Legal Thought Module Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Legal Thought Module - Essay Example The problem however is that despite such inefficiencies, the construction of walls is still being witnessed and is increasingly becoming popular. These walls sit on the national boundaries but the things they are meant to cater for are decentralized, transnational and dispersed2. This explains why they have proved to be very inefficient when it comes to achieving their objectives. The ideology of globalization which is dominant in the world today advocates for a world without boundaries in order to give room for humanitarian interventionism, free markets, universal democracy and global governance. The continued construction of walls is however headed in the opposition direction but still hasn’t managed to deter the prosperity of globalization. This construction is only a simple of anachronism because the walls are unfashionable given the urge for cooperation and interdependence among states. In the current state of affairs where globalization reigns through disregarding the st ate boundaries, one wonders what is happening to sovereignty of nation states. State sovereignty is still existent as globalization hasn’t done away with it. In fact globalization cannot exist without the support of the states because it is reliant on states when it comes to matters like security and law enforcement. Bonnie Honig has also addressed this issue as she wonders whether democracy would still be existent in a world without countries, nations or citizenship3. This is a problem that is associated with globalization because solutions on how to deal with the problem of foreignness must be found for the ideology of globalization to be fruitful and... Globalization entails the increment in volume and velocity flow both within and across the borders. Ideas, people, goods, greenhouse gases, viruses, drugs, weapons, emails, dollars and good deals often traverse borders moving either way. They often challenge the fundamental principles of sovereignty like the ability to control what crosses the border in either direction. This explains why some nation states have taken to building walls and formulating strict immigration laws in order to check on these movements. Sovereign states often measure the intensity of their vulnerability through the forces that are beyond their control and there are many at that. With globalization, sovereignty is weakening and will continue to do so in order to have a safe haven that sovereignty can no longer guarantee in the current globalized world. It is no longer possible to build walls to keep away ideologies and people because this has already proven to be ineffective. Even keeping away foreigners and denying them some democratic rights will not yield the desired results. The way forward, therefore, is to adopt the new world order and come up with new ways of dealing with the current challenges. There is need to redefine the concept of sovereignty because nation states can no longer do things just for the sake of it even if they are harmful to the well being of the rest of us. For instance, when America realized that the Afghan Taliban government was supporting the Al-Qaeda, it reacted by removing it from power.

Federalism uneven regional Development

Federalism uneven regional Development The pursuit to bring together both the goals of regional and national development in multinational countries gave rise to federalism. This is used to describe a system of government in which the sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units like states or provinces. A federal entity is characterised by harmony, conflict, satisfaction and dissatisfaction. (Pritam) Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are facilitated by the national pattern of development. It is likely to lead to a successful and strengthened federation and at the other end, will cause the federation strain in the neglect of a region or a region being sacrificed for the sake of national development. This according to pritam, is as a result of the necessity to centralise control over the utilisation of resources or because of the necessity to transfer resources from one region to the other. (Schoenfield et al cited in Pritam Federalism and development attracts more scholarly attention where federations fail or are in crisis than when they are successful (pritam page 1). Federations as it is, represents some of the largest national entities in the world which includes countries like india, china, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, United states, Argentina, Germany, Venezuela, Pakistanm, South Africa and Nigeria. Pre-second world war federations like USA, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland have been noted as cases of successful federal entities despite Canada having some crisis in its Quebec region. (PRITAM PAGE 2). Contrary to this, some failed federal entities include Pakistan, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia; Ethiopia has been split into independent nation states (pritam page 2). Other federal entities such as Nigeria and sudan in Africa, india and Sri Lanka in Asia, spain in Europe have felt a high level of tension in theor federal political arrangement(birch 1989, pritam pg 2) Instances of lessening regional inequality and stressing regional inequality have acted as a medium for regions to feel dissatisfied with federal arrangements (pritam pg 2). A situation whereby regional inequalities are accompanied by conflicts of ethnicity and nationalism, the relationship of a region to the federal centre becomes more conflict ridden.(pritam pg2). The most likely cases of regional conflict with the federal centre are likely to be those where the regions because of its relative economic backwardness, feels dissatisfied with prevailing structure of the economic relations with the centre.(pritam pg 2) Uneven regional development is a universal phenomenon with its presence found in almost all large countries, be it a developing or developed country. The problem of regional inequality that results from uneven development is of interest for a variety of reasons. First, the issue of regional disparity is a problem of economic growth. If all regions had grown at the same pace, there would be no income differences between regions in the first place. Even if regional gaps exist, as long as poor regions are able to grow faster than rich ones, the former would converge with the latter and the initial differences would thereby disappear in due course. To find the root causes of regional inequality, we have to trace the long term growth paths of different regions in the national economy and to understand the dynamics of regional growth. Second, regional disparity is an ethical issue. Less the process of economic development is intrinsically even, society is always confronted with the fundamental contradiction between ethically motivated efforts to establish socio economic parity in space and the economically more advantageous strategy of letting inequality increase, as long as it makes the whole economy grow faster. No one denies the importance of attaining a high overall growth rate, but the question being posed is; who benefits from the rapid economic growth? Both economic