The Sheffield Institute for International Development
5th Annual Postgraduate Conference
Tuesday 25th March, 2014
“Multidisciplinary Insights into International Development: Reconciling the
Divided Priorities of One Global Nation”
Welcome to the Sheffield Institute for International Development (SIID) 5th Annual Postgraduate Conference. SIID is a flagship interdisciplinary research institute within the University of Sheffield that brings together researchers, partners, students and stakeholder groups to develop new approaches to development research.
In its fifth year, the SIID Postgraduate conference brings together graduate researchers studying aspects of international development from across the UK and beyond to showcase their work in Sheffield. In reflection of the theme, this year’s conference is organised to allow postgraduate students in International Development and allied fields to meet, network and learn from each other in a constructive and supportive environment.
We hope you enjoy this day!
Organising Committee Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong
Catherine L. Stokowska Neel Thomas
Directions for SIID Postgraduate Conference 2014 This year’s conference is being held in the ICOSS Building:
Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS Building) 219 Portobello S1 4DP Sheffield Trams are available from Sheffield Railway Station. The nearest tram stop is ‘University of Sheffield’ stop on either the blue or yellow routes. Car parking is not available near the ICOSS building.
Further maps and travel information can be found at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/visitors/mapsandtravel
Taxi Service
Mercury Taxi – 0114 2662662
City Taxi – 0114 2393939
Accommodation: Accommodation nearby can be found at the following: http://www.theharley.co.uk/ http://www.premierinn.com/en/ (Angel Street, Sheffield) http://www.ibishotel.com/gb/hotel-2891-ibis-sheffield-city/index.shtml http://www2.travelodge.co.uk/index.php (Sheffield Central) http://www.rshostels.co.uk/facilities.php Contact details: Please contact either of the following numbers if you have any problems on the day: ICOSS Reception - 0114 2228340 Emmanuel A. Adu-Ampong (one of the conference organisers) – 07448775481
Programme Outline
0900 - 0930 Registration and welcome
0930-1030 Keynote Address What are the implications of complexity and systems thinking for the way we think about aid and development?' Dr. Duncan Green, Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam GB
1030-1050 Morning Coffee/Tea Break
1050-1150 Session 1a: Methodological & Theoretical Applications Chair – Dr. Glyn Williams
Session 1b: Participatory Development and Social Justice Chair – Neel Thomas
Jessica Hawkins The University of Manchester Taking the past into account: the methodological benefits (and challenges) of using historical sociology in development studies
Eyob Balcha Gebremariam: University of Manchester Meanings of Youth Citizenship within ‘Democratic Developmental State’: The Ethiopian case
Thuraya Farhana Haji Said University of Surrey Performance management and path dependency: reforming the Brunei public sector
Usman A. Ladan The University of Sheffield Enhancing local economic development through support policies to improve the conditions of informal sector entrepreneurs in Nigeria
Lydia Marshall University of Warwick Lessons from Childhood Studies: Can listening to children help to reconcile our divided priorities in planning education for development?
Suhas Bhasme University of Sussex Limits of Participation: Study of Water Users’ Associations in Western India
1150-1250 Session 2a: Educating Business Approaches to Development Chair – Dr. Deborah Sporton
Session 2b: Local Development Priorities Meets International Investment Priorities Chair – Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong
Tobias Hoffarth Potential vs Reality: Private insurance corporations, health micro-insurance and universal health coverage
Katherine Running The University of Sheffield Divided Priorities: FDI to India and the case of the missing manufacturing investment`
Ben Duke Keele University The Role of Education in Providing a Sustainability Social Justice Remit, to Corporate and Business Partnership Development Work, in the Global South
Victoria Pagan: Newcastle University How other worlds emerge
Gill Davies University of Edinburgh Market-based approaches to the distribution of clean energy products in rural sub-Saharan Africa
Jennifer Lander University of Warwick The Case of Oyu Tolgoi: Troubling the “Resource Nationalism” Frame of Mongolia’s Natural Resource Governance
1250-1400 Sandwich Lunch
1400-1500 Session 3a: Local Governance and Institutional Structures Chair – Dr. Thomas Smith
Session 3b: Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development Chair – Catherine L. Stokowska
Emmanuel A. Adu-Ampong The University of Sheffield Tourism-Poverty Nexus: Interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary insights into tourism’s role in local economic development and poverty reduction
Eleanor Jew University of Leeds Variations in biodiversity across a mixed miombo woodland - agriculture landscape in Tanzania: Lessons for land management strategies
Antonius Karel Muktiwibowo Newcastle University Good governance in neighbourhood community for sustainable city development
Eric Parfait Essomba¹ and Teodyl Nkuintchua² 1. The University of Sheffield, 2. Centre for Environment and Development (CED), Yaounde, Cameroon Strengthening or spoiling communities’ rights? : A critical analysis of the implementation of international forest governance policies in Africa
