bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recreating Communities to Support Active Living: A New Role for Social Marketing
Authors: Maibach Edward W.
Published: November 2011

The lack of routine physical activity has become an all too pervasive health threat in the United States. Social marketing can be used directly to promote increased physical activity among people who have access to active living options (e.g., safe and convenient sidewalks or bike paths). A second, albeit indirect, use of social marketing to promote physical activity — and the focus of this article — involves promoting behaviors that influence the built environment for the purpose of increasing people's access to active living options. This use of social marketing involves changing the behavior of consumers, developers, distribution channels (e.g., real estate agents) and policy makers. The approach offers public health and other organizations a disciplined, consumer-focused means of mobilizing their available resources in a manner that maximizes the odds of creating active living communities. These means include understanding the competition, understanding target markets, creating mutually beneficial exchanges, segmenting markets and targeting them based on anticipated return. This article identifies specific opportunities for applying the social marketing approach to create active living communities, and identifies opportunities at the state and national level that will enhance the effectiveness of local efforts.
Opportunities for Integrating Public Health and Urban Planning Approaches to Promote Active Community Environments
Authors: Hoehner Christine M. , Brennan Laura K. , Brownson Ross C. , Handy Susan L. , Killingsworth Richard
Published: November 2011

The growing emphasis on promoting environmental change as a means to increase physical activity has motivated conversation and collaboration between researchers and practitioners in the fields of public health and urban planning. Although these fields share similar objectives, their methodological approaches for examining the association between the environment and behavior often differ in significant ways. To facilitate communication, this article discusses ways these fields can collaborate in developing and applying conceptual frameworks, adopting behavioral and environmental measures, and strengthening study designs. By collaborating to build synergism in research and dissemination, public health and urban planning professionals can enhance efforts to increase the number of communities that promote active living.
Reliability and Validity of Two Instruments Designed to Assess the Walking and Bicycling Suitability of Sidewalks and Roads
Authors: Emery James , Crump Carolyn , Bors Philip
Published: November 2011

Purpose.

Public health professionals hypothesize that when community environments provide suitable walking and bicycling conditions, community members will be more active. Measurement indicators and assessment instruments are needed to evaluate suitability. This study determined the reliability and validity of two instruments to assess the suitability of sidewalks for walking and roads for bicycling.

Methods.

Two data collectors used walking and bicycling suitability assessment instruments to collect data on 31 road segments. In addition, three transportation experts used a 7-point Likert response system to subjectively evaluate walking and bicycling conditions for the same segments. Intraclass correlations determined the reliability of each assessment instrument and the reliability of the Likert response system. Pearson correlations (research staff assessments with expert assessments) were calculated to determine the criterion-related validity of the suitability measures.

Results.

Intercoder reliability (intraclass) correlations for the walking and bicycling assessment instruments were r = .79 and .90, respectively. Intercoder reliability of the experts' Likert response system was r = .73 for the walking form and r = .77 for the bicycling form. Criterion-related validity (Pearson) correlations for the walking and bicycling assessment instruments were r = .58 and .62, respectively.

Conclusion.

Although some variables have lower reliability and validity than is ideal, the walking and bicycling suitability assessment instruments appear promising as instruments for community members and professionals to systematically assess key aspects of the physical environment.
Increasing the Health Promotive Capacity of Human Environments
Authors: Stokols Daniel , Grzywacz Joseph G. , McMahan Shari , Phillips Kimari
Published: November 2011

This article offers an integration of two different perspectives on health promotion research and practice: one emphasizing the concept of community capacity for health improvement and the other focusing on the notion of health supportive environments. These two approaches generally have emphasized different kinds of community assets for health promotion. Specifically, community capacity research has focused on the cultivation of human resources (e.g., collaborative coalitions, participatory decision-making, health education strategies) for health promotion, whereas environmentally oriented research has underscored the influence of material resources (e.g., the built environment, natural resources, technological infrastructure) on important health behaviors and outcomes. Combining these two streams of health promotion research yields a broader understanding of the health promotive capacity of human environments and suggests several “best process” guidelines for enhancing health promotion practice.
Relationship between Urban Sprawl and Physical Activity, Obesity, and Morbidity
Authors: Ewing Reid , Schmid Tom , Killingsworth Richard , Zlot Amy , Raudenbush Stephen
Published: November 2011

Purpose.

To determine the relationship between urban sprawl, health, and health-related behaviors.

Design.

Cross-sectional analysis using hierarchical modeling to relate characteristics of individuals and places to levels of physical activity, obesity, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease.

Setting.

U.S. counties (448) and metropolitan areas (83).

Subjects.

Adults (n = 206,992) from pooled 1998, 1999, and 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Measures.