growth and fairness in the distribution of income are desirable. Unfortunately, the two goals are often in conflict with each other. The maximisation of growth could worsen the problem of inequality, whereas the pursuit of equality may slow down national growth. A development strategy should not concern itself simply with the maximisation of one objective at the expense of the other; it has to consider the trade off between them. On another note, regional disparity is an issue of political significance because regional economic disparities may have adverse effects on the political stability and unity of the nation. The relationship between inequality and political instability is a close one. In countless instances, real and perceived imequities give rise to political conflicts. Inter regional inequality could be a source of political conflict, just as inequalities between groups are. Residents of one region tends to care more about the welfare of other residents than about the welfare of the inhabitanrs of other regions. As a result, there tends to be a widespread sense of grievence among the people living in regions where average incomes are nocticeably lower than in other regions of the country, or the incomes are growing noticeably slower. They may regard an insufficiently sympathetic central government as partly responsible for their plight. Meanwhile, those living in more developed regions are likely to perceive that their economies are the backbone of the nation. If the central government intervenes to corrct regional disparites in such a way that the high income regions have to subsidise the poor one, then these regions are likely to believe that such fiscal transfers to low growth regions ae just a waste of money because in their view, trying to sustain inefficient economic activity is irrational. Thus any attempt to redistribute resources across regions is likely to provoke resistance from rich regions. Thus persistence regional disparities may not only frustrate people living in impoverished regions but also alienate those living in affluent regions. History suggests that when regional disparities becomes excessive, it could lead to massive political consequences especially when ethnic, religious, language differences are combined with ethnic disparities. Examples of such include Biafra in Nigeria, Punjab in India, Wales and Northern Ireland in Great Britain. NIGERIA AS CASE STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO NIGER DELTA REGION Nigeria is the most populous African country with a population of 154 million people who account for 47% of West Africas population and nearly a fifth of sub-Saharan Africas population. Nigeria is Africas largest oil producing country, and it is the eleventh largest producer and the eight largest exporter of crude oil in the world. In 2006, Nigerian oil production averaged approximately 2.45 million barrels of oil per day (World Bank, 2011) Oil has been the dominant factor in Nigerias economy for the past 50 years. In 2007 over 87% of government revenues, 90% of foreign exchange earnings, 96% of export revenues, and almost half of GDP was accounted for by oil (Watts 2008:43). Despite its vast resources however, Nigeria has been a disastrous development experience, and Nigerias performance since independence has been dismal at best. Today, out of a population of 140 million, approximately 70 million people live on less than $1/day, 54% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, over 1/3 live in extreme poverty, 1one in five children die before the age of five, 3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 7 million children are not attending school (Higgins 2009). In an attempt to gain access to the allocation of oil revenues, each ethnic group in Nigeria had to seek its own state or local government council. This is why Nigeria, which originally had only 4 regions and 50 local governments, now has 36 states and 774 loca l governments. According to the United Nations Development Program, Nigeria ranks in terms of the Human Development Index (HDI) a composite measure of life expectancy, income, and educational attainment number 158 out of 177 countries, below Haiti and Congo; over the last 30 years the trend line of the HDI has been upward but barely (UNDP, 2006a). Nigeria also appears close to the top of virtually everyones global ranking of corruption, business risk, lack of transparency, fraud, and illicit activity; Nigerian fraud even has its own FBI website. According to former World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, at least $100 billion of the $600 billion in oil revenues accrued since 1960 have simply gone missing. Nigerian anti-corruption chairman noted that 70% of the countrys oil wealth was stolen or wasted; by 2005 it was only 40%, and by most conservative estimates, almost 130 billion was lost between 1970 and 1996. After the discovery of oil in Mongolia, a local leader announced: We do not want to become another Nigeria (Watts 2008:43-44). This rise in oil wealth has not translated into significant increases in living standards in Nigeria, however. In fact, the rise in poverty and inequality coincides with the discovery and export of oil in Nigeria. As Sala-i-Martin and Subramanian (2003:4) show, in 1965, when oil revenue was about US$33 per capita, GDP per capita was US$245. In 2000, when oil revenues were US$325 per capita, GDP per capita was stalled at the 1965 level. Evidence such as this has led to widespread acceptance that Nigeria has suffered from the resource curse and according to Sala-i-Martin and Subramanian (2003:24), waste and poor institutional quality stemming from oil has been primarily responsible for Nigerias poor long-run economic performance. The Niger Delta region is the area covered by the natural delta of the Niger River and the areas to the east and west. The Niger Delta consists of 9 of the 36 states in Nigeria, 185 local governments (UNDP, 2006: 44)occupying about 12% of Nigerias territory (Figure 2).These states include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers state. The Niger Delta is a region that has been somewhat marginalized from Nigerias national development despite being the region that generates Nigerias oil wealth (Higgins 2009:1). The oil boom in Nigeria has been driven by oil extracted from the Niger Delta region. Oil wealth, from the Niger Delta region, is largely responsible for sustaining the Nigerian Federation (UNDP, 2006: 62). Despite fuelling much of Nigerias economic growth, the Niger Delta is somewhat marginalised from Nigerias national development. Higgins writes that, Essentially there is a significant disconnect between the wealth the region generates for the Nigerian Federation and the transnational oil companies extracting oil from the region, and the regions human development progress (Higgins 2009:3). The regions human development index is 0.564 and while this is slightly higher than the Nigerian HDI of 0.448, the area rates far below regions or countries with similar gas or oil reserves (Venezuela is 0.772 and Indonesia is 0.697) (UNDP, 2006: 15). Table 5 shows incidence of poverty in the Niger Delta from 1980-2004, and according to Higgins, Analysis of poverty and human development indicator s paints a dismal picture for the Niger