Output-based Aid for Sustainable Sanitation

A review of the experience to date in applying output-based and other results-oriented financing aid formats to the delivery of sanitation services and goods in developing countries. The paper looks at the theoretical underpinnings which justify output-based subsidies in sanitation, reviews a selection of output-based aid projects and then proposes some new approaches which could help to make financing in sanitation more effective and accountable

Hygiene and Sanitation Software: An Overview of Approaches

A review of the state of the art in methods and techniques for sanitation and hygiene behaviour change, and other non-hardware aspects of sanitation programming. Includes introductory text and detailed entries on more than 20 approaches and techniques, with key references, summary information on effectiveness and implementation and an assessment of when different approaches should be used

Lessons Learnt From WASH Action Research With Practitioners in Four Countries

This is the final report from the Action Research for Learning programme, a three-year initiative (2013 -- 2015), led by IRC, to improve the effectiveness of existing hygiene promotion and community empowerment programmes of selected local Dutch WASH Alliance partners in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda. In Ethiopia and Bangladesh, the focus was on hygiene promotion, while in Ghana and Uganda the focus was on community empowerment interventions

Environmental Impacts of Diverting Crop Residues to Fuel Use

Shortage of fuel wood has lead many rural people to switch to using agricultural residues as an alternative energy source. However this has not always been met with universal acclaim due to the role of residues as fertilisers. Although crop residues and animal manure as a nutrient source has been superseded by inorganic fertilizers in most intensive farming systems, they\ud continue to be the main source of crop nutrient replacement in most developing countries. There has developed wide spread assumption that the removal of all crop residues from the fields must therefore be prevented since this will be detrimental to crop productivity. This is a gross simplification on several fronts

The Role of Medialabs in Regional Cultural and Innovative Policy

Purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of a new cultural institution, "medialab". Media laboratory is an interdisciplinary institution that combines the tasks of scientific, educational, cultural and artistic institutions. They are spaces in which technology and digital media are designed. Article introduces the main features of medialabs and possible public tasks in the field of regional cultural policy and innovation policy. It also draws attention to the challenges and barriers in the organization and management of these centers

A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching

Mitigation Country Study – China

human development, climate change