bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Local motion detection by hierarchical neural network
Authors: Atsumi Eiji , Takagi Mikio , Yokosawa Kazuhiko
Published: July 2007

Perception of visual motion is thought to consist of two stages: generation of candidates and their interaction to determine true motion. In this paper, a three‐layered neural network is applied to detect local visual motion. The network, after learning, could categorize nine types of motion and obtained a motion detection algorithm that included the two states of perception. The internal representations for the first stage agree with the functions of one‐center and off‐center cells, and those for the second stage agree with the functions of lateral inhibition. We also tried to detect arbitrary motions by combining multi‐resolution representation of images with the neural network.
High‐precision γ‐ω hough transformation algorithm to detect arbitrary digital lines
Authors: Wada Toshikazu , Seki Makito , Matsuyama Takashi
Published: July 2007

The γ‐ω Hough transform we proposed earlier (a) does not lead to bias in the number of votes accumulated in the cell even when the parameter space is sampled in uniform cells and voting takes place over all pixels, and (b) the voting locus becomes a piecewise linear line composed of two segments so drawing and analyzing the curve is simple. These are significant advantages. In a conventional γ‐ω Hough transformation algorithm, however, votes from the pixel set included on one digital line spread over multiple cells in the parameter space and the number of pixels forming digital lines is not always taken as the correct number of votes. The reason is the conventional algorithm does not detect all of the target digital lines in the image space. In this research, for the γ‐ω Hough parameter space, we determine the cell configuration having a one‐to‐one correspondence with all of the digital lines in the image space and demonstrate an appropriate voting method for this cell configuration. By applying the “high‐precision γ‐ω Hough transformation algorithm” used in the cell configuration and voting method proposed in this paper, digital lines having any orientation and position can be stably and precisely detected.
Multimodal definite clause grammar
Authors: Shimazu Hideo , Takashima Yosuke
Published: July 2007

This paper describes the first reported grammatical framework for a multimodal interface. The authors have developed Multimodal Definite Clause Grammar (MM‐DCG), an extension of Definite Clause Grammar. The major features of MM‐DCG include the capability to handle an arbitrary number of modes and temporal information in grammar rules. Further, the techniques for translating MM‐DCG rules into Prolog predicates are described in detail.
Stability of solutions in hopfield neural network
Authors: Matsuda Satoshi
Published: July 2007

Taking the traveling salesman problem as an example of a combinatorial optimization problem that can be solved by neural networks with symmetric connections (Hopfield neural networks), the asymptotic stability and instability conditions of solutions satisfying the constraints of the problem, and instability conditions of nonsolutions which do not satisfy those constraints are presented. From the results, it is shown that network properties such as the limitations of networks with multilinear energy function (wii = 0) and many other phenomena can be explained theoretically. Furthermore, from simulation it is confirmed that the optimal solution for the optimization problem can be obtained with high probability by setting the coefficients of the constraints and the optimization requirements so that they satisfy the presented conditions.
Genetic algorithms applied to bayesian image restoration
Authors: Takatsu Kazunori , Sawai Hidefumi , Watanabe Sumio , Yoneyama Masahide
Published: July 2007

This paper describes genetic algorithms (GAs) applied to Bayesian image restoration. Crossover operation is discussed as a method used to find new search points in GAs. A suitable genotype and an efficient crossover method for a Bayesian image restoration will be proposed. Due to the independency of GAs from objective function forms, it is easy to introduce ideas into the objective functions. The idea of line process proposed by S. Geman and D. Geman [12] is introduced into the objective function, which provides better restored images. As a comparison, a stochastic relaxation (SR) method is applied to the image restoration problem, and the convergence properties of SR and GAs are also discussed.
A recursive algorithm for edge intensity and gray‐level thresholds selection based on edge and contour evaluation
Authors: Gotoh Toshiyuki , Toriu Takashi
Published: July 2007

A high‐speed recursive algorithm has been proposed for determining multiple thresholds for a gray level of an image based on edge and contour evaluation using a two‐dimensional histogram of the maximum and minimum values in a 2 × 2 window and providing that the edge map of the image is given [5]. Although it is possible in principle to determine both the edge and gray level thresholds simultaneously by expanding the previous method, this requires excessive computation (proportional to the cube of the gray levels).