Yahia Ali The University of Sheffield Developing Regimes and Urban Representation: Studying the Physical and Spatial Transformations in the Kurdish city of Erbil, the Capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, in the Last Decade
Lisa Bunclark, John Gowing and Liz Oughton University of Newcastle Achieving livelihood impacts of agricultural water harvesting techniques: Investigating rural livelihoods as an aid to understanding the challenge
1500-1545 3MT (3 Minutes Thesis) + Q&A on how to get published in international development journals Chair: Emmanuel A. Adu-Ampong, Neel Thomas & Catherine L. Stowoska
1500-1510 All Conference Participants Open Stage 3MT Presentations
1510-1545 Dr. Dan Hammett Editor: International Development Planning Review Presentation and Q&A: How to get published in international development
1545-1600 Afternoon Coffee /Tea Break & Group Photo Shoot
1600-1700 Plenary Session – Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Research in International Development Chair: Dr. Glyn Williams
J. Sumanik-Leary1, A. While1, R. Howell1: [email protected] The University of Sheffield A reflexive journey wandering the insider-outsider continuum: reflections on a multidisciplinary PhD
17:00 Closing & Departure
Room Locations for activities:
Conference Room
Located on the first floor of the ICOSS building, the Conference room will be the venue for the following activities:
- Keynote Address - Sessions 1a, 2a & 3a - 3MT & How to get published Q&A - Plenary session
Boardroom
The boardroom is located on the ground floor of ICOSS and will be the venue for the following sessions:
- Sessions 1b, 2b & 3b
Foyer
ICOSS’s large entrance foyer will be the venue for:
- Welcome and Registration - Morning and Afternoon Tea/Coffee breaks# - Sandwich lunch time - Group photo shoot
LIST OF ABSTRACTS
Keynote Address
“What are the implications of complexity and systems thinking for the way we think about aid and development?'
Dr. Duncan Green, Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam GB
SESSION 1A - METHODOLOGICAL & THEORETICAL APPLICATIONS
CHAIR: DR. GLYN WILLIAMS
Taking the past into account: the methodological benefits (and challenges) of using historical sociology in development studies Jessica Hawkins: [email protected] The University of Manchester There have been recent calls within the discipline of development studies for academics to engage not only with little ‘d’ development - the processes of development and social change over a longer period of time - but also to bring /history to the fore of these analyses. This paper therefore aims to outline how the author is attempting to fill a fraction of this gap within development studies. Employing a theoretical framework, which stems from the interdisciplinary approach of historical sociology, the paper discusses the benefits of using a historical framework within a discipline which is predominately focused on the present and future and also the difficulties and challenges which such a framework poses, not only for the research, but also for the researcher. The framework, a theory of social power, was originally coined by the sociologist Michael Mann. It will be demonstrated how an analysis of networks of power, specifically, ideological, economic, military and political power relations, can help us to understand processes of state formation in developing countries. Specifically, the author’s research focuses on Uganda. The paper discusses what this interdisciplinary approach to development studies can tell us about the type of state which emerged in Uganda. However, the paper also highlights the methodological issues which using such a framework can have and how the author has tried to overcome these during the research and writing process of the PhD. The paper concludes by explaining that, despite methodological challenges, development studies benefits from research from a historical sociology perspective.
Performance management and path dependency: reforming the Brunei public sector Thuraya Farhana Haji Said: [email protected] University of Surrey When New Public Management (NPM) reform was introduced in Western countries in 1990s, many developing countries have opted for the same reform believing it can modernise and improve their public-sector performance. The influence of NPM has been noticeable in Brunei Darussalam using performance management (PM) tools such as Strategic Plans and Key Performance Indicators. This study is concerned with understanding the role of PM as an approach within a developing country’s government system i.e Brunei government. The NPM reform has found different expressions in several countries, and in some countries, the introduction of NPM reform is a superficial phenomenon. Brunei may differ from other applications due to the nature of social context, political context and in particularly, oil economy. Two qualitative case studies were used to portray the analysis of the degree of the institutionalisation of PM through data collected from semi-structured interviews, document reviews and informal conversation. In this study, the idea of path dependence from the historical variant of the institutional approach was used to explain process of change, resistance and persistence. Although PM is foreseen in the Brunei Government since 2003, the habits and informal routines of the Brunei’s government, culture and society context have influenced the institutionalisation of PM. This has resulted in PM becoming decoupled from the organisational activities hence contradicting the advocates of NPM. Findings from case studies showed that the nature of the contextual factors stimulates for the implications on the application of PM outside Western countries.
