Monday, January 27, 2020
International Development Policy
International Development Policy Political, economical and social development of developing countries has been a high priority on the global agenda. International development policy has gained momentum as issues such as poverty in some developing countries have been increasingly linked to global security issues such as terrorism. Global policy in regards to development has become more prevalent through the increase of international organizations and institutions. However, international development policy and its perceived importance to national economic, political and social growth within developing states has become a strongly debated issue. From the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to more regional and bilateral initiatives, development has remained a salient global issue. In recent decades, the focus of international development has shifted from economic to human development and from structural to sustainable development. Despite the various methods used of stimulating international development, Offici al Development Assistance (ODA) continues to be essential to many developing states. It can be argued that for this reason that institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which formulate and implement policy in relation to ODA, continue to have an increasing influence on developing states. In the last decades, an international development policy shift has taken place from structural adjustment programs focusing on economic reform and market-orientated policies to sustainable development incorporating social and environmental reform and human-orientated policies. One region greatly influenced by international development policy has been those developing states on the African continent. Many sub-Saharan states in Africa have been plagued by underdevelopment and continue to be heavily dependent on ODA. Despite reaping some benefits from the rapid economic growth in Asia and new economic partnerships with some BRIC states, most of the states in Africa continue to struggle with underdevelopment. Africa is a continent with enormous potential in both natural and human capital yet suffers from widespread poverty and human deprivation. The continent has the world’s highest proportion of poor, 46 %, and is home to more than 30% of the worlds poor (Cheru 2008, p.6). Despit e various development initiatives such as the Lagos Plan of Action for Economic Development of Africa, Africa’s Programme for Economic Recovery, the African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Programme for Socio-Economic Recovery and Transformation, the Three Year Priority Programme for Survival, Rehabilitation of African Economies, the African Charter for Popular Participation for Development and the Compact for Africa’s Recovery, Africa’s developmental gains have been marginal. Africa’s problematic of underdevelopment has been blamed on exogenous factors such The post-World War II international system has increasingly witnessed more international and regional integration in addition to the rise of powerful non-state actors such as international , regional and transnational organizations. Organizations such as the United Nations, the African Union, various Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and multinational corporations (MNCs) are increasingly playing a more important role in the international system. The institutionalizing of liberal policies within states through international financial institutions indicates the increasing influence non-state actors have on state affairs and sovereignty. Therefore, globalization and the role of key international non-state actors has become a reality. Not only has the number of international organizations increased exponentially since the post -war period, the scope and regulating power has accordingly also increased. For instance, there are international organizations for international trade (World Trade Organization, G8, G20), finance and foreign aid(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank), health (World Health Organization), law (International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and Special Courts and Chambers for Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Lebanon), law enforcement (Interpol, Europol), humanitarian aid (International Red Cross and Red Crescent), migration (UNHCR), labor (International Labor Organization) and environment (UNEP) to name but a few! This excludes the additional formation of regional blocs for dealing with security (NATO, ECOWAS) and economic competitiveness within the global trade system such as NAFTA and many of Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs). This plethora of international and regional organizations has not simply served to deal with or regulate transnational iss ues without affecting state sovereignty. Supranational regional organizations such as the European Union (EU) indicate that states have voluntarily relinquished some sovereignty for the overpowering interest of mutual gain. International â€Å"The governance indicators establish a discursive field of state legitimacy and normalcy and ‘responsibilises’ states: construct them as ethical actors that are capable of correct and responsible choices and policies†(Lowenheim 2008: 255) The use of global governance indicators is a means by which donors of official development assistance (ODA) can allocate scarce resources to what are perceived to be â€Å"effective†governments in developing countries. Ineffective governments in developing countries, which create rent-seeking activities, are seen as less desirable for the allocation of these scarce resources. Global indicators can, therefore, be used to assist donors in their decision-making for the allocation of aid to recipient states. Global institutions have an increasing tendency to rate and rank the governance capacities and performances of states. This practice of ranking and rating has increased significantly in the last few decades. The UNDP has identified at least 130 performance indices of which 80% had been created between 1991 and 2005 (Bandura 2005: 5). Each of these indices rank and assess country performance in such aspects as openness, competitiveness, governance, development, health, education, human rights, security, globalization among others. World Governance Indicators for Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa To examine the trend in quality of governance in each of the three case studies, aggregate indicators for Voice and Accountability (V A), Political Stability and Absence of Violence (PSAV), Government Effectiveness (GE), Regulatory Quality (RQ) and Rule of Law (RoU) have been used from the World Governance Indicators (WGI) index. The WGI uses a scale between 2.5 to -2.5 where 2.5 indicates a high 41 quality of governance. The selected time frame used is from 2002 to 2011 (data was unavailable for 2001 and 2012). Although Nigeria and South Africa did not implement a majority of the recommendations, the case studies were included in the analysis to provide insight if any observed improvement was as a result of the APR recommendations or due to other determinants.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington?s futile war on drugs in Latin America?
