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In a federal political system like India, the role of the federal units bordering the neighboring countries becomes crucial in foreign policy-making toward neighboring countries. It is expected that when similar political parties or coalition partners remain in power in both the center and the states, federal politics does not hinder policy-making toward neighboring countries. Moreover, foreign policy being a central subject, federal units any way reflect passive tendencies, especially in the case of governments with the same party affiliations. Both these simplifications are contested in this paper by citing instances of the role of West Bengal and Tripura, India's two federal units bordering the neighboring country of Bangladesh, at different historical junctures, in which similar political parties in the center and the state resulted in more friction than when different political parties were in office in matters of India's foreign policy-making toward Bangladesh. The paper argues that instead of federalization of foreign policy, where federal units have an influential role, this particular experience suggests an externalization of federalism, where an external variable (Bangladesh) influences internal federal dynamics to the extent that domestic electoral politics force the political parties of the two federal units to give importance to the neighboring country in taking positions on foreign policy-making. The immediate context of fifty years of the India-Bangladesh relationship and question about over-centralization during the latest phase of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime in India push the authors to take up Bangladesh as a case to contest the given of Indian federalism in foreign policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article examines the contest between indigenous forest-dwelling communities and settler colonial policy in post-Partition central India. According to official estimates, from 1961–71 the population of indigenous communities declined by nearly 50% in Dandakaranya within central India even as overall the population grew by a large margin during the same period. Despite perceptions of India as a post-colony committed to decolonization, this article examines how this state project, one of the earliest acts of governmentality, was deeply implicated in a settler colonial logic of elimination. Following the mass migration of Partition refugees in 1947 across newly demarcated borders, the Indian government earmarked Dandakaranya Forest as the site of a refugee resettlement project for lower-caste Partition refugees from East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Drawing on Lorenzo Veracini's notion of 'probationary settlers' as exogenous others without prior claims to land, refugees are understood within this argument as probationary settlers reliant on the state for their survival. Rather than narrating the biography of the state through its various experts and institutions, this paper foregrounds the perspective of the marginalized on their environment: displaced forest-dwelling indigenous communities and lower-caste (Dalit) refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically reviews and reflects on the processes for providing Assistive Technology (AT) services to Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The aim is to investigate the AT service delivery systems in these countries and suggest improvements where weaknesses are identified. We carried out a descriptive qualitative exploratory study in Bangladesh, India and Nepal by conducting key informant interviews with policymakers (5), AT service providers (22) and mobility and hearing related AT service users (21). We used a directed content analysis approach guided by a seven-point AT service delivery process model to thematically analyse the existing processes for AT service delivery, from first contact through to follow-up and maintenance. AT service delivery processes are sub-optimal in all three countries, and improvements are needed. No common AT service delivery process was found, although there are common features. In general, it is easier for PWDs in India and Nepal to access AT than for those in Bangladesh, but all three countries are failing to live up to their commitments to uphold the human rights of PWDs. Although good elements of AT service delivery processes can be identified, the systems in all three countries are fragmented and generally weak. A more holistic approach of looking at the process of AT service delivery, from first contact right through to follow-up and device maintenance, with a single door service delivery system, free of cost at the point of service is recommended in these countries. Although we found significant weaknesses in AT delivery in all three countries, there are some good AT service delivery practices and opportunities for these countries to learn from one another. A systematic and stepwise approach to assessing current AT service delivery processes in the three countries – examining the delivery system as a whole, from initiation to repair and management – can help identify opportunities to improve the process for (prospective) AT users. A more coherent single door system of AT service delivery will increase the quality and efficiency of the fragmented AT service delivery practices in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper uses illustrations from rural India and Bangladesh to develop a critical analysis of practices and experiences of poverty often overlooked in development policies. It challenges the principle measurement, calculative rationality and static representation in anti-poverty interventions that present poverty as a 'problem' to be resolved. It draws on poststructuralist ideas to express poverty differently and shift from problem-solving to problematisation. Drawing on the concept of 'rhizome' it highlights the connectivity, heterogeneity and multiplicity of poverty. Examples from interviews and photo diaries illustrate manifold poverty as a combination of heterogeneous activities, objects and affects that complicate development ethics and challenge the logic of reason in