Lessons from Childhood Studies: Can listening to children help to reconcile our divided priorities in planning education for development?
Lydia Marshall: [email protected]
University of Warwick This paper explores how methodological and theoretical lessons from the field of Childhood Studies can be applied to development policy, particularly with regards to education.
Education is at the forefront of development agendas, and education policy in the Global South is a prime example of “divided priorities” in international development. Although universal, quality education is almost unanimously agreed on as a worthwhile aspiration, what that quality education is understood to look like, and its supposed purpose, vary greatly among economists, national governments, theorists of social justice, international donors and (I)NGOs, for example.
The contribution of Childhood Studies here is to stress the importance of children’s priorities being included – and given prominence – in this debate. Childhood research has demonstrated that rather than being passive, immature and incompetent, children are social actors, producers of knowledge and challengers of orthodoxy. As such, it is imperative that children are included in discussions about policy interventions that directly affect their lives.
As key stakeholders/supposed beneficiaries of education policy, then, it is important that we explore what children want and expect to arise from their schooling. I review some examples of the valued capabilities that the Ethiopian schoolchildren who participated in my PhD research expected to be expanded through their participation in education.
My paper concludes, however, with the Critical Realist recognition that people’s understandings of the world are fallible. I consider how social research can evaluate whether education is doing what children think it is doing and theorise about other important functions of schooling.
SESSION 1B - PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
CHAIR: NEEL THOMAS
Meanings of Youth Citizenship within ‘Democratic Developmental State’: The Ethiopian case
Eyob Balcha Gebremariam: [email protected] University of Manchester Currently the Ethiopian government is recognized to have achieved remarkable economic growth of 10% on average during the last decade. The current five year development plan of the country states that one of its objectives is ‘creating a stable democratic developmental state’. To this end, the governance and political institutions are tuned in a developmentalist orientation while the politics is adjusted to be developmentally appropriate. One of the manifestations of this state led development process is the manner in which urban youth political participation and citizenry engagements are promoted and practiced. The government uses mechanisms like offering job opportunities and organizing young people in medium and small scale enterprises to establish instrumentalist practices of citizenship among the youth. The widely held societal discourse about youth as ‘futures of the nation’ and ‘tomorrow’s hope’ combined with their significant demographic presence contributed to the political project of the government. However, youth is also a contextual position where young people are actively negotiating and influencing their role within society.
Building on these premises, the paper questions how the parallel priorities of the current Ethiopian state to achieve both development and democracy are shaping meanings and practices of urban youth citizenship. The paper will specifically focus on how democratic developmentalism is manifested in the local governance structures and institutions that have direct contact with urban youth. The study builds on the politics of development and youth citizenship to combine it with the arguments of democratic developmental state.
Enhancing local economic development through support policies to improve the conditions of informal sector entrepreneurs in Nigeria
Usman A. Ladan: [email protected] The University of Sheffield
Considerable majority of the participants in the informal sector entrepreneurship in developing countries such as Nigeria operate under difficult, unsafe, unhealthy and precarious conditions. These are in addition to other socio–economic predicaments faced by the operators. The cumulative effect has serious negative impacts on their long term productive lives, optimal productivity and economic performance. These problems adversely affect the informal entrepreneurs’ general performance–optimal utilisation of their productive capacity and inhibit the realisation of their growth potential by reducing their earnings capacity and income opportunities to better their livelihood and for future reinvestment. They also make them prone and vulnerable to various occupational ill–heath related diseases and deformities consequent upon their unfavourable working condition, undesirable environment and exposure to toxic substance in their production processes particularly for those engaged in manufacturing and processing. These consequently lead to decreasing income as a result of poor health or physical incapacitation and inability to work effectively. The aim of this paper is to unravel the precarious condition of informal entrepreneurs in Zamfara state, Nigeria and identify support policies that could lessen their difficulties and improve their conditions in order to enhance their contribution to local economic development. The results of face–to–face interviews with 215 informal entrepreneurs were analysed. The outcome is the identification of major problems affecting the economic performance of the participants in the sphere and a propose framework of five (5) measures and fifteen (15) approaches drawn from the interviewees’ responses that could improve the conditions of the operators in the sector.
