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Chinesische Arbeitswelten – in China und in der Welt
No full textMit 806 Millionen »Erwerbsfähigen« verfügte China 2014 über das mit Abstand größte Arbeitskräftepotenzial der Welt im Vergleich zu den USA (161 Mio.) und Deutschland (42,1 Mio.; EU-Staaten zusammen 242 Mio.). Der Anteil der in der Landwirtschaft Beschäftigten lag 2011 (letzte verfügbare Daten) nur noch bei 35 Prozent. Er hat sich damit nach Angaben der Weltbank seit Anfang der 1980er Jahre – der Phase, in der die Kommunistische Partei Chinas (KPCh) unter Deng Xiaoping den Übergang zu einem »Sozialismus chinesischer Prägung« mit marktwirtschaftlichen Elementen, einer liberaleren Eigentumsordnung und privatwirtschaftlichen Handelsbeziehungen beschloss – fast halbiert. In drei Jahrzehnten, einer historisch betrachtet vergleichsweise kurzen Phase, ist so ein riesiges Heer an lohnabhängig beschäftigten Menschen entstanden, die heute unter kapitalistischen Produktionsbedingungen arbeiten
Kontrollierte Konterrevolution
No full textVor 50 Jahren entfesselte das indonesische Militär im Zeichen eines aggressiven Antikommunismus das bis dahin größte Massaker nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Was den USA 1965/66, auf dem Höhepunkt des Vietnamkrieges, nicht gelang, sollte ihnen gleichzeitig in Indonesien, dem größten und bevölkerungsreichsten Land Südostasiens, gelingen – ein siegreicher Feldzug im Namen von freedom & democracy. Nutznießer dieser Entwicklung war ein Militärregime unter Führung von General Suharto, der bis zum Ende seiner Amtszeit 1998 vorbehaltlos Rückendeckung seitens der sogenannten westlichen Wertegemeinschaft genoss. Anstatt die Opfer des Massakers zu rehabilitieren, sind in Jakarta Bestrebungen im Gange, Suharto als »Nationalhelden « aufzuwerten und Amnesie als politisches Programm zu verankern
Farmers' suicides in India: a methodological and thematic analysis in the state of Maharashtra
No full textIndia – more precisely specific states of India such as Maharashtra – are suffering from a particular burden as not only the general mortality rates but also the rates of farmers’ suicides rank among the highest in the world. Although reasons for suicides are considered to be multifaceted and shaped by wider social or cultural conditions, qualitative research on suicides is scarce. On the contrary, mainly quantitative research based on statistics is prevalent. With the aim of assessing the current state of research on farmers’ suicides in the state of Maharashtra, this thesis analyzes previous quantitative and qualitative studies on this phenomenon. In addition to a methodological examination of existing studies a thematic investigation is conducted in order to make recommendations on future research. The (systematic) literature review reveals that also in the context of farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra research is predominantly quantitative with only a few qualitative and hybrid studies (i.e. those studies using both quantitative and qualitative methods). Regardless of their approach these studies mainly analyze the reasons for farmers’ suicides, the characteristics of the deceased farmers and make suggestions for future improvements in the agricultural sector. Concordant with former studies on farmers’ suicides in India, this thesis’ analysis identifies young male and indebted farmers who cultivate cash crops and have no irrigation as the most vulnerable to commit suicide.
The consideration of this thesis’ findings in a wider theoretical context illustrates that the old debate between quantitative and qualitative research dating back to Durkheim and Tarde is still prevalent. Even today and with focus on farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra, a lack of individual aspects in statistical calculations of suicide rates can be found. In addition, the performed analysis reveals that by employing a highly structured study design and statistical computations quantitative studies construct a phenomenon which might not reflect the real situation. Qualitative studies, on the other hand, are found to offer additional explanations but their results lack any validation and generalizability
Bangladesh's Counter-Terror Act : Need for a Political Solution
No full text"The terrorist attack in Dhaka’s international and diplomatic enclave Gulshan at the beginning of this month, which left at least 21 victims of different nationalities dead, was followed within less than a week by a bomb attack during the largest Eid congregation (Eid-ul-Fitr the greatest festival of the Muslims) at Sholakia ground at Kishoreganj, killing at least four people and leaving several people injured. Once again, the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility, at least directly for the attack in Gulshan. Regarding the Kishoreganj bombing, there are severe indications that it got inspired by IS since it seems to be in close relation with an IS propaganda video just released two days before. Nevertheless, the government officials are following the old rhetoric of continuing to deny the presence of foreign militant groups on the country’s soil.
