Exploring good practice knowledge transfer related to post tsunami housing re-construction in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka was badly affected by the tsunami that occurred on 26th December 2004. The tsunami destroyed about two-thirds of the Sri Lankan coastline and affected more than 1,000,000 people. It does not only affected the lives of the community, but also had a devastating effect on their housing and livelihoods. The overall loss of 100,000 or more houses due to the tsunami proved to be a major challenge to the emergency response teams and disaster planners. Although several major disasters of varying magnitudes have occurred in the world, the body of knowledge related to post-disaster housing reconstruction and rehabilitation appears fragmented and poorly integrated. This paper attempts to fill this theoretical gap by focusing on the extent to which good practice knowledge transfer helps in overcoming this problem for more effective and efficient delivery of post-tsunami housing in Sri Lanka. The paper applied knowledge transfer principles within the context of the two housing reconstruction strategies employed in post-tsunami housing reconstruction in Sri Lanka; namely donor-driven housing and owner driven housing. The results of this study reveal that the knowledge transfer within this context cannot be simply copied and inserted from one context without any localisation. Therefore, the paper proposes a high-level abstraction of the core principles of community engagement through participatory techniques associated with appropriate capacity and capability building techniques that will enable the various stakeholders to create a new application to suit the appropriate context of the transfer destination (post-tsunami context in Sri Lanka)

Spatial Patterns and Dynamic Mechanisms of Urban Land Use Growth in China: Case Studies in Beijing and Shanghai

Beijing and Shanghai are among those Chinese cities that have experienced substantial growth over the past decades. We analyze historic urban growth patterns in Beijing and Shanghai using detailed land use maps from different time points. For Beijing digital land use data are available for 1982, 1992 and 1997 with a scale of 1:100,000. In the case of Shanghai we use high-resolution data derived from earth observation for the years 1967, 1989 and 1999. With the implementation of economic reform and opening policy China introduced urban land reforms invoking major changes in urban growth dynamics. A conceptual framework of urban growth mechanisms in the Chinese context is presented. It includes driving forces and constraint factors and four mechanism of urban land conversion, namely administrative allocation, urban land market, unauthorized ("black") land market and land development for Town and Village Enterprises (TVEs). In Beijing industrial land expansion has been the dominant factor of urban growth. Land expansion for TVEs here is of particular importance. There are major divergences of actual urban growth patterns and those envisaged by development plans of the city. In Shanghai residential land increased significantly mostly at the expense of cultivated area. Road development was substantial. The high resolution of the land use data allows to present detailed land use conversion patterns

Parallel and Distributed Computing

The 14 chapters presented in this book cover a wide variety of representative works ranging from hardware design to application development. Particularly, the topics that are addressed are programmable and reconfigurable devices and systems, dependability of GPUs (General Purpose Units), network topologies, cache coherence protocols, resource allocation, scheduling algorithms, peertopeer networks, largescale network simulation, and parallel routines and algorithms. In this way, the articles included in this book constitute an excellent reference for engineers and researchers who have particular interests in each of these topics in parallel and distributed computing

Migration, risk and livelihoods: A Chinese case

China has turned from a 'low risk' to a 'high risk' society since the start of the market reforms in the late 1970s. Market, while bringing diverse livelihood opportunities to rural people, has simultaneously distributed risks, and the exposure and vulnerability to them unequally among different social groups. This paper attempts to apply the risk concept to the study of one of the most socially disadvantaged groups in China, namely rural-urban migrants, through analysing the narratives of members of a migratory family of the Hui Muslim national minority from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, who run a business in the northern city of Tianjin. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the research adopts an actor-oriented perspective combined with qualitative longitudinal research methodology (or 'extended case method') to delineate a livelihood trajectory of this family, and explore the relationships between livelihood, risk, social networks, agency and public policy interventions. --rural-urban migration,risk,contingency,uncertainty,livelihood,social networks,agency,social security,translocality,longitudinal research,narrative,extended case method,China

