Economic Emancipation Research Articles

Women Empowerment through Women Entrepreneurs in Rural Area in Small Scale: With Reference to Jamkhandi Taluka

Importance of women in each family is known to all. Indian culture and civilization is very much attached to women and her relationship. Therefore, INDIA is symbolized as Mother India (Bharat Mata). Women are known for their best characters like patience, endurance, love, affection, sympathy and generosity. During early Vedic period, women enjoyed high status and position in their family. They shared equal rights and responsibilities with the husband. A woman is regarded as indivisible part of her husband and therefore her presence and participation in all rituals is inevitable. After Independence all round efforts have been made to promote the welfare of women. The Indian Constitution declared India to be sovereign democratic republic based on four pillars of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. This means to provide the following without gender discrimination:1. Rights and Status,2. Education, 3. Health, 4. Economic emancipation, 5. Welfare organization. The position and functions of women differ from community-to-community, place-toplace. Therefore, women welfare programmes need to fulfill different needs of women of all communities. Though women share equally with men in population, they are treated unequally in all other aspects. Even in the modernized and sophisticated countries they are treated as subordinates to men. The government of India has defined 'women entrepreneurs based on women participation in equality and employment of a business enterprise.' Accordingly, a women entrepreneur is defined as, 'Enterprise owned and controlled by a women having a minimum financial investment of 51% of the capital and giving at least 51% of the employment generated in the enterprise to women.' In India, entrepreneurship has been dominated by male governed economy, where the role of women as entrepreneurs has been negligible. However, presently prowomen entrepreneurs have been playing an increasingly important role in promoting growth and economic development of the country. Women entrepreneurship is also gaining increasing importance in relevant notification of public policy relevant. National governments and international organizations are coming to realize that promoting women economic development through women entrepreneurs plays an important role in economic growth, particularly at the grassroots level. Women entrepreneurship needs to be studied separately for the following two main reasons:Economic growth of the country,Need for women empowerment.Though various efforts are being made to improve the status of women, yet women-folk could not take maximum advantage and benefit and remained still backward. Hence, it becomes necessary for the society and government to find out remedies for the problems of women entrepreneurship.

Factors Impeding Political Participation and Representation of Women in Kenya

The quest for gender equity in Kenya is relevant for effective gender mainstreaming. Women have been marginalized and underrepresented in organs of decision-making and in governance structures of the country since independence. Kenya’s Constitution offers a framework to address this historical marginalization. Even though a number of women have made great strides in politics in the country, women representation is far below the minimum one third public service requirement of Article 27(3) of the Constitution of Kenya. Traditional beliefs, perceptions and stereotypes which depict women as being inferior have tended to militate towards their marginalization. Data on the numbers of elected Parliamentarians (including Senators, Governors and County Representatives) and holders of senior government positions shows that gender equity is still a mirage. Cultural impediments to women’s economic emancipation have also denied them political representation in the Legislature. Kenya has the challenge of identifying and implementing mechanisms – policies and practices - so as to achieve gender equity. Political parties are not keen to try and implement the minimum one third constitutional requirement for their lists of candidates nominated to vie in elections. Advancing the participation of women in devolved governance structures requires serious consideration by putting in place policy measures and interventions that would further this cause since equal gender participation is enshrined in the Constitution. It appears lack of political will is the biggest obstacle in addressing gender imbalance in the country. Thus there is greater need to address gender inequality in political representation and decision making in the country.

Endless Misery of Nimble Fingers: The Rana Plaza Disaster

In search of better luck and lives, poor women from rural Bangladesh come to urban areas of the country to work in the garments industry from which the country is earning the majority of its foreign income. The country's fate is changing due to the industry; so is the fate of its owners, but the question is how much has the fate of the poor women who work in it changed? How empowered are these women as a result of their employment in the factories? Investigation has shown that women are victimized as a result of obvious gender discrimination. They become victims of any kind of disaster, including both human-made and natural. The disgraceful work environment has always pressured them into forced labor, often under threat and sometimes sexual harassment. The collapse of the eight-story Rana Plaza garment factory on April 24, 2013 has consequently caused another hidden disaster in women's lives, the uncertainty of life in the future and post traumatic disorder. Economic access provided economic emancipation to some extent to these garment worker women. Paradoxically, the endless misery of women's lives because of this human-made disaster is questioning the meaning of “women's economic empowerment.”

