Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ONGs e Internet.pdf: 1118727 bytes, checksum: a1fefcc5fc93ee9f7ffd4eaf42e42f9d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-11-18 / What conditions can NGOs create to implement educational and political projects through the Internet? What risks or consequences can NGOs face from their actions taken through the informational flows from a location to cyberspace? These are some of the questions discussed in the thesis. The research presents a theoretical discussion based on Shaff (1995), Lojkine (1995), Castells (1999) e Giddens (1991) views of societies (information society, informatics society, informational revolution, modernity). The study adopts Giddens (2002) conception that modern social life is characterized by processes of time and space reorganization, which are associated to the mechanisms of mismatch that shifts the social relations from their specific locations, recombining themselves after covering great distances in time and space. The description of the educational and political actions taken by the Brazilian Institute pf Social and Economic Analyses - IBASE (RJ); the Centre for the Defense of Human Rights and Preservation of Indigenous Memory CDDHMP (RN) and the Committee for Democratization of Informatics CDI (SP) allowed me to analyse the informational flows between location and cyberspace. The research follows a reflective, interpretive perspective, performing bibliographical and documental analysis, interviews and in loci visits to the NGOs headquarters. The thesis concludes that the actions taken by the NGOs through the Internet caused the emergence of contradictions directly related to, among others, the NGOs conditions to operate the Internet and the way they structured their actions. From the process of reflection concerning the advantages Internet brought to the NGOs, idealized or implemented in educational and political actions, emerged, as a perspective from the risk and consequence to these entities, the perspective of working under the Presence Saving logic. / Quais condições as ONGs podem criar para implementar projetos de ação educativa e política pela Internet? Que riscos ou conseqüências as ONGs podem enfrentar em ações por meio do fluxo informacional do lugar para o ciberespaço? Essas são algumas das questões discutidas na tese. A pesquisa apresenta uma discussão teórica em Shaff, (1995), Lojkine, (1995), Castells, (1999) e Giddens (1991), sobre as visões das sociedades (sociedade da informação, sociedade informática, revolução informacional, modernidade). Assumi a concepção de Giddens (2002) de que a vida social moderna é caracterizada por processos de reorganização do tempo e do espaço, associados aos mecanismos de desencaixe que descolam as relações sociais de seus lugares específicos, recombinando-as através de grandes distâncias. A descrição das ações educativas e políticas do Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas - IBASE (RJ); o Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos e Memória Popular CDDHMP (RN) e o Comitê para a Democratização da Informática CDI (SP) permitiram-me a análise do fluxo informacional entre o lugar e o ciberespaço. A pesquisa segue uma perspectiva reflexiva, interpretativa, operacionalizando a análise bibliográfica e documental, entrevistas e visitas in loco às sedes das ONGs. A tese conclui que as ações das ONGs por meio da Internet fez emergir contradições que estão diretamente relacionadas, entre outros elementos, às condições das ONGs para operar esse recurso e às formas como estruturam as suas ações. Do processo de interpretação em relação às vantagens da Internet para as ONGs, idealizadas ou efetivadas em ações educativas e políticas, emergiu, como visão em relação ao risco e conseqüência para essas entidades, a perspectiva de funcionarem sob a lógica da Economia da Presença .

