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The document analyzes pandemic preparedness in Africa, categorizing nations into scientifically advanced, policy-advanced, and fragile states. It argues that while global actors like the WHO promote standardized frameworks and securitization, these often clash with local needs for long-term health system strengthening. The author highlights a disconnect where funding is directed toward reactionary measures and 'pre-approved studies' rather than sustainable infrastructure, particularly in authoritarian or fragile states.

The report provides an evidence-based narrative of the April 2022 floods in Durban, which saw 304-311 mm of rain in 24 hours, resulting in 450 deaths and 40,000 displaced people. It evaluates the city's resilience strategies, such as the Community Based Early Flood Warning System (CBFEWS) and the Transformative Riverine Management Programme (TRMP), while detailing the devastating cumulative impacts on vulnerable populations. Through five case studies—including the Quarry Road West informal settlement and the Dassenhoek peri-urban area—the document highlights profound material loss, psychological trauma, and the erosion of development gains, arguing that such events serve as proxies for the broader impacts of climate change.

The research paper defines a 'transition effective state' as one capable of identifying and solving community-priority problems through co-production—a collaborative process where affected citizens are active partners in policy design. Evaluating South Africa's Just Energy Transition (JET), the authors find that current state capabilities are low because the government relies on 'tick-box' public participation and 'isomorphic mimicry' of international best practices rather than locally-driven solutions. Fieldwork in Mpumalanga reveals critical policy gaps, including the invisibility of the informal coal value-chain, the loss of community services provided by Eskom and mines, and water scarcity. The paper concludes that rigid budgeting and entrenched administrative habits hinder progress, recommending the development of detailed co-production guidelines and pilot projects focusing on water and community asset management.

The research paper assesses the capacity of the South African state to implement a just energy transition (JET), concluding that current state capacity is low due to a reliance on top-down, 'tick-box' public participation rather than genuine co-production. It defines a 'transition effective state' as one capable of identifying and solving community-priority problems through collaborative, context-specific processes. Fieldwork in Mpumalanga reveals that critical issues—such as the informal economy's dependence on coal, water rights, and the loss of corporate social investment services—remain invisible in national policies. The author recommends developing detailed guidelines for co-production and applying them to specific gaps in the JET framework to build legitimacy and ensure social equity.

The document analyzes social resistance and negotiations surrounding a proposed lithium mine in the Barroso region of northern Portugal, framed within the European Commission's goal to expand domestic lithium sourcing for electric vehicle batteries. Using a political ecology approach based on 27 interviews and ethnographic research from August 2021, the study explores how local communities respond to the concept of "green mining" and the European Commission's pledge for a just transition.

The report analyzes the role of Telegram as a 'buttress' for far-right and conspiracy-oriented actors in Germany. Through link analysis of 238 channels, it finds that while Telegram serves as a primary hub and file-sharing tool, these actors continue to strategically use established platforms like YouTube despite regulatory efforts such as the NetzDG. The study highlights the influence of 'power users' like Attila Hildmann, who build complex networks of channels to maximize reach and circumvent platform restrictions.

The report examines the proposed green hydrogen development in Boegoebaai, Northern Cape, focusing on the readiness of the Namakwa District Municipality (DM) and Richtersveld Local Municipality (LM). It finds that both municipalities lack the financial and technical capacity to support the anticipated population influx and infrastructure needs. The study highlights a 'top-down' planning approach by national and provincial governments that excludes local authorities and communities, leading to mistrust and procedural injustices. It concludes that without significant intergovernmental support and genuine public participation, the transition risks being unjust and disruptive to rural livelihoods.

The paper examines the persistent failure of South African municipalities to comply with financial and operational regulations despite increased oversight. It critiques the dominant 'capacity' and 'ethics' explanations for non-compliance, arguing instead that officials often follow 'uncodified rules'—such as political pressure, community loyalty, and personal survival—which they perceive as more appropriate or necessary than formal laws. Using ethnographic research, the author proposes the 'logics of appropriateness' framework to understand how institutional norms and multiple identities shape bureaucratic behaviour.

This research paper examines the transition to advanced cookstoves in Kenya and Zambia, distinguishing between the motivations for initial purchase and the factors that ensure long-term adoption. While financial accessibility, fuel savings, and aesthetic appeal drive initial sales, the study finds that actual adoption depends on the stove's performance and the availability of post-purchase support. The authors recommend hands-on trials, high-quality manuals, and consistent fuel quality to prevent users from abandoning the technology.

The study examines the use of the traditional mbaula charcoal stove in Lusaka, Zambia, finding that while users are emotionally attached to the stove, they face significant financial burdens and health issues due to its inefficiency and fumes. The research highlights that cost is the primary driver of energy choices, and that poor households pay more for fuel due to cash-flow constraints. It proposes three main pathways for transformation: introducing locally-made, more efficient charcoal stoves that resemble the mbaula, promoting low-tech solar water heating, and restructuring electricity tariffs to make electric cooking affordable for the poor.

The study uses a qualitative generative research methodology in four villages of Haryana State to understand why traditional biomass stoves (chulhas) persist despite health and environmental risks. Findings reveal that users value the ability to regulate heat by combining fuelwood and cow dung, the specific taste of food cooked with biomass, and the low cost of self-made clay stoves. While users desire reduced smoke and fuel savings, advanced stoves approved by the National Biomass Cookstove Initiative (NBCI) often fail to meet practical needs, such as the ability to bake roti or use dung. The authors argue that technical efficiency standards must be balanced with real-world usability to ensure the adoption of cleaner cooking technologies.

The report analyzes rural development in Vietnam through a conceptual lens of co-governance and stakeholder agency. It examines the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market socialist system, highlighting how local actors—including farmers, ethnic minorities, and NGOs—negotiate, adapt, or bypass state policies to secure their livelihoods. Through case studies on flood management, tea production, national park conservation, forest allocation, and mangrove rehabilitation, the document demonstrates a persistent gap between top-down legislative frameworks and local realities. It concludes that while the state has introduced initiatives like the Grass roots Democracy Decree to increase participation, implementation remains often formalistic. The authors advocate for a shift toward 'epistemic resilience' and social learning to reconcile conflicting interests between economic development, environmental sustainability, and local livelihoods.

The research examines the transition from Yahya Jammeh's autocracy to the 'New Gambia' under President Adama Barrow, noting a surge in public accusations of 'tribalism'. The authors argue that these accusations are 'anticipatory and speculative', driven by fears of future ethnic monopolies on power rather than current organised mobilisation. Historically, Gambian politics has largely downplayed ethnicity, with the exception of the late Jammeh era where he used anti-Mandinka rhetoric. In the 'New Gambia', the discourse focuses on the moral character of political actors, where accusing an opponent of tribalism serves to delegitimise them as 'indecent' or 'uncivilised'. The authors conclude that while ethnic identification exists in daily life and is linked to livelihoods, it remains a marginal tool for formal political power compared to the potent use of tribalist slurs as a meta-political weapon.

The research examines 'pirogue migration' from West Africa to the Canary Islands, arguing that migrants are not irrational or suicidal but make decisions based on a specific socioeconomic and moral context. It identifies that the inability to achieve social adulthood—defined by financial independence and the ability to marry—creates a 'social moratorium' that makes the risks of the journey acceptable. The study finds that migrants actively filter risk information, often discrediting official awareness campaigns as biased. Furthermore, notions of masculinity, honor, and Sufi Islamic beliefs frame the journey as a courageous sacrifice or a matter of divine destiny, effectively neutralizing the fear of death.