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Many experts have concluded that, if greenhouse gas concentrations are to be limited while the world’s energy demands are nonetheless met, biomass energy will be an indispensable resource. At the same time, climate change is expected to affect agricultural productivity adversely—and 15 percent of people in developing countries, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, already suffer from extreme food insecurity. Authors from three countries—José R. Moreira of Brazil, Roberto Bissio of Uruguay (2014), and Ethan B. Davis and Tom L. Richard of the United States (2014)—explore how the potential climate mitigation benefits of devoting arable land to the production of biomass energy can be achieved without further undermining food security in the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many experts have concluded that, if greenhouse gas concentrations are to be limited while the world’s energy demands are nonetheless met, biomass energy will be an indispensable resource. At the same time, climate change is expected to affect agricultural productivity adversely—and 15 percent of people in developing countries, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, already suffer from extreme food insecurity. Authors from three countries—José R. Moreira of Brazil (2014), Roberto Bissio of Uruguay (2014), and Ethan B. Davis and Tom L. Richard of the United States—explore how the potential climate mitigation benefits of devoting arable land to the production of biomass energy can be achieved without further undermining food security in the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

According to the resource curse theory, persistent violence in developing areas results from rebels' ability to finance warfare with natural resource revenues. Surprisingly, this overlooks the complexities of raising revenue from a mobile mining population that values security as well as income. The literature thus neglects a fundamental question: what are the incentives of rebel groups to prevent or perpetuate conflict in mining areas? This paper delineates a rational to both increase and decrease violence. Protecting a mine should allow rebels to extract taxes in return. Simultaneously, to maintain this demand for security, rebels may need to destabilize the wider area. The hypotheses are tested with novel data on rebel taxation at over 3'000 artisanal mines in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Supporting the hypotheses, the results show that rebel-taxed mines appear exempt from violence nearby but imperiled at the perimeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the impact of international tourism on less developed or developing countries. Topics discussed include indigenous peoples' leveraging of their culture and natural inheritances for tourism development, sustainable tourism, the Grand Tour as a rite of passage for privileged members of the upper classes, tourists' fascination with the people and places in less developed or developing countries, volunteer tourism and the potential of tourism to alleviate poverty.

It has long been thought that demographic aging and its attendant implications for health and social services is primarily a problem for industrialized wealthy countries. Nothing could be further from the truth since most older persons (and an increasingly higher number) reside in low‐income countries. Through a description of a home visit to older women in the small town of Gondar, Ethiopia, the general state of older persons in sub‐Saharan Africa is addressed. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2240–2244, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child marriage has gained increased international prominence over the past decades. Organisations working with the issue have promoted empowering girls as the best strategy to address it. Informed by postcolonial feminist theory, this article will locate these discourses in broader 'turn to the girl' and 'turn to agency' in international development, analysing how Third World girlhood, agency, resistance and voice are conceptualised. Girls are constructed as threatened by their families and communities, with agency exercised through resistance and materialised by their voice. I argue that this ignores the complexity of decision-making processes and broader structural factors related to child marriage, so that interventions providing 'empowerment-as-information' for girls to be agents of change instead leave them in a state of informed powerlessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Poverty convergence remains absent across Less Developed Countries (LDCs) during 1980–2014. • In contrast, there exists strong poverty convergence across Sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies during the same period. • Poverty convergence is absent across LDCs because initial poverty weakens the effectiveness of growth in reducing poverty. • Strong growth effect dominating adverse initial poverty effect on growth effectiveness explains poverty convergence in SSA. • This study finds no direct link between higher initial poverty and slower subsequent growth identified in Ravallion (2012). Abstract The literature on poverty convergence is sparse and much of the empirical evidence relies on Ravallion (2012) who found a lack of poverty convergence across some ninety Less Developed Countries (LDCs) during 1980–2007. This paper revisits cross-country poverty convergence using data from the same sources but an extended period of 1980–2014. We find that while poverty convergence remains absent across LDCs, it is present in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during the extended period. Initial poverty canceling the effectiveness of growth in reducing poverty explains the lack of poverty convergence across LDCs; while a strong growth effect dominating the adverse effect of initial poverty on growth effectiveness explains the strong poverty convergence found in SSA. A direct adverse link between initial poverty and subsequent growth – which Ravallion (2012) recognized as the main impediment to poverty convergence during 1980–2007 – is not found in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores efforts to build a health care system in Madagascar. Particular focus is given to how the nation being one of the poorest in the world is presenting challenges. Additional topics discussed include political turmoil and corruption in the county, extensive efforts from donors and humanitarian groups to provide aid, and Matt Bonds, a doctor pioneering the effort.

