Search

Three-dimensional (3-D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, refers to a method used to generate a physical object by joining materials in a layer-by-layer process from a three-dimensional virtual model. 3-D printing technology has been traditionally employed in rapid prototyping, engineering, and industrial design. More recently, new applications continue to emerge; this is because of its exceptional advantage and flexibility over the traditional manufacturing process. Unlike other conventional manufacturing methods, which are fundamentally subtractive, 3-D printing is additive and, therefore, produces less waste. This review comprehensively summarises the application of additive manufacturing technologies in chemistry, chemical synthesis, and catalysis with particular attention to the production of general laboratory hardware, analytical facilities, reaction devices, and catalytically active substances. It also focuses on new and upcoming applications such as digital chemical synthesis, automation, and robotics in a synthetic environment. While discussing the contribution of this research area in the last decade, the current, future, and economic opportunities of additive manufacturing in chemical research and material development were fully covered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High unemployment rates and limited access to resources, services, and economic opportunities are associated with many types of violence. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, most violence is experienced by unemployed, poorly educated men between the ages of 20 and 35 years. It is expected that community violence will decrease as the incomes of those most at risk increase. However, economic opportunity through formal employment is rarely available to uneducated men in Dar es Salaam. Giving them access to economic independence through entrepreneurship training is therefore supported by the World Bank and the government of Tanzania. There has been little research on the effectiveness of programs to encourage entrepreneurship. Methods: To evaluate the feasibility of providing entrepreneurial training programs to young men in Dar es Salaam, especially those without formal employment, a pretest-posttest pilot study was conducted drawing a sample of young men from neighborhood camps called vijiweni. There were four interventions, each implemented in a single camp: Health/Control, Entrepreneurship + Health, Beekeeping + Health, and Entrepreneurship + Beekeeping + Health. The four camps received 2, 6, 6, and 10 training sessions, respectively. No start-up capital was provided. The participants were interviewed at baseline and 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the sessions were completed. Data were collected on demographics, household assets, experience of violence, and income. Results: Fifty-seven respondents attended the first session. At baseline, the camps were not meaningfully different from one another in educational attainment, number of dependents, daily income, assets, or individual members' roles as victims, perpetrators, or witnesses of violence. Differences were found in age, occupation, and weekly income. Over a period of 2.25 years (from baseline to the end of the project), the weekly income of the Health/Control camp, which had been earning the most, decreased by 37% in a reflection of worsening economic conditions at the time. All three intervention camps increased their income: Beekeeping by 43%, All by 50%, and Entrepreneurship by 146%, with the latter almost reaching the minimum wage level. The most persistently reported constraint was insufficient start-up capital. Conclusions: The feasibility and potential effectiveness of a short training program on entrepreneurship skills for unemployed, poorly educated young men in urban Tanzania were demonstrated in this study. It has set the stage for an intervention trial to test an updated hypothesis: A 5–7-day intervention about entrepreneurship and microfinance savings groups will lead to increased income and decreased violence. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.govNCT 04602416. Registered on 24 October 2020. Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a spatially explicit framework with low/middle-income country coastal characteristics, we explore whether aspatial policies augment the impact of marine protected areas (MPAs) and identify when MPAs create income burdens on communities. When MPAs are small and budget-constrained, they cannot resolve all of the marinescape's open-access issues, but they can create win-win opportunities for ecological and economic goals at lower levels of enforcement. Aspatial policies—taxes, gear restrictions, license restrictions, and livelihood programs—improve the MPA's ability to generate ecological gains, and licenses and livelihood policies can mitigate MPA-induced income burdens. Managers can use MPA location and enforcement level, in conjunction with the MPA's impact on fish dispersal, to induce exit from fishing and to direct the spatial leakage of effort. Our framework provides further insights for conservation-development policy in coastal settings, and we explore stylized examples in Costa Rica and Tanzania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was planned to evaluate the views of university students about death anxiety and near-death treatments. Between October and December 2018, the Andel Khalek death anxiety scale and the survey questions were applied to 742 university students. 66% of the participants are female. The Cronbach Alpha values of the dimensions were found to be 0.909 for fear of dead body cemetery, 0.820 for fear of terminal illness, and 0.724 for fear of post-mortem. The death anxiety score of women was higher than that of men. The majority of the participants stated that death was associated with distressing social conditions and psychological problems. They are undecided about the usefulness of drug treatments and individual autonomy. A relationship was found between these statements and the death anxiety scale dimension scores. The majority of them stated that there should be qualified treatments, the importance of providing economic opportunities, and that gender discrimination should not be made. In the study, it was concluded that university students have death anxiety and are sensitive to end-of-life treatments. It is suggested that their anxiety can be reduced with health education, improvement of social conditions and psychological support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfinance should be considered and planned as a major means of economic development at the national level and as a means of reducing poverty, bringing about real development, and raising the standard of living of the rural population, which is the main hypothesis that pointed to the need to monitor what is happening in the microfinance sector, in particular the role of the Local Development Fund, since it is mainly located within the countryside through local units in the provinces. This leads us to a question: What is the real impact of the microfinance services provided by the Local Development Fund in