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Gender-Inclusive Nutrition Activities in South Asia: Mapping Report
No full textThis report is the first of a series that will explore how gender can be more comprehensively incorporated into nutrition interventions in the South Asia Region in order to improve the effectiveness these programs. The first section presents the rationale for considering gender in nutrition programs in the first place, moving beyond traditional services for mothers and children. It draws from the literature to describe why gender is an important factor for the high under-nutrition rates in South Asia and how a broad range of gender issues, rooted in a mother's capacity to care for herself and her child, affect nutritional outcomes of children. The second section presents the results of a mapping of nutrition programs in the South Asia Region. The mapping primarily finds that, despite its importance, gender is too narrowly addressed in most interventions. Existing programs typically focus on the first two approaches mentioned above: imparting nutritional knowledge and skills to the caregiver and improving physical health through food or micronutrient supplements and health services. The third section identifies several nutrition and health projects that have adopted promising approaches to include gender more comprehensively. To improve household support for the mother in providing child care, efforts to engage other members of the household such as fathers, grandmothers, and mothers-in-law appear promising. The final section concludes by recommending five steps to more comprehensively address gender in nutrition interventions: (1) begin a dialogue with policymakers inside development institutions and governments to expand the conversation on gender with regard to nutrition interventions that extends beyond mothers and children; (2) collect low hanging fruit: existing development interventions that engage adolescent girls should include a nutrition component; (3) facilitate the generation of new ideas to address the programmatic gaps and improve targeting; (4) evaluate promising approaches for effectiveness, scalability and applicability in different cultural contexts; and (5) conduct additional research in previously overlooked areas and fill gaps in existing data
How to Attract Health Workers to Rural Areas? Findings from a Discrete Choice Experiment from India
No full textIndia faces significant challenges in attracting qualified health workers to rural areas. In 2010 the authors conducted a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh to understand what health departments in India could do to make rural service more attractive for doctors and nurses. Specifically, we wanted to do the following: (a) examine the effect of monetary and nonmonetary job attributes on health worker job choices; and (b) develop incentive 'packages' with a focus on jobs in rural areas. The study sample included medical students, nursing students, in-service doctors and nurses at primary health centers. An initial qualitative study identified eight job attributes health center type, area, health facility infrastructure, staff and workload, salary, guaranteed transfer to city or town after some years of service, professional development, and job in native area. Respondents were required to choose between a series of hypothetical job pairs that were characterized by different attribute-level combinations. Bivariate probit and mixed logit regression was used for the statistical analysis of the choice responses. The findings suggest that the supply of medical graduates for rural jobs remained inelastic in the presence of individual monetary and nonmonetary incentives. In contrast, the supply of nursing students for rural jobs was elastic. Further, medical and nursing students from rural areas had a greater inclination to take up rural jobs. The supply of in-service doctors and nurses for rural posts was elastic. Higher salary and easier enrolment in higher education programs in lieu of some years of rural service emerged as the most powerful driver of job choice. Overall, better salary, good facility infrastructure, and easier enrolment in higher education programs appear to be the most effective drivers of uptake of rural posts for students and in-service workers. Combining these incentives can substantially increase rural recruitment. Incentivizing medical graduates to take up rural service appears to be challenging in India's context. This can be improved to some extent by offering easier admission to specialist training and recruiting students from rural backgrounds. In contrast, nursing students and in-services nurses are much more receptive to incentives for uptake of rural service. This suggests that cadres such as nurse practitioners can play an important role in delivering primary care services in rural India
"Staat", "Gesellschaft", "Entwicklung" und "governance" in Asien
