September 29

PAMBAZUKA NEWS 398: LINKS AND RESOURCES

Africa Trackbacks (0)

CONTENTS:

1. Announcements,

2. Zimbabwe update,

3. Women & gender,

4. Human rights,

5. Refugees & forced migration,

6. Social movements,

7.  Elections & governance,

8. Africa & China,

9. Corruption,

10. Development,

11. Health & HIV/AIDS,

12. Education,

13. Environment, 

14. Media & freedom of expression,

15. Social welfare,

16. Advocacy &  campaigns,

17. Conflict & emergencies,

18. Internet & technology,

19.  Fundraising & useful resources,

20. Courses, seminars, & workshops, 

21. Jobs

Highlights from this issue
 
ANNOUNCEMENT: Banking on Social Change collaborative challenge!
ZIMBABWE UPDATE: New government ‘must prioritize human rights’
WOMEN & GENDER: Forum focuses on needs of Africa’s women
CONFLICT AND EMERGENCIES: Thousands flee LRA in Congo
HUMAN RIGHTS: Darfur deception
REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION: Future of Zimbabwe Migrants in Southern Africa
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: Water crisis in Africa
ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE: DRC PM resigns
AFRICA & CHINA: Ripples of China milk scandal in Africa
CORRUPTION: Africa’s movers and shakers
DEVELOPMENT: Leaders speak out on food, fuel crises
HEALTH & HIV/AIDS: Circumcision booms in Kenya
EDUCATION: Zimbabwe schools turn children away
ENVIRONMENT: SA community takes on big polluters
MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Cameroon publisher held
SOCIAL WELFARE: SA Unions urge new president to ease poverty
ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNS: Break the Silence Congo Week
INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY: The case for licensed open-source software
PLUS: e-newsletters and mailings lists; courses, seminars and 
workshops, and jobs
 
*Pambazuka News now has a Del.icio.us page, where you can view the 
various websites that we visit to keep our fingers on the pulse of 
Africa! Visit http://del.icio.us/pambazuka_news
 
Thanks to Fareeda Jadwat for this.
 
September 29

Harvard Project On The Soviet Social System Online

Russia, including the Soviet Union Trackbacks (0)
Harvard project on the Soviet social system online
The website "The Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System Online" holds the digitized transcripts of the 705 interviews done with Soviet refugees, which are part of the Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System (HPSSS) and are currently deposited at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies Collection of the H. C. Fung Library. These interviews cover the period between 1917 and 1940s and were carried out "during the early years of the Cold War". The website is therefore an important source for oral history of that period. The homepage of this project is hosted on the Harvard College Library page and it holds necessary information about the project and how to use the HPSSS database. The interviews are divided in to A-Schedule with personal life stories and B-Schedule with interviews on special topics. Searching and viewing the results of the queries are explained, while finding aids and manuals describe the system of indices created for these interviews and ancillary material added to the database. The search is by keyword or phrase with the possibility to narrow the query to one or the other of the groups of interviews. The digitized images of the typescript pages are sometimes faint but the texts are also available in HTML format and legible. The navigation is easy: images can be zoomed in and out, can be viewed in four sizes, the page can be rotated. This is a primary source of great significance for the historians of the first decades of the Soviet Union. Intute.ac.uk
http://hcl.harvard.edu/collections/hpsss/
September 29

National Government Statistical Web Sites Webarchive

Statistical information Trackbacks (0)
National Government Statistical Web Sites webarchive
This site contains a database of archived websites from national government statistical agencies which have been selected by staff from Indiana University and archived by the Archive-It subscription service created by the Internet webarchive . They include over 70 examples of the websites of statistical agencies from governments in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Eurasia, East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Oceania, Russia and Eastern Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Each entry has snapshots of the site from different dates which capture news stories. Typical site contents include official statistics, datasets and statistical yearbooks. The collection may be searched or browsed. Most archived sites are from 2006/7 onwards. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.archive-it.org/collections/
September 29