alleviating poverty and economic opportunities for clients? This paper aims to identify the role of microenterprises in alleviating rural poverty and to study the economic and social impacts of micro-enterprises on borrowers. The results show that the total volume of microfinance lending is 29.5 million L.E for 8,471 projects in 2009/10, but real prices show that there is a significant decline in the value of financing directed against current prices. The real funding volume was 9.7 million L.E in 2020/21. It turns out that there are moral differences between the sample members of the borrowers who own. It was found that there were significant differences between the sample members of micro- enterprises and non-borrower sample members of economic variables, with the calculated value of (T) estimated at 10.9, 8, 4.6, 5.8, and 1.8 per monthly income, savings, asset ownership, increased employment opportunities, and development of productive behavior respectively. This compares with the T-rated values where the T values calculated were greater than their scheduling counterparts, and those differences are in favor of borrowers from local development fund clients. About 69% of the sample of micro-entrepreneurs explained that there has been an improvement in their standard of living, as evidenced by the improved level of the food they receive and their interest in educating children and following up on the state's health care initiatives to maintain their health. The research recommends reviewing the distribution of funding to the provinces to target the poorest provinces, in addition to not repeating the same projects in the same places and diversifying activities, focusing on agricultural, rural, and environmental productive activities and moving away from consumer, and service activities that are not fully sustainable and do not increase real employment opportunities. Increasing the value of the loan where it is contrary to the value of microfinance described by the definition of the micro-project with the micro-financing strategy prepared by the state, and the financing rules announced by the Financial Supervisory Authority and funding provided by other official bodies in the country such as the SME Development Authority and micro, which contributes to the movement of customers from projects that meet their basic need to the level of effective microprojects, and thus the final impact of microfinance becomes useful, which It allows borrowers to break out of poverty and contribute significantly to sustainable economic and social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitional countries where authoritarian features have long been embedded in state institutions and policies face several challenges that limit their ability to meet the expectations of citizens regarding their rights. This article focuses on the development of human rights in transitional Egypt between 2011 and 2013. It illustrates how political actors perceive and critique the establishment of the legal and institutional framework regarding human rights protection, including constitution-making and transitional justice processes, providing evidence from insights obtained from semi-structured interviews with Egyptian political actors and the analysis of secondary sources. The article demonstrates that the uprisings in 2011 and subsequent developments during the SCAF and Morsi governments show the failure of political actors to protect Egyptians' rights and meet the demands of the citizens with regard to social justice, economic opportunities, freedom, and dignity. It illustrates that weak or failing institutional capacities, an exclusive approach in establishing an institutional framework, lack of knowledge and experience concerning human rights protection, and the authoritarian features of state institutions strongly affected the promotion and protection of human rights in post-uprising Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to investigate the impact of European integration processes on the development and diversity of civil society institutions in Ukraine. Methodology. The interdisciplinary approach to scientific knowledge in culturology, philosophy, political science, sociology has expanded the complex idea of European integration criteria for the development of public institutions in Ukraine. The culturological method contributed to the introduction of data on the influence of civil society institutions on its development into the research structure. The method of statistical data analysis allowed us to trace the quantitative slice in the direction of increasing the institutions of civil society. The scientific novelty lies in the complexity of the approach to identifying synergies and interdependence of European integration and institutional citizenship processes in Ukraine. Conclusions. Realizing the national interests of Ukraine, the European choice opens new prospects for cooperation with the continent, promotes the development of civil society institutions, provides opportunities for economic progress, strengthens Ukraine's position in the world system of international relations, opens the way to collective structures of common security. Current trends in the development of civil society institutions in Ukraine in the context of European integration policy are: increasing the number of civil society institutions, flexibility of their response to public needs, different areas of their activities, media intensification in consolidating society, focusing on international legislation, use of grant projects; participation in international cultural practices. The scientific support of coordinated interaction of civil society with various branches of government on issues of European integration processes contributes to the improvement of the activity of civil society institutions. To do this, they use cultural, informational, consultative, dialogue, partnership tools for the implementation of European integration reforms in Ukraine. However, it is important to note that the interaction of Western states and civil society institutions is quite active and fruitful in contrast to the situation in Ukraine, where the state is interested in the development of these institutions, but they are not active enough in cooperation and positioning themselves in solving important problems, limited to the fragmentary participation in the life processes of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gradual transformation of Australia's relationship with Asia over the past half century has been accompanied by major shifts in public opinion. These changes have been prompted by numerous changes in the social composition of the electorate, by globalisation which has brought many foreign firms to Australia, and by the political elite's changing approach to engagement with Asia. There is, however, considerable elite anxiety concerning the economic and military rise of China, and these concerns are expressed in public debate and attitudes. Using opinion surveys collected over half a century, the first part of this article examines the trends emerging from debates over Australia's economic and political relationship with China. In the second