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802. Media Operations during SALW Control Interventions
- Publication Date:
- 08-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
- Abstract:
- In contemporary societies the mass media plays a crucial role in forming public opinion. The ability to reach into homes across great distances gives the media a unique power to communicate. Consequently, mastering the art of media relations is a pre-requisite for reaching large target audiences. Handled well, the mass media, (or at least sections of it), can be an important tool to support the implementation of a well-run project by furthering communication objectives. Alternatively, when neglected or mishandled, the media can severely undermine a project. By dealing with the media in a coordinated and planned manner a SALW Control intervention project can: Raise the project profile. Increase awareness and understanding of the project among target groups. Win support for the project's goals and objectives. Demonstrate its accountability to key stakeholders.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Civil Society, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- Eastern Europe
803. "A house isn't a home without a gun" - SALW Survey of Montenegro
- Publication Date:
- 07-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
- Abstract:
- The SALW Survey of the Republic of Montenegro was conducted by a team of researchers from the Small Arms Survey during September to December 2003. It was funded by SEESAC for two reasons: 1) to establish management information for the design of future SALW control intervention projects within the Republic of Montenegro; and 2) to field test the recently drafted SALW Survey protocols and draft Regional Micro-Disarmament Standard (RMDS) 05.80 - SALW Survey. As such, it is the first SALW Survey to be officially conducted in accordance with the SALW Survey protocols, although previous SALW surveys and 'needs assessments' have utilised similar methodologies.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Civil Society, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe
804. Bi-Annual Report: 01 January - 30 June 2004
- Publication Date:
- 06-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
- Abstract:
- In November 2001 the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe adopted a Regional Implementation Plan on Combating the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in South Eastern Europe, which provides a framework of approaches and measures to tackle SALW issues that can be adopted by the countries of the region and supported by international organisations and bi-lateral donors. The Implementation Plan included provision for the establishment of a regional clearinghouse to support its implementation, and on the basis of this mandate SEESAC was officially launched in Belgrade on the 08 May 2002 as a joint UNDP and Stability Pact initiative.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Civil Society, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe
805. Public Perceptions of Small Arms and Security in South Serbia
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
- Abstract:
- This report summarises the main findings of a research study implemented by Strategic Marketing and Media Research Institute (SMMRI) on behalf of SEEASAC / UNDP Serbia and Montenegro from 27 July to 06 August 2003 in the South Serbian municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. The purpose of the research was to clarify the attitudes and perceptions of ordinary citizens regarding small arms, in order to better judge whether a SALW collection project would prove successful. In addition to providing valuable information about perceptions of SALW, the survey results also shed light on related matters, including the state of inter-ethnic relations, public perceptions of international agencies working in the area, the developmental needs of communities, and levels of trust in security providers.
- Topic:
- Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Civil Society
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Serbia
806. SALW Ammunition Destruction - Environmental Releases From Open Burning (OB) and Open Detonation (OD) Events
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
- Abstract:
- Until the mid-1980s, almost all surplus and unserviceable munitions and propellants (energetic materials (EM)) were either dumped at sea or destroyed by open burning (OB) or detonation (OD). These disposal techniques were chosen because of their simplicity, low cost, effectiveness and safety. As our knowledge and understanding of the chemical and biological processes essential to the health and well-being of humans and ecosystems expanded, the perception arose that the dusty, brown plumes produced by OB and OD could endanger human health and the environment (HH).
- Topic:
- Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Civil Society
- Political Geography:
- Europe
807. Bi-Annual Report: 01 July - 31 December 2003
- Publication Date:
- 01-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
- Abstract:
- In November 2001 the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe adopted a Regional Implementation Plan on Combating the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in South Eastern Europe, which provides a framework of approaches and measures to tackle SALW issues that can be adopted by the countries of the region and supported by international organisations and bi-lateral donors. The Implementation Plan included provision for the establishment of a regional clearinghouse to support its implementation, and on the basis of this mandate SEESAC was officially launched in Belgrade on the 08 May 2002 as a joint UNDP and Stability Pact initiative.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Civil Society, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe
808. Civil Society Groups And Political Parties: Supporting Constructive Relationships
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Agency for International Development
- Abstract:
- Many of us working in the United States on democracy assistance tend to consider civil society organizations (CSOs) and political parties, and support for them, separately. But reality remains much more complex, and the nature of existing relationships in the countries we work in and the effects of democracy assistance on those relationships matter for our larger democracy and governance (DG) goals. They, therefore, deserve explicit examination. This paper deals with two broad sets of questions. First, what do we think we should be aiming for at the systemic level, in terms of the relationship between civil society and political parties? Second, in a given setting, what kinds of relationships, at the micro level (among individual organizations), can contribute to democratization?
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, Education, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States
809. The Optimal Degree of Discretion in Monetary Policy
- Author:
- Susan Athey, Andrew Atkeson, and Patrick J. Kehoe
- Publication Date:
- 04-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Abstract:
- How much discretion should the monetary authority have in setting its policy? This question is analyzed in an economy with an agreed-upon social welfare function that depends on the randomly fluctuating state of the economy. The monetary authority has private information about that state. In the model, well-designed rules trade off society's desire to give the monetary authority discretion to react to its private information against society's need to guard against the time inconsistency problem arising from the temptation to stimulate the economy with unexpected inflation. Although this dynamic mechanism design problem seems complex, society can implement the optimal policy simply by legislating an inflation cap that specifies the highest allowable inflation rate. The more severe the time inconsistency problem, the more tightly the cap constrains policy and the smaller is the degree of discretion. As this problem becomes sufficiently severe, the optimal degree of discretion is none.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Europe
810. All for All: Equality and Social Trust
- Author:
- Bo Rothstein and Eric M. Uslaner
- Publication Date:
- 12-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- The importance of social trust has become widely accepted in the social sciences. A number of explanations have been put forward for the stark variation in social trust among countries. Among these, participation in voluntary associations received most attention. Yet, there is scant evidence that participation can lead to trust. In this paper, we shall examine a variable that has not gotten the attention we think it deserves in the discussion about the sources of generalized trust, namely equality. We conceptualize equality in two dimensions: one is economic equality and the other is equality of opportunity. The omission of both these dimensions of equality in the social capital literature is peculiar for several reasons. One is that it is obvious that the countries that score highest on social trust also rank highest on economic equality, namely the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, and Canada. Secondly, these are countries that have put a lot of effort in creating equality of opportunity, not least in regard to their policies for public education, labor market opportunities and (more recently) gender equality. The argument for increasing social trust by reducing inequality has largely been ignored in the policy debates about social trust. Social capital research has to a large extent been used by several governments and policy organizations to send a message to people that the bad things in their society are caused by too little volunteering. The policy implication that follows from our research is that the low levels of trust and social capital that plague many countries are caused by too little government action to reduce inequality. However, many countries plagued by low levels of social trust and social capital may be stuck in what is known as a social trap. The logic of such a situation is the following. Social trust will not increase because massive social inequality prevails, but the public policies that could remedy this situation cannot be established precisely because there is a genuine lack of trust. This lack of trust concerns both “other people” and the government institutions that are needed to implement universal policies.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Economics, and Gender Issues
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Canada, and Netherlands