Land,Gender, and Food Security

Since 2008, a surge in large-scale land acquisitions, or land grabs, has been taking place in low- and middle-income countries around the globe. This contribution examines the gendered effects of and responses to these deals, drawing on nine studies, which include conceptual framing essays that bring in debates about human rights, studies that draw on previous waves of land acquisitions globally, and case studies that examine the gendered dimensions of land dispossession and loss of common property. Three key insights emerge: the evolving gender and land tenure literature provides valuable information for understanding the likely effects of land deals; some of the land deal issues transcend gender-equity concerns and relate to broader problems of dispossession and loss of livelihoods; and huge gaps remain in our knowledge of gender and land rights that require urgent attention and systematic integration of gender analysis into mainstream research.     

The Asian Crisis,Gender, and the International Financial Architecture

This paper begins with an account of the Asian crisis, its creation and management by international financial institutions (the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank), and the gender impact of their stabilization and structural adjustment programs. Next we consider the new debate on reforming the IMF and the World Bank and restructuring the international financial architecture to prevent crises and manage them more effectively. Finally, we consider the gender ramifications of these changes. Since feminists have been absent from this debate, we examine issues essential to the formation of a gender-conscious international financial structure.     

The shadow price of labour in export processing zones. A discussion of the social value of employing women in export processing in Mexico and China

Researchers have recently begun to address methods of doing social cost-benefit analyses of export processing zones. This paper examines the issue of the appropriate shadow price of labour to apply in making a social evaluation of a zone. Conditions in Mexico and China are contrasted to illustrate the problem in current methods, which would lower the social benefits of the maquiladoras in Mexico simply because they have hired women. The paper argues that the absolute level of employment in both countries is an accurate measure of a key benefit of the zones, and that the appropriate shadow price of the labour involved is at or below the market wage regardless of whether the worker is male or female.     

Relationship marketing: Two case studies

Relationship fundraising is an important ethos for many charities. But what does it mean in practice, how does it work and is it effective? The author details two case studies: the Business Group and the British Social Services Media Awards. Jewish Care was formed in 1990, following the merger of the Jewish Blind Society and The Jewish Welfare Board. It is the largest social services organisation in the Jewish community, helping elderly, mentally ill, physically disabled, blind and unemployed people. Jewish Care helps more than 5,000 people every day, employs over 1,000 staff, works in partnership with over 2,500 volunteers and runs on a turnover of £32m.     

A service analytic approach to studying patient no-shows

Service Business - Patients who fail to show up for an appointment are a major challenge to medical providers. Understanding no-shows and predicting them are keys to developing a proactive strategy...     

Local Labour Markets and Theft: New Evidence from Canada

This paper provides causal evidence that labour market opportunities affect theft‐related crime rates in Canada. Synthetic panel data from 2007–2011 combine the Labour Force Survey and Uniform Crime Reports microdata. Low‐skill unemployment rates and corresponding crime rates are measured for age‐city‐specific groups of young males. IV estimates exploit the exposure of low‐skill employment to exogenous demand for exports to the US. Causal estimates of the elasticity of theft‐related crimes with respect to low‐skill unemployment range from 0.357 to 0.654. The use of aggregated unemployment rates appears to bias OLS estimates downward. IV estimates are found to mitigate this aggregation bias.     

The Economic Contributions of Amartya Sen

This paper examines the major economic contributions of Amartya Sen. Sen's contributions fall into three main areas: a philosophical critique of traditional economic assumptions, an attempt to build a more realistic economic science based on the notion of entitlements and human capabilities, and a long series of practical contributions to welfare economics that follow from the capabilities approach - how to measure poverty and inequality better, how to understand famine and hunger, the importance of gender in economic development, and the differences between economic development and economic growth. The paper concludes with a brief assessment of the significance of Sen's work.