The Partnership Paperchase: Structuring Partnership Agreements in Water and Sanitation in Low-income Communities

Tripartite partnerships between water utilities, local government and civil society are often seen as a good way to deliver services to informal urban communities and slums. However, while these 'partnerships' can be seen as benign relationships, they often fail because the incentives and interests of the partners are not well aligned. In this report, the authors argue that the development of robust documentation (in forms which consitute a 'contractual' agreement) can enhance the performance of such partnerships. Aspects of the partnership which should be included in such documentation include roles and responsibilities, financing, objectives and indicators of success and dispute-resolution mechanisms. The report provides practical guidance and examples of good practice to guide the reader through a process of developing such documentation

The Partnership Paperchase: Structuring Partnership Agreements in Water and Sanitation in Low-income Communities

Tripartite partnerships between water utilities, local government and civil society are often seen as a good way to deliver services to informal urban communities and slums. However, while these 'partnerships' can be seen as benign relationships, they often fail because the incentives and interests of the partners are not well aligned. In this report, the authors argue that the development of robust documentation (in forms which consitute a 'contractual' agreement) can enhance the performance of such partnerships. Aspects of the partnership which should be included in such documentation include roles and responsibilities, financing, objectives and indicators of success and dispute-resolution mechanisms. The report provides practical guidance and examples of good practice to guide the reader through a process of developing such documentation

A novel role for the TIR domain in association with pathogen-derived elicitors

Plant innate immunity is mediated by Resistance (R) proteins, which bear a striking resemblance to animal molecules of similar function. Tobacco N is a TIR-NB-LRR R gene that confers resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus, specifically the p50 helicase domain. An intriguing question is how plant R proteins recognize the presence of pathogen-derived Avirulence (Avr) elicitor proteins. We have used biochemical cell fraction and immunoprecipitation in addition to confocal fluorescence microscopy of living tissue to examine the association between N and p50. Surprisingly, both N and p50 are cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins, and N's nuclear localization is required for its function. We also demonstrate an in planta association between N and p50. Further, we show that N's TIR domain is critical for this association, and indeed, it alone can associate with p50. Our results differ from current models for plant innate immunity that propose detection is mediated solely through the LRR domains of these molecules. The data we present support an intricate process of pathogen elicitor recognition by R proteins involving multiple subcellular compartments and the formation of multiple protein complexes. © 2007 Burch-Smith et al

Social Investments, Asset Building, and Social Development— The State of the Art: A Special Issue in Honor of James Midgley

First Paragraph: Social investment and social development approaches seek to promote human well-being by harmonizing social welfare with economic development (Midgley, 2014). Social development emerged from diverse traditions, including postcolonial social policy, international development, and institutional approaches to the welfare state; over the last two decades this approach has risen to prominence as a key policy and practice perspective around the globe. The social development perspective has yielded policy innovations and catalyzed practice models such as developmental social work (Midgley & Conley, 2010). From the 1995 World Summit on Social Development, subsequent Millennium Development Goals, and the current Sustainable Development Goals, social development is likely to remain integral to the global agenda. Uneven recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis and rising inequality alongside historic advances in economic development emphasize the critical role of social policy in balancing growth with social investments into peoples’ social welfare. These conditions call for further examination of the benefits of social investment policies and practices