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Patrick Bond et al. Unsustainable South Africa: Environment, Development and Social Protest. Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press/ London: Merlin Press, 2003. xxvi + 449 pp. Map. Figures. Tables. Photographs. Images. Notes. References. Index. $39.95. Paper. Bond and his ten coauthors (George Dor, Michael Dorsey, Maj Fiil-Flynn, Stephen Greenberg, Thulani Guliwe, David Hallowes, Becky Himlin, Stephen Hosking, Greg Ruiters and Robyn Stein) have achieved a tour de force with this refreshing volume. Their rich analysis of social policy choices made in South Africa by the postapartheid government is a courageous contribution to the corpus of literature linking society, environment, and development in that country. Published in the aftermath of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002, Bond's publication appears as a rejoinder to that galvanizing event. The book is composed of four parts, the first of which focuses on the legacy of South Africa's unsustainable environmental policies and practices. Here the authors outline three discrete environment-development discourses-neoliberalism, sustainable development, and environmental justice-which provide a useful analytical framework for the discussion in subsequent chapters. Part 2 presents detailed case studies of unsustainable projects. The story turns on examples such as Coega, a mega-industrial development project underway in the Eastern Cape, and the controversial Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which supplies Gauteng Province with water from Lesotho. In the context of a vast backlog in basic services facing the ANC, these serve as battlegrounds between government, privatizing companies, and service providers on the one hand, and ordinary South Africans seeking water, sanitation, and electricity on the other. Part 3 focuses on unsustainable policies, primarily in the energy and water sectors, some inherited from the National Party, with equally poor social and environmental policies employed by current government officials. Part 4 includes only one chapter, the conclusion, which pulls the disparate threads together in a coherent, if sweeping, canvas. Class, race, gender, ideology, and power politics all enlarge and enhance this work, just as they feature prominently in South Africa's sociopolitical landscape. This book fills a yawning gap in our knowledge base. Government departments do release indicators on service delivery, and statistics are available from reliable sources such as Statistics South Africa. However, these are insufficient to provide a comprehensive picture of spatial and structural changes in infrastructure and energy and water policies, particularly in townships and rural regions. Statistics alone do not explain how far the government has progressed in widening access, in determining prices for users, or in terms of the quality and sustainability of methods used and services provided. The old comparison between statistics and bikinis is useful: What they reveal is important, but what they conceal is critical. Electrification figures in South Africa are a moving target. Households may be connected, but entire blocks are disconnected if one user fails to pay, rendering such figures unhelpful. In contrast, by relying on detailed research and data, the authors analyze the evolution of policy and practice in key sectors. They examine issues such as access and differential pricing, and utilize cost-benefit analyses to investigate alternative options, pointing to structural impediments and policies that need to be addressed before black South Africans can become full citizens with access to the same opportunities that were afforded to whites over the previous four decades. The strength of the book lies in the analytical case studies of large development projects, which require major capital outlays and expenditure from both public and private sectors. For instance, Bond et al. conclude that the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which diverted water to South Africa while displacing two thousand residents in Lesotho, was poorly designed, badly implemented, economically detrimental, and ecologically pernicious. …

The desire to enhance the gains from the internal market programme has led the European Union (EU) to emphasize the importance of the development of a coherent set of infrastructure networks in the telecommunication, transport and energy sectors. What steps must be taken to realise such trans-European networks? How can the massive financing problems be overcome?

This Joint Staff Advisory Note focuses on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Albania. The note analyzes the National Strategy for Development and Integration (NSDI) program, which represents a significant improvement in process over the previous PRSP. The note discusses that the main strengths of the current process are strong government ownership; a broader participatory process that lays the foundation for greater civil society participation in public policy making; an improved poverty diagnosis; and ambitious plans for monitoring the overall effectiveness of Albania’s public expenditures.

This paper examines Congo’s Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP). Congo’s I-PRSP explains the features and causes of poverty in Congo. It provides a short- and medium-term vision of development as well as a strategic orientation for a return to sustainable and equitable growth. The main objective is steady poverty reduction. The choice and implementation of strategic orientations and priority actions in the I-PRSP are consistent with the government’s commitment to rebuilding the economy and in line with the Millennium Development Goals, the New Partnership for Development, and the government’s “nouvelle espérance” program.

