Tesis para optar al grado de magíster en estudios internacionales / No autorizada por la autora para ser publicada en texto completo / La política exterior del gobierno Lula (2003-2010) se caracterizó por un activismo internacional y una inclinación por asociarse con los países en desarrollo, en esta dinámica, Brasil reforzó sus relaciones con África Subsahariana. La presente investigación se centra en la utilización de estrategias económicas como instrumento de política exterior en la relación Brasil-África Subsahariana, entendiendo que éstas materializan las ideas que se plantean a nivel discursivo desde el Ejecutivo. Para resolver la problemática se comienza describiendo la historia de las relaciones entre Brasil y África desde la segunda mitad del siglo XX en adelante; luego se identifican los objetivos de la política exterior de Brasil en cuanto elementos que componen y renuevan la política africana en el periodo Lula; se sigue con la identificación de las estrategias económicas utilizadas en la relación analizando las distintas estructuras, magnitudes y progresiones; y finalmente, se analizan las estrategias económicas como instrumentos de política exterior, definiendo el rol que cumplen éstas en el proceso de reorientación brasileña hacia África Subsahariana entre 2003- 2010. El estudio se realiza por medio de la combinación del método cualitativo y cuantitativo. La investigación plantea que el gobierno Lula redireccionó su política exterior y dio cabida a la relación con los países de África Subsahariana, en ello, las estrategias económicas fueron un instrumento favorable para intensificar el acercamiento. Aumenta el flujo comercial con los países africanos, el número de empresas exportadoras, la promoción comercial y las inversiones. Se destaca principalmente el financiamiento a la exportación y las líneas de crédito del Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES), pues esto representa el interés del gobierno. Por lo tanto, las estrategias económicas respondieron al proyecto de política exterior del gobierno Lula que buscaba construir una nueva geografía política y comercial.

ABSTRACT The present study examined the distribution of six genetic variants (CYP17A1, CYP3A4, SRD5A2, KLK3, AR) in the androgen biosynthesis and metabolism pathway, in 14 sub-Saharan African populations. These polymorphisms have been implicated in several complex diseases, most notably prostate cancer. In order to elucidate the frequencies of these genetic variants, PCR-RFLP and STR based methodologies were employed. Consistent with previously reported results, the frequency distribution of the gene variants in the examined populations greatly coincided with prostate cancer incidence and geographic origin. Populations of African descent had the highest frequencies of the alleles that are postulated to increase risk to prostate cancer, whilst Asian populations had the lowest. Also, there were evident differences in the frequencies of these variants between populations of different continental origin particularly between African and Eurasian populations. The distribution of these genetic variants was further used to assess the spectrum of variation within Africa. The results were greatly aligned with those previously reported, providing further support to the origin and evolution of modern humans from Africa as well as other historic events.

El presente trabajo aborda el estudio de la seguridad de los peacekeepers en las operaciones de mantenimiento de paz (OMP´s) en África Subsahariana en el periodo 2014 – 2019, enfocándose principalmente en los casos de MINUSMA (Mali) y UNMISS (Sudán del Sur). Tiene como objetivo principal identificar las posibles causas exógenas (amenazas que se encuentran en el ambiente operacional de la misión) y endógenas (que son las vulnerabilidades propias de la misión) que vienen influyendo en el deterioro de la misma. Para las causas exógenas, la investigación aborda cuatro variables: la Primavera Árabe (como principal fenómeno que influyó en la estabilidad del Norte de África y la zona del Sahel), la dinámica del conflicto (referido a la gran cantidad de actores e intereses de los mismos, los cuales generan las denominadas “zonas grises”), el factor étnico (como uno de los aspectos más visibles en los conflictos de África Subsahariana) y la fragilidad estatal de los países anfitriones (que de acuerdo a normatividad de Naciones Unidas, son responsables de la seguridad de los peacekeepers); del mismo modo, para las variables endógenas se toman en cuenta la actividad de inteligencia y la capacitación y entrenamiento de los peacekeepers. Actualmente, el Estado peruano, a través del Ministerio de Defensa y del Comando Conjunto viene desplegando peacekeepers a la región de África Subsahariana, toda vez que dentro de los roles estratégicos de las Fuerzas Armadas se encuentra el de tener presencia internacional de acuerdo a la política internacional de nuestro país, situación que justifica la presente investigación. Como conclusión general se llega a determinar que las actuales OMP´s en África Subsahariana vienen presentando enormes desafíos a nuestros peacekeepers. Hoy en día ya no podamos hablar de operaciones de paz, como comunmente las conocíamos; la solución de estos conflictos requieren de nuevas herramientas legales y operacionales, que les brinde a los peacekeepers una adecuada libertad de acción. Es posible que ya nos encontremos frente a una nueva generación de OMP´s, en el cual prima, antes que la negociación, las operaciones contrainsurgentes, para dar solución al problema.

