Social Policy Commons^™

Tracing Singapore's Social Sector, Sharifah Maisharah

Social Space

How has the face of Singapore’s social sector changed through the shifting landscape of state provision? Sharifah Maisharah looks at the evolution of the social sector pastiche starting from colonial rule in 1819.

Social Enterprises: Beyond The Hype, Sean Quek

Social Space

With their promises of sustainability, social integration and lower dependence on welfare, social enterprises are the flavour of the month. But, as Sean Quek points out, the challenges involved in designing and executing a sustainable social enterprise are often underestimated.

Unmas 2007 Annual Report, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

The operations managed by the United Nations Mine Action Service—or UNMAS—in 2007 allowed tens of thousands of people in hundreds of communities to resume their normal lives, reclaim their livelihoods and put formerly dangerous land to safe and productive use. In addition, thousands of kilometres of mined roads were cleared, enabling men, women, girls and boys to once again travel safely to markets, health centers and schools. Fewer civilians are living in fear in the nine countries or territories where UNMAS works. UNMAS continued to pursue the goals set forth in the United Nations Inter-Agency Mine Action Strategy for 2006 …

Performance Evaluation Test Of The Peco Tracked Brush Blazer, Ida, U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development, Office Of The Assistant Secretary Of Defense Special Operations And Low-Intensity Conflict

Global CWD Repository

Area preparation for demining remains one of the dangerous yet necessary tasks for organizations undertaking humanitarian demining missions. To date, the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program has provided a number of area preparation systems. The emphasis, however, has been on light (1–2 ton) to heavy (5–15 ton) platforms with a wide range of working attachments. There was a need for a robust, lightweight cutter to complement the heavier assets available from the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program. One such system that appeared to be a good addition to the area preparation tools available under the U.S. program was the …

Landmine Casualty Data: Best Practices Guidebook, Cisr

Global CWD Repository

This Landmine Casualty Data: Best Practices Guidebook reports on advances being made in casualty data collection and management and offers lessons learned that countries can reflect upon as they undertake the challenging task of building mine/ ERW victim information systems that meet their needs for data to use in planning and implementing their comprehensive mine action programs, including mine clearance, mine risk education and victim assistance. While the Guidebook is premised on the advances being made in some countries, much more progress is needed before effective landmine/ERW victim information systems will be operating in all mine-affected countries. It is important …

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2008, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

Since 1998, ITF has grown into an internationally recognized organization, supported by donations from extensive number of governments, public and private organizations, companies and individuals that has already surpassed the figure of 330 million USD. ITF contribution to the global fight against landmines and especially to the one in South East Europe (SEE) can not and must not be measured solely by numbers and statistical data. The contribution must be viewed in terms of its input to the restoration of conditions for cultural, social and economic lives of individuals and communities living in or emerging from war-torn society. Stable conditions …

Sudan's Expensive Minefields: An Evaluation Of Political And Economic Problems In Sudanese Mine Clearance, Matthew Bolton

Global CWD Repository

Sudan is an extremely difficult place to run a demining program. Mine clearance agencies face astronomical prices of goods and services, monumental logistical challenges, bureaucratic impediments from government, fraught labor disputes and a deeply embedded political economy of conflict. This multitude of problems has made Sudan one of the most unproductive demining programs, in terms of ordnance or area cleared per US dollar, in the world. This begs the question whether the level of international investment in Sudanese mine action is truly worth it. This paper will argue that in terms of saving lives or increasing access to socio-economic development, …

Ec-Funded Mine Action In Latin America Volume 2 - Country Reports, Russell Gasser

Global CWD Repository

The EC Anti-Personnel Landmine Regulation of 2001 mandated evaluations of EC Mine Action strategy every three years. The first report was a Global Evaluation published in 2005, but this report forms one part of the 2008 evaluation by regions and covers Latin America, 2002-2007.

