European security in the 1990s and beyond : the implications of the accession of Cyprus and Malta to the European Union

For the last decade, the dramatic events in eastern and central Europe have (rightly) dominated the security debate in Europe and, indeed, the wider world. One of the consequences of this has been that the traditional neglect of the Mediterranean region has been compounded. However, there are now signs-notably the recent Barcelona conference at which the European Union's Mediterranean policy was relaunched and extended (to incorporate the grand design of a Mediterranean free trade area) - that the Mediterranean is, at last, receiving some of the attention it deserves and justifies.peer-reviewe

Progressive Focusing and Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research: The Enabling Role of Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS)

* The business and management community increasingly recognises that qualitative research is a ‘messy’, non-linear and often unpredictable undertaking. Yet, a considerable proportion of the qualitative research published in top journals is still presented as the result of a linear, predictable research process, thus wrongly suggesting deductive reasoning. * In this paper, we focus on a particular type of ‘messiness’ where during fieldwork, the research context is revealed to be more complex than anticipated, forcing the researcher to gradually refine/shift their focus to reflect ‘what really matters’. We adopt Stake’s notion of progressive focusing for this gradual approach. * Progressive focusing is well-suited to qualitative research in international business requiring complex iteration between theory and data, and the truthful yet coherent presentation of the research process. We propose that this dual challenge of complexity and trustworthiness may be addressed by using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). * We present conceptual considerations and guidelines and offer a view on a ‘messy’, non-linear doctoral research project conducted using a progressive focusing approach, to demonstrate how CAQDAS can help to develop and re-negotiate insights from theory and interview data, as well as enhance trustworthiness, transparency and publication potential

‘Subjective resilience’: using perceptions to quantify household resilience to climate extremes and disasters.

How should we measure a household’s resilience to climate extremes, climate change or other evolving threats? As resilience gathers momentum on the international stage, interest in this question continues to grow. So far, efforts to measure resilience have largely focused on the use of ‘objective’ frameworks and methods of indicator selection. These typically depend on a range of observable socio-economic variables, such as levels of income, the extent of a household’s social capital or its access to social safety nets. Yet while objective methods have their uses, they suffer from well-documented weaknesses. This paper advocates for the use of an alternative but complementary method: the measurement of ‘subjective’ resilience at the household level. The concept of subjective resilience stems from the premise that people have an understanding of the factors that contribute to their ability to anticipate, buffer and adapt to disturbance and change. Subjective household resilience therefore relates to an individual’s cognitive and affective self-evaluation of their household’s capabilities and capacities in responding to risk. We discuss the advantages and limitations of measuring subjective household resilience and highlight its relationships with other concepts such as perceived adaptive capacity, subjective well-being and psychological resilience. We then put forward different options for the design and delivery of survey questions on subjective household resilience. While the approach we describe is focused at the household level, we show how it has the potential to be aggregated to inform sub-national or national resilience metrics and indicators. Lastly, we highlight how subjective methods of resilience assessment could be used to improve policy and decision-making. Above all, we argue that, alongside traditional objective measures and indicators, efforts to measure resilience should take into account subjective aspects of household resilience in order to ensure a more holistic understanding of resilience to climate extremes and disasters

Is Something Better Than Nothing? An Evaluation of Early Childhood Programs in Cambodia

This study evaluated the relative effectiveness of home-based, community-based, and state-run early childhood programs across Cambodia. A total of 880 five-year-olds (55% girls) from 6 rural provinces in Cambodia attending State Preschools, Community Preschools, Home-Based Programs, or no programs were assessed twice using the Cambodian Developmental Assessment Test. Controlling for baseline differences, children who participated in any early childhood programs performed significantly better in posttest than those of children who did not participate in any programs. Children in State Preschools scored significantly higher than those in either Community Preschools or Home-Based Programs; scores did not differ as a function of attending Community Preschools or Home-Based Programs. The results indicate that some preschool experience is better than none at all. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Spatial quantification of community resilience in contexts where quantitative data are scarce: The case of Muzarabani district in Zimbabwe

There has been an upsurge in tools for measuring resilience of the past decade. Despite this progress, we argue, there are few studies focusing on the spatial quantification of resilience in the context of multiple hazards, particularly in developing countries. Placing a particular emphasis on the contribution of geography to resilience studies, this paper examines the spatial variation of community resilience to disasters in Muzarabani, Zimbabwe. Place‐specific resilience variables are selected from the 2012 national census report to develop a disaster resilience index for Muzarabani district. A principal component analysis technique was used to analyse the overall and subcomponents of resilience to identify wards that needed policy intervention. Using the Geographical Information Systems tool to model the spatial variation of community resilience and its subcomponents, we found a geographic variation in community resilience across Muzarabani district, with the majority of the wards scoring low to below low levels of overall resilience. Although we view this study as being complementary to qualitative studies, it would appear quantifying and visualising resilience provide possible explanations and actions required for decision‐makers to address the resilience gaps and disaster risk reduction broadly

Resilience to Food Insecurity: Theory and Empirical Evidence from International Food Assistance in Malawi

This research investigates the impacts of food assistance on resilience to food insecurity of the beneficiary households under the World Food Programme and Oxfam America’s project “The R4 Rural Resilience Initiative” implemented in rural and vulnerable areas of Malawi during the period 2015-2016. The empirical analysis uses three main techniques: the Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis II methodology of the Food and Agriculture Organization to measure resilience and food security; a reflexive method for a descriptive performance assessment; matching techniques for impact evaluation. The performance analysis and the impact evaluation reveal positive and significant relationships between programme interventions and resilience to food insecurity, showing also improved household access to loans insurance and savings