Sprawl indices, derived with principal components analysis from census and other data, served as independent variables. Self-reported behavior and health status from BRFSS served as dependent variables.

Results.

After controlling for demographic and behavioral covariates, the county sprawl index had small but significant associations with minutes walked ( p = .004), obesity ( p < .001), BMI ( p = .005), and hypertension ( p = .018). Residents of sprawling counties were likely to walk less during leisure time, weigh more, and have greater prevalence of hypertension than residents of compact counties. At the metropolitan level, sprawl was similarly associated with minutes walked ( p = .04) but not with the other variables.

Conclusion.

This ecologic study reveals that urban form could be significantly associated with some forms of physical activity and some health outcomes. More research is needed to refine measures of urban form, improve measures of physical activity, and control for other individual and environmental influences on physical activity, obesity, and related health outcomes.
A Vision for Health in Our New Century
Authors: McGinnis J. Michael
Published: November 2011

Our vision of good health is changing. Extraordinary progress was made over the course of the 20th century—life expectancy at birth increased by nearly 30 years and scientific insights revealed that our health fates are determined by interacting factors within each of the five major health domains. As life expectancies extend far beyond customary notions of old age, attention shifts from survival and toward improving the quality of life. Our beliefs about what makes for a healthy life are reorienting around a vision of new possibilities, in which we take full advantage of what we know about getting each child off to the right start; providing all the opportunity for lifelong vitality borne of healthy lifestyles; designing safe and nurturing physical environments for our communities; assuring that all have access to the kind of medical care they need; protecting the isolated or estranged from the illness or injury that often accompanies their condition; and providing comfort and choices for all at the end of life.
Consumers of Health Information and Health Care: Challenging Assumptions and Defining Alternatives
Authors: Sofaer Shoshanna , Gruman Jessie
Published: November 2011

The end of the 20th century saw a sea of change in the view of individuals in relation to their health and health care. The term “consumer” began to be used to describe myriad new roles and responsibilities for lay people who receive health services and who are often the target of health promotion and disease prevention interventions. This article (1) describes how the term “consumer” is used by various stakeholders in the health care sector; (2) specifies the assumptions that underlie the notion that a “new” kind of health care consumer can (and should) have a significant effect on their own health and on the health care system; (3) challenges the evidence base of these assumptions, noting that many are either unsupported or clearly contradicted by what we know; (4) articulates a set of principles to inform an alternative, more productive, and feasible role for individuals with respect to their health and health care; and (5) identifies the implications of those principles for health promotion and health care professionals in the 21st century.
What it Takes for Congress to Act
Authors: Evans Clyde H. , Degutis Linda C.
Published: November 2011

A thriving democracy requires engaged citizens. Although voting is one aspect of participating in the democratic process, it is not sufficient if one wishes to be truly involved in shaping and influencing policy. Congress, the body of elected officials representing the citizenry, works not just for the people but also with the people. Working with Congress requires participation—as experts, as advocates, and as citizens who have an interest in their community. This article is aimed at those who wish to actively work with the Congress. Thus, instead of giving a comprehensive description of Congress, it focuses on those aspects that are essential to effective advocacy. Part 1 presents basic information about the structure of Congress and the nature of the legislative process. Part 2 presents some observations about the basic structure and process that have implications for advocates. Part 3 translates these observations into concrete strategies for effective advocacy.
New Vision for Health Promotion within Sports Medicine
Authors: Blair Steven N. , Franklin Barry A. , Jakicic John M. , Kibler W. Ben
Published: November 2011

Providing medical care for the treatment and prevention of injuries and health problems for competitive or recreational athletes is the most widely recognized role of sports medicine. However, the field is much broader and includes clinical practice and research in many areas related to physical activity in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Sports medicine and exercise science involve not only physicians and other licensed health care practitioners but also physiologists, social scientists, epidemiologists, kinesiologists, and other public health and medical professionals. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that a physically active lifestyle is important for optimal health. A key role of sports medicine is to focus the attention of a wide variety of health professionals, educators, and policy makers on developing and implementing strategies to help more individuals enjoy the many health-promoting benefits of regular physical activity.
The Future Role of Nursing in Health Promotion
Authors: Chiverton Patricia A. , Votava Kathryn McCabe , Tortoretti Donna M.
Published: November 2011

Never before has health promotion been more important than it is today. Nurses in education, practice, and research settings can participate in the advancement of health promotion not only to the mainstream but to the forefront of nursing practice. Historically, nurse educators have taught patients how to manage illness; in the future, the focus must be on teaching people how to remain healthy. Nurses must have an evidence-based understanding of the significant effect that can be made through health promotion interventions and communicate this understanding to the public at large. As more people grow in their awareness of activities that lead to good health and become knowledgeable about their own health status and the health of their families, the overall health of the population will improve.
Mr. Blademan. Macrolithic technology – Eneolithic vocabulary and metaphors
Authors: Dzbyński Aleksander
Published: November 2011

