Falling short or rising above the fray? Rising powers and security force assistance to Africa

Despite an increase in rising powers providing security force assistance (SFA) to Africa, the expertise and the capabilities made available by these countries remain insufficiently explored. What different solutions, if any, are brought forward? And how does their overall record fare against previous experiences across the continent? By exploring Brazilian and Chinese efforts in Namibia as well as Chinese and Indian overtures towards Mozambique, I argue that rising powers tend to be more invested in a long-term socializing agenda than in immediate capacitation results. This, in turn, justifies their inroads in sectorial niches, as gateways for durable outcomes over time.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

In and out and out again: The travails of Brazil as a security provider in Africa

The story of Brazil as a contemporary security actor in Africa can prove a peculiar one. Marked by quick gains and an equally quick recognition over a short period of time, it has also been followed by an equally quick turnaround which has led, as of 2020, to a visible disengagement on the ground. We explore the main travails in this domain, which have compromised much of the gains previously obtained throughout the continent. The chapter begins with a general balance of the progress achieved between 2003 and 2016, followed by the highlights of the recent downturn. We then analyze a specific sub-area, namely, the inroads carried out at the defence industry level, in order to showcase the promises and contradictions often associated to what the country has offered across the Atlantic. We conclude by presenting some opportunities for a new pickup of Brazilian interest in the middle and long run

Severity, salience, and selectivity: understanding the varying responses to regional crises by Brazil and South Africa

Political, military and humanitarian crises endanger regional order. But even though regional powers are expected to act as stabilizers in these cases, their responses to dire demands vary in intensity and loci. Reactions go from zealous engagement to prolonged indifference and reluctance, often leaning on global multilateral institutions as well as regional or ad hoc mechanisms. This study explores the variation in the provision of stability by regional powers via a mixed-methods approach. By contrasting the intensity of regional crises with issue salience at the UN General Assembly, we select crises that drew varying attention from regional powers, despite similar severity. Focusing on Brazil and South Africa as potential regional stabilizers, we compare responses to regional crises that displayed high (Haiti and Somalia) and low (Colombia and Congo-Brazzaville) salience. We find that domestic support, concerns with status and potential competition with other stabilizers tend to play a large part in calibrating regional power responses.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Go global or go home: comparing the regional vs. global engagement of Brazil and South Africa at the UN General Assembly

Brazil and South Africa have long been regarded as archetypical regional powers, commanding more resources than their neighbours, spearheading regional projects and pursuing high-profile global status. Yet, recent years have also evidenced how the engagement with their regions and acceptance as leading players is often ambiguous and incomplete. How does one ascertain that a regional power privileges either the regional or the global stage? Through an original dataset of Brazilian and South African output at the UN General Assembly between 1994 and 2013, we monitor sponsorship patterns and thematic preferences in order to verify whether these countries indulged their regional partners and topics. Our findings suggest that Brazil and South Africa favoured their immediate neighbourhoods but have gradually engaged their regions in different ways: while Brazilian emphasis on regional peers and themes declined over the years, South Africa developed an increasingly more regionalised UNGA agenda.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

South–South cohesiveness versus South–South rhetoric: Brazil and Africa at the UN General Assembly

South–South relations have regained widespread interest in recent years, together with increasingly visible stances on international stages. Brazil’s interactions with the African continent, in particular, came to epitomise such a perception while sustaining an expectation of mutual alignment in several global issues. However, these assumptions still lack empirical corroboration. Drawing on United Nations General Assembly voting data for the 1991–2013 timeframe, this article questions a supposed South–South solidarity at the multilateral institution with the largest global representation and identifies key thematic axes that incite greater collective stances. The analysis further sheds light on whether or not a common South–South agenda has emerged over time.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The effect of school´s ethnic composition on Mathematics results of students with immigrant origin in primary school