The thesis is concerned with relationships between different conceptualizations and understandings of gender mainstreaming in Oxfam GB during 2001-2006 and focuses on two sites of policy and practice: Oxfam House and an Oxfam project in Cambodia. Drawing on anthropology of development literature, I observe that while the mainstreaming strategy was becoming further embedded in the organisation, it also evolved differently in each research site. Gender policy and practice were not necessarily linked, and policy did not drive practice; different drivers were at play. In Oxfam House, understandings of gender mainstreaming among senior managers were informed by perennial feedback that the organisation's gender work was wanting and perceptions that previous gender efforts were overly critical and uninspiring. These understandings influenced inter-related imperatives, pursued by senior managers, of assuming organisational leadership for gender and making “gender accessible”. Both of these contributed to rendering the promotion of gender equality a contested process. In contrast, the project case study in Cambodia, which Oxfam viewed as a “successful” gender mainstreamed model of community-based disaster management, demonstrates a process of taking on gender issues characterised by mutual benefit and reciprocity. Regional gender advisors and project staff needed to work together to secure their places in Aidland. Unlike the drivers of policy in Oxfam House, the drivers of gender mainstreaming practice were the demands and uncertainties of Aidland and, in the light of these, the maintenance of project relations and reproduction of “success”. They also concerned localised contingencies of social relations of gender and relations of aid. I conclude that while gender mainstreaming policy and practice are connected by formal organisational structures, they can also be unrelated due to different micro politics within these respective sites and, relatedly, from the varying degrees of autonomous decision making exercised by Oxfam staff and their understandings of gender and their particular interests.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:54:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ONGs e Internet.pdf: 1118727 bytes, checksum: a1fefcc5fc93ee9f7ffd4eaf42e42f9d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-11-18 / What conditions can NGOs create to implement educational and political projects through the Internet? What risks or consequences can NGOs face from their actions taken through the informational flows from a location to cyberspace? These are some of the questions discussed in the thesis. The research presents a theoretical discussion based on Shaff (1995), Lojkine (1995), Castells (1999) e Giddens (1991) views of societies (information society, informatics society, informational revolution, modernity). The study adopts Giddens (2002) conception that modern social life is characterized by processes of time and space reorganization, which are associated to the mechanisms of mismatch that shifts the social relations from their specific locations, recombining themselves after covering great distances in time and space. The description of the educational and political actions taken by the Brazilian Institute pf Social and Economic Analyses - IBASE (RJ); the Centre for the Defense of Human Rights and Preservation of Indigenous Memory CDDHMP (RN) and the Committee for Democratization of Informatics CDI (SP) allowed me to analyse the informational flows between location and cyberspace. The research follows a reflective, interpretive perspective, performing bibliographical and documental analysis, interviews and in loci visits to the NGOs headquarters. The thesis concludes that the actions taken by the NGOs through the Internet caused the emergence of contradictions directly related to, among others, the NGOs conditions to operate the Internet and the way they structured their actions. From the process of reflection concerning the advantages Internet brought to the NGOs, idealized or implemented in educational and political actions, emerged, as a perspective from the risk and consequence to these entities, the perspective of working under the Presence Saving logic. / Quais condições as ONGs podem criar para implementar projetos de ação educativa e política pela Internet? Que riscos ou conseqüências as ONGs podem enfrentar em ações por meio do fluxo informacional do lugar para o ciberespaço? Essas são algumas das questões discutidas na tese. A pesquisa apresenta uma discussão teórica em Shaff, (1995), Lojkine, (1995), Castells, (1999) e Giddens (1991), sobre as visões das sociedades (sociedade da informação, sociedade informática, revolução informacional, modernidade). Assumi a concepção de Giddens (2002) de que a vida social moderna é caracterizada por processos de reorganização do tempo e do espaço, associados aos mecanismos de desencaixe que descolam as relações sociais de seus lugares específicos, recombinando-as através de grandes distâncias. A descrição das ações educativas e políticas do Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas - IBASE (RJ); o Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos e Memória Popular CDDHMP (RN) e o Comitê para a Democratização da Informática CDI (SP) permitiram-me a análise do fluxo informacional entre o lugar e o ciberespaço. A pesquisa segue uma perspectiva reflexiva, interpretativa, operacionalizando a análise bibliográfica e documental, entrevistas e visitas in loco às sedes das ONGs. A tese conclui que as ações das ONGs por meio da Internet fez emergir contradições que estão diretamente relacionadas, entre outros elementos, às condições das ONGs para operar esse recurso e às formas como estruturam as suas ações. Do processo de interpretação em relação às vantagens da Internet para as ONGs, idealizadas ou efetivadas em ações educativas e políticas, emergiu, como visão em relação ao risco e conseqüência para essas entidades, a perspectiva de funcionarem sob a lógica da Economia da Presença .

