"Politics in the Middle East is now ‘seen’ and the image is playing a central part in processes of political struggle. This is the first book in the literature to engage directly with these changing ways of communicating politics in the region - and particularly with the politics of the image, i
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ts power as a political tool. Lina Khatib presents a cross-country examination of emerging trends in the use of visuals in political struggles in the Middle East, from the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon to the Green Movement in Iran, to the Arab Spring in Egypt, Syria and Libya. She demonstrates how states, activists, artists and people ‘on the street'’ are making use of television, the social media and mobile phones, as well as non-electronic forms, including posters, cartoons, billboards and graffiti to convey and mediate political messages. She also draws attention to politics as a visual performance by leaders and citizens alike." (Publisher description)
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"This research project addressed specifically the information-seeking behaviour of small scale farming households in Kenya. It focused on how farmers are informed about innovation on new methods of increasing agricultural productivity, which is one of the main challenges for Africa's agriculture and
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its rural population. Shortcomings in information are presumed to be one essential element that might hinder the uptake of new methods that are made available by agricultural research. For this purpose a survey with 600 small-scale farming household was conducted, investigating the information needs and patterns. The main results of the survey point to (a) the dominating role of radio as the main media channel used by almost all farmers for receiving agricultural information and much less the mobile phone that is thought by Western donors and NGOs to be the new information tool (b) the high credibility of Government extension services as the most trustworthy source regarding agricultural information although farmers bemoan the fact that extension officers are difficult to reach and less available than expected, and (c) the apparent gap between what farmers need and what they get in two respects: They mainly get technical information, for example on new varieties, planting methods or new crops, but they also want more information on markets, gaining more income and more basic knowledge. They prefer to receive information as a comprehensive package and not isolated bits. Secondly, they prefer another mode of getting information, not the usual top down approach with little explanation, but a comprehensive mode which provides them with various options accompanied by a lot of explanation. Surprisingly, many farmers say that they lack even basic knowledge of good agricultural practice." (Executive summary)
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"Este trabajo analiza el estado de situación de la cooperación española, en el contexto de la evolución de la agenda internacional de desarrollo, para preguntarse por su impacto e implicaciones futuras en el ámbito de la cultura. Se trata de detectar los desafíos que tiene la cooperación cult
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ural para concretarse en un entorno digital, además de y más allá de la crisis. Dado que se aspira a superar la mirada simplemente nacional, se incluyen las visiones y opiniones de un grupo de expertos y dirigentes oficiales iberoamericanos. Un balance crítico permite afirmar que la cooperación oficial en general, y en materia de cultura en particular, no parecen ser prioridad para el Gobierno. De hecho, se las está sometiendo a una reorientación política y económica, basada en una drástica reducción presupuestaria y una estrategia desdibujada, que ignora el camino transitado. Se concluye que la cooperación cultural debe repensarse para reubicarse en un escenario mayoritariamente digital pero orientándose, al mismo tiempo, hacia el objetivo de la promoción y protección de la diversidad cultural." (Página 4)
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"The idea for this book came up during the fieldwork I did in Vitória, Brazil for my doctoral dissertation. My research aims to understand the experience of marginalized people in community technology centers and how this experience informs the ways we think about what constitutes “empowerment”
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and “disempowerment” vis-à-vis technology. The book “Favela Digital – The other side of technology” is an opportunity to show, in photos, the reality I lived in during six months visiting the marginalized communities of São Benedito, Bairro da Penha, Itararé, Gurigica, Jaburu e Consolação. Along with the team from Varal Communications Agency, I captured the everyday life in the favelas and how the residents use digital technology. My goal with this book is to make people aware that alternative use of such technologies, in these areas of social abandonment, is legitimate and deserves our attention. The photos are followed by testimonials given by residents, my own observations, or parts of academic papers. The texts critically engage the reader with social issues of technology use in favelas and in society in general. The book is also a way to highlight themes addressed by Social Informatics in order to trigger discussions involving the general public." (https://www.favela-digital.com)
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"The article analyses the turnaround in guidelines occurring in public policies for culture in Brazil. This is placed in the context of the transition from the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the Dilma Rousseff administration, including the end of the cycle of shared leadership between M
