Areas Of Infrastructure Development Research Articles

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue: The West's Response to China in the Indo-Pacific

As China’s actions have become increasingly aggressive in the Indo-Pacific, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’s (Quad) growing interconnectedness reveals the West’s desire to preserve the liberal order. The Quad-- composed of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan-- was revived in 2017 amidst China’s encroachment on the sovereignty of Indo-Pacific nations and international waters. Through increased activity in infrastructure development, military interoperability, and key resource networks, the Quad’s renewal marks an acceleration of Western efforts to counter China’s growing threats to Western hegemony. By distilling the Quad’s activity into these three areas of cooperation, this paper examines the grouping’s actions and their implications for Western-China relations. In the area of infrastructure development, the Quad has emphasized a diversification of funding and high-quality practices to reduce reliance on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and has promoted democratic priorities through the formation of the Blue Dot Network (BDN). Within military interoperability, the expansion of Exercise Malabar to include all Quad nations and the decision to host the exercise in the Bay of Bengal reveals the Quad’s increased challenge to China’s encroachment on Indo-Pacific oceans. The Quad’s desire to reduce Indo-Pacific nations’ reliance on China is evident in its efforts to exert influence over key resource networks such as undersea communication cables, Covid-19 vaccines, and global supply chains. The Quad’s increased activity within these three sectors represents the grouping’s elevation to an increasingly concrete alliance, emerging as one of the West’s primary measures to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Перспективы развития контейнерных грузоперевозок в системе цепей поставок

Objective: To modify the trends in the development of container cargo turnover in the conditions of increasing mobility and increasing the share of container cargo turnover on the railway network. Methods: Basic methods of analysis are used — statistical analysis of containerization targets, expert assessments of mechanisms for supporting and developing rail container transportation. Results: The current state of the container transportation market is described with the establishment of maximum indicators for the volume of exports, imports, transit and domestic traffic. The typology of the product line of container transportation of JSC “Russian Railways” is given. The competitive advantages of cargo transportation by road and sea modes of transport in comparison with rail are indicated. Measures have been developed to ensure the growth of container cargo turnover mobility on Russian railways, with a target setting of possible effects from their implementation in the areas of infrastructure development, expansion of the digital platform and stabilization of tariff policy. Practical importance: The results obtained should be used to optimize the technology of container transportation in the supply chain.

ANALISIS APLIKASI AKAD BAY' PADA PROJECT BASED SUKUK (PBS) DI INDONESIA

Islamic economic development is a task incumbent upon a good Muslim community. Indonesia has, in recent years, accelerated its economic development -especially in the area of infrastructure development- thereby requiring additional funding sources to aid this development. Thus, the government has issued Project Based Sukuk (PBS), which aims to finance the development of the country’s infrastructure. PBS is a Shariah-based financing instrument that is an alternative for Muslim communities which are interested in building a country’s economy without elements of ribā. This instrument has a main contract in the form of ijārah and supporting contracts, one of which is al-bay‘. However, the application of these contracts can only be said to be valid from a Sharā‘ perspective if all rules and conditions are throughly fulfilled. This study focuses on analyzing the application of the al-bay‘ contract on PBS. It uses a data collection method by interview and review of literature, which was then analyzed inductively to draw conclusions from the specific to the general. The study found that the majority application of the al-bay‘ contract to PBS is in line with the principles of Shariah, although there are still some issues still to be rectified.

A Systematic Review of Policy Enforcement as a Catalyst for Digitalizing Agriculture in West and East Africa

ABSTRACT Digitalization is an opportunity for African farmers, as it brings several services and innovative technology closer to them. Nowadays, the digital agriculture ecosystem in Africa involves hundreds of start-ups and projects that work toward innovative and sustainable solutions. However, the government policies that need to create a conducive environment do not always keep pace with the digital ecosystems needs. In this article, we review ICT-related policies and their influence on agriculture in thirteen countries from West Africa and six from East Africa. The review was conducted using a mixed-methods approach. We used MCI and EBA ICT index for quantitative analysis on one hand, and on the other hand the content analysis technique Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used. The analysis yielded four main conclusions. First, government policies address mainly the areas of infrastructure development, digital finance and access to credit, and data protection. Second, countries with a dedicated ICT for agriculture strategy are scarce in East and West Africa. Third, in-country actions on e-agriculture are scattered with weak coordination and synergy. Fourth, East Africa is farther ahead than West Africa in terms of digital policy enforcement for agriculture on the continent. The findings have implications for policies that are more adapted to farmers’ context and needs.