This paper proposes a method of simultaneously determining the thresholds for both the edge and gray level so that the coincidence between the edge and the contour is optimized. In this method, the edge intensity is defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum values in a window; conditions that each pixel in an image is a part of a contour and/or an edge are discussed; and a set of optimum thresholds is determined with a relatively small amount of computation (proportional to the square of the gray levels) by using only a 2‐D histogram of two gray levels of the images after the maximum and the minimum filter.
Connected character recognition in cursive handwriting using selective attention model with bend processing
Authors: Shuono Hayaru , Fukushima Kunihiko
Published: July 2007

As one of the systems to recognize the cursive handwritten English connected character sequence, Imagawa et al. proposed a system with the selective attention mechanism. The system of Imagawa et al., however, does not have a very high recognition ability. It is a relatively small‐scale system, where the character category to be recognized is composed of 5 characters.

This study extends the recognition system proposed by Imagawa et. al., and a system with a higher recognition ability is constructed. One of the authors notes that a part of the “model for selective attention” is similar to the pattern recognition system “neocognitron.” With respect to the neocognitron, it is reported that the recognition ability is improved by introducing the bend detection circuit. Consequently, the authors constructed a system, where the bend processing circuit is introduced into the system by Imagawa et al. Various test patterns are given to the constructed system, and it is verified by executing a computer simulation that the proposed system is effective in the recognition of the handwritten connected character sequence.
An object extraction method using sampled active contour model
Authors: Hashimoto Masahiro , Sakai Yoshinori , Kinoshita Hirotsugu
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a new method of contour extraction using active contour models for the purpose of image structuring. Active Contour Models, such as “snakes,” are based on energy minimization, which takes a great deal of computational time. In the proposed method, the active contour models consist of sampled contour points, and each sampled contour point is guided and moves in parallel by pressure exerted perpendicularly to the contour, attraction between neighbor boundary points, and repulsion from edge. Since each contour point is independently guided by a resultant force, the proposed method has the following characteristics: noise tolerance; parallel execution; and low computational cost. Experimental results on real pictures show the effectiveness of this method.
Visual solder inspection using neural network
Authors: Koji Yukichi , Takatsu Naoyoshi , Oh Masanari
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a method optically to inspect the state of each soldered lead of a semiconductor package. The surface of the soldered lead is recorded using a CCD camera from a direction perpendicular to it and illuminated from the same direction as the camera. The features of the pattern and the distribution of the brightness on soldered lead are extracted from the recorded image, so that the quality of the soldering is judged from them. It has already been proven that the method is effective to inspect bumps on a soldered part. This paper proves experimentally that the method is also effective to inspect soldered leads. The images of soldered leads have more variations than those of bumps. Therefore, the determination of condition that correctly represent the features and sections of an image is the key in this experiment. After the best conditions have been found, the experimental results using 508 samples (including 175 defective samples) show a 100 percent detection rate for defective samples and 95.7 percent of normal solderings. These results agree with those gained from human visual inspections.
A speaker‐adaptation technique for context‐dependent models represented by hidden markov networks
Authors: Takami Jun‐Ichi , Sagayama Shigeki
Published: July 2007

This study aims at the realization of a speaker‐independent speech recognition system based on the speaker adaptation with a supervisor. This paper describes the highly accurate speaker‐adaptation technique using a small number of training samples. When a small number of speech samples are used for adaptation there arise problems that sufficient information cannot be obtained to update simultaneously a large number of model parameters, and an estimation error is included to the statistical bias of the samples.

From such a viewpoint, this paper proposes a speaker‐adaptation technique using the hidden Markov network (HMnet), which employs a smaller number of model parameters than the mixed continuous‐distributed phoneme HMM, which is independent of the phoneme context, while realizing an equal or better recognition performance. As the adaptation technique, the moving vector field smoothing (VFS) method is used. This method can realize simultaneously the interpolation for the unadapted model parameters to cope with the small number of samples and the correction of the estimation in the speaker adaptation. The standard speaker pre‐selection method also is investigated in order to improve the accuracy of the speaker adaptation.
Self‐stabilizing ring orientation algorithm under the C‐Daemon
Authors: Katayama Yoshiaki , Masuzawa Toshimitsu , Tokura Nobuki
Published: July 2007

A self‐stabilizing algorithm is a distributed algorithm that achieves its intended behavior regardless of the initial configuration.

This paper discusses the self‐stabilizing algorithm for the ring orientation problem (ROP). ROP is a problem where all processors on a ring network are to be oriented either clockwise or counter clockwise. It is known up to now for the network composed of an even number of processors that there does not exist a deterministic self‐stabilizing algorithm to solve ROP under the D‐daemon or the R/W daemon. On the other hand, a probabilistic self‐stabilizing algorithm is known for ROP on a ring network with an arbitrary size under the D‐daemon. This paper also presents a self‐stabilizing algorithm for ROP on a ring network with an arbitrary size under the C‐daemon. The result indicates that the classes of problems that can be solved by the C‐daemon and the D‐daemon, respectively, are substantially different.
Offset adjustment to reduce coding error of interpolative DPCM
Authors: Machizawa Akihiko
Published: July 2007

Interpolative DPCM has superior prediction capabilities compared to the commonly used extrapolative DPCM, but since quantization errors accumulate during decoding, and since quantization errors are expanded by expansive coefficients that are proportional to the image size, IDPCM has the weakness that coding errors become excessive. In this paper, offsets are added to the pixel values of the image that is to be coded, where a new method is proposed for the offset adjustments such that a transformed image with smaller quantization errors results. The effectiveness of this algorithm is confirmed by simulations with real images. Since the offset values are determined by the solution of a nonlinear minimization problem with an evaluation function that is the coding error derived from the function of the offsets values and quantization errors of the adjusted image, a minimization algorithm that combines a descent method with a one‐dimensional search and which exploits properties of the evaluation function is used. Furthermore, coded data rates are estimated, and rate‐distortion curves are determined with the use of a hypothesized image probability model. By combining this method with a previously proposed subsampling method, it is possible to improve the image quality by 3 [dB], or reduce the coded rate by 0.3 [bits/pixel].
Estimation of texture gradient using nonstationary spectral analysis
Authors: Urisaka Shinya , Hamada Nozomu
Published: July 2007

Estimating the gradient of a plane from a single still image is an important procedure in the 3‐dimensional reconstruction of an object. This paper proposes a method of detection of a gradient from the distortion of textures on an object and the rate of its change. It is assumed that the 3‐D object consists of a single plane having uniform textures. The gradient of the plane is estimated from 2‐D frequency data considering that the image signal obtained by a projection has a variation of its local frequency characteristic. A peak frequency is extracted as a local frequency by estimating a non‐stationary spectrum, and the gradient is obtained from the rates of variations of its direction and magnitude. In this way, the gradient can be obtained quantitatively, even if the data of spectrum of a texture (without any gradient) are not known.

Two methods of estimating a nonstationary spectrum are proposed i.e., the short‐time Fourier transformation method (STFT), and a method using AR model, and they are compared. The proposed method is applied to an image having periodic patterns, and to a statistical image. The results show the usefulness of the method.
Coevolution in recurrent neural networks using genetic algorithms
Authors: Sato Yuji , Furuya Tatsumi
Published: July 2007

This paper describes an investigation into the effectiveness of a lookahead model based on recurrent neural networks. An action network and an internal model of the environment are incorporated into the recurrent neural network; lookahead planning is performed while configuring the action network through learning in the internal model.

A genetic algorithm is applied to the design of the neural networks. The effectiveness of this model is evaluated by applying it to the game of “tic‐tac‐toe,” and the following result is obtained. It is possibly more effective to perform learning in the internal model by learning algorithms than by memorizing input‐output correspondences.
Parameters obtained by hepatobiliary scintigraphy have significant correlation with biochemical factors early after liver transplantation
Authors: Kansoul H. A. , Axelsson R. , Yamamoto S. , Savicheva I. , Aspelin P. , Ericzon B.-G. , Gjertsen H.
Published: July 2007

Background: Early postoperative hepatobiliary scintigraphy after liver transplantation is performed worldwide, but data on its significance for graft function are currently limited.

Purpose: To examine the correlation between the result of early postoperative hepatobiliary scintigraphy and pre- and postoperative biochemical parameters in liver transplantation (LTx) patients.

Material and Methods: Six parameters of hepatobiliary scintigraphy using 99mTc mebrofenin were statistically analyzed in 108 LTx patients: 1) half-life of the activity of elimination of mebrofenin from the blood; 2) total clearance of mebrofenin from the blood due to all possible routes; 3) half-life of the activity due to liver uptake; 4) clearance of mebrofenin from the blood due to liver uptake; 5) time to maximal uptake in the liver; and 6) the hepatic extraction fraction (HEF) and biochemical data. Analysis between patients with preoperative normal liver function, familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), and end-stage liver disease (non-FAP) was also performed.

Results: Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that total bilirubin postoperative day 3 correlated with all three scintigraphic parameters, and peak aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase correlated with HEF. The analysis between patients with FAP and non-FAP revealed no significant difference of scintigraphic data between the two groups.

