Number of results to display per page
Search Results
41982. Assessment Report of the Implementation of NAP-AP 1325 in the Western Balkans - Kosovo
- Author:
- Fjolla Raifi
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Abstract:
- A brief analysis on the current situation of women's participation in the Kosovo Police and Kosovo Security Force are the focus of this paper. Additionally, the paper also analyzes the process of drafting the National Plan on the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its consequences.
- Topic:
- Security, Women, Inequality, and Participation
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans
41983. The EU Visa Liberalization Process in the Western Balkans Countries: A Comparative Assessment
- Author:
- Armend Muja
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Abstract:
- The comparative analysis takes Kosovo’s roadmap as a baseline and assesses every country’s standing towards that reference. The analysis narrows down to 16 months – the date when the first roadmaps were delivered to WB countries (with the exception of Kosovo), in March 2008 and October 2010 when the last recommendations were made to the EU Council for the liberalisation of visa regime for all Western Balkan countries.
- Topic:
- European Union, Regional Integration, Visa, and Liberalization
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans
41984. Critical Discourse Analysis (De-) Constructing KFOR Discourse
- Author:
- Marjorie Libourel
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Abstract:
- The international community did commonly agree on the idea that the concept of security was “too narrowly founded” and that a “broader framework of security”, combining regional, societal, political, military and environmental aspects was necessary (Buzan 1991: 368). Every single element of social life was recognized as part of the security package. While this bottom-up, holistic paradigm is easily identifiable in KFOR communication approach it can also lead to unexpected reactions once applied to the local population. Many reactions expressed by Kosovo public opinion showed an inadequate discourse towards the civil society, which often views KFOR as entering unrequested aspects of civil society.
- Topic:
- Security, Civil Society, and Discourse Analysis
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans
41985. What are the Implications of Pyrotechnics in Kosovo?
- Author:
- Sofije Kryeziu
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Abstract:
- The purpose of this policy brief is to provide an assessment about the risk of uncontrolled use of pyrotechnic means in Kosovo, suggesting taking the necessary measures towards reducing the eventual consequences which may be caused by this phenomenon. Certainly, this argument is based on the perspective of the security sector, as a result of the real implications on safety and public order and environmental security. Although the legal basis exists, state institutions have not created the basic conditions to prevent possible incidents. In this regard, there were not foreseen and undertaken awareness campaigns on the use of pyrotechnic means and it's side effects - for human health, property and the environment - plants (air and water pollution) and animals; there have not been taken the necessary measures for the qualification of the people who trade these tools, sales without permission were not prohibited, the consumers are not being protected.
- Topic:
- Security, Environment, Health, Public Safety, and Pyrotechnics
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans
41986. Kosovo Security Barometer - Third Edition
- Author:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Abstract:
- The third edition of the Kosovo Security Barometer continuous to serve as a platform for providing reliable and accurate data that can meaningfully inform public on the current situation. The report will provide an overview of people’s perceptions about security in Kosovo, citizens’ perceptions on security institutions (Police, EULEX, KFOR, KIA, KSF, Customs, MIA, MFA) and judicial institutions, the nature of external and internal threats, perception on corruption, the legitimacy of the Government and Assembly of Kosovo, political stability and regional cooperation and Prishtina-Belgrade dialogue. The Barometer was carried out during October 2013 through face-to-face interviews conducted around Kosovo, and using a questionnaire developed by KCSS. Sampling, piloting and interviews were conducted by KCSS team involving 30 researchers in the field and additional 10 researchers engaged on supervising the field researchers, and monitoring the data processing. A national sample was drawn that is representative of the Kosovo population that is 18 years and above and includes 1119 households of all ethnicities.
- Topic:
- Security, Corruption, Regional Cooperation, Public Opinion, Political stability, and Survey
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans
41987. Homo Politicus and His Religiousness in Transitional Societies of Kirghizia
- Author:
- Irina I. Ivanova and Vadim P. Tutlis
- Publication Date:
- 06-2013
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Nowa Polityka Wschodnia
- Institution:
- Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
- Abstract:
- The article deals with a analysis of Homo politicus and Homo religiosis in postsoviet Kirghizia. On that political condition in the West and political ones in the East are compared. The authors draw a conclusion that reference point for modern transitional Kirghizia must be not political absenteeism but a junction of all citizens to policy.