The Eneolithic period witnessed a technological breakthrough of a significance comparable to that of the technological revolution in historical times, accompanied by a matching revolution in social and economic relationships. This transition no doubt led also to the creation of new and momentous metaphors, which in their turn triggered new senses and planes of communication. It goes without saying that the Eneolithic technology that had the greatest potential for metaphors promoting new ways of looking at the world was metallurgy. Nevertheless, before Eneolithic communities came to fully appreciate the properties of metal, many of their number resorted to an idiosyncratic flint technology to produce macrolithic implements. It seems that the production and exchange of macrolithic artefacts led to the development of a new vocabulary and grammar that served, among other things, to describe the social inequalities discernible in Eneolithic communities.
O-pi e-de-i: on round building as an archetypical form of sacred space in the Aegean
Authors: Yiannouli Evyenia
Published: November 2011

The archaeological record supports the general proposition that the simplest form of architecture, the round building type, variously persisted throughout the Aegean prehistory. This paper makes a case for the identification of round building as a distinct genre of sacred space in the Aegean Bronze Age, Mycenaean Crete in particular, combining evidence from architecture, iconography and the scripts. Certain archetypical features are thus delineated. It is argued that the historical understanding of the emerging LBA state requires a study of the architecture prior to the 2nd millennium BC as much as other relevant evidence issuing from the latest Aegean strata.
Ein Qedem 2. A Kebaran site in Nahal Galim, Mount Carmel, Israel
Authors: Rosenberg Danny , Nadel Dani , Ronen Avraham
Published: November 2011

Ein Qedem 2 (EQ2) is an open-air Kebaran site (Early Epipalaeolithic period, ca. 22 000 –17 500 calBP) located on the slope of Mount Carmel, Israel. The site is a part of a complex of prehistoric sites situated around the perennial spring of Ein Qedem and near the outskirts of the city of Haifa. EQ2, located near affluent sources of flint, presents ample evidence for Kebaran flint knapping. The rich flint assemblage provides valuable information concerning the microlithic industry, one of the hallmarks of the Epipalaeolithic period in this region.
Time and palaeoenvironment in the Neolithisation of the Povolzhye forest-steppe
Authors: Vybornov Aleksandr
Published: November 2011

The paper presents the Early Neolithic Elshanka culture in Povolzhye forest-steppe. Along with the presentation of pottery assemblage the radiocarbon dates are presented and analysed. The paper addresses the question of an early pottery production in the region.
The supply system of siliceous rocks between the Drava, Sava and Danube rivers during the Starčevo culture
Authors: Sošić Klindžić Rajna
Published: November 2011

This paper analyses the production processes of chipped stone artefacts from ten Starčevo culture sites in the area between the rivers Sava, Drava and Danube. The aim was to compare the results of assemblages analysis from individual settlements to reconstruct the existence and extent of relationships between settlements and their inhabitants. The results showed that in the area between Sava and Drava during the early Neolithic period, a system for acquiring and processing raw materials and the production and exchange of stone tools among the settlements developed. The Starčevo culture population was familiar with the environment and resources, and had developed a system of procurement and distribution of raw material and intermediate goods.
The ‘disappearance’ of Trypillia culture
Authors: Videiko Mykhailo
Published: November 2011

The Trypillia-Cucuteni cultural complex over a period of almost 2000 years was an outstanding phenomenon east of the Carpathians, but it fell into decay. The Late period of Trypillia culture dates back to 3200–2700 BC and is represented by a few local types or so-called ‘post-Trypillia cultures’, all located in regions with different natural conditions and resources, from forest to steppe zones. Local features displayed different trends of change in the economy and material culture and also in social structures. The most conservative were groups with the highest development of social organisation and economy based on a division of labour, with proto-cities, as ‘points of rest’. On the borders of Trypillia culture, intercultural relations took on a special significance and led to changes in material culture and economy that materialised as a process of ‘disappearence’. It seems that these changes had a common point of departure – changes in the environment since 3200 BC.
Burial practices at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain: change or continuity?
Authors: Hellewell Emily , Milner Nicky
Published: November 2011

There is no doubt that the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition was a time of great change. It has been suggested that at this time people began to disarticulate their dead and use caves and monuments as ways of interacting with the ancestors. This paper looks at the transition from a Mesolithic perspective in order to identify evidence for change and continuity. It is suggested that certain practices such as disarticulation and the use of caves are much earlier in date and thus provide some continuity. Practices such as the use of shell middens for the deposition of human remains and the construction of monuments stand out as innovations, but are not necessarily the result of a new ideology.
Burial practices and social complexity: Jomon examples
Authors: Kawashima Takamune
Published: November 2011

