The main objective of this thesis is to present a detailed analysis of the currently achieved level of common interconnection between adaptation measures to climate change and disaster risk reduction approach in selected documents. The analysis was based on a group of predetermined keywords. The theoretical basis for this research is the concept o environmental security. According to the selected theoretical concepts the thesis identifies current obstacles of the synergy of both types of measures, and offers suggestions and solutions to overcome them. Results of the analysis showed an insufficient level of interconnection between measures, especially in the internationally binding agreements. They define only the widest context of their implementation and, moreover, do not work with the aspect of building and sustaining environmental security at all. Nationally binding documents on the contrary show a detailed mutual interconnection of the both types of measures. They are sector-oriented and complement each other in the terms of more effective implementation of measures. They are as well the only documents referring directly to the need of building environmental security, as one of the basic preconditions for maintaining the overall security of natural and socioeconomic systems. Key words:...

Occurrences of extreme weather events are increasing due to the ongoing climate change driven by human actions. In parallel, this triggers a growing need for humanitarian action in the future to help those impacted by disasters. Disaster risk reduction and management has hereby become a central element of today's national and global governance in the aim of preventing and reducing humanitarian crises and minimizing economic loss often resulting from the impacts of natural hazards. The now more global effects from these events has resulted in a collective vision that is constantly concerned with the future and how to reduce the disaster risks it withholds. Due to climate change and a great number of other risks to our societies having been generated through humanity’s own actions, the possible indication of the global society attempting to gain control over uncontrollable risks through collective disaster risk reduction strategies between countries draws attention. This thesis provides a qualitative content analysis of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which is the most current international disaster risk reduction policy adopted by the United Nations. The risk society theory by German sociologist Ulrich Beck is applied to this study to examine how the Sendai Framework can be seen as an outcome of a risk society that attempts to gain control over risks from the natural environment, which can be perceived as uncontrollable. The results of this study uncover that the Sendai Framework can be regarded as a product of a risk society through several different aspects, and that it generates an illusion of gaining control over uncontrollable risks.

This study uses a quantitative method that aims to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm risk within Swedish public companies. Despite previous research at Anglo-Saxon companies with similar results, authors found cause for further investigation. Authors identified differences in the Swedish context that could affect the earlier found negative relation between CSR and firm risk, thereby legitimizing further examination. The research is built on secondary data collected from Nasdaq, Morningstar, Orbis and the CSRhub database. Through theory of relevance and current research, it develops a hypothesis which states that as CSR increases, firm risk is reduced in accordance with previous research. Testing was done with Pearsons bivariate correlation table and a multivariate regression analysis, controlling for various firm characteristics. The study found no connection between market risk and CSR, but could not determine whether a relationship between CSR and total risk exists within the population, only partly rejecting the hypothesis. The study raises attention as to how the relation between CSR and risk could be different in a context outside the typical Anglo-Saxon population. It could also be used as a base to further research on the cause to the lack of relation between CSR and market risk, in this study’s particular population.

This essay is about how the concepts of resilience and vulnerability are expressed in local vulnerability analyses. The essay also highlights underlying structures and driving forces to risk and vulnerability in the selected risk- and vulnerability analyses. The purpose is to examine and analyze how resilience and vulnerability in society is reflected in local risk- and crisis management with a selection of municipal risk- and vulnerability assesments as an exempel. The chosen method in this work is qualitative text analysis. The result indicates that the general focus in the analyzed material is on municipal activties and events of chock or crisis. The perspectives on risk and vulnerability that is being used equates risks with events and vulnerability as the effect of those events. In regards of resilience and the 3D Resilience framework from Bené et al.(2012) the risk- and vulnerability analyses are therefore at most related to the first two dimensions: absorption and adaption. Above all the municipalities wants to attain stability and robustness while resisting the effects of chock or crisis events to be able to revert to pre-chock state. Vulnerability is being reflected as a contrast to the abilities the municipalities aim for with their crisis response. That sort of understanding and assessment of risk and vulnerability pays barely no attention at all to underlying driving forces to risk and crisis. Even if in some cases there seems to be a will to try and include issuess like social vulnerability and social inequalities.