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-10-06T13:48:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Karine dos Santos_.pdf: 5116915 bytes, checksum: 363b29b64c3d4e45d0c75f6d8796c91d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-06T13:48:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Karine dos Santos_.pdf: 5116915 bytes, checksum: 363b29b64c3d4e45d0c75f6d8796c91d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-25 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / No Brasil, a projeção nacional das organizações não governamentais (ONGs) foi um fenômeno dos anos 1990 que teve relação com o cenário de implantação de um novo projeto societal. As ONGs, em geral, são organizações que realizam práticas educativas voltadas para diferentes públicos reconhecidos pelo senso comum como em condição de vulnerabilidade social. Entre a emergência das práticas educativas e as contradições das intervenções em curso, determinados tensionamentos do social conduzem as ONGs a minimizar os efeitos dos seus resultados. O estudo proposto buscou compreender as contradições entre os objetivos e as práticas educativas desenvolvidas por três ONGs que atuam com programas de políticas de assistência social em São Leopoldo, no RS. Esta tese está fundamentada nos princípios da teoria crítica e da educação popular. A observação participante foi o marco metodológico, tendo na expressão da convivência o seu principal princípio. Neste estudo, não só foi importante acompanhar as práticas no interior das ONGs, mas também ouvir a expressão do público-alvo das suas ações por meio de entrevistas na comunidade em questão. Constata-se que tais práticas educativas respondem de maneira nucleada, ou seja, restrita ao âmbito de cada sujeito atendido, favorecendo a construção de instrumentais individualizados. Isso significa afirmar que em âmbito coletivo não representa a mudança social que almejam em seus objetivos pois não produzem alterações no lugar social da população atendida. Assim sendo, podemos compreender que tende a existir um alinhamento, consciente ou não, ao projeto político neoliberal, que reproduz as desigualdades sociais, econômicas e políticas inerentes ao modo de produção capitalista, contribuindo para a manutenção do status quo. Finalmente, consideramos que as organizações sociais estão envoltas em uma multiplicidade de intenções que fazem com que suas práticas permeiem um campo nebuloso onde são disputados projetos com potencialidades tanto alienadoras quanto emancipadoras. Este estudo pretende colaborar para a construção de percepções do modelo atual de intervenção na questão social e, a partir disso, contribuir para uma qualificação das práticas propostas em espaços como os aqui analisados. / In Brazil, the national projection of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was a phenomenon of the 1990s and happened in tune with a broader setting of implementation of a new societal project. Usually, NGOs are organizations that promote education practices aimed at different audiences who are recognized by common sense as socially vulnerable. Amid the advent of educational practices and the contradictions of their interventions, some social tensioning lead the NGOs to minimize the effects of their results. The proposed study aimed to shed a light on the contradictions between the educational objectives and practices developed by three NGOs that work with social assistance policy programs in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul. This thesis is grounded on principles of critical theory and popular education. The methodological framework used was participant observation, having as its main principle the manifestation of daily interaction. During this study, it was not only important to monitor the NGOs practices from the inside, but also to listen to the target audience’s opinion through interviews with the community. It could be verified that these educational practices respond in a nuclear way, i.e., they are restricted to the scope of each assisted individual, favoring the construction of individualized instruments. Therefore, it can be assumed that, within a collective scope, they do not represent the social change that these individuals aim because they do not provoke changes in the social space of the assisted population. Consequently, we can assume that there is a tendency for an alignment, either conscious or unconscious, with a neoliberal project that reproduces the social, economic and political inequalities inherent to the capitalist mode of production, contributing to a maintenance of the status quo. Finally, we consider that the social organizations have multiple intentions, which place their practices in a foggy field where projects that range from alienation to emancipation are disputed. This study aims to collaborate with the construction of perceptions about the current model of social intervention and, from that point on, to contribute to the improvement of the proposed practices in spaces such as the ones analyzed here.

Este trabalho tem como principal objetivo analisar representações de aluno, professor e de língua inglesa presentes nos dizeres de voluntários de uma ONG que promove o ensino de inglês. A leitura de trabalhos sobre o terceiro setor nos mostra que as ONGs surgem para propor soluções a problemas detectados na sociedade. Desse modo, podemos inferir que o discurso sobre o insucesso do ensino de inglês nas escolas regulares está entre os elementos que possibilitaram o surgimento da ONG analisada. O corpus do estudo foi formado pela transcrição da gravação em áudio de entrevistas com oito professores voluntários. Para a análise da materialidade linguística, utilizamos conceitos do quadro teórico da Análise de Discurso, assim como o conceito de identidade discutido na visão dos Estudos Culturais e na perspectiva psicanalítica. A análise da materialidade linguística dos dizeres revelou que houve uma mudança no discurso a respeito do voluntariado em nosso país. Nos anos 70 e 80, essa atividade era pautada principalmente por motivações políticas ou religiosas, focando os assistidos e suas necessidades. Atualmente, os dizeres revelam que o voluntariado é perpassado pela discursividade de Mercado, e que o eu voluntário é o centro das decisões. A análise também nos permitiu observar o uso de metáforas espaciais na representação de aluno como aquele que, devido as suas carências, vive uma realidade diferente da do voluntário. Para encorajar o aluno a quebrar as barreiras que limitam seu espaço, os voluntários reforçam dizeres que defendem a possibilidade de sucesso a qualquer pessoa, dependendo de seus esforços. Ao mesmo tempo em que essa atitude pode valorizar a auto-estima dos jovens, ela pode reforçar o conceito