Many archaeologists investigated the burial practices of the Jomon in order to clarify emerging social complexity, especially in the 1950s. Recently, since the social complexity of the Jomon became an important issue, burial practice has been recognised as an indicator of a hereditary ranking system. As I have noted elsewhere, there is no clear evidence that a hereditary ranking system existed in Jomon society. However, instead of searching for hereditary ranking in the Jomon, burial practices could be analysed from another aspect. The temporal and regional distribution of Jomon burial practices has been clarified. In the Kanto district, communal graves appeared in the early Late Jomon. This type of burial has been discovered only in this area. In the same period, some burial practices also appeared in other areas of Eastern Japan. Although this change from Middle to Late Jomon has been recognised, it has not been investigated from the perspective of social complexity. In this paper, I will try to examine the change in burial practices from the Middle to the Late Jomon in terms of social complexity.
4 - Economic Reform, Political Liberalization and Economic Ethnic Conflict in Kenya
Authors: Ogachi Ibrahim O.
Published: November 2011

Le spectre de l'ethnicité et de conflits ethniques inquiète, une fois de plus, le milieu académique des sciences sociales. Les théories autrefois avancées pour expliquer l'ethnicité et ses manifestations en Africa, souvent fondées sur les analyses primordiales et modernistes, n'ont pas réussi à fournir des explications satisfaisantes sur les causes et la nature des conflits ethniques dans le cadre d'un vaste consensus intellectuel. Cependant, on semble convenir que l'Afrique connaît actuellement une nouvelle vague de manifestations ethniques et de conflits de même nature, au moment où la plupart des pays du continent se sont lancés dans des programmes de libéralisation politique et de réforme économique. Il est probable que les causes des conflits actuels se trouvent moins dans l'histoire que dans l'enchevêtrement complexe de la marginalisation sociale, de l'économie et de la politique. Une telle situation nécessite un renouvellement de la pensée théorique en vue d'élucider la manière dont les mutations socio-économiques ont précipité la création de foyers et de situations de conflit. Le présent article analyse le cas de conflits ethniques au Kenya en période de réforme économique et de libéralisation politique. Il montre la manière dont les forces de l'ethnicité, la politique et les classes, sont en train d'être manipulées pour provoquer des conflits ethniques. Il s'agit d'une contribution à une nouvelle orientation théorique sur les conflits et à la compréhension de la dynamique politique des sociétés qui sont traversées par des mutations structurelles.
5 - Vers une économie politique des conflits au ras du sol
Authors: Jean-Marc Ela
Published: November 2011

Dans quelle mesure le conflit est-il au cœur de la vie quotidienne en Afrique où des millions d'hommes et de femmes sont confrontés à la crise de l'Etat et de l'économie du fait des processus d'ajustement et de globalisation en cours? L'article souligne que les dynamiques de violences qui s'enracinent dans la vie quotidienne sont profondes et surtout mettent à jour la crise des fondements des sociétés africaines. Cette compréhension nous oblige à reconnaître le processus de «désenchantement» à l'oeuvre en Afrique contemporaine, à revenir aux logiques d'exclusion et de frustration qui affectent les populations précarisées, et à saisir les fondements des conflits dans la vie quotidienne en Afrique.
3 - We Decide, They Decide For Us: Popular Participation as an Issue in Two Nigerian Women's Development Programmes
Authors: Lucas Emma T.
Published: November 2011

Participation at all levels of organizing, programme development, and implementation is critical if development programmes are to meet a minimum level of success. An examination of the organizational decision-making structure of two Nigerian women's development organizations, Better Life for Rural Women (BLP), a government-sponsored programme, and Country Women's Association of Nigeria (COWAN), a non-governmental programme, reveals fundamental differences in the level of participation of rural women who were the intended beneficiaries. The mission of each focused on the improvement of rural women's lives; however, the success of the non-governmental organization far outweighed the government- sponsored one because of its basic belief in popular participation. BLP was more likely to encourage bureaucratic and individual politically motivated manoeuvres that only delayed and sometimes subverted altogether services that were specifically designed for rural women. COWAN was less likely to experience these barriers, and therefore more readily responded to and engaged rural women as full participants in development projects that focused on improving their lives. Because of political instability, government projects focusing on women are limited. However, their need for development programmes that directly address their concerns is as great as ever.
2 - Resources, Poverty and Human Development in Rural Uganda
Authors: Bongo Tenkir
Published: November 2011

