New electoral violence resources


THE ELECTORAL VIOLENCE Prevention Practice database (EVPPD), a collaborative initiative between King’s College London and Creative Associates International, is based on a three-year research project which aimed to understand why and when electoral violence occurs and what can be done to prevent it. The EVPPD (www.preventelectoralviolence. org) equips policymakers, researchers and other practitioners with a searchable database of interventions that have been employed to prevent, manage or mediate electoral


violence. The project has also produced a dataset of Countries at Risk of Electoral Violence and a further database on electoral violence interventions undertaken by the UN Development Programme from 2003-2015. n


i Contact Professor Sarah Birch, King’s


College London Email sarah.birch@kcl.ac.uk Telephone 0207 848 0447 Web www.electoralviolenceproject.com ESRC Grant Number ES/L016435/2


Drivers of Mediterranean migration C


ONFLICT, PERSECUTION and general insecurity are the main drivers of migration by sea to Europe,


says research into the Mediterranean migration crisis. People have complex reasons for


coming to Europe, says Professor Brad Blitz, lead researcher of the ‘EVI-MED, Constructing an evidence base of contemporary Mediterranean migrations’ project. Based on 750 questionnaires and more than 100 interviews carried out in reception centres in Greece, Italy and Malta, researchers found war, insecurity and concern for family to be the dominant factor driving refugees to Europe. War was the biggest ‘push’ factor, and given as the reason for leaving their homes by 49% of those questioned in Greece, and 53% of those in Malta. “The overwhelming majority of


people we spoke to were coming from desperately poor countries, but also places where they were subject to


targeted violence or other concerns around family security,” he says. The study identified major differences between migrant reception systems. In Greece, for example, migrants have been detained and left in camp-like situations; in Italy a permissive approach towards refused asylum-seekers has encouraged their informal integration into the country through exploitative labour practices. The report, Mapping Refugee Reception in the Mediterranean, makes 12 recommendations for policymakers including the need for new guidelines to standardise and improve the quality of reception for migrants across the European Union. n


i Contact Professor Brad Blitz,


Middlesex University Email b.blitz@mdx.ac.uk k.l.maras@bath.ac.uk Web www.evimedresearch.wordpress.com Telephone 020 8411 2883 ESRC Grant Number ES/N013638/1


IN BRIEF


ONLINE HATE CRIME The UK Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan stresses the need to tackle hate speech on social media by bringing together policymakers with academics to improve the analysis and understanding of the patterns and causes of cyberhate and how these can be addressed. New research aims to assist policymakers in identifying areas that require policy attention and better targeted interventions in the field of online hate. ESRC grant number ES/P010695/1


ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE Corporate food retailers play a pivotal but frequently ignored role in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The overuse of antibiotics on farm animals is leading to growing resistance among certain bacteria such as E-coli. Researchers aim to address the responsibility of retailers in tackling the AMR challenge through chicken and pork supply chains and investigate the retailers’ future role. ESRC grant number ES/P011586/1


GREEN GROWTH The green economy has significant potential for delivering inclusive economic development in Africa. With work focused on three countries – Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria – researchers will address key questions such as: what are the current greening activities taking place in Africa; what are the successes, challenges, synergies and trade-offs associated with greening in Africa; and how do these differ across countries? ESRC grant number ES/P006671/1


SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 9 WINTER 2018


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