Limits of Participation: Study of Water Users’ Associations in Western India
Suhas Bhasme: [email protected] University of Sussex
This paper argues that the Participatory Governance (PG) introduced in the
irrigation sector in India through reforms like Water Users Associations
(WUAs) do not transform or challenge the social relationship among the
farmers it rather strengthen these hierarchical social and economic
relationship in society. The paper by critically looking at the process of
formation and functioning of the WUAs in the analysed village shows the way
caste and class inequalities prevail among these institutions. This paper is part
of my doctoral study (yet to be submitted) on the understanding of the
limitation of the Participatory Governance in the water sector in rural parts of
India. The doctoral work argues to critically understand the notion of
Participatory Governance through the ‘success stories’ of local institutions like
WUAs promoted by the State together with NGOs. It points out how the
notion of participatory governance promoted through local institutions by
development policy overlook the social and political reality of the reforms.
SESSION 2A - EDUCATING BUSINESS APPROACHES TO DEVELOPMENT
CHAIR: CATHERINE L. STOKOWSKA
Potential vs. reality: Private insurance corporations, health microinsurance and universal health coverage Tobias Hoffarth, [email protected] Global health has been a major concern for the global nation for decades. The WHO constitution of 1948, the Alma-Ata declaration of 1978 and other
initiatives have made universal health coverage (UHC) a human right, urging governments and other actors to pursue its realisation. In recent decades, private insurance corporations have increased their provision of insurance services to low-income households in developing countries, which has been described as microinsurance. This is often portrayed as an act of corporate social responsibility (CSR), suggesting that private corporations play a proactive and supportive role in the achievement of UHC. Yet, the trajectory of microcredit has shown that providing financial services to low-income households is not necessarily a panacea.
This paper analyses the microinsurance activities of two private insurance corporations, evaluating their actual contribution to UHC. It provides a brief introduction to microinsurance in the context of CSR and UHC and argues that the microinsurance activities of private insurance corporations should not be exaggerated for two main reasons: Firstly, they concentrate on microinsurance services, such as life insurance, which are more profitable but less concerned with health. Secondly, the private sector’s successful business operations in the field of health microinsurance strongly rely on subsidies, which are often provided by the public sector.
The Role of Education in Providing a Sustainability Social Justice Remit, to Corporate and Business Partnership Development Work, in the Global South Ben Duke: [email protected] Keele University This paper posits that education is critical to successful international sustainable development projects, with corporate business and global south governments working in partnership (ILO Solution Forum, 2013, p4). This paper aims to provide a conceptual theoretical review of the role education has in maintaining the ethos of corporate social responsibility (CSR), governance and efficacy, at the forefront of neo-liberalistic business practice (Cairns, 2013, RMIT Global Cities 2012, p28). This paper seeks to offer an
alternative approach to international development, arguing that the inexorable forces of neoliberalism and globalisation are often beneficial, providing stakeholders are educate (Jerneck, 2013). People must be able to understand complex, theoretical, abstract ideas e.g. democratic participation, ageing demography and climate change (Robertson et al, 2013, p2). Business enterprises and the global south must be educated, if they are to be able to work effectively, with the policy transfer aspects of neoliberalism and globalisation. This is critical, especially during the global financial crisis (CIVICUS, 2013, State of Civil Society 2013, p22). In practice, the interaction between business practice with CSR/global south government’s nexus and education, can be described as a private-public-partnership (PPP). Education will enable people to engage with PPP. The paper demonstrates, education is at the heart of international sustainable development solutions, to the main societal challenges faced by the global south (World Economic Forum, 2013, p8; UN DESA, World Economic and Social Survey 2013, p44).
Market-based approaches to the distribution of clean energy products in rural sub-Saharan Africa
Gill Davies: [email protected] University of Edinburgh Limited energy access in sub-Saharan Africa and recognition of human-induced climate change are making sustainable energy products such as solar lanterns and cleaner cookstoves a popular subject of international development programmes. At the same time, market-based approaches for distributing such ‘humanitarian goods’ are becoming increasingly prevalent. Based on ethnographic analysis of several case study programmes, this paper outlines how a shift towards market building has helped move conceptualisations away from charity-dependent beneficiaries towards ‘entrepreneurs’ and ‘customers’, while creating a focus on longer-term sustainability of product
distribution systems. However, the research also highlights competing priorities and approaches of different stakeholders in this sector. It is argued that there is space for both non-profit and for-profit development intermediaries, but appropriate roles should be adopted by each. Furthermore, attitudes and access to product subsidisation clearly need to be harmonised amongst market actors, particularly where higher value imported products are competing with locally-made technologies. The incorporation of local actors into distribution activities is seen as an improvement on earlier ‘hand out’ models by creating livelihood opportunities and customer feedback mechanisms, but it is argued that there are still significant inequalities in value-sharing along technology supply chains. This could perhaps be addressed by enhanced investment in domestic manufacturing capacity. At the same time, consumer protection devices such as warranties must be made locally applicable, particularly since vulnerable consumer groups are being targeted by powerful product manufacturers. Promotion of social enterprise business models may also help ensure more socially responsible private sector activities.
