...Global risks: Economic Risks Risks in the economic category include fiscal and liquidity crises, failure of a major financial mechanism or institution, oil-price shocks, chronic unemployment and failure of physical infrastructure on which economic activity depends. Environmental Risks Risks in the environmental category include both natural disasters, such as earthquakes and geomagnetic storms, and man-made risks such as collapsing ecosystems, freshwater shortages, nuclear accidents and failure to mitigate or adapt to climate change. Geopolitical Risks The geopolitical category covers the areas of politics, diplomacy, conflict, crime and global governance. These risks range from terrorism, disputes over resources and war to governance being undermined by corruption, organized crime and illicit trade. Societal Risks The societal category captures risks related to social stability – such as severe income disparities, food crises and dysfunctional cities – and public health, such as pandemics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the rising burden of chronic disease. Technological Risks The technological category covers major risks related to the growing centrality of information and communication technologies to individuals, businesses and governments. These include cyber attacks, infrastructure disruptions and data loss. Ten Global Risks of Highest Concern in 2014 1 Fiscal crises in key economies 2 Structurally high unemployment/underemployment ...
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...THE NEED OF SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AS A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE ABSTRACT Environmental protection is a recent concept, developed in the international or regional human right protection systems or mechanisms. In those early days, especially when modern human rights protection mechanisms such as UDHR, ICCPR, IESCR and other human rights instruments adopted, the concern given to environmental protection was not that much significant . The only few provisions in these instruments recognizes some rights like the right to healthy and favorable condition of work, the right to get adequate food, clothing and shelter and the like. It was during in 1992, earth summit, that the relationship between human rights and sustainable environment is addressed. The need for the protection of environment becomes a necessity. In fact environment is a totality of human life; it means that it is sources of food, clothing, and shelter. The denial of environmental protection could bring about the denial of some fundamental rights such as the right to health, life, food and so on. It is true that, environment should be properly managed in order to make it favorable to human life. However; the effort to protect the environment faces different challenges like the issue of locus-standi, justifiability, conflict between developmental efforts and environmental protection, burden of proof, lack of cooperation among states...
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...system and making sure nation-states adhere to the rules laid down in the trade treaties signed by WTO member states. International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) were both created in 1944 by 44 nations that met at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The IMF was established to maintain order in the international monetary system; The WB was set up to promote economic development. United Nations (UN) – was established on October 24, 1945, by 51 countries committed to persevering peace through international cooperation and collective security. International trade occurs when a firm exports goods or services to consumers in another country. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) occurs when a firm invests resources in business activities outside its home country. Stock of foreign direct investment – refers to the total cumulative value of foreign investments. Multinational enterprise (MNE) – is any business that has productive activities in two or more countries. International Business – is any firm that engages in international trade or investment. Chapter 2 Political economy – the political, economic, and legal systems of a country are interdependent; they interact and influence each...
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...Civil Rights The struggle for equality has been a battle fought for hundreds of years amongst Native Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans. When we hear the words civil rights often we conjure images of Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his soul-stirring “I Have a Dream” speech before the nation’s capital. The truth is, minorities have been fighting for their civil rights way before the 1950’s in fact it dates way back to the early 1880’s when Native Americans lost their lands, family, culture but most importantly their rights as human beings. America deprived Native Americans of their rights and ways of living by recruiting the young children to try and stop them from growing up to become “savages,” as the USA described them and instead civilize them and turn them into men of class. The USA though they were doing the Native Americans a favor by civilizing them when instead all they were doing was destroying the most valuable thing a man has in this world which is his family. If being taken away from your family wasn’t bad enough students at federal boarding schools were forbidden to express their culture, everything from wearing long hair to speaking even a single Indian word. They lost not only their language, but also their American Indian name. In my opinion I don’t see how the USA was doing Native Americans a favor by the intent to completely transform people, inside and out, language, religion, family structure, economics, the way you make a living...
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...Theories of Social Movements Relative Deprivation Theory Relative deprivation theory, developed by Denton Morrison (1971) is a more general theory about why individuals join social movements. A person experiences relative deprivation when she feels that she is not receiving her “fair share” of what seems to be available. Therefore, the people who are the worst off are not necessarily the ones experiencing relative deprivation. For instance, research in the Civil Rights movement showed that African Americans who were the most active were not most deprived but were fairly well-off, such as college students or religious leaders but they were the ones who felt the most relatively deprived. Key to the idea of relative deprivation is the notion of expectations, that is, what people think they deserve and want in life. If these expectations are met, people do not experience discontent or relative deprivation. On the other hand, if people compare themselves to their reference groups and find that they have less, they will experience relative deprivation. If an individual feels that everyone else seems to be wealthier or generally seems to have it better, they will experience relative deprivation. A second key to the idea of relative deprivation is the notion of legitimate expectations. Relative deprivation is not simply the idea that people want what everyone else has. It is the idea that they think they deserve it and have a right to it. Therefore, if they do not get what they...