part, we use the 2018 and 2020 Lowy Polls to explain who changed their views of China and why. The results suggest that the dramatic shift in attitudes towards China between 2018 and 2020 was mainly driven by concerns about foreign influence in Australian politics. Overall, public opinion towards China has become more polarised, between economic opportunity on the one hand and fear of an authoritarian neighbour on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the notion of freedom in Adela Cortina as the foundation of the best possible education. Pedagogies have the means and resources to teach the proper human dispositions. Allowing access to education, to justice, to similar economic opportunities, guarantees equality as a social capacity; It is thus that solidarity is conformed as self-realization before others. This is served by respect, tolerance for intercultural dialogue to take place as an ability to settle differences; thus, expressing democratic societies as human confluence. It is a bibliographic study of a rationalist nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This papper is part of a research on entrepreneurship, and in particular an analysis of the classic "Innovation and entrepreneurial spirit" by Peter Drucker, which presents entrepreneurship as the most important innovation or new technology today. Unlike common sense, entrepreneurship is not a pre-disposition to take risks, but a calculation of opportunities. Drucker characterizes the entrepreneur as an activist in search of increased productivity, regardless of its location in productive social relations, committed to the development of capitalism. Therefore, it obliterates the perception of class differences, strengthening the entrepreneurship fetish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As British subjects, Punjabi men emigrated to various British colonies in search of economic opportunities. This paper examines the pattern and extent of Punjabi immigration to the colony (and later state) of Victoria (Australia). The overall numbers show a steady increase until 1901 when the passage of the Immigration Restriction Act effectively terminated all immigration from South Asia and East Asia. The data also show that, on a decadal level, the age of immigrants steadily increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents findings from an original survey and a set of paired focus groups completed in 2019, tapping into current Mongolian perceptions of economic, social and political globalisation. While there was overwhelming support for the economic opportunities associated with globalisation, there was critical concern over the distributional implications of those gains. Respondents were pessimistically uncertain about the cultural implications of globalisation, citing concerns about the loss of traditional nomadic practices, environmental degradation and changes in patriarchal structures. Respondents affirmed that many of their own political ideas about good governance were shaped by global information flows, showing the complexity of mixed attitudes toward globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore and gain an in-depth understanding of the factors influencing child feeding practices among rural caregivers in Rwanda.Design: In-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis.Setting: Rutsiro District, Western Province, Rwanda.Participants: Participants included twenty-four mothers (median age 32 years) with children 6-23 months old.Results: We identified five key themes: (i) breast-feeding practices and role in food supply; (ii) family v. children's food preparations; (iii) food classification systems and their influence on child feeding decisions; (iv) child feeding during diarrhoeal episodes and (v) influence of poverty on child feeding practices and child care.Conclusions: Mothers' infant and young child feeding decisions are informed by information both from health workers and from traditional/own knowledge. Navigating through this information sometimes creates conflicts which results in less than optimal child feeding. A nutrition educational approach that is cognisant of maternal perceptions should be employed to improve child feeding practices. Efforts to improve child feeding practices must be complemented by programmes that enhance household economic opportunities and access to foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the dimensionality of motivations to become a police officer; assess sex, race, and ethnicity differences in motives; and analyze the relationship between motivations, job satisfaction, and career outlook. Using a sample of police recruits (N = 1009) drawn from the United States, the analyses revealed three basic dimensions: (1) economic opportunities and stability; (2) working conditions, including excitement and prestige; and (3) humanitarian reasons, such as working with people. The results suggest that focusing on humanitarian motivations should directly result in the recruitment of more female, Black, and Latinx candidates and indirectly result in higher job satisfaction and more positive career attitudes. Furthermore, the results indicate that using messages that convey economic opportunities and job stability for recruitment efforts should also result in more female, Black, and Latinx candidates; however, this strategy will not have the positive indirect effect of increased satisfaction or career outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem-based management is generally viewed as one of the most promising avenues for addressing the various anthropogenic pressures facing the world's marine ecosystems. These approaches have been developed to varying degrees by individual countries or international organisations, but there remain a large proportion of marine ecosystems, particularly in developing regions, that have not yet been the subject of such research. In these areas, lack of effective regulation and the often high importance of the marine environment in providing food and economic opportunities, together create conditions where marine resources and habitats come under unsustainable levels of pressure. Here, we present a data-limited assessment approach to discern marine ecological patterns, in this case for the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam. By combining data from environmental and biological surveys from the Vietnamese national survey dataset and local oceanographic models, we have identified a series of 12 candidate ecological production units, delineated by their environmental characteristics, and the key commercial species that exist within them. These units are suggested as a possible foundation for a spatial management structure in the Vietnamese exclusive economic zone including considerations such as placement of marine protected areas, or ecological boundaries of key areas of socio-economic importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short presentation of recent agreements yet to be ratified and possible economic impacts for EU and Asian-Pacific countries relations in trade and investments exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores factors that shape