State-making in Somalia #LDNsomalia

In the aftermath of the London Somalia summit, LSE’s Katy Long says that effort must be made to understand the Somali state before trying to “fix” it

Kenya, Jubaland and Somalia’s refugees: no quick fixes

Dr Katy Long is a lecturer in LSE’s Department of International Development. As Kenyan troops march into Somalia on the pretext of countering recent border raids, Dr Long says that the real reason for the military incursion is the culmination of a long-incubated and self-interested political strategy

Regional citizenship could be the solution for refugee crises in East Africa

LSE’s Katy Long argues that the West African model which allows refugees to become migrants is one way to end protracted refugees situations

African perspectives on migration

Migration may be timeless, but it is also emerging as the debate of our time. Over the next three weeks, the Africa at LSE will present alternative perspectives on migration – those from the African continent. In the introductory article of the series, Katy Long explores the dynamics of African migration

Outsourcing refugees to Kenya – why Tory MP Julian Brazer is wrong

UK Conservative MP, Julian Brazier recommends outsourcing immigrants to Kenya as one way of reducing asylum seekers in Britain, but LSE’s Katy Long argues that this approach demonstrates a lack of understanding of Kenyan politics and the plight of Somali refugees in the East African country

Humanitarian development?

Where does conflict end and development begin? Who’s responsible for “early recovery” in the messy continuum between crisis and stability, the “relief-development gap”? These are not new questions: the international community’s been arguing over the answers for at least the past fifty years. But they are pressing ones. Not only for those of us whose work defies easy categorisation along the humanitarian–development axis, but more importantly for the millions whose lives are shaped by protracted emergency

Drivers of Migration

The paper explores the relationship between determinants of migration which are often deeply embedded inthe economic, social, political, cultural and environmental context, and more immediate factors. It suggests that it may be useful to distinguish between predisposing, proximate, precipitating and mediating factors.DFI

Restraint, disinhibition and food-related processing bias

This study examined associations between restraint, disinhibition and food-related processing bias (FPB, assessed by the emotional Stroop task) in males and females in the UK, Greece and Iran. Results showed high restraint was associated with higher FPB. However, high restrained current dieters showed lower FPB that high restrained non-dieters. There was no significant difference in FPB for those showing high versus low disinhibition. Results are discussed in relation to theories of incentive salience and current concerns

Practitioner compression force variation in mammography : a 6 year study

The application of breast compression in mammography may be more heavily influenced by the practitioner rather than the client. This could affect image quality and will affect client experience. This study builds on previous research to establish if mammography practitioners vary in the compression force they apply over a six year period. This longitudinal study assessed 3 consecutive analogue screens of 500 clients within one screening centre in the UK. Recorded data included: practitioner code, applied pressure (daN), breast thickness (mm), BI-RADS® density category and breast dose. Exclusion criteria included: previous breast surgery, previous/ongoing assessment, breast implants. 344 met inclusion criteria. Data analysis: assessed variation of compression force (daN) and breast thickness (mm) over 3 sequential screens to determine whether compression force and breast thickness were affected by practitioner variations. Compression force over the 3 screens varied significantly; variation was highly dependent upon the practitioner who performed the mammogram. Significant thickness and compression force differences over the 3 screens were noted for the same client (<0.0001). The amount of compression force applied was highly dependent upon the practitioner. Practitioners fell into one of three practitioner compression groups by their compression force mean values; high (mean 12.6daN), intermediate (mean 8.9daN) and low (mean 6.7daN). For the same client, when the same practitioner performed the 3 screens, maximum compression force variations were low and not significantly different (p>0.31). When practitioners from different compression force groups performed 3 screens, maximum compression force variations were higher and significantly different (p<0.0001). The amount of compression force used is highly dependent upon practitioner rather than client. This has implications for radiation dose, patient experience and image quality consistency