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Previous studies have shown that the Department of Defense (DoD) and the military departments have historically underestimated the cost of new weapon systems. Quantifying cost growth is important, but the larger issue is why cost growth occurs. To address that issue, this analysis uses data from Selected Acquisition Reports to examine 35 mature, but not necessarily complete, major defense acquisition programs similar to the type and complexity of those typically managed by the Air Force. The programs are first examined as a complete set, then Air Force and non-Air Force programs are analyzed separately to determine whether the causes of cost growth in the two groups differ. Four major sources of cost growth were identified: (1) errors in estimation and scheduling, (2) decisions made by the government, (3) financial matters, and (4) miscellaneous sources. Total (development plus procurement) cost growth, when measured as simple averages among the program set, is dominated by decisions, which account for more than two-thirds of the growth. Most decisions-related cost growth involves quantity changes (22 percent), requirements growth (13 percent), and schedule changes (9 percent). Cost estimation (10 percent) is the only large contributor in the errors category. Less than 4 percent of the overall cost growth is due to financial and miscellaneous causes. Because decisions involving changes in requirements, quantities, and production schedules dominate cost growth, program managers, service leadership, and Congress should look for ways to reduce changes in these areas

After noting the inadequacy in the previous development approaches to address the problem of underdevelopment in the developing world, development agencies are now turning to the application of a Rights-Based Approach (RBA), as a new development paradigm. Under RBA, the emphasis is more on the users' rights rather than focusing on the result of the project only. With donor fatigue soaring, most of the NGOs are claiming the use of RBA, seen by critics as a label to guarantee easy access to funding. This study, using a case study of ActionAid Malawi's one year women's land rights claim project (2009-2010) in matrilineal and patrilineal communities of Malawi, the study indicates that despite cultural differences between the two, women face similar marginalisation in their land rights claims due to patriarchal beliefs and practices rooted in their society. The study further indicates that women in matrilineal community have an edge over their counterparts in patrilineal community owing to the fact that they have at least ownership rights to land as guarantee by customs. The research suggests that, land ownership does empower women. The study concludes that RBAs were inadequately applied in the WOLAR Project that left women, especially those from patrilineal community, by far a distant from attaining empowerment. Power relations continue to be a major factor violating women's land rights in the communities to the benefit of men.

Can coercive foreign policy destabilise autocratic regimes? Can democracy be promoted from abroad? This book examines how foreign policy tools such as aid, economic sanctions, human rights shaming and prosecutions, and military intervention influence the survival of autocratic regimes

Notice of the inedited ms. memoirs of the Earl of Crawford, including: Account of some campaigns of the British army from 1689 to 1712, Journal of a campaign under Prince Eugene on the Upper Rhine, Miscellaneous papers; Journal of voyage from the Thames to Russia, and of Campaigning with the Russian amry, 1738-9; Journal of a campaign with the Russian army against Turkey, 1739. ; "Reprinted from Proceedings American philosophical soceity, vol. 13, no. 174. ; Mode of access: Internet. ; His Memoirs of the Earl of Crawford. A review. Reprinted from the Journal of the Military service institution, Governor's Island, N.Y., Jan., 1904. (3 p.) inserted in storage envelope with main article.