence in governments. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3987&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3987&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Andrew Puddephatt How does civil society contribute to the passing of access to information (ATI) laws? This paper examines this process in Bulgaria, India, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Civil society has impacted on measures to promote access to information through: advocating for ATI legal reform; building popular support; drafting and shaping legislation; helping citizens understand ATI; and monitoring implementation. The country studies reveal contrasting experiences. It is crucial that civil society groups understand the process of change in their context. They must also avoid overselling what ATI can achieve. Demonstrating the practical value of ATI may be civil society’s most important function. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3978&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3978&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Shahra Razavi and Anne Jenichen Has the growing presence of religion in politics made it harder for women to pursue gender equity? This article explores how religion as a political force shapes the struggle for gender equality in developing and developed countries. It is based on studies in Chile, India, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia, Turkey and the United States. The political influence of religious actors and movements worldwide has increased post-Cold War. The 'private sphere' has become politicised and is often the focus for conflict between religious actors and human rights advocates. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3977&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3977&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT Antonio Embid What is the 'right to water', and how may this right be realised? This article explores the juridical basis of the right to water in international law, tracking its evolution and analysing some of the difficulties in its fulfilment, particularly with regard to Spanish domestic law. Achieving the right to water will necessitate overcoming poverty, and will always be impacted by the extent of provision of wider public services. Clearer definitions of this right would enable its greater realisation. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3957&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3957&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Wouter van Ginneken Globalisation triggers the need for frequent adjustment to national production processes, jobs and life strategies, and there are vast gaps in income and security between countries. The International Labour Organisation suggests that establishing a global socio-economic floor would improve international development and security. This article investigates the impact of taking a rights-based approach to a core element of that floor, social security, concluding that it could make a significant impact on achieving the Millennium Development Goals of poverty eradication and development, and provide a framework for the future. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3956&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3956&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT OHCHR Of the Millennium Development Goals, Goal 5 on improving maternal health is the furthest from being achieved. This report discusses the human rights dimensions of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity, reviewing the international and regional initiatives and programmes in place, and the current legal framework. It concludes that a collective commitment from the international community towards developing a systematic human rights based approach is crucial to advancing progress. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3955&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3955&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT David Kupferschmidt What are the effects of illegal and improper financing on politics? This paper suggests that illicit political finance is a key contributor to democratic governments’ underperformance and loss of credibility. International actors should help transitional democracies to: (a) understand why the problem is arising; (b) raise awareness of it; (c) develop knowledge and tools to defend key institutions; and (d) where appropriate, create new laws, policies and institutions. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3867&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3867&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Frances Stewart Why do group inequalities often persist over the long term, and how can they be addressed? Group membership matters because well-being is affected both by individual circumstances and how well the group is doing. Strong complementarities among (1) capabilities and (2) capitals explain persistent group inequality. Multiple deprivations in capabilities and assets prevent catch-up without special interventions. Addressing HIs therefore requires governments to go beyond eliminating current, formal discrimination: the weak asset and capabilities base arising from past discrimination must also be tackled. As social and cultural capital inequalities cannot be eliminated by policy, strong affirmative action in other areas such as education and employment is justified. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3784&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3784&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Sumantra Bose How can peace be made between warring groups with seemingly incompatible aims? The concluding chapter of this publication examines five case studies of recent peace processes in Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus and Sri Lanka in search of an answer. It argues that in order to resolve ethno-national conflicts, peace processes should address border issues directly, use third parties and adopt a fast-track approach to peacemaking. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3778&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3778&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT Antonia Potter While there has been a growing literature on conflict resolution and mediation, there are few studies that specifically examine the experience of individual mediators. This concluding book chapter examines the 'art' of mediation in armed conflict. Drawing on the experience of high-level mediators in Iraq, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Cyprus and Aceh, it argues that the character and actions of mediators are critical variables in determining the outcome of peace negotiations. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3775&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3775&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT Aaron Rhodes What has been the impact of ten years of the international community’s support to media in the Western Balkans? This report from the Media Task Force of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe analyses 37 existing evaluations of media support projects, and makes recommendations for the future. In spite of mixed results, the impact of media assistance has been substantial. Donors should consider the development of the wider media market instead of sustaining too many individual media outlets. Projects should help NGOs work with lawyers to understand and use new laws once reforms have been passed. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3744&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3744&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT Holli Semetko What is the impact of partisan balance in the news media during elections in democracies and societies in transition? This book chapter from the World Bank examines the impact of balance and bias in the news media on public opinions, political behaviour and, ultimately, on election outcomes. Drawing on case studies of recent elections in Kenya, Russia, Mexico and Turkey, it argues that the media, particularly television, plays a key role in influencing election processes. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3733&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3733&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Europe Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT