Mark Robinson – författare

This book takes a non mathematical looks at the principles and processes of hydrology. Now in its fourth edition, this well established book preserves the essential structure, clarity and style which have ensured its continued international popularity over more than three decades. However the book has been revised and fully updated to take into account new research and developments in the subject and the changing role of hydrology in the modern world. The thematic treatment of the main phases of the hydrological cycle i.e. precipitation, interception, evaporation, subsurface water and stream flow, has been retained, together with the chapter on water quality. A final, synthesising chapter has been reinstated by popular demand, together with a broader spectrum of case studies and examples. A selection of problems and exercises has also been included at the end of each chapter.

There has been considerable interest in recent years in the ability of non-governmental organisations to work with the rural poor in developing countries in order to improve their quality of life and economic status through the provision of credit, skills training, and other inputs for income-generation programmes. This book brings together the results of 16 evaluations in 4 countries (Bangladesh, India, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) to provide a detailed assessment of the contribution that NGOs make to rural poverty alleviation. The results indicate that NGO projects are successful when they build in a high degree of participation, when the staff are committed to the goals of the project, and when they are managed by strong and competent leaders. Many of the projects studied contributed to increases in income and welfare. However, not all projects were successful, contrary to received wisdom about the efficacy of NGO interventions. many failed to reach the very poorest, most were costly to implement, and few of the projects demostrated an ability to continue once external funding was withdrawn. These findingd provide string support for viewing NGOs as a mechanism for helping to reduce rural poverty, but also demonstrate that many of the interventions are isolated or one-off. The impact of NGOs could be heightened by increasing the size of the intervention, encouraging greater cooperation among NGOs, and by fostering closer cooperation with governments.This study will make an impact in the development community, and its conclusions will help shape NGO and poverty agendas in the coming years. The book will appeal to all those concerned with rural development, NGOs, and development programmes.

The 1990s have witnessed the ascendance of a new orthodoxy which asserts that democracy and development are mutually reinforcing. This is in marked contrast to the dominant consensus that held sway for the previous two decades, which stated that developmental progress in poor societies was best assured by strong states, ruled by authoritarian regimes. Today, however, many new democracies are illiberal, non-participatory, and characterized by enormous inequalities. Developmental democracy cannot therefore be regarded as an assured outcome of a simultaneous process of economic and political liberalization. The central inquiry of this important new study concerns the extent to which it is possible to strive towards a new form of developmental state that can promote broad-based and equitable development in the context of legitimized, inclusive democracy. The argument running through this book is that there is scope for continuous political intervention in the design of democratic institutions that shape the context of state-led development initiatives. Institutional arrangements which foster political participation, the dispersion of political power, and increased representation by women and other disadvantaged groups can make democratic regimes more sensitive to issues of poverty, social welfare, and gender discrimination through remedial action and policy commitments. Oxford Studies in Demcratization is a series for scholars and students of comparative politics and related disciplines. Volumes will concentrate on the comparative study of the democratization processes that accompanied the decline and termination of the cold war. The geographical focus of the series will primarily be Latin America, the Caribbean, Southern and Eastern Europe, and relevant experiences in Africa and Asia. The Series Editor is Laurence Whitehead.

This popular and bestselling book provides an important practical resource for all professionals engaged with planning, implementing and evaluating multi-professional teamwork and practice in children's services. This new third edition builds on the success of earlier editions, retaining its classic chapters of enduring value while incorporating some fresh new content.  Four new chapters - chosen to highlight and consider contemporary new developments in the field - explore safeguarding children; the challenges of information sharing; new integrated approaches to SEN; and multi-agency responses to child sexual exploitation.Combining theoretical perspectives, research evidence from the 'real world' of children's services, and reflections on policy and practice, this new edition retains its popular approach and is fully updated to reflect the numerous changes to policy, practice, and research. The book:•Exemplifies what multi-professional work looks like in practice•Examines real dilemmas faced by professionals trying to make it work, and shows how these dilemmas can be resolved•Considers lessons to be learnt, implications for practice and recommendations for making multi-professional practice more effectiveFeaturing helpful guidance, theoretical frameworks and evidence-based insights into practice, this book is a key resource for students studying on a wide range of courses related to children and families, as well as qualified social workers, teachers, support workers in children's centres, family support workers, health workers, and managers of a range of children and youth services. 

There is continuing emphasis on delivering services for children through ''joined up'' thinking and integrated working. This fully updated new edition is an important practical resource for all professionals charged with planning, implementing and evaluating multi-professional teamwork and practice in children''s services.

The book investigates the reality for professionals behind the rhetoric of ''joined up'' thinking and explores the perspectives of professionals about the impact of multi-agency teamwork on their professional knowledge and their ways of working. In addition it identifies dilemmas and challenges and presents exemplars of good practice. It skillfully combines theoretical perspectives, research evidence from the ''real world'' of children''s services and reflections on policy and practice in inter-agency services in England.