This Joint Staff Advisory Note examines Congo’s Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP). The I-PRSP recognizes the lack of recent and good quality data on poverty, and recommends new surveys and studies to improve poverty assessment and analysis. On the basis of the sparsely available data, the I-PRSP estimates that at least 50 percent of the population is poor. The I-PRSP also links the high poverty incidence to a significant decline in per capita output and the deterioration of basic social services.

This paper discusses Mozambique’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper—Economic and Social Plan for 2005. In the international context, the paper presents the evolution of the international economy so as to understand under what economic conditions the country will have to implement its economic and social policy. It discusses the major macroeconomic objectives, and the evolution of the main economic indicators for Mozambique. The paper also presents the main policy measures to be implemented by the government, targets, and activities.

This paper presents the Annual Progress Report on Vietnam’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. The industrial output and export turnover have continuously increased and exceeded the targeted plan. The entire social investment has been fairly well increased, especially that of the private sector, which has been vigorously increased. The targets of employment and poverty reduction as well as the rate of malnourished children have been satisfactory or even exceeded the estimated plan. Many action plans have been implemented, such as institutional reform, administrative apparatus reform, and staff quality improvement and renovation.

This Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for the Kingdom of Lesotho presents a determined plan in pursuance of high and sustainable equity-based economic growth. It contains medium-term objectives and strategies to address the major challenges facing the country. These challenges include employment creation and income generation, and improving quality of and access to education and health services. Lesotho plans to deal boldly with its trading and investment partners by exploiting the opportunities inherent in the process of globalization under such mechanisms as the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act.

This Joint Staff Advisory Note reviews the first Annual Progress Report (APR) of The Gambia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The APR indicates that The Gambia’s progress in implementing the PRSP has been uneven. Slow implementation mainly reflected low capacity, a lack of commitment, and poor prioritization of policies implemented in 2002–03. Among the five basic components, the authorities made the most progress in increasing access to basic social services. By contrast, they did not achieve most macroeconomic targets for 2002 and 2003.

This note documents slow economic growth and significant delays in reform implementation owing to continued political instability and conflict. The annual progress report (APR) reviews progress in the power sector, but does not mention some critical challenges. It outlines some progress in public sector reforms and private sector development. The APR analyzes the impact on disadvantaged groups of several government of Nepal’s programs, but recognizes a decrease in spending for targeted programs. Progress has been made in finalizing and launching of a framework for monitoring and evaluation.

This paper examines the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Mali. The PRSP is an expression of the government’s desire to engage in development activity that is more intense, more organized, more consensus-based, and more effective, and capable of bringing about lasting poverty reduction. Although redistribution activities and social protection systems are necessary in the short term to reduce the impact of poverty, it is above all a matter of integrating these activities into long-term strategies that will put the poor in a position to help further their own economic and social well-being.

In this Issues Paper, I raise some key points relevant for any government which is considering its child protection and family welfare policy. In particular, I will raise questions about whether a form of legislative reporting duty is required, and if so, what consequences this has for child protection. The context of child maltreatment - and each form of maltreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and neglect - is extremely complex, and the overarching question of how to deal with these phenomena involve challenging normative, economic and practical questions. There are no easy or perfect solutions. Nor, often, is there the amount and quality of evidence available on which public policy approaches should be devised. However, from the best evidence about the history of this context, from research conducted in this field, and from the best evidence available about the nature, incidence and effects of different subtypes of maltreatment, some observations can be made which may help to inform deliberations. I outline 10 key issues related to mandatory reporting legislation while being mindful of the New Zealand context. My view, based on both research evidence and a concern to protect and promote children’s interests, and society’s interests, is that reporting laws in some form are necessary and can contribute substantially to child protection and enhancing family and community health and wellbeing. However, they are only one necessary part of a sound child protection system, being a method of tertiary and secondary prevention, and primary prevention efforts must also be prioritised. Moreover, it is essential that if a legislative reporting duty is enacted, it must be designed carefully and implemented soundly, and it must be integrated within a properly resourced child protection and family welfare system.