- Topic:
- Politics, Religion, Transition, and Post-Soviet Space
- Political Geography:
- Eurasia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kirghizia
41988. Women Empowerment: A Case Study of a Refugee Women's Group at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (Appendix E)
- Author:
- Malose Langa
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- This report evaluates the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation's (CSVR's) work with a group of refugee women affected by torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Over a period of six years, facilitators from CSVR met with a group of refugee women with the overall aim of facilitating their economic and social empowerment and setting in motion their integration into mainstream South African society. The intervention broke the stereotypes that cast refugee women as helpless victims who are in need of 'hand-outs' by galvanising their self-reliance and agency to form an organisation that will advocate for refugee rights and establish income-generating projects. This evaluation was conducted as part of the critical reflection process that fed into CSVR's development of a model for community intervention to address torture, detailed in Finding our way: Developing a community work model for addressing torture.
- Topic:
- Women, Refugees, Violence, and Reconciliation
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
41989. African Union Transitional Justice Policy Framework in Practice: Implementing Accountability Measures
- Author:
- Jasmina Brankovic
- Publication Date:
- 05-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- Based on work by Naomi Roht-Arriaza, this brief focuses on a central aspect of transitional justice: preventing impunity for past human rights abuses. Drawing on lessons from Latin America, the brief outlines several accountability processes available to African Union member states and African civil society organisations, the strengths and challenges of implementing these official processes at the national level and strategies for promoting accountability that have proven useful in diverse country contexts. It discusses regional litigation and domestic prosecutions, as well as reparations, truth telling and community‐based justice mechanisms.
- Topic:
- Human Rights, Transitional Justice, Accountability, and African Union
- Political Geography:
- Africa, South Africa, and Latin America
41990. Homophobia, Injustice and 'Corrective Rape' in Post-Apartheid South Africa
- Author:
- Kylie Thomas
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- This report offers a critique of the terms 'corrective rape' and 'curative rape' and argues for careful and nuanced application of the concept of 'hate crimes'. The report focuses on a particular, individual life history and experience of trauma. It also argues for understanding gender‐based violence as structural violence.
- Topic:
- Gender Based Violence, Rape, LGBT+, Sexual Violence, Hate Crimes, and Homophobia
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
41991. The Power of Naming: 'Senseless Violence' and Violent Law in Post-Apartheid South Africa
- Author:
- Kylie Thomas
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- This report focuses on vigilantism, on the practice of 'necklacing' as a form of punishment, and on police violence in South Africa post-apartheid. The report engages with a series of questions about how popular forms of justice are imagined and enacted and about what the persistence of forms of violent punishment that originated during apartheid signifies in South Africa today. The report explores some of the complex reasons why people understand violence to be a means for achieving justice. It considers issues related to collective violence, violence connected to service delivery protests, and violence widely understood by perpetrators, onlookers, and researchers to be punitive in intent. It contests the idea that such forms of violence are 'senseless', arguing that to do so is to evade the question of how violence is bound to the political order, both past and present.
- Topic:
- Apartheid, Law, Violence, and Vigilantism
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
41992. The Persistence of Military Identities among Ex-Combatants in South Africa
- Author:
- Maringira Godfrey and Jasmina Brankovic
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- This report focuses on the ways in which ex-combatants have remained militarised at both an individual and a collective level in post-apartheid South Africa. It argues that ex-combatants' military identities and skills can be both beneficial and detrimental to their families, communities and the state. For this reason, as long as DDRR programmes remain short-term processes aimed chiefly at disarming ex-combatants without addressing their ongoing needs in highly unequal and violent societies, the demilitarisation of ex-combatants' minds and everyday lives will be an unattainable goal.
- Topic:
- Violence, Reconciliation, and Military
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
41993. Opportunities and Challenges of South-South Partnership: Reflections on a Collaborative Research Project on Violence and Transition in Africa
- Author:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- This report reflects on the experience of four South-based organisations in conducting collaborative research on violence and transition in Africa. It explores some of the challenges and opportunities offered by working collaboratively on common themes across different contexts with research partners with diverse goals and institutional arrangements, and seeks to draw some lessons for how such partnerships can benefit individual organisations and research on violence more generally. The report is based on the final project meeting where partners engaged in a joint reflection on more than three years of collaboration.