Agricultural Investment and Role of Commercial Farming in Benishangul-Gumuz Region: Evidence from Ethiopia

Agricultural investment remains the top strategy of the Ethiopian government to contribute to the national economy by changing the traditional farming to modern agriculture. In Benishangul-Gumuz regional state in the last two decades, a substantial amount of land has been transferred to domestic and foreign investors by both regional and federal governments. Hence, this study has aimed to generate information for better understanding of the system and the options available to promote the current agricultural investment and trend of agricultural investment to seize the challenges and harness the existing opportunities. The results revealed that found that the commercial farming is constrained by different factors; these includes lack of access to infrastructures (like electricity and irrigation facilities), unavailability of farm equipment (like combine harvester, thresher and cleaner), inadequate policy incentives, lack of access to improved crop varieties and livestock breeds, lack of access to market, low and volatile price of their produce, were mentioned among the others. On the other hand, availability of storage of grains, road, and mobile network access, ownership of tractor, fair interest rate and access to credit were mentioned as opportunities for the commercial farmers. Moreover, currently, commercial farming is contributing employment (temporary and permanent jobs) and marketing opportunities and income tax payment to the local community and the government. Therefore, we suggest that to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities in commercial farming, quick government support in areas of infrastructure development, research and development and linking commercial farming with local and international markets is needed. Keywords: Agricultural Investment; technology; Benishangul-Gumuz DOI : 10.7176/JESD/10-3-03

Achieving state‐of‐the‐art ICT connectivity in developing countries: The Azerbaijan model of Technology Leapfrogging

AbstractTechnology Leapfrogging can allow developing countries to achieve an advanced state of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) connectivity rapidly and efficiently. And yet, despite its apparent value and benefits, there is currently a lack of research on how the process is enacted. In an attempt to fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a case study of Azerbaijan's national ICT infrastructure development journey. Azerbaijan is one of the top developing countries across the globe in terms of ICT connectivity, and with an in‐depth exploration of how it planned for ICT development, and leveraged new and existing ICT capabilities toward the implementation of high‐impact projects in the areas of infrastructure development, e‐government, information management and security, business and entrepreneurship, and research and education, a process model of Technology Leapfrogging is derived and presented in this article. More specifically, our process model suggests that ICT development in Azerbaijan unfolded as a “stage‐skipping” variant of Technology Leapfrogging that consists of 4 stages: (1) strategizing, (2) anchoring, (3) enacting, and (4) reinforcing. Traversing the 4 stages enabled Azerbaijan to achieve the state of the art in ICT connectivity quickly and cost‐effectively, which served to generate a number of economic and social outcomes for the country in spite of its limited resources.

Landscape in the Spatial and Temporal Aspects of Settlement Systems in Kaliningrad Region

The article describes the environmental factors that influence the formation of the settlement systems at the territory, and the degree of changes of this impact over time. Kaliningrad region is chosen as the study area, the settlement system is which evolved over many centuries. Over the past hundred years the settlement system, including the urban settlement, of the area reconstructed three times – as a result of the First World War, the German expansion to the east in 1939, and in the post-war period, while the overall pattern of settlements network maintained. A feature of the region is a complete change of population in the region since the end of World War II, accession of the former East Prussia to the Soviet Union, as part of the Russian Federation, which resulted in a fundamental change of economic system, determined features of the new building of settlements and areas of infrastructure development. Currently the regional settlement system shows, on the one hand, the similarities with the systems of settlement of other subjects of the Russian Federation, of the non-black soil zone of the Russian Plain, and on the other hand, is inherited from the system of settling the northern part of East Prussia. The degree of the landscape affects on the local systems of settlement is heterogeneous both spatially and temporally.

