Microfinance: Combating World Poverty One Small Business at a Time

Poverty is a major problem that reaches millions of people around the world. Although many organizations and individuals work daily to combat this, much of the work done to reduce poverty lacks sustainability and serves only to remedy to the effects of poverty, rather than create a solution to the causes of poverty. Microfinance can be very basically defined as the provision of banking to the impoverished who would not otherwise have access to these services. This purpose of this thesis is to show that microfinance is the ideal solution to the poverty problem by using research and evidence from case studies. This thesis also contains analyses of these studies with the purpose of discovering best practices in microfinance

It’s One Climate Policy World Out There—Almost

In the run-up to the December 2009 Copenhagen climate conference, the authors surveyed members of the international development community with a special interest in climate change on three sets of detailed questions: (1) what action different country groups should take to limit climate change; (2) how much non-market funding there should be for emissions reductions and adaptation in developing countries, and how it should be allocated; and (3) which institutions should be involved in delivering climate assistance, and how the system should be governed. About 500 respondents from 88 countries completed the survey between November 19–24, 2009. About a third of the respondents grew up in developing countries, although some of them now live in developed countries. A broad majority of respondents from both developing and developed countries held very similar views on the responsibilities of the two different country groups, including on issues that have been very controversial in the negotiations. Most favored binding commitments now by developed countries, and commitments by 2020 by ‘advanced developing countries’ (Brazil, China, India, South Africa and others), limited use of offsets by developed countries, strict monitoring of compliance with commitments, and the use of trade measures (e.g. carbon-related tariffs) only in very narrow circumstances. Respondents from developing countries favored larger international transfers than those from developed countries, but the two groups share core ideas on how transfers should be allocated. Among institutional options for managing climate programs, a plurality of respondents from developed (48 percent) and developing (56 percent) countries preferred a UN-managed world climate fund, while many from both groups also embraced the UN Adaptation Fund’s approach, which is to accredit national institutions within countries which are eligible to manage implementation of projects that the Fund finances. Among approaches to governance, the most support went to the Climate Investment Fund model—of equal representation of developing and developed countries on the board.carbon; climate change; copenhagen; negotiations

One-dimensional Ising model built on small-world networks: competing dynamics

In this paper, we offer a competing dynamic analysis of the one-dimensional Ising model built on the small-world network (SWN). Adding-type SWNs are investigated in detail using a simplified Hamiltonian of mean-field nature, and the result of rewiring-type is given because of the similarities of these two typical networks. We study the dynamical processes with competing Glauber mechanism and Kawasaki mechanism. The Glauber-type single-spin transition mechanism with probability p simulates the contact of the system with a heat bath and the Kawasaki-type dynamics with probability 1-p simulates an external energy flux. By studying the phase diagram obtained in the present work, we can realize some dynamical properties influenced by the small-world effect.Comment: 5 pages, one figure, accepted for publication in Physical Review

The world makers : one centre's approach to technology education with infants and toddlers

Infants and toddlers are surrounded by technology. They observe and explore technological artefacts and the uses of them on a daily basis. Despite this, there is little research to guide teachers about what the technological interests, understandings and capabilities of infants and toddlers might be and how they might be supported and extended. Technology education is a relative/y new curriculum area and it has not yet been included in the literary discourse about infant and toddler educational programmes. This study aims to examine what the teachers at one childcare centre identify as the technology interests, understandings and capabilities of a small group of infants and toddlers. Video footage was taken of the infants and toddlers at work and play and segments were then shown to individual teachers during interviews. The children's assessment portfolios were examined and the teachers and families were invited to contribute further information. The sum total of this data was used to analyse and reflect on particular episodes of video footage. The technological interests, understandings and capabilities of both the children and the adults were seen to be integrally linked to the temporal, physical and interpersonal environments of the centre