Priority In Agenda Research Articles

Determinants of Financial Inclusion in Namobuddha Municipality, Nepal

Financial inclusion is a priority agenda in countries like Nepal. The study seeks to determine the access to financial services, financial innovation and quality of financial services to the financial inclusion.The study is based on questionnaire surveydata with363 household respondents using a convenient sampling technique, and carried out in Namobuddha Municipality of Nepal. The moderating effect of financial literacy and control variable of demographic items have been analysed using generalised regression model. The results show that financial innovation and quality of financial services are the significant determinants of financial inclusion; financial literacy is found significant and it plays a moderating role between the variables under study. The findings revealed that the tendency of higher level of financial inclusion was influenced by gender, education level and monthly income.

Is digital diplomacy an effective foreign policy tool? Evaluating India’s digital diplomacy through agenda-building in South Asia

A question often raised in digital diplomacy literature is whether it is an effective tool in advancing a nation’s foreign policy agendas. Studies exploring this aspect have either taken a theoretical approach or analyzed only government-generated content. Very little attention has been paid to the content receivers. To address this literature gap, this study considers the digital diplomacy of India toward South Asia. Based on the agenda-building perspective, the study examines the following: (i) the agendas the Indian government builds on social media and (ii) the rank-order of these agendas with the agendas of its South Asian followers. Quantitative content analyses of 6000 tweets and status updates published on the 15 Indian diplomatic accounts along with a survey of 387 followers were conducted. Content metrics were also considered to assess prominent agendas. Results showed that a few prominent Indian policy agendas on social media correlated with the agendas of their ‘foreign’ South Asian followers—indicating an agenda-building function. The prominent agendas on social media also aligned with India’s foreign policy priorities in South Asia—indicating effective digital diplomacy at work. A few prominent agendas in terms of content metrics aligned with the foreign followers’ agendas, but none matched with the priority agendas of the Indian government on social media.

Village Government Capacity in Village Fund Budget Management in Pulau Sembilan District, Sinjai Regency

Rural development is a priority agenda for national development to improve the welfare of the people. The results of this study examine how the ability of the village government to utilize the village fund budget is so large, without any form of deviation. In public sector studies, capacity is defined as the ability to manage human resources, finance, physical infrastructure, and information. In this study, qualitative research methods were used to obtain accurate data and collect reliable data from related institutions and informants. The informants in the study were 7 village heads. The findings in this study are that the capacity of the village government in managing the village funds budget in Pulau Sembilan District, Sinjai Regency is not optimal

An Assessment of the Role of National Culture as a Determinant of Entrepreneurial Orientation

Entrepreneurship is an important factor of production. It is considered as a source of innovative change. Thus it catalyzes enhancement in sustainable economic development of a nation. Entrepreneurship is inseparably interlinked with flexibility and knowledge. These two factors have gained importance as a source of competitive edge in the present globalized & interconnected economy. Entrepreneurship prevents concentration of economic activities, income and wealth and promotes decentralized development of commerce, trade and industry. This in turn, leads to removal of regional and industrial imbalance. Development of entrepreneurial activities and sustainable development in entrepreneurship have gained priority in national agenda across the world. Entrepreneurship is even more crucial for developing countries as it has high employment elasticity and potential for earning foreign exchange. However, entrepreneurship is essentially a behavioural aspect. Hence culture has a causal relationship with entrepreneurship. This paper aims at assessing the role of Hofstede’s dimensions of culture in developing entrepreneurship in nations by using the technique of linear multi-variate regression. Keywo rds: Entrepreneurship, Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture, Linear multi-variate regression. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-3-06 Publication date: February 28 th 2021

Household Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Rural South Africa: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey Data.

Using a nationally representative dataset from rural areas in South Africa, the study examines vulnerability to food insecurity using the Vulnerability as Expected Poverty framework. The dataset used was large and comprehensive to develop robust profiles of vulnerable households. This is executed employing the sustainable livelihoods framework. The findings show that human and financial capital plays a critical role in making rural households resilient from vulnerability to food insecurity. The failure of natural resources to support agricultural livelihoods emerged as an important factor for rural household vulnerability to food insecurity. Gender-based imbalances still prevail, explaining most of the rural household vulnerability to food insecurity. Female-dominated households still endure most of the prevailing vulnerabilities to food insecurity, and this is even worse for households headed by younger females. Policies, strategies, and institutions in South Africa have not been able to address household vulnerability to food insecurity. The study identified Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal as the most vulnerable provinces where food policy has to be a top priority agenda.

