In rapidly developing economies such as Thailand, farmers face multiple challenges preventing them from improving their livelihoods, and are therefore reverting to collective action as a means to overcome those obstacles. Community enterprises (CEs) have recently emerged as a new form of such collective action, yet there is limited evidence regarding farmers’ perception of rice production CEs (RPCEs) and the specific factors influencing their decision to join. In order to fill this gap, primary data were collected through questionnaires administered to 406 farmers in six districts in Uthai Thani province in the central region of Thailand. A weighted average index (WAI) was employed to assess the farmers’ perception of RPCEs’ role, and a binary logit regression model was used to investigate the determinants of perception and membership in RPCEs. The results revealed that both members and non-members perceived RPCEs as a saving source but not a credit provider. Compared to non-members, members put more emphasis on the product competition with rivals. Decision to join was associated with small landholdings, diversity of rice varieties cultivated, participation in networks, membership of economic groups, access to extension services, access to credit, and proximity to the market. The results suggest that production-oriented and marketing-oriented policies should be promoted in order to encourage farmers to cultivate organic rice and rice for the niche market to supply to RPCEs in order to generate greater group income.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group from the northern part of Rakhine State (formerly Arakan) in Myanmar, is among the most vulnerable of the world’s refugee communities. This study aims to shed light on gender-based violence among documented Rohingya refugees living in the Kutupalong camp located in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. As refugees, they are not allowed to find employment in Bangladesh. At the same time, state support is minimal, and so they have to eke out a living from whatever work is available. The mobility of refugee men is highly restricted by violence and intimidation, which forces refugee women into the role of the family’s breadwinner. Despite this, the women’s status has not improved in either the family or the community. On the contrary, the women are exposed to increased violence from their families, the refugee community and outsiders. Though all refugees suffer violence, women face it both inside and outside the home. Their precarious political status as refugees and a lack of community support in the camps combine to increase their vulnerability.

No abstract

No abstract

Why do more women in Bangladesh study civil engineering than in Thailand, but fewer Bangladeshi women take employment in construction companies? The primary data for answering this question were drawn from questionnaire surveys with 204 professional engineers, in-depth interviews with 80 professional women engineers, and informal discussions with employers/representatives in construction organizations in Bangladesh and Thailand. The findings underline the importance of organizational policy, practices and culture in creating a women-friendly workplace in both countries. The findings suggest that despite the reinforcement of societal gender expectations, organizations are able to create their own organizational culture and practices, which could help to utilize women's talent and improve their professional careers.Construction industry, organizational culture, sex segregation, women engineers,