Honour killings: Islamic and human rights perspectives

The issue of honour killing has become very acute in the Muslim countries/Asia in general and has got the attention of media and human rights groups in Pakistan in particular. This comment traces the origin of the notion of honour killing using Pakistan as case study. It also looks at the causes and abuses of the honour killing tradition and explores the Islamic as well as the legal dimension of this endemic issue in Pakistan. In addition, the Islamic law and human rights law positions will be considered and compared, to see whether or not both are compatible. The issue whether the tradition of honour killing is grounded in religion or culture will be looked at as well, together with the question of whether it is Islamic law or public perceptions of honour and shame, which need change

Honour killings: Islamic and human rights perspectives

The issue of honour killing has become very acute in the Muslim countries/Asia in general and has got the attention of media and human rights groups in Pakistan in particular. This comment traces the origin of the notion of honour killing using Pakistan as case study. It also looks at the causes and abuses of the honour killing tradition and explores the Islamic as well as the legal dimension of this endemic issue in Pakistan. In addition, the Islamic law and human rights law positions will be considered and compared, to see whether or not both are compatible. The issue whether the tradition of honour killing is grounded in religion or culture will be looked at as well, together with the question of whether it is Islamic law or public perceptions of honour and shame, which need change

Islamic law

Abstract Islamic legal system is one of the major legal systems in the world. It is a time-tested system based on over centuries of evolution. But it does not mean that it is a perfect system. Like any other legal system, it has weaknesses, strengths, and contentious or difficult areas with plenty of room for further development

A Survey of Proprietorship, Continental Bureaucratic Empires, and the Culture of Power, in South Asian History

This historical survey examines the relationship between proprietorship, state structure, and cultures of power, over the broad expanse of South Asian History. In doing so the focus is kept upon the major Indian empires (Maurya, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal, British). The paper maintains that in continental bureaucratic empires that manifest arbitrary cultures of power the rulers perceive the state and the country as a personal estate. Consequently, the level of insecurity even within the elite, which can be dispossessed by the ruler, is remarkably high. Pervasive insecurity means that the incentives to work, save, and invest, are greatly diminished, and the creativity and enterprise that sustain qualitative improvement in the economic and technological base are by and large lacking. This pattern manifests itself more or less consistently until the British period when, for a number of reasons, private property, the rule of law, and other reforms are introduced. A new dynamic gains momentum an the basis for a modern economy are laid.Proprietorship, Culture of Power, Economic History

Intergenerational Wealth Mobility in Rural Bangladesh

Unique residential history data with retrospective information on parental assets are used to study household wealth mobility in 141 villages in rural Bangladesh. Regression estimates of father-son correlations and analyses of intergenerational transition matrices show substantial persistence in wealth even when we correct for measurement errors in parental wealth. We do not find wealth mobility to be higher between periods of a person's life than between generations. We find that the process of household division plays an important role: sons who splinter off from the father's household experience greater (albeit downward) mobility in wealth. Despite significant occupational mobility across generations, its contribution to wealth mobility, net of human capital attainment of individuals, appears insignificant. Low wealth mobility in our data is primarily explained by intergenerational persistence in educational attainment.intergenerational inequality, household wealth, occupational mobility, schooling mobility, transition matrix, Bangladesh

Returns to education in Bangladesh

This paper reports labour market returns to education in Bangladesh using data from recent nationwide household survey. Returns are estimated separately for rural and urban samples, males, females and private sector employees. Substantial heterogeneity in returns is observed; e.g. estimates are higher for urban (than rural sample) and female samples (compared to their male counterparts). Our ordinary least square estimates of returns to education are robust to control for types of schools attended by individuals and selection into wage work.Education, labor market participation, sample selection, Bangladesh

Poisoning the Mind: Arsenic Contamination of Drinking Water Wells and Children's Educational Achievement in Rural Bangladesh

Bangladesh has experienced the largest mass poisoning of a population in history owing to contamination of groundwater with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. Prolonged drinking of such water risks development of diseases and therefore has implications for children's cognitive and psychological development. This study examines the effect of arsenic contamination of tubewells, the primary source of drinking water at home, on the learning outcome of school-going children in rural Bangladesh using recent nationally representative data on secondary school children. We unambiguously find a negative and statistically significant correlation between mathematics scores and arsenic-contaminated drinking tubewells at home, net of the child's socio-economic status, parental background and school specific unobserved correlates of learning. Similar correlations are found for an alternative measure of student achievement and subjective well-being (i.e. self-reported measure of life satisfaction), of the student. We conclude by discussing the policy implication of our findings in the context of the current debate over the adverse effect of arsenic poisoning on children.subjective well-being, Madrasa, drinking water pollution, Bangladesh

Vodafone: the relationship between brand image and online marketing strategies

The competition in global marketplaces is progressively increasing due to a large number of local players that form the telecom industry. For this reason, it is essential for companies to establish a strong brand image to maintain its position in the market. Vodafone has been one of the fastest growing companies in the world. Nevertheless, it still holds the number two position in the telecom European market and the sixth, in the international sphere. This aspect encourages us to dig into which factors need to be considered to reach the zenith. We have focused on the international online marketing strategies that are used by telecommunication companies to establish and enhance brand image in the global market. With the example of Vodafone, the research concentrates on the intricacies of the relationship between brand image and online marketing strategies in order to enhance brand image internationally, in the context of the global telecom sector. For this purpose, two detailed online surveys were conducted to gather opinion about the effects of online marketing strategies on brand image. It also aims to find the gaps in the online strategies and improve them in order to boost up the brand image of Vodafone