Objetivo. Conhecer as relações que se estabeleceram entre a prática da chamada baixa prostituição feminina e a prática do uso de "crack" no local conhecido como "crackolândia", na região da Luz, zona central da cidade de São Paulo, no passado conhecida como "boca do lixo". Métodos. Realizou-se pesquisa etnográfica junto as mulheres que freqüentam e/ou fazem programas na região, observando as relações entre as práticas da prostituição e do uso do "crack". Resultados. A entrada do "crack" ocasiona conflitos entre as mulheres que se prostituem e o utilizam e as não usuárias, pelo fato de cobrarem menos pelo preço dos programas. Existe uma maior exposição para os problemas de saúde em especial para as DSTs/AIDS, ocasionados não só pelo uso do "crack", mas também pela situação de pobreza e crenças do que seja ser saudável. Contudo, observou-se que as mulheres usuárias do "crack" se valem de estratégias para o controle do uso e cuidados com o corpo. Conclusão. Verificou-se que o consumo de "crack" mais que uma adesão a uma substância é uma adesão a uma forma de viver no circuito da rua, também observou-se a existência de algumas formas - mesmo que incipiente - de cuidados com a saúde e o corpo dentro desse estilo de vida. Diante disto, propõe-se uma forma de atuação mais efetiva para melhorar a qualidade de vida dessas mulheres, através de estratégias que elas mesmas já desenvolvem, trabalhando numa perspectiva de redução de danos para o consumo de "crack". / Objective: To get to know the relationships established between the practice of the so-called female low-prostitution and the use of crack in a place known as "Crack-land", in the Luz quarter, previously known as "the Garbage's Mouth", down-town São Paulo city, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Methodology: An ethnographical research was carried out along with women who attend regularly and/or engage themselves in sexual programs within this region, observing the relationships between prostitution practices and the use of crack. Results: The entering of the crack into this region causes conflicts among the female prostitutes who use the drug and those who do not, since the fees charged by the first ones for sexual programs are lower than those charged by the non-users. There is a greater exposition to health problems, in special to STD/AIDS, caused not only by the use of crack but also by the condition of extreme poverty they found themselves in and the beliefs on what they consider as being healthy. However, it was observed that the women who use crack avail themselves of some strategies concerning the control of the use of their own bodies and self-care health practices. Conclusion: It was observed that, more than addiction to a substance, the consumption of crack is an adhesion to a way of living within the streets' circuit. The existence of some forms of self-care - although incipient - related to their health and their own bodies within this life-style was also noticed. In the face of these findings, it would be worth studying a more effective way of proceeding in order to improve the quality of life of these women by means of strategies that they themselves already develop, working within a perspective of reducing the health damages associated with the consumption of crack. Descriptors: female prostitution, use of crack, stigma, self-care, risk reduction.

The thesis contributes to the policy transfer literature through the examination of narratives presented by policy actors engaged in policy transfer. The actors’ policy narratives are analysed through the application of the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF). With the use of the NPF, the research investigates the portrayal of narrative elements, including, setting, character, plot, and moral, by the transfer actors, in depicting their perception of the transfer process and object, and of the other actors involved in the policy transfer. The investigation is aimed at having a better understanding of factors that facilitate the occurrence of policy transfer i.e. transfer mechanisms, such as, conditionality, obligation, and persuasion, and how they manifest and drive the transfer process. To examine how policy narratives may inform the manifestation of transfer mechanisms, the research studies two cases of policy transfer involving international governmental organisations (IGOs) as transfer agents. These are i) the transfer of renewable energy policy by the European Union to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and ii) the transfer of disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy by the United Nations International Strategy for DRR (UNISDR) to ECOWAS. The thesis argues that the mechanisms of conditionality and persuasion were involved in the transfer of renewable energy policy, while the mechanism of obligation can be observed in the transfer of DRR policy. It further argues that the portrayals of the narrative setting, character, plot and moral, in the policy narratives of the transfer agents and recipient, shaped the manifestation of these transfer mechanisms. The application of the NPF to the two case studies enabled the identification and association of different policy narrative elements that will likely characterise specific transfer mechanisms. In addition, the study highlights the opportunity of broadening policy transfer research beyond a limited geographical reach, through covering two instances of policy transfer to a region in sub-Sahara Africa. It also broadens the group of actors that are often studied in the literature by considering policy transfers initiated and led by IGOs.