Cyber Security in the Gulf Cooperation Council

The Internet is one of the fastest growing areas of infrastructure development in the union of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf commonly referred to as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It is clear that the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) worldwide has helped to quicken communication and facilitate the exchange of information. The number of Internet users and Internet-enabled technological devices is increasing exponentially, including an estimated 40 million Internet users within the area of the GCC that continues to grow. It considers the fastest growing and most economically competitive region in the world. This growth is largely fuelled by oil although the region is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for local and international tourists. This trend is set to continue with upcoming global events such as the Abu Dhabi and Bahrain Grand Prix, the Expo 2020 in Dubai and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022.As the Internet grows and reaches most aspects of society, staying up-to-date with effective security measures and ensuring online safety remains a challenge. For example, modern cars are effectively computers, and many of which are connected to the Internet. These computing devices embedded in everyday life bring about new risks. In addition, the cybercrime landscape has evolved considerably over the past decade becoming more sophisticated with an increasing diversification of organizational forms of criminal actors. Failure to understand the impact of cybercrime and the threats pose to economy, national security, and the critical infrastructure; will leave GCC states vulnerable to all cyber-attacks and easy targets. There is now evidence of malicious actors that work alone, within cohesive group structures and as larger ephemeral online communities. In addition, vectors used to perpetrate cyber crime are constantly evolving due in part to innovative tactics of criminals which continues to evolve. Attacks typically occur unbeknown to the victims and through processes that guarantee anonymity to malicious actors. For example, many cyber-attacks are propagated through networks of compromised computers and intermediary systems masking the identity, which in certain cases make it difficult to identify the source and intention of cybercrime. The countries of the GCC share culture, and political, geographic and socio-economic interests. As “communities of shared fate”, all Internet-connected nations are at the mercy of online threats. Yet, mechanisms to respond to such activity have been reactive at best with a deficiency of crime prevention efforts. A major block to the effective control of cyber crime is its transnational characteristic. Cyber attacks occur across borders, and perpetrators and their victims are rarely located in the same jurisdiction. Cyber criminals have also taken advantage of safe haven countries - states that lack Internet crime-related legislation and the capability to enforce them. In 2014, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 10 High Level Event in Geneva, co-organised by ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP, highlighted the significant risks posed by insufficient responses to cyber security. As connectivity develops cyber security must be recognised as a major threat for the Middle East.One approach to curtail malicious activities has been through international frameworks. For example, the Council of Europe (CoE) Convention on Cybercrime, known as the Budapest Convention, is an international treaty that provides a comprehensive international approach to cybercrime investigation and law. The Convention formalises mutual legal assistance arrangements between jurisdictions and primarily includes European states, as well as a number of non-European states such as the USA, Japan, Australia and Canada. However, as of March 2015, no countries among the GCC have joined the Convention. Also there is no treaty or cooperation between the GCC states on cybercrime.Among the six GCC countries, Qatar and Oman are the only two to have developed technical, organisational and legal measures to address cybercrime (Table 1). Other countries are working on these measures but still lack capacity to address cyber issues. The following four main recommendations offer some avenues to increase cyber security capacity in the GCC: 1 - Create a national (and regional) cyber awareness initiative 2 - Establish a centralised mechanism to share information, assets and expertise with GCC states and abroad3 - Establish technical standards to combat cyber crime through a national (and regional) framework4 - Engage in international police and judicial cooperation, for example, by signing the Budapest Convention.

