Aid Effectiveness Research Articles

Effect of Cooperatives Aids on Farmers’ Production in Post Flood Disaster in Anambra

The purpose of the study is to determine how cooperative aid affects farmers’ productivity in Anambra State after flooding incidents. Even with climate change making floods more frequent, the government’s reaction is frequently insufficient, requiring the creation of new support systems. During flood catastrophes, agricultural cooperatives such as the Anambra State Fishermen Cooperative Society (ASFCS) and the Anambra State Agricultural Cooperatives Multipurpose Union (ASACMU) have been instrumental in delivering relief efforts. By doing this study, we hope to close the knowledge gap about how well cooperative aids can reduce the negative effects of flooding on farmers’ yields. Using a mixed-methods approach, 370 farmers were randomly chosen from 118 cooperatives to provide quantitative data, while group interactions provided qualitative insights. The results show that farmers’ productivity and different types of cooperative aid have a substantial positive association. Grain and monetary assistance. Farmers’ post-flood productivity is positively impacted by resource sharing of agricultural inputs, material aid, training and education, extension information, infrastructure development, and government action. These results highlight how crucial cooperative assistance is to raising farmers’ output and resilience in the wake of flood disasters. Among the suggestions include promoting the creation of cooperatives, giving prompt assistance from governmental and non-governmental organizations top priority, enhancing access to agriculture supplies and other necessities, and developing training initiatives that specifically address post-flood issues. In Anambra State, putting these suggestions into practice can improve farmers’ resilience and lessen the effects of flooding. In general, this research advances knowledge of the vital role that cooperative aids play in encouraging resilient farming methods and sustainable agricultural practices among farmers in flood-prone areas such as Anambra State.

Food insecurity in Brazil by household arrangements and characteristics between 2004 and 2022.

Although food insecurity presents a decreasing trend worldwide, some regions recently observed an increase in hunger levels. Such was the case in Brazil between 2014 and 2018, during and after the great Brazilian recession, and between 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper describes the evolution of food insecurity in Brazil between 2004 and 2022 using Brazilian National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), Brazilian Household Budget Survey (POF) and Continuous PNAD. Households were classified in 20 types of arrangements, and the most vulnerable living arrangements between 2004 and 2018 were identified by multinomial logistic models. Overall, households headed by women (single blacks, whites or in couples) with or without children were the most prone to food insecurity. As for the evolution of food insecurity in Brazil between 2018 and 2022, logistic models were applied to estimate moderate and severe food insecurity levels among the 20 household types. Additionally, effects of the emergency aid and idiosyncrasies of the COVID-19 pandemic were estimated.

Comparative Effectiveness of Personal Sound Amplification Products Versus Hearing Aids for Unilateral Hearing Loss: A Prospective Randomized Crossover Trial.

This study compared hearing outcomes with use of personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) and hearing aids (HAs) in patients with moderate to moderately severe unilateral hearing loss. Thirty-nine participants were prospectively enrolled, and randomly assigned to use either one HA (basic or premium type) or one PSAP (basic or high-end type) for the first 8 weeks and then the other device for the following 8 weeks. Participants underwent a battery of examinations at three visits, including sound-field audiometry, word recognition score (WRS), speech perception in quiet and in noise, real-ear measurement, and self-report questionnaires. Functional gain was significantly higher with HAs across all frequencies (P < 0.001). While both PSAPs and HAs improved WRS from the unaided condition, HAs were superior to PSAPs. The speech recognition threshold in quiet conditions and signal-to-noise ratio in noisy conditions were significantly lower in the HA-aided condition than in the PSAP-aided condition, and in the PSAP-aided condition than in the unaided condition. Subjective satisfaction also favored HAs than PSAPs in questionnaires, Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids, and Host Institutional Questionnaire. While PSAPs provide some benefit for moderate to moderately severe unilateral hearing loss, HAs are more effective. This underscores the potential role of PSAPs as an accessible, affordable first-line intervention in hearing rehabilitation, particularly for individuals facing challenges in accessing conventional HAs.

Demystifying the Balancing of the Positive and Negative Effects of State Aid

Demystifying the Balancing of the Positive and Negative Effects of State Aid

The effect of hearing aids on mortality

The effect of hearing aids on mortality

Respiratory and locomotor muscle blood flow measurements using near-infrared spectroscopy and indocyanine green dye in health and disease.

