Government Demands Research Articles

Учебник РКИ делового (профессионального) общения: принципы моделирования

In the conditions of the new government demand for training foreign specialists of various profiles in Russian higher education, the task of optimising the existing educational paradigm in the field of teaching Russian as a foreign language for special purposes is actualised, the most important link of which is the methodological goal set for the formation of the learners' (foreign or Russian universities’ students) ability to overcome the ideological threshold in professional interethnic (intercultural) communication. The analysis of research and methodological literature gives grounds to assert that Russian linguodidactics is ready to ensure the convergence of the pedagogical process, in which formal language teaching, professional training and education in line with the Russian culture and value paradigm can be presented syncretically within the framework of problem-based and / or interactive approaches in one (unified) teaching tool — a textbook / workbook / training manual / training course / educational-methodical complex. As one of the possible strategies for a comprehensive solution to the problem of compliance of educational resources with the latest social challenges, the potential of a new method of creating teaching tools — the method of casual illustrated narrative (CIN), which provides synergetic presentation of the language and culture of business (professional) communication in the framework of the scenario form and thus determines the possibility of building a model of the space-time continuum of professional communication, is substantiated. As a proof of the success and practical significance of the proposed strategy — the SIN method — we present the online course "Russian for Life and Work" developed in 2024 for migrant workers from CIS countries (SPbU, Uzbek national version), the results of the approbation of which led the Russian government to instruct a number of Russian universities to create additional national versions.

War, the State and Local Office-Holders in Britain, 1689–1750

Abstract Research on the British ‘fiscal-military state’ has placed great emphasis on the development of a financial infrastructure and professional bureaucracy in explaining Britain’s rise to superpower status in the eighteenth century. This article argues instead that, to appreciate fully the extent of the British state’s involvement in warfare, historians need to acknowledge the crucial and varied roles that local office-holders played in raising manpower for the army and supporting many of its requirements. Such an emphasis allows for a more nuanced understanding of the nature of the British fiscal-military state and the relations between centre and localities. This article illuminates the impact of war at a local level by examining how local office-holders, principally justices of the peace and parish constables, found and enlisted men into the army, secured deserters, intervened in mutinies, organised quarters for soldiers and transport for the army, and assisted former and injured soldiers and soldiers’ families. This work added to their burdens of office, it could jeopardise their authority and create bitter tensions within communities. Nevertheless, there was a high level of co-operation from local office-holders. The article analyses why local office-holders complied with the demands of central government and stresses their importance within the British ‘fiscal-military state’.

Negotiating North-South relations: The World Bank’s Grain Marketing Project in revolutionary Ethiopia, 1974–1978

This article explores the driving reasons that shaped the World Bank policy toward Africa in the 1970s through the lens of the relationship between the World Bank, western countries, and revolutionary Ethiopia from 1974 to 1978, during the negotiations for the Grain Marketing project (GMP). The trajectory of the GMP reveals that the World Bank’s attitude was shaped by external and internal factors as well. The organization operated under pressure of major Western shareholders and associated business groups demanding compensation for the nationalization of their assets. The continuation of negotiations and the final approval of the GMP, however, were primarily shaped by the demands of the Ethiopian government and the internal confrontation between the advocates of macro-economic orthodoxy and the supporters of a flexible approach to development. According to the latter, the relationship with Addis Ababa was a critical test for the World Bank’s legitimacy in sub-Saharan Africa at a time when demands for a New International Economic Order challenged established patterns of North-South relations.

Learning by Necessity: Government Demand, Capacity Constraints, and Productivity Growth

This paper studies how firms adapt to demand shocks when facing capacity constraints. I show that increases in government purchases raise total factor productivity in quantity units at the production line level. Productivity gains are concentrated in plants facing tighter capacity constraints, a phenomenon I call “learning by necessity.” Evidence is based on newly digitized archival data on US World War II aircraft production. Shifts in demand across aircraft with different strategic roles provide an instrument for aircraft demand. I show that plants adapted to surging demand by improving production methods, outsourcing, and combating absenteeism, primarily when facing tighter capacity constraints. (JEL D22, D24, E62, L93, N12, N42, N62)

Slow walking speed and health-related exit from employment among older workers over 5 years of follow-up: evidence from the Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) cohort study

IntroductionWith demographic changes, there is increasing demand for individuals and governments to lengthen working lives. Jobs that are very physically demanding are likely to be more difficult to sustain at...