SESSION 2B - LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES MEETS INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT PRIORITIES
CHAIR: EMMANUEL AKWASI ADU-AMPONG
Divided Priorities: FDI to India and the case of the missing manufacturing investment` ` Katherine Running: [email protected] The University of Sheffield
Foreign direct investment (FDI) has become a preferred source of development funding for countries as it is viewed as an attractive option to create finance without creating large sums of debt. Particularly since the 1990s many
developing countries, including India, began to focus their attention towards the role of FDI in their overall development endeavors. Like the other BRIC countries, India is seen as a success story for attracting and implementing foreign investment to achieve larger development goals, however, the picture on the ground illustrates a different narrative with a variable success story, at best. This paper will examine the type of investment largely flowing to India juxtaposed with the type of investment India requires to best suit many of its development needs. It draws on empirical research gathered from interviews with stakeholders in New Delhi, India. It is argued that, at present, the type of investment attracted to India which is market seeking and service sector FDI is mismatched to the employment needs of the majority of the population which would be better suited to investment in the manufacturing sector. The social and economic costs to India and its citizens as a result of this investment mismatch will be explored. This paper will also explore the Indian government’s main policy initiative, the National Manufacturing Policy 2011, and the incentives and concessions afforded to business, namely sacrificing labour protections, to attract manufacturing investment. How far will India ‘race to the bottom’ to attract much needed manufacturing investment?
How other worlds emerge
Victoria Pagan: [email protected] Newcastle University The last decade has been characterized by threats to/collapse of organisations across the globe and in the fields of economics and politics. Those in the field of power (for example, states and corporations) have been faced by new or revived manifestations of counterpower (for example, Occupy, rioters, climate camps and other forms of protest) because of a loss of faith in traditional economic, political and social mechanisms to fix the ‘crises’, resulting in changed/changing distributions of economic, political, social and cultural power (Held et al., 2010) and opening up the opportunity for other worlds to emerge. This project aims to understand the development of new responses to the sustainability imperatives of equality, eco-justice and social justice (e.g. Benson and Kirsch, 2010) in two global organizing spaces: the World Economic Forum and the World Social Forum. It aims to examine how subversive strategies are formed, and to explore the relationship between the field of counterpower
and the field of power (e.g. Bourdieu, 1996) in the context of global economic, political and social change.
The World Social Forum is purposely noted in Banerjee’s (2008) work as a mechanism through which normative practices are challenged and resisted. Contrasted with the World Social Forum is the World Economic Forum, describing itself as “an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world” (World Economic Forum, 2012). Each represents a movement for betterment: the World Social Forum through challenging neo-liberalism and capitalism (counterpower), and the World Economic Forum through the reproduction of neo-liberalism and capitalism (power).
References Banerjee, S.B. (2008) 'Necrocapitalism', Organization Studies, 29(12), pp. 1541-1563. Benson, P and Kirsch, S. (2010) 'Capitalism and the politics of resignation', Current Anthropology, 51(4), pp. 459-486. Bourdieu, P. (1996) The state nobility : elite schools in the field of power. Cambridge: Polity. Held, D., Kaldor, M. and Quah, D. (2010) 'The Hydra-Headed Crisis', LSE Global Governance, pp. 297-307. World Economic Forum (2012) Home Page. Available at: http://www.weforum.org/ (Accessed: 13/12/12). The Case of Oyu Tolgoi: Troubling the “Resource Nationalism” Frame of Mongolia’s Natural Resource Governance Jennifer Lander: [email protected] University of Warwick
Commonly depicted as one of the final frontiers, Mongolia has gained international notoriety since the turn of the millennium for the discovery of an extensive mineral resource base estimated to hold over U.S. $1 trillion worth of mineral assets. Mineral riches, however, have been shown to be as much a curse as a blessing for economic and social development. Since the discovery of the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold deposits in 2001, Mongolia has leap-frogged from a fairly low position on the mineral-dependence scale to being widely perceived as ‘especially vulnerable’ to the resource trap (Haglund, 2011); mineral exports comprised 89.2% of Mongolia’s total exports in 2011, up from 32.5% in 2000 (Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 2011). In the case of Mongolia, the lack of a significant industrial base and high levels of poverty in a sparsely populated landlocked country have triggered the red flags of a potential resource trap in both domestic and international development governance circles (Isakova et al, 2012; Moran, 2013; Reeves, 2011). This paper will engage with some of the complexity of Mongolia’s
emergence as a mineral-exporting economy and the democratic government’s negotiation of the developmental opportunities and risks of mineral wealth within the political economy of foreign direct investment. Given Oyu Tolgoi’s landmark significance for Mongolia’s mineral sector, the author will examine the project as a key case to illuminate the potential conflict between the Mongolian government’s political obligations to its domestic constituency in terms of equitable economic development and its legal obligations to the foreign investor under the Oyu Tolgoi Investment Agreement. While it is impossible and unhelpful to draw any fast conclusions about the long-term implications of Oyu Tolgoi for Mongolia, this article purposes to trouble the simplistic frame of “resource nationalism” that has been attached to Mongolia’s governance of Oyu Tolgoi by investors.
