Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Joint Archives Quarterly, Volume 13.02: Summer 2003, Valerie Olson Van Heest, Geoffrey D. Reynolds

The Joint Archives Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Lambers, Katherine Oral History Interview: Polio Survivors In Holland, Matthew Nickel

Polio Survivors in Holland

Oral Histories conducted with Polio Survivors in Holland, Michigan in 2003.

The Role Of Esrdf In Empowering Communities: The Case Of Addis Ababa Regional Office, Alemayehu Semunigus

International Conference on African Development Archives

The ESRDF, one of the biggest projects funded by the World Bank in Ethiopia, was established on 13 February 1996. It was designed to provide financial and technical support to poor, mainly rural and women communities and community groups, to construct or rehabilitate and maintain basic economic and social infrastructure and services, as well as environmental conservation actions that they prioritized and in which they are willing to invest. In its technical support ESRDF was envisaged to give greater emphasis on strengthening community capacity in project identification, implementation and maintenance. ESRDF is a semi autonomous office and was organized on …

School Choice And Policy Response: A Comparative Context Between Private And Public Schools In Urban Ethiopia, Berhanu Seboka

International Conference on African Development Archives

Given today’s appetite and search for better quality education in Ethiopia, coupled with meager educational budget available for the sector, little attention has been given to see the comparative advantage of demand side financing in education. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the state-run education system was criticized for being elitist, rigid and irresponsive. Today, more than ever, there is a constant public out cry for access to quality educational services both in urban and rural settings. The starting point for school choice is the availability of private schooling. School choice is believed to increase the efficiency of educational services …

Macroeconomic Development And Private Sector Performance In Ethiopia: The 1990’S Experience, Melesse Minale

International Conference on African Development Archives

After the downfall of the military government in 1991, the transitional government of Ethiopia committed itself to implement the stabilization and structural adjustment program with the help of the IMF and the World Bank. The objective of the program was to remove cost-price distortions, improve market related incentives, promote private enterprises and exports, and liberalize the economy and to reduce the role of the public sector in the economy. The a private led competitive economy operating under a free market and prudent fiscal and monetary policy environments was optimistically expected to emerge from this. The practical experience of the last …

Holistic Integrated Youth-Centered Development: Need For Change Of Focus, Yared Mammo

International Conference on African Development Archives

Today, the world knows Ethiopia for its abject poverty, war, drought and severe HIV/AIDS prevalence. For these problems, many causes can be mentioned. Some of these are poor or underutilization of the available resources, Lack of good governance, lack of vision, lack of determination and commitment, absence of transparency and accountability. Equally, the inability to use the youth as a key development tool is the formidable cause for remaining in abject poverty. Due to these various reasons, we could not actualize this potential (youth) in to reality (for fighting poverty and achieving sustainable development). In developing countries like Ethiopia, the …

Reflections On Development In Ethiopia, Paul B. Henze

International Conference on African Development Archives

I visited Ethiopia frequently and traveled extensively in all parts of the country during the Derg period. I observed firsthand the deleterious effects of the Derg's attempt to turn the country into a communist "people's republic".[1] Since the fall of the Derg in May 1991, I have made fifteen visits to Ethiopia, usually for periods of several weeks, totaling well over a year of travel in the country in all. During these same years I have also spent time in sixteen other post-communist countries, ranging from Slovenia and Armenia to Mongolia, observing the political, economic and social problems of recovering …

Papers Of The Second International Conference On Development Studies In Ethiopia, Sisay Asefa

International Conference on African Development Archives

Introductory remarks of the Second International Conference on Development Studies in Ethiopia, July 11-12, 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Educating The Community, Meskerem Shiferaw

International Conference on African Development Archives

This paper explores the current situation of the country, the present policy of the Education sector and its current situation, the extent of enrollment at all levels, gender disparity in enrollment, quality, efficiency and equity in education. The contribution of Non-Governmental Organizations and private investment in the sector's development is also discussed. Owing to the persistent problems of the sector, the presenter's recommends a model educational center based on Non-Formal Education for parents of poor children. Finally conclusion and recommendations are presented.