Conclusion: A significant correlation between early postoperative scintigraphic results and biochemical parameters was demonstrated.
Power without responsibility: the World Bank & Mozambican cashew nuts
Authors: Hanlon Joseph
Published: July 2007

Mozambique's cashew nut production failed to recover after the 1982–92 war, with serious implications for peasant producers and workers in the country's single largest industry. Cashew has the potential to regain its role as a major sector of the Mozambican economy, and this article looks at the fundamental problems relating to the growing and processing of cashew. Next, the article shows how contradictory World Bank‐imposed policies prevented Mozambique from resolving these problems. Cashew shows that World Bank staff sometimes have unchecked power to impose policies on poor countries, with no need to justify their actions. The article concludes by asking if the World Bank can be sole judge of the success of its policies.
Dilemmas of the Kenyan succession
Authors: Southall Roger
Published: July 2007

Under weight of a diversity of pressures, Daniel Arap Moi has announced his forthcoming retirement from the presidency. The resultant succession dilemma which dominates Kenyan politics is accentuated by endemic corruption, economic decline and increasing popular antipathy to the KANU regime. Yet even in the facing of deepening crisis, the balance of forces favour the government's capacity to frustrate democratisation. Its control of state resources, its increasing resort to informal repression and the reluctance of western powers to encourage a de‐stabilisation all imply that the country's present rulers retain enormous reserve powers. A ‘second‐best’ solution, which provides negotiated shelter for those who have gained by corruption or who have abused human rights may therefore prove to be the most workable way to avoid a resort to armed resistance by present power‐holders and pave the way towards a democratic transition.
The land issue in eritrea's reconstruction & development
Authors: Rock June
Published: July 2007

At the end of the 30 year‐long liberation struggle against Ethiopian overrule, Eritrea was faced with the enormous tasks of political and economic reconstruction, the repair of the country's physical infrastructure, and the need to rebuild and rehabilitate the devastated agricultural sector. These tasks coincided with those of the demobilisation of fighters and the repatriation and reintegration of some 600,000 refugees that had fled to the Sudan during the struggle. High on the agenda of Eritrea's decision‐makers immediately after Independence, was the issue of land. A speedy resolution of the land issue was seen as integral to the government's overall policies for post‐war recovery and reconstruction. This resulted in the introduction, in 1994, of the Eritrea Land Proclamation, which aimed to radically transform the country's tenure systems. Some six years later, with the exception of one or two small pilot projects in the immediate environs of the capital, Asmara, the Proclamation has still to be implemented. This article examines some of the specific provisions of the Land Proclamation in order to explore what would need to be done to initiate it on the ground. It is argued that, while the principles of the Land Proclamation are well intentioned, its implementation would be too complex and costly, and that there are alternative lessons to be learned from the EPLF's own, earlier land reforms of the mid‐1970s and 1980s.
The Kenya SAREAT international IDEA democracy workshop
Authors: Bracking Sarah
Published: July 2007

The report of the Nairobi workshop on 22 June 2000 which follows forms part of a pilot project of democracy assessments conducted under the auspices of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm, and its Director of applied research, Dr. Patrick Molutsi.

The purpose of these country assessments is to answer such questions as 'How democratic are we? How much progress have we made? Which are the issues that give the most cause for public concern, from a democratic point of view? The assessment framework being used has been developed through a process of widespread international consultation, and builds on a methodology that was first used for the Democratic Audit of the UK. The assessment criteria are derived in the first instance from basic democratic values, such as equality, participation, representativeness, accountability, solidarity, and only secondarily from the institutional arrangements through which these values are to a greater or lesser extent realised.

Although the assessment framework provides a common instrument for use in any country, it treats democracy as a comparative matter - of more or less -and allows the in-country assessors to define for themselves what the appropriate standards or comparators for assessment should be, as well as how the assessment should be compiled and presented.
Debt relief & social investment: linking the HIPC initiative to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa: the case of Zambia
Authors: Cheru Fantu
Published: July 2007

Besides being a global public health emergency, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has become the foremost contemporary threat to the development of many African countries. Past achievements in economic growth, improved life expectancy and decreasing child mortality have been reversed by the rapid spread of the HIV virus. It is estimated that each day in Africa more than 5,000 people die from AIDS or HIV related illness, with the figure expected to climb to almost 13,000 by 2005. In the context of this unfolding humanitarian crisis, creditor nations and institutions should cancel outstanding debt immediately so that resources of affected countries can be directed toward containment of the epidemic, within broader strategies of poverty alleviation. Addressing this crisis should not be construed as an act of charity, but an obligation ‐ and a necessity. Linking debt relief to HIV/AIDS is one small but important step in the long march to eradicate poverty in the poorest developing countries. This article examines a proposal formulated in Zambia to enact such a link.
Angola: new hopes for civil society?
Authors: Kibble Steve , Vines Alex
Published: July 2007