SESSION 3A - LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES
CHAIR: DR. THOMAS SMITH
Tourism-Poverty Nexus: Interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary insights into tourism’s role in local economic development and poverty reduction
Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong: [email protected] The University of Sheffield Does tourism contribute in any significant way to local economic development (LED) and poverty reduction? In the face of government’s divided priorities, how does the state go about harnessing the potential of tourism? Is the tourism sector best left to the market forces of demand and supply or is state intervention required? These are some of the key questions explored by this research [in progress] paper. Much of existing research on the tourism-poverty nexus accept the implicit assumption of the ‘trickle-down effects’ of market mechanism in explaining tourism’s role in LED and poverty reduction. This unquestioning belief in the ability of markets within the tourism field is in part explained by the ‘youthfulness’ of the discipline and the lack of cross-fertilisation of ideas from other disciplines.
This paper aims to show how an interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approach to studying the tourism-poverty nexus not only allows a reconciliation of the divided priorities of the state in tourism development but also enables a much richer and nuanced analysis. In much of social science disciplines the importance of institutions in explaining socio-economic and political outcomes is well established – this is unfortunately less so in the tourism discipline Bringing in theoretical concepts and ideas from planning, political science, public policy, economics, sociology and international political economy, this paper argues that ‘institutions matter’. Critically, [early] analysis shows a need to focus on institutional and governance structures as key explanatory variables in analysing whether and how tourism development contribute to LED and poverty reduction. The tourism sector of Ghana is used as the empirical case study to explore the theoretical arguments that an interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approach offers the best understanding of the exact mechanisms of the tourism-poverty nexus.
Good governance in neighbourhood community for sustainable city development Antonius Karel Muktiwibowo: [email protected] Newcastle University The basic form of urban organization is positioned on neighbourhood community, which consist of several families and their activity system as an integrated system. Although it is a simple, it defines the successfulness of city governance as a whole interconnected urban institution. This paper argues about the importance of neighbourhood community governance as a fundamental base for good governance practice in urban level. Furthermore, It should be accommodated, supervised and collaborated with municipality institution integrally. To examine further this argument, four neighbourhood community organization in Denpasar being studied qualitatively through conducting several field work, observation, and interview. All case-study gathered data are further analysed through governance theoretical themes such as transparency, responsibility, accountability, legitimacy, democratic and equality. It is argued that the key of successful in good governance application started from a reciprocal bottom-up mechanism that allows user and member voice to be heard and used as a place-based practical norm. It shows that these neighbourhood community's norms are unique in every case follows its variability of users, physical setting character, and resource. It is also indicated that several concepts of good governance principal adopted in their daily
neighbourhood norm support the fair distribution of community local-based interests as a major factor of sustainable local development.
Developing Regimes and Urban Representation: Studying the Physical and Spatial Transformations in the Kurdish city of Erbil, the Capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, in the Last Decade Yahia Ali: [email protected] The University of Sheffield Erbil has witnessed enormous urban growth since the collapse of Saddam’s dictatorship in 2003. The local political elite became increasingly concerned with positioning Erbil among developed cities in the Middle East, especially Dubai, which has become the ideal city for top Kurdish leaders and developers. They have been encouraging inward investments in order to change the urban image from deprived and backward to the "Dubai-Like" city. The developing regime in Erbil, which consists of political elites and businessmen, has adopted the politics of spectacle which has in turn led to significant development in the architectural landscape. Recently, the regime has launched the construction of a project known as Erbil Downtown which is considered to be the largest project not only in the Kurdish region, but in the whole of Iraq. However, there are many voices criticising the process of Erbil’s development. Critics and urban professionals have raised concerns about the consequences of unplanned urban growth, for instance, the lack of green areas, the scant attention paid to sustainable architecture and public participation, and many other issues. This study will address the ethical side of the process of urban development in Erbil, and will adopt Erbil Downtown as a case study. Mapping controversies and the theory of Urban Regime will be used to explain how and why the
project emerged. Finally, as a native of the region and an architect who worked in that urban context for more than ten years, I will provide a number of suggestions to promote the current process of urban development.
