Resilience and learning: A case study of the department for international development’s governance and transparency fund

Resilience is often defined as the ability to withstand and recover from shocks, but it can also relate to the ability to renew, re-organise and develop. In the UK, the resilience concept has permeated the policy domain; in particular, the areas of civil contingency and international development have attempted to operationalise the concept. An example of this is the Department for International Development’s (DFID) Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF), initiated in 2008 as a one-off £130 million fund to promote resilience through good governance and learning. Its purpose was to help people make their voices heard in order to hold their governments to account. It aimed to achieve this by strengthening the wide range of groups that are able to empower and support citizens. Funding was allocated to 38 programmes around the world, linking 1000 local organisations in over 100 countries. Over and above the core purpose of enhancing capability, accountability and responsiveness in relation to national governance, the GTF had an inbuilt responsibility to ensure the resilience of its programmes, making sure that the experiences, lessons and learning of the 38 programmes were shared. It focused on change through participatory experimentation and learning-centred practices. As such, the GTF placed learning at its heart and promoted a notion of resilience based on experiential learning. This thesis undertakes a case study of resilience and learning within GTF, designed to investigate whether and how learning for resilience can occur within and between disparate organisations. The thesis considers inter- and intra-organisational learning in order to determine how lessons are captured, interpreted and shared and whether these lessons provide a basis for future resilience, taking the GTF as a case study. The literature review considers two scholarly fields of study. The first is related to resilience, which explores the fundamental importance of adaptation in interconnected environments, based on an emerging body of literature known as the ‘social ecological’ literature. This branch of enquiry describes the systemic study of interrelations across scales (which are understood as ‘natural’ levels of analysis where they can be defined spatially, geographically, ecologically, socially, or institutionally), referred to as ‘panarchy’. The second literature review relates to learning, more specifically to experiential learning theory (which considers learning processes as closely related to direct experience) and its impact on the design, implementation and evaluation of learning beyond the level of the individual. The aim of this review was to identify learning processes that are applicable at intra-organisational and inter-organisational level. This resulted in the identification of Winswold et al’s (2009) ‘cycle for adaptation’, which proposes ii Modes of Governance, which can be summarised as hierarchies, markets and networks, that shape learning processes. The literature also acknowledged that learning processes bear an evolutionary perspective. Lifecycle models are examined and their resonance with social ecological adaptive cycles is highlighted. The dynamics presented in lifecycle models are offered to map innovation and learning within the aid and development sector. Both sets of models were then employed as an analytical framework, which was used in the design of the case study to guide the gathering, organisation and analysis of evidence. GTF was designed to empower and support citizens by ‘demanding accountability from the bottom up’. The GTF placed learning at its heart and promoted a notion of resilience based on experiential learning. Thus, the case study of GTF appears pertinent as it provides evidence and adds to the intersection of both areas of literature. The case study of GTF comprised three main research methods: content analysis and ethnographical analysis, followed by a series of semi-structured interviews. The investigation of GTF learning was approached in a systemic way by exploring each level of analysis (macro, meso and micro) to determine whether a dominant mode of governance had emerged and influenced learning. The conclusion of this study comes in the form of an answer to the question at its core which was: how does learning for resilience occur within and between disparate organisations of the aid and development sector? In combining elements of resilience and learning literatures a conceptual framework to understand ‘learning for resilience’ emerged and definition was coined. The case study showed that in a complex and multi-layered system, such as that represented by the GTF, learning takes place in a variety of ways and is undertaken by various actors. Manifestations of all three Modes of Governance (hierarchies, markets and network) were identified. For example, the overwhelming use of logframes is indicative of hierarchical modes of governance; financial considerations (including Value for Money), which were used as key success indicators, are indicative of market forces at play; and the promotion of networks was explicitly endorsed by all stakeholders in the GTF. When mapping the research findings against the phases of a typical lifecycle, learning dynamics appear complex; yet, drivers for learning at sector level as well as organisational level can be better understood. A Lifecycle Learning Model is drawn up which outlines the interplay between levels and demonstrates how strategies or trends at a given level resonate in another and ultimately provide insights on learning for resilience in the aid and development sector

Resilience and deterrence: exploring correspondence between the concepts

Classic theories of deterrence do not envisage the concepts of resilience and deterrence as even remotely connected. However, these two notions may not be poles apart and may, in fact, offer complementary perspectives in envisioning options for dealing with the security challenges of the twenty-first century. This chapter explores the correspondence between the two concepts. Firstly, it discusses definitions and key tenets of these concepts in relation to security. Then, it goes on to review what differentiates and what links these concepts in terms of the risk approach each presents; this includes an examination of rationality in deterrence and resilience frameworks as well as looking at the growing acknowledgement that their evolution is influenced by systems thinking. The chapter then considers in what way deterrence theory and the emerging resilience theory display areas of complementary and mismatch. This is achieved by examining how, on the one hand, both approaches may be able to support one another and, on the other hand, how the significance of change and transformation in both frameworks can provide pointers to where future thinking might lead

Systemic experiential learning model for the evaluation of technological learning: the case of small satellite capability-building in Algeria