Delta. Poverty incidence increased in the Niger Delta between 1980 and 2004 as Table [5] shows (Higgins 2009:3) As well, when further disaggregated to the local government level, the Niger Delta Human Development Report shows that state and regional HDI scores mask inequalities in human development among oil producing communities. Significantly, local government areas without oil facilities appear to have fewer poor people than those with oil facilities (UNDP, 2006: 15). The report also concludes that decline in the HDI has been steeper for the Niger Delta states than the rest of Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 137). In addition, the high earnings of some oil industry workers leads to localised price distortions, driving up prices and so constraining the purchasing power of ordinary people and making it difficult for many to meet the costs of basic needs such as housing, healthcare, transportation, education and good and making poverty more pervasive tha n conventional measures reveal (UNDP, 2006: 57). CONSEQUENCES 1. Social and political exclusion: The two post-military national elections (1999 and 2003) are widely agreed to have been extensively rigged in the Niger Delta states, with fraudulent results sustained by violence and threat and so leaving a serious democratic deficit. The political process is held in complete mistrust and considered exclusionary and corrupt. Formal institutions have failed and local customary institutions have become eroded. Youth have turned to violence and militancy to challenge the government and extort oil from oil companies (World Bank, 2007b). 2. Economic exclusion: Despite substantial resource flows to the State government, and significant natural resource endowments the people of the Niger Delta are destitute. The panel described the Niger Delta as an iconic representation of destitution amongst the possibility of wealth. The people of the Niger Delta feel excluded from the wealth generated by their resource rich region substantiated by the region having the highest rate of unemployment in Nigeria (World Bank, 2007b). Remote rural communities have very limited economic opportunities and often cannot tap directly into the employment. benefits of the oil industry because they lack capital resources or skills (UNDP, 2006:17). 3. Poor governance and corruption: Corruption, especially at the state and local level, is endemic and at the root of many of the regions problems. Large sums are received at both the state and local level, but there is little evidence of this being applied to productive development endeavours. This situation exacerbates the sense of hopelessness, exclusion and anger of the citizenry of the Niger Delta, who have lost faith in existing governance structures (World Bank, 2007b). 4. Poor infrastructure and public service delivery: The panel (World Bank, 2007b) describes the current situation as akin to a human emergency and UNDP describes infrastructure and social services as generally deplorable (UNDP, 2006: 15). The general neglect of infrastructure, often rationalised by the difficult terrain of the region, has worsened the populations access to fundamental services (UNDP, 2006: 16). For example, the town of Edeoha, in the state of Rivers, lacks basic services such as water, education, healthcare and electricity and jobs are hard to come by. There is no local government office in the town, the primary schools lacks chairs and desks, and the nearest hospital, which lacks medicine and equipment, is twenty kilometres away (International Crisis Group, 2006: 17). Analysis above highlights the poor human development of the region. 5. Environmental degradation: Oil exploration and production gas led to environmental damage on many levels: land, water and air pollution, depleted fishing grounds and the disappearance of wetlands (World Bank, 2007b). These environmental changes have had significant implications for local livelihoods, and the alienation of people from their resources and land has led to the inefficient use of resources that remain and poor or inequitable land use practices (UNDP, 2006: 17). Measures to counterbalance environmental damage are inadequate and this is a major focus of community disconten (World Bank, 2007b). 6. Escalating violence and disorder: The democratisation of the means of violence has emerged, as the state has lost monopoly power over the use of force. This violence has emerged in many forms, and exists between communities over host community status, resource and land claims and surveillance contracts; within communities over compensation distribution; between communities and oil companies; and between communities and security forces. The fault lines of these conflicts often coincide with, or are justified in terms of, ethnic differences (World Bank, 2007b). Persistent conflict, while in part a response to the regions poor human development, also serves to entrench it as it is a constant drag on the regions economic performance and opportunities for advancement (UNDP, 2006: 16). 7. A vicious cycle of violence: Conflict has become militarised, with the intensive proliferation of arms, sabotage, hostage taking and the emergence of warlords and youth cults. This process is fuelled by the illegal bunkering of oil fuels (World Bank, 2007b). Since January 2006, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have been central to this violence (International Crisis Group, 2006:i). 8. Landownership: There is much juridical ambiguity over land rights. While the Land Use Decree of 1978 formally vested all land in State governments, the expropriation of this has never been accepted by the individuals, families and communities that have made customary claims to the land. This has resulted in a double system, and combined with weak judicial systems has resulted in long running conflicts and ambiguity at many levels (World Bank, 2007b). GOVERNMENT POLICY TO REVERT THE SITUATION The marginalisation and poor human development progress of the Niger Delta has not gone unnoticed by successive Nigerian federal governments. Since the late 1950s, the Niger Delta has been recognised as a region requiring special development attention (Osuoka, 2007: 5). A number of special agencies have been created by the federal government to address development in the Niger Delta. These have included the Niger Delta Basin Development Board, established in 1965 and the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission, established in 1992 (Osuoka, 2007: 5). it established a new body called the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to offer a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta Region (UNDP, 2006: 31). In 2006, the NDDC launched the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan, which states the development goals and objectives of the Niger Delta. For the foundation phases (2006-2010), the key programmes are the economy, physical infrastructur e, human and institutional resources, human and community needs and natural environment. Focusing on some key elements, these will seek to create an enabling environment for enterprise; improve the functioning of key markets and access to them; increase agricultural (and fisheries) productivity and micro-investment; protect and develop human capabilities; protect natural resources and mitigate harm. (For a summary of the NDDC Master Plan Programs and Areas of Focus, see Annex 1). The NDDC clearly aims to have a redistributory function, with nearly a quarter of the funding coming from the Federal Government 1, with additional contributions expected from oil companies operating in the Niger Delta, the Ecological Fund and States of the delta. Unfortunately, States have yet to contribute to the Commission, and oil companies are still wrangling over how much they should contribute (UNDP, 2006: 31-32). But assessment of development in the Niger Delta since the NDDC was established shows that poverty reduction progress has been slow, particularly given the Niger Deltas substantial natural resource endowments and additional federal government resources. And, as mentioned above, according to UNDP, the worsening of the HDI has been more acute for the Niger Delta states than for the rest of Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 137). However, we do not really know how effective the NDDC is. We also do not know much about which programme components are more or less effective at achieving the programmes overarching goals. This is a really important data gap, as given the programmes multisectoral nature clearly attributable information about causality would go a long way to telling us which approaches might be best at reducing spatial disparities and regional inequalities. If we look at a range of indicators, we can see how significant the challenge still is. Disaggregated human development indicators pa int a dismal picture. The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is among the highest in Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 17). Energy availability is poor, despite the region providing the United States with one fifth of its energy needs (UNDP, 2006: 25). For example, in Bayelsa State is not linked to the national electric power grid (UNDP, 2006: 110). Similarly, while the delta region has a dense network of freshwater distributaries and vast groundwater reserves, no part of the region has a regular supply of potable water (UNDP, 2006: 110). Some health indicators are below the national average. As Table 3 indicates, the Niger Delta region (South-South) has a higher than average infant mortality rate and the highest post-neonatal mortality rate in Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 125). The region also fares comparatively poorly in terms of accessing health treatment. For example, only 25.1% of children with acute respiratory infections and fever sought medical treatment from health providers, compared with 49.5% in t he North Central region and 52.6% in the South West region (UNDP, 2006: 123). The South-South zone also had the largest proportion of births attended by traditional attendants (UNDP, 2006:123). Interestingly, in a 2003 NDHS survey, the Niger Delta had the largest proportion (34.8%) of respondents identifying the distance between their residence and health facilities as a major problem. In this same survey, nationally, 30.4% of women cited a lack of money as a barrier to accessing health care. In the Niger Delta, this was 47.1% and the highest regional figure (UNDP, 2006: 125). Additionally, there is an intense feeling among the people of the Niger Delta that they should be doing far better: the Niger Delta has a self-assessment poverty rate of 74.8% (UNDP, 2006: 58) Policy Recommendations The policy recommendations address the issue of regional inequalities and overall national developmentandmodemisation in Nigeria. As we saw during the review, regional imbalance has been perpetuated in the country over time. The result has been the prevailing unwarranted uneven distribution of resources and benefits of development Warranted unevenness is inevitable during the incipient growth and development of any country because of inadequate administrative machinery, lack of clear direction of redistribution mechanisms, non-diversification of the economy and technology and limited employment opportunities for the majority of people. During the early stage of development income development surpluses and even hierarchy of cities are not adequately distributed. However in a country such as Nigeria where development aided by the petro-dollar has proceeded for quite a long time, the perpetual existence of unwarranted inequalities among individuals and regions is unpardonable. Individual and regional equity based on consensual socio-political policies, especially in the form of Acts, is still possible. Attractive socio-political, economic and administrative consensus policy options that are likely to be acceptable to every region and individual will be those which 74 EbenezerAka promote a change that is desirable in its own right: for example, a multicultural po.licy on ethnocentrism, capacity-building, and sustainable self-reliant peoplecentered development. Ethnocentrism has been a major driving force which has fueled and perpetuated regional imbalance in the country over time. For the problems of ethnicity to be ameliorated in the country, a concerted effort by the local, regional and federal governments is needed urgently. The effort will ensure that all references that vilify individuals or incite unwarranted division and unnecessary competition are removed by law from the mass media and other instruments of propaganda (Nnoli, 1978). According to Nnoli the concept of the existing North/South and East! West that mark the social, cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic divisions and affinities for socio-economic development planning should be applied with caution. At times in Nigeria this creates the notion of us versus them. A new set of references is needed which explains the countrys present socioeconomic predicaments. For example the concept of developed and backward or depressed regions stemming from the differences in regional distribution of natural and mineral resources including income, employment and welfare, should replace the North/South and East/West distinction or dichotomy. Moreover, in order to realise a long -term solution, strategies to accommodate the major ethnic groups in the development process should be pursued. For example, the languages and histories of major ethnic groups should be taught in schools for the understanding and appreciation of each other; information for important social services (public or central services) should beprovided in major languages, and the political system and its policy and decision-making apparatus should be representative of multiethnic groups in the country, in order to allay the fears of the minorities. Socioeconomic planning administration, and management based on the new concepts are likely to enhance socio-economic and political equity if constantly pursued over a long period of time. A cogent remedy to regional inequality also lies in the creation of a nationally integrated economy rather than on the creation of mushroom states based on ethnolinguistic sentiments for sharing the national wealth. The suggestion here is a gradual shift of emphasis from the existing centre-down, urban-biased, productioncentred organisation to a sustainable, self-reliant, people-centred developmenL What is actually advocated is a bi-modal or dualistic strategy of development where both paradigms are operative. According to Korten (1984:309) ifpeoplecentred development is to emerge it will bean offspring of the production-centred industrial era. The new paradigm should focus on ruraVregional development based on the community or basic needs approach. The federal government should use its authority to improve the relative and absolute shares of the poor regions or states because the free market mechanism Regional Inequalities in the Process of Nigerias Development 75 does not operate in Nigeria to guarantee the redistribution of the benefits of socioeconomic development. TIle Nigerian market is imperfect, corrupt and not well developed. Distributive measures should be initiated by the government to include: industrial decentralisation by giving priority to lagging regions; job-training programmes as a targeted policy for the poor, the underprivileged and the minorities; and direct income transfers. The aim is to improve on the economic base of those regions, as well as their employment potential and income which will eventually make the local economy richer. The aim of the people-centred or grass-roots approach to rural and regional development is to create a society that is secure and sustainable. Growth which has occurred so far becauseofa production-centredapproach, has not been accompanied by equivalent increase in employment, thereby resulting in individual and regional poverty as well as socioeconomic inequalities. To create jobs and ensure that all share in the benefits of economic growth, government should make markets more people-friendly by: investing more in basic education and worker retraining; ensuring universal access to markets; redesigning credit systems and fISCal incentives to support small-scale 6nterprises and informal employment; and using tax breaks to encourage labour-intensive technology and production in ruraltowns, agro-towns, or small- and intermediate-sized cities (Collins, 1993:4). The new concept focuses on human security based on environmental sustainability, employment, and provision of basic needs. Perhaps, this is what Strong (1993:5) calls, in both environmental and economic terms, eco-industrial revolution. Strong goes on to say that for the government to effect economic sustainability, it will require a fundamental reorientation of policies and budgets, redeployment of resources, and reshaping of the system of incentives and penalties that motivate economic behaviour. In order for the resources to be adequately managed and for long-term economic sustainability to be entrencbed in Nigeria, the federal government should embark on capacity-building. This will enhance the existing management capacity of Nigerian public institutions and private economic agents, and also help provide the much needed top-level managers and policy-makers. Capacity-building willachieve littleinNigeriawithoutpolitical development. TheNigeriangovemment mustdevelopaform of governance thatpermits free expression and full participation in the development process. Participation empowers the local people to take charge of their lives by increasing their potency ,as theiraltemative ideas, social techniques and technologies are released. Political development is likely to create societywide trust and predictability, and foster a stable political order that is the sine qua non for a long economic growth. Without creating more states in Nigeria, which often depends on ethnocentric sentiments, a decentralised administrative structure can be achieved which is capable of providing stability, creativity, and civic 76 EbenezerAka commitment of every Nigerian, and more importantly, capable of reducing regional inequalities. Regional inequalities can bealleviate in terms of administrative decentralisation. The recently created local government areas throughout the country could be strengthened and employed as a seeding agent for local and regional growth, development, and modernisation. There exist today 449 local government areas with their headquarterS or capitals. These capitals Egunjobi (1990:22) calls third-order centres(6). Administrative decentralisation plays an important function in the redistribution process during a deliberate national development effort, especially by strategically locating the headquarters or capitals for the newly created administrative areas. The local government area capitals should be targeted as development and modernisation diffusion agents, and also as the agro-political units for the provision of basic needs using local materials, manpower, and small-scale enterprises. That is, these capitals can be deliberately employed to act as innovation nodes or poles by which growth and modernisation impulses could diffuse or trickle-down to their tributary areas. Inother words, they should provide development stimuli and act as a change agent to their hinterlands or catchment areas. As a process of national urbanisation, socioeconomic and modemisation strategy, administrativedecentralisation sho

Julie Wolpers Internet Basics :: Julie Wolper

Internet Basics Julie Wolper's "Internet Basics" was originally offered by the Telecommunication Community Resource Center and represents a growing phenomena on the Web -- the free course. In fact, this is not so much a course as it is a self-directed tutorial, an outgrowth of the early guided learning modules that first appeared in PLATO and in early DOS and Macintosh programs. Wolper's work offers its users a brief guide to the Internet (along with an introduction written by Dan Duvall). It includes descriptions of such technologies as the Web, downloads, e-mail and newsgroups, a collection I found oddly conceived till I worked through the site: the technologies chosen all fit within her stated vision of the Internet: ". . . a network of linked computers allowing participants to share information on those computers." Given that understanding and conceptualization of the Internet (and it's one that is certainly defensible, if not one that is rapidly becoming the standard), her choices make perfect sense. And her information is very down to earth, succinct and accurate; her brief summation of the history of the Internet, for instance, is right on the button, and useful for helping new users begin to think about the issues involved in using and being part of the Web. Though the site is decidedly kinesthetic in its approach -- users are often enjoined to "try" this and links take them to places where the technology they've just installed can be used. But the instructions can often be mercilessly brief and I wonder if newcomers could hope to follow them without more step by step instruction: Set up a "downloads" area: The first step here is to create a new folder or directory on your hard drive entitled, simply, "downloads." This file can reside anywhere you like. I keep mine on the "desktop" where I can easily find the new things I get. Some people also find it helpful to put the "download" directory at the root level of their c: drive. How many new time users are guaranteed to know how to create a folder at all, let alone locate it on their desktop? Admitted, knowing how to create a folder is not strictly speaking part of the content of a course about using online technology, but it's certainly germane.

