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1961. Towards a New Profile? Development, Humanitarian and Conflict-Resolution NGOs in the Age of Globalization

Author:
Tobias Debiel and Monika Sticht
Publication Date:
01-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute for Development and Peace
Abstract:
Both the significance and the profile of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have undergone a fundamental transformation in the past twenty years. In development cooperation new fields such as ecological sustainability and the promotion of democracy have emerged besides 'traditional' issues like poverty reduction. Furthermore, confronted with the realities of war and state decline, developmental NGOs pay increasing attention to crisis prevention and the resolution of conflicts; even a new type of nongovernmental organization has appeared, conflict-resolution NGOs. The change has been particularly dramatic in the area of humanitarian aid: even before the end of the Cold War some NGOs – Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) at the head of all of them – freed themselves from the “straitjacket” of only conducting humanitarian operations with the permission of the (often illegitimate) local government; meanwhile the concept of sovereignty has been substantially redefined. NGOs, however, also con- formed to the imperatives of globalization and commercialization, and formed oligopolies on the market for humanitarian aid. At the same time, they are also confronted with their own “powerlessness” in conflict zones: actors of violence and power-holders successfully attempt to instrumentalize humanitarian aid for their own purposes, and western military forces threaten the independence of humanitarian work by demanding subordination to political and strategic goals.
Topic:
Globalization, Government, Humanitarian Aid, Non-Governmental Organization, Privatization, and Sovereignty

1962. The Defense Monitor: Give Iraqis a Government Worth Dying For

Author:
Chet Richards
Publication Date:
10-2005
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Defense Information
Abstract:
There is a principle of engineering that says that when what you're doing isn't working, and trying harder makes the situation worse, you may be solving the wrong problem. With the attacks on London proving that occupying Iraq is not making the world safer, it is time for a radically new approach.
Topic:
Defense Policy, Government, Terrorism, and War
Political Geography:
United States, Iraq, Europe, Middle East, and London

1963. The Defense Monitor: Dear Friends Colleagues

Publication Date:
11-2005
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Defense Information
Abstract:
Many of you are aware of CDI's 30-year history of research and commentary on U.S. defense topics. You may also have noticed the expanding breadth of our international projects and activities, such as our ground-breaking China Security Bulletin featuring contributions from a retired Chinese general, and a forthcoming report on Russia's defense spending by a Russian scholar who heads our Moscow office. To better reflect our global scope and project diversity, we have created the World Security Institute — which can be thought of as our “holding company.” We felt that this title better describes all of our activities that now encompass a wider definition of “security.”
Topic:
Security, Defense Policy, Disaster Relief, Government, and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
Russia, United States, China, Europe, Iran, Middle East, Asia, and Moscow

1964. Producer-Consumer Dialogue: What can energy ministers say to one another?

Author:
John Mitchell
Publication Date:
11-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Chatham House
Abstract:
The development of exceptionally high oil prices since mid-2004 has attracted increased political attention. High level discussions may provide a political stimulus for further development of a producer-consumer dialogue additional to the international trade which unites billions of consumers with hundreds of oil producing enterprises.
Topic:
Energy Policy, Government, International Cooperation, Markets, and Oil

1965. Angola - Drivers of Change: An Overview

Author:
Alex Vines, Nicholas Shaxson, and Lisa Rimli
Publication Date:
05-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Chatham House
Abstract:
Angola has undergone dramatic economic and political changes since independence from Portugal in 1975, and continues to face severe challenges three decades later. An open democratic process has not yet been established, the economy faces deep-rooted structural imbalances, and the country's international relations have undergone many shifts and changes, so that it is currently again in a major transitional era.
Topic:
Civil Society, Democratization, Development, Government, and Poverty
Political Geography:
Africa

