The Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Article 51: Inherent Rights and Unmet Responsibilities

This Note argues that the Security Council has not met its responsibility to restore international peace and security in Bosnia, and that it therefore must rescind Resolution 713 as it pertains to Bosnia. Part I provides a background of the events surrounding the outbreak of conflict in Bosnia, and introduces the standard by which the United Nations may preempt a member state\u27s right to self-defense. Part I also presents the international human rights documents that are relevant to the conflict. Part II examines U.N. attempts to restore international peace and security in Bosnia. Part III argues that the continuation of massive human rights violations necessitates that the United Nations either immediately and effectively implement its resolutions, or lift the arms embargo and permit Bosnia to exercise its Article 51 right to self-defense. This Note concludes that the Security Council\u27s failure to restore international peace and security and to satisfy the Article 51 criteria for terminating a member state\u27s right to self-defense undermines the ability of the United Nations to respond to future conflicts

Determinants of the Speed of Adoption of Soil Fertility-Enhancing Technologies in Western Kenya

Most adoption studies have employed cross-sectional data in a static discrete choice modelling framework to analyze why some farmers adopt at a certain point in time. The static approach does not consider the dynamic environment in which the adoption decision is made and thus does not incorporate the speed of adoption and the effect of time-dependent elements in explaining adoption. The adoption speed of an innovation is important in various aspects. Based on data from a survey of a random sample of 331 smallholder households in western Kenya, this study investigated determinants of time to adoption of mineral fertilizer, animal manure and compost using Duration analysis. Results revealed that factors that influenced timing of the adoption varied by the practices. Whilst education level of the household head, cattle ownership, location of the farm, access to extension services, and participation in land management programmes accelerated the adoption of different practices, age of household head, relative farming experience and market liberalization retarded the adoption. Gender of household head gave mixed results. To speed up adoption of the practices requires policies that promote farmers’ participation in land management programs, access to extension services and markets in addition to stratified targeting of different practices to specific locations and farmers.Adoption, duration analysis, soil nutrients, Crop Production/Industries, Land Economics/Use,

IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS ON EDUCATION: CASE STUDY OF SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

The national politics determines the quality of education policies, programs and processes and eventually the products (results or outcomes). Government underfunding and commoditisation of education is likely to worsen the crisis in education. The current economic crisis confronting many governments is creating severe conflicts in educational sector of many nations. On the one hand they had to reduce, their budget deficits to avoid excess indebtedness. On the other hand, they had to promote education firstly to alleviate unemployment as a short run crisis measure and secondly to avoid the deterioration of human capital in the long run. High percentage of national budgets focuses on the public funding, which greatly affect the education sector. Some governments carried out overall budget cuts. These had negative effects on teachers, students and families. This research studies the impact of economic crises on education in the South-West part of Nigeria. The collected survey data shows that the current economic crisis in Nigeria had an observable impact on the education sector as many State Governments proceeded to drastic budget cuts on education. Only few State Governments, however, acknowledged the importance of the educational sector in overcoming the current economic crisis. These few States see the need of increased spending on education, supporting students, families and education providers as a way to enhance productivity and efficiency of State economy. The result of this research shows a great difference between the States cutting budget on education because of economy, economic downturn and those pumping more fund into education sector in the mist of economic crises. This research concludes that adequately funded educational system, if genuinely promoted and honestly managed is capable of creating mass-fully developed human talents whose creative thinking would get any nation out of the economic crisis and permanently shut the door to its future occurrenc

Is Value Addition in Honey a Panacea for Poverty Reduction in the ASAL in Africa? Empirical Evidence from Baringo District, Kenya

Using survey data from 110 randomly selected honey producers from two divisions in Baringo this paper analyzes the constraints and drivers of value addition in honey, an economic activity with a potential to improve household livelihoods but whose development has remained rudimentary. Baringo District undergoes frequent and prolonged drought that impacts on household livelihood assets. The livelihoods have traditionally been agro-based but due to variations in climatic conditions, crop production has been very low. Livestock production has also been adversely affected by these trends, leaving honey production as a viable alternative for smallholder farmers since it is less dependent on, or affected by climatic variations and is not resource intensive. This study uses Heckman two stage and the logistic regression models to determine the extent of value addition contingent on the decision of a honey producer to participate in value addition activity, and to assess the link between honey value addition and household poverty status, respectively. The results show that the decision to add value is positively and significantly influenced by the amount of honey harvested, group membership and amount of hours spent on off-farm activities, while it is negatively influenced the age of the farmers and the education level of the household head. Value addition contributes to the reduction of poverty through the improvement of household incomes. This paper concludes measures need to be put in place that would encourage and facilitate the practice of value addition if the welfare of the poor rural population is to be improved.value addition, poverty reduction, drought, ASAL, Africa, Livestock Production/Industries,

The Correlation Coefficients

A generalized method of defining and interpreting correlation coefficients is given. Seven correlation coefficients are defined — three for continuous data and four on the ranks of the data. A quick calculation of the rank based correlation coefficients using a 0-1 graph-matrix is shown. Examples and comparisons are given