Social Disadvantage Research Centre (SDRC), University Of Oxford

Poverty Policy Trackbacks (0)
Social Disadvantage Research Centre
The Social Disadvantage Research Centre (SDRC) is "an inter-disciplinary social research group carrying out policy related research within the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Oxford". The Centre's focus is on the concept and measurement of poverty particularly in small areas and over time. The centre's work includes the compilation of the UK's Index of Deprivation. This site contains details of the centre's research, working papers and publications, members, and a page of further links. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.spsw.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/static/sdrc/
September 29

Democracy, Citizens And Elections Research Network (DCERN), University Of Manchester

Democracy Elections Citizenship Trackbacks (0)
Democracy, Citizens and Elections Research Network (DCERN)
The Democracy, Citizens and Elections Research Network (DCERN) is a research network based at the University of Manchester. It specialises in researching elections, electoral systems, electoral behaviour, election campaigns and political marketing, citizenship and participation and legislatures. Its website provides information on its aims, objectives and ongoiung research programmes. It includes free access to some full text working papers from its members. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/dcern/
September 29

Next Left Blog, The Fabian Society

Socialism United Kingdom The Left (politics) Accountability Blogs Trackbacks (0)
Next left blog from the Fabian Society
This political blog is maintained by staff and researchers of the leading left of centre think tank the Fabian Society. They include discussions of British elections, political events and thpersonalities and policies. There is a special interest in discussion of the British labour Party and its conferences. Materials are archived from 2008 onwards. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.nextleft.org/
September 29

Migration Research Unit, University College, London

Migration Trackbacks (0)
Migration Research Unit (MRU) The Migration Research Unit at University College London was founded in 1988. MRU has conducted research for the European Commission, the OECD, the Council of Europe, the UK Department for Education and Employment, the Home Office, the UN, the Australian Government details of which can be accessed online. Current research interests are in "transnationalism and diasporas as well as engagement with new geographical areas, particularly Africa". There is a list of publications, including some full text documents. These are in pdf format and require Adobe Acrobat software to access. There is a useful list of related weblinks. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/mru/europe.html
September 29

American National Election Studies. From Intute.Ac.Uk

Elections United States of America Trackbacks (0)
American National Election Studies (ANES)
American National Election Studies produces high quality data on voting, public opinion, and political participation and has conducted national surveys of the American electorate since 1952. The website contains a data center where users may download zip files of surveys, questionnaires and associated documentation from 1948 onwards. Topics covered include: voter turnout, political involvement and participation amongst the American electorate. The site also contains background information on the methodology of the survey. There is conference information and links to other election studies.
http://www.electionstudies.org/
September 29

A More United Kingdom [Pdf]

United Kingdom Trackbacks (0)
How does a nation create a sense of community or national identity? It's no trivial query, and one that countries new and old have struggled with through the ages. The Demos organization's Liam Byrne recently tackled that question in regards to Britain via his thoughtful pamphlet, "A More United Kingdom". Released in September 2008, the 96-page work argues that, "shared standards are the secret to preserving harmony in a more diverse society." Bryne happens to be a British Labour Party politician, a Member of British Parliament, and the Minister for Borders and Immigration. In this paper, he offers three concrete ideas for strengthening shared standards and a "sense of fraternity for Britain." These ideas include a national day of celebration, a stronger defense of the Union, and "the Labour Party leading a renewal of civic pride and association as part of a broader, sustained effort to regenerate Britain’s poorest places." While readers may not agree with some or even all of his suggestions, the paper provides an interesting point of view into the politics of immigration, struggling economies, and changing social attitudes. [KMG] Scout Report

http://www.demos.co.uk/files/A%20More%20UK%20-%20web-1.pdf

September 22

Gapminder [Macromedia Flash Player, Pdf]

Millenium Development Goals Trackbacks (0)
... On the Gapminder website, visitors are reminded to mind a variety of gaps, whether they be in income inequality or quality of health care. This rather absorbing website was created as a non-profit venture to promote "sustainable global development and achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by increased use and understanding of statistics and other information." The site makes use of Trendanalyzer software to offer visualizations related to questions that include "Which country has the best teeth in the world?" and "Who gets what: Farm subsidies". Visitors can find such information under the "Latest News" area, and they can also take advantage of the videos, "Gapcasts", and world charts offered here. The "Gapcasts" are quite good, and they cover carbon emissions, public services, and globalization. Also, if visitors have their own set of statistical indicators they can create their own unique Gapminder-like bubble graph on their website. It's a powerful tool, and one that might be important for other non-profits, think tanks, educators, and students. Scout Report
[KMG]http://www.gapminder.org/
September 22

