Growth, Poverty and Inequality in Mozambique

Mozambique has experienced more than a decade of sustained economic growth based on two sectors, agriculture and industry. Absolute poverty has fallen rapidly. The main factor in the reduction of poverty since the mid 1990s has been increased production in agriculture, the main source by far of livelihoods in the country. However, this growth represents only a ?bounce-back? to pre-war levels of agricultural production, without any substantial improvement in productivity, which remains very low even when compared regionally. Growth in industrial production has been the main driving force behind Mozambique?s rapidly growing exports. Based on a few mega-projects, this growth has, however, created few jobs while its contribution to public revenue has been marginal when compared to its value of production. Due to the enclave character of such projects, the spillover effect in terms of technology transfer or skills development has been minimal. External aid provides a major part of all foreign exchange available to Mozambique, and it has thus far had a positive effect on growth without major negative impact on the real exchange rate. Aid must be allocated now to crucial services for creating globally competitive agricultural production capacity, including rural infrastructure, in order to promote sustainable livelihoods and enhance labour productivity.Growth; Poverty; Inequality; Mozambique

The importance of financial recession for mental health among students: short- and long-term analyses from an ecosocial perspective

Background and aim: Referring to the ecosocial theory and utilising the ‘natural experiment’ setting provided by the global recession at the beginning of 1990s, the aim of our study was to analyse the short- and long-term associations between trade and mental health in young students followed until mid-adulthood. Method: The study was based on two prospective cohort studies, the older and the younger Northern Swedish Cohort which both consisted of all pupils in a middle-sized industrial town in Northern Sweden. At age 21, the younger cohort entered the labour market during the deep recession of the early 1990s, while the older cohort entered the labour market during the boom of the 1980s. Both cohorts were followed up with a high response rate in mid adulthood. For this study, all students were selected at age 21. Results: At age 21, those who studied during recession had more depressive and functional somatic symptoms than those who studied during boom. The cohort differences did not remain over age: by the follow-up in early middle age the differences between the cohorts were non-significant, most notably due to decreased depressive symptoms in the younger cohort and increase of functional somatic symptoms in the older cohort. Conclusions: The short-term mental health consequences of the business cycle seem to be more extensive than limited only to those who are unemployed, even though the possible long-term consequences seem to be more complex. Thus, the macrolevel had a great short-term impact on the individual level in relation to the microlevel setting of university/school. The chronosystem was also of major importance. Future research would benefit from taking the context into account

Pacted Transition to Democracy: The Case of Mozambique

The findings of “third wave” studies on democratic transitions in Southern Europe and Latin America from the 1970s suggested that a democratic outcome is most likely when contending parties are relatively equal and elites make a pact to navigate the transition process. However, later studies of post-communist transitions do not support this inference. This paper analyses the transition process in Mozambique, a former “Afro-communist” regime, during the early 1990s. The findings show that – contrary to the conclusions drawn from the “third wave” studies – in Mozambique the pact concluded in the context of the peace accord of 1992, which ended a sixteenyear civil war, had contradictory results in terms of democratisation. While the political situation has been relatively stable until recent years, the country has moved toward competitive authoritarian rule instead of full democracy. The main explanatory factor for this trend appears to be the cohesion of the ruling party, which in the case of Mozambique derives from its origins in armed liberation struggle. Renewed incidents of political violence over the last few years also cast doubt on the durability of political stability

Mediated Immediacy During Virtual Dinners Between Strangers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual communication channels have been used to ensure physical distance between people. However, moving everyday social interactions into virtual platforms also affects the communication of relational distance – that is, immediacy – between people. The study goal is to understand the content, functions, and situational meanings of immediacy at virtual dinners between strangers. We observed, recorded, and analyzed four virtual dinners and interviewed all participants afterward. The participants lived in Finland at the time of the study. The results revealed that in addition to self-presentational and other-oriented communication, the participants engaged in communication that aimed at creating common ground for interaction. Based on the results, it can be concluded that mediated immediacy is communication that, in addition to being relational (distance between interlocutors), is also situational (finding common ground)

Rajankäyntiä museoissa

Re-Visiting the Contact Zone: Museums, Theory, Practice Lindköpingissä, Ruotsissa 17.-21.7.2011. Dissolving boundaries. Museological approaches to national, social and cultural issues Bad Staffelsteinissa Saksassa 2.-5.10.2011