High Aspirations Research Articles

How (in)elastic is the demand for short-sea shipping? A review of elasticities and application of different models to Swedish freight flows

ABSTRACT Despite high ambitions, policies for a modal shift in Europe have largely been unsuccessful. Part of the explanation relates to the inelasticity of freight transport demand. Understanding the demand elasticity of freight transport is important to design and appraise policies for external cost reductions in the transport sector. There have been many studies focused on estimating the elasticity of demand for short-sea shipping, a mode which policy makers have often aimed to strengthen to facilitate a modal shift from road freight. The objective of this review is to build upon the available literature by presenting and comparing estimated elasticities and to demonstrate the state of evidence through the application of two methodological approaches. Our review shows that there is a surprising degree of variation in elasticity estimates, part of which can likely be explained by differing methodological approaches. Applying a deterministic cost-minimising freight transport model and a stochastic multinomial logit approach based on responses from the Swedish Cargo Flow Survey, we demonstrate the inelasticity of Swedish maritime freight flows and provide suggestions for future research and policy discussions. For future studies of maritime transport demand elasticities to arrive at reliable and policy-relevant results, we highlight the need for combined and pluralistic methodological approaches and an increased use of real-world data.

Capabilities of Business and Operational Support Systems for Pre-Commercial 5G Testbeds

With the visions and high ambitions for the 5G ecosystem, mobile network operators (MNOs) and communication service providers (CSPs) embark on increased market complexity, with regard to volume and variety of users, customers, services, and partners. Digitalized, frictionless, and growth-enabling support system journeys become imperative. This article builds on the analysis of users' challenges and requirements when accessing support systems and proposes an architectural design for the 5G platforms' system support stack. It suggests the most important capabilities that 5G business support systems and operation support systems should have and explains why they are important from the perspective of pre-commercial 5G testbeds/experimental platforms. Our study focuses on the three main actors interacting with such platforms, namely the MNO/CSP, which operates and contributes infrastructure to the testbed; the vertical enterprise customer, who consumes services for performing experiments; and the third-party service provider, which complements the testbed by offering its own services through the platform or performs testing of its services under realistic conditions.

Explaining gaps in educational transitions between migrant and native school leavers

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the reasons for the gaps in post-schooling transitions between migrant and native pupils in Germany. While differences in parental background or skills partly explain the gaps, they are not sufficient. Conditional on these factors, there is a ‘polarization’ of educational choices: migrants are more likely to attend tertiary education, less likely to attend vocational education, and more likely to end without qualified training than their background and skills would predict. This is driven by the migrants’ more academic career aspirations and expectations before leaving school. On the one hand, these higher ambitions allow high-skilled migrants to achieve tertiary education despite their less favourable background. On the other hand, low-skilled migrants who in Germany’s tracked school system do not have the option to enter tertiary education, may be diverted from vocational training as a more viable alternative. Finally, possible explanations for the different career plans are discussed.

The implication of the Paris targets for the Middle East through different cooperation options

The core of the 36th round of the Energy Modeling Forum project shows that it is more likely that major fossil-fuel exporters, such as the Middle East, are highly affected because of the decrease in fossil-fuel extractions required for the worldwide fulfillment of the Paris agreement. We employ a multi-region, multi-sector computable general equilibrium model of global trade and energy to examine the effects of implementing the Paris agreement with a focus on the Middle East which is further disaggregated into Iran, Saudi Arabia, the rest of net fossil fuel exporting countries (XFE), and the rest of countries (XNE). After examining the abatement costs for the regions, we apply four emission reduction targets, ranging from a low ambition level to a high ambition level. We develop comprehensive scenarios covering several cooperation options within the Middle East and between the Middle East and selected regions outside. The results show that Iran has the lowest marginal abatement cost in the Middle East, followed by XNE, XFE, and Saudi Arabia. If the Middle East does not implement any climate policy, the welfare losses can be slightly compensated due to a carbon leakage to the Middle East. The cooperations within the Middle East are not welfare increasing for the region as a whole when Iran mainly benefits from such cooperation whereas Saudi Arabia loses welfare. The Middle East benefits from global cooperation and the cooperation with Europe, but the cooperation with China, India, or Russia can be welfare decreasing.