Civil Rights Digital Library [Macromedia Flash Player]

United States of America Civil Rights movements Trackbacks (0)

Partner organizations including The New Georgia Encyclopedia, the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services have joined forces to create the very impressive Civil Rights Digital Library (CRDL). The intent of the CRDL is to promote an "enhanced understanding of the Movement by helping users discover primary sources and other educational materials from libraries, archives, museums, public broadcasters, and others on a national scale." Visitors can browse through the materials by place, people, events, or topics, such as "Community Organizing", "White Resistance", "Economic Justice", and "Voting Rights". Also, visitors can browse the materials by contributing institutions or media type. There's some really terrific material here, including oral histories, archival footage, and still photographs. Overall, it is a site that will be invaluable to historians working in this area, and anyone with an interest in learning about the civil rights movement. [KMG] Scout Report
http://crdl.usg.edu/voci/go/crdl/home/

September 16

Economic Freedom Of The World: 2008 Annual Report. Cato Institute

Economic conditions and policy South Africa Trackbacks (0)
A global effort has been devoted to reducing world poverty. Some claim poverty can be best combated by foreign aid. Others point to the importance of domestic policies, such as those that support or weaken economic freedom. In new research published in this year’s report, Seth Norton and James Gwartney investigate the connection between economic freedom and poverty. Using various measures of poverty, Norton and Gwartney find a strong positive relationship between economic freedom and poverty reduction and call for more research in this area.

This year's report notes that economic freedom remains on the rise. The average economic freedom score rose from 5.46 (out of 10) in 1980 to 6.65 in the most recent year for which data are available. Of the 102 nations with chain-linked scores going back to 1980, 89 saw an improved score and 13 saw a decrease. In this year’s index, Hong Kong retains the highest rating for economic freedom, 8.94 out of 10, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Chile, Canada, United States, Australia, and Ireland.

The first Economic Freedom of the World Report, published in 1996, was the result of a decade of research by a team which included several Nobel Laureates and over 60 other leading scholars in a broad range of fields, from economics to political science, and from law to philosophy. This is the 12th edition of Economic Freedom of the World and this year's publication ranks 141 nations for 2006, the most recent year for which data are available.

 

Press Release

Contents:
Table of Contents and Acknowledgments [pdf, 240Kb]
Executive Summary [pdf, 85Kb]
-->Chapter 1 [pdf, 849Kb]
Chapter 2 [pdf, 460Kb]
Chapter 3, Country Data Tables [pdf, 974Kb]
Appendix 1 [pdf, 271Kb]
Appendix 2 [pdf, 228Kb]

SA slips down economic freedom rankings

Mail & Guardian, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Sep 16 2008 16:01

September 11

Cambodian Genocide Program, Yale University

Genocide and mass murder Cambodia Trackbacks (0)
Cambodian Genocide Program, Yale University
The Cambodian Genocide Program is a well established project of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University's MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. Its website provides historical information on the genocide led by Pol Pot which killed over 1.7 million people between 1975-1979. This includes details of Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal and free access to the Cambodian Genocide Data Bases. The latter include detailed maps and satellite images of Cambodia before and after the Genocide, Over 5,000 photographs from Tuol Sleng archive, biographical Information on over 19,000 individuals involved, and a bibliographic database with references and links to some scanned full text materials. These include over 3,000 books, articles, maps, primary documents, audio recordings, and video recordings. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.yale.edu/cgp/
September 11

Forced Evictions And Disability Rights In Africa

Africa Forced evictions Disability Rights Trackbacks (0)
Forced evictions and disability rights in Africa
Online article looking at forced evictions and disability rights in Africa written by Buhle Angelo Dube who is a lecturer at the University of Swaziland's Law Department. The article was published in 2008 on the Globalex website and made freely available by the Hauser Global Law School Program at the New York University School of Law. The first section explains the background to forced evictions and their impact in Africa and focuses on this practice in Ghana, Swaziland and Botswana. The author also looks at the legal remedies available focusing on instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The second section looks at disability rights in Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Kenya, Namibia and Ghana. The final section considers the links between forced evictions and disability rights. There is a bibliography of books, articles, reports, cases and relevant websites. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.nyulawglobal.org/Globalex/Forced_Evictions_Disability_Rights_Africa.h
September 09