How does emerging Angolan civil society help bring about needed peace and constructive international support when the entire recent history of their country has been of internal repression and war aided by external, mostly malign, intervention with a million and a half people killed since 1975? On the face of it, civil society seems unlikely to succeed where elite negotiations and UN interventions have been so spectacularly unsuccessful, but there are some hopeful signs and some possible points of pressure ‐not least the fact that civil society may have greater popular legitimacy (if rather less power) than any of the political parties and government institutions. None the less it is important not to romanticise the attempts of Angolans to organise themselves for self‐help, peace promotion and the like. Many organisations do not last, there are divisions amongst and between groups and a lack of government structures able or interested in dialogue.
‘Here in the city, everything has to be paid for’: locating the community in peri‐urban Angola
Authors: Robson Paul , Roque Sandra
Published: July 2007

The following article is a preliminary summary of research carried out for ADRA and the Development Workshop Angola about communities, solidarity and collective action in peri‐urban areas of Angola. Full reports in Portuguese and English will be published as Development Workshop Occasional Papers. The strategies of development organisations in Angola have increasingly focused on ‘strengthening civil society’ and ‘governance’. This is positive, though they cannot be seen as magic formulae. The many changes in Angolan society (before and after Independence) have had the result of weakening social cohesion, and migration to peri‐urban areas as one of the most important changes. This makes it more difficult to develop the relationships of trust and the mechanisms of accountability that are the basis of a strong civil society and good governance. Strategies need to directly address these issues rather than assume that they exist.
The Somali region in ethiopia: a neglected human rights tragedy
Authors: Khalif Mohamud H. , Doornbos Martin
Published: July 2007

This article reviews Ethiopia's human rights record with a particular focus on the human rights situation in the Somali region. Attention is paid to the atrocities committed against civilians, specifically community and political leaders as well as members of the Somali State legislature. Furthermore, the 2000 famine is discussed as a human rights issue in the light of indications that this famine was deliberately choreographed. The article also explores human rights violations inflicted upon the Somali region's population following the discovery of natural gas and the denial of benefits thereof to the local community. In conclusion some future scenarios are examined to ascertain to what extent they might possibly change the prospects for the people in the Somali region.
Contradictions in the peripheralization of a pastoral society: the Maasai
Authors: Hedlund Hans
Published: July 2007

Focusing on the Kaputiei, one section of the Maasai, pastoralists who straddled the Kenya‐Tanzania border, this case study examines first the relations of production in pastoral societies. It suggests the notion of a ‘cattle complex’ must be understood not as an ‘explanation’ but as an ideology rooted in a social structure based on an age‐class system. It locates the economic backwardness of such areas, and the observed conservatism of their people in their incorporation as peripheries of the colonial‐capitalist system, and argues that this process has in fact been accompanied by an actual deterioration in the forces of production. It finally charts how new processes of class formation have evolved on the base preferred by the indigenous structure, as a result of ranching schemes and other inappropriate ‘development’ strategies that government has pursued among the Maasai.
Supply, control and organization of African labour in Rhodesia
Authors: Malaba Luke
Published: July 2007

Luke Malaba's overview of the history of African labour control and organization from the 1930s to the 1970s highlights some of the institutional mechanisms of labour exploitation which were at the root of the whole settler colonial system and which must soon come under review by the new government. He offers a critique of the dualist work on African migrant labour but also points to some of the limits of recent ‘radical’ writings (see Bibliographic Noteat end) which, whilst recognizing the structural integration of the African ‘reserves’ with the settler capitalist economy, fail to break away from an overly economistic conceptualization. It is the political framework which has defined and maintained the form of migration, Malaba argues. Moreover, workers organizations themselves have divorced the political from the economic aspects of the struggle against capital. The author concludes that the consciousness of workers does not automatically result from their dialectical position in relation tothe capital‐owning class but needs to be aroused and directed towards the struggle for complete emancipation. The relative divorce between workers organizations and the national movements he poses as a key problem for the future.
Resistance and hidden forms of consciousness amongst African workers
Authors: Cohen Robin
Published: July 2007