The decisive role violence has played in the ordering of the Third World cannot be ignored or consigned to the past. Accordingly, we argue for a more systematic and determined attention to the connections between the devastation unleashed by colonialism, imperialism, and other forms of large-scale violence in the post-independence periods. In contradistinction to situating violence in and against the Third World as a backdrop of incomplete modernization, we recognize that its proper location is in the larger dynamics of racialized and colonial international relations. The articles in this volume address these dynamics of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is one of several rising powers that assumed greater protagonism in advancing peace on the global stage and in the Global South beginning in the early 2000s. In places like Haiti, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique, it expanded its peacekeeping deployments and exercised leadership on peacebuilding issues. What explains this notably increased activity on peace-related issues? In this article, I test four core theories of international relations - realism, liberalism, constructivism and post-colonial theory - to explain the rise and content of these policies in that country. Brazil has been vocal in its non-traditional approaches to peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and this study examines its rhetorical claims through theoretical lenses. It aspires to bring systematic theoretical thinking to a case whose empirics have been used to support each of the four main theoretical approaches. I argue that interest-based theories such as realism and liberalism best account for the emergence of Brazil's increased peacekeeping and peacebuilding initiatives in the early 2000s. However, idea-based constructivist and post-colonial approaches are necessary to account for the content of these approaches that reflect national identity and social and culturally historic experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising powers have often been characterised as 'reluctant' when it comes to their contributions to global governance. However, also within their regions they have sometimes pursued indecisive, muddling-through policies, including in the field of security. This paper addresses the puzzling issue of rising powers' reluctant approach to regional crisis management. It conceptualises reluctance as entailing the two constitutive dimensions of hesitation and recalcitrance, and it seeks to approach a theorisation of reluctance that focuses on a combination of international expectations and domestic preference formation. The empirical analysis addresses instances of regional crisis management by the democratic rising powers India and Brazil during phases of domestic political stability under the Modi (2014-2018) and the Lula (2003-2011) governments, respectively. The analysis of India's crisis management efforts in Afghanistan and Nepal, and of Brazil's leadership of the MINUSTAH mission and its approach to the civil war in Colombia, reveal that reluctance emerges if a government is faced with (competing) expectations articulated by international actors as well as with a range of domestic factors that lead to unclear preference formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising powers are evolving centres for varieties of conflict as well as development. With a focus on the complexities of the Horn of Africa, we juxtapose Jan Nederveen Pieterse1 on what is rising - States? Inter-regionalisms? Diasporas? Economies? Companies? New technologies? - with the late Jim Hentz2 on non-traditional security (NTS) challenges on the continent. NTS factors include fragile states/ungoverned spaces, migrations and viruses, which continue to undermine contemporary state and governance structures inside and around Africa. In turn, NTS challenges demand alternative and creative ways to address them. We show how the Horn of Africa illustrates all these and other emergent factors in differing proportions over time, including the diversity of diasporas, both intra- and extra-regional. Further, we argue that rising powers internal and regional transnational tensions could impact human security for the foreseeable future. Thus, affecting the prospects for meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to shed light on Turkey's conflict management role after the Cold War using a three-layered framework consisting of the layers of actorness, approaches and tools. In doing so, it seeks to profile Turkey's international conflict management since the Cold War years with a special focus on the nature of its participation in conflict management as an active or passive actor, the perspectives from which it approaches conflict management, and the conflict management instruments it utilises. First, the paper will provide a conceptual framework of international conflict management based on the above-mentioned triad of actorness, approaches and tools as derived from the existing literature. Second, it will apply the selected three-layered analytical framework to Turkey to decipher its strengths and limitations in managing international conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are diverging assessments of China's role in