Securing Costa Rica’s Sustainable Future: A multi-level perspective analysis of the sustainability transition to operationalise the 3Rs in the plastic waste management system in Costa Rica.
Plastic waste and pollution have proliferated globally causing environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Costa Rica hosts 5-6% of global biodiversity and struggles to balance socio-economic development with environmental protection in the context of plastic waste management. This system is analysed through the multi-level perspective using primary data collected from semi-structured stakeholder interviews and secondary data…
A Maasai Model to Wildlife Conservation: Exploring environmental subjectivities among the Maasai living in and around Naretunoi Community Conservancy and next to Nairobi National Park in Kenya
Objectives: Wildlife in Kenya, much like globally, is under significant pressure. In Kenyaalone, there has been a 60 percent decrease in species and the remaining wildlife is faced withhabitat loss and climate change, among others. The study of conservation practices – respondingto the many challenges underlying the “sixth mass extinction” – has never been more…
The Meaning of Gender Issues as Narrated and Negotiated by Activists in Mozambique
Feminist activism in Mozambique has suffered dramatic changes throughout the many sociopolitical processes the country has encountered. Consequently, the activists in civil society still struggle to fight against patriarchal oppression, political repression, and socio-cultural norms that hinder women’s full realization of their rights. As it follows, this research aims to investigate how activists in Mozambique…
People and Baboons in Cape Town: Rethinking Interactions with Wildlife in Urban Areas
Humans and wildlife live in increasing proximity, which leads to negative human-wildlife interactions. Management efforts are often focused on “controlling” species that are considered problematic, often downplaying, or even neglecting the perceptions and values of affected communities. There are many ideas about what human-wildlife interactions should look like and these are constantly evolving alongside our…
Vulnerability of livelihood and adaptive capacity to climate change: A case of Chikupi Rural Women, Zambia
Zambia has not been spared from the adverse effects of climate change that have affected thepoorest in society. Most Zambians reside in rural areas and depend on small-scale agriculture fortheir livelihoods. The only way out of climate change effects is adaptation. Climate changeadaptation requires communities to have adequate income and assets/capital for improvedlivelihoods/wellbeing. This paper…
Vectors for Change? The role of civil society in curbing corruption in a post-socialist and post-conflict setting: The case of Kosovo
This thesis analyses the role of civil society in attempting to curb corruption in a post-socialistand post-conflict setting. The aforementioned settings have previously been studiedseparately, leaving out the context of societies experiencing a double transition both fromsocialism and conflict. By conducting a field study in Kosovo, the double transition is studiedby collecting primary data from…
Child Participation in the City of Vienna
With the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as starting point, discussants are invited to use Vienna’s commitment to implement a child and youth strategy to reflect on how to build such a strategy that achieves meaningful child and youth participation. The Facilitator Guide introduces helpful concepts and tools: Lundy’s Model of Participation…
Inclusion and participation of marginalised groups in local democracy in rural Zimbabwe
This study on the extent of marginalised groups’ participation in local democracy in rural Zimbabwe adopts a mixed research approach: data were gathered through self-administered questionnaires, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and document review. Results show that varied mechanisms exist – including the national Constitution, policies, and institutional frameworks – that allow for the…
The Role of Social Norms in Reducing Corruption in Education: A Case Study of Schools in Hanoi-Vietnam
This research report presents empirical findings from an ethnographic study of the role of informal social norms in reducing corruption in public and private schools in Hanoi. The study begins by building a theoretical framework that inculcates the significance of local informal social norms in analysing/understanding corruption and designing counteraction strategies, especially at the sub-national…
From inclusion and transparency, to equity and quality: How can we improve local budget processes?
The objective of this project is to investigate how equitable, inclusive, transparent and accountable budget processes are at local government level and to propose measures for their improvement. The analysis included four pilot municipalities in North Macedonia, selected to represent different geographic locations and socio-economic characteristics. We employed different methods to assess the current state…