de que, caso fracassem na realização de seus objetivos, serão os únicos responsáveis. Em algumas formulações, percebemos que o inglês ensinado pela ONG será oferecido aos alunos como outros itens o são por casas assistenciais. Ou seja, assim como cestas-básicas são oferecidas a famílias que precisam de um mínimo de alimento, a organização oferecerá aos alunos o que acredita ser o mínimo de inglês necessário para que possam sobreviver em um mundo globalizado. Dessa forma, a escola regular e seu professor são representados, pelo não-dito, como aqueles que não fornecem ao menos esse inglês elementar disponibilizado pela organização. Apesar de ser representado como pouco, o inglês ensinado pelos voluntários é caracterizado como suficiente para os jovens atendidos. Não há, nos dizeres analisados, a expectativa de que esses jovens possam, caso desejem, prosseguir seus estudos após o Ensino Médio e ingressar em uma universidade de qualidade. O inglês é representado como o instrumento essencial para que os alunos possam, ao deixar a escola, ingressar no mercado de trabalho, ainda que em posições consideradas menores. A ONG e a escola regular são, portanto, representadas como espaços no quais a língua inglesa não pode ser aprendida de forma bem sucedida. Essas representações reforçam, desse modo, o lugar já estabelecido dos institutos de idiomas como o único capaz de habilitar um estudante a aprender uma língua estrangeira em seu nível comunicativo. / This work aims at analyzing the representations of student, teacher and English found in the utterances of volunteers who work in an NGO that offers English classes to young people also studying at state schools. Articles about the Third Sector argue! that NGOs are created to propose solutions for societys problems. Thus, one can infer that the discourse about the failure of the English teaching in state schools is one of the elements that motivated the creation of this particular NGO. The corpus of analysis was collected from eight audiotaped and transcribed interviews with voluntary teachers. As to the analysis of the corpus linguistic materiality, we have relied on Discourse Analysis perspective, also focusing on the concept of identity as approached by Cultural Studies and Psychoanalysis. Through the analysis of the interviews we could notice that the concept of voluntary work has changed in Brazil. In the 70s and 80s, this activity was carried out based on political or religious reasons and geared towards the people being helped and their needs. Nowadays, what is said about voluntary work is influenced by the Market Discourse, and places the volunteer in the center of decisions. The analysis also revealed the use of metaphors of space to represent the students as people who, due to their lack of certain elements, live a reality different from that of the volunteer. In order to encourage students to break down the barriers that limit their space, the volunteers assert that anyone can achieve success, depending on their efforts. This attitude can boost students self-esteem, but it can also reinforce the idea that when one fails, he or she is the only one to blame. In some utterances, we can notice that the English taught in the NGO is offered to students as other items are offered by charities. The same way food vouchers are provided to families that lack the minimum food they need, this NGO will provide students with what they believe is the minimum English necessary for them in a globalized world. Therefore, state school and the teachers who work there are represented, through the non-said, as those who do not provide students with at least the minimum English they are supposed to find in the NGO. Although it is represented as little, the English taught by the volunteers is qualified as enough for the teenagers who are students in the NGO. In the utterances analyzed we could not identify expectations that these students, in case they want to, will be able to continue studying after High School and be part of a renown University. The English language is represented as the essential instrument for students to leave school and start working, even if it is in a position considered inferior. The NGO and the state schools are, therefore, represented as places where the English language cannot be learned successfully. This way, these representations reinforce the established position of Language Schools as the only institution able to make a student learn a foreign language in its communicative level.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been going through a democratization process since 2011, despite different stages of conflict in several regions. In Karen State the main ethnic armed group, has signed the National Ceasefire Agreement in 2015. With the democratization process came a lot of changes for civil society. The role of civil society has been subject of many studies, with most researchers acknowledging that that role is dependent on the environment in which civil society operates. An important actor in this environment is the state. This research aimed to get a better understanding of how the state influences civil society and the work it does. To do this, the case of Karen State in Myanmar was chosen. The research question of this thesis was as follows: How is the state influencing civil society and its functions in peacebuilding in Myanmar, specifically Karen State? To answer the research question, the research was conducted as a field study. An abductive approach was taken with the use of semi-structured interviews for qualitative data. To get comprehensive results, three types of organizations were interviewed: local CSOs, national CSOs and international CSOs. To analyse the results, two frameworks were used: the functions of civil society in peacebuilding according to Paffenholz and Spurk (2006) and the dimensions of the relationship of the state and civil society according to Müller (2006).   The results show that civil society, in their view, is negatively influenced by the state. They are experiencing restrictions in performing some of their activities. The main worry for many of the organizations is the consequences of officially registering the organization. This requires giving up a lot of information to the government and makes them subject to influences from the state. Some other influences were the restriction of some activities, with even people getting arrested for their advocacy work. Collectively civil society is getting weaker, as the civil government is creating a divide in civil society with organizations that support them and organizations that are critical. Future research must go deeper into the influence of different state actors, and how each actor influences civil society in its own way.