A major weakness in the interpretations proffered by many ‘radical’ commentators on African labour protest and worker consciousness has resulted from their efforts to define the characteristics of the African proletariat by the use of traditional ‘formula dichotomies’ — the theoretical bases of which have not been elaborated upon adequately for application within an African context. The methodological limitations imposed by these formulas (examples of which are ‘false versus true consciousness’, ‘economistic versus revolutionary consciousness’, ‘a class in itself or a class for itself etc), have led to an over‐emphasis on data which has been easily accessible to measurement, and which has also been familiar and comprehensible within the framework of accepted marxist theory. Consequently there has been too much reliance on data relating to strikes, unionisation and overt political militance, and for the most part a failure to discover and evaluate the silent, unorganised, covert responses of African workers. An imbalance caused by analysing overt worker militancy without paying adequate attention to the covert type could result in an overall false conception of labour consciousness. It is therefore necessary to widen the range of resources to include more data illustrative of how local cultural influences and social pressures can shape the workers’ perceptions of their own exploitation. These individualistic forms of protest within specific work situations might not be immediately familiar to the observer; neither might they lend themselves easily to categorisation. Nevertheless they will contribute decisively to the overall process of determining worker consciousness at both an economistic and political level.
Swedish companies out of South Africa?
Authors: Palmberg Maj
Published: July 2007

In 1979, Sweden was the first capitalist state to impose a ban on new investment in South Africa. It is now illegal for Swedish companies to start new enterprises in the South African market. But, contrary to some misapprehensions abroad, the ban does not involve a withdrawal for Swedish companies operating in South Africa. These include several dynamic, high‐technology corporations. The business community is campaigning to abolish this law and to find loopholes to circumvent it. Today, much of the political struggle on the South African issue in Sweden is focused on the struggle around this legislation.
Tigray: famine and national resistance
Authors: Bennett Jon
Published: July 2007

Developments within Sudan are complex enough, but in recent years they have been further complicated by the impact of upheavals, not of its own making, in various parts of the Horn of Africa, next door. The most tangible effect is the hundreds of thousands of refugees that have to be maintained in the Sudan. But there has also been a political dilemma for the present regime. It is drawn, like its reactionary Arab allies, to support movements that oppose a proclaimedly socialist and Soviet‐backed regime like Ethiopia's, and it does promote the more conservative groups, for it is uneasy about the radical, anti‐imperialist stance of the more dominant national liberation groups.

The wider conflicts in Eritrea, in the provinces of Ethiopia and between Somalia and Ethiopia also pose a dilemma for the left in Sudan. It tries to tread a difficult, diplomatic path between criticism of the Numeiri regime's automatic anti‐Soviet anti‐socialist stance whilst keeping its distant but open lines of communication with the more progressive movements in the Horn. Our final Briefing does raise one such issue on which many of our Sudanese collaborators maintain a diplomatic silence, one of a set of issues that nevertheless is part of the context of Sudanese politics. The Reviewhas concentrated its attention within the Horn on Eritrea, but has also hosted some on‐going debate on the national question in that region. But this is the first contribution to that discussion which focuses on Tigray, an area which famine has brought very much into the headlines as we go to press. We hope this overview of present conditions and review of the position of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, by a recent visitor to areas the TPLF controls, will both inform but also stimulate further contributions to the debate.
The love of liberty brought us here (an analysis of the development of the settler state in 19th century Liberia)
Authors: David Magdalene S.
Published: July 2007

Recent years have witnessed a revival of interest among radical scholars in the peripheral state as a specific object of study within the broad realm of political economy. Important debates have focused on the concept of the ‘over‐developed’ post‐colonial state, the historical transformation of the state during the de‐colonisation process, the form of the peripheral state and its class character, with discussions being based on case studies of former European colonies. This focus, however, leaves aside the form of the peripheral state in societies which did not experience a typical colonial situation — the state in settler societies being a case in point. While the state as found in settler societies such as Algeria, Kenya and Rhodesia has attracted some scholarly attention, the case of the settler state in Liberia has not been discussed in any rigorous or systematic manner..

The failure of the literature on Liberian political economy to establish the specificity of the early form of the Liberian state prompts the present article which reflects a process of working through the historical development of the Liberian state between 1822 (when the first black American emigrants arrived in Liberia) and 1904 (when the settler state was sufficiently established along the coast to attempt inland expansion of its authority), directed by central issues raised in debates on the peripheral state. These issues include: the form of the Liberian state, ie: its function, organisation and class character, the relationship between the state and the class structure and the nature of state intervention in the economy. The discussion presented here is intended as a preliminary sketch in what is a largely under‐researched area of study, the political economy of 19th century Liberia.
The political economy of civil rule and the economic crisis in Nigeria (1979–84)
Authors: Forrest Tom
Published: July 2007

This paper examines the dynamic interaction of economic policy and state action with political, social and market forces during the civilian regime of President Shagari (Oct 1979 — Jan 1984). It investigates why democratic politics, or more accurately, the rule of politicians, had disastrous economic consequences. The National Party of Nigeria, which gained power as a party of national patronage, was weak and largely devoid of policies. Political competition and economic debate were constituted around the distribution of state patronage and federal state relations. The public economy and processes of policy formulation were fully exposed to the distributive demands of state patronage and electoral politics. Throughout the period, trends that were identifiable in the economic expansion of the 1970s intensified, including the loss of financial control and discipline in the public economy, the privatisation of public funds and the expansion of state employment.