Education, Economic Growth & Poverty Rate in Nigeria: Any Nexus?

Education is seen as a veritable tool for the socio-political and economic emancipation of any country from the shackles of ignorance, poverty, unemployment and low economic growth. But despite the enormous increase in education expenditure and literacy rate in Nigeria in the past two decades, noninclusive growth and high poverty rate still permeate all facets of human endeavour. In this light, the paper examines the interrelationships among education, economic growth and poverty in Nigeria. The study adopts econometrics methodology as the analytical tool using secondary data from 1980-2012. Evidence from the study suggests that though a long-run relationship exists among education, economic growth and poverty rate in Nigeria, but neither total education expenditure nor literacy rate cause changes in poverty rate in Nigeria. While government expenditure on education was found to have a positive and significant impact on economic growth (both in the short-run and in the long-run), literacy rate has positive but insignificant impact on growth. This could be due to high rate of unemployed school leavers, weak institutional mechanism, obsolete school curricula, shortage of critical infrastructure, and brain drain syndrome which characterize the country. The paper therefore recommended an increase in budgetary allocation to education as well as a review of the school curricula with a view to making the educational system more responsive to growth and poverty reduction in Nigeria. Government should also create the enabling environment for the creation of jobs through the provision of critical infrastructure which accelerate the development of small scale enterprises. This will provide gainful employment for school leavers and make them contribute more to inclusive growth and poverty reduction in Nigeria.

South Africa and the Unfolding Realities of Economic Management : Twenty Years after Democracy , Freedom and Transition

This paper attempts to place in perspective the issues and realities of South African economic challenges and imperatives nearly twenty years after democracy, freedom and transition. To this end the work of Khalid Ikram is acknowledged in respect to the ideas and synthesis utilized in this paper. His work was portrayed in a book Egypt: Economic Management in a Period of Transition (A World Bank Country Economic Report, 1980). The idea of framing this article is based on the similarities that confront South Africa some 33 years after Egypt had undergone its own transition and economic emancipation. There is no doubt that South Africa has made some great strides in assembling economic intervention strategies in two decades of its freedom from the yoke of apartheid oppression. It still has a long journey to undertake in respect of its transition and emancipation from the legacy of apartheid.

An Empirical Study of the Social Economic Impact of Federal Polytechnic on its Host Community

A polytechnic, sited in a metropolitan environment especially, is regarded among other things as a veritable citadel of learning and vehicle for social – economic emancipation of the people. Not only that the institution be a source of light into the darkness of ignorance, poverty and disease, but it will also provide gainful employment opportunities to its patrons, through its many linkages which will inevitably spring up overtime. Host communities to such institutions are usually seen as the primary beneficiaries, if the opportunities thus provided are effectively harnessed. The corollary also holds that if a gap exists by omission or commission, between the expected and actual outcomes regarding the project’s impact on the host community, the credibility gap also widens. The wisdom in releasing their land for such projects. This study was undertaken to examine to what extent the Offa community was justified in hosting federal Polytechnic, vis-a-viz the economic impact that the latter is making on its host community. A survey research design was used while stratified sampling techniques were employed in selecting the sample, realizing the heterogeneous nature of the parameters employed. 50 questionnaires were distributed but only 34 were completed and returned which represented 68% response rate. Data collected were summarized using frequency tables while Pearson correlation analyses was further done to test the hypothesis that the establishment of Federal Polytechnic at Offa has not made any significant impact on the socio-economic life of Offa people. The finding showed that the impact so far made, is significant. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA

An Empirical Study of the Social Economic Impact of Federal Polytechnic on its Host Community

A polytechnic, sited in a metropolitan environment especially, is regarded among other things as a veritable citadel of learning and vehicle for social – economic emancipation of the people. Not only that the institution be a source of light into the darkness of ignorance, poverty and disease, but it will also provide gainful employment opportunities to its patrons, through its many linkages which will inevitably spring up overtime. Host communities to such institutions are usually seen as the primary beneficiaries, if the opportunities thus provided are effectively harnessed. The corollary also holds that if a gap exists by omission or commission, between the expected and actual outcomes regarding the project’s impact on the host community, the credibility gap also widens. The wisdom in releasing their land for such projects. This study was undertaken to examine to what extent the Offa community was justified in hosting federal Polytechnic, vis-a-viz the economic impact that the latter is making on its host community. A survey research design was used while stratified sampling techniques were employed in selecting the sample, realizing the heterogeneous nature of the parameters employed. 50 questionnaires were distributed but only 34 were completed and returned which represented 68% response rate. Data collected were summarized using frequency tables while Pearson correlation analyses was further done to test the hypothesis that the establishment of Federal Polytechnic at Offa has not made any significant impact on the socio-economic life of Offa people. The finding showed that the impact so far made, is significant.

Ethical Economic Engagement in a World beyond Control

Political projects are often grounded in theoretical analyses that present themselves as adequate to the world they hope to transform. This is true of many projects on the right as well as many on the left. In contrast, J. K. Gibson-Graham refuse any such notion of adequacy. Their refusal substantially complicates the ethical dimensions of academic practice, especially for those scholars who seek to promote projects of economic emancipation and justice. Gibson-Graham's practice provides a challenging vision of how we can engage ethically a world we cannot control. It is a practice based on what theologian Sharon Welch calls an “ethic of risk” rather than an “ethic of control.”

Accidents at work and living conditions among solid waste segregators in the open dump of Distrito Federal.

The work of recycling solid waste segregators allows a precarious livelihood, but triggers a disease process that exacerbates their health and well-being. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of occupational accidents at the open dump in the Federal District and its associated factors. Most segregators have had an accident at work (55.5%), perceived the danger of their working environment (95.0%) and claimed they did not receive personal protective equipment (51.7%). Among other findings, 55.8% ate foods found in the trash, 50.0% experienced food insecurity at home and 44.8% received Bolsa Família. There was a statistically significant relationship between work accidents and perception of dangerous work environment, household food insecurity and the presence of fatigue, stress or sadness (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the fellowship between the segregators was associated with a lower prevalence of accidents (p < 0.006). Women are the majority of the segregators (56.5%) and reported more accidents than men (p < 0.025). We conclude that the solid waste segregators constitute a vulnerable community, not only from the perspective of labor, but also from the social and environmental circumstances. To reverse this situation, effective implementation of the National Policy of Solid Wastes is imperative, in association with affirmative policies to grant economic emancipation for this population.

The Changing Role of Women’s Earnings in Marriage Formation in Japan

Japan is one of a few developed countries in which marriage and higher earning potential among women are negatively associated. Previous studies have suggested that a traditional gender division of labor is at the root of this negative relationship, but this study suggests that the relationship is changing. In this article, I examine the latest marriage behavior among Japanese women from 1993 to 2008, focusing on the relationship between women’s economic emancipation and marriage in a gender-traditional society. Using the longest panel survey available in Japan, this study first demonstrates that the effects of women’s earnings have reversed, and are now in fact positive in the 1970s cohort. This suggests that Japanese marriage behaviors now resemble more than in the past those of Western countries, where wives’ economic contributions to the family are considered important. I argue that changes in young adults’ gender ideology have been the major force in facilitating this shift.

Ideological challenges to developing leisure sport in Romania: a cultural and historical analysis of the impact of elite sport on popular sport practice

In contrast to the national government willingness, the development of mass physical activities remains limited in Romania. This matter of fact is particular in regard of the elite sports team high level results and the country's integration into the European Union which contributes to social and economic emancipation. This paradox has motivated us to link today's sport situation and the country's sport strategy since 1945. The sports policy in Romania has made some representations far away from hedonistic dimensions of physical activity. This heritage is obvious in the promotion of sport by the government. Romanian institutions communicate on the possibilities of social improvement by competition and the functional benefits of physical activity. This functional vision of sport and the cultural heritage of the country obstructs the hedonistic values that characterize today's popular games and leisure practices.

Socio-economic Impact of Seasonal Wildfire on Forest and Wildlife Biodiversity in Ogun State

The paper examined Socio-economic impact of seasonal wildfire on biodiversity in Ogun State, especially in plantations and farmlands. Wildfire destroys ecosystems with loss of habitat and genetic resources. However, wildfire generally has historical record of its use as a tool by early man for clearing forest for agriculture to increase food production due to rising population. The forest is cleared and burnt despite providing array of goods and invaluable ecological services. The forest provides habitat for wildlife and once destroyed the fauna resources is equally destroyed. Consequently, if wildfire is prevented man stand to gain a lot from the conservation effort especially on genetic resources that will be protected within the forest. An evaluation of losses revealed that 70% of Nigeria's tree population are lost annually to forest fire with forest crop valued at over 19 million. Yet the sources of fires have not changed- natural and artificial. The artificial source resulting from human activities towards economic emancipation remained the major source of concern with rising population and increasing demand for food. Field experiments at Forestry research Institute of Nigeria showed that both early and late burning have effect on tree population with late burning having major effect on tree population. Late burning recorded 54% survival for trees, early burning 69.8% and protected plot recorded 73.8% survival. This indicates that wildfire should be prevented from all ecosystems and vegetation. Animal species however recorded highest number of 22 in farmland after using fire as a tool in land preparation with secondary regrowth recording the least population of 107. The effect of fire on plants and animals therefore underscore the need for prevention of wildfire and conservation to reduce ecosystem destruction, animal susceptibility to diseases, wildlife destruction and consequent genetic erosion of biodiversity in Ogun State. It is therefore recommended that policy statement must ensure enforcement and compliance with legislation on wildfire across the state.

Industrial Policy of Bangladesh 2010-A Critical Evaluation

Reviewing the characteristics of the economy of Bangladesh and realizing the prospects of the industrial sector, it is our view that the promotion and expansion of the industrial sector is the most time-befitting task for the economic development of Bangladesh. Industrial policy should be formulated with a view to maintaining balanced regional growth through the setting up of prioritized industries. The main objective of the study is to find out the problems that lie in the present policy and suggest how to overcome those. Data have been collected mainly from secondary sources to conduct the study. This paper does not criticize all the aspects of the policy, only four important and controversial aspects of Industrial Policy, 2010 have critically been evaluated. These are private sector; small, cottage, micro, high-tech, and rural industries; women's participation in industrialization, and priority determination for industrial development. Adequacy of various types of incentives offered in the policy for setting up prioritized industries as well as problems in maintaining coordination for policy formulation and monitoring activities for implementation of policy measures have been discussed and evaluated. This paper expresses the reasons for the failure of previous industrial policies in the pace of industrialization. This study also scrutinizes the problems that lie in the present policy and as such the pragmatic steps that should be taken for industrialization and incorporated into the industrial policy for achieving overall economic emancipation of the country. Accordingly, an endeavor has been made to suggest removing the structural impediments and policy obstacles in this paper. This study suggests and emphasizes preparing a policy for building a strong domestic industrial base i.e. local demand and need-based home industries and to way out for development and expansion of export-oriented and import-substitute industries and protecting them from outside competition.