Résumé de la thèse Il semble qu’ujourd’hui, il soit indispensable d’illustrer dans quel état se trouvent-ils les biens culturels sauvegardés malgré huit ans de guerre Iran - Irak, et tout autant des exactions des extrémistes au début de la révolution islamique en 1979. Le patrimoine culturel iranien qui souffre d’une perte d’identité accrue aux yeux des autorités, évolue sous les effets d’une politique largement dominée par la vision extrémiste religieuse d'une part et une série de problèmes organisationnels et administratifs d'autre part. L’idée que l’humanité puisse avoir un patrimoine commun pose un grand problème qu’illustrent les débats actuels dans cette société autour de la notion de «patrimoine mondial» prônée par l’UUNESCO. L'Iran à travers son histoire récente, a connu des traumatismes forts, qui ont des conséquences directes sur la perception du patrimoine culturel. En dépit de la reconnaissance dont bénéficie l’Iran, de la part de l'UNESCO, en matière de préservation de son patrimoine culturel mondial, ce pays connaît toujours une détérioration de son héritage ancestral, à cause de la conjugaison de nombreux facteurs sociopolitiques et humains. Ce travail s’inscrit dans les champs de la géographie sociale et culturelle et de l’aménagement du territoire. Il a pour objectif de mettre en valeur les nombreux avantages que le classement au patrimoine mondial pourraient apporter aux citoyens des territoires dotés des ressources patrimoniales très riches comme l’Iran. Il aborde aussi les obstacles rencontrés pour l’adaptation et la mise en œuvre des stratégies de patrimonialisation et de valorisation patrimoniales recommandées par les organisations et les ONG internationaux dans ce pays. Aujourd’hui, après trente huit ans de la révolution islamique la croissance des conflits autour des espaces patrimoniaux est toujours présente sur ce territoire. Ce sujet se veut à la fois un essai de diagnostic du conflit d'une part entre l’Etat et la revendication de la société iranienne au terme du son patrimoine national voire mondial qui n’a cessé de s’amplifier, et d'autre part entre les acteurs publics et privés autour du patrimoine mondial aux trois échelles internationale, nationale et locale. Nous essayons aussi d'identifier les défis auxquels sont confrontés les acteurs internationaux et locaux pour leur intervention sur ce territoire. Partant d’une analyse à la fois historique et sociopolitique, cette étude traite des usages sociaux du patrimoine culturel dans leurs dimensions politiques et économiques. / Abstract It seems that nowadays, it is essential to demonstrate what is the condition of iranian cultural heritage which are saved during the eight-year Iran – Iraq war and also by the madness of the extremists at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The iranien cultural heritage that suffering of loss of increased identity in the eyes of the authorities, on the one hand is evolving under the influence of political vision dominated by religious extremist and a series of organizational et administrative problems on the other hand. The idea that humanity can have a common heritage poses the huge problem that illustrated by the current debates in this society around the notion of "world heritage" promoted by the UUNESCO. Trough its recent history, Iran has experienced the strong traumatism which have direct consequences on the perception of its cultural heritage. Despite the recognition which Iran benefits from the UNESCO, in preserving its world cultural heritage, this country continues to experience the deterioration of its ancient cultural heritage due to the numerous combinations of socio-political and human factors. This work is a study in social and cultural geography and spatial planning. It will aim to showcase the many benefits that the World Heritage designation could bring to the citizens of a territory with the very rich heritage resources such as Iran. It also covers the obstacles encountered for adaptation and the implementation of the patrimonialization strategies and heritage promotion recommended by international organizations and NGOs in this country. Today, after thirty six years of the Islamic revolution, the growth of conflicts around the heritage sites and areas is always present on the territory. This topic seeks simultaneously, a trial diagnosis of conflict, firstly, between the Government and the claim of Iranian society for its national and global heritage that it is growing expeditiously and secondly between the public and private stakeholders around the World Heritage in three international, national and local levels. We also try to identify the challenges facing the international and local actors for their intervention in this territory. Starting from an analysis both historical and sociopolitical, this study will look the social use of cultural heritage in their political and economic dimensions.