Parasitism of free-ranging Neotropical primates: examining parasite-host and parasite-parasite relationships

Parasites are infectious agents that require resources from host organisms to complete all or part of their lifecycles. It is customary for wild animals to acquire and maintain multiple parasitic infections during their lifetime. The effects of parasites on hosts vary across demographic and environmental variables, and in relation to each other. Moreover, the propensity for a host animal to acquire an infection can be influenced by other host species in the area that are susceptible to the same parasites. This dissertation describes and explores the natural parasite assemblage of a free-ranging community of nonhuman primates in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. A mark-recapture program of sympatric saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarins (Callitrichidae) was implemented from June through August, 2012 – 2015, to collect repeat blood and fecal samples from known individuals. Seven other primates on site, belonging to the Pitheciidae, Cebidae, Atelidae, and Aotidae, were followed in 2014 and 2015 for noninvasive collection of fecal samples. Microscopy and molecular techniques were used to assess the degree of parasite–host specificity in gastrointestinal and blood parasites. I also explored individual differences in infection status engendered by various host factors, and tested for non-random associations of co-occurrence between multiple parasites. Patterns of infection were analyzed using multifactorial statistical models. In total, I collected 250 blood samples from 134 known tamarins, 208 fecal samples from 105 known tamarins, and 64 fecal samples distributed across the remaining hosts. Temporal variation of multiple parasite infections confirmed the necessity of a multi-year study to evaluate parasite-host relationships in this system. Individual age was a common predictor of parasite infection, and co-infections were significant predictors for blood parasites. No gastrointestinal parasites appeared to be host specific, but significant differences in prevalence were observed across hosts. I also report the presence of a natural, potentially zoonotic malarial parasite that for first time is demonstrated to chronically infect its nonhuman primate host. Collectively these data demonstrate the importance and need for broad spectrum and long-term screening of parasites from wildlife communities

CATTLE AS ASSETS: ASSESSMENT OF NON-MARKET BENEFITS FROM CATTLE IN SMALLHOLDER KENYAN CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS

This paper uses data from a survey of two hundred and fifty cattle households in three cattle keeping systems; intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems to estimate the value of non-market, socio-economic benefits of cattle in Kenya. These benefits of cattle keeping are of special importance in developing countries, where financial markets function poorly and opportunities for risk management through formal insurance generally absent. However, when estimating the total contribution of livestock, these non-market functions are often ignored since they are difficult to value, yet they may contribute to a better understanding of livestock production systems. The use of contingent valuation method is employed in this study to elicit these non-market values. Econometric estimations are then used to assess the factors influencing the non-market benefits function. The results indicate that these benefits are highly valued by cattle keepers and comprise approximately 20% of the animal's total value across the three systems. They are influenced by various production system and household related factors. Implications for policy are drawn.Livestock Production/Industries, QQ112, QQ118, DD223,

Applying an Appropriate Standard of Evidence in Victim Identification Policies and Practice in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand

Human trafficking remains to be a bane in our time undermining economic progress and perpetuating inequities by setting vulnerable communities who fall prey to it further back. This vicious cycle increases the risk of re-trafficking for victims who escape, and leaves layered trauma experiences unaddressed. To counter this, labor-receiving countries need to connect human trafficking victims to social services that utilize victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches geared toward victim restoration. Often the first step in accessing these services is victim identification. However, officers of government frontline agencies with the mandate to enforce the anti-human trafficking law apply very strict standards in their screening method. The perceived outcome of cases in trial plays a crucial role in victim determination. Thus, there is the tendency to apply evidentiary standards appropriate for a court trial in victim identification. Such practice tends to be adversarial where the burden of proof is paced on the victim’s shoulders. Utilizing the standards of evidence as a conceptual framework has the potential of shifting rigid procedures and processes. The standards of evidence framework can calibrate and adjust current practices in victim identification to the appropriate threshold in favor of potential victims of trafficking accessing and receiving victim-centered services

The Influence of Social Capital on Natural Resource Management in Marginal Areas of Kenya

This paper analyzes the influence of social capital on the farmers' perception of the soil erosion problem and the level of investments in soil conservation in marginal areas of Kenya. It uses data from a survey of 321 households in Machakos and Taita-Taveta Districts. A Heckman's two-step model is applied to assess the influence of social capital on investments in soil conservation by farmers. Results show that the education level of the household head, slope of farmers' fields, proportion of off-farm income, and the status of soil erosion are significant determinants of the likelihood of farmers recognizing soil erosion as an important problem. Household size, slope, land tenure security, membership diversity, age of household head, farm size per capita and membership in groups influence investments in soil control measures such as terraces. The effects, however, are location-specific. The policy challenge is to establish and strengthen social capital elements that have a strong influence on communities undertaking soil conservation measures to promote sustainable agriculture, and improve land tenure security.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,