Book review: â€Å"Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington’s futile war on drugs in Latin America†Edited by Ted Galen Carpenter Overview Introduction                                                       3 I Modest results after thirty years of war                              4 The war on drugs consequences on the drugs crops cultivation               4 The war on drugs consequences on the Latin American opinion               5 II The American strategy on the drug war: definitively a bad strategy?     8 The United States’ strategy on the war on drugs                         8 The causes of the American’s strategy failure                              9 III Is â€Å"legalisation†the solution for a decrease in the amount of drug in the united States’ streets                                             12 Conclusion                                                       14 Sources            ... ...ica, some countries have already talked about this solution: Jamaica in 2001, Uruguay in 2001, Mexico, Colombia†¦ Will those countries have the courage to face the United States on this issue? In Europe Does that means, that the world starts the pace of drug legalization? I still stay sceptic on this position. Conclusion To conclude, Ted Galen Carpenter shows in his book the failure of the thirty years war on drugs conducted by the United States in Latin America. A failure which is illustrated by the constant production of drugs in Latin America, the accentuation of scourges as poverty and corruption†¦ We can say that the United States’ strategy follows Say’s theory: the demand is conducted by the supply. However, as we have discussed about. This theory can not be applied on drugs market, as we have to take into consideration the dependence of drugs products. Sources      â€Å"Bad neighbor policy: Washington’s futile war on drugs in Latin America†, Ted Galen Carpenter,2003.      http://www.narconews.com/      http://www.cannabisnews.com
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Haditha – descriptive writing
Haditha is a large, peaceful farming town situated in western Iraq. It is saturated with primitive, concrete buildings that lace the sandy, debris-ridden roads. They are all painted a sickly shade of yellow which has flaked away from their exteriors over time and now reveals a depressing grey colour. The gigantic palm trees dwarf the grimy, one-floored houses. Most of the shops display smashed or boarded windows. The interiors are eminently dark. The wallpaper is badly torn and peeling away from the walls where it meets the ceiling. Scorch marks from grenades heavily stained the floor and deep bullet holes scarred the walls. No furniture is present – just small, sharp pieces of broken glass and devastated shrapnel. Corrugated iron awnings hang over the pavement at the front of the shops, dismally shadowing the people that walk beneath them. There is a small, crumbling petrol station at the end of the long road that looks like it hasn't operated for years. The attached shop also has smashed windows and vacant interiors. The sign on the roof of the building is badly corroded and rusting; some of the red, Arabic letters have fallen off completely. The pumps are severely damaged and submerged in litter and other large pieces of wreckage; the charred remains of a hatch-back lay next to them. Narrow, gloomy back alleys weave between the buildings of the town like a snake, creating a huge maze separated from the hustle and bustle of the streets. An M1 Abrams tank and a Stryker lie dormant on the road. They are both surrounded by a group of intimidating soldiers, with one of them lazily manning the mounted turrets. They wear baggy, yellow and green camouflage clothes; their chests buried in bags of ammunition and various other items. The rucksacks on their backs look huge in comparison to their bodies. A powerfully built soldier leans against the tank. He sweats under the intense sun and numerous layers of clothing he is wearing. He looks extremely athletic; his huge muscles stretch the fibres of his clothes to their limits. His head seems miniscule in comparison to his enormous, broad shoulders. He has a rugged, pasty complexion; his appearance seems paler still compared to the dark skin tones of the Arabs that nervously rush past. Rough stubble covers his jaw – it looks like he hasn't shaved in weeks! A small boom microphone is swung down the side of his face and hovers before his colourless lips. He is wearing dark sport shades, leaving the concealed part of his face to the imagination. His helmet isn't clipped together under his chin; it is slumped on the top of his head. The badly stitched insignia of the United States Marine Corps (a golden eagle, globe and anchor) on his left sleeve is ripped and torn, due to fall off at any minute. In his hands, he grips a scratched, matt black M16A4 assault rifle that is covered with attachments: a small sight, a cylinder-shaped laser distance finder