Depuis l’amendement du Clean Air Act (1990), les marchés d’échange depermis d’émissions connaissent un succès grandissant. Un aspect peu étudié de leurfonctionnement est la participation des citoyens pour acheter et retirer des permisd’émissions. Cette thèse vise à étudier l’opportunité d’ouvrir le marché de permis auxcitoyens et à analyser les implications de leur participation. Dans un premier chapitre, nousrevenons sur le débat taxe versus marché. Nous montrons que lorsque le plafond depollution est strictement supérieur au plafond de pollution optimal, la participation descitoyens est socialement bénéfique et n’est jamais socialement dommageable, même enprésence de comportement de passager clandestin. Dans le deuxième chapitre, à partird’exemples de marchés mis en place aux États-Unis et en Europe, nous mettons enévidence l’émergence d’une demande de retrait de permis de la part des citoyens et desONG environnementales. Dans le troisième chapitre, nous montrons qu’il est possible delutter efficacement contre le problème de passager clandestin en subventionnant lademande de retrait de permis des citoyens. Par ailleurs, l’intervention d’une éthique baséesur un postulat de liberté et de souveraineté conduit à recommander l’autorisation descitoyens à participer au marché. Enfin, le dernier chapitre analyse la participation descitoyens dans le cadre d’un modèle de pollution régionale et apprécie leur implication selonla valeur des paramètres des coefficients de transferts de pollution. / Since the Clean Air Act Amendment (1990), the markets of tradable emissionpermits are becoming increasingly attractive. Very few works on the functioning of thesemarkets have analyzed the participation of citizens in order to buy and retire emissionspermits. This dissertation aims to study the effects of allowing citizens to participate inmarkets of tradable emission permits. In the first chapter, we show that when the pollutioncap is strictly greater than the optimal one, citizen’s participation is socially beneficial andnever socially harmful, even in the presence of free-riding. In the second chapter, based onoperating pollution markets in the US and Europe, we highlight the emergence of a demandto purchase and cancel emissions permits. In the third chapter, we show how it is possible topartly solve the free rider problem by subsidizing the citizen’s demand. Moreover, we arguethat an ethics based on the freedom and the sovereignty of citizens commands to allowcitizens participation in pollution market. In the fourth chapter, we focus on citizen’sparticipation in pollution markets with a regional pollution model. Such an implicationdepends on the value of transfer coefficients.

[No abstract supplied]

This study is about informal institutions in informal finance and microfinance in Jamaica and Trinidad-Tobago. Informal institutions as understood in this study are unwritten social norms that cater to specific needs in the society, and can be indirectly captured and measured in their outcome. Informal institutions are deeply embedded in the socio-cultural matrix of a society. In the context of informal finance and microfinance, the outcome of the existence of informal institutions are the indigenous financial intermediaries like Roscas, community based lending, and individual financial brokers. The institutional theoretical framework of this study helps capture the institutional dynamics and the processes in informal finance and microfinance. The theoretical framework demonstrates the following: (1) Informal institutions exist in both informal finance and formal microfinance. (2) It exposes the interface between the financial intermediaries and the informal institutions that govern informal finance and microfinance through certain mechanisms like ‘joint liability’ and ‘social collateral’, which reduce information asymmetries and transactions costs. An implication is that informal institutions address the crucial issue of ‘moral hazards’. (3) The same informal institutions governing informal finance are being adapted and innovated by microfinance. Lending methodologies of informal finance are becoming embedded in microfinance. (4) Microfinance organizations are being transformed into formal financial intermediaries, thereby exposing the process by which informal institutions are also being formalized. (5) An empirical investigation of peoples’ needs, preference and benefits provides the evidence as to why they subscribe to informal institutions via the various financial intermediaries. The findings of this study provide some interesting insights: Firstly, models of financial services based on indigenous institutions have better chances of surviving than imported models. Secondly, informal institutions compete, coexist and even complement formal institutions in providing financial services to the economically active poor. Thirdly, microfinance has not just bridged the gap between formal and the informal finance; it is also becoming a catalyst through which informal institutions are slowly being formalized. Lastly, the client base’s needs, preferences and benefits account for the pervasiveness of informal institutions in informal finance and in microfinance.