Illusions of Location Theory: Consequences for Blue Economy in Africa

Illusions of Location Theory: Consequences for Blue Economy in Africa
Author: Douglas Yates
Publisher: Vernon Press
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2021-01-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1648891594

"Illusions of Location Theory: Consequences for Blue Economy in Africa" questions the relevance of ‘location theory’ in explaining the coastal-hinterland continuum and the implications for the utilization of blue economy ecosystem in such a contested space in Africa. It pays more attention to territorial contestations, maritime disputes, vulnerabilities of landlocked states, and expansionist policies as displayed through spatial organizational regimes. These areas of investigation have previously been largely studied from the narrow perspective of ‘location’, unduly focusing on comparative advantages of ‘distance’, while neglecting the influence of ‘forces’ such as technology, ideology, and the power of mental mapping in spatial decision making. This volume puts forward the argument that the harmonious relationship between states, and efficient exploitation of the blue economy ecosystem in ways that promote peace between states, lies not only in the structural transformation of markets, but also in bridging the spatial and social divide between the coastal and hinterland societies. Thus, this work proffers possibilities for a holistic regime for managing Africa’s coastal-hinterland continuum through innovative strategies such as SMART blue economies and the infusion of the geopolitical dimension into the management of maritime and territorial diplomacy. The combination of theoretical and empirical analysis, buttressed by in-depth case studies of what works in the management of blue economy ecosystem and what does not work, make this volume ideal for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in African regional studies, African political economy, political geography, strategic military studies, governance of seas and oceans, and maritime science/diplomacy.

Implications for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in the Blue Economy

Implications for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in the Blue Economy
Author: Raimi, Lukman
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2022-04-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1668433958

The blue economy is a widely used concept in policy circles; however, people across a wide spectrum have a peripheral understanding of the phenomenon. At the moment, there are several conflicting understandings of the blue economy but no universally accepted definition and veritable measures. Considering the existential importance of the blue economy for the protection of marine environments and sustainability of businesses, there is an urgent need for rigorous conceptual, policy-focused, theoretical, and empirical studies on the subject from multidisciplinary perspectives. Implications for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in the Blue Economy enriches existing definitions of a blue economy with inputs from a multidisciplinary lens and provides veritable measures for evaluating blue economy progression and compliance. Covering topics such as economics, natural resource development, social equity, and sustainability, this reference work is ideal for policymakers, entrepreneurs, managers, oceanographers, marine biologists, scholars, industry professionals, government officials, academicians, researchers, practitioners, instructors, and students.

Illusions of Location Theory

Illusions of Location Theory
Author: Francis Onditi
Publisher: Vernon Press
Total Pages: 468
Release: 2020-11-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781648890215

"Illusions of Location Theory: Consequences for Blue Economy in Africa" questions the relevance of 'location theory' in explaining the coastal-hinterland continuum and the implications for the utilization of blue economy ecosystem in such a contested space in Africa. It pays more attention to territorial contestations, maritime disputes, vulnerabilities of landlocked states, and expansionist policies as displayed through spatial organizational regimes. These areas of investigation have previously been largely studied from the narrow perspective of 'location', unduly focusing on comparative advantages of 'distance', while neglecting the influence of 'forces' such as technology, ideology, and the power of mental mapping in spatial decision making. This volume puts forward the argument that the harmonious relationship between states, and efficient exploitation of the blue economy ecosystem in ways that promote peace between states, lies not only in the structural transformation of markets, but also in bridging the spatial and social divide between the coastal and hinterland societies. Thus, this work proffers possibilities for a holistic regime for managing Africa's coastal-hinterland continuum through innovative strategies such as SMART blue economies and the infusion of the geopolitical dimension into the management of maritime and territorial diplomacy. The combination of theoretical and empirical analysis, buttressed by in-depth case studies of what works in the management of blue economy ecosystem and what does not work, make this volume ideal for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in African regional studies, African political economy, political geography, strategic military studies, governance of seas and oceans, and maritime science/diplomacy.

Gender Inequalities in Africa’s Mining Policies

Gender Inequalities in Africa’s Mining Policies
Author: Francis Onditi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2022-04-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9811682526

This book develops a discursive ‘equalitarian’ theoretical framework for studying African mining ecosystem issues and policy interventions. The theory of ‘equalitarianism’ is developed as an alternative to the reductionist approach that has dominated post-colonial debates about the classical jus ad bellum requirements to empower women in development spaces. However, the classical approach narrows the debate down to “women issues,” rather than the ‘whole-of-society.’ As a consequence of this reductionism, women continue to be devalued in the mining sector, characterized by poverty traps, power struggles, and a lack of capacity to engage in large-scale mining (LSM) activities. This book advances principles for a holistic approach, and spells out the implications for women across the mining value chain. Drawing on moral scholarship, the book poses that for women to gain access to strategic spaces in the mining sector, the drive for empowerment must be embedded within ‘whole-of-society’ principles. This book is of interest to scholars researching gender policy, public policy, political philosophy, conflictology, and human geography. It also offers practitioners a guide for evaluating their policy work on mainstreaming gender in the mining sector, presenting options for financing, forging partnership and planning for an inclusive economic development in Africa, and beyond.