and a grenade launcher. He is far from under-protected; he wears thick, deep grey padded gloves that look ten sizes too small for the soldier's shovel-like hands; along with camouflage pads that are loosely fastened to his bulging knee and elbow joints. The sun drearily hangs on the horizon, casting large, oblong shadows across the town. It slowly creeps down and out of sight, allowing the town to descend into darkness. The distant sound of repetitive gun fire that rattles through the air is rather soothing. The noise of large metal rotors from several Apache helicopters fills the air as they fly overhead, deafening everyone for miles around. Their chiselled, futuristic exteriors reflect something from a sci-fi movie. In a back alley, a dark-skinned insurgent stands facing a feeble-looking man, who anxiously holds a large, black leather briefcase. The insurgent's head is covered with a red, patterned table-cloth type material that falls below his neck; with only one small gap across his face that reveals his hard, piercing eyes. The rest of his body is draped in a brilliant white, silk robe. A grubby AK-47 with no stock is loosely strapped to his back. The man holding the briefcase has scars running across his face, the most prominent stretching from his ear right down to his lips; it looks like he has tried shaving with a cheese grater. Standing next to each other, the insurgent is almost a head taller than the man. Sweat pours down the man's face as he nervously hands the briefcase over to the insurgent, who eagerly stands awaiting the delivery. Their meeting is interrupted by two soldiers shouting loudly and running towards them. The insurgent and the man quickly scurry off into the embracing darkness of the back-alley. The town sinks in to darkness for another night. The cool, crisp air replaces the sweltering heat. A light breeze whistles over the empty town as people start heading for their homes; eventually the density of people in the streets declines into nothing. The few street lamps that braid the road faintly flicker. Bright green tracer from the direction of the distant gun-fire spontaneously shoots off into the night sky at various angles and then disappears from view. The lonesome soldiers huddle together around the grumbling vehicles, desperately trying to share the little body heat they have. In place of dark sports shades, they now wear huge, black bulky night vision goggles. All the lights are off, except for the moon that dimly lights up the night sky. The town is asleep.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Specialization Among Other Health Care Professionals Essay
SPECIALIZATION AMONG OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS: When we say that medical specialization is an outgrowth of scientific discovery, entrepreneurial practice as well as technological development, nursing specialization was also a recent response to this system of specialized medicine (Palmeiere 1981). This leads us to the discourses on how to tap the expertise of these specialized nurses into rendering services in remote and underserved areas in a country. There are numerous examples of how family nurse practitioners have bridged the gaps in the generalist physician shortages in many parts of USA. And hence in places like India it is high time we explore such possibilities where they can be incorporated into the health care team especially in primary and secondary levels. In the BRICS countries and specifically in Brazil and South Africa, nurses are the first-point-of-contact and back bone of primary care in the healthcare system. Such possibilities should be explored in countries like India as well. Similarly we can see that there are other areas within the context of health sciences that is moving towards the trend towards specialization, for instance, medical social work. Trend of specialization has pervaded into the field of pharmaceutical sciences and other health disciplines such as dentistry, physiotherapy etc. However, looking at the larger picture, similar to the field of medicine some of the challenges of specialization in other health care professions includeShow MoreRelatedTrend Towards Specialization : A Comparative History Of Medical Specialization Essay1397 Words  | 6 PagesTREND TOWARDS SPECIALIZATION According to the Council of Medical Colleges in New Zealand the term ‘generalist’ is used to refer to a vocationally registered doctor who works in primary or secondary care working with undifferentiated patients or in undifferentiated practice within their particular specialty area (Council of Medical Colleges 2013). They are trained across a broad curriculum and are the first point of contact with the health system for most of the patients. Historical data revealsRead MoreTrend Towards Specialization : A Comparative History Of Medical Specialization Essay1467 Words  | 6 PagesTREND TOWARDS SPECIALIZATION Careful analysis of the historical data shows that specialization