Regional Differences In Hiv Prevalence In The Light Of Prevailing Socio-Economic Conditions: A Preliminary Comparison Of Northeastern And Southern Africa, Lemma Merid

International Conference on African Development Archives

Preliminary investigation shows that HIV prevalence in most of the Northeast African countries is lower than the prevalence in their Southern Africa counterparts. This has led some in the Northeast to think that their situation is much better, and they should not be worrying as much. This however is a mistake. Since prevalence levels adjust through changes in new infections (incidence) and death, there is some indication that the latter may outweigh in the Northeast. The paper argues that given the much better economic and social welfare conditions in the South, the infected are likely to live longer than their …

Determinants Of Access To Credit And Loan Amount: Household-Level Evidence From Urban Ethiopia, Abi Kedir

International Conference on African Development Archives

Household level analysis of credit rationing is restricted to rural data sets collected mainly from South East Asia. In Africa, credit constraints are often investigated using firm level data. Empirical evidence on determinants of credit constraints and amount borrowed by urban households is almost non-existent from Sub-Saharan Africa. Using an extended direct approach, we analyzed the Fourth Round Ethiopian Urban Household Survey (2000) to separate households that do not have access to credit from those who do. We find a high percentage (i.e. 26.6%) of credit-constrained households, the majority of which constitute discouraged borrowers. A probit model and a tobit …

Education And Economic Performance In Sub Sahara Africa, Paulos Gutema, Mekonnen Bekele

International Conference on African Development Archives

In Sub Sahara Africa, where the process of economic growth is almost enigmatic, schooling is being considered, in most parts of the region, as a factor that may help resolve the mystery. This paper aims at examining the degree of growth effect of schooling in this region. Following the endogenous growth model developed by Lucas (1988) that considers human capital as one factor of production and schooling as means of human capital accumulation, two results of schooling are explicitly stated: accumulation of privately owned and publically owned human capital. By developing a growth estimating equation containing these two types of …

An Alternative View To The “Africa Dummy”, Paulos Gutema

International Conference on African Development Archives

For the last four decades the pace of economic growth in African countries remained too slow or stagnant. This problem is analyzed by first developing a framework that focus on growth process of indigent economy, where deferring current consumption is hardly possible, and by relaxing the usual assumption of unfailing market condition. The analytic result suggests that the degree and direction of effects of factors of market failure make a difference in nations' level of income per capita as well as its rate of growth. On this ground, the poor economic performance observed in the region can be well attributed …

Blending Of Traditional And Modern Technologies Through Science, Berhanu Gizaw

International Conference on African Development Archives

While the developed world benefits from the modern explosion in technology, countries such as Ethiopia are still reliant on the methods of there fore fathers for essential every day tasks like farming, cooling and provision of clean water. These tasks are often physically demanding, very costly in terms of time and energy, and, in many such societies, are often carried out by female members of the family. Additionally, they may cause damage to the local ecology and environment such as the deforestation and soil erosion arising from the use of trees for firewood. Western technologies are of little or no …

Resource Quality And Agricultural Productivity: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa And Implications For Ethiopia, Abebayehu Tegene, Keith D. Wiebe

International Conference on African Development Archives

Over the next several decades, trends in population, income, and urbanization are projected to raise world demand for cereals, roots, and tubers by about 40%, and for meat by about 60% (Pinstrup-Andersen, Pandya-Lorch, and Rosegrant, 1999). Population and demand for agricultural products are projected to grow nearly twice as fast in sub- Saharan Africa, at 2-3% per year, as they are in the world as a whole (FAO, 2000). Given land constraints in some areas and environmental concerns about agricultural land expansion in others, most of the increased production necessary to meet this demand will have to come from increased …

The Future Impact Of Adoption Of Soil Conservation Strategy At Family Level In The Highlands Of Ethiopia, Senait Regassa, Werner Doppler

International Conference on African Development Archives

In the highlands of Ethiopia, soil erosion is a bottleneck to maintain land productivity. In order to mitigate the problem of land degradation, the Soil Conservation Research Project (SCRP) developed and disseminated a number of soil conservation techniques. The studies done so far dealt with the impact of these techniques on yield and profitability of farming. However, poor farmers take not only yield and profitability into consideration but also many other factors. This study was initiated to assess the future impact of adoption of bund construction on family income, external labour requirement, cash balance, credit need, and dependence on purchased …

Land Tenure And Land Management Technology: A Case Study From The Central Ethiopia, Workneh Negatu

International Conference on African Development Archives

Land in Ethiopia is a public property. Farmers have use right to transfer or lease use rights of agricultural land. Thus, land tenure systems under the existing public ownership of land derive from official allocation by local government authorities and/or through transfer of land use rights. Farmers' practice of leasing agricultural land in the country is mostly limited to a few years, for instance to maximum of three years in one agreement. The common types of transaction of agricultural land include inheritance, cash renting, sharecropping and gift. The process and act of land transfer among land users, however, is often …

