Household shocks and child labor in rural Malawi

This paper investigates the impact of household shocks on the incidence and intensity of child labor in rural Malawi. Intensity is measured as the reported number of sessions that a child was working. Probit and zero-inflated negative binomial estimates fail to provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that child labor increases in response to the occurrence of shocks.

The Security and Human Rights Dilemma: An Inquiry into U.S.-Ethiopia Diplomatic Relations 1991-2012

In the post-1991 U.S.-Ethiopian diplomacy, the use of foreign policy as a framework to advance the cause of human rights has faced several challenges rooted in the way human rights is defined and the intricate interests vested in the U.S. foreign policy establishment. This article elucidates the limitations and challenges of diplomatic machinery as a framework for advancing the cause of human rights. First, human rights in the U.S. foreign policy machine have been given a marginal or subordinate place in diplomatic priorities. Second, the Government of Ethiopia’s (GOE) resistance and tough diplomatic measures and Ethiopia’s strategic importance to the U.S. have alienated or narrowed the space for active human rights diplomacy in Ethiopia, making it a highly politicized undertaking rife with claims and counterclaims of sovereignty, national interest, power politics, and manipulation. However, effective advancement of human rights using the foreign policy framework is limited not only to the choice of U.S. foreign policy makers/diplomats, but also equally important is the domestic political context. Finally, this article will show how GOE has evaded active human rights diplomacy, but done so in a way that serves the overall U.S. strategic foreign policy

The Raw Material of Beauty: A Qualitative Study of Actors\u27 Perceptions of Creativity and Mental Health

The following qualitative study aims to further the literature\u27s understanding of actors\u27 attitudes regarding the connection between mental health and creativity. Generally, there has been a one-way relationship between the field of psychology and acting, in that actors have utilized the field of psychology to inform character development, while scare psychological research has been completed with actors as a sample. For this study, 12 professional New York-based actors, ages 22-56, participated in individual interviews with the principal investigator via on-line video conferencing. Interviews were conducted in order to: (a) better understand actors\u27 beliefs about the relationship between creativity and mental health, (b) explore the ways in which mental health is discussed in the acting community, and (c) better understand actors\u27 attitudes towards the effects of psychotherapy on the creative process. Using the qualitative research methods of Auerbach and Silverstein (2003), the interviews were transcribed and analyzed in order to extrapolate themes and theoretical constructs, and to create a narrative. Based on the analysis, the actors\u27 narratives were notable for their paradoxes, which included their contradictory beliefs regarding the impact of acting on mental health, the relationship between mental suffering and creativity, and the value of psychotherapy. The study\u27s discussion contextualizes the data using role theory (Landy, 2009)

“Is the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front Rule Sustainable in Ethiopia?” A Critical Reflection

In this paper, the author attempts to answer the question: ‘Is the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front Rule Sustainable in Ethiopia?’ It is widely believed that the rise of Ethiopia has presented one of the most important challenges facing all major powers in the African continent and elsewhere this century. As the only ruling party, the sustainability of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front Party (EPRDF) can thus be legitimately questioned. Among many uncertainties about Ethiopia, the key is undoubtedly the EPRDF. Once deemed the vanguard of the Ethiopian state, the EPRDF’s failing ideological appeal, its equally unattractive and clumsy structure, and its disillusioned party cadres are now increasingly making the Party’s sustainability problematic. Moreover, the rapid globalization process has been and is generating an increasingly high pressure for the EPRDF leadership. So, therefore, to sustain its rule, the EPRDF now needs to review its continued relevance to the fast changing economic, social and political climate in Ethiopia and outside. Party reform appears to be the most logical and urgent choice, yet, there seems to be no clear direction given for the party’s structural transformation at the moment. Although there is a fast growing body of literature on Ethiopia’s development and its future, the issue of the EPRDF has been marginalized in the scholarly community. More often than not, when scholars attempt to examine the development and future of Ethiopia, they tend to focus on factors other than the EPRDF itself, even though they realize its importance. Most arguments have centered on Ethiopia’s economic development and the impact of that on other aspects of development, including the EPRDF. In recent years, though, there have been some efforts to bring the EPRDF back into the analysis. Nevertheless, it still remains understudied. In an attempt to answer the question of whether the EPRDF rule is sustainable, this paper then focuses on the party itself. It first discusses the nature of the EPRDF, and then examines how the EPRDF has transformed itself. It also places the EPRDF in the context of global capitalism. Finally, the paper assesses the sustainability of the EPRDF from all of these perspectives. Keywords: EPRDF, sustainable rule, personalization, democratic centralism, institutionalization, economism, professionalism, globalization