Retaining its popular approach and reflecting the numerous changes to policy, practice and research the book:

Exemplifies what multi-professional work looks like in practice Examines real dilemmas faced by professionals trying to make it work, and shows how these dilemmas can be resolved Considers lessons to be learnt, implications for practice and recommendations for making multi-professional practice effective

As well as supportive guidance, useful theoretical frameworks and helpful evidence-based insights into practice, this new edition has been expanded to include a whole new section covering emerging themes in working together such as ''sexploitation'' and children''s ''front door'' approaches to integrated working.

Written by a multi-disciplinary writing team and without the use of unnecessary jargon, this book is a key resource for students on courses studying early childhood and families, as well as social workers, teachers, family support workers, health workers, and managers of a range of children and youth services.

The problem of corruption is of central significance for the developmental prospects of poor countries. Corruption undermines development by siphoning off resources for infrastructures and public services and by weakening the legitimacy of the state. The volume will appeal to academics and policy-makers concerned with problems of governance and public management in developing countries, as well as specialists working on corruption and designing anti-corruption strategies.

The problem of corruption is of central significance for the developmental prospects of poor countries. Corruption undermines development by siphoning off resources for infrastructures and public services and by weakening the legitimacy of the state. The volume will appeal to academics and policy-makers concerned with problems of governance and public management in developing countries, as well as specialists working on corruption and designing anti-corruption strategies.

The site at Whitecross Farm, including timber structures located on the edge of the eyot, and a substantial midden and occupation deposit has been securely radiocarbon-dated to the late Bronze Age. The late Bronze Age artefact assemblages are suggestive of a high-status site, with a range of domestic and ritual activities represented. The bank of the Grim's Ditch earthwork was found to have preserved evidence of earlier settlement, dating to the Neolithic and Bronze Age, and a sequence of cultivation, including ard marks and 'cord-rig' cultivation ridges. Pottery and radiocarbon analysis dated the earthwork to the end of the late Iron Age or the early Roman period. A multi-period settlement, consisting of pits, a waterhole, postholes, gullies and field systems, was identified at Bradford's Brook, Cholsey. The main periods represented are late Bronze Age and Romano-British, while a small quantity of Saxon pottery indicates limited Saxon activity. A large pit containing late Bronze Age pottery, a cattle skull, waterlogged wood and plant remains, a complete loomweight and flint flakes has been interpreted as a waterhole. A series of radiocarbon dates were obtained for deposits within this feature. All three sites are discussed individually as well as within their local, regional and national contexts. Chapter 7 provides an overall discussion of later Bronze Age themes that have arisen through the excavation and analysis of these sites.

The Upper Thames Valley is an important area for prehistoric monuments and has one of the highest concentrations of cursuses, distinctive linear or elongated earthworks, in Britain. In the 1980s the Oxford Archaeological Unit along with the Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society had the opportunity to extensively investigate one of these sites at Drayton. This site has produced many significant results for our present understanding of the date, construction and use of cursus monuments on the lowland river gravels of Britain. This volume reports on the excavations at Drayton, and includes an account of small-scale excavations undertaken at the Lechlade cursus by OAU and Lance and Faith Vatcher. It also provides a gazetteer of known cursus monuments in the Upper Thames Valley.

The gravel terraces of the river Thames have revealed a wealth of archaeological information about the evolution of the landscape of the region, the development of the settlement pattern, and past human occupation. Much of this has come to light in the course of gravel quarrying, which has been so extensive that the Thames Valley now provides one of the richest resources of archaeological data in the country. This volume provides an up to date overview of the archaeological evidence from the valley for the late Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods, broadly speaking the first millennium AD. The area studied in detail comprises the Upper Thames Valley, from the source of the river to the Goring Gap, and the Middle Thames Valley, from the Goring Gap to the start of the tidal zone at Teddington Lock. A summary of evidence for the character of the river and the vegetation and environment of its floodplain is followed by a detailed account of the evolving settlement pattern as currently understood from archaeological evidence. The authors then consider what archaeology can reveal about the late Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon populations of the valley, and their changing lifestyles, culture, identities and beliefs. This is followed by a review of the evidence for production, trade, transport and communication, and the archaeology of power and politics. The volume concludes with a discussion of the state of knowledge today and its limitations, and emerging themes and problem areas for future research.

In common with other volumes in the Thames Through Time series, this account of the Thames Valley in the millennium and a half before the Roman conquest seeks to examine change in human society from a thematic point of view. The geographical and chronological framework for this volume is established in Chapters 1 and 2, but thereafter we have tried to get away from the traditional, somewhat artificial pigeon-holes of 'periods' 'ages' 'eras' and 'phases' to look much harder at how change in human society actually works. In a period when the 20th century has come to dominate secondary school history and much popular TV, the notion that the first foundations of modern society can be traced back more than 3000 years may seem a rather surprising proposition. But some fundamental patterns of settlement and landuse, political boundaries, human impact on the environment, and even the specific use and form of a few places can be traced back to late prehistoric times despite millennia of subsequent change - even though otherwise we may now have very little in common with those remote ancestors. Exploring these issues on a thematic basis should help us to gain a better understanding of how human society evolves and also of how people have altered their natural environment, providing a better long term perspective on what we are doing to the planet.