Scientific interest in the impact of the school composition effect on student performance has been reflected in the literature for several decades (since Coleman, 1966) and has recently intensified. In Portugal, sociological research in this field has been scarce, in particular research based on extensive methodologies. Taking 1st Cycle students and their Mathematics results as reference, the present study sought to contribute to this field. The objective was to identify the main effect and the moderating effect of school composition (socioeconomic and ethnic) on students' results, controlling the effect of individual and school variables, whose effects on school outcomes are already known, such as socioeconomic status (SES), gender, school trajectory, and school size. We particularly sought to understand whether school composition affects the students’ results, and whether the effects vary with students’ national origins. The research was supported by an extensive database containing information on 23,143 students at 522 public schools in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. A multilevel analysis was developed, considering student and school levels. The dependent variable was the Mathematics results of fourth-grade students in the 2015 National Attainment Test. We concluded that the effect of school’s social composition is more important to student performance than that of school’s ethnic composition and also that the students from PALOPs (Portuguese-speaking African Countries) benefit more than any others when they attend schools with a higher average SES.info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

Understanding the impact of school´s ethnic composition on Mathematics results of students with immigrant origin in primary school

Scientific interest concerning the impact of school’s compositional effect on student performance has intensified throughout the current century, as the subject has been vastly explored by researchers in various national contexts (Agirdag, Van Houtte & Van Avermaet, 2012; Jensen & Rasmussen, 2011; Van der Slik, Driessen & De Bot, 2006; Schnepf, 2007; Goldsmith, 2003, Lleras, 2008). These effects have usually been studied taking student outcomes as measured by standardised tests on different school subjects and levels of education. In Portugal we conducted a research using an extensive database (16 269 students and 417 schools) with the results of fourth grade students on Portuguese Language national standardised tests in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (2009-10). We intent to reveal what are the main factors behind students results in public schools giving special attention to the effect of ethnicity, considered both at the student level (its national origin) and at the school level (the schools ethnic composition). A multilevel analysis was developed involving both individual level variables and school level variables to answer the following research questions: Does the schools’ ethnic composition effect on Portuguese Language scores stand when students’ gender, social and ethnic origins are taken into account? Does this effect stand when the schools’ social composition is taken into account? How does the schools’ ethnic composition moderate the relation between having/not having an immigrant background and students’ Portuguese Language scores, when the socio-economic status (SES) of both students and schools is controlled?info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Conclusão

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Desafios e oportunidades do multilateralismo no Atlântico Sul

Por entre a narrativa crescente de uma crise do multilateralismo internacional, instrumentos e arcabouços coletivos são cada vez mais questionados em toda a linha. Como pensar tais desenvolvimentos em termos do Atlântico e como compreender este espaço do ponto de vista multilateral mais a sul? Este artigo argumenta que existem especificidades próprias, que ajudam a melhor compreender a evolução da oferta institucional nos últimos anos. Com um enfoque nos desafios e oportunidades associados a dinâmicas informais de cooperação entre as duas margens, são analisados mecanismos de governação para o Atlântico Sul com pressupostos, alcances e resultados distintos. Conclui-se pela necessidade de atender quer à multiplicidade existente da oferta multilateral quer à irregularidade operacional recorrente, por forma a conseguir-se caracterizar devidamente este espaço regional.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Um produto de tempos passados? Portugal e África no domínio político-diplomático

Qualquer tentativa de abordar as relações político-diplomáticas entre Portugal e África esbarra numa carga histórica ainda bastante presente. O desafio revela-se particularmente assinalável atendendo à natureza duma relação tão complexa quão prolífica em anúncios, visitas e retórica. Mas por entre este contexto multifacetado, que intervenientes ditaram de facto o curso dos desenvolvimentos? Que temáticas dominaram a agenda? E que resultados foram efetivamente alcançados nos últimos anos? Este capítulo visa explorar a política externa portuguesa para a África Subsariana no pós-1975, recorrendo a três vetores de análise: lusófono, extra-lusófono e europeu. O enfoque incide tanto em avanços como em retrocessos, por forma a mapear as principais interações e preencher assim uma lacuna no estudo das relações externas de Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio