Michaela Fink – författare

Ethiopia, though remaining one of the least urbanised countries in the world, has taken impressive actions to transform the state into a more industrialized nation.Several industrial parks have been built in recent years throughout the whole country. The textile sector is one of these sectors. The textile industry is expected to provide employment for hundreds of thousands and thus improve people's living conditions and contribute to the development of the country. Major reason for asian investors to shift their focus to Ethiopia are extremely low wages and the lower production costs involved. The Ethiopian textile industry has to deal with high rates of labor turnover and absenteeism. From the perspective of the mostly international managers the reason for turnover and absenteeism is often attributed to the 'mindset' of the predominantly female workforce. A research project financed by the German Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung is looking at reasons and possible measures to solve this problem. Results of this project (conducted at the University of Giessen by Michaela Fink and Reimer Gronemeyer together with Ethiopian colleagues are presented in this book. Experts from Ethiopia and Germany are presenting the history of the textile industry in Ethiopia and the coming development. All this is framed by the discussion of present crisis - Covid-19; the war - in Ethiopia).

Ethiopia, though remaining one of the least urbanised countries in the world, has taken impressive actions to transform the state into a more industrialized nation.Several industrial parks have been built in recent years throughout the whole country. The textile sector is one of these sectors. The textile industry is expected to provide employment for hundreds of thousands and thus improve people''s living conditions and contribute to the development of the country. Major reason for asian investors to shift their focus to Ethiopia are extremely low wages and the lower production costs involved. The Ethiopian textile industry has to deal with high rates of labor turnover and absenteeism. From the perspective of the mostly international managers the reason for turnover and absenteeism is often attributed to the ''mindset'' of the predominantly female workforce. A research project financed by the German Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung is looking at reasons and possible measures to solve this problem. Results of this project (conducted at the University of Giessen by Michaela Fink and Reimer Gronemeyer together with Ethiopian colleagues are presented in this book. Experts from Ethiopia and Germany are presenting the history of the textile industry in Ethiopia and the coming development. All this is framed by the discussion of present crisis - Covid-19; the war - in Ethiopia).

Many children in Namibia find themselves facing a social crisis. They have been abandoned or abused, are malnourished, homeless, or live in shacks that barely provide any protection. However, amidst these disastrous living conditions, children have developed remarkable survival skills, and come up with equally clever and disillusioned analyses of their situation.For three years, Michaela Fink and Reimer Gronemeyer conducted interviews in Namibia with women who take care of vulnerable children. The book gives these children a voice in interviews and essays.

The Ethiopian textile industry is particularly affected by high labor turnover. In a compelling social study, Michaela Fink investigates the causes of this issue, focusing primarily on the voices of the (female) workforce. She illustrates the tension between rural, community-based orientations of women workers and the industrial working environment in which they find themselves. For the women, it is often a balancing act between the rural world they come from and the urban consumerist world they live and work in. They are attracted to modern values of career, consumption and urbanity. At the same time, it is hardly possible for them to achieve modest prosperity.