A theory of internationalisation practice in New Zealand and Indonesia: a rationality-relationality approach

ABSTRACT The article outlines the making of an explanatory theory for internationalisation of higher education (IoHE) in the emerging global knowledge economy. A grounded theory method with reference to a Theory of Practice is utilised to theorise IoHE in New Zealand. The pivotal features of IoHE are conceptualised as rationality and relationality, reflecting the global neoliberal agenda and national strategic priorities. The emergent theory is tested by investigating whether rationality and relationality are applicable for IoHE practices in the non-western context of Indonesia. The proposed theory results in a new definition for IoHE and revisits its role in the knowledge economy.

The Role of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Explaining Recycling Behavior: An Emerging Market Perspective

This study aims to understand the role of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) in the context of recycling behavior. The research followed a positivistic, deductive and quantitative methodology. The study was conducted with a sample size of 467 using snowball sampling technique. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess construct reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity in order to ensure reliability and effectiveness of the measurement model. The results show that overall model fit was acceptable and statistically significant. The study also reveals that, although TPB is considered to be widely acceptable model explaining most of the attitude–behavior relationship for many years, unable to predict the recycling intention adequately through various predictive variables such as attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control in this particular case. However, recycling intention itself is statistically significant in predicting actual recycling behavior. This study has potentially added insights into the existing literature through experimenting an established model which can be useful developing an effective and comprehensive model in future. It can also be used in various industries to find ways to encourage recycling behavior through the lens of other potential factors such as external environment. As environment is also a priority agenda for the government and policymaker nowadays, this can assist them in making and implementing various effective and sustainable policies in future.

Japanese peace diplomacy on Cambodia and the Okinawa reversion issue, 1970

Why, in May 1970, did Japan participate – for the first time in the post-World War II era – in an international conference for the resolution of a conflict? Cold War-era Japan has often been described as shying away from involvement in international political affairs, especially in Asia, where memories of Japanese wartime aggression were still rankling. Yet, in 1970, when conflict erupted in Cambodia, Tokyo made its debut at a multilateral peacemaking endeavour: a conference bringing Asian and Pacific countries together in Jakarta to tackle the Cambodian problem. It is also puzzling that despite domestic opposition to the dispatch of a Japanese delegation to Jakarta, Prime Minister Eisaku Satō’s government went ahead with Japanese attendance there. This article draws on declassified diplomatic documents in its investigation of the circumstances behind that unprecedented development in Japanese diplomacy. The findings reveal that amid the changes in Asia triggered by Washington’s new policy of reduced engagement in the region, a more confident Japan was acting for peace in Cambodia, seeking not only to assume a larger regional role, but also to ensure the smooth realisation of two priority agendas of the Satō administration: the Okinawa reversion and the automatic extension of the Japan-U.S. security treaty.

Managing policies for stunting prevention during the COVID-19 disaster: the case of West Sumatra Province

The Covid-19 pandemic has had major implications for government administration. Policymakers set policies for handling Covid-19 as a priority agenda at this time. However, these measures have reduced other problems such as stunting which still requires government attention. This article explores policy management of stunting by the local government amid the Covid-19 pandemic with the West Sumatra province case. The findings in the field, show that the implementation of stunting prevention policies is not easy considering the powerlessness caused by budget refocusing and overlapping authorities between institutions. Meanwhile, the meaninglessness is indicated by the low level of public support for the handling of stunting. This is exacerbated by a bureaucratic culture that is slow to implement policies, including in managing stunting-related programs during the Covid-19 crisis. So that there is alienation or what we call as alienation in the bureaucracy in implementing stunting prevention policies. In the end, the management of stunting policies during the Covid-19 pandemic should receive strong support from all involved parties.

Agendas in legislative decision‐making

Despite the wide variety of agendas used in legislative settings, the literature on sophisticated voting has focused on two formats: the so‐called Euro–Latin and Anglo–American agendas. In the current paper, I introduce a broad class of agendas whose defining structural features—history‐independence and persistence—are common in legislative settings. I then characterize the social choice rules implemented by sophisticated voting on agendas with these two features. I also characterize the rules implemented by more specialized formats (called priority agendas and convex agendas) whose structure is closely related to the prevailing rules for order‐of‐voting used by legislatures. These results establish a clear connection between structure and outcomes for a wide range of legislative agendas.