- Topic:
- Partnerships, Transitional Justice, Violence, and Collaboration
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
41994. Exploring Experiences of Torture and CIDT That Occurred in South Africa Amongst Non-Nationals Living in Johannesburg
- Author:
- Malose Langa
- Publication Date:
- 02-2013
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- This report is a part of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), Trauma and Transition Project, to understand changing patterns of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (CIDT) in the new South Africa. This report specifically looks at the experiences of torture and CIDT amongst non‐nationals in South Africa. The paper presents findings from desk reviews and primary research carried out in Hillbrow (in Johannesburg).
- Topic:
- Torture, Citizenship, Trauma, and Violence
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
41995. The Politics of Sectarianism
- Author:
- Toby Mathiesen, Marc Lynch, Fanar Haddad, Christian Caryl, and Geneive Abdo
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
- Abstract:
- A group of Syrian-Americans arrived at an academic conference at Lehigh University last week in Bashar al-Assad t-shirts and draped in Syrian flags adorned with Assad’s face. They repeatedly heckled and interrupted speakers, and one told an opposition figure that he deserved a bullet in the head. When a speaker showed a slide picturing dead Syrian children, they burst into loud applause. When another speaker cynically predicted that Bashar would win a 2014 presidential vote, they cheered. In the final session, they aggressively interrupted and denounced a Lebanese journalist, with one ultimately throwing his shoe at the stage. The panel degenerated into a screaming match, until police arrived to clear the room. This spectacle might seem notable in that it unfolded at a U.S. university, but otherwise it would pass for an alarmingly normal day at the office in today’s toxically polarized Middle East. Such intense mutual hostility, irreconcilable narratives, and public denunciations are typical of any number of highly polarized political arenas across the region. A similar scene between supporters and opponents of Egypt’s military coup is all too easily imagined — just add bullets. That’s why the disproportionate focus on sectarian conflict as the defining feature of the emerging Middle East seems dangerously misplaced. Sunni-Shiite tensions are only one manifestation of how a number of deeper trends have come together in recent years to give frightening new power to identity politics writ large. The explosion of Sunni-Shiite conflict in recent years has very little do to with intrinsic religious differences or with 1,400 years of Islamic history. It should instead be understood as an entirely typical example of identity politics, one in which sectarian differences happen to be the most easily available to politicians hoping to exploit them for cynical purposes. It looks much the same as the ethnic and religious polarization that ripped apart the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The sectarian polarization in Bahrain or Syria has followed very similar patterns to the Islamist-secularist polarization in Egypt and Tunisia. Responding to these sectarian tensions by embracing authoritarian states, focusing on religious authorities or exegesis, or promoting cross-sectarian reconciliation will miss the point. Today’s sectarianism is political to the core — even if it increasingly seems at risk of racing beyond the control of its cynical enablers. Interpreting Sunni-Shiite conflict as just another manifestation of a millennia-old conflict repeats a broadly essentialist position which tends to be the first resort every time ethnic or sectarian violence breaks out. Such approaches tend to focus on intrinsic, deeply rooted, and irreconcilable cultural differences between groups which can always pose a risk of escalation to violence (think Robert Kaplan’s Balkan Ghosts, which supposedly convinced Bill Clinton of the inevitability of Yugoslav ethnic slaughters). Evidence of decades of coexistence or intermarriage rarely impresses proponents of an essentialist approach. These differences might be latent for long periods of time, but given the opportunity — electoral mobilization, state failure, sudden explosions of local violence — people will tend to fall back on these deep identities. Such arguments tend to lead toward solutions involving the heavy hand of authoritarian states to suppress these supposedly inevitable violent tendencies, or toward partition into ethnic enclaves if state collapse has gone too far.