SESSION 3B - ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
CHAIR – DR. DEBORAH SPORTON
Variations in biodiversity across a mixed miombo woodland - agriculture landscape in Tanzania: Lessons for land management strategies
Eleanor Jew: [email protected] University of Leeds Miombo woodland is dry deciduous woodland found throughout much of southern Africa. The woodland is heavily relied upon by rural communities, and supports many wildlife populations. Most miombo remains unprotected and is becoming rapidly degraded, meaning that robust land management strategies are required. In order to develop such strategies data from a range of sources relevant to miombo use are required, including biodiversity, agriculture, ecosystem services, and local community values.
This paper presents baseline biodiversity data from a mixed miombo woodland – agriculture landscape in southern Tanzania. Agriculture is rapidly expanding in the area, and the miombo woodland is becoming degraded. Using established biodiversity indicators (birds and butterflies), the presence/absence of large mammals and recording vegetation across the landscape it is possible to identify the most biodiversity-rich land use system.
Data were recorded in three land use types: predominantly agriculture, mixed agriculture and miombo, and predominantly miombo. Agriculture within the area is principally tobacco and maize cultivation, and is all hand cultivated. Large mammal presence is greater in the predominantly miombo areas, and biodiversity indicators demonstrate the greatest diversity within the mixed land uses. Agriculture-dominated areas show low diversity throughout. This
demonstrates the potential for multiple use management strategies within the landscape.
Further integration of such biodiversity data with agricultural, ecosystem service and local community information will enable land management plans to be developed which will maximise biodiversity conservation, agricultural productivity and ecosystem service provision across miombo – agriculture landscapes across southern Africa.
Strengthening or spoiling communities’ rights? : A critical analysis of the implementation of international forest governance policies in Africa
Eric Parfait Essomba¹ and Teodyl Nkuintchua² 1. The University of Sheffield, [email protected] 2. Centre for Environment and Development (CED), Yaounde, Cameroon Africa’s forests are increasingly under pressure for development needs. Mining, large-scale agriculture, oil and timber extraction are targeted in the remaining forests areas of the continent (Ochieng et al, 2013). In order to improve forest management, a number of international policies have been recently introduced including the European Union Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and the international climate mitigation policy of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+). These policies are expected not only to enhance forest governance by triggering substantial legal reforms in implementing countries’ but are also expected to help to secure more communities’ rights to land and forest resources including participation in decision-making process (Cheney et al, 2013). Drawing from five case studies in Africa (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Ghana) we analyse how both international policies have shaped procedural and substantive rights of forest communities. We argue that at this stage both policies have achieved some positive results in advancing procedural rights whereas mixed results are accounted in terms of substantive rights for forest-dependent communities. Therefore, additional efforts need to be done and some approaches need to be reconsidered for the effectiveness of those policies in Africa.
Achieving livelihood impacts of agricultural water harvesting techniques: Investigating rural livelihoods as an aid to understanding the challenge
Lisa Bunclark, John Gowing and Liz Oughton: [email protected] University of Newcastle
Livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa are largely dependent on small-scale agriculture characterised by low yields and high risk associated with variable rainfall. Despite those from the discipline of natural science widely claiming the potential of water harvesting technologies (WHTs) to increase crop productivity and improve livelihoods across the tropical drylands of sub-Saharan Africa, predicted improvements have not been achieved by target beneficiary households. This research takes a households perspective on WHTs, examining the factors that may lead to crop yield gaps and limit the techniques’ potential to improve livelihood security.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the multi-disciplinary factors that support or inhibit the benefits of WHTs gained by households and demonstrate how the use of the sustainable rural livelihoods framework can help identify such factors. This research draws on primary qualitative data collected in focus groups and semi-structured interviews during three extended periods of fieldwork in Burkina Faso and Tanzania. Data collection was conducted within six communities, involving participants with mixed experiences of the adoption and use of WHTs in small-scale agriculture.
