Breaking the Ice is a comparative study of the movement for native land claims and indigenous rights in Alaska and the Western Arctic, and the resulting transformation in domestic politics as the indigenous peoples of the North gained an increasingly prominent role in the governance of their homeland. This work is based on field research conducted by the author during his nine-year residency in the Western Arctic. Zellen discusses the major conflicts facing Alaskan Natives, from the struggle to regain control over their land claims to the Native alienation from the corporate structure and culture and the resulting resurgence in tribalism. He shows that while the forces of modernism and traditionalism continued to clash, these conflicts were mediated by the structures of co-management, corporate development, and self-government created by the region's comprehensive land claims settlements. Breaking the Ice gives testimony to the achievements of Alaskan Natives through peaceful negotiation, and argues that the age of land claims has transmuted this same tribal force into something else altogether in the North: a peaceful force to spawn the emergence of new structures of Aboriginal self-governance.

Micro-entrepreneurial activities play a pivotal role in rural economic development in the third world countries. As a result, in Bangladesh poverty alleviation through rural centric micro-entrepreneurship development has been focused for more than thirty five years. Over 600 registered and thousands unregistered microcredit organizations including globally prominent institutions like Grameen Bank, BRAC, ASA, BARD, ActionAid, CARE etc. are operating here with their own reputed models. However, the micro-entrepreneurship development and its achievements in the country are still lagging behind a satisfactory level due to a number of prevailing factors. This book examines its major achievements and shortcomings from the perspectives of the structured institutions, non-structured institutions, and non-institutional factors, and government’s policy guidelines influencing development of micro-entrepreneurship, and makes recommendations for overcoming the shortcomings.

This report: informs Parliament of major issues the ANAO is confronting in working with agencies to encourage a better performing and more accountable public sector administration at this time; provides Parliament with a consolidated summary of the audit reports that have been tabled in the last six months as well as details of the better practice guides and audit services provided in the period; and focus on, and highlights, some of the major lessons learnt from the work of the ANAO in order to assist agencies and Parliament to improve public sector administration.

Many issues such as access for the disabled, childcare facilities, environmental matters, and ethnic minority issues are excluded from town planning considerations by planning authorities. This book introduces the concept of `social town planning' to integrate planning policy and practices with the cultural and social issues of the people they are planning for. Part 1 provides background on the development of a social dimension to the predominantly physical, land use based, British town planning system. Part 2 investigates a representative selection of minority planning topics, in respect of gender, race, age and disability, cross-linked to the implications for mainstream policy areas such as housing, rural planning and transport. Part 3 discusses the likely influence of a range of global and European policy initiatives and organisations in changing the agenda of British town planning. Planning for healthy cities, sustainability, social cohesion, and equity are discussed. Part 4 looks at `the problem' from a cultural perspective, arguing that a great weakness in the British system, resulting in ugly and impractical urban design, has been the lack of concern among planners with social activities and cultural diversity. Alternative, more culturally inclusive approaches to planning are presented which might transcend the social/spatial dichotomy, such as urban time planning. Concluding that the process of planning must change, the authors ague that the culture and composition of the planning profession must particularly change to be more representative and reflective of the people they are `planning for', in terms of gender, race and minority composition.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this practical analysis of the structure, competence, and management of the African Union (AU) provides substantial and readily accessible information for lawyers, academics, and policymakers likely to have dealings with its activities and data. No other book gives such a clear, uncomplicated description of the organization’s role, its rules and how they are applied, its place in the framework of international law, or its relations with other organizations. The monograph proceeds logically from the organization’s genesis and historical development to the structure of its membership, its various organs and their mandates, its role in intergovernmental cooperation, and its interaction with decisions taken at the national level. Its competence, its financial management, and the nature and applicability of its data and publications are fully described. Systematic in presentation, this valuable time-saving resource offers the quickest, easiest way to acquire a sound understanding of the workings of the African Union (AU) for all interested parties. Students and teachers of international law will find it especially valuable as an essential component of the rapidly growing and changing global legal milieu.