The purpose of the research summarized in this paper is to provide policy-relevant knowledge on the governance of rural services in Guatemala and thus to contribute to improving the provision of services that are essential for agricultural and rural development. Almost 10 years ago, the...

Favouritism is very common in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, where it is usually referred to as "wasta" (connection). The study by Loewe et al. analyses the impact of wasta on the business climate. It presents the results of extensive empirical research conducted in Jordan...

This article discusses how favoritism affects the business climate. It is based on research conducted in Jordan. Jordan’s business climate is mediocre in international and regional comparison, which is not sufficient in light of the country’s small domestic market. Business people consider...

We develop an analytic framework for the analysis of robustness in social-ecological systems (SESs) over time. We argue that social robustness is affected by the disturbances that communities face and the way they respond to them. Using Ostrom's ontological framework for SESs, we classify the...

Most powerful social science analytical tools are well suited for studying static situations. Static and mechanistic analysis however, is not adequate to understand the changing world in which we live. In order to adequately address the most pressing social and environmental challenges looming...