Initial results show that the challenge of achieving livelihood impacts from WHTs is complex and technical, social and economic factors all play a part to reduce potential benefits. This paper argues that input to research on WHTs is needed from across the disciplines of natural, social and applied sciences to adequately identify critical issues affecting impacts related to WHT schemes, in order that the associated livelihood benefits for small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa can be improved.
SESSION - 3MT (3 MINUTES THESIS)
CHAIR – DR. DAN HAMMETT
Methodological options for assessing the environmental impact of in-migration and urbanization on vulnerable urban areas Dr. Benjamin Schraven, Dr. Katharina Stepping: [email protected] German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) Cities have become central actors in the globalised world of the early 21st Century, particularly with regard to climate and environmental change. The current academic and public debate on the links between ecological change and migration increasingly deals with the effects of in-migration to vulnerable areas. In-migration to vulnerable areas mainly concerns internal migration to urban and peri-urban settlements in low-income and middle-income countries. A couple of studies analyzed the ecological impact of immigration in rural areas (e.g., forestry areas in the Amazon basin). Yet, very little is known which ecological impact have immigration and urbanisation processes on urban and peri-urban areas. On the one hand, the inflow of inhabitants results in an increased population density which will, in turn, increase human pressure on the environment. Therefore, we expect to see deterioration in environmental quality such as air, land and water quality. On the other hand, precisely because many citizens in developing countries live in densely populated urban slums, they are more vulnerable and exposed to environmental degradation. Given their greater exposure, we expect to see a strong preference among slum dwellers for improvements in environmental quality. Such improvements could be of either formal (e.g., public sewage system) or informal nature (e.g., informally organized waste collection). Furthermore, we expect that the duration of residence in the slum area influences preferences for environmental quality among slum dwellers. On the one hand, newly-arrived slum dwellers may be less likely to urge for environmental quality as they are still struggling with other issues such as housing, nutrition etc. On the other hand, we may observe a certain degree of resignation among old(er) residents as they are accustomed to the local situation. We are currently investigating
options for accessing data on migration flows, residential structure and environmental quality at municipal level. Deconstructing Self-help Development and Self-reliance: Case of Japanese development assistance for the self-help development of small-holder farmers in Malawi
Yuko Misu: [email protected] Royal Holloway of University of London One of the distinct characteristics of Japan’s development assistance is its emphasis on self-help effort of aid recipients to achieve self-reliance. In order to understand how such self-help development assistance is implemented on the ground, this study investigates the interface between externally initiated self-help activities and existing system of mutual help and interdependency in the recipient community. Intensive field work was conducted on the cases of Japanese aid agencies in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world with a high dependency on foreign aid at the national budgetary level as well as grassroots level. The studies cases aim at self-reliance and livelihood development of smallholder farmers in rural villages in Malawi but with different implementation strategies on the ground.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with expatriate aid workers and their counterparts, members of recipient communities and government extension workers working in the recipient communities. Also, in order to understand the daily lives of recipients and their community activities, I lived within the recipient community and participated in their activities while conducting the field research.
Research finding indicates that self-help of the recipients and external assistance of resource synergise and it contributes to improvement of their livelihood while diversifying their knowledge, action, human relationship and social network. Also, it is shown that development assistance aiming at the same objective could lead to different outcomes depending on how it is implemented on the ground.
PLENARY SESSION – INTERDISCIPLINARY AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CHAIR: DR. GLYN WILLIAMS
A reflexive journey wandering the insider-outsider continuum: reflections on a multidisciplinary PhD
J. Sumanik-Leary1, A. While1, R. Howell1: [email protected] The University of Sheffield This paper reflects on the author's recently completed PhD, which spans both engineering and the social sciences. This is due to the fact that alone, neither was capable of offering a complete toolbox with which to investigate the issues surrounding Small Wind Turbines (SWTs) in the context of rural development. In fact, the quality of the findings from each case study was found to be proportional to the number and variety of methods employed. The researcher has a background in engineering and is highly immersed in the world of SWTs for rural development, so this paper focusses the issues of positionality and insider/outsider status and how they affected the research across the many different contexts in which the author was working. With regards to positionality, it certainly cannot be said that the research was independent of the views/beliefs of the author, nor can it be said that the views/beliefs of the author were independent of the research. The two were uncontrollably intertwined and evolved together throughout the duration of the research. The level of access offered by the author’s membership of various groups (in particular, the association WindEmpowerment and technicians/engineers) facilitated the collection of a much greater quantity and quality of information than could possibly have been achieved if conducting research as a pure social scientist with no affiliations. However the degree of insiderness varied wildly throughout the research depending on the group under study at the time, often also reducing access and limiting data collection.