This Joint Staff Advisory Note reviews the National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) 2006–10 and the Annual Progress Report for Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). The government of PDR approved the Sixth NSEDP 2006–10 (PRSP) in June 2006. The NSEDP provides a comprehensive strategy for development, with a range of medium- and long-term policies aimed at sustained growth and poverty reduction. IMF staff agrees with the poverty diagnosis in the NSEDP, but recognizes that achieving the Millennium Development Goals will require major efforts.

The Welfare Improvement Strategy (WIS) of Uzbekistan has the objective of improving living standards of its people with the help of strong economic policies for all priority areas of development. The report reviews economic and social policies and assesses the living standards of its people. It also reviews the macroeconomic policies for implementing goals and priorities of the WIS in individuals and estimates the cost for the same. Studies show the need for forming a conceptual framework for the WIS implementation process as well as for monitoring and evaluating the policy strategies.

The Government of the Republic of Niger has implemented the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), which describes the country's macroeconomic, structural, and social policies in support of growth and poverty reduction. This strategy is based on the conviction that poverty can be reduced through strong and sustained economic growth that creates wealth and jobs. The study is the outcome of a concerted analysis. The first part outlines the diagnosis and key factors of poverty and the second part presents the major challenges, vision, overall goals, and strategic pillars.

This Annual Progress Report reviews Mozambique’s Economic and Social Plan for 2004. The report states that in 2004, public sector reforms were continued and consolidated. There was notable growth in social and economic infrastructure. The government was able to honor its budget execution commitments, channelling more resources into sectors prioritized in the Program for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty (PARPA) and keeping budget execution rates within the limits set in the budgetary legislation.

Latin American countries have historically failed to secure market incorporation (e.g. people’s participation in the cash nexus, which in turn requires the creation of a sufficient number of formal well-paying jobs) and social incorporation (e.g. decommodification of rights) simultaneously. High structural heterogeneity in production and weak fiscal capacity resulted in dual social systems and extended and informal labor market. Has this changed in recent years? This paper draws on the experience of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay to answer this question. We distinguish between short term outcomes – which may depend on benign international conditions –and policy changes which are more important for long term success. Our analysis highlights Brazil and Uruguay’s unique success overall and also shows that all countries have done better in terms of social than market incorporation. We also discuss some of the challenges to secure further improvements in market and social incorporation in the immediate future, including competition from China and low state capacity. UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Sociales::Facultad de Ciencias Sociales::Escuela de Ciencias Políticas

This Selected Issues paper assesses empirically the motives and effectiveness of foreign exchange (FX) interventions in Peru. The results of the study indicate asymmetries both in the Central Reserve Bank of Peru’s reaction function and in the effectiveness of FX interventions. Probit estimates of the likelihood of FX purchases and sales, in the first stage of the regression, show that both forms of intervention are targeted at leaning against the wind; that is, resisting appreciation in the former case and resisting depreciation in the latter. But only FX sales, not FX purchases, react to volatility. Similarly, instrumental variable regression results show evidence of asymmetry in the effectiveness of FX interventions.

Education and Training: Working PaperTen (WP 10) (Department of Health 1989a) was published in October 1989. It was an integral part of Working for Patients (Department of Health 1989b) and as such was alleged to embrace the same fundamental principles WP 10 may result in the most significant change to nurse education in the UK since the 1949 Nurses Act, with variations in its funding, structure and organisation. Surprisingly, there has been relatively little discussion about this important development within the nursing press The aim, therefore, of this paper is toevaluate WP 10 within the context of the ideology which has underpinned social policy in the last 14 years. Firstly, Conservative Party policy will be explored, then WP 10 itself will then be examined in order to assess how far such principles have been applied to nurse education through its implementation. It is intended that by this process of analysis further understanding will be gained about this policy and its potential consequences for the future of nursing.