existing policies. The paper explores improvisation, experimentation, hope and repetition as mechanisms for critically evaluating aquaculture-led development and attending to overlooked objects, uncertain outcomes and untold stories of disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians of Partition have focused upon the bitterly polarized yet vibrant public sphere of the last days of the British Raj, wherein newspapers representing Congress, Muslim League and Akali opinion vied for influence through increasingly hostile propaganda targeted at the 'other/s'. Such studies' focus on ideological battles and propaganda results in relatively less attention being given to what became of these papers once the British departed and the parties these papers espoused or opposed captured power. This paper will seek to revisit such assumptions by analyzing the trials and tribulations of the significant newspaper houses unfortunate enough to be located on the geographical frontlines of Partition and in major centres of communal conflagration. Through such analyses, I will seek to show that it was a combination of initial mob action, reinforced often by state repression and even popular reproach, that forced newspapers viewed as belonging to the 'other' party to move to safer (and greener) pastures. In the process, late-colonial India's once pluralist public sphere came to be partitioned into sections that broadly conformed to the ideologies that the respective Dominions' new rulers espoused. While aligning newspapers with the majoritarian public opinion, this Partition occasioned shifts of personnel and presses that would fundamentally alter the postcolonial press industry in West and East Pakistan, and to a lesser extent, in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the possible predatory journals in Library and Information Science research in India, including the affiliation status of the authors publishing in those predatory journals, frequency of returning authors, and country-wise distribution of authors. The paper used Beall's list to find out the predatory journals in LIS published from India. Publication trends, affiliations of authors, and the status of the 22 LIS journals under the study were critically analyzed. The result shows that the predatory journals were diminishing slowly; in 2016, there were eight active journals, while in 2021, it was reduced to four journals. Similarly, the publication trends show that the highest number of articles (398) was published in the year 2015, and it was only 66 articles in 2020. It is revealed that academics hailing from state universities (42.88%) are the highest contributors to the predatory journals, followed by professionals from government colleges (16.76%). The results indicate that predatory publishing was rampant in the early years but declined gradually. Researchers from India have published the most articles, totaling 1760 (93%), followed by those from Nigeria (64, 3.3%), Bangladesh (10), and Saudi Arabia (eight articles). It is also revealed that 21.66% (n = 438) are returning authors who have published more than one article in the sample journals. The paper discusses the role of the government and especially the University Grants Commission (UGC) in curbing the menace of predatory publishing. The authors also discuss the possible role of library professionals in stopping the plague of predatory publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and critically reflect on access to Assistive Technology (AT) for persons with disabilities (PWD) in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. This analysis aims to guide the development of a contextualised generic AT service delivery model suitable for these countries, based on the best practices identified. This paper is based on a comprehensive study conducted in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, observing mobility and hearing-related AT service delivery centres run by the government, as well as private and nongovernmental organisations, and interviews with key informants: policymakers (5), AT service providers (20) and AT service users (20) between December 2019 to February 2020. A descriptive, qualitative exploratory study design was followed. A quality assessment framework was used to structure the analysis and interpret the findings. AT service provisions are poorly developed in all three countries. On all quality indicators assessed, the systems show major weaknesses. AT users have very limited awareness about their rights to these services and the availability of AT services, the range of services available is very limited, and eligibility is dependent on medical criteria related to visible and severe disabilities. Lack of accessibility, eligibility, reachability and affordability are the main barriers to access AT services for PWD in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Increased community level awareness, increased Government funding and a community based, medically informed flexible social model of AT services is a way forward to ensure access to AT services for PWD in these countries. Increased community awareness is necessary to increase access to Assistive Technology Services for Persons with Disabilities. Increased and flexible funding from the Government and philanthropists will improve rehabilitation. Establishment of community based Assistive Technology Services centres will increase access and improve rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rohingya experiences of displacement and refuge are heavily gendered. Sexual and gender-based violence have been used as weapons against Rohingya women, men, girls and boys in Myanmar for decades. Trafficking and exploitation are rife on the flight out of the country, and host states such as India present their own gendered challenges to family survival and individual coping. In this paper, we examine how some of those violent and disruptive experiences have affected gender roles for individuals and families as they have fled Myanmar (often more than once) and sought refuge in India via Bangladesh. We present new insight into the dynamic subjectivity of Rohingya women as we show how, contrary to dominant depictions of