No full textDer Aufsatz befasst sich mit Entwicklungs- und Modernisierungsprozessen in Asien und hinterfragt dabei westliche Beschreibungs- und Beurteilungskategorien. Schon vor einem Jahrhundert begann in den USA eine ernsthafte Diskussion über die künftige Verschiebung der weltpolitischen Gewichte. Heute ist diese Position weit verbreitet: „Die Pazifische Ära wird von China — und niemand anderem — gestaltet werden. In solchen Äußerungen spiegelt sich ein gewisser Grundrespekt vor dem asiatischen Osten. Lässt sich Asien mit westlichen historischen und sozialwissenschaftlichen Begriffen erfassen oder darf man hier Fragezeichen setzen? Die Grundproblematik besteht darin, dass sich große Teile Asiens in einem deutlichen Prozess der Modernisierung befinden
Calling the Gravediggers? Hindu-Nationalism - India's Bêtes Noires under Stress
No full textOne of the most noteworthy developments in contemporary Indian politics is the occurrence of a phenomenon often described as Hindu-Nationalism, Hindu fundamentalism or even Hindu-Chauvinism. Since recently, even the buzzword of Hindu-terrorism appeared. Irrespective of the debate circling around the proper terminology , the issue being discussed so vividly refers to serious efforts to undertake dramatic changes and shifts within the political culture of India. This attempted transformation of state and society in the country, which manifested itself through „communal violence‟ (clashes between religious communities, especially Hindus and Muslims) as well as actions aimed at challenging constitutional provisions such as secularism in combination with increasingly radical socio-political demands, have posed a severe threat to the Indian model of consensus democracy and have sadly lived up to bleak forecast
The Good Neighbour: China's alternative strategy in Afghanistan
No full textBased on its 'five principles of peaceful coexistence' China adopted the "Good neighbourhood" policy (Mulin Waijiao) in the last two decades, aimed at establishing political relations
Clash of the Paladins: India's Hindu-nationalism in decline?
No full textHindu-nationalism is generally portrayed by most observers as the largest threat to India's democracy
Accident and Edition - John Shore’s translation of the Laghuyogavāsiṣṭha
No full textIn the philosophy of the Mokṣopāya we find a peculiar mixture of accident and determination when it comes to explaining creation, for the creator Brahmā determines the future creation in a unique manner: his first accidental ideas automatically become the determining coordinates within his universe. According to this text, everything is produced by the mind and is thus no more than an insubstantial, “empty” imagination, and consequently the whole world is just a collective imagination of human minds within the mind of Brahmā. As we read in this text, fire burns upwards and water flows downwards, simply because the Creator had this idea in mind at the beginning of creation and for this reason no one within Brahmā’s universe will be able to change these natural laws. In another universe created or rather imagined by another creator, the basic rules could be entirely different, so that in this theory of determination (niyati) the content of such “natural laws” is unpredictable. Brahmā’s first thoughts are not premeditated, rather the opposite (abuddhipūrva), simply because the first ideas are by definition unprecedented and—as the Mokṣopāya would maintain—without a cause
From conflict to cooperation? India-Pakistan relations and the shadows of Mumbai
No full textAfter 65 years of animosity leading to four major armed engagements, numerous cross-border skirmishes and at least two serious "war-in-sight-crises", the relationship between India and Pakistan seems to be heading towards a more promising future
Reforms under Fiscal Stress: A Policy Note on the Priorities for Fiscal and Budget Reform in Nepal
No full textThis note, first of the several on fiscal management and policy option notes planned, provides a concise assessment of the achievements to date of the ongoing reforms to budget management in Nepal and concludes with some guidance on the key focus areas of fiscal policy and expenditure management over the near and medium term. It is a selective assessment that looks at major aspects of the policy and budget process with a view to identifying areas for strategic focus, rather than a detailed rendering of the reforms. The note highlights the fiscal challenges that are assuming increasing prominence and which must be addressed by policy decisions and medium term reforms. While recognizing the uniqueness of Nepal's initial conditions, capacities and current security related challenges, the note takes account of international experience in implementing such reforms. The note starts with the economic and political background. The second section reviews fiscal trends and outlines issues to be considered by a fiscal strategy. The third section discusses institutional issues to strengthen the budget process
Trapped in Old Patterns? The Future of Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
No full textThe Afghanistan-Pakistan nexus is one of the most significant South Asian flashpoints. This bilateral relationship will have an immense impact on future political and socio-economic developments in the region and beyond