Nature   
Volume 507 Number 7490 pp8-134  6 March 2014
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Nature | Comment
Agriculture: Steps to sustainable livestock
Mark C. Eisler, Michael R. F. Lee, John F. Tarlton, Graeme B. Martin, John Beddington, Jennifer A. J. Dungait, Henry Greathead, Jianxin Liu, Stephen Mathew, Helen Miller, Tom Misselbrook,
Phil Murray, Valil K. Vinod, Robert Van Saun & Michael Winter
05 March 2014
With improved breeding and cultivation, ruminant animals can yield food that is better for people and the planet, say Mark C. Eisler, Michael R. F. Lee and colleagues.

New England Journal of Medicine
March 6, 2014  Vol. 370 No. 10
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Review Article
Global Health: Global Supply of Health Professionals
N. Crisp and L. Chen

Free Full Text
Excerpt
There is a global crisis of severe shortages and marked maldistribution of health professionals that is exacerbated by three great global transitions — demographic changes, epidemiologic shifts, and redistribution of the disability burden. Each of these transitions exerts a powerful force for change in health care systems, the roles of health professionals, and the design of health professional education.1-5 Every country will have to respond to these global pressures for change.

There are many other reasons that it is important to think globally about the education and role of health professionals.6 The knowledge base of the profession is global in scope, and there is increasing cross-national transfer of technology, expertise, and services. Health professionals are migrating in what is now effectively a global market for their talent, while patients are also traveling for treatment. One quarter of the doctors in the United States come from abroad, and the “medical tourism” market for travel to such countries as Thailand and Singapore is growing at a rate of 20% annually.7,8 All people worldwide are threatened by risks such as global infectious epidemics and climate change. Health professionals globally are interlinked and interdependent, facing shared challenges.

PLoS One
[Accessed 8 March 2014]
http://www.plosone.org/

Research Article
Incentives for Reporting Disease Outbreaks
Ramanan Laxminarayan mail, Julian Reif, Anup Malani
Published: March 06, 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090290
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0090290

Abstract
Background
Countries face conflicting incentives to report infectious disease outbreaks. Reports of outbreaks can prompt other countries to impose trade and travel restrictions, which has the potential to discourage reporting. However, reports can also bring medical assistance to contain the outbreak, including access to vaccines.

Methods
We compiled data on reports of meningococcal meningitis to the World Health Organization (WHO) from 54 African countries between 1966 and 2002, a period is marked by two events: first, a large outbreak reported from many countries in 1987 associated with the Hajj that resulted in more stringent requirements for meningitis vaccination among pilgrims; and second, another large outbreak in Sub-Saharan Africa in 1996 that led to a new international mechanism to supply vaccines to countries reporting a meningitis outbreak. We used fixed-effects regression modeling to statistically estimate the effect of external forcing events on the number of countries reporting cases of meningitis to WHO.

Findings
We find that the Hajj vaccination requirements started in 1988 were associated with reduced reporting, especially among countries with relatively fewer cases reported between 1966 and 1979. After the vaccine provision mechanism was in place in 1996, reporting among countries that had previously not reported meningitis outbreaks increased.

Interpretation
These results indicate that countries may respond to changing incentives to report outbreaks when they can do so. In the long term, these incentives are likely to be more important than surveillance assistance in prompt reporting of outbreaks.

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
February 2014
http://www.plosntds.org/article/browseIssue.action

From Innovation to Application
Resource Planning for Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Control Programs: Feasibility Study of the Tool for Integrated Planning and Costing (TIPAC)
Olivier J. Wouters, Philip W. Downs mail, Kathryn L. Zoerhoff, Kathryn R. Crowley, Hannah Frawley, Jennifer Einberg, Brian K. Chu, Molly A. Brady, Roland Oscar, Mireille Jeudi, Anne-Marie Desormeaux, Karleen Coly, Abdel N. Direny,  [ … ], Aya Yajima
Published: February 27, 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002619
http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0002619;jsessionid=0A6EAED973FE58156CF54531355875C4

Excerpt
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide and impose a large economic burden on endemic countries [1]. In 2006, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) founded the NTD Control Program to target five NTDs in African, Asian, and Latin American countries, namely, lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH), and trachoma; the three targeted STH infections are ascariasis, hookworm, and trichuriasis. The NTD Control Program supported national NTD control and elimination programs’ efforts to integrate and scale up delivery of preventive chemotherapy (PC) [2]. PC is the administration of safe, single-dose drugs, either alone or in combination, as a public health intervention against targeted NTDs. Administration is characterized by population-based diagnosis, population-based treatment, and implementation at regular intervals. PC can be delivered as universal chemotherapy (i.e., mass drug administration [MDA]), where the entire population of an area is targeted; targeted chemotherapy, where only high-risk groups (e.g., school age children) are targeted; or selective chemotherapy, where only screened individuals found or suspected to be infected are targeted [3]. Between October 2006 and March 2012, the program provided 589 million NTD treatments through the collaborative efforts of ministries of health, implementing partners, funders, and pharmaceutical donation programs.

The implementation of integrated NTD programs at the full national scale remains an important objective in many endemic countries [4]–[8]. Several theoretical frameworks for integration have been proposed; most protocols stress the importance of long-term commitments and concerted efforts of partnerships to realize NTD control and elimination objectives [9]–[14]. However, there is currently a paucity of economic evidence on the costs of integrated PC delivery for NTDs, primarily due to the significant variation in program structures and operations [14]. Given the scarce resources and substantial costs associated with NTD control and elimination, there is therefore a need to accurately determine the cost of program implementation. It is also important to delineate funding commitments to ensure that additional assistance is used to complement available resources, rather than duplicate or replace previous efforts.

To allow governments to more easily enumerate costs and funding commitments for NTD control and elimination, the NTD Control Program developed the Tool for Integrated Planning and Costing (TIPAC). The TIPAC, a versatile planning and costing instrument, is designed to be used by members of a NTD program at the national level. For countries with decentralized political structures, the TIPAC can also be implemented at a subnational administrative level. NTD program and financial managers are the primary users of the tool; the involvement of other personnel, including representatives from partner organizations and ministries of education, improves the accuracy and completeness of the TIPAC data…

Refugee Survey Quarterly
Volume 33 Issue 1 March 2014
http://rsq.oxfordjournals.org/content/current

Emerging Issues in Refugee Policy Around the World
Introduction: Continuity and Change in Global Refugee Policy
Alexander Betts and Gil Loescher
–       Associate Professor in Refugee Studies and Forced Migration and Fellow of Green-Templeton College at the University of Oxford.
–       Visiting Professor, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford.
http://rsq.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/1/1.abstract

Abstract
This special issue of the Refugee Survey Quarterly brings together a selection of the papers from the conference on “Understanding Global Refugee Policy” organized by the Refugee Studies Centre to celebrate its 30th anniversary. One of the many notable themes to emerge from the conference was the extent to which that period has engendered continuity or change in global refugee policy. How has the agenda changed? Has the nature of the challenges facing policy-makers shifted over the last three decades? Has refugee policy become more politicised? Has finding solutions to refugee situations become more difficult? To what extent are main actors different? Is it still a fundamentally state-centric policy field? How have the main forums and institutions within which policy is made changed? The papers in this collection offer a window onto that question of continuity and change. In doing so, they address a range of important emerging themes and cover a wide set of geographical regions

Science        
7 March 2014 vol 343, issue 6175, pages 1049-1168
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Report
Altitudinal Changes in Malaria Incidence in Highlands of Ethiopia and Colombia
A. S. Siraj1, M. Santos-Vega2, M. J. Bouma3, D. Yadeta4, D. Ruiz Carrascal5,6, M. Pascual2,7,†
Author Affiliations
1Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Denver, 235 Boettcher West, 2050 East Iliff Avenue Denver, CO 80208-0710, USA.
2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 2019 Kraus Natural Sciences Building, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA.
3London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, London WC1 E7HT, UK.
4Oromia Regional Health Bureau, Post Office Box 24341, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
5International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University in the City of New York, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Post Office Box 1000, 61 Route 9W, Monell Building, Palisades, NY 10964-1000, USA.
6Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia, km 02+200 Vía al Aeropuerto José María Córdova, Envigado, Antioquia, Colombia.
7Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6789, USA.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/343/6175/1154.abstract

Abstract
Editor’s Summary
The impact of global warming on insect-borne diseases and on highland malaria in particular remains controversial. Temperature is known to influence transmission intensity through its effects on the population growth of the mosquito vector and on pathogen development within the vector. Spatiotemporal data at a regional scale in highlands of Colombia and Ethiopia supplied an opportunity to examine how the spatial distribution of the disease changes with the interannual variability of temperature. We provide evidence for an increase in the altitude of malaria distribution in warmer years, which implies that climate change will, without mitigation, result in an increase of the malaria burden in the densely populated highlands of Africa and South America…

Stability: International Journal of Security & Development 
http://www.stabilityjournal.org/articles
[accessed 8 March 2014]

Helping the Syrians Help Themselves? The Ambiguities of International Assistance to the Rebellion
Frédéric Mégret
http://www.stabilityjournal.org/article/view/sta.dh

Abstract
This article examines some of the ambiguities of efforts to protect Syrian civilians by problematizing the agency of civilians in armed conflict. Based on an analysis of existing discourses of intervention, it underlines the extent to which civilians have been portrayed as largely defenseless victims, when at least anecdotal evidence suggests that civilian resilience has been significant. The article emphasizes the degree to which civilians themselves may strive for other things in the conflict than their sole ‘protection,’ thus complicating efforts at protecting them. In this context, one of the most pressing and difficult issues is conceptualizing the relationship of civilians to the rebellion and vice versa, as well as the possible means of intervention of the international community in assisting civilians’ efforts. The article finishes by returning to civilian voices and analyzing how some civilian and grass roots organizations have propounded their own vision of what appropriate protection in the circumstances would entail. In the end, it may be that it is this form of political agency about the needs and vision of civilians that most needs to be heard.

Health Research Policy and Systems
2014, 12:11 doi:10.1186/1478-4505-12-11
[PDF] A practical and systematic approach to organisational capacity strengthening for research in the health sector in Africa
Imelda Bates (ibates@liv.ac.uk), Alan Boyd (alan.boyd@mbs.ac.uk), Helen Smith (cjdhel@liverpool.ac.uk), Donald C Cole (donald.cole@utoronto.ca)

Abstract
Background
Despite increasing investment in health research capacity strengthening efforts in low and middle income countries, published evidence to guide the systematic design and monitoring of such interventions is very limited. Systematic processes are important to underpin capacity strengthening interventions because they provide stepwise guidance and allow for continual improvement. Our objective here was to use evidence to inform the design of a replicable but flexible process to guide health research capacity strengthening that could be customized for different contexts, and to provide a framework for planning, collecting information, making decisions, and improving performance.

Methods
We used peer-reviewed and grey literature to develop a five-step pathway for designing and evaluating health research capacity strengthening programmes, tested in a variety of contexts in Africa. The five steps are: i) defining the goal of the capacity strengthening effort, ii) describing the optimal capacity needed to achieve the goal, iii) determining the existing capacity gaps compared to the optimum, iv) devising an action plan to fill the gaps and associated indicators of change, and v) adapting the plan and indicators as the programme matures. Our paper describes three contrasting case studies of organisational research capacity strengthening to illustrate how our five-step approach works in practice.

Results
Our five-step pathway starts with a clear goal and objectives, making explicit the capacity required to achieve the goal. Strategies for promoting sustainability are agreed with partners and incorporated from the outset. Our pathway for designing capacity strengthening programmes focuses not only on technical, managerial, and financial processes within organisations, but also on the individuals within organisations and the wider system within which organisations are coordinated, financed, and managed.