Measuring respiratory and locomotor muscle blood flow during exercise is pivotal for understanding the factors limiting exercise tolerance in health and disease. Traditional methods to measure muscle blood flow present limitations for exercise testing. This article reviews a method utilising near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in combination with the light-absorbing tracer indocyanine green dye (ICG) to simultaneously assess respiratory and locomotor muscle blood flow during exercise in health and disease. NIRS provides high spatiotemporal resolution and can detect chromophore concentrations. Intravenously administered ICG binds to albumin and undergoes rapid metabolism, making it suitable for repeated measurements. NIRS-ICG allows calculation of local muscle blood flow based on the rate of ICG accumulation in the muscle over time. Studies presented in this review provide evidence of the technical and clinical validity of the NIRS-ICG method in quantifying respiratory and locomotor muscle blood flow. Over the past decade, use of this method during exercise has provided insights into respiratory and locomotor muscle blood flow competition theory and the effect of ergogenic aids and pharmacological agents on local muscle blood flow distribution in COPD. Originally, arterial blood sampling was required via a photodensitometer, though the method has subsequently been adapted to provide a local muscle blood flow index using venous cannulation. In summary, the significance of the NIRS-ICG method is that it provides a minimally invasive tool to simultaneously assess respiratory and locomotor muscle blood flow at rest and during exercise in health and disease to better appreciate the impact of ergogenic aids or pharmacological treatments.

Accurate inference for the Youden index and its associated cutoff point based on the gamma and inverse Gaussian distributed assumption

&lt;p&gt;The Youden index is often used to measure the effectiveness of biomarkers and aids to find the optimal cutoff point. Since pooled specimens have been shown to be an effective cost-cutting technique, we proposed the exact inferential procedures for the Youden index and its associated cutoff point based on the pooled specimens under the gamma or the inverse Gaussian assumption. The generalized confidence intervals (GCIs) were proposed for the Youden index and its associated cutoff point. Monte Carlo simulations were used to assess the performance of the proposed GCIs. The simulation results show that the proposed GCIs outperformed existing methods such as the bootstrap-$ p $ CIs in terms of the coverage probability. Finally, the proposed procedures were illustrated by an example.&lt;/p&gt;

Source credibility effects in misinformation research: A review and primer

Understanding the role that perceived source credibility plays in individuals’ responses to misinformation could help in shedding light on the effects of misinformation exposure and aid in making interventions aimed at tackling its negative consequences more effective. Yet, while persuasion research shows that perceived source credibility consistently predicts attitude change upon exposure to persuasive messages, research examining effects of source credibility in misinformation contexts has yielded inconsistent findings. We conducted a systematic review of misinformation research investigating source credibility effects (NStudies = 91, NParticipants = 64,162) and coded various characteristics of individual reported effects (NEffects = 162) to provide a narrative synthesis of the literature and identify potential causes of inconsistent findings. Our synthesis suggests that conceptual factors, such as the conceptualisation of source credibility and its constituent dimensions, underexplored moderators, and methodological factors, such as the operationalisation of source credibility and the relevance of stimulus materials, could explain discrepancies in source credibility effects in misinformation contexts. We provide recommendations for how to conceptualise and operationalise source credibility in a more systematic way and recommend promising avenues for future research that could aid the development of much-needed theoretical frameworks of source credibility effects in misinformation contexts.

The Impact of BABA: Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) Tool: Beyond Spreadsheet Simple Statistics

This study evaluates the effectiveness and user experience of the Business Analytic Basic Aid (BABA) Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) tool compared to manual MAD calculations using Excel among students. Initially, students were taught to perform MAD calculations manually with Excel, followed by an introduction to the BABA automated MAD tool. A survey was conducted to assess various aspects of usability, complexity, and overall experience with both methods. Survey results indicated a general preference for the BABA automated MAD tool, with high ratings for ease of use (mean: 3.96) and quick learning (mean: 4.06). However, the tool was perceived as somewhat complex (mean: 2.88), and students expressed a need for technical support (mean: 3.36). Despite these challenges, confidence in using the tool was high (mean: 3.78), and students appreciated its well-integrated functions (mean: 3.88).The findings suggest that while the BABA automated MAD tool provides significant advantages over manual calculations, further refinements and user support are needed to address its complexities. The study highlights the potential for improved learning outcomes and efficiency in statistical analysis through the adoption of automated tools in educational settings, offering valuable insights for educators and tool developers.

Development and verification of community development index for improving functioning of aged people in rural districts (third report): data collection and analysis system on social mutual aid are desired for community development for elderly persons living in rural districts.

