Pueblo de mina, pueblo de ruina? : Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) formalization and environmental peacebuilding in Colombia

High-value, lootable natural resources drive, finance and sustain armed conflicts around the world. At the same time, these resources are crucial for livelihoods through artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the very same contexts. Yet, little is known regarding how these resources should be managed in the wake of conflict to contribute to peacebuilding and prevent conflict recurrence. Drawing on the environmental peacebuilding and informal economies literature, this study argues that ASM formalization improves the quality and sustainability of livelihoods by empowering ASM communities. Using the method of structured focused comparison, the hypothesis is tested on two mining municipalities in Antioquia, Colombia. Data was gathered through interviews and secondary sources. The main finding is that while ASM formalization under certain conditions can contributeto sustainable livelihoods, this is only partly through community empowerment. Furthermore, the practice remains inaccessible to most artisanal and small-scale miners and can make them dependent on the goodwill of large-scale multinational mining companies. Thereby it ends up marginalizing many of the people it is meant to benefit

Transboundary Waters: A Cross-National Study on how Economic Inequality Affects Transboundary Water Cooperation

This study aims at investigating how economic inequality affects the possibilities for successful water cooperation between neighboring states sharing a transboundary watershed. As of 2019, researchers have concluded that there are 310 international river basins affecting 150 countries and 52 percent of the world’s population. Drawing on theories from research on cross-border cooperation and openness focusing on the relative attributes of bordering states, the hypothesis is that the more economically equal two bordering states are, the more they will cooperate regarding their shared waters, while the total economic development of the dyad will also have a positive effect on transboundary water cooperation. Initial regression analyses show no effect of economic inequality in a dyad on its transboundary water cooperation, while the effect of the accumulated economic development is significant. However, after including control variables on joint democracy, cultural similarities, conflict history, quality of government and region in the model, economic inequality is shown to have a statistically significant effect on transboundary water cooperation. Contrary to the predictions, this correlation is positive, which means that economic inequality between riparian states actually enhances cooperation in this study. One possible explanation may be the power imbalance economic inequality creates, which might allow the economically more powerful state to dictate the terms and impose cooperative arrangements on the weaker state that serve its own interests

Pueblo de mina, pueblo de ruina? : Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) formalization and environmental peacebuilding in Colombia

High-value, lootable natural resources drive, finance and sustain armed conflicts around the world. At the same time, these resources are crucial for livelihoods through artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the very same contexts. Yet, little is known regarding how these resources should be managed in the wake of conflict to contribute to peacebuilding and prevent conflict recurrence. Drawing on the environmental peacebuilding and informal economies literature, this study argues that ASM formalization improves the quality and sustainability of livelihoods by empowering ASM communities. Using the method of structured focused comparison, the hypothesis is tested on two mining municipalities in Antioquia, Colombia. Data was gathered through interviews and secondary sources. The main finding is that while ASM formalization under certain conditions can contributeto sustainable livelihoods, this is only partly through community empowerment. Furthermore, the practice remains inaccessible to most artisanal and small-scale miners and can make them dependent on the goodwill of large-scale multinational mining companies. Thereby it ends up marginalizing many of the people it is meant to benefit

Teaching in compulsory schools for students with learning disabilities from a health perspective. : aspects affecting daily physical activity.