What Extent Can Racism Be Prevented in Society

To what extent do you think racism can be prevented in society? Racism has long been a critical issue in our society and while many measures have been taken to prevent racism, it is a controversial issue as to whether racism can really be eliminated. Many are confident that racism can be prevented, while others are not as convinced. Hence, my topic for this essay is to discuss the extent to which racism can be prevented. Perception is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through our senses. It's a way of regarding, understanding and interpreting something.However while perception is an unavoidable part of our life, it has also been said to encourage racism. It is said to encourage racism through two aspects; visual and auditory perception. Firstly, visual perception is our ability to see while auditory perception is our ability to hear. Both are natural abilities that we are born with and we use them on a daily basis but yet, it can be a dangerous tool. For example, when people see a â€Å"black† person, they may immediately respond by thinking that they are inferior, because society has influenced them to think that way.Similarly, when people hear someone with an African accent, that person can be subjected to racism because we have been influenced to think that Africans are an inferior race. In both cases, visual and auditory perception has aided in us to be racist! Another issue is that to stop racism, we first must identify what is classified to be racist and what isn’t but how do we even begin to measure the severity of racist comments? For example, in the article, John Terry was accused for racist abuse against Ferdinand.While many believes that Terry is guilty of being racist, there also others that argues that Terry did not mean what he said as an insult but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him. The chief magistrate believed that Terry was only repeating the words that he believed Ferdinand had a ccused him of saying. How do we judge what is considered to be racist and what isn’t? How do we begin to measure what is a â€Å"severe† racist comment and what can be let off? If someone only said racist comments to defend themselves because another erson is attacking them verbally, should they be let off? Lastly, who has the â€Å"power† to decide whether something is classified as racist or not? However, on another note, there is a number of ways that racism can be eliminated in our society. A lot of measures have been taken to prevent racism and many campaigns and petitions have been set up to challenge racism. This has resulted in increased awareness on the important issue of racism and society has really opened their eyes and started to think before they speak.Many people have become more careful when choosing their words to ensure that they do not offend anyone. Racist comments are so regarded with contempt that people who engage in racism are often criti cized severely by society and these people can even be imprisoned. Thus, this measure has also resulted in a decrease in racist cases in our society. However, in my opinion, while racist cases have decreased dramatically, I do not think that racism can ever be eliminated completely in society.Firstly, even though people who engage in racism can be imprisoned, this does not necessarily stop people from engaging in racism when they are alone or when they are with their close friends who share the same views as them. Furthermore, children who grow up in families that engage in racism will influence them to think that racism is okay and it is extremely difficult to change their way of thinking as its our word against their family’s. Due to the increased advancement of technology, it is also very easy for people to post racist comments anonymously, resulting in a whole new way of engaging in racism that is difficult to stop.Thus, I do not believe that racism can be eliminated enti rely, but I do believe that racism is a very serious issue and we should all play a part to try and decrease the number of racist cases in society. We should always do what we want others to do unto us, and I am sure that none of us would want to be judged based on our race. Most importantly, we should all play our individual role and to think twice before we speak and to understand that our tongue is a sharp tool, and what we say can affect someone’s life in ways that we do not understand.

Does rap and rock music cause increased violent or promiscuous behavior Essay

Rock and rap music have been perceived by some people to be the cause of increased violent and other anti-social behavior especially to the young people. Some argue that such perception is an overstatement as there are many other factors inbuilt in human beings that precipitate their misbehaviors. Crime in society is caused by a wide variety of factors. According to Michael Moore an Oscar award winner and author of Bowling for Columbine, the system has been organized in a manner that it attracts and perpetuates crime in the society. The US has a record of so many deaths due to gun use. Extensive fear is imposed on the masses. To Moore, the current killings are not due to poverty, unemployment or diversity in ethnicity. The mass media can be blamed for the situation. It is responsible for instilling in the people’s mind that violence is appropriate. Development of a gun culture is also to blame for the increase killings. It is very easy to access and own a gun in US. The system has enabled extensive gun ownership on the grounds of self-defense. (Moore M, 2002) However, this viewpoint is contradictory as other countries have easy access and ownership of guns but they do not experience the rates of killings that the US faces. The blame could be put on action movies, rock stars with their music and video games but other societies have this too. Rock artists like Marilyn Manson do not agree that music is to blame for increased deaths. Marilyn is blamed on the increased violence especially in schools. Though the music does not actually cause the death per ser it instills hostility in the children minds as it could be misinterpreted. Parents are failing in their role to raise responsible children. It is irresponsible to delegate the guidance role to the media. Guidance ought to be given to such children so that they can rationally sieve what is right from what is wrong from the media. Inequalities between the rich and the poor is a clear problem in the US where by more concerns are raised when the impact is on the rich. It creates the impression that poor is worthless and deserves no respect. Proponents of rap music argue that rap music does not in any circumstance command or direct people to choose violence. Liability to distinguish what is false or fiction from reality would lead to more youths being engaged in crime or other anti-social behavior. People should be rational enough to see the effects of their behavior on the society at large. (Moore M, 2002) Some rap music portrays women