Within the current factors and methods of production, Ugandan rural households balance the number of consumers, labourers and the si2e of cultivated holdings. The socially and spatially better-offs, who have more investments in livestock and family labour, enjoy higher levels of land productivity and modest improvement in their per capita income. A quarter of the total income originates from non-agricultural sectors, thereby making these sectors important avenues to poverty reduction even among the rural households.However, expenditure by those above the Poverty Line is equal to expenditure by those below. A large gap exists between the per capita income of the better-off households compared to the poor. When a human development index, including assets, income, social endowments and other positive outcomes of the development process are computed, the differentials narrow down considerably, bringing to the fore the social and economic proximity of the rural households.
4 - Introduction du salariat dans les modes de production au Gabon
Authors: Emery Etoughé-Efé Jean
Published: November 2011

The notion of salary, unknown to the traditional Gabonese production systems that were based on a system of community work and on social equilibrium, has been introduced by colonisation. Although the rhythm of work in traditional society is very intense, it is not functioning in terms of clock time, rather in terms of biological clock. That is the reason why the indigenes are accused of laziness.The advent of hard labour has been motivated by colonisers' will to compel the Negro to execute community work for Europe. In 1903, the payment of salary has been regulated through a decree dated May 11, and from then on, each village's chief, on behalf of his citizens, signs a work contract. At the same time a workbook is drawn up for each employee.With these first forms of wages appear the pioneers of the working class who are evolving in the wood industry in Gabon.
5 - La conférence nationale souveraine et la démocratisation au Togo du point de vue de la société civile
Authors: Iwata Takuo
Published: November 2011

The aim of this article is to analyse the process of democratic transition instituted by the Sovereign National Conference (SNC) in Togo, from the standpoint of the notion of civil society. In Togo, despite the authoritarian regime instituted by General Eyadema has remained in power since 1967, the Togolese had lived a period of hope when there had a beginning of democratic transition initiated by the SNC. The SNC is the result of the maturity of citizens associations, which had opened positive perspectives for the future of politics in this country. This conference has been of great importance in the political history of Africa.This study proposes to analyse the démocratisation process in Togo from the standpoint of the SNC. But it also aims at thinking of the démocratisation of other African countries, especially those who have organised a SNC, and studying the relationship between African policy and the notion of civil society.
7 - Power-sharing and Conflict Management in Africa: Nigeria, Sudan and Rwanda
Authors: Akinyele R.T.
Published: November 2011

The nature of conflicts in Africa has continued to attract the attention of scholars. This is largely because most of the violent conflicts currently witnessed in the world are taking place on the continent. This article attributes the ethnic character of most of the conflicts to the capacity of ethnicity to modify or feed on other forms of conflicts. Using Nigeria, Sudan and Rwanda as case studies, the article proposes the adoption of Rotational Presidency and the Zoning of important State offices as a solution to the fear of sectional domination which is at the centre of many conflicts
4 - La sécurité foncière sur les périmètres irrigués du Burkina Faso: le cas de la vallée du Sourou
Authors: Dialla Basga Emile
Published: November 2011

Land irrigation policy in Burkina Faso is a complementary strateg}7 to agricultura development efforts that are often hampered by rain uncertainty. However, land tenure law does not yield ownership to farmers settled in these irrigated areas. Such a situatio significantly affects their productivity. This article explores the subject through a critic analysis of the law regulating land ownership in Burkina Faso, and from data collected down the Sourou valley. Beyond the issue of land tenure security, is the issue whether or not new operators should be allowed to take over and run efficiently these irrigated area implemented at high cost.
13 - Book Review: Ifi Amadiume, Daughters of the Goddess, Daughters of Imperialism : Africa Women Struggle for Culture , Power and Democracy (London: Zed Book Ltd., 2000), xviii+300 pp.
Authors: Ochwada Hannington
Published: November 2011

Abstract
6 - Citizenship and Rights: The Failures of the Post-colonial State in Africa
Authors: Kanyinga Karuti
Published: November 2011

hroughout Africa, economic and political reforms introduced to resuscitate 'development' have failed to facilitate growth. Inequalities and poverty have continued to deepen and there is unprecedented reproduction of parochial identi ties and local social conflicts. Social citizenship itself is in a crisis: there is mass disempowerment and dispossession of ordinary citizens through loss of means of livelihood. The refonns have generally failed to promote and safeguard citizens' interests. This article examines how popular struggles for social citizenship and in particular struggles for protection of social-economic rights are organized and sus tained and the challenges they experience in this regard. The new forms of inter action between the state, the peasants and the markets are also discussed. The article is based on findings of a study on Mwea rice irrigation scheme in Kenya. The discussion concludes that the state remains an important actor in the local social-political and development space notwithstanding the reforms that have taken place. Politically and economically influential elites have control over local structures for development as well as popular organizations. This makes it difficult for consolidation of social citizenship. The crisis facing social citizenship therefore is bound to deepen if the reforms do not seek to democratize local level power structures simultaneous with democratization at the broader national level.
7 - Les immigrés nigérians à Douala: problèmes et stratégies d'insertion sociale des étrangers en milieu urbain
Authors: Nkene Blaise-Jacques
Published: November 2011

