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SOCIAL SCIENCES

African Migration, Global Inequalities, and Human Rights : Connecting the Dots

Upphovsperson: Minter, William
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Globalization, Trade and Regional Integration | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År: 2011
Ämnesord: Migrations, Migrants, Social inequality, Human rights, Economic and social development, case studies, Africa, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP
Migration from and within Africa, just like migration elsewhere in the world, often generates anti-immigrant sentiment and ignites heated public debate about the migration policies of the destination countries. These countries include South Africa as well as others outside the continent. The countries of origin are also keen to minimize losses through “brain drain” and to capture resources such as remittances. Increasingly, international organizations and human rights advocates have stressed the need to protect the interests of migrants themselves. However, while the UNDP’s 2009 Human Development Report talks of “win-win-win” solutions, in practice it is the perceived interests of destination countries that enjoy the greatest attention, while the rights of migrants themselves are afforded the least. Yet migration is not just an issue in itself: it also points to structural inequalities between countries and regions. Managing migration and protecting migrants is too limited an agenda. Activists and policymakers must also address these inequalities directly to ensure that people can pursue their fundamental human rights whether they move or stay. It is not enough to measure development only in terms of progress at the national level: development must also be measured in terms of reductions in the gross levels of inequality that now determine differential rights on the basis of accident of birth.

Transnational Activism Networks and Gendered Gatekeeping : Negotiating Gender in an African Association of Informal Workers

Upphovsperson: Lindell, Ilda
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Urban Dynamics |
År: 2011
Ämnesord: Informal sector, Social movements, International organizations, Grass roots groups, Networks, Associations, Women’s organizations, Women’s participation, leadership, gender relations, feminism, case studies, Mozambique, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP
The last decade has witnessed the rise of a great number of transnational social movements and activist networks. While many of these movements have been initiated in the North, some are driven by people from the Global South with the aim of addressing various forms of destitution and asserting a variety of basic economic and cultural rights. Such transnational organizing is increasingly evident in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these initiatives relate particularly to the growing numbers ofpeople depending on forms of informal work for survival. This edition of Current African Issues looks into the transnationalization of a local association of informal workers as it becomes involved in an international network of grassroots organizations. While this transnational engagement opens up new political possibilities, it also poses new challenges. Participation in international activities is highly unequal and mediated rather than direct, as influential actors engage in practices of gate-keeping that tend to work to the disadvantage of women. Tensions also emerged as a result of the divergent gender ideologies espoused by different participants. The paper draws on various theoretical perspectives on spatial politics in the global age to interrogate the unequal and contested spatialities of this transnational activism. Feminist scholarship sheds further light on the gendering processes at work in the transnationalization of a grassroots association.

Natural Resource Governance and EITI Implementation In Nigeria

Upphovspersoner: Abutudu, Musa | Garuba, Dauda
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Globalization, Trade and Regional Integration |
År: 2011
Ämnesord: Nigeria, natural resources, Petroleum industry, Governance, Administrative reform, Institutional framework, International organizations, Corruption, Economic implications, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP
In their Natural Resource Governance and EITI Implementation in Nigeria, Musa Abutudu and Dauda Garuba provide the most up-to-date and in-depth analysis of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), providing a balanced yet critical evaluation of its performance, limitations and potential as an institution for helping Africa’s largest oil exporter to escape the so called resource curse and lay a firm basis for sustainable development. This Current African Issue contains valuable insights and information that will be of interest to all those with a keen interest in institutionalising transparency and accountability in natural resource governance in Africa.

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