Short-Run and Long-Run Inflation and Economic Growth Nexus in Ghana

This paper examines the relationship between inflation and economic growth in Ghana. Using quarterly data from 1986Q1 to 2012Q4. The study employs Co- integration and error correction model. The study reveals that capital, government expenditure, labour force and money supply have a positive impact on GDP. In addition, inflation and interest rate has a decreasing impact on economic growth. The study recommends inflation targeting as best monetary policy. There is the need for government to increase expenditure in the area of infrastructure development and human capital to increase output. Keywords : Co – Integration, Inflation, ECM Model, Economic Growth, Ghana

The Political Economy of Postwar Economic Development in Sri Lanka

Thirty years of civil war in Sri Lanka has affected economic, political, social, cultural and psychological aspects of the society significantly. This paper presents an overview of postwar development strategies in Sri Lanka and compares it with the prewar economy from a political economic perspective. The paper specifically examines the progress of the overall postwar development in the war affected Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Using mixed methodologies data was gathered on critical aspects related to political economy. According to the current study, no clear progress has been made in the areas of economic growth, FDI growth, household income, and poverty and income inequality in the postwar economy of Sri Lanka when compared with the prewar economy. Government fiscal policy targets the postwar reconstruction works while monetary policy enjoys the amalgamation of North and East provinces to country’s aggregate supply apart from introducing very few loan schemes. Security phobia of the government of Sri Lanka limits local, national, regional and international none-government organizations especially in the North and East. There is a considerable amount of progress made in the area of infrastructure development and resettlement of displaced persons. However, primary data from the study indicates these strategies lack conflict sensitivity and public trust. This study emphasizes that postwar economic development strategies should address the critical determinants of sustainable recovery, peace and development aiming at protecting human rights, ensuring rule of law, establishing efficient public service system and finally offering constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka.

PANEL SESSION ON “SAFETY, HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT: IMPLICATIONS OF NUCLEAR POWER GROWTH”

This paper summarizes the presentations and the insights offered by panelists John P. Winston, Robert Bernero, and Stephen LaMontagne during the Panel on Safety, Health and the Environment: Implications of Nuclear Power Growth that took place during the NCRP 2009 Annual Meeting. The paper describes the opportunities and the challenges faced in the areas of infrastructure development, radiation control, licensing and regulatory issues, and non-proliferation as a consequence of the forecasted growth in nuclear power capacity worldwide.

Public-Private Mixes and Partnerships: A Search for Understanding

The idea of the public-private partnership (PPP) has become one of the dominant forces in public sector reform over the recent period. Its advocates have no doubt that it leads to a better future, particularly in the area of infrastructure development. But there are many critics who point out variously that the advantages are not nearly as great as the advocates assume, that the practice itself is not so new, that most of the infrastructure deals are not real partnerships, and indeed that the field is compromised by a massive confusion of meanings. Not surprisingly, a search has begun for a classificatory system which will help sort out the variety of arrangements now loosely described as PPPs and so aid better understanding of the field. This article traces these problems and developments in understanding.

Prompt magnetic investigations of archaeological remains in areas of infrastructure development: Israeli experience

AbstractMagnetic prospecting is the most widely used method for the investigation of archaeological remains in the world. This method is often applied before and during various engineering exploration (e.g. road construction, preparing areas for various types of building) and areas of agricultural utilization. Taking into account an extremely high concentration of archaeological sites of different age at Israeli territory, prompt geophysical–archaeological assessment of areas allocated for engineering and agricultural utilization, is a necessary preliminary component of the design process. However, noise both of natural and artificial origin strongly complicates interpretation of observed magnetic anomalies. The most significant disturbing factors are oblique magnetization (magnetization vector in the Israeli territory is inclined about 45°), complex geological structure (presence of a variety of disturbing bodies) of investigated site, influence of rugged topography, as well as influence of modern iron‐containing objects. The non‐conventional procedures developed by the authors are intended for application in such complicated environments and include elimination of noise from various sources, selection of ‘useful’ anomalies against the noise background, qualitative and quantitative interpretation of anomalies and three‐dimensional physical–geological modelling. Effective integration of these procedures with other interpretation methods allowed rapid localization of tens of archaeological remains and their protection from unpremeditated destruction. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Air transport in ASEAN: Recent developments and implications

Despite the current economic turmoil affecting much of the region, air traffic volumes in Asia Pacific, and in the ASEAN region in particular, will continue to grow over the coming decade. In this article, we will briefly review recent initiatives among the transport ministers from ASEAN countries. Future challenges for ASEAN aviation, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, deregulation and liberalization, global alliance, and open skies, will be highlighted. Implications of the economic crisis will also be discussed.