Unofficial Trade When States are Weak: The Case of Cross-Border Commerce in the Horn of Africa

cattle, livestock, Somalia, markets

The sex factor : media representations of women and men in Australia

Guest edited and with an introduction by Janine Little, this collection of five scholarly articles deals with the Australian media\u27s representation of women in coverage of some of the most controversial issues in contemporary society. The authors are from the disciplines of sociology, journalism and literary studies, with four from Deakin University and one from Flinders University, Adelaide. This enables the monograph to consider a range of phenomena arising from the way that Australia situates women and men as media subject

Shocks, Sensitivity and Resilience: Tracking the Economic Impacts of Environmental Disaster on Assets in Ethiopia and Honduras

Droughts, hurricanes and other environmental shocks punctuate the lives of poor and vulnerable populations in many parts of the world. The direct impacts can be horrific, but what are the longer-term effects of such shocks on households and their livelihoods? Under what circumstances, and for what types of households, will shocks push households into poverty traps from which recovery is not possible? In an effort to answer these questions, this paper analyzes the asset dynamics of Ethiopian and Honduran households in the wake of severe environmental shocks. While the patterns are different across countries, both reveal worlds in which the poorest households struggle most with shocks, adopting coping strategies which are costly in terms of both short term and long term well-being. There is some evidence that shocks threaten long term poverty traps and that they tend to militate against any tendency of the poor to catch up with wealthier households. Policy implications are discussed in terms of access to markets and the design of government safety net programs.Ethiopia; Honduras; Shocks; Drought; Hurricanes; Assets; Poverty traps; Asset smoothing; Social capital

Unofficial trade when states are weak: the case of cross-border commerce in the Horn of Africa

This paper addresses informal cross-border trade in the Horn of Africa, with an emphasis on the Somalia borderlands. It will be shown that despite the collapse of a government in 1991, Somalia’s unofficial exports of cattle to Kenya have grown considerably during the past 13 years.Qoraalkani wuxuu ka hadlayaa ganacsiga ka gudbo xuduudaha Geeska Afrika. Gaar ahaan markii uu dhacay taliskii militeriga waxaa aad u sii kordhay xoolixii soomaaliyeed ee loo suuq geynaayay Kenya.Questo documento è dedicato al commercio transnazionale informale nel Corno D'Africa, con particolare attenzione ai confini della Somalia. Si dimostra che nonostante la caduta del governo nel 1991, le esportazioni di bestiame non ufficiali somale in Kenya sono aumentate considerevolmente durante gli ultimi 13 anni

The effects of increased crop production on livestock investments in a semi-arid area: some examples from Baringo district, Kenya

The paper addresses the major premise of the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) program in Kenya which states that increased crop production in the semi-arid areas will lead to a reduction in livestock numbers since dependence on livestock for subsistence needs will be reduced. Theoretical support for this position derives from a "school of thought" in pastoral studies which posits that indigenous livestock production systems in Eastern Africa are maintained mainly for the purpose of supplying a steady source of food (i.e., pastoral products) for the pastoral population. Evidence from Njemps Location, Baringo District suggests that while increased crop production has substituted grain for pastoral products in the diet, it has not undermined the role of livestock as a form of investment. It is further argued that a focus on "statistical" averages in livestock holdings, rather than the range and variation in property ownership, informs development planners little about which group or groups of livestock owners will respond to increased opportunities for agriculture. Capital and labour requirements for irrigated agriculture in Njemps are such that the wealthier livestock owners are the individuals which are most capable of taking advantage of crop production opportunities. The dilemma in Njemps Location arises due to the fact that groups of livestock owners are responding to irrigated agriculture for different reasons: the rich pastoralists are investing in agriculture as a mechanism for supporting their livestock holdings, while the poorer families are being forced into agriculture out of necessity to meet subsistence needs and these latter households have only a minimal impact on the livestock sector. Because of this second group of households it is argued that crop production, especially low cost methods of dry land farming, should be encouraged in Njemps Location, but should not be perceived as a mechanism for supporting range management programs

On the Micropolitics and Edges of Survival in a Technocapital Sacrifice Zone

This article explores the industrial sacrifice zone of Endicott, New York, which in 1924 became the birthplace of International Business Machines Corporation and quickly established itself as an industrial launching pad for the production and innovation of modern computing technologies. Drawing on ethnographic research and taking a micropolitical ecology approach, I consider industrial decay and community corrosion key agents for understanding the sedimentary record of neoliberal “technocapitalism” [Suarez-Villa, Luis. 2009. Technocapitalism: A Critical Perspective on Technological Innovation and Corporatism. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press]. In particular, I explore here how the flip-side of local narratives of deindustrialization and economic sacrifice are other narratives of coping and navigating community decline. These local sacrifice zone narratives, I argue, expose key dimensions of surviving corporate neoliberal and technocapital sacrifice

The effects of low and high glycemic index meals on metabolism and performance during soccer-specific intermittent exercise

The glycemic index (GI) of a pre-exercise meal has been shown to affect substrate oxidation during exercise and may influence exercise performance. Previous research in this area has focused on continuous, moderate intensity exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of low and high glycemic index (GI) pre-exercise meals on metabolism and performance during soccer-specific intermittent exercise. Thirteen trained male soccer players (22.3 ± 3.3 yrs) participated in four experimental trials in a repeated crossover design. Isocaloric low GI-high protein (lentils), high GI-high protein (potato + egg whites), or high GI-low protein (potato) meals were consumed two hours before a 90-minute treadmill soccer match simulation. A fasted control condition was also employed. Blood and expired gas samples were collected before and during exercise to assess markers of carbohydrate and fat metabolism. The distance covered on five 1-minute sprints (separated by 2.5 minutes of recovery) performed during the last 15 minutes of the match was used to assess performance. Serum insulin concentration at the start of exercise was higher in the high GI-low protein condition compared to all other conditions (

Pastoralism and strategies: socio-economic change in the pastoral sector of Baringo district, Kenya

This paper outlines a proposed research plan for examining socio-economic change in the pastoral economy of the lowland region of Baringo Districta Kenya. Specially, it focuses on changes which are occurring because of (1) deterioration in the "terms of trade” with the agricultural sector (i.e., Tugen Hills) and (2) increasing demographic pressure. It is suggested that to understand socioeconomic change in a pastoral society a regional approach which includes neighboring agriculturalists must be adopted. This study should contribute to a better understanding of East African pastoralism through investigation of production strategies among pastoralists especially decisions concerning agricultural production and specialization in livestock in relation to both trade relations with agriculturalists and a changing land/people ratio. Moreover, by examining social organizational changes which are taking place because of transformations in the pastoral economy attention will be given to the manner in which the developmental cycle of the household economy interacts and sometimes constrains the pastoralist decision-maker's ability to pursue certain economic opportunities. It is hoped that the proposed research, with its focus on production alternatives to pastoralism will provide a valuable data base for the current Baringo Semi-Arid Area Development Project