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The Lake Chad Region (LCR) is an economically interdependent area that encompasses parts of Cameroon (Extrême-Nord), Chad (Chari Baguirmi, Hadjer Lamis, Kenam, and Lac), Niger (Diffa and Zinder), and Nigeria (Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe). The region is characterized by strong historical, ethnic, cultural, and political ties, as well as commercial linkages that extend across its porous borders. Indeed, many if not most of the cross-border exchanges are not recorded in official import and export statistics. Informal trade is widespread throughout Africa (Bouet, Pace, and Glauber 2018; World Bank 2020), particularly if formal state institutions are under stress. Traders try to avoid import or export declarations as well as border taxes, and customs and other border agencies often tolerate the cross-border trade of small consignments without the need to comply with formal procedures. This does not necessarily mean that these trade flows go untaxed, though. Border officials might levy fees that do not have a legal basis, and state or local authorities often ask for informal payments at roadblocks or in marketplaces. The LCR is far from a seaport and, hence, heavily landlocked. This condition means that the cost of connecting to international markets is high. As a result, consumers in the LCR pay a high price for imports from global markets, whereas producers in the region get a low price for their exports to international clients. The region faces other challenges that stress its production base and depress economic development. These challenges include erratic weather patterns with frequent periods of drought, as well as environmental degradation of the lake. The most important threat to the well-being and the livelihood of the population in recent years has been the deteriorating security situation, though.

"This book explores the historical origins, contemporary dynamics and future challenges of social cohesion in South, Southeast and East Asia-one of the most dynamic and at the same time heterogeneous regions in the world, in terms of economic, political and human development. The comparative case studies in this volume develop a better understanding of social cohesion in Asia by exploring how social cohesion is understood, analyzed and sometimes politically instrumentalized. Examining different dimensions and qualities of social cohesion and how they are linked together, it also discusses the challenges of social cohesion in individual societies. The case studies include examples from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea and Mainland China and building on the conceptual work and empirical findings of the Asian Social Cohesion Radar, this book provides detailed cross-country analyses over the past fifteen years. Combining rigorous conceptual and theoretical reasoning with a systematic empirical analysis of trends across the region, Social Cohesion in Asia will be of great interest to students and scholars of Asian politics, international relations, political sociology, comparative politics and Democratization Studies"--

Bürgerstiftungen sind in Deutschland eine neue Organisationsform gemeinnützigen Engagements. Obwohl das Konzept der Bürgerstiftung (Community Foundation) in der angloamerikanischen Welt eine lange Tradition hat, stößt es hierzulande erst in den letzten Jahren auf Interesse. Mittlerweile gibt es jedoch auch in der Bundesrepublik viele erfolgreich arbeitende Bürgerstiftungen und zahlreiche weitere Gründungsinitiativen. Als Stiftungen "von Bürgern für Bürger" sind Bürgerstiftungen ein wirksamer Katalysator zivilgesellschaftlichen Engagements. Aufgrund ihrer finanziellen und politischen Unabhängigkeit sind sie wie kaum eine andere Institution in der Lage, eine große Vielfalt gemeinnütziger Aktivitäten zu fördern, drängende soziale Probleme zu bekämpfen oder ganz einfach die Lebensqualität vor Ort zu erhöhen. Das "Handbuch Bürgerstiftungen" bietet umfassende Informationen zu dieser neuen Stiftungsform sowie konkrete Hinweise und Konzepte zum Aufbau und Management einer Bürgerstiftung. Für die Neuauflage wurden sämtliche Beiträge grundlegend überarbeitet und aktualisiert. Außerdem enthält die 2. Auflage neue Beiträge zu rechtlichen und steuerlichen Aspekten der Arbeit von Bürgerstiftungen. Ein Anhang mit praxisorientierten Hinweisen, einer Mustersatzung sowie Adressen und Links zum Thema komplettieren das Handbuch.