passive victimhood, many have lead family migration across borders, taken up NGO/community leadership roles, or made the best 'home' possible within the limitations of the host context. This is because personal and family agency is sensitive to transitional opportunities and threats—i.e., gender norms of home and host contexts, interactions with host communities, and trust relations with NGOs, to name a few. Crucially, these social practices and experiences are not static or linear; they span generations and sprawling geographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on shopping behavior in two neighboring developing economies: Bangladesh and India. While the previous studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 on shopping behavior have relied on Revealed Preference (RP) data, this paper combines RP and Stated Preference (SP) data to develop joint RP-SP discrete choice models. This makes it possible to quantify the relative impact of the situational contexts on the choice of shopping modes of households and to capture the associated heterogeneity arising from the characteristics of the households. Further, comparison of the data and the estimated model parameters of the two countries with substantial socio-cultural similarities provide insights about how differences in the state of e-commerce can lead to different levels of inertia in continuing the pre-COVID behavior. The results will be useful to planners and policymakers for predicting the shopping modes in different future scenarios and formulating effective restriction measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the absence of pre-colonial written records, reconstruction of the history and identity of indigenous tribes has to depend on oral stories and the documentation of the 'other', while the former is subject to distortion, the latter is often glossed with vested interest. Taking the case of the indigenous tribes of the India-Burma-Bangladesh borderlands, this paper probes the representation of the Zo (Kuki-Chin) people in colonial ethnography, on one hand, and to what extent colonial knowledge was informed by 'investigative' or 'survey modality', which, in fact, was solely for administrative purpose, on the other. It argues that indigenous tribes of the India-Burma-Bangladesh borderlands were represented as completely fragmented in colonial ethnography, however, behind the colonial policy of classification one can still unearth the ethnic commonality of the various tribes when they are seen through the lens of cultural similarity or as a 'culture area.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In her book Harmony Ideology Laura Nader demonstrates that dispute resolution practices within minority ethnically distinct communities may serve not only a quasi-legal, but also a political, hegemonic, function. National governance structures and relations between the state and non-state entities provide a critical context for understanding dispute resolution practices within such communities. This paper examines how the historical legal and social 'othering' of a tribal minority, the Santal, in India and Bangladesh has created two opposing counter-hegemonic strategies, manifest in the people's dispute resolution practices. The paper begins by exploring the historical backdrop of the Santal's exclusion and subordination in the two countries. The paper then examines disputing strategies to assess how dispute processes act as a mirror reflecting back this exclusion, reforming the nuances of separation as a symbol of defiance. My fieldwork data shows that strategies of disputing are closely linked with the spatial proximity of and perceived locality of oppression. Inward looking strategies that promote harmony and re-enforce minority hegemonies act as strategies of resistance where an oppressor takes the form of a distant and untouchable state or power elite. But where the politics of struggle is local and immediate disputing turns outward and confrontation replaces harmony as a counter-hegemonic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated river basin management (IRBM) emphasizes the need for managing the river as a system irrespective of administrative boundaries. Although IRBM is being adopted for many trans-boundary rivers, progress can be slow, particularly where there is a history of dispute. The Ganges basin in South Asia is one such case that experienced numerous conflicts over water between the riparian states, notably between India and Bangladesh. The power imbalance between states, mistrust and antagonism, prevailing national interest over the regional benefit, and most importantly lack of an effective institutional mechanism contributed to the complexity of implementing IRBM in the Ganges context. Despite these challenges, there is a consensus about the significant benefits that could be gained through multilateral regional cooperation over water. This paper analyses the challenges of multilateral cooperation towards IRBM in the Ganges context and examines the scope for overcoming these challenges. The paper argues that IRBM in the Ganges context depends on cooperation towards a basin-wide management approach, and a basin organization is a prerequisite to that. It suggests creation of a basin organization in the Ganges context by sharing experiences from other parts of the world and concludes with a framework for adopting IRBM in the Ganges basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper enquires into the persistent trade deficit against Bangladesh in India–Bangladesh bilateral trade. For this purpose, the paper examines the extent of trade similarities and complementarities between the two countries with the help of RCA indices and Cosine measures. The results show that Bangladesh exports match with Indian exports and not with Indian imports. The paper also calculates G-L indices to measure the extent of intra-industry trade between the two countries and finds that this trade, albeit small, is growing in importance. The paper then makes an econometric study of the demand for Bangladeshi goods in the Indian market with long run time series data and finds that removal of Indian trade restrictions beyond a certain level