parents' decisions as to whether or not to arrange an early marriage of a girl child in the context of urban informal settlements in Bangladesh. The article draws on data from a larger mixed methods study conducted in two informal urban settlements of Bangladesh, and the analysis was guided by the theory of social exchange. The study found the following factors leading to early marriage: endemic poverty, high dowry costs for older girls, parents' lack of wider social networks, adolescents dropping out of school, crime and insecurity, love affairs between adolescents and community pressure. Collaboration between government and non-government programmes to improve education, implementation of supportive laws, and greater formal economic opportunities for residents, including adolescents, in urban informal settlements, are critical to prevent early marriage in these environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the mining industry provides minerals and metals to the global market and represents important economic opportunities, it also constitutes a major anthropogenic disturbance in the ecosystems where it takes place. However, little is known about its offsite impacts on plant communities. We assessed the frequency and the abundance of five common boreal understorey plant species (Coptis trifolia (L.) Salisb., Cornus canadensis L., Linnaea borealis L., Lysimachia borealis (Raf.) U.Manns & Anderb., and Maianthemum canadense Desf.) at different distances around six mines in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec (Québec). Frequency and (or) abundance of Coptis trifolia and M. canadense decreased near mines, suggesting that they might be sensitive to the loss of forest cover, particle deposition, and soil contamination induced by mining. Conversely, the frequency and abundance of Cornus canadensis increased near active mines, which indicates its resilience to the stress caused by mines and its ability to exploit the niche space left by more sensitive species. No effects on Linnaea borealis and Lysimachia borealis were observed. Our study suggests the possible presence of offsite impacts of mines on plant communities. Further studies considering enigmatic impacts should be conducted in order to develop our understanding of the broader environmental footprint of mining activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Believed to originate in Paradise and set apart in their chastity, bees were potent religious symbols in medieval Christianity and Islam. This article explores how these beliefs drove an extensive trade in wax and honey, and examines the role of Jews, conversos, Christians, and Muslims in this trade. Further, it considers the environmental context and the extent to which religious prohibitions against trade between Christians and Muslims may have provided economic opportunities for Jewish merchants, while examining the economic and cultural relationships between members of the three Abrahamic religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within development projects, empowerment is often construed in narrow terms, and increasingly in relation to economic empowerment. Feminist scholars have recently argued the need to bring back a more encompassing view of empowerment, which pays greater attention to relationality and changes in consciousness. In this article, we focus on one aspect of relationality – women's relationships with men. Drawing on three case studies of women's business success in Papua New Guinea, we argue men are pivotal in supporting and undermining women's economic opportunities. Offering support to recent work on women's empowerment which emphasizes both women's relationships with men, and the specificity of contexts into account, our article contributes to current debates in gender and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco played a significant role in the economic and social life of Bulgarians within the Ottoman Empire during the 17th, 18th and 19th century. Particularly in certain regions, growing tobacco has been main occupation and part of everyday life for centuries. Regardless of their religious affiliation, Bulgarians acquired knowledge of tobacco and had a significant share in establishing some of the leading oriental tobacco assortments on the market. Tobacco emerged as an integral part of the domestic trade and annual fairs. Gradually, Bulgarian traders were becoming increasingly involved in the trade with tobacco and tobacco products, especially in the nineteenth century, when the reformation of the Ottoman Empire and growth of relations with European countries provided better opportunities for economic initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We respond to Malatinszky and Armor's, and Marks' comments on our article recently published in this journal. We agree with Marks in the use of prior achievement to control for spurious effects in school effects research. Marks makes an incorrect statement about our article, refers to dated critiques, and presents an empirical demonstration with some problems. We agree with Malatinszky and Armor that school composition may have sufficient within-student variation to detect a potential effect on achievement growth in fixed-effects models. We argue that fixed-effects models exclude most of the variation in socioeconomic composition, are incapable of measuring the commonly defined conceptualisation of school composition and can mischaracterise the relative importance of socioeconomic composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the inherent predictability of sea ice and its representation in climate models, we compare the seasonal-to-interannual memory of Arctic sea ice as given by lagged correlations of sea-ice area anomalies in large model ensembles (Max Planck Institute Grand Ensemble and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6) and multiple observational products. We find that state-of-theart climate models significantly overestimate the memory of pan-Arctic sea-ice area from the summer months into the following year. This cannot be explained by internal variability. We further show that the observed summer memory can be disentangled regionally into a reemergence of positive correlations in the perennial ice zone and negative correlations in the seasonal ice zone; the latter giving rise to the discrepancy between observations and model simulations. These findings could explain some of the predictability gap between potential and operational forecast skill of Arctic sea-ice area identified in previous studies. Plain Language Summary Sea ice, as a relatively slowly varying component in the climate system, holds "memory" on seasonal-to-interannual timescales. This means that, based on the current state of the sea ice, meaningful predictions of its state several months into the future can be made, for instance with the use of climate models. Such sea-ice predictions are of growing socioeconomic importance, particularly in the Arctic, where the strong sea-ice loss in the last decades is giving rise to new risks as well as economic opportunities. Here, we provide a comparison of the memory of Arctic sea ice based on model and observational