Mental health effect of COVID-19 pandemic among women who are pregnant and/or lactating: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives:The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and social dysfunction among pregnant and/or lactating women and to measure the global pooled prevalence of mental health effects among these populations in the era of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.Methods:Comprehensive literature searching was conducted and studies published from 1 January 2020 to 30 September 2020 reporting the prevalence of anxiety, depression; stress, insomnia, and social dysfunctions were included. The pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and social dysfunctions was estimated using a random-effect model. In this study, all statistical analyses were performed using STATA (version 15) software.Results:There were a total of 19 studies included in the meta-analysis, of which 16, 14, 4, 2, and 2 studies were included in computing the pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and social dysfunction, respectively. The pooled prevalence of anxiety was 33% (95% confidence interval: 50%−61%), with significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 99.68%, p = 0.001). The pooled prevalence of depression was 27% (95% confidence interval: 9%−45%), with remarkable heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 99.29%, p = 0.001). Likewise, the pooled prevalence of stress was 56% (95% confidence interval: 30.07%−82.22%), with significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 98.8%, p = 0.0001). The pooled prevalence of social dysfunction was 24.3% (95% confidence interval: 13.41%−62.03%), with significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 97.5%, p = 0.0001) and finally, the pooled prevalence of insomnia was 33.53% (95% confidence interval: 3.05%−64.0%), with significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 99.6%, p = 0.0001).Conclusions:In this study, the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant and lactating women were found to be significant. Stress was the most common mental health problem in these population groups. Therefore, policymakers and health planners should give great emphasis to addressing maternal mental well-being during and after this global health crisis. Maternal mental health must be one of the international and national public health priority agendas to enhance the well-being of pregnant and lactating women. Besides, giving psychological support to pregnant and lactating women may reduce the long-term negative effects of this pandemic.

Smart City Drivers and Challenges in Urban-Mobility, Health-Care, and Interdependent Infrastructure Systems

At the turn of the 21st century, urban development has experienced a paradigm shift so that the quest for smarter cities has become a priority agenda, with the direct participation of industry, policymakers, practitioners, and the scientific community alike. The 2008 financial crisis, the exodus from rural areas, and the densification of urban centers coupled with environmental and sustainability concerns have posed enormous challenges to municipalities all over the globe. The United Nations predicts that the world population will reach 9.8 billion by 2050, a growth of 2.1 billion from the 2018 level. Almost all of this population growth will occur in urban areas and, consequently, stress already overloaded transportation systems.

The thermal tolerance of photosynthetic tissues: a global systematic review and agenda for future research.

Understanding plant thermal tolerance is fundamental to predicting impacts of extreme temperature events that are increasing in frequency and intensity across the globe. Extremes, not averages, drive species evolution, determine survival and increase crop performance. To better prioritize agricultural and natural systems research, it is crucial to evaluate how researchers are assessing the capacity of plants to tolerate extreme events. We conducted a systematic review to determine how plant thermal tolerance research is distributed across wild and domesticated plants, growth forms and biomes, and to identify crucial knowledge gaps. Our review shows that most thermal tolerance research examines cold tolerance of cultivated species; c.5% of articles consider both heat and cold tolerance. Plants of extreme environments are understudied, and techniques widely applied in cultivated systems are largely unused in natural systems. Lastly, we find that lack of standardized methods and metrics compromises the potential for mechanistic insight. Our review provides an entry point for those new to the methods used in plant thermal tolerance research and bridges often disparate ecological and agricultural perspectives for the more experienced. We present a considered agenda of thermal tolerance research priorities to stimulate efficient, reliable and repeatable research across the spectrum of plant thermal tolerance.

GENDER BASED COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL INCLUSION OF WOMEN IN HILL RURAL REGIONS OF UTTARAKHAND: A STUDY OF PAURI, CHAMOLI AND RUDRAPRAYAG DISTRICT

The existence of gender gap in various socio-economic parameters is largely associated with regions such as hill rural regions of Uttarakhand which are underdeveloped and resource deprived. Various policy measures were implemented in these regions for reducing these gaps and simultaneously empowering women of these regions. Financial inclusion is one such policy initiatives which carried a holistic approach in development of a region and empowerment of its community along with focus on empowerment of weaker sections of the population. Financial inclusion has been the priority agenda for government mainly in 21 century and the major drive of financial inclusion was launched in August, 2014 which was named as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). PMJDY aims to deliver banking services to every unbanked household and is based on the guiding principles of banking the unbanked, securing the unsecured, funding the unfunded and serving unserved and underserved areas. But as it is comprehensive policy measure the financial inclusion not only signifies access to/holding of bank account or credit or any such basic facility but also requires the effective and regular utilisation of these facilities. In this context the present study explores the existence of gender gap in context of financial inclusion in hill rural regions of Uttarakhand and discusses the factors which inhibit the financial inclusion of women.