Reimagining Security Communities

Reimagining Security Communities
Author: Francis Onditi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 527
Release: 2021-05-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030708691

This book utilizes a systems thinking perspective to propose a holistic framework of analysis and practice for the regional security community (“RSC”) arrangement in Africa. In responding to the challenge of improving effectiveness of response to peace and security threats, African states tend to rely on ad hoc mechanisms. However, this approach has been mired with a myriad of structural limitations. The holistic framework reconfigures the traditional “RSC” into a simplified tool kit of “resources”, making this text book ideal for students and advanced researchers in international relations, and all those concerned with regional security and strategic studies.

Sounds of Other Shores

Sounds of Other Shores
Author: Andrew J. Eisenberg
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2024-04-02
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0819501077

Sounds of Other Shores takes an ethnographic ear to the history of transoceanic stylistic appropriation in the Swahili taarab music of the Kenyan coast. Swahili taarab, a form of sung poetry that emerged as East Africa's first mass-mediated popular music in the 1930s, is a famously cosmopolitan form, rich in audible influences from across the Indian Ocean. But the variants of the genre that emerged in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa during the twentieth century feature particularly dramatic, even flamboyant, appropriations of Indian and Arab sonic gestures and styles. Combining oral history, interpretive ethnography, and musical analysis, Sounds of Other Shores explores how Swahili-speaking Muslims in twentieth-century Mombasa derived pleasure and meaning from acts of transoceanic musical appropriation, arguing that these acts served as ways of reflecting on and mediating the complexities and contradictions associated with being "Swahili" in colonial and postcolonial Kenya. The result is a musical anthropology of Kenyan Swahili subjectivity that reframes longstanding questions about Swahili identity while contributing to broader discussions about identity and citizenship in Africa and the Indian Ocean world.

The Palgrave Handbook of Diplomatic Thought and Practice in the Digital Age

The Palgrave Handbook of Diplomatic Thought and Practice in the Digital Age
Author: Francis Onditi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2023-09-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3031282140

This handbook integrates a range of conceptual and empirical approaches to diplomacy in the context of ongoing technological and societal change. Technological and societal disruptions affect modern diplomacy, altering its character and reforming its way. In light of such changes, this book offers both historical foundations and contemporary perspectives in the field. By doing so, it demonstrates how contemporary change impacts the work of diplomats representing sovereign states. Global diplomatic services will forever be affected by the digitalization of engagement between states during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this rapidly changing culture, with burgeoning geopolitical and geostrategic realignment among global powers, the tools of diplomacy have changed. The state’s foreign policy astuteness and responses to these changes could have long-term impacts. All this culminates in opportunities for improving the management of diplomatic services and efficiency of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of various states. This book provides useful insights into how modern diplomacy works, especially the integration of informalities into formal diplomatic practices in complex peace and security environments, within such a framework of change.

Growing up in a Border District and Resolving the Tanzania-Malawi Lake Dispute: Compromise and concessions

Growing up in a Border District and Resolving the Tanzania-Malawi Lake Dispute: Compromise and concessions
Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher: African Renaissance Press
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2022
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

The author who comes from Tanzania in a district that borders Malawi looks at ways in which the dispute between the two countries on Lake Nyasa/Malawi can be resolved. He contends that the dispute cannot be resolved without compromise and bold concessions by both sides. The work contains a number of proposals which may help pave the way towards resolving the conflict. Failure to do so means only one thing: maintaining the status quo which has existed since the dispute started almost 60 years ago. He goes on to argue that escalation of the crisis into a potentially explosive situation cannot be ruled out, with dire consequences for both sides; hence the need for both countries to accept the unacceptable, if they want to resolve the dispute, by making bold concessions they don't want to make. The dispute cannot be resolved by military means if one or both countries were to opt for such a “solution,” which is not a solution at all, he contends.

African Economic Development

African Economic Development
Author: Christopher Cramer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2020
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0198832338

"This book challenges conventional wisdoms about economic performance and possible policies for economic development in African countries. Its starting point is the striking variation in African economic performance. Unevenness and inequalities form a central fact of African economic experiences. The authors highlight not only differences between countries, but also variations within countries, differences often organized around distinctions of gender, class, and ethnic identity. For example, neo-natal mortality and school dropout have been reduced, particularly for some classes of women in some areas of Africa. Horticultural and agribusiness exports have grown far more rapidly in some countries than in others. These variations (and many others) point to opportunities for changing performance, reducing inequalities, learning from other policy experiences, and escaping the ties of structure, and the legacies of a colonial past. The book rejects teleological illusions and Eurocentric prejudice, but it does pay close attention to the results of policy in more industrialized parts of the world. Seeing the contradictions of capitalism for what they are - fundamental and enduring - may help policy officials protect themselves against the misleading idea that development can be expected to be a smooth, linear process, or that it would be were certain impediments suddenly removed. The authors criticize a wide range of orthodox and heterodox economists, especially for their cavalier attitude to evidence. Drawing on their own decades of research and policy experience, they combine careful use of available evidence from a range of African countries with political economy insights (mainly derived from Kalecki, Kaldor and Hischman) to make the policy case for specific types of public sector investment"--