data. We show that current global climate models systematically overestimate the memory of sea ice from one summer into the following year and beyond. We further show that this overestimation arises from how the outer region of the Arctic, which is only seasonally ice-covered, remembers previous summer sea ice. Our findings imply that, first, there is likely a misrepresentation of processes related to the memory of sea ice in climate models and, second, the potential of making skillful sea-ice predictions is less strong than previously assumed based on model simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitalisation of economies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution offers windows of development opportunities. The Fourth Industrial Revolution known as the 4IR, through the advancement in digital technology, made inroads into contemporary society. However, in line with the introduction and developments in computation technology and science, communications and devices, the speed of digital transformation has been accelerated while disrupting societies. This paper explored the possibility of an African Digital Development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution while looking at the opportunities for growth and possible industrialisation. The Fourth Industrial Revolution assures momentous social and economic opportunities for Africans and not downplaying the possible challenges that come with. This then demands governments to respond appropriately and efficiently in supporting the total digital transformation of the economies through technological integration. Findings showed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution can profoundly disrupt and change the entire world's economy and the lives of people. The study concluded that, although African governments will likely face different sets of policy choices, they must be able to embrace the policies that enable digitalisation of their economies while maximising the opportunities of the 4IR technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Brazil has 180 Mha of pastures, 86 Mha occupied with Urochloa spp. (syn. Brachiaria), and 70% in some level of degradation. Inoculation with plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) may represent an economic and environmental feasible strategy to improve pasture production. Methods: Two greenhouse and seven field trials were performed to verify the effects of seed inoculation at sowing or leaf-spray inoculation in established pastures of Urochloa with elite strains of Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas fluorescens. All plants received nutrients including 40 kg ha−1 of N at sowing, and half of the treatments a supply of 40 kg ha−1 of N 30 days after emergence. Results: A. brasilense increased shoot biomass by an average of 16.8% with both seed and leaf-spray inoculation, whereas P. fluorescens increased by 15.2 and 14.2%, respectively, always higher with the extra supply of N. Seed and leaf-spray inoculation with A. brasilense increased N content by an average of 11.7 and 20.7%, and K by 9.9 and 11.3%, respectively; for P. fluorescens average increases were of 33.3 and 36.6% for P, and of 10.6 and 13.6% for K, respectively. Benefits were mainly attributed to improvements in root architecture by the synthesis of phytohormones. Biological nitrogen fixation in A. brasilense, P acquisition (solubilization of phosphates and siderophores synthesis) and ACC-deaminase in P. fluorescens also contributed to plant growth and nutrient status. Conclusion: Inoculation with elite PGPR strains translated into more fodder and improved nutritional value of feed for livestock, representing a promising and environmentally-friendly strategy for tropical pastures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The currently-observed increase in human activity in the Arctic accelerates the negative impact on the environment as well as increases the risk of threats to mankind itself. This paper reviews and summarises a selection of studies on the interaction between humans and the environment in the Arctic coastal zone, which is impacted by a warming climate and associated geohazards. The paper presents a general description of human presence in the Arctic, identifies and describes the processes that are threatening the infrastructure, and the anthropogenic processes that have a negative impact on the Arctic. It considers the possible future economic opportunities, and presents the sustainable requirements for modern human activity in the Arctic. The paper demonstrates the urgent need to develop a common, Arctic-wide strategy based on sustainable development. The time has come to change human perception of the Arctic because, in the near future, it may be considered as a refuge for climate change refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite decades of sweeping socioeconomic and cultural transformations, extended households remain widespread in many regions of the world. The mechanisms explaining this persistence are not well‐established. The research reported on here investigates these mechanisms in India, where the prevalence of stem and joint households ranks among the highest in the world. Combining demographic and ethnographic data, this study compares processes of household change in two villages in India's Deccan Plateau. Results highlight key pathways by which development can contribute to both the decline and persistence of joint households. In the first village, joint households have become virtually extinct in recent years. Analyses suggest that frequent labor migrations, depopulation, and slow economic growth largely explain this decline. In the second village, there was a recent increase in the prevalence of joint households. The expansion of irrigation created economic opportunities in farming and other industries. Many young men now jointly invest in land with their father and brother(s) instead of purchasing separate houses. This suggests that agricultural improvements and the revitalization of the village economy have stimulated the formation of joint households. In both villages, ethnographic data reveal the ambivalent preferences and practical considerations underpinning residential decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' declaration of an emergency in 2016, Thessaloniki's refugee regime began to develop rapidly. Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were transformed from underfunded initiatives to institutions managing large budgets and requiring staff with intercultural competencies and experience with migrant populations. For this, they turned to the 'lost generation'— Greek youth who had come of age during the economic crisis and who had formed close relationships with migrants through political mobilizations and local solidarity networks that had sprung up in response to widespread austerity. In this article, I ask: How is the conversion of young 'radicals' from 'anti-state' activist networks into NGO representatives achieved? How does this transition impact former activists' relationships with migrants and how do former activists make sense of this change? What, if anything, makes this a 'Thessaloniki story'? My argument is three-fold. First, the conversion of activists into NGO representatives is made possible by a combination of young people's exclusion from economic opportunities and the state's disciplining of forms of solidarity that exist outside of the refugee regime. Second, the refugee regime converts solidarity established through political struggle into a form of human capital that affords former activists social mobility. Existing solidarity between former activists and migrants is undermined as a result. Third, on account of their new role as gatekeepers in NGOs, former activists struggle to offer a compelling narrative of continuity with their left-wing identity and their politicized commitment to migrants. In doing so, they rely on identifiable forms of boundary work and justification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic and societal challenges continue to impact rural areas across the United States. This is especially true in the western mountain and plains states where populations are small. Towns are often far from one another and separated by geological features that can cause more physical isolation. Libraries are often the only sites with good public internet, meeting spaces, and knowledgeable staff able to navigate the available information resources. This article surveyed the lay of the community landscape in the mountains and plains region and noted resources related to economic development for librarians. Resources are included that are inexpensive yet highly effective in helping their communities grow businesses and economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biologists with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana, USA, have managed statewide annual harvest of alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) for 35 years (1981–present). We collected and analyzed harvest data for Louisiana alligators to determine the effects of harvest on the population structure, focusing on the larger size classes (≥274 cm) of this slow‐growing species. Linear regression analyses revealed that body size‐class structure, based on overall average size and the percentage of animals harvested in the larger size classes was relatively stable. Annual aerial alligator nest counts indicated a continual growth of the population, and over time harvested alligators maintained a constant average size. Analyses of population size (based on number of nests and population modeling) indicated that the current annual harvest represents approximately 3% of the population. Linear regression analysis showed that annual hunter success declined only slightly during the study period, and the scheduling of the hunt season after the hatch period and recommended hunting in areas not frequented by breeding females provides economic opportunities for hunters to participate in a sustainable harvest that preserves the larger size classes of alligators in the population. Strict enforcement of existing laws was a key factor responsible for the success of this harvest program. Comparison of alligator population size and number of harvest‐related citations indicated that illegal harvest did not have a negative effect on population size, and linear regression analyses revealed that the rate of increase in citations was lower than the increase in populations over the study period. The results of this harvest program indicated that alligators can be hunted in a sustainable manner if hunting is conducted after the hatch period and occurs in areas that primarily exclude the harvest of adult females, and strict law enforcement curbs illegal activities that negatively affect populations. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society. Analysis of data collected from a 31‐year (1985–2015) statewide harvest of alligators in Louisiana showed that the total population increased and the population structure remained stable. Because of intensive regulation of harvest and habitat conservation, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has managed a sustainable harvest of alligators, which has included the harvest of almost 900,000 animals. Results indicated that recruitment into larger size classes was greater than hunting mortality during the study period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous benefits management structures (BMSs) manage and distribute assets arising from land-use agreements. Land-use agreements between Indigenous groups and resource proponents seek to achieve practical recognition of Indigenous peoples' rights, culture and significance, as well as certainty over land rights. They thus present key social, economic and cultural opportunities and risks for Indigenous people and for resource proponents. This article focuses on key challenges (and potential policy responses) to pursuing Indigenous economic development through BMSs that arise from their social enterprise nature, as reflected in the Australian context by the pervasive use of for-purpose charities within BMSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper expands upon a hitherto underexplored finding by Rich and Banerjee's 2015 model which finds that Taiwan has done comparatively better with non-democracies in Africa. The paper proposes that democratisation makes an African state more responsive to domestic economic imperatives and thus more likely to form relations with the demographically and economically larger People's Republic of China because of the prospective trade, aid and investment gains to be made once such a switch is affected. Seven case studies conducted over the 2001–2018 period yield results which are in line with this hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically tests the existence of complementarities between economic globalization with a comprehensive set of economic opportunities in affecting economic growth. Using System GMM technique for a panel data of 124 countries over the period of 1996 to 2017, this study finds that countries with more productive capabilities get more benefits from economic globalization. From the results of threshold regressions, it is evident that a marginal change in economic globalization will, ceteris paribus, have no effect on growth when HTE is at 4.478, SUP is at 11.0, and TSB is at 33.50. Further, the results suggest that rich countries managed to take more advantage from globalization as compared with poor countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El articulo discute nuevas economías y oportunidades para América Latina. El articulo también discute la sostenibilidad del modelo de desarrollo sistemático, las dimensiones de sociales, ambientales y económica de las nuevas oportunidades cread por la nueva economía y las características de sectores económicos de la nueva economía.