Conclusions
Our five-step approach is flexible enough to generate and utilise ongoing learning. We have tested and critiqued our approach in a variety of organisational settings in the health sector in sub-Saharan Africa, but it needs to be applied and evaluated in other sectors and continents to determine the extent of transferability.

BMC Health Services Research
2014, 14<:111
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content

Research article
Urban settings do not ensure access to services: findings from the immunisation programme in Kampala Uganda
Juliet N Babirye, Ingunn MS Engebretsen, Elizeus Rutebemberwa, Juliet Kiguli and Fred Nuwaha
Published: 6 March 2014
Author Affiliations
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/14/111/abstract

Abstract (provisional)
Background
Previous studies on vaccination coverage in developing countries focus on individual- and community-level barriers to routine vaccination mostly in rural settings. This paper examines health system barriers to childhood immunisation in urban Kampala Uganda.

Methods
Mixed methods were employed with a survey among child caretakers, 9 focus group discussions (FGDs), and 9 key informant interviews (KIIs). Survey data underwent descriptive statistical analysis. Latent content analysis was used for qualitative data.

Results
Of the 821 respondents in the survey, 96% (785/821) were mothers with a mean age of 26 years (95% CI 24-27). Poor geographical access to immunisation facilities was reported in this urban setting by FGDs, KIIs and survey respondents (24%, 95% CI 21-27). This coupled with reports of few health workers providing immunisation services led to long queues and long waiting times at facilities. Consumers reported waiting for 3-6 hours before receipt of services although this was more common at public facilities. Only 33% (95% CI 30-37) of survey respondents were willing to wait for three or more hours before receipt of services. Although private-for-profit facilities were engaged in immunisation service provision their participation was low as only 30% (95% CI 27-34) of the survey respondents utilised these facilities. The low participation could be due to lack of financial support for immunisation activities at these facilities. This in turn could explain the rampant informal charges for services in this setting. Charges ranged from US$ 0.2 to US$4 and these were more commonly reported at private (70%, 95% CI 65-76) than at public (58%, 95% CI 54-63) facilities. There were intermittent availability of vaccines and transport for immunisation services at both private and public facilities.

Conclusions
Complex health system barriers to childhood immunisation still exist in this urban setting; emphasizing that even in urban areas with great physical access, there are hard to reach people. As the rate of urbanization increases especially in sub-Saharan Africa, governments should strengthen health systems to cater for increasing urban populations.

Communication, Somali culture and decision-making about the human papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine
Dailey, Phokeng 2014-02
28th Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum. Ohio State University
http://hdl.handle.net/1811/59265
Abstract
The current study uses a multiple goals theoretical perspective to explore how Somali immigrant families in the United States make decisions regarding whether to vaccinate their children against human papillomavirus (HPV). A focus was placed on the communication goals of parents in HPV vaccine discussions with their child and health care provider. 16 semi-structured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Key themes were the implications of the vaccine for early sexual activity, confusion between HPV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the perception that the HPV vaccine is unnecessary, uncertainty about the vaccine’s efficacy and side effects, avoidance of parent-child communication about the vaccine, and a preference for framing the vaccine as a health promotion behavior. Framing the threat of HPV in the context of initiation of sexual activity, uncertainty regarding vaccine efficacy, and anticipated regret account for the inconsistency in HPV vaccine uptake among Somali parents. Health care providers should consider talking about HPV as a distal versus an immediate threat and HPV vaccine uptake as a health-promotion rather than a sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention behavior.

Journal of Social and Development Sciences
Vol. 4, No. 12, pp. 529-537, Dec 2013 (ISSN 2221-1152)
[PDF] One Village One Product (OVOP) in Japan to One Tambon One Product (OTOP) in Thailand: Lessons for Grass Root Development in Developing Countries
Nguyen Thi Anh Thu
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Hue College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam
nguyenthianhthu270189@gmail.com