The author conducted a survey on social mutual aid and the social stimulative effect of older adults living in a rural district, and compared young old and old-old persons to clarify the roles of public health nurses in promoting community development. A cross-sectional study based on Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization was conducted with 2,500 residents aged 65 years or older of City A in Akita Prefecture. The study was conducted from April 8 to May 15, 2017. Participants were administered a questionnaire containing items on "social mutual aid in the rural district". Responses were recorded on a Likert scale. As a result of factor analysis, the following four factors were extracted; [Blessing of a rural district and mutual help and assistance unique to a rural district], [Closeness of healthcare welfare service and family doctors in conjunction with their own health], [Decline of culture and community unique to rural districts accompanied by depopulation] and [Closeness of the town where they live]. Differences were observed in the closeness of social mutual aid and local societal stimulative effects, even between generations of old and old-old persons. In young-old persons, a negative correlation was observed between [Closeness of the town where they live] and other factors. In old-old persons, a negative correlation was found between [Decline of culture and community unique to rural districts accompanied by depopulation] and other factors. Since not only individual health indices but also local social mutual aid, which relates to individuals' influence on the construction of a Community-based Integrated Care System in a rural district, the author posits that a data collection and analysis system on social mutual aid would be beneficial for community development for older adults living in rural districts.

Foreign Aid and Economic Growth in the Sub-Saharan African Countries

ABSTRACT: Official Development Assistance (ODA) remains an important tool for nurturing economic growth in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. This is evidenced by numerous studies that have investigated the ODA-growth nexus in SSA region. However the existing studies on the relationship between ODA and economic growth is subject to identification issues. More specifically, the issue of distributional heterogeneity has not been given the attention it deserves in this field. In other words, the issue of whether ODA-growth nexus differ among developing nations with different economic growth levels has not been meticulously explored. This study aims to examine the heterogeneous impact of ODA on economic growth across 24 SSA countries over a 38-year period. To achieve this, an attempt is made in this study to investigate how the effect of ODA varies along the conditional economic growth distribution by employing the Moment of Moments Quantile Regression (MM-QR) approach, an approach that is able to capture the diverse effects of ODA across different levels of growth distribution. Moreover, this study explores the role of social infrastructure and institutional quality in shaping this relationship. The results suggest that ODA has a positive impact on economic growth in the SSA region, with a larger positive impact in countries with high levels of economic growth. This finding is key as it underlines the important idea that though ODA positively influence growth, it doesn’t homogeneously affect all nations; but instead, it remarkably enhance it in areas with relatively robust and healthy economic conditions. The study also finds a positive and significant relationship between social infrastructures and institutions quality and economic growth, particularly in the 50th, 75th, and 95th quantiles, thereby highlighting the fact that well-developed social infrastructures and high-quality institutions play a pivotal role in nurturing economic progress, particularly at the mid to higher percentiles of economic development. The inclusion of institutions quality and interaction terms in the model influences the effect of aid on economic growth, with ODA being effective in countries located within the 25th and 50th quantiles. The findings suggest that aid can be strategically used to stimulate economic growth in SSA countries, particularly low-income countries.

Neutral Business Assistance and the Limits of Complicity Under International Criminal Law

Business transactions between corporations and actors involved in grave human rights violations present significant challenges for the assessment of corporate criminal liability. This is particularly evident in cases of “neutral business assistance,” which refer to business conduct that appears legitimate on the surface and falls within day-to-day business operations but nonetheless contributes to the crime. An example of neutral business assistance is selling generic goods (for example, computer technology) legally at market rates, without the explicit intent to aid criminal activity, that increases the perpetrator’s capacity to carry out human rights violations. In such cases, discerning the point at which a legitimate business transaction becomes a wrongful act of complicity remains a complex and unresolved issue in international criminal law. The doctrinal requirement for the wrongful act of complicity is that the assistance provided must have a “substantial effect” on the commission of the crime. Traditionally, this assessment has been grounded in a narrow factual analysis that primarily emphasizes the gravity of harm resulting from aiding and abetting. This one-dimensional approach to wrongfulness, however, oversimplifies the ethical complexities of criminal liability. It overlooks broader normative considerations and the positive societal impact of human cooperation. This article challenges the prevailing harm-based paradigm and introduces a more nuanced methodology to assess the wrongfulness of aiding and abetting across various contexts. To do so, the article embraces a broader perspective on the “substantial effect” criterion, one that takes into account the crucial normative dimension of balancing the harmful effects of aiding and abetting with their corresponding social benefits. As a result, the article outlines a refined theory of the actus reus of complicity that enables a more holistic evaluation of accomplices’ conduct.