This article proposes a ‘systemic experiential learning model’ for the evaluation of technological learning. Technological learning is effective when combining learning by doing, by searching and by interacting. The proposed model is based on parallels drawn between the typology – learning by doing, by searching and by interacting – and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory through its cyclical combination of action and reflection. It argues that learners, whether they be individuals, groups, organizations or inter-organizations, are more effective when completing Kolb-like cycles. The proposed model is the combination of horizontal and vertical processes. Each learning level (individual, group, organization or inter-organization) is modelled, horizontally, according to a Kolb-like learning cycle. Vertical connections are made between the horizontal levels of aggregation by borrowing March’s concepts of exploration and exploitation. The model has been used for the evaluation of learning occurring in the Algerian small satellite capability-building programme. The implementation of the model revealed that learning is not systemic and therefore ineffective. Findings are reflective of the difficulty of striking the right balance between action (learning by doing) and reflection (learning by searching) and densifying interactions (learning by interacting) within and between learning levels

1200 High Quality Metagenome-Assembled Genomes from the Rumen of African Cattle and their relevance in the context of sub-optimal feeding

BACKGROUND: The Boran (Bos indicus), indigenous Zebu cattle breed from sub-Saharan Africa, is remarkably well adapted to harsh tropical environments. Due to financial constraints and low-quality forage, African livestock are rarely fed at 100% maintenance energy requirements (MER) and the effect of sub-optimal restricted feeding on the rumen microbiome of African Zebu cattle remains largely unexplored. We collected 24 rumen fluid samples from six Boran cattle fed at sub-optimal and optimal MER levels and characterised their rumen microbial composition by performing shotgun metagenomics and de novo assembly of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). These MAGs were used as reference database to investigate the effect of diet restriction on the composition and functional potential of the rumen microbiome of African cattle. RESULTS: We report 1200 newly discovered MAGs from the rumen of Boran cattle. A total of 850 were dereplicated, and their uniqueness confirmed with pairwise comparisons (based on Mash distances) between African MAGs and other publicly available genomes from the rumen. A genome-centric investigation into sub-optimal diets highlighted a statistically significant effect on rumen microbial abundance profiles and a previously unobserved relationship between whole microbiome shifts in functional potential and taxon-level associations in metabolic pathways. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to identify 1200 high-quality African rumen-specific MAGs and provides further insight into the rumen function in harsh environments with food scarcity. The genomic information from the rumen microbiome of an indigenous African cattle breed sheds light on the microbiome contribution to rumen functionality and constitutes a vital resource in addressing food security in developing countries

Two world views? How regular and reserve Royal Marines perceive each other

Effective integration of the Regular and Reserve Armed Forces is essential to operational effectiveness, but evidence suggests that this remains problematic. Past research has focused on the professional values of Regulars and the perceptions that this group holds about Reservists. In this study, we argue that it is necessary to consider the perceptions of both Regulars and Reservists to truly understand the barriers to integration between these elements of Defence. This study investigates what Regular and Reserve Royal Marines see as the important constructs related to each group, through the use of repertory grid technique with 18 Regulars and 16 Reservists. Not only did the Regulars and Reservists in this study see different constructs as important, they also ascribed different constructs to each group. These differences are potentially problematic when aiming to integrate the Regular and Reserve Armed Forces

Searching for a Stochastic Background of Gravitational Waves with LIGO

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has performed the fourth science run, S4, with significantly improved interferometer sensitivities with respect to previous runs. Using data acquired during this science run, we place a limit on the amplitude of a stochastic background of gravitational waves. For a frequency independent spectrum, the new limit is $\Omega_{\rm GW} < 6.5 \times 10^{-5}$. This is currently the most sensitive result in the frequency range 51-150 Hz, with a factor of 13 improvement over the previous LIGO result. We discuss complementarity of the new result with other constraints on a stochastic background of gravitational waves, and we investigate implications of the new result for different models of this background.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figure

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Continent-wide genomic analysis of the African buffalo (<i>Syncerus caffer</i>)

AbstractThe African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a wild bovid with a historical distribution across much of sub-Saharan Africa. Genomic analysis can provide insights into the evolutionary history of the species, and the key selective pressures shaping populations, including assessment of population level differentiation, population fragmentation, and population genetic structure. In this study we generated the highest qualityde novogenome assembly (2.65 Gb, scaffold N50 69.17 Mb) of African buffalo to date, and sequenced a further 195 genomes from across the species distribution. Principal component and admixture analyses provided surprisingly little support for the currently described four subspecies, but indicated three main lineages, in Western/Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, respectively. Estimating Effective Migration Surfaces analysis suggested that geographical barriers have played a significant role in shaping gene flow and the population structure. Estimated effective population sizes indicated a substantial drop occurring in all populations 5-10,000 years ago, coinciding with the increase in human populations. Finally, signatures of selection were enriched for key genes associated with the immune response, suggesting infectious disease exert a substantial selective pressure upon the African buffalo. These findings have important implications for understanding bovid evolution, buffalo conservation and population management

Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries

Analyses of the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017 reveal inequalities across countries as well as within populations. Educational attainment is an important social determinant of maternal, newborn, and child health(1-3). As a tool for promoting gender equity, it has gained increasing traction in popular media, international aid strategies, and global agenda-setting(4-6). The global health agenda is increasingly focused on evidence of precision public health, which illustrates the subnational distribution of disease and illness(7,8); however, an agenda focused on future equity must integrate comparable evidence on the distribution of social determinants of health(9-11). Here we expand on the available precision SDG evidence by estimating the subnational distribution of educational attainment, including the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling, across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017. Previous analyses have focused on geographical disparities in average attainment across Africa or for specific countries, but-to our knowledge-no analysis has examined the subnational proportions of individuals who completed specific levels of education across all low- and middle-income countries(12-14). By geolocating subnational data for more than 184 million person-years across 528 data sources, we precisely identify inequalities across geography as well as within populations.Peer reviewe