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...KENYA AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTION Anal examination is forcibly carried out in Kenya exclusively on men suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual anal intercourse as a means of obtaining evidence to prove that they are homosexuals. Suspects are without their consent made to lie with their legs up in the presence of police officers and metal spatulas are inserted and torches shone into their anuses to see any abnormalities are visible . The examination is performed with the presumption that there are characteristic signs that correlate with consensual anal intercourse. This practice gives rise to a number of issues. Firstly, is the examination in accordance with the Constitution of Kenya? Secondly, does the examination amount to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment? Thirdly, is there probative value in the evidence, if any, obtained through the examination and do any samples collected rightly fall within the scope of “Appropriate samples” under the Sexual Offences Act 2006 section 36? THE CONSTITUTION OF KENYA 1. Article 25 - freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment 2. Article 49 (d) and 50, 51- the tenets of a fair trial and the right of an accused person not to incriminate themselves:...
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...terminology 1. Absolute gain: a theoretical option open to political actors based on the belief that decisions will benefit all organisations within a state and/or all member states within an intergovernmental organisation (IGO) Includes all aspects of cooperative behaviour between states; especially power ratios, economic activity and socio-cultural effects 2. Relative gain: a theoretical option open to political actors based on the belief that decisions are only intended to balance power relations between states or increase the power of one state over its rivals Generally disregards economic and socio-cultural considerations, and only allows limited cooperation between states (especially in relations where information about other states’ interests and inclinations is limited) 3. Zero-sum: a relational state wherein a participant's gain or loss is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the other participants (assuming that total gains of the participants are added, and the total losses are subtracted, the numerical result will sum to zero) Particularly useful in competitive relations, and explains economic behaviour such as opportunity cost and absolute advantage Non-zero sum: a relational state wherein all participants act based upon their respective efficient capabilities, and attempt to coordinate the efficiencies to result in benefits for all participants Particularly useful in explaining comparative advantage in economics and in other fields 1. International institutions:...
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...Multinational enterprises A multinational enterprise (MNE) is a company that has a worldwide approach to markets and production or one with operations in more than a country. An MNE is often called multinational corporation (MNC) or transnational company (TNC). MNC as beauty - Potential contribution to economic growth and national welfare. - Important agent of change. - Increases competitive pressures on domestic firms. - Demonstrates and diffuses new technology. - Upgrades the quality of indigenous resources and capabilities. - Governments (in general) praise FDI. MNC as beast - Negative impact on the environment, labor and human rights. - MNCs’ and national state goals are not always compatible - MNCs out-compete local firms. MNCs have immense political power. 51 of the 100 biggest economies in the world are now MNCs. Business is in the driver’s seat, corporations determine the rules of the game and governments have become referees, only enforcing rules. Are MNCs really agents of technological change? Some scholars question the efficiency of MNCs, suggesting that they have become too large and bureaucratic to compete against more nimble and innovative smaller firms that are rapidly gaining advantage in highly competitive global markets. What is the three primary states of mind / attitudes toward the MBC? Ethnocentric (home-country oriented) - Home nationals are the best person to do the job - What works at home must work in the host country Costs: Fewer Innovations, lack of...
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...“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” -Eleanor Roosevelt Introduction Millions have suffered crimes against humanity. Millions are left poor, without any of the basic needs to survive. Millions more suffer in forced labor. Other millions are discriminated on because of their race, gender, and nationality. When do these millions become less, or none for that matter? When will crimes against humanity stop? When will one’s race not matter? “The idea of human rights has a long history, but only in the past century has the international community sought to galvanize a regime to promote and guard them” (Council on Foreign Relations, 2013, 1). Particularly, since the United Nations was created in 1945, the world community has cooperated to codify human rights in a universally recognized regime of treaties, institutions, and norms...
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...REL 222 GUIDE According to Thompson, why did the Greek poet Hesiod see farming as having religious significance? (36) God is integrated into nature, thus caring for it is important. Farming is the way humans can justly occupy a place in the divine (that is natural) order and its god’s intention that this place be fraught with work toil and risk. A key message in Hesiod’s poetry is that only farmers dependent on seasons, soil, and water can hope to attain piety or show proper respect to these divinities. Farming is the way human beings justly occupy a place in the divine (that is natural) order, and it is the gods’ intention that this place be fraught with work , toil, and risk, Warfare, violence, and trickery, in contrast, are unjust in Hesiod’s poetry because they short-circuit the gods’ intended route to material rewards. According to Thompson, what value did Thomas Jefferson see in Agriculture for America’s future? Jefferson believed that the small farmers would make the most “valuable citizens” because of their investment into the land and thus their country, he believed that agriculture was way for citizens to make long term and stable decisions that also promoted patriotism. Hamilton: believed that the future of the new republic lay in trade and industrial development. Jefferson favored the strategy of filling the heart of N.American continent with freehold farmers and delaying the creation of an indigenous industrial plant as long as possible. It was...