High Expectations, Cautionary Tales, and Familial Obligations: The Multiple Effects of Family on the Educational Aspirations of First‐generation Immigrant and Refugee Youth

This ethnographic study explores the complex influence of family members on the educational aspirations of a group of diverse immigrants and refugees in New York State. Although families fostered high educational aspirations in participants, experiences of economic precarity, high‐stakes exams, and downward mobility constrained youths' capacity to realize their goals. Despite these challenges, participants demonstrated a high level of determination and commitment to families as they sought to balance familial duties with educational success.

A Nice Tailwind: The EU’s Goal Achievement at the IMO Initial Strategy

In April 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reached agreement on its Initial Strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. The Initial Strategy was a success for the EU, as it achieved its long-term objective of reaching an international agreement on greening shipping. However, several factors call into question whether the “success” was the result of the role played by the EU. Using process-tracing, we provide insight into the factors and the mechanism that led the EU to achieve its objective with the Initial Strategy. The article finds that the EU’s goal achievement was the result of a mechanism triggered by (1) its overarching objective for action in the IMO on emissions in international shipping; (2) an entrepreneurial coalition partner; and (3) mounting momentum for action in the IMO. While the EU, including through its member states, played an important role in the negotiations, it only did so relatively late in the process, building on the successful work of the Shipping High Ambition Coalition. Based on this case study, we note implications not only for the proposed aspects of the European Green Deal related to greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, but also our understanding of the EU as an international (climate) actor.

Upscaling ecological restoration: toward a new legal principle and protocol on ecological restoration in international law

The United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration is an opportunity for States to advance the development of substantive and qualitative international law obligations for conducting restoration activities. This will help countries move beyond the more quantitative target‐driven approach that currently focuses international commitments on the percentage of degraded areas that have to be restored. In this paper, we argue for two pathways for States to accelerate and pursue international obligations to undertake ecological restoration. Firstly, we advocate for the development of a new international legal principle on ecological restoration, adding to existing international environmental law principles such as the prevention principle, and aiming at achieving the highest level of recovery possible. Secondly, we advocate to utilize available mechanisms through the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and create a new protocol that will spell out a high ambition level for ecological restoration and a legal basis for adopting generally accepted rules and standards for restoration. The voluntary SER Principles and Standards can play an important role in the development of the legal principle on ecological restoration and standards of best practice.

A critical reflection on the Commission on Religious Education\u2019s proposed National Entitlement to Religion and Worldviews in England and Wales

This paper responds to the Commission on Religious Education’s proposed National Entitlement to Religion and Worldviews in England and Wales. Qualitative data were collected from nine English primary Religious Education (RE) teachers to establish their responses to the proposed National Entitlement from their perspectives as RE practitioners. Findings show that teachers were supportive of the high ambitions the National Entitlement has for RE, that they saw opportunities for pupils’ social and personal development as well as advancement in substantive knowledge, but that they were concerned about content-heavy curricula and structural barriers to implementing the National Entitlement. In response, the paper examines ‘cumulatively sufficient’ curricular design and ‘pedagogical reduction’ as strategies to activate the National Entitlement, and raises questions about ‘instrumental purposes’ in the conceptualisation of Religion and Worldviews. The paper recommends sharper account of the originality of Religions and Worldviews in order to advance the cause of the National Entitlement.

