ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01031.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper concerns the manner in which the West is responding to protracted political crises beyond its borders. It examines the conceptual world‐view that aid agencies bring to complex emergencies and which shapes action. The paper provides an analysis of developmentalism. That is, the currently dominant idea of development which is an adapted form of multiculturalism. It is based on the empowerment of cultural differences and the relativisation of progress. As a variant of multiculturalism, developmentalism is part of Western racial discourse. In terms of understanding conflict, it establishes a mirror‐image relationship with new rascist ideas premised on cultural pluralism inevitably leading to social breakdown, violence and anarchy. To the contrary, with its functional view of social harmony, libertine developmentalism claims that even unresolved political crisis constitutes a development opportunity.Developmentalism, like culturalism generally, is incapable of analysing power. It therefore cannot understand the effects and significance of its own organisational forms. Moreover, since the absence of power translates into operational neutrality in a war zone, it is also unable to analyse the nature of new political formations emerging in the global periphery. That is, the so‐called weak or failed states, warlords and so on. This functional ignorance has allowed a widespread incorporation of humanitarian aid into the fabric of political violence. Developmentalism is an essential underpinning for the growing organisational accommodation to ongoing conflict and eroding standards of justice and accountab

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01032.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The links between certain kinds of political systems and protection against famine are investigated in this paper. The starting‐point is a critique of Amartya Sen's observation that famines are unknown in countries with a free press and competitive elections. This holds true only in India because of a unique political history in which freedom from famine became a right, upon which political legitimacy was founded: an anti‐famine ‘social contract’.The rise and decline of anti‐famine systems in Africa is charted. Major reasons for decay include neo‐liberalism and the international humanitarian system, both of which undermine relationships of domestic political accountability that underpin effective famine prevention. A number of politically regressive tendencies in ‘actually existing humanitarianism’ are identified that work against any nascent anti‐famine social contracts in Africa. This is possible because famine prevention has not been established as

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01033.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The author's experience of information collection and analysis in the Bahr‐el‐Ghazal region of south Sudan is reflected on here. The paper suggests that existing strategies of needs assessment are often based on misunderstandings about the cultural, social and economic conditions of war‐affected communities. Furthermore, the needs assessment process has taken on a life of its own: for the intended beneficiaries it is often a wearying experience, but one which can yield benefits if the ‘correct’ answers are provided to sometimes ridiculous and often insensitive questions. For the assessors, participatory patterns of data collection provide an apparently scientific justification for decision‐making in contexts characterised by complex political and moral dilemmas and organisationa

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01034.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The principles upon which famine policies are based have changed less than might be expected over the last century. This paper examines the origins of the Indian Famine Codes of the 1880s, which set the administrative and, it is argued, paradigmatic precedent for famine relief in ‘developing’ countries, managed by ‘developed’ ones. In particular, the still‐current questions of avoiding the creation of dependency through over‐generous aid and of relying on free‐market solutions to the problems of food distribution are re‐examined. Although both of these issues are difficult, it is suggested that strong emphasis on their importance has historically been based on wilful misinterpretation of complex situations. The result has been famine relief programmes which served the interests of ’relievers’ (in this case the colonial state) more than the relieved. The nature of famine policy‐making is thus reconsidered, with a call for greater appreciation of the role of influential individuals and hidden state agendas. These are as sign

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01035.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper gives an overview of the global pattern of casualties in earthquakes which occurred during the 30‐month period from 1 September 1993 to 29 February 1996. It also describes some of the behavioural and logistical regularities associated with mortality and morbidity in these events. Of 83 earthquakes studied, there were casualties in 49. Lethal earthquakes occurred in rapid succession in Indonesia, China, Colombia and Iran. In the events studied, a disproportionate number of deaths and injuries occurred during the first six hours of the day and in earthquakes with magnitudes between 6.5 and 7.4. Ratios of death to injury varied markedly (though with some averages close to 1:3), as did the nature and causes of mortality and morbidity and the proportion of serious to slight injuries. As expected on the basis of previous knowledge, few problems were caused by post‐earthquake illness and disease. Also, as expected, building collapse was the principal source of casualties: tsunamis, landslides, debris flows and bridge collapses were the main secondary causes. In addition, new findings are presented on the temporal sequence of casualty estimates after seismic disaster. In synthesis, though mortality in earthquakes may have been low in relation to long‐term averages, the interval of time studied was probably typical of other periods in which seismic catastrophes were relatively limited in

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01036.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper examines the setting and evaluation of emergency rations for refugees and displaced people. After defining the purpose for which rations are designed, the variables affecting their quantification are discussed. The debate concerning the use of one as opposed to a range of energy levels for different populations is highlighted in a review of recent proposals for ration levels.It is demonstrated that up to a twofold range occurs if different combinations of the main parameters are used. This has important implications for the large‐scale provision of food. The use of one figure for the setting and evaluation of rations for all populations is inappropriate; figures should be set according to specific context and need. To achieve this, a practical two‐stage approach is proposed. Stage 1, probably a desk exercise, uses pre‐calculated ‘look‐up’ tables which provide energy values for each country. These figures are for immediate use as ‘rule‐of‐thumb’ estimates, based on clearly defined parameters. The second stage involves refining the values using improved information on local conditions collected

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01037.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Different refugee camps may have widely differing morbidity and mortality rates. Some of these differences are ascribed to environmental factors. This paper reviews the key issues relating to one environmental factor: the size of the refugee camp, and provides a tentative theoretical framework for examining the effect of camp size on refugees. This effect may not be considered because aid workers chronically underestimate the value of the refugees' contribution to their own survival. Large camps settle great numbers of refugees to the hinterland of the camp and limit their access to resources available there. This may increase refugee dependency and vulnerability. There is some slight evidence from the analysis of data provided by Mercer (1992) that child mortality rates (aged 0–4 years) are positively correlated with camp size (as inferred from child populations). If other factors allow, it might be wise for camp planners to try to limit camps to a size which allows refugees reasonable access to local resource

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01038.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01039.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0361-3666    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1996.tb01040.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY