"This open access book presents contributions to decolonize development studies. It seeks to promote and sustain new forms of solidarity and conviviality that work towards achieving social justice. Recognising global poverty and inequalities as historic injustices, the book addresses how these can b
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e challenged through teaching, research, and engagement in policy and practice, and the sorts of political barriers these might encounter. From a variety of perspectives and contexts, these chapters examine how decoloniality and solidarity can be developed, offering in-depth historical, theoretical, epistemological, and empirical analyses." (Publisher description)
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"This open access book breaks new ground by examining the significant role played by radio in empowering women in three Francophone West African countries: Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. It examines the representation and perception of key themes broadcast by radio and associated with women's empower
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ment in the three countries. Each chapter contextualises a specific topic in the country and then explores discrete aspects of radio's provision. The topics covered in the chapters are women's political engagement; women and finances; women and life within marriage; inheritance; women's involvement in radio structures; and radio, internally displaced women, and trauma." (Publisher description)
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"For the second year in a row, all ten of the most under-reported crises are in Africa. From conflict in Angola to climate change in Zimbabwe, every entry in this report represents countless human tragedies taking place in the shadows of the world’s gaze. Our second most under-reported crisis coun
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try, Burundi, briefly hit the headlines in the summer of 2023, when ten Burundian handball players ran away from the Under-19 World Cup in Croatia. They later turned up in Belgium seeking asylum, after which the media spotlight turned away again – the individual stories behind Burundi’s shocking poverty statistics once again unheard." (Introduction, page 3)
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"The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a global issue that has unequally affected several countries. Due to the complexity of this condition and the human drama it represents to those most affected by it, several fields have contributed to solving or at least alleviating this situation, and the information syste
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ms (IS) field has not been absent from these efforts. With the importance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) as a starting point, several initiatives in the IS field have focused on ways to improve the adherence and effectiveness of this therapy: mobile phone reminders (for pill intake and appointments), and mobile interfaces between patients and health workers are popular contributions. However, many of these solutions have been difficult to implement or deploy in some countries in the Global South, which are among the most affected by this pandemic. This paper presents one such case. Using a case-study approach with an extreme-case selection technique, the paper studies an m-health system for HIV patients in the Kalangala region of Uganda. Using Heeks' design—reality gap model for data analysis, the paper shows that the rich interaction between social context and technology should be considered a central concern when designing or deploying such systems." (Abstract)
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"This article interrogates the simplistic juxtaposition of protectors and protected in South Sudan’s Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites, by asking: who was civilian in South Sudan, and how were civilians being protected? We present a civilian landscape that is much broader and more complex than t
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he dominant PoC imaginary. Drawing attention to civilians who engage in professional tasks, the article considers the everyday practices of humanitarians and journalists. This illustrates that the category of ‘civilian’ is not the bureaucratic or legal certainty suggested by international law or PoC discourse, but unstable, shifting and constructed through everyday practice." (Abstract)
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"Journalists have often been considered the "fourth emergency service". They are first on the scene, alongside paramedics, fi re and police, running towards danger rather than away, and providing independent, veritable and crucial information in the public interest. And yet, unlike frontline workers
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, little (if any) counselling or training is offered to journalists on how to deal with the horrors they witness, and the trauma they absorb from being at the forefront of human suffering. Further, limited to no training is given to student journalists on how to prepare themselves for trauma, be it from war scenes to the everyday "death knock". New research is demonstrating a rise in post-traumatic stress disorder amongst journalists resulting from the "everyday" trauma they encounter. There is also a noticeable increase in reluctance from new journalists to undertake emotionally distressing assignments. Editors in industry are now calling for educators to invest in curricula that centre around understanding how to cope with distress and trauma, and why work like this is vital to facilitate the work journalists do hold power to account. This book investigates the cause and effect of trauma reporting on the journalist themselves and provides a toolkit for training journalists and practitioners to build resilience and prepare themselves for trauma. It draws on national and international experiences enabling readers to gain valuable insight into a range of contemporary issues and the contexts in which they may work. This edited book offers a blend of academic research studies, evidence-based practitioner interviews, and teaching resources drawing on the experiences of journalists and academics nationally and internationally." (Abstract)
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"This article explores the patterns and consequences of transnational audiences’ engagement with global media in the digital age, focusing on experiences in Africa. It examines Nigerians’ interactions with the BBC World Service, and draws on active audience theory and Joseph Nye’s soft power c
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oncept to unpick their complex relationship. Using documentary analysis, focus groups and individual interviews, the study unpacks how Nigerians deploy digital devices to engage with the BBC – and how the broadcaster leverages this to extend its influence. The impacts of digital technologies on participatory programming and audience interactivity – and the theoretical implications – are also analysed." (Abstract)
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"This study examines the safety and security of journalists in Ghana, assessing their satisfaction with key media stakeholders and the state of press freedom through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) journalists’ safety indicators. Using a predominan
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tly quantitative, integrative mixed-method approach, it surveyed 80 journalists from broadcast, print and online outlets, conducted ten in-depth interviews and analysed two policy documents. The findings reveal widespread dissatisfaction with stakeholders such as law enforcement, politicians, regulatory bodies and journalists’ associations. The independent t-test shows that the editors and reporters did not differ significantly in their assessment of their satisfaction with stakeholders in the media landscape. Only the online media journalists reported satisfaction with their management’s efforts to ensure safety. The absence of formal safety policies and the frequent closure of broadcast outlets signal a decline in press freedom. This study highlights a concerning gap between Ghana’s democratic credentials and the unsafe working conditions for journalists. Recent press freedom rankings align with these challenges, affirming UNESCO’s indicator as a predictive tool." (Abstract)
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"This study investigated the effectiveness of civic education radio programmes on the behaviour of the youth in Freetown, Sierra Leone and how assessing and evaluating them could restructure the approach in order to yield the desired goals of supplementing the conventional school systems. “There i
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s no significant relationship between civic education radio programmes and the behaviour of the youth in Freetown Sierra Leone”, was the hypothesis that guided the research; and the Chi-squire test formula was used to test this hypothesis. The study was anchored on the Uses and Gratifications theory, the social responsibility theory and the social learning theory. A descriptive research method was used to implement this study. The youth of Freetown, from ages 15 to 35 years, as of 2021, a total of 248,508 was its population. Using the Taro Yamane’s formula for sampling, 393 respondents were arrived at for the sample size. The copies of the questionnaire were distributed to these respondents; and 11 oral interview questions were drawn as guide for data collection. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability test was used, with 0.73 result, and simple frequency/percentage analysis was used for analysis. The major findings of the study included: Civic education radio programmes were available for the consumption of the youth in Freetown. However, they had little or no effect on their behaviour as there were rampant uncivil behaviour, violence during elections, and public property vandalism amongst others. The work concluded that with continuous investigation, analysis and assessments, these programmes could be restructured to meet the desired impact on the behaviour of the youth. The study recommended, amongst others, that transistor radios be provided for the youth who could not afford digital and internet facilities, the designing and production of civic education programmes must involve trained personnel and the targeted audience together, and that civic education radio programmes should be included in the curricula of the schools." (Abstract)
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"The findings reveal that 44% of CSOs are currently utilizing AI tools, with generative AI being the most popular, while 96% of non-users are considering future integration. However, 54% have not yet adopted AI. Perceptions of AI’s impact on job security vary, with 48% seeing no threat, 13% percei
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ving a low threat, 26% considering it a moderate threat, 9% viewing it as significant, and 4% regarding it as extreme." (Surevy Overview, page 2)
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