Geoff Harris

A cost-benefit analysis of landmine clearance in Mozambique

After reviewing the nature and extent of the landmine problem in Mozambique, this article applies cost-benefit analysis to landmine clearance in that country. The main benefits of clearance are saved lives, injuries and medical costs and the agricultural output that is not lost if landmines are cleared. A very large negative net present value was estimated, a result explicable by the high costs of clearance, the relatively small number of people killed or injured by landmines and the low value of agricultural productivity per hectare. The article concludes with a discussion of the role of the economist in analysing such issues and suggests some alternative areas in which financial resources would provide a greater positive impact on the welfare of Mozambicans.

Survival strategies of HIV/AIDS – affected households in Soweto

This article reports the survival strategies used by households in Soweto with at least one HIV/AIDS-affected member. Data were collected on four occasions between September 2002 and August 2003 from each household, based on diary records and supplemented by interviews with the financial head of the household. In terms of frequency of use and the contribution made to the finances of affected households, the most important survival strategies were: the sick member continuing at work for as long as possible, borrowing from friends and relatives, receiving transfers from relatives, and taking up social grants. These results are broadly similar to those reported by Booysen and associates in their Free State studies.

Analysis of the perception of institutional function for health sector reform in Nigeria.

Institutional function reflects the institutions understanding of the world around it, its ability to locate itself within that world and to make decisions in relation to it. Three dimensions of institutional function were identified as management, environmental mastery and service delivery. This study analysed the perception of institutional function of four hospitals in Nigeria by 507 healthcare professionals and managers and its influence on the implementation of the health sector reform programme in the country. The respondents were doctors and dentists (30%), nurses (27.2%), pharmacists (8.9%), managers (15.5%) and other allied healthcare workers (18.4%). The overall perception of institutional function was 56.3%. The perceptions of the three dimensions of institutional function were management 52.7%, environmental mastery 50.8% and service delivery 62.6%. Three out of 12 statements on institutional function had levels of perception that were lower than 50%. These were adequacy of management skills (49.7%), functioning management information systems that are used in management decision-making (47.9%) and degree of autonomy for the hospitals (42.4%). There is the need to strengthen the institutional function of Nigerian hospitals, especially the acquisition of management skills by the healthcare professionals and managers, management information systems and autonomy for the hospitals.

The potential of nonviolence in building security in sub-Saharan Africa : essays

This article commences by examining the nature and extent of armed conflict in Africa and the meaning of some key terms from the discipline of peace studies. It then examines two main questions. First, is a national policy of nonviolence possible? Attention is paid to successful examples of demilitarisation from Central America, particularly Costa Rica, which illustrate that such a policy is both practical and highly beneficial. Second, can nonviolence bring about social change? Contrary to popular belief, the military has a poor track record in dealing with disputes while nonviolent campaigns have achieved a great deal by way of sustained social change. The article concludes by suggesting practical ways in which nonviolence can be promoted.

Building peace and security after genocide: the contribution of the gacaca courts of Rwanda

Abstract After the three-month-long genocide in Rwanda in 1994 that left over a million dead, one of the pertinent questions in Rwanda is whether peace and security can be established. The answer hinges on the crucial issues of justice and reconciliation. In the years following genocide, with some 800 000 perpetrators awaiting trial, the governments solution to this crisis of justice and the challenge of reconciling an ethnically divided nation was to revive a form of traditional justice called gacaca. In its traditional form, gacaca would be described as a restorative justice model, but this paper will argue that owing to various circumstances, the gacaca system as it is practised today leans more towards being retributive than restorative. This paper suggests that gacaca has nevertheless contributed positively to building justice and reconciliation – and thereby creating peace and security – in Rwanda.

Field Data: Distributions and Costs of Road-Traffic Fatalities in South Africa

Background. Road-traffic crashes and fatalities constitute major social and economic issues in South Africa. They are a major cause of morbidity and mortality comparable to HIV/AIDS, homicides, and some chronic diseases. Methods. Road-traffic accident data for the year 2003 obtained from the Department of Transport, Pretoria, South Africa were used for this study. The valuation of the costs of road-traffic crashes and fatalities in South Africa is based on the gross output or human capital approach. Results. 10,197 fatal road crashes and 12,353 fatalities were reported during the study period. More than 50% of the fatal road crashes and fatalities occurred in only three out of 11 provinces. The Northern Cape, which is the least populated province, had the highest fatal road crashes per 100,000 population and fatalities per 100,000 population. The number of road-traffic fatalities in the rural areas was 2.7 times that in the urban areas. The total costs of the road-traffic fatalities which was about R 8 billion (>US

People-to-people peacemaking and peacebuilding: A review of the work of the New Sudan Council of Churches

1 billion) is about 0.6% of the countrys nominal GDP for 2003. 60% of the cases and costs of road-traffic fatalities involved persons aged 20–39 years, although this age group is only 27% of the countrys population. The rural areas accounted for 73% and the urban areas 27% of the total costs of fatal road-traffic crashes. Conclusion. Those living in the rural areas of the South African society and those aged 20–49 years constitute high-risk groups of road-traffic crashes and fatalities. They are also responsible for most of the attendant costs of fatal crashes and fatalities in the country.

GIRLFRIENDS, SEX AND VIOLENCE: THE ATTITUDES AND REPORTED BEHAVIOURS OF ADOLESCENT MALES IN A SOUTH AFRICAN TOWNSHIP

The aims of this article are to explain the principles and practices of the PTP peacemaking process; to argue the case for greater NSCC emphasis on peacebuilding; and to make recommendations to the NSCC concerning its future peacemaking / peacebuilding work.

Analysis of the perception of institutional culture for health sector reform in Nigeria

It has long been recognised that levels of gender violence in contemporary South Africa are very high and that a significant part of this violence involves forced sex. The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) (2008) has characterised the country as being in a “state of sexual tyranny”. The specific aim of this research is to better understand the important beliefs and attitudes of a sample of young urban men concerning girlfriends, violence and sex. Such beliefs and attitudes are likely to result in behaviours which have direct implications for the high levels of gender violence, the high rates of HIV prevalence and the incidence of new infections

Peacebuilding and Reconstruction After War in Developing Countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the perception of institutional culture in four hospitals in Nigeria and its influence on the implementation of the health sector reform programme in the country.Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional study of 507 healthcare professionals and managers using a self‐administered questionnaire was carried our.Findings – The overall perception of institutional culture was above average at 56.4 per cent. The perceptions of the two dimensions of institutional culture were: leadership 59.3 per cent and character 54.0 per cent. Two out of the 11 statements on institutional culture had levels of perception that were lower than 50 per cent. These were: “staff morale and job satisfaction are high at all levels, and regularly evaluated by the institution” (41.6 per cent) and “information is shared openly in the institution” (44.3 per cent).Originality/value – There is a need to strengthen the character dimension of the institutional culture of Nigerian hospit...