Foreign Aid, Remittances and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (2007-2018)

This study examined the impact of foreign aid and remittances on poverty in 37 sub-Saharan African countries from 2007 to 2018, a region that has received significant aid and remittances over the past 20 years. Key variables included Poverty Headcount (%), international remittances, and foreign aid flows. Data were obtained from the World Development Indicators, OECD, and the GCIP published by the United Nations. A dynamic panel data model was used, estimated with the system-Generalized Method of Moments (sys-GMM). The AR (2) and Hansen test statistics supported the model’s validity, and a robustness check with Real Household Final Consumption Expenditure confirmed the results. The findings indicate that remittances significantly reduce poverty in the short run but not in the long run, while foreign aid has an insignificant positive effect. The study recommends reducing remittance costs, removing barriers to inflow, and creating a policy environment that enhances the effectiveness of aid.

공적개발원조(ODA) 수원체계에 대한 연구

Purpose: This paper analyzes the ODA management system, including the internal communication system, partnership structure, and policy decision-making and implementation process, of Lao PDR, Indonesia and Vietnam, which are Korea’s key partner countries in Asia. Based on the analysis, the paper aims to draw policy recommendations for donors to enhance aid effectiveness. Originality: This study analyzes recipient countries’ ODA management system from aid effectiveness perspective, which is relatively understudied compared to donors’ aid management system. It specifies the scope of aid management system by developing a new analytical framework based on the four elements consisting of legalization and legislation, key implementing agencies, communciation and partnership, and monitoring and evaluation process. Methodology: The study conducts literature review on the relationship between aid effectiveness and recipient countries’ governance. Based on the analytical framework, case studies on Korea’s three key aid recipient countries, i.e. Lao PDR, Indonesia, and Vietnam are conducted. The study utilizes official government documents and academic literature, and incorporates feedback from experts. Result: Although the three countries had different aid management systems, following similarities were found: mid-long term national development strategies having close linkage to the aid management system; recipient countries strengthening governance and institutional basis for enhanced ownership and transparency; while the role and capacity of key implementing agencies leading to different types of aid inefficiency issues. This implies that ODA management system has direct impact on aid efficiency and effectiveness. Conclusion and Implication: The study shows the importance of donors’ approach to recipient countries based on the latter’s context. Also, in-depth understanding of recipient countries’ aid management system can help donors better identify potential areas of cooperation and design new projects through ODA. The same applies to Korea, which is a key donor in all three country cases.

Examining the Historical Trends in the Relationship Between External Economic Aid and Economic Growth Dynamics in Pakistan

Recent research aims to explain the empirical ambiguity between foreign aid and economic growth in Pakistan. This study follows the Micro-Macro paradox and reviews critically the role that foreign aid has on economic growth. The study has utilized data from 1972 through 2023, while the ARDL co-integration approach approximates the estimation of the model. Most development projects in underdeveloped economies, particularly Kenya, focus on external resources. Hence, the trend that comes to light in this study. The analysis also unfolds the fact that high inflation holds back economic growth, underlined the potential of what rationally organized foreign economic aid may hold for boosting the economic growth of Pakistan significantly.

학자금 지원의 학업성취 효과에 대한 메타분석

Although there has been considerable accumulation of research on the effectiveness of student aid as the student aid policy has expanded since the establishment of the Korea Scholarship Foundation, it is difficult to make a comprehensive judgment on the effectiveness of each study. Therefore, in this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to systematically synthesize the academic achievement effect of student support. For the analysis, 19 domestic studies (13 academic journal papers, 2 thesis papers, 4 research reports) and a total of 77 effect sizes extracted from these studies were used and analyzed using Comprehensive Meta Analysis (CMA) V4. First, the analysis result is the value of the total effect size derived by applying the random effect model. It was found that student support had a positive effect on academic achievement because it was a small effect size of 206. Second, as a result of analyzing the difference in effect size according to the type of student support, it was found that scholarships had a positive effect on academic achievement, but student loans had a negative effect. According to the university classification, the effect size of each subgroup was all significant, but the difference in effect size between groups was not significant. Finally, as a result of analyzing the impact of the publication year using meta-regression analysis, in the case of scholarships, the more recently announced research, the higher the impact of student support on academic achievement than before. Based on the above research results, the design of support measures to improve the practical effect of student support and implications for subsequent research were proposed.