- Topic:
- Sectarianism, Political Science, Sunni, and Shia
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
41996. The Political Science of Syria’s War
- Author:
- Marc Lynch, Fotini Christia, Laia Balcells, James Fearon, and Roger Petersen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
- Abstract:
- Arab Uprisings, Civil War, Spotlight, Syria POMEPS Studies 5: The Political Science of Syria’s War POMEPS Studies 5The Political Science of Syria’s War POMEPS Studies 5 – December 18, 2013 * For more references on Syria and civil wars click here. Syria is about to enter its third year of a brutal conflict which has killed more than 100,000 people and driven millions from their homes. What began as a peaceful civil uprising inspired by the successful Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings has long since devolved into a complex, protracted civil war fueled by an array of external interventions on all sides. It’s hardly the first complex civil war to scar the modern world, though. Indeed, the study of civil wars is arguably among the richest current research programs in all of political science. So what does the political science literature on civil wars and insurgencies have to say about Syria’s evolving war and how it might be ended? To find out, last month I convened a workshop through the Project on Middle East Political Science (which also sponsors the Middle East Channel). I invited more than a dozen of the leading scholars of civil wars to write memos applying their research to the Syrian case. These scholars were joined by a number of Syria specialists, and a range of current and former U.S. government officials with responsibility for Syria. This special POMEPS Brief collects the memos prepared for that conference, along with several articles previously published on the Middle East Channel. The overall conclusion of most of the contributors will come as no surprise: The prospects for either a military or a negotiated resolution of Syria’s war are exceedingly grim. But that’s only part of the story. More interesting, perhaps, are the reasons that Syria seems so resistant to resolution — and how international policies have contributed to the problem.
- Topic:
- Conflict, Syrian War, and Political Science
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Syria
41997. Direct Social Expenditures: A Monitoring Guide for Civil Society Organizations
- Author:
- Rocio Lopez
- Publication Date:
- 06-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- This paper provides civil society organizations with different strategies to obtain and analyze detailed information on direct social expenditures (DSE) by companies. It also provides civil society with useful lessons on advancing the transparency agenda in this area. The World Bank defines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as “companies’ commitment to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their quality of life in a way that is beneficial for business and also for development.” Extractive industries engage in CSR because their activities are considered among the most environmentally and socially disruptive and it is critically important for them to secure their “social licenses to operate.” As part of their CSR extractive companies invest significant amounts of resources to undertake social development programs; in 2001, oil, gas and mining companies disbursed more than $500 million in community development programs. These expenditures can have a large impact on small local economies. When poorly conceived and implemented, they can lead to corruption and undermine government authorities and institutions. In addition, these resources are obtained on the basis of concessions of oil, gas and minerals that belong to citizens. Companies receive fiscal concessions or incentives from the social activities undertaken in the countries where they operate. All these reasons make it imperative that civil society organizations monitor DSE to ensure they are spent effectively. Companies can employ different mechanisms to disburse DSE. These could be a function of program objectives and other contextual factors. A company might implement different mechanisms in different countries. It could use public or private disbursement channels, or a combination of both. CSOs need to understand these mechanisms and their pros and cons in order to monitor them. The paper studies the experience of two CSOs—Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana (GPC) in Peru and Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas (IBASE) in Brazil—that successfully made extractive companies disclose information on their expenditures and have since monitored and evaluated the impact of these expenditures. Both CSOs created transparency indices and performed social audits to rigorously assess and rank company performance and undertake evidence-based policy advocacy. GPC successfully obtained information from more than 30 companies on $900 billion worth of social expenditures, and IBASE convinced over 300 private companies to disclose their social audits. The paper also explores experiences of countries that have negotiated including direct social expenditures in the disclosure requirements of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Despite progress in companies disclosing relevant data in recent years, transparency of direct social expenditures is more the exception than the norm. Companies should improve their reporting by providing detailed information about the types of projects funded, the objective of such projects, the amounts disbursed, and the persons responsible for allocating these resources. Contracts that include social expenditure obligations should be available for public consumption.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Governance, Business, Extractive Industries, and Social Responsibility
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
41998. Subnational Oil, Gas and Mineral Revenue Management
- Author:
- Andrew Bauer
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- This paper discusses challenges and approaches in managing resource revenues at the subnational level. Subnational resource-rich governments face distinct challenges in managing revenues from volatile, exhaustible resources. These include: unpredictable and discretionary resource revenue transfers between national and subnational governments, which can undermine development planning; resource revenue volatility which can lead to wasteful spending, poor quality investments; over the longer term, the finite nature of oil, gas and mineral revenues can lead to a long period of economic growth followed by a depression; and difficulty in scaling up public investment efficiently when experiencing a revenue windfall. To address revenue volatility, subnational governments can “smooth” expenditures by delinking revenues from expenditures. When revenues are unexpectedly high, governments can run a surplus, to be saved or used to pay down public debt. When revenues are unexpectedly low, they can draw on those savings or borrow. To prevent long-term booms and busts, governments can also save a portion of resource revenues for future generations, as well as invest in the local economy to generate future growth. Fiscal rules can underpin these policies, constraining government spending decisions and compelling government bodies to adopt a long-term perspective on public finances. Development planning can help prepare resource-rich regions for life after their oil, gas or minerals have been depleted. Planning helps prevent shortsighted reactions to temporary ebbs and flows in oil or mineral revenues, helps define the role of the resource sector in development, and lays the groundwork for a thriving post-extractive economy.