stimulates export. While analyzing the trade deficit, the paper observes an inverse relation between exchange rate and trade deficit at the bilateral level and finds remittance-driven misalignment and overvaluation in the taka against the rupee, with the possibility of Dutch disease syndrome. As Bangladesh can draw lessons from the success story of Indonesia in avoiding Dutch disease, the paper studies econometrically the management of foreign exchange earning in Indonesia during the oil boom and finds the necessity for policy-induced adjustment in the exchange rate, which can help the Bangladesh economy to diversify and register better export performance in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnography, this paper unravels the intricate relationship between survival tactics and legal status in the complex process of survival mobility in the ungoverned enclaves of India and Bangladesh. In doing so, I explicate the spaces of survival of the undocumented enclave dwellers. The survival mobility in the enclave shows how states’ construction of legal immobility in effect compels illegal mobility. Besides, enclave dwellers’ survival mobility neither symbolises liberty nor characterises resistance. Rather, it represents a form of vulnerability, concern and unavoidable necessity. These practices show a nuanced understanding of the politics of mobility need to consider legality and tactics as two very essential factors for assessing the movement of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Considering the high burden of injuries, the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi developed a draft electronic and paper-based injury and poisoning notification system (IPNS) to generate better data on the nature and severity of injuries. The pilot testing and evaluation of IPNS was conducted with the specific objectives to (1) identify the characteristics of injury cases, (2) explore potential risk factors, (3) illustrate the nature and type of data, and (4) the working mechanism of data collection. Data were collected from selected hospitals on patient demographics, injury information and clinical assessment. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. Of 4226 injury cases, nearly three-fourths were male, majority were non-UAE nationals, and the mean age was 21.9. Multivariate findings suggested that compared to UAE nationals, non-UAE nationals were 27% more likely to experience fatal, severe or moderate injuries (p= 0.01). Individuals with health insurance were 31% less likely to suffer a fatal, severe or moderate injury compared to those having no health insurance (p< 0.001). This is the first systematically standardised collection of injury data across three facilities in Abu Dhabi, and provides initial information on characteristics and injury risk factors that will help identify the need for evidence-based intervention for injury prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Partitions are based on two fundamental assumptions: identity groups exist that can be located, named and categorized, and these categories are attached to distinct territories. Drawing on the Partition of British India, this paper analyses how the differences between the categories “Hindu” and “Muslim” were developed through narratives and events such as the creation of maps and censuses, the emergence of religious revivalist movements, and the use of violence. The article argues that the perception of sharp boundaries between what are termed “territorial groups of meaning” is the result of these events and narratives, not the cause of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, policy focused on improving access to maternity services has led to measures to reduce cost barriers impeding women's access to care. Specifically, these include cash transfer or voucher schemes designed to stimulate demand for services, including antenatal, delivery and post-partum care. In spite of their popularity, however, little is known about the impact or effectiveness of these schemes. This paper provides an overview of five major interventions: the Aama (Mothers') Programme (cash transfer element) in Nepal; the Janani Suraksha Yojana (Safe Motherhood Scheme) in India; the Chiranjeevi Yojana (Scheme for Long Life) in India; the Maternal Health Voucher Scheme in Bangladesh and the Sehat (Health) Voucher Scheme in Pakistan. It reviews the aims, rationale, implementation challenges, known outcomes, potential and limitations of each scheme based on current available data. Increased use of maternal health services has been reported since the schemes began, though evidence of improvements in maternal health outcomes has not been established due to a lack of controlled studies. Areas for improvement in these schemes, identified in this review, include the need for more efficient operational management, clear guidelines, financial transparency, plans for sustainability, evidence of equity and, above all, proven impact on quality of care and maternal mortality and morbidity. Au Népal, en Inde, au Bangladesh et au Pakistan, la politique centrée sur l'élargissement de l'accès aux services de maternité a débouché sur des mesures de réduction des obstacles financiers qui empêchent les femmes d'avoir accès aux soins, plus précisément des transferts de fonds ou des chèques conçus pour stimuler la demande, notamment de soins prénatals, obstétricaux et du post-partum. Pourtant, en dépit de leur popularité, on sait peu de choses de l'impact de ces programmes. L'article décrit cinq interventions majeures : le programme Aama (des mères) (élément de transfert de fonds) au Népal, le Janani Suraksha Yojana (plan de maternité sans risque) en Inde, le Chiranjeevi Yojana (plan pour une longue vie) en Inde, le projet de chèques de santé maternelle au Bangladesh et le système de chèques Sehat (santé) au Pakistan. Il examine les objectifs, les justificatifs, les obstacles à l'application, les résultats connus, le potentiel et les limites de chaque projet, avec les données disponibles. Un recours accru aux services de santé maternelle a été enregistré depuis le début des projets, mais sans qu'il soit possible de déterminer les améliorations de la santé maternelle, faute