Total EC funding for mine action in Latin America in the period 2002-2007 was about 8 million euros, roughly 2% of the EC total world wide budget for mine action. Sixty-eight percent of the eight million euros was from the dedicated thematic Anti-Personnel Landmine budget line and 31% was from the geographic budget for Colombia. There …

After The Tigers: Building A Competitive Citizen Sector, Chris Cusano

Social Space

The citizen sector is a new, yet fundamental idea that underpins the modern phenomenon of social entrepreneurship. Chris Cusano describes how the sector is taking shape and the challenges it faces.

Why Being A For-Profit In The Non-Profit Sector Makes Sense, Carolyn Seah

Social Space

In 2007, the Lien Centre for Social Innovation was commissioned by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to study the social enterprise space in Singapore for the first time. Carolyn Seah summarises the study’s findings.

Sleepless In Singapore, Jack Sim

Social Space

Is it time for Singapore to adopt a new social and business model? Jack Sim, the inimitable founder of World Toilet Organization, unveils his ‘not-so-wild-and-far-fetched’ vision of a timeless zone in Singapore.

Community Well-Being: A Comparable Communities Analysis, Jerry White, Paul Maxim

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Well-Being In Four Countries: An Application Of The Undp’S Human Development Index To Aboriginal People In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, And The United States, Martin Cooke, Francis Mitrou, David Lawrence, Eric Guimond, Dan Beavon

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Net Effects Of Specific Claims Settlements In First Nations Communities In The Context Of Community Well-Being, Jerry White, Nicholas Spence, Paul Maxim

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

The Community Well-Being Index (Cwb): Well-Being In First Nations Communities, Present, Past, And Future1, Erin O'Sullivan, Mindy Mchardy

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Applying The Community Well-Being Index And The Human Development Index To Inuit In Canada, Sacha Senecal, Erin O'Sullivan, Eric Guimond, Sharanjit Uppal

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Using The Undp Indices To Examine Gender Equality And Well-Being, Martin Cooke

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Aboriginal Well-Being: Canada’S Continuing Challenge, Dan Beavon, Jerry White

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

The Registered Indian Human Development Indices: Conceptual And Methodological Issues, Martin Cooke

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Mine Action Programme For Afghanistan, Mine Action Strategic Guideline (2008-2013), Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This document outlines the 5-year strategic plan for the Mine Action Coordination Centre for Afghanistan from 2008 to 2013. It includes an overview of the landmine and explosive remnants of war contamination in Afghanistan as it stands in 2008 and outlines the Afghan Government's strategic plan to achieve identified targets in remediating contaminated land.

Multi-Year Strategic Plan For The Kosovo Mine Action Programme (2008-2010), Cisr, Unmik

Global CWD Repository

The Multi-Year Strategic Plan 2008-2010 for the Kosovo Mine Action Programme (MYSP 2008-2010) aims to reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of mines and UXOs (Unexploded Ordnance) on Kosovo and its people.

Human Rights And Contemporary Slavery, Kevin Bales

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The anti-slavery movement will welcome this important compilation of work on debt bondage slavery. In the academic and policy analysis of contemporary slavery, many of the fundamental areas of enslavement are yet to be explored and brought into systematic presentation. This work by the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver helps to build up our understanding of debt bondage, as well as adding to the emerging discipline of contemporary slavery studies. Debt bondage slavery is one of the oldest forms of slavery that continues into the present day. The date of the establishment of hereditary debt …

Forced Child Labor In El Salvador: Contemporary Economic Servitude, Michelle Doherty

Human Rights & Human Welfare

In 2005, over half of the rural population in El Salvador was living on less than U.S. $2 dollars per day (Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo 2003: 42). The harsh reality of economic subsistence obligates children in El Salvador to contribute to their family’s survival. Employers providing this frail economic lifeline inevitably acquire control over the children. This economic control is a prominent aspect of contemporary slavery and is manifested through violence or exploitation. The enslavement of children in El Salvador not only steals their youth and opportunity to receive an education, but it also places innocent …