Hydrology is vital to human civilisations as well as to natural ecosystems, yet it has only emerged as a distinct scientific discipline during the last 50 years or so. This book reviews the development of modern hydrology primarily through the experiences of the multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at Wallingford, near Oxford, who have been at the forefront of many of the developments in UK hydrological research. These topics include:• The development of basic understanding through  the collection of data with specialised instrumentation in experimental basins• The study of extreme flows – both floods and droughts• The role moisture in the soil • Studies of the processes controlling  evaporation • Water resource studies • Modelling and prediction of the extremes of flow improved • Understanding of water quality issues • A widening recognition of the importance of an ecosystem approach  • Meeting the challenges of climate change, • Data handling• Future developments in hydrology and the pressures which generate them.Readership: hydrologists in both academia and a wide range of applied fields such as civil engineering, meteorology, geography and physics, as well as advanced students in earth science, environmental science and physical geography programmes worldwide.

Hydrology is vital to human civilisations as well as to natural ecosystems, yet it has only emerged as a distinct scientific discipline during the last 50 years or so. This book reviews the development of modern hydrology primarily through the experiences of the multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at Wallingford, near Oxford, who have been at the forefront of many of the developments in UK hydrological research. These topics include:• The development of basic understanding through  the collection of data with specialised instrumentation in experimental basins• The study of extreme flows – both floods and droughts• The role moisture in the soil • Studies of the processes controlling  evaporation • Water resource studies • Modelling and prediction of the extremes of flow improved • Understanding of water quality issues • A widening recognition of the importance of an ecosystem approach  • Meeting the challenges of climate change, • Data handling• Future developments in hydrology and the pressures which generate them.Readership: hydrologists in both academia and a wide range of applied fields such as civil engineering, meteorology, geography and physics, as well as advanced students in earth science, environmental science and physical geography programmes worldwide.

The problem of corruption is of central significance for the developmental prospects of poor countries. Corruption undermines development by siphoning off resources for infrastructures and public services and by weakening the legitimacy of the state. The volume will appeal to academics and policy-makers concerned with problems of governance and public management in developing countries, as well as specialists working on corruption and designing anti-corruption strategies.

The problem of corruption is of central significance for the developmental prospects of poor countries. Corruption undermines development by siphoning off resources for infrastructures and public services and by weakening the legitimacy of the state. The volume will appeal to academics and policy-makers concerned with problems of governance and public management in developing countries, as well as specialists working on corruption and designing anti-corruption strategies.

This book examines the factors that give rise to successful governance reforms in developing countries, focusing on the importance of political commitment, supportive institutions, and the timing of reforms. It reviews the lessons arising from the design and implementation of successful governance reforms in Brazil, India, Uganda and other parts of Africa through comparative analysis of experience with public financial management, anti-corruption, civil service reform, and innovations in service delivery.

The contributors suggest that three factors are critical in explaining positive outcomes:

strong, consistent commitment from politicians to initiate and sustain reforms;

a high level of technical capacity and some degree of insulation from societal interests, at least in the early phases, for designing and managing reforms;

incremental approaches with cumulative benefits are more likely to produce sustainable results.

Explicit attention to the political feasibility of reform, identifying and building incentives for reform, and a more gradual and piecemeal approach are all integral to the success of future governance reforms.

This book examines the factors that give rise to successful governance reforms in developing countries, focusing on the importance of political commitment, supportive institutions, and the timing of reforms. It reviews the lessons arising from the design and implementation of successful governance reforms in Brazil, India, Uganda and other parts of Africa through comparative analysis of experience with public financial management, anti-corruption, civil service reform, and innovations in service delivery.

The contributors suggest that three factors are critical in explaining positive outcomes:

strong, consistent commitment from politicians to initiate and sustain reforms;

a high level of technical capacity and some degree of insulation from societal interests, at least in the early phases, for designing and managing reforms;

incremental approaches with cumulative benefits are more likely to produce sustainable results.

Explicit attention to the political feasibility of reform, identifying and building incentives for reform, and a more gradual and piecemeal approach are all integral to the success of future governance reforms.

Now that all these ingredients have been gathered, some still need to be added and completed by the Holy Ghost; I can begin to fulfill my purpose for which God has created me for. I am not perfect. Every now and then, I have to stir up my ingredients. The pot continues to simmer. I am not done yet. There are ingredients that still can be added. Life is a journey with a destination.Success is a result of planning. Success just does not happen. Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Success is a process. Success is not a destination, it is a journey. Success is not a failure but learning from failure.I was inspired by the Spirit of God to write this book to help you achieve the success you desire in life. The quotes, messages, and scriptures in this book are designed to empower you, equip you, and motivate you as you journey along the highways and bi-ways, the mountains and the valleys toward spiritual development and personal success in your life. May God bless you and keep you.