Migration, Risk and Livelihoods: A Chinese Case

China has turned from a ‘low risk’ to a ‘high risk’ society since the start of the market reforms in the late 1970s. Market, while bringing diverse livelihood opportunities to rural people, has simultaneously distributed risks, and the exposure and vulnerability to them unequally among different social groups. This paper attempts to apply the risk concept to the study of one of the most socially disadvantaged groups in China, namely rural-urban migrants, through analysing the narratives of members of a migratory family of the Hui Muslim national minority from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, who run a business in the northern city of Tianjin. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the research adopts an actor-oriented perspective combined with qualitative longitudinal research methodology (or ‘extended case method’) to delineate a livelihood trajectory of this family, and explore the relationships between livelihood, risk, social networks, agency and public policy interventions

China’s Regional Disparities: Experience and Policy

International Development, International Relations/Trade,

Challenges for Revival of Indian Agriculture

In India, economic growth has improved significantly during the past two and a half decades, particularly in the post-reform period. India is considered as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, the exclusion problems have not been addressed seriously by the government programmes and strategies. The experience of the economic reforms during the past 15 years indicates that while there have been improvements in the economic growth, foreign exchange, IT revolution, export growth, etc., the income distribution has been unequal and only some sections of the population have been benefited more from this higher growth and prosperity. In other words, real development in terms of growth shared by all sections of the population has not taken place. We have problems of poverty, unemployment, inequalities in access to credit, health care and education and poor performance of the agriculture sector. One of the excluded sectors during the reform period was agriculture which showed low growth and experienced more farmers’ suicides. There are serious concerns about the performance of agriculture sector in the country. The post-reform period growth has been led by the services. The commodity sector growth (agriculture + industry) has not been higher in the post-reform period as compared to that during the 1980s. The particular worry is the agriculture sector which has shown less than 2 per cent per annum growth during the past decade. Also, there is a disconnect between employment growth and GDP growth. In other words, employment is not being generated in the industry and services sector, where growth is high. On the other hand, GDP growth is low in the agriculture wherein a majority of people are employed. Thus, there has been a lop-sided approach to agricultural development in India during the past few decades. Growth may be higher during the past two decades, but the inclusive growth in terms of focus on agriculture has been missing1. It is like running a train with engine only without connecting a majority of the bogies and people to the engine. The role of agriculture in economic development is well known. Agriculture not only contributes to overall growth of the economy but also provides employment and food security to the majority population, which in turn reduces poverty in a developing country. Thus, if we want pro-poor growth and real development, high agricultural growth and rising incomes for farmers are essential. In recent decades, the context within which agriculture policy has to be developed and implemented, has undergone fundamental changes. The relationships operated for much of the 1960s and 1970s have changed. Globalization policies during the 1980s and particularly during 1990s and beyond have created many challenges for agriculture in developing countries. Some of the consequences and impacts of globalization in developing countries are: exposure of domestic agriculture to international competition, growth of non-agricultural sector and its impact on demand for agricultural products, urban middle class life-style changes, including diets, rising food imports, competitiveness and diversification of domestic production systems, vertical integration of the food supply chain, etc. (Prabhu, 2006). Because of demographic pressures, there has been a significant increase in small and marginal farm holdings. These farmers have to face the challenges of globalization. Risk and uncertainty have also increased as cultivation has spread to marginal lands. The diversification of agriculture has also raised concerns on food security. In recent years, there has been a concern regarding increase in the global food prices. Rise in crude oil prices has increased agricultural costs also. Increased use of food crops for biofuels has also pushed up their demand. The USA uses 20 per cent of its maize production for biofuels; Brazil uses 50 per cent of sugarcane for biofuels; and the European Union uses 68 per cent of its vegetable oil production for biofuels. Such large usages, by reducing the availability of these products for food and feed, have exerted pressure on their prices. Food prices have also increased due to low output stocks. International prices of wheat, rice and maize have increased significantly in the past two years. This is another challenge for India in maintaining its food security. This lecture is divided into three sections. Section 1 deals with the performance and problems of agriculture, while Section 2 discusses policy challenges for the revival of Indian agriculture. The last Section provides concluding observations.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Climate Vulnerability, Adaptation, and Grassroots Renewable Energy in Nicaragua: A case study responding to the El Niño of 2015-2016 in Las Mariitas, Somotillo, Chinandega