The increasing numbers of rural youth in developing countries and their perceived disenchantment with the society and economy have raised policy concerns across the developed and developing world. Youth (ages 15 to 24) make up one in five people in developing countries, and one in eight in the developed world. Of the 1.2 billion youth in the world, nearly 1 billion reside in developing countries, and their numbers are growing far more rapidly than in higher-income countries. Despite the increasing number of institutional publications on youth issues, rigorous research to put these numbers into perspective and to shed light into their challenges and opportunities in economic, political and civic participation to guide their inclusion in rural transformation is remarkably limited. This special section brings together five papers that make use of the most up to date and comprehensive data sets and analyses on rural youth to address these research gaps. They provide an overall understanding of the contexts (economic sectors, spatial distributions, welfare outcomes, gendered differences, and civic participation) in which rural youth live and work, and expand the nascent literature that can support the design and targeting of policies to ensure rural youth inclusion in rural transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a theoretical framework drawing on the literatures of feminist institutionalists and the literature on expertise provided by IOs to examine two areas in the IMF that we might expect to see change under a female Managing Director: increased gender equity among the professional and managerial staff economists at the IMF, and increases in programmes designed to improve women's economic opportunities through the development of policies to increase female labour force participation. Evidence to support increased gender diversity among IMF staff economists as a result of Lagarde's appointment is not found, confirming that informal rules in institutions reduce women's access to positions of power. Increases in the number of IMF policy documents advocating the economic benefits of increased female labour force participation beginning in 2014 were found. These are attributed to Lagarde's influence over policy documents and the adoption of the World Bank's discourse on "gender equity as smart economics." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of disability inclusive development in a country in transition is necessary if women are to access opportunities for social, economic and political development. This article explores a spirituality of disability as a participatory strategy for equalizing opportunities for women with disability's development. Qualitative research was utilized for a participatory action research study with women with disabilities over a two year period, which consisted of four phases. The collaborative study took place in informal settlements in the peri-urban outskirts of a Metropole in Western Cape Province of South Africa with a primary health care NGO and the Disabled WOmen's Development Programme of Disabled People South Africa. Convenience sampling was used by the community rehabilitation workers to identify women for phase one of the study. A total of 180 women with disabilities participated in subsequent phases through snowballing. A theme that emerged from the action learning cycles of women was a spirituality of disability, as a two-fold process of healing that lead to a renewed sense of agency and social belonging. Participation also restored hope, which enabled women to discover new choices for economic and political inclusion. A spirituality of disability was found to be integral in addressing the inequities in social, economic and political development that women with disability experienced. The implications for rehabilitation practice and community-based inclusive development are demonstrated in the values of interdependence and reciprocal relationships. An awareness of a spirituality of disability may enable connections between the women, services providers and disabled peoples' organizations to remove environmental barriers to participation at an individual, family and community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a globalizing world, commercial and financial openness has increased its economic importance especially in the last half century. Commercial freedom allows countries to increase their international competitiveness and to have the technology they need. Financial openness provides economic opportunities to the economies of the country by regulating and developing financial markets and meeting the required foreign exchange needs. In this study, the effect of trade and financial deficit on economic growth in low, loer middle, upper middle and high income countries is analyzed. In the study, which used dynamic panel data method and analyzed the period between 1996- 2017, trade openness has a positive effect on economic growth in low, lower middle, upper middle and high income countries. Financial deficit positively affects economic growth in low and high income countries, while it affects negatively in lower middle and upper middle income countries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative is a mega project that will bring opportunities for Afghanistan and the entire region. As a regional initiative that finds a solution acceptable to all stakeholders of the Afghan peace process, the CPEC will contribute to Afghanistan's economic development and help bring long-awaited peace and prosperity to the war-torn state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a widespread consensus that China's growing network of regional trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific has crucial strategic and economic implications for states in the region. Yet despite the recognition that China's agreements are initially limited and then expanded substantially over time, few accounts explore the strategic and economic implications of this aspect of China's approach. This article addresses this flaw by drawing attention to the relation between regional power dynamics and China's gradualist approach to negotiating regional trade agreements. It presents a new framework which suggests that due to China's steadily improving economic position vis-à-vis its regional counterparts and the growing economic dependence of these partners on it, China's negotiating approach increases opportunities to maximize its growing bargaining leverage and influence over time and thereby improve its regional position still further. This article concludes by drawing out the implications of this for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic opportunities presented by large rivers, streams and lakes in vast steppes of Central Asia required rafts for shipment. The manufacturing of raft used by the Turkic peoples, who inhabited this region, consisted of the following: firstly sacks are prepared from animal skin, on which joists were laid on both right and left sides; over them thin pieces of wood were placed in gridiron form, and they are tightly fastened on the animal skin. This technique of construction of rafts has been transmitted among Turks for generations as a cultural object and these rafts became the most frequently used transportation vehicle on lakes and rivers. Therefore, raft became a commonly used vehicle by Turks in this territory. Although researchers argue that first water transportation vehicles were invented by Northern Sea tribes and Egyptians, Turks are also among the first boat makers. In