What you should know about simulation and derivatives

Derivatives (or gradients) are important for both sensitivity analysis and optimization, and in simulation models, these can often be estimated efficiently using various methods other than brute‐force finite differences. This article briefly summarizes the main approaches and discusses areas in which the approaches can most fruitfully be applied: queueing, inventory, and finance. In finance, the focus is on derivatives of another sort. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2008     

Equality and diversity in the British armed forces: progress,challenges and prospects

The UK's changing political and legal landscape since 2000 reflecting transformations in wider society have elevated equality and diversity (E&D) issues to prominence in the public sector, including in the British armed forces. This research highlights key developments in the British military in relation to E&D, focusing both on areas of progress, and on the challenges still confronting the Forces. The findings reveal that the Forces have made significant strides in advancing E&D through the implementation of a range of policy initiatives but the persistence of discrimination, developments in the wider environment and the dilemmas raised by the strands of age and disability pose challenges. The value of this research is to increase our understanding of diversity management in a public sector institution that has been under-researched and views itself as “different,” and will be of interest to policymakers, E&D practitioners and academics in the field.     

What determines military allocations in Africa: Theoretical and empirical investigations

This paper investigates theoretically and empirically the determinants of military spending in Africa. It specifies a formal model and uses time‐series and cross‐sectional estimations to ascertain the reasons behind variations in military allocations across and within 40 African countries during 1960–1991. The differences in military expenditures appear to reflect a complex of economic, political, and strategic factors at both national and international levels. Strategic considerations are, however, found to be the most important factors in most African countries.     

Southern Africa Regional Action Programme on Light Arms and Illicit Arms Trafficking

Conclusions from the Institute for Security Studies/Saferworld Conference on Developing Controls on Arms and Illicit Trafficking in Southern Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, 3–6 May 1998     

Regional responses to security and development challenges in East and Southern Africa: lessons and way forward

Since the mid-twentieth century, the East and Southern African regions have been mired in complex and overlapping security and development challenges, including ethnopolitical conflicts, terrorist insurgencies, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALWs), and overwhelming economic crisis. These challenges have had implications for human security, socio-economic development, territorial authority, sovereignty and the stability and legitimacy of political regimes in the affected states. The adequacy and relevance of the regional responses to these challenges is the subject of ongoing debate, to which this paper now adds. Among other factors, this paper identifies competition for regional dominance and institutional inadequacies as accounting for the inability of regional governance bodies to respond adequately to the challenges they face. Consequently, it recommends the expansion of the mandate of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) beyond regional economic integration to include peacebuilding and a deepening of the institutional efforts focused on security cooperation and conflict management.     

消防部队抢险救援实践与思考

现代社会必须构筑一个完善的抢险救援体系 ,论述消防部队成为这一体系主体的必要性 ,提出消防部队抢险救援行为要规范 ,并探讨消防部队抢险救援发展趋势。     

新疆南疆欠发达地区高等教育大众化的后发优势

在我国高等教育“大众化”的趋势下,新疆南疆欠发达地区高等教育面临加快发展的重要历史机遇,其大众化的后发优势主要为新疆南疆资源优势的转化、经济发展环境的关联性、各级政府明确的发展目标和高等教育大众化多元发展趋势。新疆南疆欠发达地区应充分发挥高等教育大众化的后发优势,在学习和借鉴先发地区经验的同时,自主创新,用较快的速度缩短与先发地区的差距,与之协调发展。     

新形势下公安边防部队政治工作定位的思考

改革开放的深入和社会主义市场经济体制的逐步确立,给公安边防部队政治工作带来了一系列新情况、新问题、新挑战,大大加重了政治工作的任务和难度。要积极应对这种挑战,进一步加强部队政治工作,首先应从指导思想上对新形势下公安边防部队政治工作的地位、目标、任务、内容、作用以及方式方法等问题进行全面准确的定位。     

Unity is the exception. Alliance formation and de-formation among armed actors in Northern Mali

Our paper investigates the political trajectories of armed actors in Mali since 2012, using recent theoretical advances on alliance formation and collapse in civil wars. Our paper establishes an analytically productive distinction between levels of wartime cleavages and factors shaping groups’ trajectories. Strategic alliances, we argue, emerge from anticipated benefits on the national political scene as well as in the local political economy. The two sets of considerations do not necessarily converge. This dual logic is studied through the cases of two armed groups, both siding with the government after originally aligning with jihadi and separatist coalitions respectively.