Reducing the environmental footprint of glass manufacturing

AbstractThe glass industry is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions due to its energy consumption profile and the use of fossil fuels in the manufacturing process. Most of the energy to produce glass is consumed in the process of treating raw materials to elevated temperatures, usually above 1500°C. Glass manufacturing also generates significant environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water consumption, and waste generation. Therefore, improving the sustainability of glass manufacturing is a significant challenge for the industry and society. There are ways to reduce the energy consumption and emissions of glass melting, such as recycling glass, using oxy‐fuel burners, improving furnace insulation and design, and adopting electric melting technologies. These methods can help save energy, lower costs, and enhance the sustainability and environmental footprint of the glass industry. However, the industry faces challenges and barriers, such as technical feasibility, economic viability, capital investment, and market acceptance. More research and development must be invested to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of glass melting. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the growth glass industry has made over the past 30 years and the remaining challenges for sustainable glass manufacturing with a focus on the fiberglass segment. Sharing of procedural methods, technical approaches, and results can help enable the global glass industry in our future sustainability challenges. The fiberglass segment included a broad technical view including glass chemistry development, product development, new industry codes and standards, melting development, computational fluid dynamic modeling, life cycle assessments, and sustainability goals linked to capital planning. The net result delivered a significant reduction in environmental emissions at the global enterprise scale. The implemented changes have taken decades, significant investments, and resources to plan and develop. Practices reviewed and implemented can help drive collaboration and commonality within the glass industry to achieve sustainability goals. Action is needed now if the glass industry is to meet global government demands of reducing carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 and zero carbon emissions by 2050 in alignment with the Paris Agreement on decarbonization.

Are BSR Municipalities on Track for Energy Transition?

Climate neutrality targets and the growing decentralization of energy systems have substantially increased the role of municipalities in global energy transition. However, global shifts and national government demands have often left local public authorities unprepared to face numerous challenges related to local space planning, cost-effective integration, and decarbonization of electricity, heating, industry, and mobility. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the current state of municipal energy transition and analyze how municipalities face climate neutrality target achievement. This study conducts an integrated energy sustainability assessment to investigate the progress of the energy transition in six municipalities in the Baltic Sea region. A benchmarking approach is applied to compare the different levels of energy efficiency and decarbonization in the municipalities. The study reveals different energy consumption patterns of municipal buildings, which are influenced by various factors such as the type of building (educational, office, social facilities, etc.), the heat source (district heating or individual local heat source) and the energy efficiency management practices applied. In addition, a different trend in the installation of renewable energy capacity can be observed in municipalities in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The study analyses the overall gap between the production and consumption of renewable energy to determine the storage potential and the role in the local energy transitions. The findings of this study highlight the key cornerstones in the current state of municipal energy transition, setting a foundation for better and more effective energy policy planning at national and local scales.

Use of ICT to implement an active learning strategy in soil mechanics courses at undergraduate level

Nowadays engineers are constantly dealing with more complex problems, uncertainty, incomplete data, and demands of customers, governments, environmentalists, and public. This requires technical skills as well as skills in human relations. So, during their academic background it is necessary to incorporate more skills, social and technological, into their base knowledge. This can be accomplished introducing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Higher Education (HE). Several studies show that the use of ICT in teaching promotes participation, engagement, collaboration, and student interaction, making them more active participants and responsible for their learning. In addition to these advantages, ICT allow to give equal importance to learning processes and to the contents, as the activities offered by ICT allow to the students develop communication skills, teamwork, finding and evaluating information, access, and manipulation of large amounts of data, work with other technologies, update and refine existing skills and knowledge. It was in this context that Guided Exercises emerged. A Guided Exercise permits students to relate models and help them to solve a complex exercise step by step. This strategy was used in two consecutive courses of an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, Soil Mechanics I and Soil Mechanics II at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. The results show that students considered the strategy useful for the understanding of the concepts covered in the course. Analysing the students’ academic performance, it can be concluded that those who used this methodology had a better approval ratio. This paper presents data to support these statements.

