Finding the Middle Ground: Land Tenure Reform and Customary Claims Negotiability in Rural Ghana

Land (property) rights have returned to the development agenda of national governments and international organizations globally. Central to the debates are issues concerning the interaction between customary and state legal systems. With an example from rural Ghana, this thesis looks at the interaction between customary and state-led legal processes of tenure arrangements and its implications for land investments and general welfare of farmers. Critical to this study is the social legitimacy and equity of land access negotiations and tenure arrangements. It shows that contrary to neo-classical propositions on formalization of local land tenure practices, state-led processes of land tenure reform are not always equitable and inclusive; they have sometimes rendered some rural poor people destitute by denying them access to and control of land. This implies that security of tenure and access to land are not limited to either state-led legislation or customary practices only but that each one can be complemented by the other. This study argues that sustainable and successful land tenure reform will require a ‘marriage’ between customary and state arrangements of land tenure. It suggests that such reforms should be built on local existing structures such that the new system can be accorded a certain level of legitimacy, enough to reflect the interest and gain acceptance of the local people. ..

VILMA (virtually interactive large scale model for Arkansas)

This user’s guide supports the use of VILMA (Virtually Interactive Large-scale Model for Arkansas). This document presents the basic concepts in Chapter I. Chapter II discusses the execution steps that the user follows during a VILMA session. Chapter III provides a detailed illustration of example data files. Chapter IV presents two example VILMA sessions. Finally, Chapter V elaborates on additional concepts. The Appendices consist of relevant program listings, instructions, and example files. In this user’s guide, the word interactive means the user enters his responses to the prompts that appear on a computer terminal while he is logged on to his CMS (Conversational Monitor System) account

Computational aspects of chance‑constrained regional modeling

A methodology that incorporates the stochasticity of an aquifer parameter in a chance-constrained steady-state groundwater management model is presented. Results and computational aspects of the modeling effort are discussed

Unemployment Effects of Trade with a Low-Wage Country: A Minimum-Wage Model with Sector-Specific Factors

Contrary to conventional wisdom, this paper shows that a high-wage economy can paradoxically reduce its level of aggregate unemployment by engaging in international trade with a low-wage country. We demonstrate this possibility after introducing a minimum wage into the basic specific-factor model (with immobile capital and mobile labor), even though the opposite result is known to arise in the longer-run framework of the standard Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model (with both inputs mobile). Our result provides a cautionary note for public-policy discussions that promote trade barriers as a way to reduce unemployment

Extraction of the πNN\pi NN coupling constant from NN scattering data

We reexamine Chew's method for extracting the $\pi NN$ coupling constant from np differential cross section measurements. Values for this coupling are extracted below 350 MeV, in the potential model region, and up to 1 GeV. The analyses to 1~GeV have utilized 55 data sets. We compare these results to those obtained via $\chi^2$ mapping techniques. We find that these two methods give consistent results which are in agreement with previous Nijmegen determinations.Comment: 12 pages of text plus 2 figures. Revtex file and postscript figures available via anonymous FTP at ftp://clsaid.phys.vt.edu/pub/n

Hyponatraemia and hyperpigmentation in primary adrenal insufficiency

Hyponatraemia is a common electrolyte disturbance with multiple causes. We present a case of a 49-yearold Caucasian female with cholangiocarcinoma, who had a hyponatraemia which was initially assumed to be based on a syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion as paraneoplastic phenomenon. At physical examination, hyperpigmentation was seen and multiple episodes with syncope were reported. Subsequent endocrine assessment with a synthetic adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) stimulation test and measurement of ACTH levels revealed primary adrenal insufficiency also known as Morbus Addison. We started hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone replacement therapy, resulting in resolving of symptoms, hyponatraemia and hyperpigmentation

Maximizing reliable crop production in a dynamic stream/aquifer system

Reliable production of a dynamic stream/aquifer system is determined through an implicitly stochastic optimization model. Adequate representation of the inflow process and dynamic modeling of the stream/aquifer system results in optimum crop yield at specified reliability levels. Results include optimal spatial and temporal allocation of groundwater and diverted river water use. These can be used for planning cropping patterns and evaluating potential diversion systems

An updated analysis of NN elastic scattering data to 1.6 GeV

An energy-dependent and set of single-energy partial-wave analyses of $NN$ elastic scattering data have been completed. The fit to 1.6~GeV has been supplemented with a low-energy analysis to 400 MeV. Using the low-energy fit, we study the sensitivity of our analysis to the choice of $\pi NN$ coupling constant. We also comment on the possibility of fitting $np$ data alone. These results are compared with those found in the recent Nijmegen analyses. (Figures may be obtained from the authors upon request.)Comment: 17 pages of text, VPI-CAPS-7/

Overheidstoezicht door de Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg

Het rijksoverheidstoezicht door de Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg (IGZ) zoals we dat nu kennen heeft zijn wortels in de eerste helft van de negentiende eeuw. In deze bijdrage gaat het over het verleden en de toekomst van het overheidstoezicht door de IGZ als een van de actoren binnen de complexe sturingsrelaties in de gezondheidszorg. De sectorschets is geschreven in opdracht van de Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid (WRR). Tijdens het schrijfproces heeft de WRR een expertbijeenkomst georganiseerd met de auteurs en deskundigen uit het toezicht, de zorg en de wetenschap. De tijdens deze bijeenkomst gemaakte opmerkingen zijn verwerkt in de tekst. De auteurs zijn verantwoordelijk voor de inhoud van de sectorschets