Objetivo. Conhecer as relações que se estabeleceram entre a prática da chamada baixa prostituição feminina e a prática do uso de "crack" no local conhecido como "crackolândia", na região da Luz, zona central da cidade de São Paulo, no passado conhecida como "boca do lixo". Métodos. Realizou-se pesquisa etnográfica junto as mulheres que freqüentam e/ou fazem programas na região, observando as relações entre as práticas da prostituição e do uso do "crack". Resultados. A entrada do "crack" ocasiona conflitos entre as mulheres que se prostituem e o utilizam e as não usuárias, pelo fato de cobrarem menos pelo preço dos programas. Existe uma maior exposição para os problemas de saúde em especial para as DSTs/AIDS, ocasionados não só pelo uso do "crack", mas também pela situação de pobreza e crenças do que seja ser saudável. Contudo, observou-se que as mulheres usuárias do "crack" se valem de estratégias para o controle do uso e cuidados com o corpo. Conclusão. Verificou-se que o consumo de "crack" mais que uma adesão a uma substância é uma adesão a uma forma de viver no circuito da rua, também observou-se a existência de algumas formas - mesmo que incipiente - de cuidados com a saúde e o corpo dentro desse estilo de vida. Diante disto, propõe-se uma forma de atuação mais efetiva para melhorar a qualidade de vida dessas mulheres, através de estratégias que elas mesmas já desenvolvem, trabalhando numa perspectiva de redução de danos para o consumo de "crack". / Objective: To get to know the relationships established between the practice of the so-called female low-prostitution and the use of crack in a place known as "Crack-land", in the Luz quarter, previously known as "the Garbage's Mouth", down-town São Paulo city, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Methodology: An ethnographical research was carried out along with women who attend regularly and/or engage themselves in sexual programs within this region, observing the relationships between prostitution practices and the use of crack. Results: The entering of the crack into this region causes conflicts among the female prostitutes who use the drug and those who do not, since the fees charged by the first ones for sexual programs are lower than those charged by the non-users. There is a greater exposition to health problems, in special to STD/AIDS, caused not only by the use of crack but also by the condition of extreme poverty they found themselves in and the beliefs on what they consider as being healthy. However, it was observed that the women who use crack avail themselves of some strategies concerning the control of the use of their own bodies and self-care health practices. Conclusion: It was observed that, more than addiction to a substance, the consumption of crack is an adhesion to a way of living within the streets' circuit. The existence of some forms of self-care - although incipient - related to their health and their own bodies within this life-style was also noticed. In the face of these findings, it would be worth studying a more effective way of proceeding in order to improve the quality of life of these women by means of strategies that they themselves already develop, working within a perspective of reducing the health damages associated with the consumption of crack. Descriptors: female prostitution, use of crack, stigma, self-care, risk reduction.

Many researchers have alluded to the inequity in distribution of HIV preventive services in South Africa (SA). Other researchers have demonstrated that socio-demographic factors are main determinants of distribution of preventive services like voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) in SA. VCT is a primary HIV prevention tool through which infected persons enter the treatment, care, and support programs; identifying the impact of socio-demographic determinants (SDDs) on VCT uptake in SA could help direct VCT services to areas and individuals that need them most. The research question in this study examined what and how SDDs impact the uptake of VCT in SA using the integrated theory of health behavior change (ITHBC) as its theoretical framework. A quantitative study with a cross-sectional design using secondary data from a population-based survey by the John Hopkins Education and Health SA (2012) was conducted. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, SDDs like province, settlement, employment, races, and age were statistically significant while marital status, education, and SES (socio-economic status) did not have statistically significant impact on VCT uptake. This study demonstrated that Black, unemployed men of low to medium SES between the ages of 15-49 years living in peri-urban and urban-informal areas of all provinces but especially Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and North West provinces of SA had the lowest VCT uptake. This study advocates policies and programs to improve VCT distribution and accessibility in places and individuals with lowest uptake. Improved uptake will help reduce new HIV infection, HIV-associated morbidity, and mortality; as well as ensure equity, equality, and social justice in the distribution of HIV preventive services in SA.

Cities in Turkey are great risk pools. Underqualified building stocks are the major components of such risk pools. For the mitigation of risks, &#039 / engineering approach offers retrofitting of individual buildings as an ultimate method. However, this proposition has economic and legal difficulties. Instead, it is essential to develop new policies to focus on areas of high earthquake risk as comprehensive urban regeneration activities. This new policy requires new tools to monitor urban regeneration processes. It is obligatory to make comprehensive plans for high risk areas and to take low income groups into consideration in mitigation action plans. Comprehensive regeneration in existing districts could provide means and standards of safety not necessarily maintained by the retrofitting of individual buildings. Potentials of regeneration processes are readily observed and practiced in Turkey as means of regulating urban regeneration processes, even if for purposes other than safety. Analysis of a set of regeneration projects selected from world experience indicates that current regeneration practice in Turkey is far from a comprehensive approach. Municipalities are fully empowered to designate regeneration areas and carry out redevelopment activities often providing increased dentsities on compensate for the costs. This has been reinstated in the new draft law. Rather than a separate law, general regulation of regeneration could be accommodated in the Development Law 3194. A special Law concerning regeneration could instead focus only on risk reduction issues in cities throughout Turkey. The identification of priorities for such regeneration processes could be made by the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement as the central authority, clarifying the scale and timing of each project. The implementation tools of urban regeneration and issues like authorization, responsibility, funding, and auditing could be determined in this special law. A new approach for urban regeneration is needed to describe organizational, participatory, financial framework.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed on June 10, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-103).