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...Three waves of human rights expansion can be identified: First Wave: It took two world wars to make any real progresson human rights Important precursors to what the future of human rights would be came in 1941 when Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) made his famous FOUR freedoms speech: freedom of speech, of religion, from want and from fear. However, during WWII, these ideas were largely forgotten to secure victory over Germany and Japan—FDR, and subsequently, Truman, tried to pay attention to human rights issues from both a normative as from a realist viewpoint—what they were concerned with was stability or absence of major conflicts in the international system—they wanted to make sure that there would be no repeat of a world war—world peace was beneficial to everyone, including the great powers—however, for a variety of reasons, the real progress on human rights was slow—disagreements between Allied powers, disagreements within the US especially Congress etc. The central dilemma then and now remains the same—if a great power creates a strong international human rights regime so as to prevent human rights violations by other states to the extent of foreign interventions: It violates the sanctity of state sovereignty; and It makes itself answerable to the same international human rights regime and opens itself to scrutiny by other states. The UN Charter became the first ever international treaty to recognize universal human rights—in 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal...
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...perspectives Sociological perspectives is a perspective on human behaviour and its connection to society as a whole. It invites us to look for the connections between the behaviour of individual people and the structures of the society in which they live. The structures are functionalism, Marxism, Feminist, Interactionism, Collectivism, Postmodernism and New right. Functionalism Functionalism is a perspective created by Emile Durkheim. He believed society was made up of inter-connected institutions for an example education, family and government which depended on each other to function. Functionalists see society as being similar to the human body. In the same way the body relies on the heart to pump blood round to other vital organs like the lungs and brain. Functionalists see society as being constructed of different inter-dependent components like the family and education system. So in the same way the human body would fail if the heart stopped, functionalists’ argue society would stop working properly if the family stopped functioning properly. Functionalists say this would happen because the family is an institution in which primary socialisation occurs. Primary socialisation is where younger members of a family are taught societies norms, values, roles and beliefs, By having the same values which we all share, a value consensus is establish. Therefore we can see the family has a function in the social system. This perspective of society differed from other sociologists...
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...Human Rights and Economics: Tensions and Positive Relationships Commissioned by the Nordic Trust Fund The World Bank www.worldbank.org/nordictrustfund Nordic Trust Fund Human Rights and Economics: Tensions and Positive Relationships Prepared for the Nordic Trust Fund/World Bank by GHK Consulting Ltd. Nordic Trust Fund Disclaimer: The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. Contents Foreword ......................................................................................................................................................... v Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................................vii Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................................ix 1. Study Objectives and Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objectives ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Approach...
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...11. Understanding Development Theory In the Context of Social and Community Change by Michel Adjibodou[1] I. INTRODUCTION If you are fortunate enough to have walked the land and worked with the people of South Central Los Angeles in California, the mountains of Chiapas in Mexico, the plains of Tanga in Tanzania, the hills of Save in Benin, the streets of Hartford, Dorchester and Roxbury, the hills of Funyula in Western Kenya, one common characteristic you probably noticed is the resolve and resilience of those communities. Despite the daily challenges and stresses on their health, income, environment, land, and physical security, the residents are determined to improve their communities and create greater opportunities for their children. Many of us who chose to work in “development”, or who accidently ended up doing this work, must learn how to work in communities which face horrendous challenges. Engaging people in improving their own communities and, perhaps, working on broader issues demands that we develop great skills and knowledge, not to mention a certain attitude, some character, plenty of courage, and listening skills. Most of us simply behave like backpackers on our way to solve the world’s problems and save humanity from itself. Mistakes are made along the way, success stories abound, lives are damaged and rebuilt, hopes restored, and life goes on. Many practitioners working in communities around the world, and people who want to become...
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...arduous journey of progress. Progress that has had high cost, followed by great changes, and the inevitable growth of a new American society determined to improve their destiny. However, the great debate is “has America truly changed for the better?” A closer look at the positive changes developed through social movements, societal policy expansion, and technological advancements paints a picture of an improved American society. Social Movements After World War II ended in 1945, America experienced a brief moment of contented peacefulness and growth. However, this quickly changed as the country moved toward a decade of cold war in an effort to prevent the spread of Russian communism, which denied those under its rule the right to basic human freedoms. This cold war was founded on the principle of protecting global human rights, which would sparked an era of social unrest among American minority groups who desired to have their own basic human freedoms recognized. Martin Luther King & The Civil Rights Act of 1964 By the late 1950’s, American was experiencing the first in a long line of civil rights movements demanding that the government take action to end social inequalities. The most prominent of these was the battle over racial segregation in public areas, such as schools, restaurants, stores, and...
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