Analysis of the Strategic Emission-Based Energy Policies of Developing and Developed Economies with Twin Prediction Model

Upholding sustainability in the use of energies for the increasing global industrial activity has been one of the priority agendas of the global leaders of the West and East. The projection of different GHGs has thus been the important policy agenda of the economies to justify the positions of their own as well as of others. Methane is one of the important components of GHGs, and its main sources of generation are the agriculture and livestock activities. Global diplomacy regarding the curtailment of the GHGs has set the target of reducing the levels of GHGs time to time, but the ground reality regarding the reduction is far away from the targets. Sometimes, the targets are fixed without the application of scientific methods. The aim of the present study is to examine sustainability of energy systems through the forecasting of the methane emission and agricultural output of the world’s different income groups up to 2030 using the data for the period 1981–2012. The work is novel in two senses: the existing studies did not use both the Box–Jenkins and artificial neural network methods, and the present study covers all the major economic groups in the world which is unlike to any existing studies. Two methods are used for forecasting of the two. One is the Box–Jenkins method, where linear nature of the two variables is considered and the other is artificial neural network methods where nonlinear nature of the variables is also considered. The results show that, except the OECD group, all the remaining groups display increasing trends of methane emission, but unquestionably, all the groups display increasing trends of agricultural output, where middle- and upper middle-income groups hold the upper berths. The forecasted emission is justified to be sustainable in major groups under both methods of estimations since overall growth of agricultural output is greater than that of methane emission.

Health manager at SES Tocantins: Evaluation of knowledge and competencies

This is an exploratory descriptive study, whose main objective is to characterize the profile of the health manager, through the mapping of knowledge and skills. With regard to knowledge and application of the laws that govern the bidding process, 93% of respondents know the bidding laws and use them in their daily work, while 6.7% have knowledge about the subject, however, they do not use it in the performance of their tasks. Regarding the legal bases of SUS, it is known for only 73.3% of the sample. The data show that 80% of professionals know the LRF. About LOA, only 40% of the interviewed professionals claim to know it. When the subjects were asked about their knowledge about PPA, only 60% said they knew the instrument. SIOPS is known to only 40% of the group. 86.7% of professionals know the RAG. PPI is known by 66.7% of the interviewed professionals. As for the PS, only 66.7% claim to know it, the PES is known by 86.7% of the interviewees. When asked about the priority agenda, 66.7% said they knew it. Some managerial skills are highly encouraged, others are not. Among those stimulated, they are: openness to change, ethics and professionalism and quality awareness, with 46.7% of respondents responding positively to these stimuli. Other skills such as acting preventively and expressing themselves critically (40% each) and knowledge about health policies (53.3%). In addition, we can see: teamwork (40%), communication (46.7%) and strategic vision (33.3%). Other skills are reasonably encouraged: initiative and creativity; and ability to lead people (26.7% each). 40% of managers do not feel encouraged to participate in decision-making processes. At the end of the study, the influence of the managers’ profile on the improvement of management practices was noticed, since it showed the potentialities and challenges faced and will serve as a basis for the process of permanent qualification of the professionals involved in management, translated into more effective and efficient, provided by the knowledge and use of mechanisms to support SUS management.

The National Leadership Education Research Agenda 2020–2025: Advancing the State of Leadership Education Scholarship

The second iteration of the National Leadership Education Research Agenda creates intentionality and structure for the advancement of scholarship and leadership learning within higher education contexts. The current paper provides critical insight for the nine guiding research priorities included within the agenda, the process that led to their development, and strategies for maximizing their utility. The perspectives inherent to the current paper provide broad implications for leadership education, its application across multidisciplinary contexts, and provides a trajectory for the development of leadership learners for a complex world. Leadership educators and scholars should utilize the current paper and the corresponding research agenda priorities to inspire constructive dialogue, collaborative research, and further legitimize the diverse fields of leadership education.