Localized Pollution Potentially Plays Large Role In Future Climate Change

Climate Change Pollution Trackbacks (0)

Localized Pollution Potentially Plays Large Role in Future Climate Change
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association

Short-lived gases and particle pollutants — which stay in the atmosphere for just days or weeks — have a greater influence on Earth’s climate than previously thought, according to a new NOAA-led report released today as part of the series of Synthesis and Assessment Reports coordinated by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. The report also says that while these pollutants are generated locally they will have global climate implications.

Such short-lived pollution includes black carbon (soot), low-altitude ozone, nitrates and sulfates. Each type of pollution influences surface temperatures differently — from the cooling influence of sulfate particles, which tend to reflect sunlight, to the warming characteristics of heat-absorbing black carbon.

+ Full Report Docuticker

September 05

MDG Gap Task Force - Report 2008

United Nations Millenium Development Goals Trackbacks (0)
The report (full-text, 1.59 MB) of the MDG Gap Task Force claims "that while there has been progress on several counts, important gaps remain in delivering on the global commitments in the areas of aid, trade, debt relief, and access to new technologies and affordable essential medicines."

More about MDG Gap Task Force.

UN Pulse Permanent Link: MDG Gap Task Force - report 2008

September 04

Blacks And 2008 Democratic And Republican National Conventions. Intute.Ac.Uk

Elections United States of America African Americans Trackbacks (0)

Blacks and the 2008 Democratic National Convention
This 26 page report was published by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Washington DC. It provides a useful analysis of black American political participation in the democratic Party. It includes discussion of voting trends and political identification with the party from the 1930s until 2008. There is also a detailed statistical breakdown of levels of black participation amongst delegates at the 2008 Democratic national party convention which nominated Barack Obama as candidate for the 2008 American presidential elections.
http://www.jointcenter.org/publications_recent_publications/political_participat

Blacks and the 2008 Republican Convention
This 30 page report was published by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Washington DC. It provides a useful analysis of black American political participation in the Republican Party. It includes discussion of voting trends and political identification with the party from the 1930s until 2008. There is also a detailed statistical breakdown of levels of black participation amongst delegates at the 2008 Republican party convention which nominated John McCain as candidate for the 2008 American presidential elections
http://www.jointcenter.org/publications_recent_publications/political_participat

September 04

Conditions Of Work And Employment Database. ILO

International Labour Organization Employment and work Trackbacks (0)
Conditions of Work and Employment Database
This legal database is a collection of employment and conditions of employment laws made freely available by the Conditions of Work and Employment Programme (TRAVAIL) at the International Labour Organization (ILO). The database is organised into three sections covering maternity protection, minimum wages and working time. Legislation relating to maternity protection covers maternity leave, protection from discrimination and health protection. The working time database covers overtime, annual leave and part time working and the minimum wages database includes legislation dealing with the level of the minimum wage in the national currency, categories of workers entitled to receive the minimum wage and control mechanisms. It is possible to search the laws in force in ILO member countries, relating to these areas of employment protection, by country, region, subject and keyword. An outline of the law is given along with a link to the full text legislation. Help pages and a database summary for each section are also provided. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/database/index.htm
September 04

Employment Rights Of Indigenous And Tribal Peoples. ILO

International Labour Organization Indigenous peoples Employment and work Trackbacks (0)
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
This section of the International Labour Organization (ILO) website deals with the employment rights of indigenous and tribal peoples. There is background information on the ILO’s work with indigenous and tribal peoples and details of ILO projects designed to provide support and assistance to these people and to governments. Full text copies of international legal instruments promoting the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples are provided on the site along with their ratifications and an account of the effects these conventions have had. A number of publications are available to download in PDF. Annual newsletters on the work of the ILO in this area, a bibliography and a selection of annotated links are also available on the site. The site can be viewed in English, French and Spanish. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/indigenous/index.htm
September 04