Honnis et rejetés par les populations locales de la ville de Douala du fait de leur orgueil et de leur ostentation, les migrants nigérians ont, malgré cette répulsion, déployés avec une efficacité remarquable un ensemble de micro stratégies individuelles et collectives dans le cadre de leur insertion sociale. C'est cette configuration sociologique paradoxale qui se trouve au cœur de la présente étude. Celle-ci montre en effet un type particulier d'interactions entre nationaux et non nationaux en milieu urbain et, réintroduit judicieusement la construction de l'altérité dans la problématique des migrations internationales africaines.
8 - An Empirical Profile of Weak States in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Atiku-Abubakar Jennifer J. , Shaw-Taylor Yoku
Published: November 2011

In this paper, we present an empirical construct to describe attributes of weak states in sub-Saharan Africa using the Minorities at Risk Database. Weak states are defined as having a prevalence of structural inequality, the components of which are economic differentiation, cultural (or social) inequality and political inequality. We used this construct to predict intercommunal conflict in two peri ods: between 1940 and 1989, and since 1990. Analysis showed that the struc tural inequality construct is reliable and that the likelihood of intercommunal conflict between 1940 and 1989 was associated with cultural differentials. Results also suggest that structural inequality, by itself, does not directly lead to intercommunal conflict. We argue that the addition of a variable that captures prevalence of small arms or light weapons will improve the predictive power of the model. Frequency distributions of the construct revealed that there is a high incidence of intercommunal conflict in the region and that three countries in particular were 'best performers'.
3 - On Prospective: Development and a Political Culture of Time
Authors: Diagne Souleymane Bachir
Published: November 2011

This paper interprets the African development crisis as a crisis of initiative. Right after the Lagos Plan of Action was adopted in 1980, came in 1981 the Berg Report on which were built the Structural Adjustment Programmes that African countries were soon forced to adopt. Unsurprisingly, the weakened states and impoverished populations lost sight of what was the driving force behind the Lagos Plan of Action; that is, a long-term perspective, a horizon for development. Along with developmental perspective, what was thus lost was nothing less than meaning. This crisis of meaning is felt today particularly in Africa's youngest generations who perceive themselves as futureless unless they emigrate. Because meaning flows from the future to the present, and is about shaping the future, this is a philosophical reflection on time which is also a call for the reconstruction of meaning through the cultivation of 'a prospective capacity' in our African societies. Analyzing this philosophical concept as it was developed by Gaston Berger, this paper argues that such a cultivation of 'prospective' amounts to fostering a political culture of time which is to be understood in total contrast with the ethnological approach attached to a so called 'African' notion of time.
6 - Towards Better Management of Public Education in Cameroon: The Case for Decentralisation
Authors: Joseph A. Tamuk
Published: November 2011

This paper conceptualises centralisation and decentralisation and provides evidence that the Cameroon public education system is facing imminent decentralisation. It uses available literature and the author's teaching experience to criticise the centralised education system in Cameroon, especially in resource allocation and management. The author argues that to increase the quantity and quality of education in Cameroon, there is a need to decentralise responsibility for and control of education. He presents the model proposed by government for decentralisation and proposes roles and functions for the various levels of authority in the model.
3 - The Determination and Analysis of Constraints in Resource Use Efficiency in Multiple Cropping Systems by Small-Holder Farmers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Authors: Awoke Michael U. , Okorji Eugene C.
Published: November 2011

The constraints militating against the smallholder fanners in multiple-cropping system in Ebonyi State, Nigeria were analysed. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to sample and administer questionnaires to 240 smallholder multiple croppers. Data were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. High lease charges (45 percent), problems of land fragmentation (35 percent), the low fertility of the land (78 percent), the distance of cultivable land (52 percent) and sex discrimination (100 percent) were constraints militating against the efficiency of land use. The constraints against efficient labour use were the high cost of labour, emigration, sex discrimination, and other competing labour uses, which constituted 23 percent, 22 percent, 19 percent and 14 percent respectively. Responses regarding constraints against capital use referred to the non-availability of improved varieties of yam and cocoyam (29 percent), the high cost of modern inputs (36 percent), the lack of adequate finance (33 percent), and the lack of collaterals (22 percent). The study confirmed that multiple-cropping system would have been more efficient if these constraints were reduced or eradicated. Effective extension services as well as efficient policy formulation and implementation by government are therefore recommended.
6 - The Status of Yorùbâ Dialects in Communicative Competence and Language Proficiency
Authors: Fabùnmi Felix Abidèmi
Published: November 2011