Poverty’S Captives, Tim Brauhn

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Today’s manifestations of bondage are a marked departure from those of pre-modern slavery. Now the value of the human “goods” is so low that slavers do not have to worry about damaging them. Two hundred years ago, slaves had to at least be treated with a modicum of safety, if for no other reason than to ensure continued profitability. But in the 20th and 21st centuries, slavers have become less like “hunters” and more like “gatherers,” since their work no longer involves raids and chains, at least in the physical sense. No, today’s raids are the false promises of work …

Under The Iron Thumb: Forced Labor In Myanmar, Anil Raj

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The fight for human rights in Myanmar goes back to its independence in 1948. The Myanmar military (tatmadaw) has engaged in shocking violations of almost every right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The issue of forced labor, however, is of particular concern. Forced labor is employed primarily in development projects, agricultural enterprises, and the military. It is used to impose collective punishment on civilians, to build highly profitable development that strengthens military rule, and to allow the military access and logistical support in the most remote regions of insurgent-occupied territories. Forced labor is a central means …

Moving Forward: Tackling Stigma In A Tanzanian Community, Laura Nyblade, Kerry Macquarrie, Gideon Kwesigabo, Aparna Jain, Lusajo Kajula, Fausta Philip, William Henerico Tibesigwa, Jessie K. Mbwambo

HIV and AIDS

The International Center for Research on Women, the Muhimbili University College of the Health Sciences, the Population Council, and Family Health International conducted an evaluation of a community-based effort to reduce stigma surrounding HIV infections in a peri-urban community in Tanzania. Results presented a mixed, but hopeful, picture for a way forward in tackling stigma at the community level. Tackling stigma requires that the individuals tasked with doing this undergo personal change. Programs can start by focusing stigma-reduction efforts on a smaller, more manageable geographical area and adding specific anti-stigma components to their portfolio of activities. Engaging community opinion leaders …

Contract Enslavement Of Female Migrant Domestic Workers In Saudi Arabia And The United Arab Emirates, Romina Halabi

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Slavery was not abolished in Saudi Arabia until 1962, and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until 1963. It is unsurprising, then, that contract slavery of domestic servants continues to thrive in much of the Persian Gulf, where local economies prosper on the immigration of foreign workers. Economic incentives on the part of the sending and receiving nations encourage the migration of female workers from their home countries to Saudi Arabia and to the UAE. These incentives, coupled with restrictive contract systems, bind the female domestic worker to her employer and create an environment conducive to exploitation and involuntary servitude.

The Dark Side Of Labor In China, Karine Lepillez

Human Rights & Human Welfare

With a population of 1.3 billion and a gross domestic product growing at an impressive rate of 10 percent per year, China has quickly become one of the largest contributors to the global market. Deng Xiaoping’s reforms of the late 1970s and early 1980s vastly improved the country’s standard of living and made economic development possible; unfortunately, China’s remarkable growth has a dark side: the forced labor of men, women and children. The country’s unique combination of Communist ideology and decentralized economic power has contributed to the use of both state-sanctioned and unsanctioned forced labor, the latter of which is …

Forced Child Labor And Cocoa Production In West Africa, Marjie Sackett

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The cocoa industry has profited from the utilization of forced labor in West Africa since the late 1800s. Despite the Portuguese decree in 1876 abolishing slavery, and the release of cocoa plantation slaves, slave labor was quickly reemployed, aided by the exploitation of legal loopholes and government officials willing to turn a blind eye. In 1905, after hearing reports of unfavorable labor conditions, William Cadbury dispatched a member of the Anti-Slavery Society to investigate the cocoa plantations. Upon receiving confirmation of human rights violations, Cadbury boycotted Portuguese cocoa and persuaded two other chocolate firms to do the same. Cadbury’s actions …

Low-Wage Workers Really Feel The Squeeze, Randy Albelda

Economics Faculty Publication Series

In the United States, it has been generally assumed that those who held a steady job could make ends meet but in today’s labor market nothing could be further from the truth. Workers in low-wage jobs can face double jeopardy: insufficient income to cover their basic needs and lack of access to job-related benefits to supplement their earnings. Public work supports — programs to help families fill basic needs such as health care, child care, food, and housing — can fill the gaps, and for many, they do. Still, in Massachusetts close to one out of every four individuals in …