A Network Approach to Baltic Rural Development: A Discussion of the Relational Assets as Local Factors for Development?

New ideas suggest that a distinctive feature for successful rural development includes a high degree of mobilization and organization of local actors and institutions. These relationships are referred to as an area's "relational assets" and are argued to be central local factors for rural development since they draw on social properties of networks made up of local institutions, economic agents and rural residents. This paper explores "relational assets" and their relevance and perspectives for the Baltic countryside. The paper is an initial discussion on whether networks and relational assets are meaningful notions in Baltic rural development work. What are the assets, how can they be assessed and what challenges does a post-socialist setting pose

Le lexique et ses implications: entre typologie, cognition et culture

Ce numéro de la revue Langages propose une approche typologique des langues qui se fonde sur le lexique et s'interroge sur les implications au niveau cognitif et culturel

Revisiting an empirically based analysis of household-level adaptation in high altitude villages in Nepal

Climate change may significantly impact the assets, activities and income of rural households throughout developing countries. Estimating possible future vulnerability is therefore essential to climate change impact assessments. This case study paper aims to assess household-level coping and adaptation possibilities in high altitude villages in Lower Mustang, Nepal. These are generally characterised as having limited economic resources, low levels of technology, low skill levels, poor infrastructure and weak institutions, and are thus likely to have low coping and adaptive capacity. Village-level background information was collected using qualitative techniques. This was followed by a structured household survey (2009), emphasizing household assets and income, and a separate survey focusing on households’ response to economic shocks. Livelihood strategies were identified using cluster analysis and adaptive responses to shocks (coping strategies) were modelled on the basis of the survey data. Existing regional and national-level climate studies and local data on temperature and precipitation were used to prepare scenarios of present and future agricultural harvest outcome distributions. A householdlevel simulation model was developed and the development with regard to households’ incomes, assets and allocation of time to various activities was simulated over a period of 50 years using Monte-Carlo simulation. Two main scenarios were examined and compared. Based on the simulations household-level coping capacities were analysed, and conditions that stimulate or constrain coping were identified. Possibilities for increasing coping capacity, especially for poorer and more vulnerable households pursuing livelihood strategies with a significant environmental resource use component, were discussed

Managing stormwater in South African neighbourhoods: When engineers and scientists need social science skills to get their jobs done

Stormwater harvesting via managed aquifer recharge in retrofitted infrastructure has been posited as a method for resource augmentation in Cape Town. However, the existing guidelines on stormwater retrofits are technically inclined, occidental, and generally misaligned with the realities and socio-economic contexts of developing nations like South Africa. Water and urban practitioners from developing nations cannot just 'copy and paste' existing guidelines as different socio-economic dimensions and colonial histories typically hinder 'traditional' approaches. This paper assesses how a transdisciplinary team navigated these realities in a case study of a retrofitted pond in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. A decolonial thinking framework was applied for reflection and thematic content analysis. The framework was used to unpack how the team encountered, addressed, and learned from the challenges during the retrofit process. The research team found that the retrofit process within a context of under-resourced South African communities can be viewed as developmental work with a strong emphasis on continuous community engagement. Thus, it is suggested that in the South African context, water practitioners should consider, at the fore, interaction with local communities, including awareness of racialised histories, to ensure projects are successfully implemented and completed. HIGHLIGHTS Multi-use in stormwater ponds in Southern context.; Community involvement in retrofit process.; Social science reflection among technical team.; Considerations of local context key to stormwater retrofit and multi-use success.; Engineers, water professionals and all those involved in water management and design can engage in ethical ecology that works to improve practice, and address past environmental injustices.