A strategic roadmap for combating barriers negating the implementation of prefabricated net-zero carbon buildings

In the global push for carbon neutrality and the emergence of net-zero carbon buildings (NZCBs), the lack of substantial progress in achieving NZCB goals due to unaddressed barriers is a pressing issue. While there are ongoing initiatives for NZCB, a crucial research gap exists in the thorough examination of specific barriers and their interconnected complexities, impeding progress in the NZCB agenda. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying and investigating the barriers negating the implementation of Prefabricated NZCBs through a systematic literature review and analyzing their relationships using Interpretative structural modeling (ISM) analysis. Additionally, the study aims to provide a strategic roadmap to overcome the barriers that impede the successful implementation of prefabricated NZCBs. The findings reveal that the regulatory barriers, including regulations, policies, and implementation efforts, emerge as the most significant, followed closely by uncertainties related to long-term financial returns and payback periods. The study concludes that the acceleration of NZCB goals depends on addressing these identified barriers and underscores the imperative for collaboration among government bodies, supply and demand sectors, and end users. Policymakers are urged to integrate these findings into their guidelines for promoting NZCB. The implications of this research are substantial, offering a path forward that prioritizes regulatory obstacles and addresses the most crucial barriers, ultimately propelling the NZCB agenda and contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

Public Procurement Policies to Foster Innovation Development

Government and public sector demand from the perspective of demand-push policies as a tool of technology and innovation policy have been discussed in detail in the literature. Policymakers have always considered advantages such as promoting local production goals, reducing imports and dependence upon foreign countries, and meeting domestic needs with technology development and innovation. In Iran such policies have been designed and implemented and can be classified into two categories: horizontal and vertical policies. Horizontal policies refer to policy programs that regulate the general government market and the public sector. In vertical policies, however, government demand in a particular product area is regulated. In order to analyze the different types of application of these policies in Iran, several cases of horizontal and vertical policies have been studied and compared in this article. From the horizontal policies, the law of maximum use of domestic power and Foreign Finance Credit have been selected. Among the vertical policies, the policy of 10 basic oil products and the experience of the Iran-Lab-Expo have been examined. Attempts have been made to analyze and compare the above policies based on the general pattern of government programs to stimulate government demand for technology and innovation. Finally, the lessons learned from Iran’s policy experiences in the field of public sector demand orientation as a tool of technology and innovation policy are described.

When government is the solution: creating the arms industry in the Connecticut River Valley in the 1800s

PurposeThis historical example of the creation of the arms industry in the Connecticut River Valley in the 1800s provides new insights into the value of government venture capital (GVC) and government demand in creating a new industry. Since current theoretical explanations of the best uses of governmental venture capital are still under development, there is considerable need for further theory development to explain and predict the creation of an industry and especially those industries where failures in private capital supply necessitates governmental involvement in new firm creation. The purpose of this paper is to provide an in depth historical review of how the arms industry evolved spurred by GVC and government created demand.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses abductive inference as the best way to build and test emerging theories and advancing theoretical explanations of the best uses of GVC and governmental demand to achieve socially required outcomes.FindingsBy observing this specific historical example in detail, the authors add to the understanding of value creation caused by governmental venture capital funding of existing theory. A major contribution of this paper is to advance theory based on detailed observation.Originality/valueThe relatively limited research literature and theory development on governmental venture capital funding and the critical success factors in startups are enriched by this abductive investigation of the creation of the historically important arms industry and its spillover into creating the specialized machine industry.