In Nigeria, as elsewhere, political and social processes and the institutional structure of the state have profoundly conditioned economic activity, state policies and forms of intervention. In this way they affect the allocation and use of resources, patterns of accumulation and the growth and development of the economy. At the risk of oversimplification, it is to some of these structural features that define the economic environment that this analysis will turn first. Spectacular as changes in regime and the ups and downs of the oil economy may be, it is the continuities and cumulative impact of structural features that stand out.
The control of reproduction: principle and practice in Nigeria
Authors: Pittin Renée
Published: July 2007

Policies and practice relating to the availability of contraception, the accessibility of abortion and the custody of children are measures of the legal and political status of women in any given society. They bear directly on domination of women in the spheres of reproduction and control over the fruits of reproduction, children. Pittin explores how these matters reflect women's rights and opportunities in the case of Nigeria. She is particularly concerned with the manner in which the law impinges upon women, restricting choice and reaffirming an unquestioned subordination of married women to their husbands. She suggests that there is a need for both changes in the law and of policy.
The outlook for Nigerian oil: 1985–2000: four scenarios
Authors: Okugu Bright
                      Erakpoweri
Published: July 2007

Based on some recent forecasts of world oil demand and price in the years up to 2000, this paper looks at the probable demand for OPEC oil, Nigeria's market shares, and its revenues from oil. This is done under four scenarios: continued weak markets, optimistic, OPEC successfully defends ‘its market share’ and total breakdown in current market arrangements. The results point to continued difficulties, especially up to 1990, and probably beyond. This increases the potential for greater social conflict, as tighter austerity measures are introduced. The glut once again highlights the futility of total dependence on oil. Oil which had masked bad economic policies in the past, can no longer be relied upon to play this dubious role. Increased emphasis on agricultural production, and some adjustments in the operation of the Nation's Public Finance are suggested, among other policies, to cope with the transition to a post oil‐boom Nigeria.
The left in Nigerian politics and the struggle for socialism: 1945–1985
Authors: Abdulraheem Tajudeen , Olukoshi Adebayo
Published: July 2007

This paper is a brief historical overview of certain aspects of radical, Left‐wing politics in Nigeria in the 40 years between 1945 and 1985. It traces the origins, growth and nature of the radical struggle for some form of socialist transformation in the country and attempts to identify the strengths and weaknesses of some of the organisations that were established at various times since 1945 for the attainment of this goal. The myth that there is as yet no Left politics in Nigeria is false. By the end of the Second World War, when the nationalist struggle for independence attained its peak, radical activism both within and outside the trade union movement had started in earnest and has been growing since then, taking various forms, as the contradictions of the capitalist development process in Nigeria deepen. As politicians of all shades begin to gear themselves in readiness for the proposed transfer of power from the military government to civilians in 1990, the Nigerian Left can look back to a heritage, with both positive and negative aspects, which we attempt to pin‐point in the course of our discussion. The crucial question is how the positive aspects of that heritage can be harnessed and extended in order to advance the struggle for socialism and how the errors of the past are to be avoided in the run‐up to 1990.
The two faces of the black trade union movement in South Africa
Authors: Webster Eddie
Published: July 2007

In an up‐to‐date account of the black labour movement in South Africa, Webster argues that the unions have made significant industrial advances in the period since their legal registration. He argues, however, that from the point of view of the state the process of recognition accorded to the collective bargaining system will provide an inadequate means of incorporating black workers without the granting of political rights. As this is still so far from the reform agenda (particularly, we may add, in the wake of the recent all‐white general election), the unions are bound to seek to short‐circuit the ‘reform’ process by adding to its industrial face, the face of democratic and representative politics. The author assesses how far the creation of the Congress of South African Trade unions can meet this double role.
Negotiating the bauxite/aluminium sector under narrowing constraints
Authors: Campbell Bonnie K.
Published: July 2007

A study of Guinea's aluminium industry which demonstrates that the presence of large bauxite deposits and energy resources has not been sufficient for Guinea to integrate the production process within its own borders. Despite multinational promises to increase the extent of local transformation, they have preferred to locate production in countries with a proximity to large markets. This development reflects new forms of integration in the internationalisation of capital rather than the comparative costs of factors of production. In this changing context, the Guinean state, severely constrained by the IMF and World Bank, has been unable to bargain successfully with the multinationals.
South Africa: political violence, reform and reconstruction
Authors: Morris Mike , Hindson Doug
Published: July 2007