1950~60년대 주석균의 농업정책론과 농정 관계 활동

Chu Sok-Kyun was a former colonial bureaucrat, and based on his career, he served as the president of the Irrigation Association and the vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry after liberation. Also from this experience, he acquired a distaste for administrative control of the economy and a conviction of the unworkability of controls. Based on this, in the 1950s, he organized the theory of agricultural policy into the three axes of democracy, free economy, and self-sustaining economy, while organizing the Agricultural Problem Research Group to criticize the government's agricultural policy. He considered rural democratization as a prerequisite for rural rehabilitation, saw that farmers should be organized into cooperatives for this purpose, and emphasized the principle of democratic operation of cooperatives. He also found the cause of the food policy confusion in the immaturity of the grain market, and saw that it should be resolved based on the principles of free economy, such as fostering wholesalers and establishing distribution order. On the other hand, his orientation toward self-sustaining economy moved from the position of ‘acceptance of aid based on the spirit of self-reliance’ in the early 1950s to the criticism of importing foreign grains as the side effects of aid deepened. He participated in the agricultural policy of the Democratic Party government after 4·19, and also participated in the agricultural policy formulation of the military government after 5·16. However, his fundamental points such as rural democratization, fostering of the grain market, and reduction of importing foreign grains were not accepted, so he criticized the Park Chung-hee government’s agricultural policies.

12 Years of Aid Allocation Practice in Korea: Disparities in Accordance with Recipients’ Merits with the Lorenz Curve

Purpose: This paper has examined whether there is disparity in aid allocation funded by the Korean government and sought to answer a number of salient questions on strategies in practice. Originality: The previous research on aid allocation tends to explore factors and declares that assistance has been allocated to developing countries, with a focus on the level of recipients’ needs and donors’ domestic interests based on the ‘RN-DI model’, whereas it is expected that the findings on aid allocation based on the RN-DI model have been presented with biased results. Hence, this study attempts to build momentum to analyze if there appear to be disparities in aid allocation based on the ‘Recipient Merit’. Furthermore, using the Lorenz curve, this article aims to pursue its relative simplicity to measure and the ability of the Gini Coefficient to offer a single value of overall equity in aid allocation. Methodology: The framework used to analyze and compare the level of disparities in aid allocation comes from different perspectives: (1) recipients’ needs; (2) donors' interests; and (3) recipients’ merit. It analyzes disparities in aid allocation over a 12-year period (2010-2021) using the three competing frameworks, allowing the relative strategies to be assessed employing the Gini coefficient and Lorenz Curves. Result: The results indicate that the government has provided foreign aid based on recipients' merits, with discrepancies in aid allocation attributable to governance rather than recipients’ needs and the donor’s interests. Indeed, ODA has been allocated with disparities depending on recipient countries’ level of accountability; the less developed the degree of accountability, the greater the disparities in ODA allocation. Conclusions and Implication: These findings provide impetus for citizens to agree on an increase in assistance by highlighting that the Korean government has opted to create a gap in aid allocation based on governance quality to increase aid effectiveness and prevent the waste of tax.

Transitioning from Scratch to Java: A mixed method investigation into students' learning processes

This research examines the transition from Scratch to Java programming, highlighting high achievement among participants. The study includes 70 students and utilizes mixed methods, combining quantitative analysis and qualitative narratives. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of Scratch Visual Teaching Aids (VTA) in developing educational games, understanding algorithm concepts, and improving programming projects. Students' attitudes towards Scratch VTA show increased interest, concentration, and enjoyment in learning. Quantitative analysis indicates positive tool capabilities (mean scores ranging from 3.25 to 3.46). Qualitative narratives reveal varying perceptions of the transition, with prior programming knowledge influencing the shift. Challenges include adapting to the learning session and mastering Java's syntax and concepts. This study enhances programming education practices, providing recommendations for educators during the Scratch-to-Java transition.

Foreign Aids and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: An Application of Dynamic Least Squares Approach

The impact of foreign aid in donor and recipient countries is largely unsettled amongst existing studies, as well as, literature. This is attributed to the various arguments for and against the benefits of foreign aid, as it relates to sustainable development. As such, the study examined the effect of foreign aids on sustainable development in Nigeria from 1986-2021. The study used Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root test, Johansen Co-integration test, Dynamic Least Squares (DOLS) and Granger Causality test. The ADF result showed that sustainable development, foreign aids, exchange rate, inflation rate and trade openness were stationary at first level difference. Also Johansen co-integration test confirmed a long-run relationship between the variables. The DOLS result revealed that, foreign aid, exchange rate and trade openness were significant with each exhibiting a direct link with sustainable development at 5%; while, that of foreign aid was at 10%. This suggests that inflow of foreign aids in different forms is essential for resource conservation. Also, inflation rate showed an inverse and significant link with sustainable development at 5%. In addition, a bi-directional causality was established between foreign aid and sustainable development. The study concluded that foreign aids in different forms, exchange rates stability and high exportation that comply with environmental sustainability boost Nigeria's sustainable development growth, but spiral inflation worsens it. Thus, it is advised that government should declare an emergency over environmental issues in order to guarantee an increase in the flow of foreign aid into environmental sustainability.