Food Price Levels and Volatility: Sources, Impact and Implications

Food inflation in India for the past few years has been at an historic high. Higher food prices have especially hurt those who spend most of their income on food and have not necessarily been helpful to smallholder farmers in terms of increased supply response. The volatility of food prices at the wholesale and retail levels has also increased, and this creates uncertainties for consumers and producers that need to be managed. This article reviews some of the sources of food price increases and volatility (especially over the period 2008–10 when inflation was high) and draws out implications for Indian citizens

Background Note - UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs - (DESA)

Background Note on The Global Financial and Economic Crisis, Its Impact on Development, and How The World Should Respond

From problems in the North to the problematic North : Northern devolution through the lens of history

Current debates about Northern English cities and their role in national economic strategies cannot be read simply through the lens of contemporary politics. We therefore take the Northern Powerhouse as our starting point in a chapter which traces a long history of policy and planning discourses about the North of England. We use David Russell’s chronology of key historical moments in which Northern English cities hold a particular charge in cultural narratives of the nation to guide our analysis of contemporaneous tensions in debates about planning and governance. A focus on representations about the North of England over the course of the last two centuries reveals four interlocking themes: namely the role of London in directing debates about the North; a tension between political and spatial approaches to planning; the characterisation of cities in the North of England as intrinsically problematic places; and the continued issue of poverty in these cities

Feeling Safe in the Dark : Examining the Effect of Entrapment, Lighting Levels, and Gender on Feelings of Safety and Lighting Policy Acceptability

This research examined to what extent physical factors, notably lighting and entrapment (blocked escape), and individual factors, notably gender, affect feelings of safety and the acceptability of reduced lighting levels. The authors reasoned that acceptability of reduced street lighting depends on perceived safety, which in turn depends on entrapment, lighting, and gender. Virtual representations of a residential street were used, systematically manipulating entrapment and lighting levels. As expected, people felt less safe in lower lighting and higher entrapment settings, and these settings were evaluated as less acceptable. Although women perceived a situation as less safe compared with men, the authors found no gender differences in acceptability, which extends previous research. Importantly, as hypothesized, perceived safety mediated the effect of lighting on acceptability levels, suggesting that people can accept lower lighting levels when social safety is not threatened

How migration policies moderate the diffusion of terrorism

There is an ongoing debate among practitioners and scholars about the security consequences of transnational migration. Yet, existing work has not yet fully taken into account the policy instruments states have at their disposal to mitigate these risks, and we lack reliable evidence for the effectiveness of such measures. The following research addresses both shortcomings as we analyze whether and to what extent national migration policies affect the diffusion of terrorism via population movements. Spatial analyses report robust support for a moderating influence of states’ policies: while terrorism can travel from one country to another via larger migration populations, this only applies to target countries with extremely lax regulations and control mechanisms. This research sheds new light on the security implications of population movements, and it crucially adds to our understanding of governments’ instruments for addressing migration challenges as well as their effectiveness

The Practice of Local Development: A Guide for Nebraska Communities on Creating Jobs and Business Investment

A description of the foundations of the local development process, including a collection of resources on economic and business development strategie

Case Studies and the Teaching of Development

SUMMARY Case studies come in several forms and can be used for different pedagogic and academic purposes. The authors examine the role of case study in development studies teaching, reviewing definitions and actual usages. The experience of Harvard in the 1920s and 1930s is considered since there are parallels between business studies then and development studies today. Three dimensions of case study (not always clarified in the literature) relevant for development studies are considered: case study as a teaching method, particularly for small groups; case study as research activity; and case study and the process of generalisation in an interdisciplinary study area. The general argument is that there are good reasons for using case study, but for successful transcultural teaching, more attention needs to be given to educational issues where case study is used with students from a variety of different economic and cultural backgrounds. RESUME Les études de cas et l'enseignement du développement Les études de cas se présentent sous diverses formes et peuvent être utilisées à des fins pédagogiques et académiques différentes. Les auteurs examinent le rôle de l'étude de cas dans l'enseignement des études sur le développement, en passant en revue les définitions et les utilisations actuelles. Ils s'intéressent à l'expérience de Harvard dans les années 20 et 30 car il y a des parallèles entre les études de gestion d'alors et les études sur le développement d'aujourd'hui. Trois dimensions de l'étude de cas (pas toujours expliquées dans les textes) s'appliquant aux études sur le développement sont examinées ici: l'étude de cas en tant que méthode d'enseignement, en particulier pour les petits groupes; l'étude de cas en tant qu'activité de recherche; et l'étude de cas et le processus de généralisation dans un domaine d'étude interdisciplinaire. L'argument général est qu'il y a de bonnes raisons pour utiliser l'étude de cas, mais pour un bon enseignement transculturel, il faut prêter davantage d'attention aux problèmes d'éducation lorsque l'étude de cas est utilisée avec des étudiants venant de milieux culturels et économiques divers. RESUMEN Estudios de casos típicos y la enseñanza del desarrollo Los estudios de casos típicos se presentan de varias formas y se pueden utilizar para diversos fines pedagógicos y académicos. Los autores examinan la función del estudio de casos en la enseñanza de estudios sobre el desarrollo, reseñando las definiciones y las aplicaciones efectivas. Se considera la experiencia de Harvard en los decenios de 1920 y 1930, ya que existen similitudes entre los estudios sobre negocios en aquella época y los estudios sobre el desarrollo en la actualidad. Se consideran tres dimensiones del estudio de casos (no siempre puestas en claro en nivel informativo) que están relacionados con los estudios sobre el desarrollo: el estudio de casos típicos como método de enseñanza, especialmente para grupos pequeños; el estudio de casos típicos como actividad de investigación; y el estudio de casos típicos y el proceso de generalización en una esfera de estudios entre disciplines. El argumento general es que hay buenos motivos para utilizar el estudio de casos típicos, pero para que la enseñanza de las relaciones culturales recíprocas tenga éxito se tiene que prestar mayor atención a los aspectos docentes cuando el estudio de casos típicos se utilice con estudiantes de diversas procedencias culturales y económicas