resolving the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula. China's role has been characterised variously as a bystander, arbiter, catalyst and mediator over the years. This paper aims to clarify where China stands on North Korea and assesses the different phases of the Chinese approach to conflict resolution during the North Korean nuclear crisis. The main argument is that China wishes to maintain the regional status quo while appearing to adjust its position in line with the international community. China's current duplicity stems from its different priorities and concerns to the remainder of the world, and can best be explained using a role theory analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many societies are divided into multiple smaller groups. Certain kinds of interaction are more likely to take place within a group than across groups. I model a reputation effect that enforces these divisions. People who are observed to interact with members of different groups are believed to be less trustworthy by members of their own group. A hierarchical relationship between groups appears endogenously in equilibrium. The information requirements for my equilibrium to exist are much less demanding than the information requirements in related models. These different information requirements correspond to concrete differences between the institutions of different Indian castes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Smart Economics’ is no epiphenomenon. It is an instrument of exploitation at the heart of neoliberalism. The global neoliberal agenda has co-opted feminism, creating what Roberts calls ‘transnational business feminism’. With the promotion of entrepreneurialism, women in the Global South are targeted for exploitation in an attempt to introduce them into the formal markets. Female empowerment has become the new fetish for capital accumulation through the indebtedness of women in the Global South and the subsequent reproduction of capitalism. This reproduction of capital is possible due to the newfound access to the financial markets that is introduced through bringing women’s purchasing power into the fold. Microfinance institutions are the spearhead of ‘Smart Economics’ in the Global South, while arguing to alleviate poverty in rural areas. Microfinance institutions such as the Grameen Bank and kiva.org are examples of this. These organisations target women with a patriarchal agenda, which reinforces the gender relations in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS TB) in children is still a socioeconomic problem in developing countries. It has varied manifestations, symptoms are nonspecific, diagnosis can be challenging, and treatment may be difficult. It is often missed or overlooked. Among the various pathological entities, tuberculous meningitis is the most common and devastating manifestation. The resultant vasculitis, infarction, and hydrocephalus can be life-threatening. It can have grave cognitive, intellectual, and endocrine sequelae if not treated in time resulting in handicap, especially in resource constraint countries. Early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculous meningitis is the single most important factor determining outcome. Tuberculous hydrocephalus needs to be recognized early, and cerebrospinal fluid diversion procedure needs to be performed in adequate time to prevent morbidity or mortality in some cases. Tuberculous pachymeningitis and arachnoiditis are rare in children. Tuberculous abscess can mimic pyogenic abscess and requires high index of suspicion. Calvarial tuberculosis is seen in children and responds well to antituberculous chemotherapy. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a formidable problem, and alternate chemotherapy should be promptly instituted.Aim: The pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, and management of central nervous system tuberculosis in children are summarized.Conclusion: Heightened clinical suspicion, early diagnosis, appropriate antituberculous treatment, and surgery in relevant situation are essential for a gratifying outcome and preventing complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydatid disease of the central nervous system is rare and comprises about 2-3% of all the hydatid cyst cases reported in the world. Spinal hydatid is still rare. It is endemic in sheep and cattle-raising regions, seen mainly in Mediterranean countries including Turkey and Syria. Pediatric neurosurgeons in nonendemic countries face a challenge when they are encountered with hydatid cyst of the central nervous system due to lack of awareness and diagnostic dilemmas. It is also a mammoth economic problem in developing countries due to improper hygiene and lack of dedicated veterinary practice. The clinical features are largely nonspecific. However, with the advent of MR imaging, the diagnostic accuracy has increased. Intact removal of the cyst without causing any spillage is the goal and key to cure. In this manuscript, the current literature on hydatid cyst of the brain and spine is reviewed to understand the epidemiological, diagnostic accuracy and advances in therapeutics. A heightened clinical suspicion about hydatid disease, role of MR imaging and improving surgical strategies is discussed. A nationwide prevention of the disease is the ultimate goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of violence risk among youth remains a priority for researchers and practitioners globally. The absence of scales designed or validated in developing countries drives the need for a psychometrically sound, alternative measure. The purpose of this article is to validate the Youth Violence Potential Scale (YVPS). The YVPS was administered twice over 12 months to 318 South African males, aged 12-24 years. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of separate samples confirmed a 19-item, three-factor solution, comprised of a Deviant Peers subscale, a Pro-Gangs Attitude subscale, and a Pro-Violence Attitude subscale. The YVPS exhibited internal reliability (α = .91) and discriminant and convergent validity among its subscales. Correlation with self-reported problem behavior/offending (r = .48, p < .001) and risk assessment from the maternal caregiver (r = .39, p < .001) evidenced concurrent and external validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a surge in the popularity and application of the bartering method in the field of marketing. The author focuses on cultural, economic, and political factors that favor the trading method on an international basis. He also examines challenges associated with implementing the method. A series of barter transactions are examined for the benefit of American business executives and managers. It is suggested that the prevalence of the bartering method in developing nations as well as worldwide inflation are reasons Western businessmen should study the technique.

Many experts have concluded that, if greenhouse gas concentrations are to be limited while the world’s energy demands are nonetheless met, biomass energy will be an indispensable resource. At the same time, climate change is expected to affect agricultural productivity adversely—and 15 percent of people in developing countries, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, already suffer from extreme food insecurity. Authors from three countries—José R. Moreira of Brazil (2014), Roberto Bissio of Uruguay, and Ethan B. Davis and Tom L. Richard of the United States (2014)—explore how the potential climate mitigation benefits of devoting arable land to the production of biomass energy can be achieved without further undermining food security in the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study deals with some of the problems that American Multinational Corporations face in transferring management know-how to the developing area. The analysis shows that certain variables such as ownership, company size, nature of the technology, and product market characteristics seem to have an influential bearing on the management transfer process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current corporate scenario, Organisations are facing new community and ecological challenges to their dealing from issues about labor production to community conflict, climate change, or exhausted markets. As an answer to these issues, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement has emerged and established an authority to offer itself as a solution. Over the past decade, as Corporate Social Responsibility has entwined within the network of ethical standards and has become recognized as accepted view within the arena of both development and multinational business. These two domains are the concerns around which the discussion in this paper is restricted. As a result, this study, through the use of anthropology, have begun analysing how social and material "responsibility" is grounded in the normal functioning of organizations. Here the anthropological studies apply ethnographic lens on CSR's functioning from two stand points; on the one hand, focusing on the CSR machinery and on the other hand, exploring CSR's local impacts through the anthropological study of corporate social responsibility in a respective geographical area. The aim of this paper is to bring together many of the key issues involved in the functionality domain of CSR while tracking the processes and outcomes of CSR ethnographically in diverse contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to the prior discussion of the emerging research on entrepreneurship and sustainable development, the purpose of this study is to investigate the ability of the entrepreneurial activity to simultaneously enhance economic growth, advance environmental objectives, and improve social conditions in developing countries. We mainly found that entrepreneurship in these countries positively contributes to the economic and social dimensions of sustainable development, while its contribution to the environmental dimension is negative. The results of causality test confirm the interactions among entrepreneurship and these three dimensions in both short and long-run. Limitations and future research directions, some managerial and policy implications for entrepreneurial action in sustainable development are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth are the largest cohort in history numbering more than 1.2 billion with an estimated 87% living in developing countries. The majority of young people live in cities with 60% of the urban