Abstract
Following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, Thailand’s economy which did rely on external capital and resources suffered from an imbalanced economic growth. As a solution to the economic restructuring process, endogenous development concept proved to be an alternative development paradigm which prioritizes the community development, human empowerment in the transformation of local resources. Accordingly, One Tambon One Product (OTOP) was designed to unlock grass-root potentials by generating income through developing local products in a national, regional, and global scale. This initiative was first developed under the name of One Village One Product (OVOP) by local people in the poorest Oita Prefecture, Japan in 1961. The aim of the paper is to compare two development models of OVOP and OTOP. The comparative study draws useful lessons from the experience of OTOP for future applications of the OVOP model in developing economies. The paper finds that there are inevitable differences in terms of administration, finance management, human resource management, and marketing promotion management between bottom-up OVOP in Japan and top-down OTOP because of social diversity, political culture, and economic capability in Thailand. The paper contributes to provide a comparative study into models of sustainable development in the context of increasing gap between the urban and rural in globalization.

Emergency Medicine Journal
http://emj.bmj.com/content/current

Online First – 4 March 2014
Review
Disaster management in low-and middle-income countries: scoping review of the evidence base
Andrew Chee Keng Lee1,2, Andrew Booth1, Kirsty Challen1, Paolo Gardois1, Steve Goodacre3
Author Affiliations
1The School of Health and Related Research, the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
2West Yorkshire Health Protection Team, Public Health England, Leeds, UK
3Medical Care Research Unit, The School of Health and Related Research, the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

Abstract
Introduction
Globally, there has been an increase in the prevalence and scale of disasters with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) tending to be more affected. Consequently, disaster risk reduction has been advocated as a global priority. However, the evidence base for disaster management in these settings is unclear.

Methods
This study is a scoping review of the evidence base for disaster management in LMIC. Potentially relevant articles between 1990 and 2011 were searched for, assessed for relevance and subsequently categorised using a thematic coding framework based on the US Integrated Emergency Management System model.

Results
Out of 1545 articles identified, only 178 were from LMIC settings. Most were of less robust design such as event reports and commentaries, and 66% pertained to natural disasters. There was a paucity of articles on disaster mitigation or recovery, and more were written on disaster response and preparedness issues.

Discussion
Considerably more articles were published from high-income country settings that may reflect a publication bias. Current grey literature on disaster management tends not to be peer reviewed, is not well organised and not easy to access. The paucity of peer-reviewed publications compromises evidence review initiatives that seek to provide an evidence-base for disaster management in LMIC. As such, there is an urgent need for greater research and publication of findings on disaster management issues from these settings.

Research Book Chapter: Disaster Recovery
Paton, D and Johal, S and Mooney, m and Johnson, d,

Encyclopedia of Crisis Management
K. Bradley Penuel & Matt Statler & Ryan Hagen (editors)
Sage Publications Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 278-282. ISBN 9781452226125 (2013) DOI: doi:10.4135/9781452275956

Abstract
Although now a growing and respectable research field, crisis management—as a formal area of study—is relatively young, having emerged since the 1980s following a succession of such calamities as the Bhopal gas leak, Chernobyl nuclear accident, Space Shuttle Challenger loss, and Exxon Valdez oil spill. Analysis of organizational failures that caused such events helped drive the emerging field of crisis management. Simultaneously, the world has experienced a number of devastating natural disasters: Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, etc. From such crises, both human-induced and natural, we have learned our modern, tightly interconnected and interdependent society is simply more vulnerable to disruption than in the past. This interconnectedness is made possible in part by crisis management and increases our reliance upon it. As such, crisis management is as beneficial and crucial today as information technology has become over the last few decades. Crisis is varied and unavoidable.

While the examples highlighted above were extreme, we see crisis every day within organizations, governments, businesses and the economy. A true crisis differs from a “routine” emergency, such as a water pipe bursting in the kitchen. Per one definition, “it is associated with urgent, high-stakes challenges in which the outcomes can vary widely (and are very negative at one end of the spectrum) and will depend on the actions taken by those involved.” Successfully engaging, dealing with, and working through a crisis requires an understanding of options and tools for individual and joint decision making. Our Encyclopedia of Crisis Management comprehensively overviews concepts and techniques for effectively assessing, analyzing, managing, and resolving crises, whether they be organizational, business, community, or political. From general theories and concepts exploring the meaning and causes of crisis to practical strategies and techniques relevant to crises of specific types, crisis management is thoroughly explored….