The Portrayal of Women in the Periodicals of the First Lithuanian Republic

This article aims to add to the study of the culture, advertising history, and conception of woman of the first Republic of Lithuania. It examines articles and advertisements for women published from 1920–1940 in the periodicals “Naujoji romuva”, “Moteris” and “Naujas žodis.”The image of woman demanded by the traditional society was in large part formed by the Lithuanian Catholic women’s society through the newspaper “Moteris.” The patriarchal society wanted women to appear modest, healthy, and naturally beautiful, cherishing folk traditions and the image of the village girl with blonde braids. The image of woman-as-sacrificial-hero was also popular. Connotations of femininity were applied to the good, moral mother, the unconditionally loving wife, the guardian of the home, the saviour of the nation, the tutor and teacher who follows the word of God. However, the desire to also see women as active, determined, educated people who were able to hold jobs and take care of themselves demonstrates the broad outlook of the female Catholics.The image of the free-willed Lithuanian woman, as dictated by Western culture, appeared in “Naujoji romuva” and “Naujas žodis.” At its core it emphasised the cult of the body, fashion, external beauty, and personal and sexual freedom. The modern woman was always young, active, dominant in her relationships with men, and took an active interest in cultural events. Emancipated women were not necessarily married, and could raise children without husbands just as well. Yet femininity and faithfulness were valued.The study of the sources shows that women’s individuality, self-identity and need to be active were most likely to be expressed in the social, cultural and artistic spheres. These provided women not only with the opportunity to be educated and emancipated, but also with a place for self-expression, a chance to open their inner world, to form a well-rounded world-view. It is likely that the interwar Lithuanian woman – a middle-class city dweller – was in search of harmony and freedom: to be a bit of a temptress, to be beautiful, to create a happy family, and to make these differing social feminine roles work with her own economic and spiritual emancipation.

Feminism, the false consciousness of neoliberal capitalism? Informalization, fundamentalism, and women in an Indian city

Neoliberal globalization produces complex terrains of gender exploitation, with – some feminists argue – contradictory impacts on women. On the one hand, it subjects more women to increasing domination and devalorization by capital; on the other hand, women often ‘work’ globalization in ‘enabling’ ways. Informal jobs are often preferred sites for crafting economic emancipation and breaking away from patriarchy at home. Another body of literature argues that the feminization of informalization does not dismantle androcentric, neoliberal capitalism; moreover, reading these moments as women ‘working’ globalization represents a co-optation of women. Using examples of the feminization of informalization and ethno-religious gender violence in Ahmedabad city, India, this article critiques the concept of co-optation and argues that ‘actually existing women’ forge complex negotiations in the context of diverse exploitation, which can be conceptualized better with Marxian and Gramscian notions of false consciousness. The article also contends that understanding false consciousness as an assemblage where gender, class, caste, and ethnicity intersect in myriad ways will create possibilities for resistance.

Sabbath Observers and the Punishment of Dissidents: African Leaders and the Western Battle for International Dominance

Liberation leaders in Africa rose due to the promise of freedom and emancipation not only politically but economically. However, given the fact that independence in most states was acquired not through the barrel of the gun, Africa only attained political independence. Any attempt to change the economic status-quo was met with wroth from the erstwhile colonial masters as well as international institutions. Leaders who tried to push for economic emancipation where/are attacked with all the ammunition at the disposal and their economies are made to scream in order to scare others from such an act. The paper argues most African leaders, given the above scenario, tried to please the Western leaders more at the expense of the African peoples. The Western leaders have always continued to be driven by the desire to maintain their hegemony in international affairs and have to do anything that would make them retain the power. Due to the fact that such power is sometimes attained through the use of military invasion, other smaller states have decided to amass deterrent weapons to protect themselves. The paper notes that this has brought the world into an era of 'Realist Interdependence'. The paper concludes by analyzing the nature of the concept of the 'International Community' and concludes that while the concept should be inclusive, currently its meaning and application is selective and exclusionary in favour of the Western states.

Economic Freedom: The Path to Economic and Political Emancipation of the Conflict-Affected Region

This working paper is a written version of an oral presentation made originally at a seminar jointly organised by the Pathfinder Foundation and Point Pedro Institute of Development in Colombo on June 05, 2009 on the revival of the Northern Economy and subsequently at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) on July 27, 2009. This working paper argues the case for a comprehensive policy framework for the revival of the economy of the conflict-affected region, viz. the Eastern and Northern Provinces, in Sri Lanka. In lieu of going into sectoral specificities, this policy paper outlines a broad policy framework enshrined on economic freedom, transparent and accountable politico-economic governance structure, knowledge economy, and fiscal autonomy for the conflict-affected provinces and beyond. An edited version of this Working Paper was published in the journal Conflict Trends in December 2009.

Communication and Youth Empowerment in Multi-Ethnic Societies

The youths are very important in the economic life of any society because they are the bridge between the present and the future. However, in Nigeria and in many developing countries, this important group is excluded from the economic activities because of certain age-long socio-cultural and political beliefs that subjugate the youths. The alienation and deprivation of the youth from the economic activities and the attendant that results led many youths into different anti-social behaviours and activities such as armed robbery, prostitution, kidnapping and hostage taking for ransom, thuggery, petroleum pipeline vandalisation, advanced fee fraud, among others. This paper discusses some of the issues militating against the economic emancipation of the youth and explains the role of communication in reversing the trend and bringing the youth into the mainstream of national development. The paper suggests that adoption of appropriate communication strategies can bring the youths into the centre stage of economic activities that will create an atmosphere for an even economic development.

Jonathan Karp: The Politics of Jewish Commerce: Economic Thought and Emancipation in Europe, 1638–1848

The Politics of Jewish Commerce is a learned, subtle, and at times penetrating study. Its premise is that Jews are a revealing lens through which to dissect the many controversial, multilayered, and perennially fascinating questions about the rise of capitalism in Europe. This premise holds particularly true for the period before the mid-nineteenth century, when the legal status of Jews in Christian Europe was often linked to their perceived economic utility and danger, and when the power of money to shape society, politics, and culture was not taken for granted and elicited ambivalent responses. In Karp's lucid prose, "A central argument of this book is the notion that a specifically Jewish commerce served a vital function in Western thought. It served to abstract various types of activities from the generality of economic life and, through their association with stigmatized Jews, make them vehicles for expressing widely felt anxieties about commerce in a manner that was politically safe and psychically tolerable" (p. 2). Karp examines how Jewish and Christian authors between 1638 and 1848 depicted Jews' economic roles in medieval and early modern Europe. At the same time, he connects these authors' images of "Jewish commerce" to heated debates about the legal status and political rights of Jews. One of Karp's considerable merits is thus to have shown the interdependence between economic and political ideologies, the economic dimension of political debates about Jewish emancipation, and, more generally, the didactic function that Jewish history played in the history of European political and economic thought. The parade of authors Karp analyzes begins with the seventeenth-century Venetian rabbi Simone Luzzatto a clear indication that Jewish scholars participated in these debates and that their voices influenced both coreligionists and gentiles in the years and centuries to come. Luzzatto made an "ingenious argument" (p. 22) that both exalted the beneficial effect of Jewish commerce on the Christian polity and downplayed Christian fears by emphasizing Jews'

ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT, CULTURE: GLOBAL DREAMS BY TWO ASIAN CITIES

Global cities have been characterized as networked nodes, with multiple and intensive global flows of people, goods, services, ideas, and images. These often share more in common, and identify more with other such cities than with urban hinterlands in their own countries. Given the myriad external linkages and orientation, this paper will argue that some Asian cities progress is not only aimed at economic and social emancipation, which are only tools to attain global city status. It will particularly examine the cultural production of new urban spaces due to economic growth, and compare between two Asian cities of Hong Kong and Singapore.