population in the developing world. In Bangladesh it will become 65% in 2030 (proportion of total population). Many youth live in informal settlements where opportunities for dialogue with governments are scarce. At the same time young people have been at the forefront of the rapid developments in information and communication technology (ICT) particularly the mobile miracle. Mobile platforms offer new opportunities for engaging youth in urban governance. This research addresses these questions through the presentation of data-based canvassing of Bangladesh (especially Chittagong city) followed by personal interviews. The findings are organized around key parameters designed to guide the development of programmes and policies that connect ICT as a tool to improve urban governance and local democracy for youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of digital technologies, imagination is often evoked to describe the creative quality possessed by visionary technology developers. In contrast, we describe the idea of gaining a “digital imagination” as a process through which the non-elite—here, potential and new users of digital technologies in Myanmar and rural China—envision something that is not yet part of their lives and thus begin appropriating it. The digital imagination is a framing that prefigures everyday uses of technology and is shaped by individual aspirations, the organization of society, and images of digital media that exist in the surrounding environment. A locally grounded imagination can provide locally appropriated innovation that is often lacking in digital technologies developed in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper proposes an agent‐based model (ABM) that combines ethnographic and economic methods to analyse how the social interaction between creative actors generates new creative knowledge. The chosen case of study is Puerto Vallarta, a sun and beach international destination in Mexico. Puerto Vallarta contains, potentially, many of the key elements that are discussed in the literature on creative economy. Our methodological strategy identifies ethnographically types of knowledge that are associated with a standard typology of creative industries in a city. The model is evaluated by simulations of agents engaged in producing ideas based on these types of knowledge either collectively or individually. Among the main findings are the presence of ‘elevated common knowledge’ between creative agents (which can be an important constraint for rising creativity) and that mixed behaviour of knowledge production (collective and individual) can boost better the production of ideas in Puerto Vallarta. Finally, we claim that the proposed methodology can be extended to and implemented in other similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Wellbeing Index covers two complementary measures, the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and the National Wellbeing Index (NWI). The focus group study reported here tested the understanding of the NWI when translated into isiXhosa, a language spoken by 6 million South Africans, or 16% of the country's population. A challenge for the NWI in measuring national well-being is the tendency for meaning to get 'lost in translation' in the wording of the instrument, owing to the disparities that exist between levels of living in developed and developing nations. The focussed discussions with native isiXhosa speakers conveyed the different shades of meaning associated with the six domains that make up the NWI. The isiXhosa keywords for the domains of social conditions, the natural environment, national security, and management of the country's affairs (government) were readily understood, but discussants asked for further clarification of keywords for the domains relating to the economy and business. Conversations showed up the close link between personal and national well-being: discussants drew upon their personal and parochial life experiences along with their knowledge of current affairs to evaluate the nation's quality of life. They described the social contract between citizens and their government to create a 'caring society' that promotes well-being across key domains of national life. Many of the reference standards used to evaluate national well-being were ones postulated to influence personal well-being (Michalos A.C, Social Indicators Research 16(4): 347-413 1985 ). The study also pointed to a potential problem for longitudinal studies if the bipolar satisfaction scale, formerly used to measure the International Wellbeing Index's PWI and NWI, is changed to a unipolar one. Findings from this pilot study confirm the potential of the NWI as a tool for measuring national well-being cross-culturally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses role of innovation systems in improving early childhood education in developing countries. It states initiatives taken by Inter-American Development Bank in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region by reducing inequality through education, and mentions that IDB's Division of Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation (CTI) developed the Innovation Lab (I-Lab). It notes major priority areas or challenges, like lack of care strategies for children.

Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) share a special geographical location i.e. they are landlocked. In the context of globalization, this is considered to be disadvantageous. Combined with economic, political, social and cultural barriers... that prevent these countries from escaping poverty and instability. Because this disadvantage is constant, adaptation for development is necessary despite many difficulties. However, the opportunities for landlocked countries also arise, and the international community gives much attention to those countries that can, therefore, hope for a better future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large proportion of the world's population resides in developing countries where there is a lack of rigorous studies in designing energy efficient buildings. This study is a step in designing a naturally ventilated high rise residential building in a tropical climatic context of the developing country, Pakistan. Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, lies in the subtropical hot desert region with constant high temperature of average 32 °C throughout the summer and no particular winter season. The Design Builder software package is used to design a 25 storey high rise residential building relying primarily on natural ventilation. A final conceptual design is proposed after optimization of massing, geometry, orientation, and improved building envelope design including extensive shading devices in the form of trees. It has been observed that a reduction of 8 °C in indoor ambient temperature is possible to achieve with passive measures and use of night time ventilation. A fully naturally ventilated building can reduce the energy consumption for cooling and heating by 96 % compared to a building using air conditioning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses feminist aspects of climate change. It states that climate change adaptation studies highlight the vulnerabilities of women living in developing countries, and mentions challenges facing women living on land susceptible to subsidence, erosion, or flooding. It notes issues related to application of moral and ethical reasoning to guide policy responses for climate change, and cites an article by Laurie Zoloth on relation between climate change and feminism.

Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) is widely accepted as a useful tool. It is believed that the use of PBC can assist the efficient utilization of the public resources. The objective of this research is to assess the extent of PBC application and the obstacles to applying it in the public procurement systems of developing countries. Interviews and factual analysis of procurement guidelines and contracts are used to collect data for this research. The analysis results indicate that the majority of public organizations have not yet used PBC even though it is allowed by the law. This is due partly to lack of clarity in the procurement laws and lack of capacity to use PBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian aid has long been considered an important means to reduce hunger and suffering in developing countries. A recent finding by Nunn and Qian (US food aid and civil conflict, American Economic Review 2014; 104: 1630-1666) that such aid from the US increases the incidence and duration of civil conflict in recipient countries, however, questions the effectiveness of this policy and poses a serious policy concern for the US government. We revisit this issue by conducting a successful replication study of the results in their paper. In order to further scrutinize their claims that a heterogeneous effect of food aid on conflict is not present, we employ a semiparametric endogenous estimation procedure. We show that their parametric models cannot be rejected and argue that their findings are robust. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Existing evidence on the impacts of parental education on child nutrition is plagued by both internal and external validity concerns. In this paper we try to address these concerns through a novel econometric analysis of 376,992 preschool children from 56 developing countries. We compare a naïve least square model to specifications that include cluster fixed effects and cohort-based educational rankings to reduce biases from omitted variables before gauging sensitivity to sub-samples and exploring potential explanations of education-nutrition linkages. We find that the estimated nutritional returns to parental education are: (a) substantially reduced in models that include fixed effects and cohort rankings; (b) larger for mothers than for fathers; (c) generally increasing, and minimal for primary education; (d) increasing with household wealth; (e) larger in countries/regions with higher burdens of undernutrition; (f) larger in countries/regions with higher schooling quality; and (g) highly variable across country sub-samples. These results imply substantial uncertainty and variability in the returns to education, but results from the more stringent models imply that even the achievement of very ambitious education targets would only lead to modest reductions in stunting rates in high-burden countries. We speculate that education might have more impact on the nutritional status of the next generation if school curricula focused on directly improving health and nutritional knowledge of future parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasing accessibility of smartphones and mobile Internet, social media are becoming an integral part of everyday life for young people in Kenya. The use of new social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp is quickly changing in the country. Previous research on new media, however, indicates socio-demographic differences in the access, appropriation and use of new technologies. This article aims at advancing our understanding of how young people in developing countries are appropriating and using new social media platforms. It examines the multiple ways in which young people in Kenya use social media platforms and how they use these new spaces to connect, interact, communicate and engage on different issues. The article argues that the new social media configurations are invariably making possible access to alternative spaces, relatively 'free' from mainstream communication platforms. These changes have implications on different aspects of social change processes such as sociocultural and socio-economic changes in the Kenya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an essay on the various humanitarian issues in Haiti. The author highlights the impact of media in widening the gap and segregation between highly developed countries and third world countries, and examines the social and economic condition in Haiti wherein the author notes the conflicts in the country brought by differences.