[PDF] A Study on the Policy of Disaster Prevention for Housing Welfare Based on Mobile Environment
Youngwoo Nam
Real Estate Dept., Nazarene University, 456 Ssangyong,
Cheonan, Chungnam, 331-718, Korea
ywnam@kornu.ac.kr
Abstract
Korean government has recently constructed the integrated database for disaster prevention under the participation of relevant agencies. But the government project has been delayed because local governments have not properly provided basic data necessary to construct the database. And to formulate an effective disaster prevention policy, it is necessary to analyze the acceptable level of disaster by region through the analysis of the association between the degree of disaster and the disaster prevention facility within the region. Finally, it is thought that it is possible to take the preventive measure for minimizing the damage resulting from natural disasters by providing disaster-related information for local residents on a real-time basis through the construction of the mobile system.

Principles Matter: Humanitarian Assistance to Civilians under IHL
Gadler, Alice (2014)
PhD thesis, University of Trento

Abstract
The provision of relief to civilians in armed conflict is a sensitive activity, subject to specific regulation in IHL treaties. Challenges emerged on the ground have questioned the comprehensive nature of this legal framework and generated debate on the concept of humanitarian assistance itself, the role of different kinds of actors (local/external, governmental/nongovernmental, armed/unarmed) in providing it, and the value and meaning of the principles traditionally associated to it—humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence. This research, examining the evolution of State practice and opinio juris, provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal regime applicable to the provision of relief to civilians in armed conflict and the different categories of actors involved in it, identifying answers offered by international law (primarily IHL) to issues emerged in practice. It is argued that humanitarian assistance is a well-defined and limited concept under IHL. Rules on this issue have been subject to progressive development, e.g. those on the protection of humanitarian workers in non-international armed conflict, but State practice has revealed that sovereignty remains important, and the principles of humanitarian assistance continue to embody the balance acceptable to States between military necessity and humanitarian considerations. No right to access or to provide humanitarian assistance without consent from the Parties concerned has developed, including no right to provide relief in non-international armed conflict in territory controlled by non-State armed groups without State consent. Participation in the provision of humanitarian assistance by local and external actors is not prohibited, but the level of protection they enjoy depends on their position under IHL. Different regimes are applicable to distinct armed actors (belligerents/peacekeepers/external armed forces/private security companies) but in all cases respect for the principle of distinction is central. In general, special protection for relief actions and actors remains connected to respect for the principles of humanitarian assistance. This has been confirmed by belligerents’ reactions to the increased engagement of humanitarian organisations in protection, as the second essential component of humanitarian action: belligerents have claimed their entitlement to require respect by humanitarian personnel also for the most contested principle—neutrality, meaning non-interference in hostilities and even abstention from involvement in politics.

Humanitarian Aid and the Duration and Outcome of Civil Wars Based on Rebel Group Motivation
Ratto, Andrew D. (2013)
Master’s Thesis (101 pages)
Committee Chair / Thesis Adviser: Reiter, Dan
Emory University :: Laney Graduate School, Political Science
Permanent url: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/f8f51
Abstract
Rebel groups can be differentiated based on whether their primary motivation is a desire for economic opportunism and personal greed or whether they are motivated by a desire for political change or policy reform. Based on this distinction, these rebel groups will interact with humanitarian aid in different ways. In theory, the presence of humanitarian aid will be damaging to rebel groups that are primarily motivated by grievances while the presence of humanitarian aid will be beneficial to rebel groups that are primarily motivated by greed. An instrumental variable probit with cubic time splines and a competing risks model are used to evaluate the impact of humanitarian aid on civil war duration and outcomes based on rebel group motivations. There is empirical evidence to support the hypotheses that the presence of humanitarian aid is associated with longer conflicts and that an increase in the amount of humanitarian aid is associated with an increase in the expected amount of time until a rebel victory.