Land Tenure And Land Management In The Highlands Of Northern Ethiopia, Berhanu Gebremedhin, John Pender, Simeon Ehui

International Conference on African Development Archives

Land tenure security is important to encourage investment in land improvements as well as the development of efficient land markets. In Ethiopia, empirical analysis is required to find out the effect of the current land tenure system on farmers’ propensity to invest in land improvements, and the development and functioning of land markets. Data collected from 50 communities in the highlands of Tigray in 1998 was used to investigate the functioning of land markets, and determine the relationship between perceived land tenure security and land investments in the region. We found out that informal land markets (sharecropping and fixed rental) …

Policy Options For Improving Market Participation And Sales Of Smallholder Livestock Producers: A Case Study Of Ethiopia, Simeon Ehui, Samuel Benin, Zelekawork Paulos

International Conference on African Development Archives

Market access plays an essential role in assuring better income and welfare levels for smallholder livestock producers, and thus contributes to poverty alleviation. This is even more so in the Ethiopian context where livestock play an essential role in the economy. Making use of the Heckman estimation procedure, this paper identifies policy and technology options to increase participation and sales of smallholder producers in livestock markets in Ethiopia, based on data from 934 household surveys conducted between 1999 and 2001 in the highlands of Tigray and Amhara regions in northern Ethiopia. The analysis demonstrates that physical capital (ownership of different …

Rural Poverty, Food Insecurity And Environmental Degradation In Ethiopia: A Case Study From South Central Ethiopia, Sisay Asefa, Tesfaye Zegeye

International Conference on African Development Archives

This paper addresses the challenge of reducing poverty, food insecurity, and natural resource degradation, and abolishing recurrent famines in Ethiopia. With a population of about 65 million, Ethiopia is one of the largest and most populated countries in Africa. Ethiopia can be regarded as a microcosm of Africa due to its vast and diverse agro-ecology and population. Physically, it ranges from 200 meters to over 4000 meters above sea level. It has about 18 agro-ecological, zones and diverse population of some 85 ethnic or linguistic groups. The paper begins by addressing the conceptual relationship among food insecurity, poverty and natural …

Conceptualising Famine In Ethiopia, Getnet Alemu

International Conference on African Development Archives

This paper attempts to explain the nature of recurrent famine, not just as a result of a series of adventitious effects, but more importantly as the unintended outcome of an exclusionary growth model. This adventitious effects matter a great deal, but their impact can only be understood in the light of the inherent weakness of the growth model, which impoverished the peasantry and hence generated their vulnerability to famine.

Status And Prospects Of Farm Forestry Practices In Central Ethiopia, A Case Of Western Guraghe Highlands, Negussie Achalu, Holm Uibrig, Guido Weisshahn

International Conference on African Development Archives

The objective of the present study is to assess farm forestry decision-making strategies of smallholder farmers and to identify major choice constraints. It attempts to determine the potential of integrating multipurpose tree and shrub species into the existing land use units and its contribution to the objective of guaranteeing food self-sufficiency and sustainable livelihood. It also sheds some light on the deficiencies of current extension packages in helping farmers exploit the potentials of agroforestry innovations.

Farmers in the study area mainly employ eucalypt as major on-farm tree species both for meeting household wood demands and generating cash revenues. Farmers’ decisions …

Pastoral Livelihoods In Urban And Peri-Urban Spaces Of Ethiopia: The Case Of Yabello, Borana Zone, Edlam Aberra

International Conference on African Development Archives

This paper outlines the emergence of pastoral settlements in urban and peri-urban spaces of Ethiopia focusing on Yabello, the present capital of Borana zone. By doing so, the paper seeks to contribute to ongoing debates on the manner in which pastoral livelihoods are changing in Ethiopia, and elsewhere in Africa. More specifically, a livelihoods approach is adopted to examine the wellbeing of Borana pastoralists in peri-urban spaces of Yabello in terms of their asset status and use of those assets to pursue various livelihood strategies. The conceptualization of assets goes beyond economic assets to incorporate social and human assets which …

Market Incentives, Farmers’ Response And A Policy Dilemma: A Case Study On Expansion Of Chat Production As A Cash Crop In The Eastern Ethiopian Highlands.\, Tesfaye Lemma Tefera, Johann Kirsten, Sylvain Perret