The exodus of Western manufacturing corporations from Russia–the beginning

ABSTRACT This study aims to depict the dramatic exit of Western multinational corporations (MNCs) from Russia after the escalation of the Russia – Ukraine conflict and the beginning of military action between the two countries. The beginning of intensive military actions between Russia and Ukraine served as a pretext for strengthening Western sanctions that now not only include sanctions against Russian physical and legal persons but also the ban on trade with Russia, the ban on financial transactions, and strict control of value appropriation by foreign corporate centres of Western MNCs in Russia. We demonstrate how Western corporations selected candidates for divestment under pressure from their home countries and the strengthening demands of the Russian government towards both sides of the deal with foreign industrial assets. Moreover, the present study refutes several popular postulates on foreign divestment and indicates several promising directions for future studies.

Good Governance and the Partisan Wars: The Effects of Divided Government on Administrative Problem Solving and Oversight Agenda Setting in Congress

Abstract Congress’s constitutional responsibility to oversee and investigate the executive branch of government demands that instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in the administrative state be checked via both legislation and nonlegislative committee hearings. In this article, I establish an oversight agenda for Congress using the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office's (GAO) biennial identification of the most vulnerable federal agencies and programs. I then assess whether and how government-wide partisanship affects Congress’s ability to address this slate of issues. I find that, when government is divided, Congress is more legislatively productive on high-risk issues, and the House of Representatives is more likely to prioritize investigative hearings on high-risk issues. My results suggest a silver lining to the reality of partisan agenda control: preexisting administrative problems identified by well-positioned and well-informed observers at GAO may get more attention when there is a partisan incentive for the legislature to investigate an opposition-controlled government.

Understanding Language Teachers’ ICT Uptake from Ecological Perspectives


 
 
 
 
 
 
 This paper summaries factors affecting teachers’ decision to use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in teaching modern languages. This paper tries to understand the teachers’ ICT uptake from ecological perspective discussing that teachers’ attitudes are influenced by environments in different levels (e.g. micro, meso, macro). In this paper, the environments refer to micro as teacher, meso as institution, and macro as beyond institution levels. Teacher levels define the aspects related to teachers’ psychological and demographic characteristics. Institutions levels describe the teachers’ decision from the influence of support and social circle in the institution. Beyond institution levels discuss the influence from wider environments such as government and public demand.
 
 
 

Populist government support and frontline workers' self‐efficacy during crisis

AbstractFrontline workers who are confronted with crises need enormous resilience and the ability to deal with stress from crisis‐related increases in demands and risks. Simultaneously, populist governments with an illiberal agenda may undermine the work of street‐level bureaucracies for political reasons. Little is known about how deconstruction of the administrative state by populist government—through lacking government support when it is needed the most—affects frontline work. Thus, this article asks: how does lacking support by a populist government affect frontline workers' self‐efficacy when they face a crisis? Based on unique data from an online survey of 3229 Brazilian frontline workers during the early COVID‐19 pandemic, when the Bolsonaro government denied the existence of the pandemic, we test the relationship between government support, demands, and resources on frontline workers' perceived self‐efficacy. Results show that lacking government support from the federal and local government are negatively associated with frontline workers' self‐efficacy. At the same time, resources and managerial support exhibit positive associations—but they cannot always compensate for a lack of government assistance.

The Mansholt Plan and the March 1971 Farmers’ Protest in Brussels: the Case of Italy

This article analyses the limited participation of Italian farmers’ unions in the demonstration and the changes it brought to the Italian farm labour force. The first reason for their non-participation was these farmers’ lack of economic means. Italian farmers were among the poorest in the Community and would have had to travel far. Reaching Brussels from Italy, especially from the centre and the south, required a long and costly journey. The second reason was political. Although not always willing to acknowledge it openly, the Italian unions agreed with the demands of the Italian government, which had supported the Mansholt Plan throughout the negotiations. Many of Italy’s demands were accepted in the Plan, and the resulting reform would also ultimately provide support for Italian agriculture. Instead, the demonstrators attacked the Plan and demanded higher prices for the products for which Italy was a strong importer while major Italian production – especially Mediterranean produce – was not supported by the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

