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Volume 7 Number 2 December 2016
Assessing Wellbeing and Deprivation in Later Life in Brazil and South Africa
Author_ Armando BARRIENTOS & Cassilda LASSO DE LA VEGA
Pages 1-36
Abstract_ The paper develops and applies a multidimensional
counting approach to rank order wellbeing and deprivation
distributions among a panel of older people in Brazil and South
Africa. Using data collected in 2002 and 2008 among low-income
households in urban and rural locations in Brazil and South Africa,
the analysis in the paper throws light upon (i) changes in
multidimensional deprivation associated with individual ageing
and (ii) the effects of differential access to pension provision on
wellbeing and deprivation. The paper finds that individual ageing
is not necessarily associated with a decline in multidimensional
wellbeing. The findings also lend support to the view that social
policy, and especially inclusive pension provision, has an
important role in addressing the effects of rapid population ageing
in developing countries.
Keywords_ Multidimensional deprivation, Pensions, South Africa, Brazil
Volume 7 Number 2 December 2016
An Assessment of International Order: Liberal Major Powers and Fragile and Failing States
Author_ John VAN BENTHUYSEN
Pages 37-67
Abstract_ Over the past 70 years the major powers have abandoned
international anarchy for international order. International order,
underwritten by major powers, has largely solved the problems of
interstate war and conquest but struggles with fragile and failing
states. In 2015 more than 60 million people were displaced by
fragile and failing states. This raises questions about how and why
major powers supply and under-supply elements of international
order. When are major powers reliable agents of international order
and can they provide a bulwark against fragile and failing states?
This study finds that fragile and failing states are not always the
result of domestic events and politics gone wrong. Fragile and
failing states need to be understood as resulting, in part, from the
degree to which states have or have not been integrated into the
system of international order by major powers. Successful
integration into the system of international order requires state
building, which is facilitated by reliable access to capital, markets,
and security. Importantly, major powers are key gatekeepers of
these critical state building resources. This makes the absence,
presence, and quality of hierarchy relationships between major and
minor states central to the study of both state building and fragile
and failing states.
Keywords_ fragile states, international order, major powers, relational hierarchy, state building, state failure
Volume 7 Number 2 December 2016
Building More Robust NGO–University Partnerships in Development: Lessons Learned from Catholic Relief Services
Author_ David M. LEEGE & Della E. MCMILLAN
Pages 68-119
Abstract_ Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and US-based
universities are under increasing pressure to collaborate on
international development efforts in order to achieve greater impact
and influence. To date, however, most of these project-based
collaborations have made only limited strategic investment into
achieving longer-term, transformational goals. This article
explores an attempt by US-based NGO Catholic Relief Services
(CRS) to develop a model for institutional partnerships that goes
beyond project-driven collaborations, and the ways in which these
collaborations are contributing to achievement of the agency’s
strategic priorities. The article describes some of the important
internal and external pressures that led CRS to adopt a new
approach to university engagement; the processes that evolved to
manage its five-year strategy; and some of the key activities that
the partnerships supported. Based on this analysis, the paper
extrapolates a series of six cross-cutting lessons learned that can
help guide other NGOs and universities which are seeking to
develop similar types of engagement, including a self-assessment
checklist. The authors conclude that while these six-cross-cutting
lessons learned are important, their significance will vary as the
partnership grows, matures, and diversifies.
Keywords_ NGO-university partnerships for development; NGO-university operational research; NGO-university engagement; Management/functionality of NGO-university partnerships for development; Non-governmental organizations and development; Universities and developm
Volume 7 Number 2 December 2016
Local Institutions and Local Economic Development in Guto Gidda District, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Author_ Megerssa Tolessa WALO
Pages 122-158
Abstract_ Local institutions can facilitate local economic
development (LED) processes by reducing transaction costs,
enhancing social capital, and creating enabling environments for
business to flourish. However, factors such as the actors’
preference to accept and practice one type of institutions over the
other, and the nature of the functional linkages between the
different kinds of institutions influence the role they play in
development processes. This study empirically investigates the
contributions of institutions to local economic development
processes in the Guto Gidda district of the Oromia region, Ethiopia,
using an institutional analysis of a case study. A qualitative
research approach using in-depth interviews with local
development actors was employed to collect the data. Results show
that local development actors prefer to practice indigenous
institutions over government institutions because they offer more
accessible services and are less reliant on ruling party affiliation.
There were weak functional linkages between the two types of
institutions, which had a negative development impact on the
locality. The paper recommends mutual and collaborative
functional linkages between the local institutions to maximize the
contributions of both to LED.
Keywords_ Local institutions, Institutional relations, Local Economic development, Social capital, Oromia, Ethiopia
Volume 7 Number 2 December 2016
Measuring Multidimensional Poverty in Ghana’s East Gonja District
Author_ Mohammed SULEMANA
Pages 159-182
Abstract_ This paper elaborates on recent developments in the
Multidimensional Poverty Index Approach (MPI) to measuring
rural poverty through an investigation of poverty determinants in
the East Gonja District of Ghana. The study uses cross-sectional
data from 310 household heads collected through individual survey
questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and a probit model were used
to analyze the data. The results show that 56 percent of the
interviewed household heads were living below the extreme
poverty line set by the Ghana Living Standard Survey 6. The probit
analysis suggests that religion, land ownership, area of land
cultivated, monthly household income and access to an urban
market significantly influence the level of poverty in the area.
Keywords_ Poverty, Measurement, Multidimensional, Index, Households, District, Ghana
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