Search

Begin New Search Topic Human Welfare

181. Examining Pandemic Responses in Asia

Author:
Li Hongyan and Ong Suan Ee
Publication Date:
10-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS)
Abstract:
The recent pandemic disease outbreaks which affected many Asian countries underscore the need for appropriate pandemic responses to be developed in order to contain and mitigate the spread of pandemics that emerge in the future. Through an examination of the different responses to SARS and H1N1 in the region, and the effects of those efforts, this NTS Insight seeks to highlight issues which should be considered when developing pandemic response programmes.
Topic:
Health, Human Welfare, and Humanitarian Aid
Political Geography:
Asia

182. The Russian Federation in an Era of Demographic Crisis: The Special Challenges of Population Aging and Social Security Policy

Author:
Jeffrey Mankoff
Publication Date:
01-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Abstract:
Like much of the world, Russia has been in the midst of a serious economic crisis since the late summer of 2008. Although the worst appears to be over, Russia will continue to feel its effects longer than many other industrialized countries, largely because of a rigid economy burdened with an overweening state role. The recognition that Russia faces serious long-term challenges has emboldened President Dmitry Medvedev and others to call for far-reaching economic restructuring. If successful, their economic policies could undermine the semi-authoritarian, state- capitalist model developed under Prime Minister and former president Vladimir Putin. Although concrete reforms have so far been limited, Medvedev's demands for change (seconded in some cases by Putin) have acquired increasing momentum in recent months. The speed of Russia's recovery and obstacles along the way will play a major role in determining both the success of Medvedev's call for modernization and the course of Russia's foreign policy since a quicker recovery would diminish the pressure for fundamental reform and lessen the need for caution internationally.
Topic:
Demographics, Human Welfare, and Population
Political Geography:
Russia

183. Measuring Geopolitical Power in India: A Review of the National Security Index (NSI)

Author:
Karl Hwang
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
German Institute of Global and Area Studies
Abstract:
This review examines how India perceives its own rise to power by undertaking a detailed analysis of the Indian National Security Index (NSI) for the period from 2003 to 2008. Like other power formulas, the NSI includes various indicators of power, though it is uniquely Indian in that it initially emphasized human development and later included ecology based on a holistic human‐security paradigm. The analysis demonstrates that this holistic approach has now been abandoned in favor of a more conventional one, and that the technical formulas and theoretical concepts of the NSI exhibit various inconsistencies and problems. In particular, one can recognize the absolute need for a unified standard for handling variables in the construction of composite indexes in general.
Topic:
Security, Emerging Markets, Human Welfare, and Power Politics
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

184. Towards a Human Security Approach to Peacebuilding

Author:
Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, Edward Newman, and Madoka Futamura
Publication Date:
02-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
In recent decades, international peacebuilding and reconstruction after civil wars have managed to promote stability and contain conflict in many regions around the world, ending violence and enabling communities to rebuild their lives and societies. However, the peacebuilding record indicates that there are problems related to the effectiveness and legitimacy of peacebuilding, especially related to the promotion of liberal democracy, market reform and state institutions. This brief considers these limitations and argues that a new human security-based approach may offer insights for a more sustainable form of peacebuilding.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Security, Human Welfare, and Peacekeeping
Political Geography:
Afghanistan

185. The Health Sector and Gender-Based Violence in a Time of War

Author:
Leonard Rubenstein, Anjalee Kohli, and Kathleen Kuehnast
Publication Date:
04-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:
Multisectoral approaches are essential to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in armed conflict. In countries where conflict-related SGBV is taking place, the health sector can contribute by providing essential medical interventions and support for survivors, documentation for legal cases, programs that assist in reducing social stigma, and data for effective programming.
Topic:
Political Violence, Gender Issues, Health, Human Welfare, and Armed Struggle

186. Cultivating Global Food Security: A Strategy for U.S. Leadership on Productivity, Agricultural Research, and Trade

Author:
Kristin Wedding
Publication Date:
04-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
In 2008, a complex combination of changes in demographics, food demand, and poor weather led to skyrocketing food prices around the world, prompting riots in dozens of countries, from Bangladesh to Burkina Faso. While prices have stabilized in developed countries, high prices in the rest of the world continue to limit both access to, and availability of, staple food items. The number of people living with chronic hunger has jumped to more than 1 billion people—one sixth of the world's population—and those trends show no signs of reversal: between 2007 and 2008, the number of people suffering from chronic hunger in the developing world increased by 80 million. In 2009, as many as 100 million additional people were pushed into a state of food insecurity. Continued high food prices and a global recession further exacerbate the rising numbers of food insecure people. Hunger has emerged as perhaps the most endangered Millennium Development Goal.
Topic:
Human Welfare
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and United States

187. The Challenges of Global Health Governance

Author:
David P. Fidler
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Council on Foreign Relations
Abstract:
Three crises in 2009 revealed the inadequacy of global health governance. The outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) found countries scrambling for access to vaccines, an unseemly process that led the World Health Organization to call for a new “global framework” on equitable influenza vaccine access. The global economic crisis damaged efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, most of which involve health problems or address policy areas affecting health. The year ended with the fractious Copenhagen negotiations on global climate change, a problem with fearsome portents for global health.
Topic:
Globalization, Health, Human Welfare, and Governance

188. Mental Health Responses for Victims of Sexual Violence and Rape in Resource-Poor Settings

Author:
Thomas Callender and Liz Dartnall.
Publication Date:
12-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Abstract:
“Any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic, or otherwise directed, against a person's sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited tohomeand work”. Sexual violence as defined by the World Report on Violence and Health (Jewkes, Sen , 2002)
Topic:
Gender Issues, Health, Human Rights, and Human Welfare

189. Sexual Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Desk Review

Author:
Juan Manuel Contreras, Sarah Bott, Elizabeth Dartnall, and Alessandra Guedes
Publication Date:
03-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Abstract:
The World Health Organization defines sexual violence as “any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic, or otherwise directed, against a person's sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work” (Jewkes et al., 2002). A limited but growing body of evidence suggests that sexual violence is a serious problem throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) – both as a public health problem and a violation of human rights. This document reviews what is known about sexual violence in the LAC region. It aims to explore the magnitude, patterns and risk factors associated with sexual violence, as well as the legal and policy frameworks, women's responses to sexual violence, access to services and service responses, promising interventions, research gaps and priorities for future research. Over two hundred published and unpublished documents were reviewed to prepare this document. Grey literature was identified through internet-based searches and from experts working in the region. The scope of this review is primarily based on research produced between 2000 and the present. While an effort has been made to cover the entire Latin American and Caribbean region, research is not available for all countries in the region. As such, this document should be considered the first phase in an ongoing process of consolidating the existing evidence and identifying research gaps and priorities for this culturally, racially and geographically diverse region.
Topic:
Health, Human Rights, Human Welfare, and Developing World
Political Geography:
Latin America and Caribbean

190. Sexual Violence Research Initiative: Report of Evaluation Findings

Author:
Stephanie M. Townsend
Publication Date:
08-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Abstract:
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) is a global project that promotes research on sexual violence in order to improve policy and service delivery. In March 2010 the Global Forum for Health Research commissioned an external evaluation of the SVRI. This report details the methods and findings of that evaluation. Using archival review and key informant interviews, the evaluation assessed key progress indicators and six dimensions of the SVRI's performance:relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, institutional development, complementarity, and sustainability.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Health, Human Rights, Human Welfare, and International Organization