d'études contrôlées. L'étude recense les domaines d'amélioration des projets qui ont besoin d'une gestion opérationnelle plus efficace, de directives claires, de transparence financière, de plans de viabilité, de preuves d'équité et, surtout, de confirmer leur impact sur la qualité des soins, et la mortalité et morbidité maternelles. En Nepal, India, Bangladesh y Pakistán, debido a políticas centradas en mejorar el acceso a los servicios de maternidad, se ha intentado reducir las barreras de costo que impiden el acceso de las mujeres a los servicios: específicamente, transferencias de dinero o programas de cupones diseñados para estimular la demanda de los servicios, incluida la atención antes, durante y después del parto. Pese a su popularidad, no se sabe mucho acerca de su impacto o eficacia. En este artículo se resumen cinco intervenciones importantes: el Programa de Madres (transferencias de dinero) en Nepal; el Plan por una Maternidad sin Riesgos y el Plan por una Vida Larga, ambos en India; el Programa de Cupones para Servicios de Salud Materna en Bangladesh; y el Programa de Cupones para servicios de salud, en Pakistán. Se analizan los objetivos, la justificación y los retos de la implementación, los resultados, el potencial y las limitaciones de cada plan según los datos. Desde el inicio de estos planes, ha aumentado el uso de los servicios de salud materna, aunque por falta de estudios controlados no hay evidencia de mejoras en los resultados. Entre las áreas a mejorar figuran: la eficiencia de la administración operativa, directrices claras, transparencia financiera, planes de sostenibilidad, evidencia de equidad y, sobre todo, un impacto comprobado en la calidad de la atención y en las tasas de mortalidad y morbilidad maternas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to answer the question of how Muslim women interpret and negotiate religion in order to realise their reproductive aspirations. A close reading of lived experiences of 32 Muslim women from a varied educational background yields a wider perspective of the different interpretations of reproductive norms employed by adherents of the same religion (Islam), situated in two countries (India/Bangladesh) and group (majority/minority) contexts. Further, this comparative study yields a deeper understanding of agency that is employed by Muslim participants in each country. Muslim women – both in India and Bangladesh – are not passive followers of religious norms, but have agency to bring change in their own life and take an active role in planning their family, thereby transgressing religious norms in reproductive matters. Muslim women in India exercise their agency by adopting sterilisation – a method proscribed by Islam – without the knowledge of their significant others. Muslim women in Bangladesh use their agency by making a flexible interpretation of Islam in reproductive matters. A lesson learned from this comparative study is the need to remove barriers that prevent the adoption of contraceptives by Muslim minorities in India and to design family planning programmes that takes into account their religious needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the remittance behaviour of the South Asian community using new data from Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi households in Manchester. The findings show that standard variables such as income, employment, education, linkages to the home country and host country are important determinants of remittances. Although remittances are sent mainly for consumption purposes, those sent for land acquisition and savings have stronger association with the amount of remittances. In addition, we find strong evidence for the remittance decay hypothesis for Indian and Pakistani migrants, but not for Bangladeshi migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transboundary Himalayan rivers flowing through Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh provide a golden opportunity to improve the standard of living of the largest concentration of the poor people in the world. Bhutan and India have shown that, given goodwill and trust between the countries concerned, water can be successfully used as an engine for ecogrowth. This can bring substantial benefits to the people of both the countries. In contrast, lack of trust between Nepal, India and Bangladesh has compounded the deprivation of the region through underdevelopment. This paper analyses two very contrasting results of managing transboundary rivers in South Asia, a most successful one in Bhutan and India, and a missed opportunity in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Citation Biswas, A. K. (2011) Cooperation or conflict in transboundary water management: case study of South Asia. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(4), 662-670. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand for fresh water has increased over the years, the conflicts between water-sharing countries have also been on the rise. Many countries, such as Bangladesh in Asia, depend upon water originating from outside their national borders and hence do not have any control in the headwaters and large part of the watershed management of their rivers. Being militarily and economically weaker than its neighbours, it cannot influence their watershed management policies. Consequently, it suffers from both floods and water scarcity. This paper looks at the long-standing conflict between Bangladesh and India with regard to the sharing of water of the River Ganges. It discusses the water quantity and quality problems faced by Bangladesh and its inability to negotiate an equitable deal with India. In order to reduce the water-sharing conflict between Bangladesh and India, a multi-national watershed management approach is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the coverage of the principles of transboundary water resources management in two key bilateral treaties in the Ganges Basin. The treaties are the 1996 Mahakali Treaty between Nepal and India and the 1996 Ganges Water Treaty between India and Bangladesh. The study reveals that both treaties incorporate several internationally recognized transboundary water resources management