You may have to register before you can download all our books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Within the last twenty years a large-scale bottom-up privatization has taken place in Vietnam, changing and dismantling the public health care system. This process has led to severe tensions inherent in the transitional society of Vietnam between equity and access to health care support - especially for the poor, elderly, migrants, and ethnic minorities - on the one hand, and its efficiency on the other hand. The book traces the reform efforts to modernize the health care system by the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese government. The author bases her findings on little known primary literature and interviews with key stakeholders of the policy network involved in the reform of the health care system, thereby painting an authentic atmospheric picture of the profound changes in the health care system in Vietnam.
The civil war in the Islamic Southern Philippines is one of the longest-lasting conflicts in Southeast Asia.This book dates back to a workshop on that conflict at the Department of Political Science of the University of Gottingen, Germany. The particular interest in the Moro conflict in Gottingen is due to the fact that a family from that city was among those tourists who were kidnapped in Sipadan (Malaysia) by the Abu Sayyaf group in spring 2000 and held hostage on the island of Jolo (Sulu) for almost half a year. Although the geographical and cultural backgrounds of most of the contributors to this volume differ from the parties involved in the conflict, the editors hope that this volume offers adequate views, theoretical approaches, and methodologies, which prove helpful in understanding and eventually ameliorating the conditions of the people living in "Moro land".
In states in which the public role of religion is controversial, religious instruction becomes both a means and an end of politics. This groundbreaking collection of case studies drawn from Arab, Asian and European countries examines different aspects of religious instruction: how it is regulated, who decides its content, the values it imparts and, in particular, whether it triggers, deepens or reduces conflict.
The contributors to this work examine the evolution of U.S. foreign policy toward the Third World, and the new policy challenges facing developing nations in the post-Cold War era. The book incorporates the key assessment standards of U.S. foreign policies directed toward critical regions, including Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. Through this region-by-region analysis, readers will get the information and insight needed to fully understand U.S. policy objectives - especially with regard to economic and security issues in the wake of 9/11 - vis a vis the developing world. The book outlines both successes and failures of Washington, as it seeks to deal with the Third World in a new era of terrorism, trade, and democratic enlargement. It also considers whether anti-Western sentiment in Third World regions is a direct result of U.S. foreign policies since the end of the Cold War.
The time to come - as well as the exploration thereof - remains elusive for social actors and social scientists alike. The contributors accept the challenge to depict young men and women's future-creating activities in urban contexts of sub-Saharan Africa. Very consciously, they study young graduates having obtained a university degree and provide a vivid picture of their strategies to socially grow older by doing adulthood in contexts of great uncertainty. The examples include Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ethiopia, Mali and Tanzania, visually enriched through pictures taken by young Malian photographers.
On May 18th, 1991, Somaliland embarked on a new path in order to manage its own destiny as a sovereign state and for 20 years the people of Somaliland have demonstrated their strong commitment in achieving the goal of independence through democratic values and a rejection of extremism; four peaceful and fair parliamentary and presidential elections, as well as a popular referendum have been held. In addition the local economy shows signs of hope, and the already announced forthcoming presence of international banks in the country will further help Somaliland to trade with the world. This first volume of Somaliland – the way forward documents the recent advances in Somaliland in peace, development, good governance and economic revival. A number of critical issues, including the state of law and order, justice and rights, national planning, democracy and political maturity all built on the centuries-old traditions of a nomadic Muslim society are explored.
Interregionalism, the institutionalized relations between world regions, is a new phenomenon in international relations. It also a new layer of development in an increasingly differentiated global order. This volume examines the structure of this phenomenon and the scholarly discourse it is generating. It takes stock of empirical facts and theoretical explanations, bringing together with clarity and concision the latest research on this key area. This essential new book: * traces the emergence of interregionalism and reviews the latest literature * provides a conceptual and theoretical framework for study * includes case studies of inter-regional relations between: Asia and America; Asia and Europe; Europe and America; and Europe and Africa. * delivers comparative analyses and special cases such as continental summits and interregional relationships beyond the Triad. * summarizes and evaluates the findings of each chapter, providing a basis for further research. This is a key reference book for students and researchers of regionalism, global governance and international relations.
This volume presents the state of the art of the new phenomenon interregionalism examining both empirical observations and theoretical explanations.