Författarna till denna studie är två blivande speciallärare, inriktning mot utvecklingsstörning. Under studietiden har de båda författarna till studien arbetat som lärare på grundsärskolan senare del, där de har haft som mål att införa mer fysisk aktivitet i form av rörelsepauser och en mer aktiv undervisning under hela skoldagen för eleverna med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning. Idén till studien föddes efter att författarna följt samhällsdebatten kring elevers minskning av fysisk aktivitet. En nyfikenhet och intresse fanns att undersöka hur eller om andra speciallärare arbetar för att öka elevernas fysiska aktivitet och hälsa på grundsärskolan. Utifrån detta intresse formade vi studien som fick titeln: Undervisning i grundsärskolan ur ett hälsoperspektiv, aspekter som påverkar daglig fysisk aktivitet. Syftet studien är att analysera och belysa hur sex speciallärare/blivande speciallärare i grundsärskolans senare del beskriver sin undervisning utifrån ett hälsoperspektiv där det fysiska perspektivet är centraltSyftet med studien är att ge ett kunskapsbidrag genom att öka medvetenheten kring hur speciallärarna ser på möjligheterna till daglig fysisk aktivitet inom ramen för hela skoldagen. Vidare grundar sig studien på litteratur, nationell och internationell forskning samt teoretiska begrepp om KASAM. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i studien är KASAM, känsla av sammanhang, Antonovsky (2005). Som teoretisk utgångspunkt i analysen av resultatet har författarna till studien valt att använda ett salugent hälsoperspektiv. Studien byggdes upp utifrån litteraturstudier samt halvstrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer som metod då detta tillvägagångssätt ansågs vara mest2lämpat för att besvara studiens frågeställningar (Bryman, 2018). En av de mest grundläggande dragen i kvalitativ forskning är att uttrycka olika individers handlingar, erfarenheter, vanor och synsätt (Nilholm, 2016) detta var författarnas tanke med studien. Studien är empirisk och den bygger på sex individuella intervjuer med speciallärare/blivande speciallärare som arbetar och undervisar elever på grundsärskolans senare del.Studien visar att det är organisatoriska förutsättningar samt personalens inställning som styr elevernas möjligheter till fysisk aktivitet. Möjligheten till att påverka utifrån elevperspektiv är enligt pedagogerna styrt av lokal- och personaltillgång. Ingen av respondenterna lyfter elevernas önskemål som styrande i frågan om hinder och möjligheter till fysisk aktivitet. När elevperspektivet lyfts av respondenterna är det i beskrivningar kring vad eleverna gör på sina raster.Alla respondenterna upplever fysisk aktivitet som positivt.The authors of this study are two prospective special teachers, in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities.During the study period, the two authors of the study worked as a teacher in the later part of the compulsory school. pupils with learning disabilities. The authors have had a goal to introduce more physical activity in the form of break activities and a more active teaching throughout the whole school day for students with intellectual disabilities. The idea for the study arose after the authors followed the social debate about pupils' reduction of physical activity. There was a curiosity and interest in investigating how or if other special education teachers work to increase the students' physical activity and health in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities. Based on this interest, we wrote this study entitled: Teaching in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities from a health perspective.The purpose of this study is to elucidate how six specialist teachers / prospective special teachers in the latter part of the compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities describe their teaching from a health perspective where the physical perspective is central. The study highlights the physical activities within the framework of the entire school day.Furthermore, the study also has the purpose to provide a knowledge contribution by raising awareness of how special teachers view the opportunities for daily physical activity within the framework of the entire school day. Furthermore, the study is based on literature, national and international research and theoretical concepts of KASAM. The theoretical starting point of the study is KASAM, sense of Coherence, Antonovsky (2005). As a theoretical starting point in the analysis of the results, the authors of the study have chosen to use a salutogenesis health  perspective. The study was based on literature studies and semi-structured qualitative interviews as a method as this approach was considered most suitable for answering the study's questions (Bryman, 2018). One of the most basic features of qualitative research is to express the actions, experiences, habits and attitudes of different individuals (Nilholm, 2016) this was the authors' idea with the study. The study is empirical, and it is based on six individual interviews with specialist teachers / prospective special teachers who work and teach students in the latter part of the compulsory school for pupils with severe learning disabilities.The study shows that it is organizational conditions and the attitude of the staff that controls the student’s opportunities for physical activity. According to the educators, the opportunity to influence from a student perspective is governed by local and staff access. None of the respondents highlighted the students' wishes as a guide on the issue of obstacles and opportunities for physical activity. When the student perspective is raised by the respondents, it is in descriptions of what the students do on their breaks.All respondents perceive physical activity as positive