The endemic violence sweeping South Africa is often said to be the fault of apartheid. If the point being made is a moral one then this is obviously true. However, if a holistic explanation rooted in material, social and historical processes is being sought then two questions have to be addressed: why is this occurring now when apartheid is in demise rather than 15 or 20 years ago when it was at its peak? Furthermore, why in a society where whites historically have dominated and oppressed blacks, often violently, are black people killing each other rather than whites? Posing these questions recasts one's whole way of looking at violence; that the roots of violence should be sought in the effects of the disintegration of apartheid rather than its continued implementation.
Ethnicity and democratization in South Africa
Authors: Szeftel Morris
Published: July 2007

The global proliferation of communal conflicts has its parallel in South Africa where the end of apartheid produced new demands for the recognition of group rights and ethnic interests. These run directly counter to the insistence of the ANC and its allies on a secular democracy based on equality of citizenship. Ethnic conflict, and particularly the violence in KwaZulu/Natal, has led to a renewal of interest in the study of ethnicity, particularly in problems related to its definition and to its nature in the South African context. Such issues raise questions about the role played by ethnicity in contemporary politics and about its place in the process of democratization. Although the renewed interest in ethnicity is timely, questions exist about the extent to which ethnic claims in South Africa have widespread support, or represent evidence of the resurgence of ethnicity rather than the assertiveness of heavily‐armed political machines.
Adjustment in Egypt? The political economy of reform
Authors: Bromley Simon , Bush Ray
Published: July 2007

This article examines the nature of structural adjustment in Egypt. It situates the policies of the International Financial Institutions within the context of Egypt's economic and political crisis and the efficacy of their policies of liberalisation in agriculture and for economic growth. The IFIs are promoting policies for rolling back the state but they are not addressing issues of ‘good governance’ and democratisation. It is tempting to conclude that the current international strategy for economic reform is a repeat of the failed policies twenty years ago of Anwar Sadat's infitah.
Oil rents, international loans and Agrarian policies in Nigeria, 1970–1992
Authors: Okolie Andrew C.
Published: July 2007

In 1970 the Nigerian government shifted the focus of its agrarian policies from peasant‐produced and state‐marketed cash (export) crop production to mechanisation and the concentration of land and food production in the hands of highly subsidised elites — mainly serving retired top military officers, bureaucrats and wealthy business people. It also tried to regulate production through public ownership, indigenisation of foreign enterprises, price, interest and exchange rate controls and the restriction of certain capitals from certain sub‐sectors. Contradictorily the government at the same time promoted the importation of large quantities of food. The elite farmers remained few, produced little food, and the welfare of the vast majority of the people was not improved; meanwhile bureaucracies were created and continued to reproduce themselves. By 1986 the government had begun to reverse those policies in compliance with a structural adjustment programme imposed by the IMF/World Bank. Subsidies, price, interest and exchange rate controls and the government's direct involvement in production were reduced or ended. The productivity impact of this shift was also minimal and welfare has suffered. These policy shifts result not from the impact of internal or external forces alone, but rather from a complex interaction between them.
Ethnocide ‐ discourse and perceptions
Authors: Stephen Michael
Published: July 2007

These are two books which, on the surface, deal with very similar subjects. They focus on a form of inter‐communal violence, sometimes terms ‘tribalism’ when referring to the African variety (but not when examined elsewhere in the world). The violence in Rwanda and Burundi is practised by population groups which bear the same name in two comparably developed neighbouring states. It might even be wrongly surmised that the two states were a one‐time country now divided ‐ yet another manifestation of the geo‐political vagaries of the colonial legacy. Both books seek to rid us of some of our myths and preconceptions and to cause us to interrogate our information more closely. Yet they have very different methodologies and represent very different approaches to the subject.

Burundi: Ethnocide as Discourse and Practice (1994), Rene Lemarchand, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press and Woodrow Wilson Center.

Rwanda: Death, Despair and Defiance (1994), Africa Rights Publications, London.
The politics of food and starvation
Authors: Bush Ray
Published: July 2007

This article evaluates the persistence of famine and hunger in Africa. It assesses Africa's food crisis and traces some of the key debates on famine and starvation since the 1970s. It examines the continuity and change in those debates and argues that many of the recent insights into the ways in which food systems may become vulnerable to famine can be provided by an assessment of the political struggles involved in agricultural modernisation.