as the weaker sex and they are viewed as prostitutes to be used as sexual objects. Some artists can be bad influence though not all. The generalization that all rock or rap music causes criminal activities is an understatement as some sing on values and morals that are needed for good citizenship. Rap music can encourage promiscuous behavior especially because most artists use vulgar language on sensitive issues and they also portray nude women. Some teenagers may identify themselves with the women in such movies or videos resulting to increased promiscuity. Women in such movies who are depicted as whores do so to earn their living and they cannot be crucified for that. Respective government ought to work hard to improve their system to accommodate more people in the job market. (Wingwood et al, 551) The youthful generation is thrilled by the entertainment sector. Music influences behavior regardless the age gender or ethnicity. Greater impact is on those with little or no determined values. Some rappers are considered â€Å"cool† and are consequently very influential on attitudes on fashion, sex and violence. Poor children or youngsters from the minority groups lack proper role models as they grow up. They may turn to music for values determination and identification. Parents should install morals on their children so that the music has no space for that. Homes that are not well organized contribute to change in internalizing morals. Bad company at school and the teenagers exposed to vulgar information are more likely to engage in sexual activities at an earlier stage. However this viewpoint is counteracted by the argument that those who allow music to form their reasoning were initially affected. This is to say that rap music would add ‘promiscuous’ behavior to those already in that capacity. (Anderson A et al, 90) Rock music has since a long time ago been associated with the youth and antisocial behavior like rebellion. It was initially meant to create more awareness in the society. Rock and roll was feared to promote aggression, bigotry deviant sexual behavior, homicide and drug use. Rap music has its roots in the African music and hence viewed as rising to fit their appropriate needs or to raise their needs. Rap music has been blamed for not only degrading women but also for the increased sexual behavior among youngsters. This has other effects like unwanted pregnancies and spread of diseases. Increased sexual behavior could be due to the words used in the songs as well as the obscene pictures. Men are portrayed as sexually insatiable and sex is seen as inconsequential. Teenagers may act on the messages communicated, as they are very specific on the sex roles. Girls repeatedly exposed to these songs are likely to take submissive roles and allow the disrespectful treatment from their partners. Boys are likely to internalize the portrayed roles of exploiting girls and consider such acts as normal. (Stephens D & Few L, 251) Censorship would be inappropriate for the young adults but parents should offer guidance to their children as a step to install morals. Listening to their side of story so that the communication is 2-way would help them better understand the content of such music and thus enable them react accordingly. Although allowing the African America musicians to have a voice was a way of accepting and respecting the views of a minority race, the content of their songs was alarming and raised much attention. Exposure to these songs before children are of age will have detrimental effects on the children. (Hayes G, 12) According to a research by Ralph J.  Diclementle, PHD of Emory University School of public health, girls who listened to rap music or watched rap videos were more likely to indulge in anti-social behavior. (Fox R, 2) Many teenagers are attracted to hip hop and rap music especially from artists like Kanye west, Snoop Dogg and Timbaland. The hip hop music is attractive due to its beats and catchy rhythms. Rap music consists of more rhymes and poetry. Hip hop is more attractive because the beats are attractive. Most of the teenagers are attracted by the beats and the fact that it is danceable. The lyrics are also quite catchy. Rap music can have positive effects on the listeners for instance it can cause a creative mindset and incorporate different styles and trends. Rock music is popular to people of all ages. Its beats, lyrics and tones attract a number of people. Many parents disregard hip hop music and link it with discrimination against women, bad influence and violence. However many parents accommodate rock music because they are familiar with it as most of them grew up with it. Rock music is not as danceable as hip hop and most people sing it along or listen to it. Hard rock is loud and preferred mostly by the young people while many due to its softness prefer soft rock. Rappers are accused of not producing quality music since they do not emphasize on information or educative music. They instead of clearing the stereotype reinforce it by their music for instance Notorious BIG’s song that he is ‘considered a fool because he dropped out of high school’ others claim to ‘drop out of school for the big wallets’. They offer confusing information to the young generations who may think that there is an easy way of life. This could precipitate violence when such people become over ambitious but lack the means to attain their goals. However not all rap artists discard education, some like J- Live who was previously a teacher knows the value of education and instills it to his listeners through his music. Unlike BIG, J-live tells the young to ‘load their brains’. (Johnson J et al, 30) Some rap music can be beneficial. It teaches people using real life experience. This way people can be able to learn from other people’s mistakes or good deeds and hence respond accordingly. Some rap artists warn on the effects of drug use while insisting on the advantages of hard work. This instills on the teenager or youths the importance of hard work. It can be inspirational as it tells of never quitting regardless of the tough times a head. Gangster rap portrays the way of life in the urban nature, which is at times violent. It tries to impose that to survive in this kind of environment people need to consider their own self interests which at times entails taking the law in their hands. Money and power are portrayed as basis for respect in society. Gangsta rap praises the evildoer who does not abide to laws or regulation. It results to increased violence because it seems to praise or support crime, drug and killings. (Anderson A et al, 965) The answers to whether rap music affects behavior depend on who is answering it. Supporters of rap like the artists would claim that their music only portrays what is actually happening in the society. However the effect of rap music on behavior is similar to the effects of pornography and video games. Lack of evidence that rap music actually results to violence or promiscuous behavior makes the claim quite weak. These