1966. The Sources of Stigma for Means-Tested Government Programs

Author:
Jennifer Stuber and Mark Schlesinger
Publication Date:
03-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Robert Wood Johnson Health Society Scholars Program
Abstract:
Stigma has been shown to discourage participation in means-tested government programs. Prior research cannot explain why this deterrent effect varies in intensity across different individuals and programs. We develop a more comprehensive model of the possible determinants of stigma associated with means-tested programs than has previously been suggested by studies of welfare stigma. We test hypotheses using unique data based on interviews with 1405 respondents in ten states and the District of Columbia. The results suggest that there are two distinct forms of stigma related to participation in means-tested government programs: one related to self-identity, the other to threats of negative treatment. Both forms of stigma are more pronounced for welfare compared to Medicaid. The sources of stigma identified by conventional treatments of welfare stigma (e.g. individual attributions of responsibility for poverty) have significant explanatory power, but neglect other important influences. We find that stigma is exacerbated by poor health and by minority status. Stigma is also fostered by the ways in which means-tested programs are implemented, including negative interactions with case workers, long waiting times and for Medicaid, applications for benefits in alternative enrollment sites such as health centers or hospitals. These findings suggest new points of leverage for addressing the potentially deleterious consequences of stigma.
Topic:
Development, Government, Health, and Human Welfare
Political Geography:
Colombia

1967. Africa: The Development Challenges of the 21st Century

Author:
Callisto Madavo
Publication Date:
09-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Wilson Center
Abstract:
An Introduction from Africa Program Director Howard Wolpe: The following remarks were delivered by Callisto Madavo, former Vice President for Africa at the World Bank, at a Congressional Staff Forum on Africa Retreat, convened by the Woodrow Wilson International Center March 8-10, 2005. A noted Zimbabwean economist, Callisto Madavo served as World Bank Vice President 1996-2005. Over the course of a distinguished 36-year career at the Bank, which included postings in the Middle East, East Asia and Africa, Madavo witnessed both the successes and failures of poverty reduction strategies in multiple settings. Now, with the world's attention being increasingly drawn to the challenge of poverty reduction in Africa, Madavo offers an important perspective on the context and history of the economic challenges facing the continent.
Topic:
Development, Government, and Politics
Political Geography:
Africa

1968. Threat Perceptions in the United States and Canada

Author:
Frank Graves and Karlyn Bowman
Publication Date:
10-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Wilson Center
Abstract:
In this fourth issue of the Canada Institute's One Issue,Two Voices publication series, authors Karlyn Bowman of the American Enterprise Institute and Frank Graves of EKOS Research Associates explore the public's perceptions of threats and security issues in both the United States and Canada. As with past issues in the series, this publication brings expertise from both sides of the border to address policy-relevant questions of significance to the bilateral relationship.
Topic:
Security, Government, and Politics
Political Geography:
North America

1969. Renewing the U.S.-Canada Relationship

Publication Date:
02-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Wilson Center
Abstract:
Relations between the United States and Canada have fallen into a noticeably cyclical pattern over the past half century or so. The American Assembly has been able during these years to turn its attention to the U.S.- Canada relationship precisely when it could do the most good. In 1964, when the first such Assembly gathered, sharp disagreements between Ottawa and Washington, primarily over defense and economic matters, ended the long, post-war “golden” period of amicable ties. In a similar vein, the 1984 Assembly met shortly after U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz had written President Ronald Reagan that something appeared to be “fundamentally wrong” between the United States and Canada.
Topic:
International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Government
Political Geography:
North America

1970. Private Security Companies: The Case for Regulation

Author:
Caroline Holmqvist
Publication Date:
01-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Abstract:
It was estimated in March 2003 that 15 000–20 000 private security contractors were working in Iraq, and the conflict there was referred to as 'the first privatised war'. Since then, both the number and the visibility of contract personnel in Iraq have increased, triggering a broad debate on the role of private companies which provide military and security services to states, corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). However, the phenomenon is neither new nor exclusive to the Iraqi conflict. The past decade has seen the rise and consolidation of a global industry for private security provision, with over 100 companies operating in as many countries worldwide.
Topic:
International Relations, Security, Development, and Government
Political Geography:
Iraq