Standards, a catalyst for the winners - a barrier for the losers? An empirical analysis of the impact of higher SPS measures on the trade performance of developing countries

Within the debate about developing countries export competitiveness the increasing importance of food safety and quality standards especially in OECD countries appeals to be one of the major sources of concern. The paper analyses the trade performance of 73 developing countries within the context of stricter SPS measures. The analysis concentrates on the meat and fruit / vegetable sectors as especially high value product sectors are determined by standards. The periods under consideration are 1993- 1995, as a period before the implementation of the SPS Agreement and 2002- 2004, as a period after the implementation. A cluster analysis groups the countries according to the variables "ratio" and "difference" of the export value to OECD countries including the possibility to explore trade performance regarding to the absolute level of change and relative dynamics. Subsequently, interconnections with EU and US border rejections as well as with STDF (Standards and Trade Development Facility) investment are explored. For the results three major findings should be underlined: e) The group of developing countries shows as well in total as in relative terms a very heterogeneous picture of their export development and there is no linear relation between total export value and direction of development. ee) Ten groups were identified in the cluster analysis, like e.g. small winners, large winners, small losers, large losers. eee) Most large exporters increased their market share, but very successful groups were also found among small exporters, especially in the fruit / vegetable market. eeee) Both, border rejections as well as STDF investments did not reflect a particular structure related to market share development of individual countries.Food Safety, SPS, Developing Countries, Cluster Analysis, Competitiveness., International Relations/Trade,

Can the Future be predicted? Deliberations on a war we cannot afford

The war on Ukraine is a wake-up call. Not because not all wars are atrocities that steal lives and future. It is a wake-up call, because it so bluntly reveals the violent perpetuation of a dominance model that has held human evolution captive for 6000 years. The article looks at the underlying pattern that creates, keeps and recreates structures that give rise to mad men and psychopaths who then think appropriating a country (or a woman, or people, or natural resources, or else) is a legitimate act. It explores the still so widespread power narratives that we need to urgently overcome and suggests that investing into the pro-active building of a new power narrative is what needs to underscore all of our efforts towards sustainability transformations. It concludes that, for the paradigm shift to be successful, we must build—throughout the world—resilient partnership approaches anchored in a female reference system of care and consensus building

Leading Transformative Change Collectively

This book directly helps decision-makers and change agents in companies, NGOs, and government bodies become more proficient in transformative, collaborative change in realizing the SDGs. This practitioner’s handbook translates a systemic – and enlivening – approach to collaboration into day-to-day work and management. It connects the emerging practice of multi-stakeholder collaboration to easily understandable models, tools, and cases. Numerous, concrete cases not only bring this methodology to life, but also help identify the challenges and avoid common mistakes. The book can be used as a guide to apply a breakthrough approach for navigating the complexity of stakeholder systems, designing results-oriented process architectures, ensuring the success of cross-sector change initiatives, and enlivening collaboration ecosystems for SDG implementation. It is designed to enhance high quality stakeholder engagement, dialogue, and collaboration. A must-read, the book sets a new standard for the collaborative implementation of Agenda 2030 and is a foundational guide for leading sustainability transformations collectively to achieve climate change mitigation, social integration, equitable value chains, and broad sustainability challenges

Dementia-friendly communities: challenges and strategies for achieving stakeholder involvement.

Dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) are a UK policy initiative that aims to enable people with dementia to feel supported and included within their local community. Current approaches to DFC creation rely on stakeholder involvement, often requiring volunteer assistance. There is though a lack of evidence that examines the reality of achieving this. This paper critically assesses the challenges and strategies for achieving stakeholder involvement in DFCs. The evidence base is drawn from an inter-agency project funded by the National Health Service in the South of England where seven DFCs were developed by steering group partners and four part-time project workers (PWs). Data from the independent evaluation undertaken in the first year (2013-2014) of the project were analysed: 14 semi-structured interviews and a focus group examined PWs' experiences; while progress and key milestones are determined from monthly progress forms, good news stories, locality steering group minutes and press releases. Analysis was undertaken using a directed content analysis method, whereby data content for each locality was matched to the analytical framework that was drawn from Alzheimer's Society guidance. Challenges to achieving stakeholder involvement were identified as: establishing networks and including people representative of the local community; involving people affected by dementia; and gaining commitment from organisations. Strategies for achieving stakeholder involvement were recognised as: a sustainable approach; spreading the word; and sharing of ideas. By highlighting these challenges and the approaches that have been used within communities to overcome them, these findings form the foundation for the creation of DFC initiatives that will become embedded within communities. Stakeholder involvement is unpredictable and changeable; therefore, reliance on this approach questions the long-term sustainability of DFCs, and must be considered in future policies designed to enhance quality of life for people affected by dementia

What does security culture look like for small organizations?

The human component is a significant factor in information security, with a large numbers of breaches occurring due to unintentional user error. Technical solutions can only protect information so far and thus the human aspect of security has become a major focus for discussion. Therefore, it is important for organisations to create a security conscious culture. However, currently there is no established representation of security culture from which to assess how it can be manoeuvred to improve the overall information security of an organization. This is of particular importance for small organizations who lack the resources in information security and for whom the culture of the organization exerts a strong influence. A review of multiple definitions and descriptions of security culture was made to assess and analyse the drivers and influences that exist for security culture in small organizations. An initial representation of the factors that should drive security culture, together with those that should only influence it, was constructed. At a fundamental level these drivers are related to a formulated response to security issues rather than a reaction to it, and should reflect the responsibility allocated in a secure environment. In contrast, the influences on security culture can be grouped by communities of practice, individual awareness and organizational management. The encapsulation of potential driving and influencing factors couched in information security terms rather than behavioural science terms, will allow security researchers to investigate how a security culture can be fostered to improve information security in small organizations

Cheetah mothers' vigilance: looking out for prey or for predators?

Free-living cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ) cubs are killed by a number of predators, thus vigilance in cheetah mothers may be a form of anti-predator behaviour as well as a means of locating prey. Mothers' vigilance during the day was closely associated with measures of hunting but not with measures of anti-predator behaviour. In contrast, mothers' vigilance at kills was not related to hunting but was related to anti-predator behaviour. Both forms of vigilance decreased as cubs grew older. Vigilance during the day increased with litter size which supports a model of ‘shared’ parental investment (Lazarus and Inglis 1986) because after prey had been located and caught by mothers, cubs shared the prey between them. Vigilance at kills did not increase with litter size when cubs were young; in these situations predators stole cheetahs' prey and rarely chased cubs so, at most, only a single cub would be taken. Mothers' anti-predator behaviour away from kills did increase with litter size at young cub ages however; more cubs are killed in these circumstances the greater is the size of the litter. When cubs were older and could outrun predators, neither vigilance at kills nor anti-predator behaviour increased with litter size. These results strongly support two models of ‘unshared’ investment (Lazarus and Inglis 1986) and demonstrate, not only that superficially similar behaviour has different functions in different contexts, but that parental investment is shaped by the type of benefits accrued from it.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46879/1/265_2004_Article_BF00300681.pd