principles, e.g. the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization, an obligation not to cause significant harm, principles of cooperation, information exchange, notification, consultation and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The presence of these internationally accepted principles in these two treaties offer plenty of common ground, which could serve as guidelines to promote sustainable water resources management throughout the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charlands are islands formed in major river systems particularly in the flat deltaic plains such as those in the Bengal delta in eastern India and Bangladesh. The charlands in the lower reaches of the Damodar River in India are prone to frequent floods, shifting river channels and consequent riverbank erosion. In spite of these risks posed by the environment, migrant communities from Bihar and Bangladesh settle in the charlands because the soils are fertile, and because being untitled, they are relatively cheaper than legal lands. This paper explores the mental maps or perceptions that the chouras - the charland inhabitants - have of their places of living. We ask: How do the chouras see their fragile environment? Our findings are as follows: first of all, we agree that the perceptions of vulnerability and insecurity are subjective, and may differ widely between different communities or groups living in the charlands. Secondly, we note that 'adaptation' might be too broad a term; the specific process is more contingent than a long-term adaptation and best described as 'adjustment'. Finally, we note that in light of our study into the livelihoods that people keep pursuing in marginal environments such as that of chars, a felt need has arisen to redefine categories such as 'resilience', 'vulnerability' or 'security'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of reading for academic study cannot be overemphasised. At the postgraduate level in particular, students are faced with complex text interpretation processes. International students, in addition, have to make a significant cultural/study shift; not only do they have to become accustomed to the reading of academic texts using discipline-specific discourse patterns but often have to adjust to different conventions used by authors from cultural backgrounds other than their own. Despite difficulties which international postgraduate students may experience, reading problems and the expected outcomes have been cited as one of the most neglected areas of research. In addition, little is known about international student reading practices and how they change during study at an Australian university. This paper, part of a longitudinal study, using metacognitive and framing theories, explores aspects of framing and metacognition used by Indian/Bangladeshi postgraduate students when reading their texts during their first semester at an Australian university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the causal relationship between financial development and economic growth of the Asian developing countries from a panel data perspective and uses the system GMM technique developed by Arellano & Bover (1995) and Blundell & Bond (1998) and conducts causality testing analysis. The panel data sets involve 13 Asian developing countries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippine, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand for the period 1990–1998. The result of our study is in agreement with other causality studies by Calderon & Liu (2003), Fase & Abma (2003), and Christopoulos & Tsionas (2004) that financial development promotes growth, thus supporting the old Schumpeterian hypothesis and Patrick's ‘supply-leading’ hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively little is known about how environmental and pathological threats to human survival and longevity are perceived by the public. In this study in rural Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, which used individual interviews and focus-group discussions to investigate the changing costs of and motivations for reproduction, respondents were questioned about their perceptions of changes in mortality. The findings show that, while child mortality levels are perceived to have fallen dramatically in recent times, the health and survival prospects of the middle aged and the elderly are seen to have been better in the past. The perceived decline in adult health is attributed to environmental deterioration and lifestyle changes accompanying modernization. This paper explores people's reasons for this unexpected worldview. References to pesticides and chemical fertilizers as causes of death abound in their explanations and are seen to be associated with unhealthy agricultural practices and impiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation of water quality variation in a particular river stretch or at a particular location with time requires mathematical modelling based on advection and dispersion phenomenon. In this context, estimation of an appropriate dispersion coefficient, which is a function of characteristics of a water body, is very essential and forms an important step in mathematical modelling. The tracer study conducted in this context on the river Ganga to estimate the dispersion coefficient is described in this paper with an analysis of data based on a stream-tube approach. For the wide river Ganga, with a velocity in the range 0.3-0.5 m/s, the estimated transverse dispersion coefficient is 1.33 m 2 /s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of approaches taken by three NGOs in Bangladesh and one NGO based in Bihar in India. All these NGOs consider the provision of microfinance to women to be a major strategy for empowering women. Our reflections in this article draw on a review of the literature on the impacts of credit programmes, and on discussions with women's groups and NGO staff. To ensure that microfinance programmes fulfil their promise to support women's empowerment, development workers and researchers need to focus much more on strategies that support the transformation of gender relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]