The Major Research Project examines the application of Community Based Adaptation practices in the community of Las Mariitas, municipality of Somotillo in Chinandega, Nicaragua. The study takes particular interest in community based renewable energy projects and how these technologies are applied to improve resiliency alongside other adaptation strategies during droughts such as that of the El Niño of 2015-2016. In collaboration with the Humboldt Center, a leading Nicaraguan NGO dedicated to environmental advocacy, this research documents the benefits, deficiencies, and opportunities provided by these technologies in responding to climate vulnerabilities and environmental threats. This study applies participatory action research and mixed methods to analyze socioecological risks and vulnerabilities in Las Mariitas, as well as the Community Based Adaptation practices, socio-economic activities, and supportive civil society networks that work to improve resiliency and adaptation. The study applies an action oriented research framework called “the Approach to Designing Energy Delivery Models for People Living in Poverty”, which cumulated in the creation of a community energy project proposal that responds to the energy gaps and opportunities identified through field work and conversations with residents in Las Mariitas. The study concludes that climate and socio-environmental risks, including future El Niño drought patterns, natural resource exploitation, and socio-political crisis as of April 19, 2018, are likely to place strains on community health, wellbeing, and the local environment. Furthermore, residents in Las Mariitas engage in multifaceted approaches and income generating activities to improve overall climate resiliency and adaptation, including development projects, business ventures, migration, and sustainable agriculture, with support from external civil society networks and internal community organizations. Community energy projects contribute positively to community health and wellbeing with high appreciation from the community despite of the costs and deficits that may occur in implementation. The study recommends future inquiry into climate vulnerability indexes and Community Based Adaptation strategies in rural communities in Nicaragua through Participatory Action Research methods

Lose to Gain: Is Involuntary Resettlement a Development Opportunity?

[Excerpt] Resettlement policies and laws in South Asian countries at present focus primarily on compensation payment for property acquired for a public purpose. This book assesses the adequacy of conventional compensation and resettlement assistance programs such as cash-for-land, land-for-land compensation, limited and temporary employment opportunities at project construction sites, better housing in urban development projects, and income and livelihood restoration and improvement assistance programs. It also examines affected persons’ perspectives, how they perceive their displacement, and what strategies they use to respond to displacement with or without assistance from project sponsors and authorities. This knowledge will help policy makers, project sponsors, and project executive agencies to improve resettlement planning and implementation programs and, at least to some extent, will assist in reforming resettlement policies and land laws. Such reforms, this book argues, should consider (i) the adequacy of current resettlement policy frameworks to deal with complex, widespread, and ambiguous experiences of affected persons of development interventions; (ii) the almost inevitable impoverishment of project-affected persons from the pre-displacement phase to post-resettlement phase; (iii) limited state commitment to broadening such policy frameworks into national laws; and (iv) widespread weak institutional capacity to implement the laws. During the past 60 years, various interpretations of the land acquisition acts have been attempted by policy makers, academics, development practitioners, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and national courts in South Asia. Such interpretations have mostly been people-centered and have intended to provide a better compensation package to the displaced, particularly to poor and vulnerable persons. Key issues that have been discussed and articulated include (i) the adequacy of consultation with affected persons and communities on land acquisition and compensation; (ii) the comparative costs of cash-for-land and land-for-land compensation as acquisition modalities; (iii) the desirability and possibility of assisting physically displaced households to resettle at a project-sponsored resettlement site compared to providing sufficient cash compensation and incentives to help displaced households self-relocate; and (iv) how to avoid impoverishment of displaced persons and their households. These are also the key issues that this book considers, using in-depth fieldwork from several South Asian countries. The book comprises recent displacement and resettlement case studies conducted by several anthropologists and sociologists in South Asia. Each contributor wrote around the key theme of the book: Is resettlement a development opportunity for those displaced by a development intervention? In this book, resettlement carries a broader meaning to include physical and economic displacement, restricted access to public land such as forests and parks, relocation, income rehabilitation, and self-relocation