- Topic:
- Oil, Governance, Gas, Tax Systems, Diversification, Revenue Management, and Minerals
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
41999. Local Content Initiatives: Enhancing the Subnational Benefits of the Oil, Gas and Mining Sectors
- Author:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- Resource-rich regions usually expect and strive for local economies to benefit from oil, gas and mineral projects. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. These regions do not always know how to take advantage of extractive activities to create sustainable economic development, be it creating jobs and developing local businesses or building skills and improving technologies. Local content is the processes of building such economic capital at the national and subnational level, and meeting set public policy objectives. This paper offers guidance on designing and implementing local content initiatives in the oil, gas and mining sectors to ensure economic sustainability within producing regions. It aims to answer the question of how national and subnational governments, industry and civil society can maximize local benefits through partnerships among governments, companies and civil society organizations (CSOs). Governments should set clear targets based on which companies should make commitments and publish transparent reports on results. CSOs can then analyze the results and monitor progress of local content initiatives.
- Topic:
- Oil, Natural Resources, Governance, Gas, Mining, and Extractive Industries
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
42000. Trip Modeling and Cost Analysis for Public Road Transport System for the City of Lusaka
- Author:
- Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis & Research (ZIPAR) and ROM Transportation Engineering Ltd.
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR)
- Abstract:
- The increase in the use of private motor vehicles for routine travel within the City of Lusaka suggests weakness in the Public Transport (PT) system. Regrettably, the majority of the intra-city travelers have to accept an ineffective and inefficient PT system or resort to walking/cycling whereas those who can afford turn to private motoring. . It is evident that the less privileged travelers of the City are the most affected by the weaknesses of the current PT system. The current PT fares are unsustainably high and service levels undesirable. This is largely owes to the minimal regulation approach to public transport operations in Zambia. The commitment by Government to invest in transport infrastructure such as ring roads, filter lanes and traffic light is backed by the realization that intra-city travel is becoming more and more problematic and that the situation would become unsustainable in future if it were to be left unaddressed. These measures will substantially tackle a lot of the emerging local travel problems, but the need to examine the current travel demand management and its effectiveness in promotion of public transport usage is equally important. Additional measures will be required to enhance PT services provision, making it more efficient, effective and affordable. Enhanced PT services are expected to engender a reduction in dependency on private motoring and the associated traffic congestion concerns on one hand and an increase PT usage on the other. In this research we investigated some of the key features of the PT system in the City of Lusaka, model its trips and analyses its costs. Our analysis is based on a survey of bus services, covering approximately 50 bus routes and over 1,700 passengers. GPS data was also gathered for purposes of modelling trips and charting bus routes. In our analysis we considered aspects of service specifications, current level of service, fuel consumption, revenue, average trip costs, driver expenses, operator expenses and bus revenue allocation. Most of these aspects were found to be far off from the international best practice and international benchmarking. Our research concluded that the PT system for Lusaka fails to sufficiently meet the routine travel requirements of the majority. Finally, we recommend some measure that could be considered to address the issues arising and to better manage the travel demand of the City’s population. These measures are first highlighted in isolation because they can be implemented as such. However, we recommend combining all the measures into a single set of actions which can be implemented in stages in order to harness the synergies of a joint implementation which could yield up to as much as 48 percent PT fare reduction.
- Topic:
- Infrastructure, Transportation, and Public Investment
- Political Geography:
- Zambia and Africa