Bakgrund: Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) är en ärftlig sjukdom som fysiskt, psykiskt och socialt påverkar de drabbade individerna. Okunskap, fördomar och myter om albinism utgör de största orsakerna till den diskriminering som personer med albinism utsatts för särskilt i vissa länder i Afrika söder om Sahara. Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva hälsan hos personer med albinism i Rwanda, utifrån begreppen diskriminering, coping och socialt stöd. Metod: En kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats ligger till grund för denna undersökning. 14 semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes i Rwanda för insamlingen av data och en intervjuguide utformades för att underlätta intervjuprocessen. Intervjuerna spelades in och därefter transkriberades för att sedan analyseras med hjälp av en manifest innehållsanalys där datamaterialet framställdes i fyra kategorier. Resultat: Personer med albinism upplever diskriminering och deras hälsa påverkas därmed negativt. De använder sig utav olika coping-strategier för att hantera denna diskriminering. Förväntningarna är att med ökad kunskap om albinism och ökade stödinsatser bör kunna minska diskrimineringen i samhället. Slutsats: Albinism är ett folkhälsoproblem som förtjänar ytterligare forskning och utökade åtgärder för att öka medvetenheten om sjukdomen och för att stödja personerna som lever med albinism. / Background: Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a hereditary disease that directly impacts the physical, mental and social health of affected individuals, particularly in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Ignorance, prejudices and myths about albinism are the biggest cause of the discrimination of people living with albinism in particular countries within this region. Aim: The aim is to describe the health of people with albinism in Rwanda, based on the concepts of discrimination, coping and social support. Method: A qualitative method with an inductive approach serves as the basis for this study. 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted in Rwanda for the collection of data and an interview guide was designed to facilitate the interview process. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using a manifest content-analysis model that revealed four different categories of results. Result: People with albinism are experiencing discrimination and this adversely affects their health. Different coping strategies are used by people with albinism for dealing with their differing experiences of this discrimination. The expectations of these people are that increased knowledge about albinism and increased support measures ought to reduce the discrimination within their society. Conclusion: Albinism is a public health problem that deserves further research and increased measures towards increasing the awareness surrounding albinism and supporting the daily lives of the people living with albinism.

Master's Thesis: Tobin Hanspal May 18th, 2012 Variability Among Determinants of Education Attainment: The Effect of Natural Resources and Institutional Quality in Sub-Sahara Africa ABSTRACT: This thesis exploits survey data from 21 Sub-Saharan African countries. After constructing a dataset of over 100,000 households to analyze the variability in traditional determinants of schooling attainment across exogenous domains, results indicate strong heterogeneity across countries in the effects of household composition and parental background. Additionally, findings suggest that 1) marginal effects of parental education are on average three times smaller for secondary compared to primary school attainment, 2) countries with lower corruption are correlated with higher levels of educational mobility, 3) dependence on natural resource revenue is associated with increased educational mobility. And finally 4) household wealth becomes a stronger determinant in countries with better institutions. Exogenous factors appears to have a large correlative impact on schooling outcomes, such as individuals belonging to the richest households have almost ten times the chances of completing primary schooling over the poorest quintile in less corrupt states compared to only a marginal advantage in highly corrupt states.

Since 1992, the annual decline in the undernourished fraction of the world's population has been minimal (0.3%) making undernourishment one of the most pressing and alarming global issues. The FAO annually publishes a list of best and worst performing countries that respectively significantly decreased or increased the proportion of the population that was undernourished. Strikingly, seven out of ten global best performers and four out of ten global worst performers are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study therefore seeks to explore the variables affecting undernourishment rates, in an attempt to explain this variance. Six case studies hence explored three best performers (Angola, Chad and Ghana) and three worst performers (Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia) as the unit of analysis. Three clusters of variables were studied; natural shocks, agricultural production and economy. Changes in these variables were examined between 1992-2000 and Ragin's qualitative case study research strategy was applied to facilitate the analysis. The data indicated that the most influential variable was agricultural production. Furthermore, good governance leads to improvements in all three clusters of variables, whereas a civil war negatively effects all three clusters. Undernourishment proved to be a very complex and intertwined problem and similar research on a larger scale was recommended. / Master of Science