International Conference on African Development Archives

This paper discusses the reasons for and effects of the dramatic expansion of chat production as a cash crop in the Hararghe Highlands of Ethiopia. Despite the Ministry of Agriculture’s deliberate attempt to marginalize and openly discourage chat production, farmers continue shifting their scarce resources to chat production. Using data generated by a rural livelihood survey from 197 randomly selected households, economic and non-economic factors contributing to the expansion of chat production are identified and its food and nutritional security impact was analyzed. The case study confirms once more again the power of market incentives in encouraging agricultural activity of …

Perspectives On Food Crop Production For Combating Famine In Ethiopia, Brhane Gebrekidan

International Conference on African Development Archives

Feeding the ever-growing Ethiopian population with the continuously shrinking land holdings and nutrient depleted soils is going to be very difficult to say the least. The realistic option under the current Ethiopian scenario is to increase the food productivity per unit of land. The science and the technological options available to realize higher productivity than what the average Ethiopian farmer gets are widely available both locally and internationally. Assuming that all of the non-technical institutional and policy issues bearing on solving the famine problem in Ethiopia are addressed adequately, my perspective focuses on the technological options to curtail famine and …

Household’S Consumption Pattern And Demand For Energy In Urban Ethiopia, Samuel Faye Gamtessa

International Conference on African Development Archives

This study looks into the energy demand and consumption pattern of households in selected urban areas. The analysis indicates that the use of traditional fuels dominates households' consumption pattern. However, the extent of the dominance varies across cities/towns and across income groups. A multivariate analysis of the consumption pattern reveals that the probability of consuming traditional fuels in general declines with increase in income and prices of the traditional fuels where as it increases with the increase in the prices of the modern fuels. The probability of consuming modern fuels increases with increase in income and prices of the traditional …

Review Of Jeannette Rankin: America's Conscience By Norma Smith, Sara Hayden

Great Plains Quarterly

Norma Smith's posthumously published biography of Jeannette Rankin offers a welcome addition to scholarship devoted to this early feminist, Congresswoman, and peace activist. Rankin's life story intersects with several major developments in Western politics and US public life. Rankin began her political career lobbying for woman's suffrage in Washington, eventually heading up the successful 1914 suffrage campaign in her home state of Montana. Rankin's suffrage work positioned her to run for national office; in 1916 she became one of Montana's two members of the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in the United States Congress. Rankin ran …

Review Of Willa Cather Remembered Edited By Sharon Hoover, Mark Madigan

Great Plains Quarterly

This welcome addition to Willa Cather scholarship is composed of forty-five reminiscences of the author by friends and professional associates documenting key stages of her personal life and literary career. While there is little here that has not been published before, Cather specialists will nonetheless want to add Willa Cather Remembered to their libraries. What makes the volume so appealing is that it collects important biographical material previously available only in miscellaneous sources. The legal restriction on publishing or even quoting excerpts from Cather's letters makes scholarship such as this all the more important. General readers with an interest in …

Title And Contents- Summer 2003

Great Plains Quarterly

Great Plains Quarterly

Summer 2003 Volume 23 Number 3

CONTENTS

BLACK ENCLAVES OF VIOLENCE: RACE AND HOMICIDE IN GREAT PLAINS CITIES, 1890-1920
Clare V. McKanna Jr.

WILLA CATHER'S RELUCTANT NEW WOMAN PIONEER
Reginald Dyck

THE CUPS OF BLOOD ARE EMPTIED: PIETISM AND CULTURAL HERITAGE IN TWO DANISH IMMIGRANT SCHOOLS ON THE GREAT PLAINS
John Mark Nielsen

REVIEW ESSAY: DO GERMANS REALLY LOVE INDIANS?
Peter Bolz and Ann Davis
A review of Germans and Indians: Fantasies, Encounters, Projections

BOOK REVIEWS

BOOK NOTES

NOTES AND NEWS

Review Of Once Upon A Town: The Miracle Of The North Platte Canteen By Bob Greene, Charles A. Peek

Great Plains Quarterly

Bob Greene interweaves narratives of sojourns in North Platte, local history, and stories of the Canteen culled from interviews (often tearful, one calling him to go on record the day before surgery) with those who served there and those who were served, a distinction that in the end blurs.

The story of the Canteen itself captures folks from a hundred and twenty-five communities in Nebraska and eastern Colorado, "Some ... you can't even find on a map, sixty years later," meeting up to 8,000 troops a day, carried on up to thirty-two trains a day, each stopping "as long as …