Livestock trade network: potential for disease transmission and implications for risk-based surveillance on the island of Mayotte

The island of Mayotte is a department of France, an outermost region of the European Union located in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the coast of Eastern Africa. Due to its close connection to the African mainland and neighbouring islands, the island is under constant threat of introduction of infectious diseases of both human and animal origin. Here, using social network analysis and mathematical modelling, we assessed potential implications of livestock movements between communes in Mayotte for risk-based surveillance. Our analyses showed that communes in the central region of Mayotte acted as a hub in the livestock movement network. The majority of livestock movements occurred between communes in the central region and from communes in the central region to those in the outer region. Also, communes in the central region were more likely to be infected earlier than those in the outer region when the spread of an exotic infectious disease was simulated on the livestock movement network. The findings of this study, therefore, suggest that communes in the central region would play a major role in the spread of infectious diseases via livestock movements, which needs to be considered in the design of risk-based surveillance systems in Mayotte

A livelihoods study of fishers and farmers in Quang Tri Province

This is the report of a livelihoods study team working together with villagers from two communes in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam: Ta Long Commune in Dakrong District and A Tuc Commune in Huong Hoa District. The study is based on information provided by members of the communes, who shared their knowledge and spoke about real problems they face with their livelihoods. This study was conducted from 10-22 October 2001. The team worked with key informants in two communes who volunteered to participate and represented the households in the village. (PDF contains 31 pages

The Use of Geographical Information Systems in the Urban Communes of Łódź Metropolitan Area

The article presents the results of pilot studies carried out in the cities of Łódź Metropolitan Area. The study concerned the use of geographical information system by the employees of offices of these cities. The interest in the subject of GIS in Polish urban communes results from the assumptions of the EU INSPIRE Directive and the necessity of its implementation in the basic units of territorial division of Poland. The aim of the research was the analysis of the impact of GIS on the sphere of the public participation in the process of local management and the possible use of GIS in the decision making in communes. Research showed what kind of software was used in analyzed communes

A livelihoods study of fishers and farmers in Thai Nguyen Province

This is the report of a livelihoods study team working together with members of two communes in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. The study is based on information provided by the commune members, who shared their knowledge and spoke about real problems they face with their livelihoods. The study was conducted from 10-30 October 2001. The team worked with key informants in two communes, Dan Tien in Vo Nhia District and Phuong Tien in Dinh Hoa District, who participated in discussions and represented households in the commune. The livelihoods studies in Dan Tien and Phuong Tien communes explored existing human, labor and natural resources as well as other factors affecting people’s livelihoods. (PDF contains 32 pages

Publishing Documents In The Scope Of Spatial Planning On The Websites Of Rural Communes In Lodz Voivodeship

The article presents the issue of the accomplishment of records of law in the scope of spatial planning by local authorities. Communes that draw up land-use plans are obliged to publish these documents on the offices’ websites. In the era of the development of information society, it is a crucial element that allows for an increase in the availability of local law for local actors who more than once use the Internet to get acquainted with the spatial policy of a commune. Rural communes are characterized by lower possibilities in the scope of the use of new technologies both as for the availability and the personnel and limited budget. Opportunities in this scope are based on the use of promotional-informational sites, Public Information Bulletin and geoportals to share local documents with the society. The outcomes of the presented research are promising since communes often resign from the obligation to publish land-use plans on websites. Among the units that decide to place plans on the web portals it is not always connected with posting all the documents that are existed in a commune. These observations were the basis for an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon in rural communes

Decentralization in Africa and the nature of local governments' competition: evidence from Benin

Without denying particular dimensions of the decentralisation in Sub-Saharan countries, this paper applies standard reasoning from the fiscal federalism literature to a developing country and tests the existence of strategic interactions among local Beninese governments, called 'communes'. We first propose a two-jurisdiction model of public expenditure interactions, considering a constrained Nash equilibrium to capture the extreme poverty of some communes. We show that spillovers among jurisdictions involve strategic behaviours of local officials who have sufficient levels of fiscal resources. Second, by estimating a spatial lag model, our analysis provides evidence for the presence of strategic interactions in Benin, contingent on 'communes fiscal autonomy. Such interactions arise among communes which are geographically or ethnically close. We also highlight both an opportunistic behaviour of local governments before local elections and an effect of partisan affiliations. This African democracy appears to be as concerned as developed democracies with strategic fiscal interactions.Fiscal interactions;benin;decentralisation;local government;dynamic panel data

Decentralization in Africa and the nature of local governments' competition: evidence from Benin

Without denying particular dimensions of the decentralisation in Sub-Saharan countries, this paper applies standard reasoning from the fiscal federalism literature to a developing country and tests the existence of strategic interactions among local Beninese governments, called 'communes'. We first propose a two-jurisdiction model of public expenditure interactions, considering a constrained Nash equilibrium to capture the extreme poverty of some communes. We show that spillovers among jurisdictions involve strategic behaviours of local officials who have sufficient levels of fiscal resources. Second, by estimating a spatial lag model, our analysis provides evidence for the presence of strategic interactions in Benin, contingent on 'communes fiscal autonomy. Such interactions arise among communes which are geographically or ethnically close. We also highlight both an opportunistic behaviour of local governments before local elections and an effect of partisan affiliations. This African democracy appears to be as concerned as developed democracies with strategic fiscal interactions.Fiscal interactions, benin, decentralisation, local government, dynamic panel data

El gobierno Neoliberal de la Universidad en Chile. Colectivo Communes

La condición actual de la universidad en Chile está determinada por el mercado y la consumación de la gestión empresarial neoliberal en casi la totalidad de sus dimensiones. La clase dirigente, mediante el poder mediático y económico y su expresión en la política institucional, ha buscado la naturalización de este fenómeno, inscribiéndose en el sentido común que se refleja en el lenguaje y en las prácticas cotidianas. Estas mismas élites políticas y empresariales son dueñas o las principales accionistas del gran mercado de la educación universitaria, que define hoy la condición neoliberal de la universidad

El gobierno Neoliberal de la Universidad en Chile. Colectivo Communes

La condición actual de la universidad en Chile está determinada por el mercado y la consumación de la gestión empresarial neoliberal en casi la totalidad de sus dimensiones. La clase dirigente, mediante el poder mediático y económico y su expresión en la política institucional, ha buscado la naturalización de este fenómeno, inscribiéndose en el sentido común que se refleja en el lenguaje y en las prácticas cotidianas. Estas mismas élites políticas y empresariales son dueñas o las principales accionistas del gran mercado de la educación universitaria, que define hoy la condición neoliberal de la universidad

Internal Migration and Regional Population Dynamics in Europe: Romanian Case Study

The report analyses population migration and change in Romania over the period 1984-1994. The analysis of population change is conducted for 2948 communes and towns, the finest administrative division for which population data are available. The lack of migration data on the level of communes and towns makes in-depth analysis of the migration for small spatial units impossible. For that reason analysis of the patterns of migration is conducted for 40 Judete (also referred to as counties or regions) and the capital city of Bucharest, i.e. 41 units altogether. Council of Europe Publishing, F-67075 Strasbourg - Cedex, France