From nuclear energy developmental state to energy transition in South Korea: The role of the political epistemic community

AbstractWhy did previous Korean governments adopt nuclear energy as a baseline for electricity generation and promote the exportation of nuclear energy? Why did the current Korean government dramatically change its energy policy to energy transition and postnuclear energy in 2017? How did politicians, bureaucrats, industries, civil society organizations, and political epistemic communities interact in the nuclear energy policymaking process? This study addresses contemporary changes in Korean nuclear energy policy by applying the concepts “nuclear energy developmental state” and “political epistemic community.” This paper attempts to identify the relevant actors in state transition, interactive matrices in policymaking processes, and the mechanisms by which the energy baseline has shifted. A comprehensive analysis of the President's National Policy Priority Agenda, National Energy Basic Plans, the Basic Plan of Long‐Term Electricity Supply and Demand, meeting minutes of relevant government committees, and interview data of relevant actors facilitates understanding of the formation, evolution, and transformation of the contemporary state of nuclear energy throughout different political administrations, including the Lee (2008–2012), Park (2013–2016), and Moon administrations (2017–Present). I argue that political coalitions are integral in nuclear energy policy change in specific and general energy policy. Compared to highlighted agents such as bureaucrats, antinuclear movements, and epistemic communities, the political epistemic community—closely connecting knowledge, value, and power—plays a role in developing different types of political coalitions through nuclear energy decision‐making. During the Lee and Park administrations, a nuclear energy developmental state emerged with a strong coalition between politicians, bureaucrats, and the nuclear industry with support from the nuclear energy epistemic community. However, the Moon administration is characterized by a different coalition that includes politicians, civil society organizations, and the postnuclear energy epistemic community, which propels energy transition from nuclear energy to a decentralized renewable energy system.

Performance Evaluation of Diagnostic Methods for Schistosoma mansoni Detection in Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background Schistosoma mansoni is a parasitic worm that infects humans throughout the world. It is more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia. Proper detection of Schistosoma mansoni using sensitive diagnostic methods is crucial in the prevention and control era. Since direct wet mount microscopy with its low sensitivity has been used as a diagnostic technique in Ethiopia, searching alternative diagnostic methods which have better sensitivity should be a priority agenda. Objective This study is aimed at evaluating the performance of diagnostic methods for Schistosoma mansoni in Amhara region. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 520 school children from October to December 2019 in Amhara region. The study participants were selected by a systematic random sampling technique. Stool samples were collected from each participant and processed via formol-ether concentration, Kato-Katz, and spontaneous tube sedimentation techniques. The data was entered into EpiData version 3.1, and analysis was done using SPSS version 20. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated against the combined result as “Gold” standard. A kappa value was computed to measure the strength of agreement of the diagnostic methods. Results The overall prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni was 20.2% using a combination of three methods. The prevalence of 8.3%, 12.9%, and16.3%, respectively, was recorded by using formol-ether concentration, Kato-Katz, and spontaneous tube sedimentation. The spontaneous tube sedimentation method (81.0%) had better sensitivity compared to Kato-Katz (63.8%) and formol-ether concentration (41.0%) methods in Schistosoma mansoni detection. Conclusion The spontaneous tube sedimentation technique is more sensitive and has better detection rate to Schistosoma mansoni infection followed by the Kato-Katz technique. Therefore, updating the current diagnostic methods for Schistosoma mansoni could be a priority agenda to take action in schistosomiasis prevention and control.

Design of a future hydrogen supply chain: A multi period model for Turkey

There is no doubt that energy will have one of highest priorities in agendas of strategic plans of countries. Since fossil fuels are running out and carbon emissions are more important than ever, researchers seek alternative clean and efficient energy sources. One of the best alternatives is hydrogen. The systems in which hydrogen flows from its production to end users are called hydrogen supply chains (HSC). Since hydrogen is not in active use, its HSC infrastructure is not complete and should be planned very carefully. We study the design of HSC of Turkey to meet the hydrogen demand of the period between 2021 and 2050. Our aim is to minimize total cost of the HSC while meeting the demand of the transportation sector. We address the problem by using a mixed integer programming (MIP) model and derive several insights for the future HSC. The results show that while decentralization (being able to fulfill the demand from local production facilities) is 12% in the first period, this rate raises up to 48% by the end of the planning horizon. Analysis also reveal that almost all grids do not produce and import hydrogen simultaneously, i.e., they either produce or import hydrogen. The results are robust in the sense that solutions of different optimality gaps have minor differences in terms of established facilities.