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inisters Gilberto Gil (2003-8) and Juca Ferreira (2008-10) and the beginning of Ana de Hollanda's administration of the Ministry of Culture. The analysis starts with evaluation of the inaugural speeches of Ministers Gil and Ana de Hollanda as moments for the enunciation of their differing strategic perspectives. It focuses on the consequences of their contrasting views in three spheres: (1) creative economy; (2) copyright; (3) the Alive Culture program. The article concludes that, in a continuing government program, Brazil is undergoing a reversal of cultural policy with large-scale implications." (Abstract)
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"Do you want your videos to be available in the future? Do you want your videos to serve as evidence of crimes or human rights abuses? Do you want your videos to raise awareness and educate future generations? If the answer is yes, it is important to begin thinking about archiving before it is too l
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ate [...] This Guide is organized into 8 sections focused on stages in a video archiving workflow: Create, Transfer, Acquire, Organize, Store, Catalog, Preserve, Share." (Pages 3-5)
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"Das Buch spürt all den akustischen Zeugnissen nach, die das 20. Jahrhundert prägten. Ein Großteil unserer Orientierung in der Welt gewinnen wir über das Hören. Das Ohr nimmt vor allem den emotionalen Aspekt einer Information auf. Manche Geräusche sind lebenslang im Unterbewusstsein gespeicher
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t. Klänge können Erinnerungsorte sein und Identität stiften. Musik kann aufwühlen und erregen. In 100 Beiträgen werden Geräusche, Töne und Stimmen, der Sound des 20. Jahrhunderts, rekonstruiert und analysiert: die Klang- und Geräuschveränderungen im öffentlichen Raum, die verschiedenen Aufzeichnungsmedien und Tonträger, Jingles und Soundtracks in Radio, Film und Fernsehen, Meldungen und Reportagen sowie musikalische Schlüsselwerke der Moderne und epochale Filme. Dem Buch liegt eine DVD mit über 80 akustischen Zeugnissen des 20. und beginnenden 21. Jahrhunderts bei." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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This book provides a comprehensive yet accessible guide to running randomized impact evaluations of social programs. Drawing on the experience of researchers at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, which has run hundreds of such evaluations in dozens of countries throughout the world, it offer
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s practical insights on how to use this powerful technique, especially in resource-poor environments. This step-by-step guide explains why and when randomized evaluations are useful, in what situations they should be used, and how to prioritize different evaluation opportunities. It shows how to design and analyze studies that answer important questions while respecting the constraints of those working on and benefiting from the program being evaluated. The book gives concrete tips on issues such as improving the quality of a study despite tight budget constraints, and demonstrates how the results of randomized impact evaluations can inform policy. With its self-contained modules, this one-of-a-kind guide is easy to navigate. It also includes invaluable references and a checklist of the common pitfalls to avoid. Provides the most up-to-date guide to running randomized evaluations of social programs, especially in developing countries Offers practical tips on how to complete high-quality studies in even the most challenging environments Self-contained modules allow for easy reference and flexible teaching and learning Comprehensive yet nontechnical
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"Premiering in 2006, Ugly Betty, the award-winning US hit show about unglamorous but kind-hearted Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), is the latest incarnation of a worldwide phenomenon that started life as a Colombian telenovela, Yo soy Betty, la fea, back in 1999. The tale of the ugly duckling has sin
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ce taken an extraordinary global journey and become the most successful telenovela to date. This groundbreaking book asks what the Yo soy Betty, la fea / Ugly Betty phenomenon can tell us about the international circulation of locally produced TV fictions as the Latin American telenovela is sold to, and/or re-made-officially and unofficially-for different national contexts. The contributors explore what Betty has to say about the tensions between the commercial demands of multimedia conglomerates and the regulatory forces of national broadcasters as well as the international ambitions of national TV industries and their struggle in competitive markets. They also investigate what this international trade tells us about cultural storytelling and audience experience, as well as ideologies of feminine beauty and myths of female desire and aspiration. TV's Betty Goes Global features original interviews with buyers and schedulers, writers, story editors and directors, including the creator of Yo soy Betty, la fea, Fernando Gaitan." (Publisher description)
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"African Video Movies and Global Desires is the first full-length scholarly study of Ghana's commercial video industry, an industry that has produced thousands of movies over the last twenty years and has grown into an influential source of cultural production. Produced and consumed under circumstan