this context, the merchants and envoys visiting Turkic geographies wrote about various types of boats and their usage. Raft has been developed by Turks as an art of handicraft to be used in bigger rivers for economic and political purposes and different types like boats without deck, wooden boats and small crafts were invented under different names, such as "bat" and "barka". The cultural value of the art of raft was not only found in written texts, but it is also described in tales, proverbs, poems, folk songs and epic poems, especially in the Old Turkic inscriptions. Turks applied a unique method in building two-winged ships known as "uchan", "târ", big "kemi" or "gemi". Consequently, Turks crossed over the rivers and lakes of Central Asia making them hegemonic nation of great steppes. The information about the construction of raft can be found in memoirs of travelers, in oral sources of folk literature and also among the Kyrgyz living along the Kyzyl-Suu River in Chon-Alai district in Kyrgyzstan and in Jerge-Tal district in Tajikistan as a handcraft transmitted, used and safeguarded. The knowledge and ability of building raft has been transmitted from generation to generation in this region and it kept its pure and authentic form. Thus, the transmission of traditional art of raft from generation to generation, which still can be found among the Kyrgyz and other Turkic peoples in the region, is a cultural heritage not to be ignored. Additionally, these information and artifacts should be evaluated and safeguarded as part of the intangible cultural heritage, because due to globalization, this element of cultural heritage is gradually losing its unique characteristics. Consequently, while the data about the art of raft, boat and ship building of Turks is presented in this study, it is concluded that the value of this heritage is related to its traces from previous forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the implications of urban growth on youth migration decisions in Nigeria. We use night light intensity data combined with Living Standards Measurement Study‐Integrated Surveys on Agriculture data, as an indicator of urban growth and associated economic opportunities. Employing alternative econometric approaches that exploit the spatial and temporal differences in urban growth as proxied by night light intensity, we find that urban growth in potential migrant destinations encourages youth migration. We also find heterogeneous responses to urban growth among various groups of youth as well as varying responses to different types of migration. Broadly, women and those youth with more education are more likely to migrate, while those in households with livestock are less likely to migrate. Often, however, the effects are complex and varied. For example, land and physical asset ownership encourage temporary migration; but greater land ownership discourages permanent migration, while physical assets have insignificant effects. Our results from Nigeria show that policy makers concerned about rural–urban youth exodus should adopt a differentiated, in terms of targets, and multidimensional policy approach to reap the benefits of urbanization while avoiding its negative consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet has revolutionized our economies, societies, and everyday lives. Many social phenomena are no longer the same as they were in the pre‐Internet era: they have been "Internetized." We define the Internetization of international migration, and we investigate it by exploring the links between the Internet and migration outcomes all along the migration path, from migration intentions to actual migration. Our analyses leverage a number of sources, both at the micro‐ and the macro‐level, including the Gallup World Poll, the Arab Barometer, data from the International Telecommunication Union, the Italian population register, and unique register data from a migrant reception center in Southern Italy. We also distinguish between economic migrants—those who leave their country of origin with the aim of seeking better economic opportunities elsewhere—and political migrants—those who are forced to leave their countries of origin for political or conflict‐related reasons. Our findings point to a consistently positive relationship between the diffusion of the Internet, migration intentions, and migration behaviors, supporting the idea that the Internet is not necessarily a driving force of migration per se, but rather an enabling "supportive agent." These associations are particularly relevant for economic migrants, at least for migration intentions. Further analyses underscore the importance of the Internet in providing a key informational channel which helps to define clearer migration trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many important linkages between land, freshwater and oceans. Source-to-sea (S2S) management has been proposed to support environmental management that considers interests along the S2S continuum. This study takes the Bohai and Baltic seas as examples to analyse the legislation system, administrative structure and stakeholders of freshwater and marine management in China and the European Union and presents the related challenges and opportunities for S2S management. The results of this study can provide a basis for designing initiatives to support healthy ecosystems and sustainable green and blue economies, reduce the burdens on water-related ecosystems, and improve economic opportunities and livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a first step in examining reward-based crowdfunding in tourism as a socially responsible investment where individuals collaborate with projects that contribute to the development of their communities in economic, environmental, and/or sociocultural terms. Thus, the present study develops a model where social consciousness and perceived risk are postulated to influence individuals' attitudes toward and intentions to participate in a project of crowdfunding. Based on a simulated crowdfunding project of "enotourism" that contributes to the development of a region in Spain, results reflect that the main drivers of individuals' overall attitude toward crowdfunding are social consciousness and platform risk. Additionally, individuals' intentions to fund the tourism project are influenced by their specific attitude toward the project and their overall attitude toward crowdfunding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the production of a genealogy of the concept of discrimination by reviewing some of the lineages that make up its biography. To that end it focuses on its absence from Chilean constitutional thought during most of its history, identifies the emergence of its two senses -"arbitrary" discrimination and "structural" discrimination- in 19th century United States, and examines the way that it was inscribed in the text of the 1980 Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile where it was employed as a means to codify the economic rationality of market decisions and to protect an understanding of human nature based on Catholic natural law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]