The role and impact of investment incentives on small and medium sized enterprise development in Ethiopia

In 1950 Ethiopia became an African pioneer by introducing an industrial modernisation policy to attract foreign capital and technology transfer. It took further pioneering steps in the early 1960s by using its investment incentives scheme to support indigenisation of industry and SMEs. However, during the 1970s and 1980s while many countries were learning fast from the experiences of others, these early initiatives were suppressed in Ethiopia, and only reintroduced in the early 1990s with a narrow approach to enterprise start up, and few lessons learnt. This thesis examines the role and impact of incentives, constituting exemptions from paying duties on imported capital goods and income taxes, on the choices of industry, location and size of enterprises in Ethiopia. It uses theories predicating the reasons for entrepreneurial motivations to start enterprises, and draws on statistics from 4246 projects licensed for investment incentives over 1992-98, as well as new evidence generated from a follow up in-depth investigation of six SMEs. The thesis concludes that the influence of investment incentives on the industry, location and size of SMEs start ups is limited. Antecedent factors like entrepreneurial experience, level of training and financial resources, alongside market and infrastructure were the triggers and determinants of SMEs start ups. However, the study found that sometimes the value of the licence for investment incentives was superior to the holder when used, not as tax breaks as intended, but as a moderator of access to state controlled resources like enterprise sites. Projects that received licences looked viable for bank credit, and the authorities provided some projects with preferential (and subsidised) access to resources. The study suggests that enterprise support initiatives should focus on key driving forces of enterprise development, such as entrepreneurs' technical and managerial skills, better access to land, infrastructure and streamlined procedures for business legalisation

Suggested Local Diagnostic Reference Levels for Possible Pediatric X-Ray Optimization in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Early childhood radiation exposure carries an enhanced radiation risk of about two to three times as high as in adults. The objective of this study was to determine local diagnostic reference levels for the most frequent pediatric x-ray examinations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 18 public and private hospitals/clinics in Addis Ababa. A total of 864 pediatric patients, undergoing eight types of routine x-ray examinations with 13 projections were evaluated from December 18/2017 to March 17 /2018. All pediatrics were categorized under four age groups. Anthropometric and radiographic parameters of each patient were recorded .The minimum, maximum, mean and third quartile values of entrance surface dose were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Finally, the suggested local diagnostic reference levels were compared with national and international reference dose values. RESULTS: Of the 864 pediatric patients, chest (AP/PA), lower and upper extremity (AP/PA) accounted for 501(58%), 110 (13%) and 103 (12%) respectively, accounting to 714(83%) of the total pediatric x-ray examinations. The suggested local diagnostic reference levels  of  chest X-ray (AP/PA) examinations in mGy were: (0.09,0.13,0.17,0.17) for age group (0-<1,1-<5 ,5-<10, and 10-<15), respectively. Similarly, for same  age group (0-<1,1-<5 ,5-<10, and 10-<15)  the  suggested local diagnostic reference levels  of  lower and upper extremities  in mGy were:  (0.06,0.08,0.09,0.09) and (0.04,0.05,0.05,0.06), respectively.  CONCLUSION: The suggested local diagnostic reference levels   were slightly higher than the national and international guidance levels, indicating the need for establishment of diagnostic reference levels in the country