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ces of dire shortage and scarcity, African video movies narrate the desires and anxieties created by Africa's incorporation into the global cultural economy. Drawing on archival and ethnographic research conducted in Ghana over a ten-year period, as well as close readings of a number of individual movies, this book brings the insights of historical context as well as literary and film analysis to bear on a range of movies and the industry as a whole. Garritano makes a significant contribution to the examination of gender norms and the ideologies these movies produce. African Video Movies and Global Desires is a historically and theoretically informed cultural history of an African visual genre that will only continue to grow in size and influence." (Publisher description)
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"Si hay algo que caracteriza a Cristóbal Coronel, y que podría decirse es casi su esencia, es sin duda su incesante y marcada pasión por la radio. Ondas que provocan. Radio Illimani, los Estados y el nacionalismo forma parte de esa envidiable y particular obsesión por lo radiofónico que tiene a
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trapado a este investigador. El relato provocativo que con este texto logra construir, para llevarnos por esa línea de tiempo cercano al siglo de existencia de la radiodifusión en Bolivia y en particular de la Radio Illimani, atraviesa una espesa red de acontecimientos políticos, económicos, sociales, culturales, tecnológicos y desde luego comunicacionales. Más allá del análisis histórico, Coronel deja imaginar tiempos, instantes, situaciones en los que se fue haciendo el medio sonoro estatal. El texto se constituye, no cabe duda, en una referencia obligatoria para quienes deseen conocer la trama del surgimiento de las tecnologías mediáticas y los entornos que se modifican con su llegada. Pero específicamente el contexto de la radio (estatal) en Bolivia." (Prólogo)
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"Este estudio presenta un análisis de las distintas variables que afectan a las industrias culturales y creativas (ICC) en el contexto de un mercado global, tratando de determinar su potencial de la internacionalización. Partimos de datos que tiene un gran peso en nuestra economía: las ICC alcanz
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aron el 5,6% del VAB a nivel nacional y el 6,3% del empleo en 2008. Pero partimos también de la base de que disponemos de un desactualizado que responde a una realidad obsoleta, basada en el ámbito de intercambios analógicos. Y lo mismo ocurre con las políticas públicas. Pensamos que tanto las normas como las políticas deben cambiar su enfoque de manera radical. Entre los factores que influyen positivamente, detectamos que las Industrias culturales y creativas españolas tienen generalmente altas tasas de retorno de inversión, altos niveles de competitividad en comparación con otros sectores, y un capital humano más cualificado. A esto se suman otros factores relacionados con nuestro capital cultural y simbólico: la lengua, el patrimonio, la creatividad… Dado su potencial real en la economía digital y como principal recurso para la competitividad, el crecimiento sostenible y la creación de empleo, se ha puesto de relieve en los últimos años la relevancia que la cultura ha ido adquiriendo como elemento fundamental de la imagen que nuestro país proyecta en el exterior. El estudio trata de los aspectos fundamentales que deben ser tenidos en cuenta a la hora de impulsar la inserción de nuestra industria en un mercado global: Un análisis por sectores culturales y creativos, puesto que cada uno atiende a especificaciones concretas y parte de momentos diferentes respecto de su internacionalización; Un marco de análisis de la legislación y de las políticas públicas en los ámbitos del comercio internacional, el empleo, las tecnologías, el arte y la cultura y la educación y formación; Una apuesta decidida por el entorno digital como espacio propicio, de referencia y de oportunidades para la internacionalización del sector cultural y creativo. Concluimos que las ICC españolas, aún estando lejos de alcanzar todo su potencial de internacionalización, tienen los mimbres necesarios para crecer y salir y para ello proponemos una serie de medidas y recomendaciones, tanto en el terreno de la intervención pública, como en él ámbito de las necesarias transformaciones estratégicas del sector." (Resumen ejecutivo, página 4-5)
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"Divided into three parts, the book provides a complete overview of the research process spanning: the uses, planning and management of research; reviewing existing evidence; learning development research skills; choosing research methods; undertaking ethical research; writing an effective research
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report; promoting research uptake and assessing research; monitoring and evaluation. This fully revised second edition also includes a new section on how to use the internet for research. Its 16 chapters are enriched by a variety of international case studies, checklists of key points, learning exercises, helpful references to further reading and engaging illustrations. The book also includes a detailed glossary of terms." (Back cover)
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"This book has been written largely as a result of the success of the Smart Toolkit for Evaluating Information Projects, Products and Services (2010) and in response to suggestions made by stakeholders to produce a compact primer. For many, the Smart Toolkit represents a major work that, despite its
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simplicity, at first glance appears overwhelming and daunting to use. It is envisaged that this book will provide a short overview of the Smart Toolkit for policy- and decisionmakers and managers (also known as enablers) in agricultural and rural development institutions in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries, as well as act as a quick reference for users." (Foreword, page 5)
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