Since Ted Gurr’s Why Men Rebel it has become conventional wisdom that (relative) deprivation creates grievances and that these grievances in turn lead to intergroup violence. Recently, studies have yielded evidence that the exclusion of ethnic groups is a substantial conflict risk. From a theoretical angle, the relationship is straightforward and is likely to unfold as a causal chain that runs from objective discrimination to (subjective) grievances and then to violence. We test this proposition with unique group-format data on 433 religious minorities in the developing world from 1990 to 2008. While religious discrimination indeed increases the likelihood of grievances, neither grievances nor discrimination are connected to violence. This finding is supported by a large number of robustness checks. Conceptually, discrimination and grievances can take very different shapes and opportunity plays a much bigger role than any grievance-based approach expects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'the least developed countries' (LDCs) is widely understood to designate, exactly as stated, the world's least developed countries. In conjunction with the 2015 United Nations (UN) triennial review of the LDC category, this article attempts to critically evaluate the UN's list of LDC countries in the light of various indicators - economic, social, political, military and security related, and psychological. It concludes that the official and actual lists of LDCs, despite important similarities, are not completely identical. The term 'the LDCs' as used by the UN is therefore not fully consistent with the reality it attempts to designate and describe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using South African census data from 2001, 2007, and 2011, I examine the effect that immigration had on labor market outcomes of native-born black South Africans. Using instrumental variables to control for the potential endogenous location choices of immigrants to South Africa, the results show that immigrant inflows decreased the employment-to-population ratios and total annual income of black native-born South Africans. Additionally, results suggest a negative effect of immigrant inflows on the employment ratio and total annual income of black native-born South Africans employed in the formal sector. Results show that immigration caused an intersectoral employment shift. For black male South Africans, the composition of the employed labor force shifted to the formal sector, and for black female South Africans, the composition of the employed labor force shifted to the informal sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than 50 years, the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics has fostered the growth and sustainability of physics and mathematics in the developing world, benefitting hundreds of thousands of scientists. What began as a dream by its founder, Pakistani Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, has become a first-rate international research hub connecting scientists from all corners of the globe. As the social and economic situations in many developing countries has shifted, ICTP has responded with the creation of relevant research and training programmes that continue to boost science in disadvantaged parts of the world. Today, ICTP remains a beacon of hope for scientists who aspire to greatness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented which discusses philosophical letter writing by analyzing the works of philosopher Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and Gloria Anzaldua. Topics discussed include the defense of women's education by Sor Juana, and the status of women in Third World countries. Also mentioned are the impact of these two philosophers on feminism in Latin America.

While the Internet of Things (IoT) is not new, its key components are becoming increasingly affordable now, which makes the technology extremely attractive for the Global South. By collecting data from various IoT sources, combining them with data from other sources and using big data analytics, decisions can be made and actions can be taken that can have important economic, social, ecological and environmental implications in these countries. The most visible impacts of the IoT in these countries include improvements in agricultural and food systems, enhancement of environmental security and resource conservation, achievement of better healthcare, public health and medicine, and enhancement of the efficiency of key industries. This paper provides an overview of how the IoT is currently being used in the Global South. It also discusses the opportunities and challenges that IoT initiatives present there. The analysis indicates that the IoT may address some of the institutional bottlenecks, technological challenges and key sources of high transaction costs. On the other hand, various sources of underdevelopment may act as barriers to full utilisation of the IoT. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The author shares his experience of developing professional community development responses in various community contexts within Bangladesh, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Topics discussed include frustration at the gap between what community development promises and what it can deliver ; issues arising in the development of community work; and ways to identify underdeveloped communities.