Studien koncenterar sig på att FDI som betyder utländska direktinvesteringar har en positiv påverkan på utvecklingsländers BNP. De valda utvecklingsländerna är uppdelade och ingår i gruppen Öst Asien och Stilla Havet och Sub -Sahara Afrika. Vilket ska kontrolleras mot beroende variabeln BNP där de valda oberoende variablerna är FDI, export, import, population och internet användare. Teorin om långsiktig ekonomisk tillväxt byggs upp utav fysiskt kapital och human kapital. Där Solow och Swan bygger sin ekonomiska modell utav det fysiska kapitalet vilket senare utvecklas sig till steady state det vill säga en jämviktsnivå, där investeringarna slås ut utav deprecieringar. Human kapitalet är antalet forskare respektive vanliga arbetare, forskarna är de som utvecklar Romer’s ideer vilket är kärnan för ekonomisk tillväxt. Detta därefter är det som skapar en konstant tillväxt. Man har flera gånger observerat i ett antal tidigare studier att utländsk direktinvestering är en av de avgörande faktorerna när det gäller ekonomisk tillväxt såväl som i utvecklingsländer som utvecklade länder. Det har dock funnits ett fåtal studier som visat det motsatta inom ämnet. Det har också blivit fastställt att företagande och investeringar är ledande faktorer för långsiktig ekonomisk tillväxt i de flesta länder. Genom en tidsserie regression utförd med OLS är ändamålet att leta efter effekten mellan utländsk direktinvestering och ekonomisk tillväxt. Den empiriska analysen visar ett positivt signifikant resultat mellan utländsk direktinvestering och tillväxt i Öst Asien och Stilla Havet men dessvärre negativt i Sub –Sahara Afrika något som ger ett osammanhängande intryck mellan relationen för FDI och ekonomisk tillväxt i de undersökta utvecklingsländerna.

<p>The general purpose of this project is two in one; to analyze and assess gender mainstreaming and sustainable women development policies of the two main political parties in Ghana, and to evaluate the contribution of gender biased NGOs to the course of women empowerment in Ghana. </p><p>This thesis, by applying the methodological techniques of qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis explores and examines the strength and weakness of the parties’ political manifestoes. It also explores and examines the activities of the NGOs- while evaluating some of projects they have undertaken in the development of Ghanaian women. The paper also offered suggestions that will help to achieve effective sustainable women development when adopted by the political parties and the concerned NGOs. </p><p>Women in Development (WID) and Gender and Development (GAD), the most widely used theoretical frameworks in gender and development studies; provide the conceptual frames for the analysis in this thesis. They are widely applied throughout the analyses of this paper and form the foundation for realizing the aims and objectives of this work. </p><p>The conclusion of this paper is able to identify pragmatic measures for ensuring gender mainstreaming and achieving effective affirmative action for Ghanaian women; it calls upon the political parties to exhibit effective commitment to gender mainstreaming by initiating policies that will give women a fair representation and participation in decision making processes in Ghana at all levels. </p><p>The women NGOs on the other hand, should depart from over concentration on service provision activities and refocus their programmes and projects toward encouraging and preparing women to enter politics at local, districts and national levels. These measures, as identified by the analyses; are the strongest weapons for achieving effective women empowerment in Ghana</p>

The general purpose of this project is two in one; to analyze and assess gender mainstreaming and sustainable women development policies of the two main political parties in Ghana, and to evaluate the contribution of gender biased NGOs to the course of women empowerment in Ghana. This thesis, by applying the methodological techniques of qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis explores and examines the strength and weakness of the parties’ political manifestoes. It also explores and examines the activities of the NGOs- while evaluating some of projects they have undertaken in the development of Ghanaian women. The paper also offered suggestions that will help to achieve effective sustainable women development when adopted by the political parties and the concerned NGOs. Women in Development (WID) and Gender and Development (GAD), the most widely used theoretical frameworks in gender and development studies; provide the conceptual frames for the analysis in this thesis. They are widely applied throughout the analyses of this paper and form the foundation for realizing the aims and objectives of this work. The conclusion of this paper is able to identify pragmatic measures for ensuring gender mainstreaming and achieving effective affirmative action for Ghanaian women; it calls upon the political parties to exhibit effective commitment to gender mainstreaming by initiating policies that will give women a fair representation and participation in decision making processes in Ghana at all levels. The women NGOs on the other hand, should depart from over concentration on service provision activities and refocus their programmes and projects toward encouraging and preparing women to enter politics at local, districts and national levels. These measures, as identified by the analyses; are the strongest weapons for achieving effective women empowerment in Ghana

This thesis demonstrates the level of environmental disaster that oil TNCs have brought into Sub-Sahara Africa as a direct consequence of economic globalization. The analysis reveals the weaknesses of the environmental regime in the Sub-Sahara African region, particularly in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon as well as the lack of administrative capacity of the governments. The thesis explores alternative means through which environmental responsibility of oil TNCs could be pursued at the supranational arena and within the legal system of home states of the oil TNCs. It seeks to do so by examining the phenomenon of tort-based action for foreign direct liability of the parent oil TNCs for the conduct of their foreign subsidiaries extraterritorially.