Russia: Gallup Polls

Russia, including the Soviet Union Trackbacks (0)
Russia: Gallup polls
This site is maintained by market research organisation Gallup. It provides free access to the results of opinion polls relating to Russia. These include surveys of Russians about political, social and economic issues. There is also coverage of relations between Russia and Georgia and the South Ossetia conflict. Users may download and view some dat and video reports from approximately 2007 onwards. Copyright and technical information is displayed on the website. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.gallup.com/tag/Russia.aspx
September 04

Votes And Violence, Nigeria. Centre For The Study Of African Economies Working Paper

Africa Elections Nigeria Trackbacks (0)

Votes and violence: evidence from a field experiment in Nigeria
This site provides free access to a 56 page report by Paul Collier and Pedro C. Vicente which was published as CSAE working paper 2008-16 by the Centre for the Study of African Economies in 2008. It examines political corruption in the 2007 Nigerian elections, arguing that voter intimidation leads to low voter turnout levels. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.csae.ox.ac.uk/workingpapers/pdfs/2008-16text.pdf

September 04

Laogai: "Reform Through Labor" In China

China Trackbacks (0)

Laogai: "Reform Through Labor" in China
This 2000 article describes "'Laogai,' which translates from Mandarin to mean 'reform through labor,' [and] is the Chinese [criminal] system of labor prison factories, detention centers, and re-education camps." Topics include the three types of Laogai (convict labor, re-education through labor, and forced job placement), conditions, and applicable Chinese law and international law standards. From Human Rights Brief, a student-run publication of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law.
URL: http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/07/2laogai.cfm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/26787

Reeducation Through Labor in China
This 1998 paper describes the Chinese "system of detention and punishment administratively imposed on those who are deemed to have committed minor offenses but are not legally considered criminals. Reeducation through labor ... is not to be confused with reform though labor ... the complex of prisons, labor camps, and labor farms for those sentenced judicially." Includes comparison of the criminal and non-criminal systems. From Human Rights Watch.
URL: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/china-98/laojiao.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/26786

How Educational Is Re-Education?
This August 2008 article considers the recent functioning of "re-education-through-labor" camps in China. The article notes that "since the re-education-through-labor camps were created in the late 1950s, they have -- at least in theory -- been oriented toward 'rehabilitating' inmates both politically and morally" but now have an emphasis on many hours of labor, and not political study. Includes links to related material. From the online magazine Slate.
URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2198321/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/26788

Annotations copyright LII.ORG

September 02

Closing The Gap In A Generation: Health Equity...Final Report

Health World Health Organisation Trackbacks (0)

Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health (full-text, 10.31 MB or executive summary and individual parts ) by WHO's Commission on Social Determinants of Health states that: "Social justice is a matter of life and death. It affects the way people live, their consequent chance of illness, and their risk of premature death." The report focuses on social determinants of health and health inequities. The recommendations are (1) to improve daily living conditions; (2) tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources; (3) measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action. From: UN Pulse

September 02

International Tribunal For The Former Yugoslavia - Report

Yugoslavia Trackbacks (0)

The annual report of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has been issued (A/63/210-S/2008/515). It covers the activities of the Tribunal during the period from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008.

UN Pulse: Permanent Link: International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia - report
September 02

International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda - Report

Africa Rwanda Trackbacks (0)

The annual report of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has been issued (A/63/209 - S/2008/514). It covers the activities of the Tribunal during the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008

UN Pulse: Permanent Link: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda - report
September 01

The Great Economic Policy Debate: What Does The Future Hold. Mail And Guardian

Economic conditions and policy South Africa Trackbacks (0)
MP3 recording of the M&G's Critical Thinking Forum held on August 26 2008 in Johannesburg, where a panel comprising Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, Steve Booysen (group chief executive of Absa), Nazmeera Moola (head of macro strategy in South Africa for Macqaurie First South Securities) and Dr Stephen Gelb (executive director of The Edge Institute in Johannesburg) took part in a discussion titled The Great Economic Policy Debate: What Does the Future Hold?.

Click on a link below to listen (MP3, about 30 minutes each):
  • Part one (initial presentations by panellists)
  • Part two (debate continues and questions)
  • Part three (more debate and question time)