originated in Paris in the early 19th century. Yet it is also said that medical practitioners have always been specialized, citing the references to Roman physicians. However the modern system of medical specialties came into existence much later. Bernice A Pescosolido in his book ‘Divide and Conquer: A Comparative History of Medical Specialization’ remarks that specialties are situated in their relevantRead MoreThe Role Of E-Portfolio And MSN Learning Outcomes1256 Words  | 6 Pagesdesired goal. MSN specialization track The IPC speciality track learning outcome is focused on the application of principles of epidemiology to perform environmental risk assessment, designing a solid infection prevention and surveillance program (American Sentinel.edu, nd). The threat and burden of health care-associated infections (HAIs) is substantial (Bubb, et al., 2016), making the role of the Infection Preventionist (IP) is critical in providing safe and quality patient care. The core principlesRead MoreChallenges Facing the UAE Health Care System849 Words  | 3 Pagesa lot of challenges as other young societies. Those challenges have a great impact on the country development and prosperity regarding different aspects. One of these aspects is the health care system. No doubt that these challenges do not affect UAE alone but it also have an effect on other countries all over the world. In my paper, I will specify challenges affecting the health care system in the United Arab Emirates. Let us spot the light on t he development of health care system in UAE before discussingRead More The Identity of a Professional Counselor 1777 Words  | 7 Pagescounselor’s professional identity. The identity of a professional counselor may present numerous differences based on the specialization of counseling, as well as, overall identity factors that remain the same across the entire counseling spectrum. The paper examines key philosophies of the counseling profession which include: wellness, resilience, and prevention and how these philosophies impact the counseling profession. Next it will discuss the characteristics of an effective professional counselorRead MoreImportance of Theory Paper1381 Words  | 6 Pagesmodel which is a grand theory. The purpose of this assignment is to identify a nursing theory which is the Roy adaptation theory, analyze the importance of the selected theory to the nursing profession and summarize key concepts and relationships among the concepts of the selected n ursing theory. I will analyze how the Roy Adaptation Theory relates to nursing education. Importance of Nursing Theory Nursing theories were developed to help define the unique practice of nursing as its own separateRead MoreThree to One Doctor Sharing1708 Words  | 7 Pageshighway 12, approximately half an hour from each other. These small towns, although quite distant from each other share one very important thingâ€â€a doctor on call. This is becoming a more common trend in rural areas with a decline in health care physicians willing to work in such a secluded area far from amenities. This means that some days a physician is available in one town for as little as an hour or simply not present in the hospital at all. Health care is poor to limited for these rural areas, sinceRead MoreHistory of Counseling Essay1131 Words  | 5 Pages History of Counseling Lead to Multidisciplinary Teams COUN5004 Survey of Research in Human Development for Professional Counselors History of Counseling Leading to Multidisciplinary Teams Counseling is a relatively new profession which has transformed over time from treating mental illnesses to providing educational guidance to counseling with a variety of specializations. Pistole summarizes by stating that counselors, now, aim to, â€Å"contribute to the vitality and vigor and to the soundnessRead MoreA Research Study On Nursing1747 Words  | 7 Pagesaccountability it takes to take care of patients. Nurse Administrators hold leadership position at an organizational level and oversee the entire nursing staff at their place of work. They are active participants in updating policies and procedures; and update them when needed. Nurse administers are familiar with organizational developments and employee relations. They are well versed in legal and ethical issues and address problems concerning these issues at their health institution when they ariseRead MoreSchool Profile : University Of Alabama Essay1021 Words  | 5 Pagesmaster s degree and 35 doctoral programs. These academic divisions include the Schools of Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Optometry and Public Health. Two popular graduate degrees include the Master of Science in Nursing program and the associated Doctor of Science in Nursing program. The university’s sponsored Health System is actually one of the largest academic medical centers in the country. Medical students can easily transfer to a medical specialty
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)