International Journal of Systems Science
Volume 45, Issue 6, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tsys20/current#.Uxx4S4Ut6F8
Published online: 28 Feb 2014

Determining the optimal decision time of relief allocation in response to disaster via relief demand updates
Sha-lei Zhanab & Nan Liua*
DOI: 10.1080/00207721.2014.891665
Abstract
Relief allocation has recently attracted increased interest in research. Most studies in the literature have not focused on the trade-off between demand forecast accuracy and relief allocation efficiency. Thus, we employ the Bayesian updating framework, which allows the decision-maker to postpone his decision until sufficient accurate demand information is available. Different from the previous studies, we propose a novel method of relief demand updating, and devise a lost function as a function of time delay. Then, we develop a relief allocation model as an optimal stopping problem, to determine the optimal delay in response to typhoon disaster. Finally, the proposed model is applied to a case of post-disaster rescue. The computational results indicate the potential advantages of the model.

[PDF] TRAUMA & CRITICAL INCIDENT CARE FOR HUMANITARIAN WORKERS
– O N L I N E  T R A I N I N G  M O D U L E  TWO
by Dr. Donald Bosch & Lisa McKay
Headington Institute

Overview
International humanitarian work is an inherently dangerous undertaking. Whether the result of natural disaster, civil conflict, or domestic crime, violence and its aftereffects are something few humanitarian workers can escape witnessing, or even becoming targets of themselves. Many humanitarian workers around the world live with a certain level of chronic uncertainty and fear.

The fact that humanitarian work can be risky is not surprising given that the purpose of the work is to help civilian victims of disaster and conflict. Humanitarian workers are therefore often exposed to many of the same risks facing the people they are working to help. As a result, the recent changes in global conflict patterns have increased the chances that relief and development workers will become targets of threat and violence.

This study module is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject of trauma and humanitarian work. It is designed to provide an introduction to the topic and a framework to help you learn at your own pace and enhance your understanding with additional resources….

Production and Operations Management
February 2014  Volume 23, Issue 2  Pages vi–x, 161–331
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/poms.2014.23.issue-2/issuetoc

Original Article
Vehicle Supply Chains in Humanitarian Operations: Decentralization, Operational Mix and Earmarked Funding
Maria Besiou1, Alfonso J. Pedraza-Martinez2, Luk N. Van Wassenhove3
DOI: 10.1111/poms.12215

Abstract
The work of international humanitarian organizations (IHOs) frequently involves operating in remote locations, decentralized decision-making, and the simultaneous implementation of development and disaster response programs. A large proportion of this work is funded by `earmarked’ donations, since donors often exhibit a preference for the programs they are willing to fund. From extensive research involving qualitative descriptions and quantitative data, and applying system dynamics methodology, we model vehicle supply chains (VSCs) in support of humanitarian field operations. Our efforts encompass the often-overlooked decentralized environment by incorporating the three different VSC structures that IHOs operate, as well as examining the entire mix of development and disaster response programs, and the specific (and virtually unexplored) effects of earmarked funding. Our results suggest that earmarked funding causes a real and negative operational impact on humanitarian disaster response programs in a decentralized setting.

Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning
ISSN: 1749-9216 (Paper) 1749-9224 (Online)
Volume 7, Number 3 / Spring, 2014   March 2014, pages: 221 – 229
Business continuity management in international organisations
Christel Adamou

Abstract
In the area of business continuity management, a preliminary review of the literature reveals extensive knowledge, expertise and experience concerning organisations in the private and public sectors. It is interesting to note, however, that there is little literature about business continuity management in international organisations, although these entities are complex and particularly prone to threats. This apparent absence of literature suggests that business continuity management has not yet hit the agenda of international organisations. In recent years, member states have encouraged senior management to design and implement business continuity strategies to minimise the mishandling of an internal crisis and build organisational resilience, but very few of them have actually been able to design and implement comprehensive business continuity programmes. Based on actual experience working in international organisations, this paper outlines some of the challenges faced by international organisations in developing and implementing business continuity activities and attempts to make suggestions for further improvement.