music creates a resigned mode where there seems to be no hope for society due to an adamant attitude towards social change. It could have positive impacts if people thought of what became of their society and what can be done to improve. The rap music containing violence may affect youth’s behavior; it may create a greater acceptance of the use of violence where they embrace it as a way of life or something normal. Rappers advocate for their songs by saying that being silent about what is actually happening in the society does not solve the problem. To them the music is a reflection of the frustration and pain that is faced in the ‘ghetto-life’. Music artists are viewed as heroes and teenagers, yearn to be like them. Some end up committing suicide, homicide on public shootings to prove they can be like their heroes. Research has showed that excessive exposure to sexual activity influences the teen’s perception to sex and this could lead to more indulgence in risky and sexual activities. Music does affect people’s behavior in many ways including the subconscious mind and consequently influences people’s view on the society. Music can be used to alter moods. Just as it is used to encourage or motivate athletes it can increase violence. To the rappers the music reflects, distills and amplifies the social realities at its primary or basic level and then reincorporates it into that reality. To them the outsiders or those away from the ghetto cannot understand them since the do not understand their plight. The society has maintained inequalities that have adverse effects on its people. Teenagers who listen to lots of music especially rap which may consist of degrading sexual messages are more likely to start sex indulgence earlier than their counterparts without such exposure. Rock and rap artists are at times convicted of violence. For instance Snoop Dogg had an incidence with the law enforcement officers due to violence. Since the young people may consider him a hero they may indulge in violent activities to ape him. A research by a Rand Corporation and published by the American Journal of Public Health, found that adolescents who listened more to this music progressed faster into indulging to sexual behavior than those who did not listen to such music. Listening to such music affects all adolescents regardless of their gender or ethnicity. Music therefore plays an important role in the psyche of young adults. (Barongan C & Hall GCN,195) A research also showed that teenage African American girls who were exposed to rap videos or music were more likely to abuse alcohol and engage in promiscuous behavior. Their body image would be negative and the chances of having multiple partners could be higher. Greater awareness and education is needed on the risks involved or associated to the media exposure. Evidence of more African American involved in violent or criminal behavior can be seen in their numbers in prison. Rap artists are disgusting to some when they talk of women degradation when they boast of having enough women at their disposal. The adolescent age is where teenagers are establishing their identity and the kind of music they listen to affects their identity. Peer influence reinforces the trend of music teenagers will be accustomed to. Another aspect that rap music portrays is killing of the police and black-to-black violence where killing-using guns is deemed appropriate. It is considered racist music that tries to fight corruption and discrimination from the dominant white society. The community so created is hopeless and results to drugs violence and promiscuity, which in turn results to teen pregnancy. (Anderson A et al, 85) Several scholars’ doctors and researchers did the study on African American women in 1996-1999 and the effect of music. Girls exposed to rap music were more likely to take drugs, have problems with the law and are prone to sexually transmitted diseases. According to the researchers, girls who were more exposed to rap music were more likely to hit a teacher, get arrested and have sex with multiple partners. Parents’ failure to monitor the teens and the frustrations of lack of job opportunities precipitated the violence further. (Wingwood G & Disclemente L, 433) Sociologists have also established that music affects the health, attitudes and behavior of teenagers. They not only listen to the music but also live it. Music is used to express ideas or narrate stories. On average teens listen to music approximately 40 hours in a week. The hours daily provide ample time to change their perception about life. Not all teens understand what the music really means and different teens have varied meanings to the words in such songs. Censoring such music to protect the innocent teenagers would not bear much fruit. This is because it would be faced by much protects on the grounds of hindering or being against the freedom of expression rights. Again, even when the music is not played in the radio stations it is still played elsewhere and thus it is still accessible. Due to peer influence it would be hard to monitor and prohibit what one’s children listen to. An appropriate measure would be to explain the consequences of what the music is all about and engage the children in critical thinking. For music to have a positive or negative effect on an individual, the individual must have a certain degree of affinity in it. Personal choice forms a critical part in such decision-making. However, the use of visuals reinforces what is heard. Studies show that rap music could affect men’s perception towards women to the extent where after women are raped they could argue that the women provoked the men by way of dressing. A study carried out in a college campus in the U. S where men and women were exposed to rap music both hard and soft that involved questionnaires on their perception to songs that were gender biased. Men were proved to react more to stereotypes after exposure to such music and videos. Women proved to be more accommodating and submissive to the male. Words commonly raised include bitches and whores and this attracts the attention of quite a number of people. Exposure to rap music comprises of violence for instance murder. (Cole J & Gy Shefall, 40) In 2000, the American academy of pediatrics issued a joint statement on the effects of violence through entertainment means on children. It made this conclusion connection between aggressive character and violence in the media. In the studies reports were made from the general office as well as the mental health department that the government should put in place policies that would protect its people, as the media violence would ruin it. (AAPCC, 315) According to Leonard a psychologist the effects of violence of the TV and aggression is cumulative. The effect of rap music leads to aggression in one’s later life. However it is difficult to tell if music actually influences sexual promiscuity, drug use or violent behavior in cases where the teens do not comprehend the meaning of the lyrics.