Where are the Pots and Pans? Collective Responses in Ireland to Neoliberalization in a Time of Crisis: Learning from Latin America

Since 2008, Ireland has experienced a profound multi-faceted crisis, stemming from the collapse of the financial and property sectors. Despite enduring six years of neoliberal austerity measures in response to this situation, popular protest has been muted. Using Silva's [(2009) Challenging Neoliberalism in Latin America (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press)] framework of analysis of popular responses in Latin America to that region's debt crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, this article seeks to investigate why this has been the case. We assess how the crisis is being framed among popular and civil society groups, and whether increased associational and collective power is developing. In doing so, we look at processes of intra-group cooperation, cross-group cooperation and framing and brokerage mechanisms. We then ask, where such processes exist, if they can lead to a comprehensive challenge to the neoliberal policies currently being implemented, as happened in much of Latin America. We conclude that the crisis has not yet reached sufficient depth or longevity to foster a more robust popular response, but propose that analysis of similar processes in Latin America can help us understand better why this is the case, not just in Ireland, but in other countries of Europe experiencing similar situations

Seed system security assessment: northern Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo

This report outlines the results of the Seed System Security Assessment (SSSA) carried out in the northern part of Katanga, eastern Congo, during August and September 2012

Seed system security assessment: eastern and coastal Kenya

This report presents the results of a Seed System Security Assessment in Eastern and Coastal Kenya, implemented September 2011, several weeks prior to the time of planting. The assessment focused on result of Long Rains (LR) 2011, and immediate projections for Short Rains (SR) 2011 planting. A seed system security assessment (SSSA) reviews the functioning of seed systems which farmers use, both formal and informal. It assesses whether seed of adequate quality is available and whether farmers can access it. The approach also promotes strategic thinking about the relief, recovery or development vision ne eded. For instance, during the stress period, should aid aim to restore the system as it was, ex ante, or aim to strengthen it? ASSSA goes well beyond a conventional seed needs assessment as it hones in on specific seed security problems communities face, and then steers response to actions which alleviate specific constraints, and often improve systems. (F or full description of method, see http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/africa/pdf/sssa_manual_ciat.pdf ). Three sites were chosen for the assessment : in Kathonzweni, Tharaka North and Magarini. The sites include zones where participating non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been prepared to address seed security-related constraints and opportunities. The three selected sites also represent well the cross-section of the regions in which drought-stressed agriculture and seed aid continue to unfold. Within Tharaka North, a fourth site, was also assessed, tied specifically to Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) suffering from prolonged land disputes. This report presents the seed security findings and recommendations across all four sites. Site-specific reports and recommendations tailored for each site have been posted separately and can be obtained through Catholic Relief Services ([email protected]). Here, we focus on the across-site results as these may have broader relevance to drought-prone areas in Eastern and Coastal Kenya where seed security responses are being planned in the short (1-2 seasons) and medium-term (3-5 seasons)

From social instrument to migration management tool: assisted voluntary return programmes : the case of Belgium

The return of migrants to their country of origin and the development of efficient return measures have become more prominent on the political agenda of many Western European countries. Since policymakers prefer ‘voluntary’ return, governmental programmes to support the return of migrants – Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programmes – were developed as far back as the 1970s and have played an increasingly important role in migration policy over the last three decades. At the same time, general migration policy and welfare systems have undergone profound change, including in the meanings and connotations attached to social welfare, return support and return policy. This raises questions about the implications of these broader societal and policy changes for the widely implemented AVR programmes. In this article, we discuss the interpretation and evolution of AVR programmes by analyzing how one particular European country, Belgium, has developed its AVR programme over time. We explore the evolution of the programme’s content, target group and institutional positioning, which shed light on its changing goals and are closely linked to a broader shift towards a ‘managerial’ approach to migration policy and the welfare state. We argue that return support may become decontextualized when it adopts ‘conditional entitlement’ as a central principle. This leads to strong differentiation, based on personal responsibility, between ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ migrants, the levelling down of the support given to returnees, and a more coercive voluntary return policy in which social support is linked to deportation