Relationship between Central and Local Government: Experiences from Turkey and Bangladesh

Local government is an essential element of the states. The principles of administrative integrity and autonomy constitute the essence of the relationship between the central and local governments. Based on these two principles, the central government tries to determine the policy of the country's administration by obtaining power based on tutelage over local governments, while local governments demand autonomy within their areas of duty, with their resources, responsibilities, and powers. This situation follows a similar course in many countries of the world. This study aims to analyze the relations between Turkey and Bangladesh's central government and local governments, their administrative structures, duties, and functions. Turkey and Bangladesh, both Muslim-majority countries, share similar socio-cultural characteristics. Bilateral relations between these two countries have developed in recent years, especially in trade, defense, migration, and other sectors. Following the development of these bilateral relations, this paper is significant here to understand two countries’ local and central government relations.

What keeps them off the playing field: a textual analysis of Chinese female pre-service kindergarten teachers’ adolescent sports life history

ABSTRACT While studies have explored the physical literacy of Chinese kindergarten teachers and its impact on young children’s health, to date, none has provided a comprehensive analysis of Chinese kindergarten teachers’ self-perceptions in relation to sport. This study explored the environmental stressors associated with participating in sport during the teenage years of 148 Chinese female pre-service kindergarten teachers majoring in early childhood education at a Chinese university through the analysis of their individual sports life history texts. The researchers found that there were multiple simultaneous pressures regarding girls’ sport participation in China. First, there is the pain of student sports participation caused by the pull of multiple forces, and the inconsistency between government, school, family, and student demands for sports, which makes both sports and students a passive presence. Second, there is gender discrimination against women in the sports arena, which adds another burden for girls. Third, physical education teachers seem to have been unable to solve the physical and mental discomforts caused by perceptions of girls’ limited ability, accidental injuries, anxiety and shyness in the sports process. The study revealed the profound impact of body culture and gender culture in Confucianism on adolescent girls’ sports during puberty. The findings contribute to understanding and improving the pre-service physical education practices of female kindergarten teachers and female physical education practices during adolescence, as well as, in the long run, improving the quality of kindergarten children’s physical activity in a context where females are the dominant occupational group.

Rethinking the question of identity for indigenous public administration within public administration

In African Public Administration, this article considers the subject of rethinking identity for indigenous public administration. It seeks to determine whether the lack of indigenous traditions as a foundation for current Public Administration will actually fulfil the essential knowledge demands of government by solving challenges that cannot be answered by public officials. This epistemic discrimination of indigenous public administration in Public Administration has been widely disseminated without taking into account the value systems of African societies that have established their own distinct administrative structures within their respective cultural settings. This has resulted in a plethora of misunderstandings and contradictions in contemporary public administration practices. This is due to P[p]ublic A[a]dministration modulating the influence of Africans, their processes and institutions in the development of the discipline. In light of this realization, this paper discusses how rethinking the issue of identity for indigenous public administration can and should serve as a foundational tool for promoting Africa's Public Administration. This paper employs Afrocentricity as an avant-garde to untangle this discourse based on the above-mentioned breakdown. The paper is conceptual in nature and is based on a review of literature from a variety of sources, including policies, popular media statements, and academic publications.

British Food (In)security Policies in Colonial Nigeria and Popular Reactions in the Southwestern and Southeastern Provinces, 1939–45

Abstract: The effects of the Second World War on food insecurity in Africa have gained scholarly attention over the past few years; however, there have been no comprehensive attempts to provide historical evidence and analyze the experience of food insecurity in the colonial territories that later transformed into Southern Nigeria. This article fills this gap in research and argues that the demands of the British colonial government for food supplies, along with other policies geared toward agricultural regulation such as the Pullen Scheme, led to such inflation of food prices in urban centers that rural producers could not meet the demand for foodstuffs. The resulting food shortage triggered reactions from indigenous peoples, particularly market women in the southern and eastern provinces of colonial Nigeria. The article supports its arguments using a combination of sources from the Nigerian National Archives, newspaper reports, and peer-reviewed journals.