New Civilian Cheekiness or back to Old Patterns? Cyril Almeida Case and Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan
No full textEarlier this month, the Pakistani journalist Cyril Almeida of reputed English daily Dawn, well-known to be an outspoken and critical voice, published an article in which he indicates a new confrontation between the civilian government and the country’s powerful armed forces and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Pakistan. His piece refers to a meeting between civilian and army leadership on October 3rd, in which the “government bluntly warned military chiefs Pakistan faced isolation unless it acted against homegrown militancy”. Concretely, Almeida was stating that top government officials were complaining that the army and the ISI are not doing enough to address the international demands in fighting terror groups, especially those focusing on cross-border activities
Germany’s Geo-economic Power, the New MDB landscape and the Asian Development Bank
No full textIt is hardly known to German taxpayers, that they are one of the major shareholders in the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Even less is known about the role it plays, through its contributions and voting power, in this inancial institution that is shaping the economies of many Asian countries
Das Stigma der »wilden Weiber« in Indonesien
No full textWährend der antikommunistischen Massenmorde in Indonesien Mitte der 1960er Jahre fand auch eine gezielte und systematische Vernichtung von Frauen statt. Die geschlechtsspezifischen Aspekte der Gewalt werden bis heute wenig beachtet
A qualitative study of Pakistani immigrant women's experiences of childbirth in Germany
No full textAlthough there has been clear interest in immigrant women’s maternity health, there are no studies on Pakistani immigrant women in Germany. The study presented in this thesis helps to fill this gap by seeking to examine the childbirth experiences of this group of women. The study was based on qualitative research of participant observations, in-depth interviews and focal group discussions with a sample of 19 Pakistani immigrant women living in the cities of Worms, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. In addition, expert interviews were conducted with health professionals and specialists on immigrants’ issues to complement the results of this study. The stories of the women revealed how they perceive themselves, their identity and personhood and allowed deep investigation of the various meanings attributed to their childbirth experiences. As Pakistani immigrant women, they needed to learn about a new system while lacking basic needs of mutual understanding. Among the chief complications the women faced was a sense of powerlessness and ignorance about their birth experience due to lack of control, having no active say in decisions about their care and being poorly prepared for the birth process. Some of these women were under more pressure because of the absence of their traditional family and social support structure. Upon migration, traditional practices observed in their societies of origin were not possible in a different social environment. These women found themselves unable to follow some traditional beliefs and practices. To deal with these challenges, the women developed strategies, represented by establishing new social networks and developing self-dependence attitudes, that helped them to adapt to the different social settings. The study recommends a more responsive and immigrant-friendly health approach based on increased access to information and an attentive and culturally competent attitude – one that takes into account woman’s knowledge and bodily experience. Such an approach has the potential to reduce anxiety and discomfort on the side of immigrant women as well as among healthcare providers
Will Pakistan Ever Change its Foreign Policy?
No full textSince its independence in 1947, Pakistan is confronted with a lot of domestic threats and international challenges. Starting with the state-building process with much limited institutional capacities and financial resources, the leadership of the newly founded Muslim nation developed an extraordinary - occasionally described as paranoid- security dominated mind-set resulting in quite peculiar policies to maintain its sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as to ensure its foreign policy interests. Some of the key features are: the continuation of colonial policies (like the Political Agent System/PAS and Frontier Crime Regulations/FCR in the Federal Administered Tribal Areas/FATA), extraordinary repressive policies in areas perceived as restive like Balochistan or former East Pakistan (today Bangladesh), or a remarkable aggressive foreign policy which finds its expression not only in persistently recurring border skirmishes with its Afghan neighbor but also in three wars with India (1947, 1965, 1971) and a perfidiously assault at the Indian administered Kargil in 1999, just a couple of months after New Delhi started a peace process with Islamabad
Investitionsschutzabkommen mit China Handelsabkommen als Instrument der Geopolitik
No full textDie TTIP-Verhandlungen mit den USA sind in aller Munde und treiben hunderttausende auf die Straßen. Wenig Beachtung finden jedoch die zurzeit mit China stattfindenden Verhandlungen über ein Investitionsschutzabkommen. Über einen von der EU Ende 2014 vorgelegten Vertragsentwurf soll bis Ende 2016 Einigung erzielt werden. Wie bei den TTIP-Verhandlungen ist auch dieser Verhandlungsprozess intransparent. Deutlich ist aber, dass es bei den Verhandlungen nicht nur um ökonomische Fragen geht. Geopolitische Implikationen sind unübersehbar, denn auch das Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) steht vor der Tür