This paper attempts to explore the status of Yorùbâ dialects in communicative competence and language proficiency. Dialectal identities are quite strong among the Yorùbâ people; they form an integral part of sociolinguistic behaviour in any of the Yorùbâ communities. So, during speech acts or communication, the centralised version of the language will invariably depict the native speaker's version as deviating from the so-called standardised rules of speaking. But such dialectal identities and expressions actually mirror the people's mind, most covertly when deciding the topics that are appropriate to a particular speech event. This is the essence of communicative competence. It is however discovered in this paper that such proficiency could not be enhanced among the Yorùbâ people unless skilled dialectal knowledge is allowed to thrive. The Yorùbâ people appear to have rather strong views on the appropriateness of their dialects in different situations. The work is conceptualised within the framework of Chomsky's 'states' of mind where the adult native speaker's knowledge is fully developed static competence. Our corpora are largely taken from various dialectal renditions and written texts. Oral and structured interviews were also conducted among Yorùbâ language students and among Yoruba native speakers. This was decided in order to reduce introspection in diverse forms.
2 - Shared Governance and Leadership in African Universities: Experiences from Mzuzu University, Malawi, and Amoud University, Somaliland
Authors: Nur-Awaleh Somaliland MohamedA. , Mtegha Dorothy  M.
Published: November 2011

This paper examines the application of shared governance structure and leadership styles in African Universities, specifically at Mzuzu university in Malawi and Amud University in Somaliland. First, a brief background about Mzuzu and Amoud Universities, and their governance structure will be presented. This is followed with the description and analysis of data on teamwork, job satisfaction, shared decision-making at Mzuzu and Amoud universities. Finally, this paper will provide recommendations for African universities who are faced with similar problems of shared governance with valuable data regarding governance and leadership, and provide information about the ways in which universities governance can be modified to increase the success of higher education institutions.
9 - Connecting African Activism with Global Networks: ICTs and South African Social Movements
Authors: Wasserman Herman
Published: November 2011

In this article the potential of ICTs to amplify the work done by social movements and activists in South Africa will be explored. Against the background of new dis courses of Pan-African Unity such as those around the African Renaissance and the New Plan for African Development (Nepad), the use of ICTs by a South African activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign, will be investigated to establish how these communication technologies can embed local social movements within larger political and communicative networks both on the African continent and globally.
12 - Review Article: The Frontier of Interculturality. A Review of Wim van Binsbergen's Intercultural Encounters: African and Anthropological Lessons towards a Philosophy of Interculturality (2003), Münster: Lit Verlag, 610 pages 40.90 Euros.
Authors: Osha Sanya
Published: November 2011

Abstract
13 - Book Review: Guyer Jane, 2004, Marginal Gains: Monetary Transactions in Atlantic Africa. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press
Authors: Jane Guyer
Published: November 2011

Abstract
9 - I Dance Ala-Igbo
Authors: Anyanwu Chikwendu  P. K.
Published: November 2011

Abstract
5 - Taxation, Migration and the Creation of a Working Class in Kenya
Authors: Tarus Isaac
Published: November 2011

Various scholars have questioned the often-stated migrant labour-taxation causal nexus. They have rejected the overworked stereotype that Africans entered la bour service to pay taxes, obtain more livestock and marry more wives. This paper argues that migration was a historical aspect of social change, because migrant labourers made deliberate economic choices on whether to pay taxes either by exploiting available resources or by migrating. Particular analysis is made of the extent to which taxation engendered the creation of a working class cadre. The case of the settler economies of South Africa, Rhodesia, Algeria and Kenya in particular revolved around the transition of the rural population from a pastoral and cultivator economy to a truncated working class in the Thompsonian paradigm. They were not merely, as Atieno-Odhiambo declares, 'cogs in the wheel of capitalism'. Among other reasons, Africans went out in search of paid work for the fact that force was used when their livestock were confiscated unless they left to perform wage labour. Many others went out in search of employment for the independence and self-sufficiency it gave them. The paper argues that a number of young people went out voluntarily to obtain money which they used to pay taxes but also to acquire certain material possessions such as livestock, blankets, clothes and other paraphernalia, and to be come entrepreneurs. As a consequence of all these, we have the emergence of a working class cadre that has become an important life trajectory in Kenya.
6 - Land Tenure Reform under the Economic Liberalisation Regime: Observations from the Tanzanian Experience
Authors: Yoshida Masao
Published: November 2011

The economic liberalisation of the 1990s hastened the growth of business inter ests in land and created new competition over natural resources. The World Bank, a promoter of liberalisation, has encouraged African governments to for mulate new land policies and enact new land laws. The paper examines the process of new rush for legislating land acts, and clarify the main actors behind this move. This author utilises the observations obtained through several years of field studies undertaken in Kilimanjaro Region, as well as documentary sources, for this case study.
7 - Commerce et système d’information : le cas des vendeurs de pagnes à Brazzaville (Congo)*
Authors: Ndinga Mathias Marie A.
Published: November 2011

* Ce texte fait suite à ma participation à l’institut sur le genre organiser par le CODESRIA en 2002. Il a bénéficié d’un soutien financier du CODESRIA à qui j’adresse tous mes remerciements. Ces derniers s’adressent également aux attachés de recherche du CREP qui ont pris part à la réalisation de l’enquête. Il s’agit de Boukaka Nzongana Homère Rosian, Badila Fustel Romaric et Mbou Likibi Symphorien Gaspard. Enfin, je remercie les directeurs de l’institut sur le genre 2002 (Sheila Bunwaree et Jean-Bernard Ouédraogo) et les lecteurs anonymes pour leurs commentaires qui ont été des plus précieux. Je reste toutefois seul responsable d’éventuelles insuffisances de ce texte.

L’article a pour objet l’analyse de la place et de l’incidence des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (TIC) dans le commerce des pagnes à Brazzaville. L’investigation est effectuée suivant trois axes : l’accès, les modali- tés d’utilisation et l’analyse d’impact. Il ressort des différentes analyses que le niveau d’accès aux TICs est bas lorsque l’on considère l’ensemble des ven- deurs ou seulement les hommes ou les femmes ; bien que le pourcentage des hommes y soit supérieur à celui des femmes. Les TICs sont très peu utilisées surtout dans les relations entre les consommateurs et les vendeurs (grossistes et détaillants). L’utilisation des TICs pour faire circuler l’information entre les différents intervenants sur ce marché a montré des différences importantes en- tre les hommes disposant d’un téléphone mobile, d’une part, et entre les hom- mes et les femmes, d’autre part. En ce qui concerne l’incidence des TICs sur le commerce des pagnes, l’on a relevé que les proportions des vendeurs de pa- gnes qui perçoivent les gains dus aux TICs sont faibles. C’est toujours dans le groupe des hommes que les résultats sont importants par rapport à celui des femmes. L’analyse économétrique a révélé que c’est l’utilisation des TICs dans les relations avec les fournisseurs qui a un impact significatif sur les recettes journalières. Enfin, les orientations de politique ont été formulées pour permettre une large diffusion des TICs et leur maîtrise par les populations en général et les vendeurs de pagnes en particulier.

Mathias Marie A. Ndinga, Centre de Recherche et d’Études Prospectives, Université de Brazzaville, Congo. E-mail : ndinga01@yahoo.fr
4 - The Role of NGOs in Canada and the USA in the Transformation of the Socio-Cultural Structures in Africa
Authors: Van Wyk Anita
Published: November 2011

This paper aims to explain how International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) in Canada and the United States of America assist in maintaining the West’s hegemonic position in ongoing globalisation process, with specific ref- erence to Africa. The process begins at the local community level with ordinary citizens in North America. These people are exposed to ‘development pornogra- phy’ through a plethora of visual, text and audio input via the mass media and popular culture, which present the African lifeworld as inferior and primitive, and African people as helpless, hapless, and in the throes of an unending series of epidemics on the short road to extinction. African cultures are portrayed as backward, atavistic, stuck in their primeval past, and needing ‘modernisation’ from the West. This African lifeworld is used to describe and portray Africa in ways that justify the importance of civil society organisations (CSOs) – chari- ties, aid workers, business people, missionaries and non-governmental organi- sations (NGOs) – in ‘intervening’ in the African continent’s seemingly inexora- ble human crises. INGOs, in turn, use this image as ‘compassion usury’, tugging on the heartstrings of North Americans to donate generously to various projects in Africa. Large amounts of money, goods and time are donated by ordinary people to help re-make the so-called inferior traditional lifeworlds of Africans in accordance with Western visions. In return, these donors receive generous rewards for their contributions, in the form of tax deductions, community recognition, and development fund awards. Many of these donors are so motivated that they become development tourists who regularly visit Africa, bringing back ‘mercy-soliciting’ images to raise funds and create jobs for NGOs. Horrific pic- tures further reinforce negative stereotypes and misconceptions about Africa. In this way CSOs, particularly those recognised in Canada and the USA as interna- tional NGOs, not only unwittingly export and impose North American values on Africans, but also serve and maintain the global status quo of Western hegemony and African dependence.