Distribution of capital and school-related stress at elite high schools

ABSTRACT We investigate school-related stress at two very different elite schools in Norway, using a mixed-methods approach. Schola Osloensis (SO) has a high-grade average and students come from backgrounds with large amounts of cultural capital. At Oslo Commercial School (OCS), students’ grades are average, while parents have large economic resources. Data are qualitative interviews of 35 students at each school, photographs taken by students with the mobile phone app MyView as well as focus groups. At SO, academic performance and the struggle for top grades were the most important source of stress. At OCS, much centred on family background and codes regarding style. Lack of integration in key networks was the central cause of stress. We suggest that the most important stressors at the two schools may be shaped by different factors: At SO, surrounded by high aspirations and much cultural capital, stress is a result of the fear of failing academically. At OCS, where tight social networks based in milieus with much economic capital predominate, stress is caused by not getting access to the right social circles. Thus, stress may originate from tensions related to values and codes based on key socio-economic dimensions in social systems.

Achieving Business Excellence for Luxury Brands

Luxury brands possess specific characteristics which are different from that of other brands and require special considerations for marketing and promotion. The target market of luxury brands constitutes of high-end customers who have high aspirations and dreams which they wish to fulfill by possessing luxury products. Marketers of luxury brands require developing and implementing specific strategies for achieving business excellence. Luxury brands should have a strong customer focus and in-depth understanding of customers. Luxury brands require specific pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies. Pricing strategies include charging price premiums and having price-quality inferences. Luxury brands should communicate a unique value proposition and should justify high prices. Proper distribution strategies reflect exclusivity and uniqueness of luxury brands. Adopting and implementing such strategies will help luxury brands to convince their high-end customers, establish the brands, and achieve business excellence.

Aspirations and women's empowerment: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

AbstractThere is an enormous interest in development interventions aimed at reducing behavioural poverty traps, including by raising women's and girls' aspirations, or future‐oriented goals. However, little is known about how women's aspirations influence their gender attitudes, the marriages into which they select and their involvement in intra‐household decision‐making. We find that women in Kyrgyzstan with higher aspirations are more likely to espouse egalitarian gender attitudes, as are their husbands, and their husbands have higher aspirations. They also live in households in which women play a greater role in decision‐making, and in which spouses are more likely to agree about women's roles in decision‐making.

Empty Zona Pellucida Only Case: A Critical Review of the Literature.

The presence of empty zona pellucida (EZP) in oocytes following oocyte retrieval (OR) during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle presents a major clinical and laboratory challenge in assisted reproduction. It has been attributed to several factors such as the ovarian stimulation protocol employed, the damaging of the follicles during oocyte retrieval (OR) mainly through the high aspiration pressure, during the denudation technique, and the degeneration of oolemma within the zona pellucida (ZP) through apoptosis. The role of ZP is pivotal from the early stages of follicular development up to the preimplantation embryo development and embryo hatching. Polymorphisms or alterations on the genes that encode ZP proteins may contribute to EZP. We present a critical review of the published literature hitherto on EZP and available options when encountered with the phenomenon of EZP. Concerning the former, we found that there is rare data on this phenomenon that merits documentation. The latter includes technical, genetic, and pathophysiological perspectives, along with specific treatment options. In conclusion, we identify the lack of a definitive management proposal for couples presenting with this phenomenon, we underline the need for an algorithm, and indicate the questions raised that point towards our goal for a strategy when addressing a previous finding of EZP.

Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health

Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health

Shaping young people’s decisions about post-school pathways: societal sentiments versus informed perspectives

ABSTRACT Both government reports and academic literature concur in claiming that the low standing of vocational education and training (VET) and the occupations it serves in the community is a major problem for increasing the engagement in this educational sector in an era of high aspiration. An initial analysis from a project capturing school students, school teachers and parents’ perspectives of what informs young people’s post-school choices found parents and teachers were key. Yet they often lacked informed and impartial exposure to or advice about VET and the occupations it serves. To identify whether this lack of familiarity was a key basis for shaping decision-making away from VET, a further analysis was undertaken drawing on the perspectives of vocational educators. That analysis showed, however, that exposure to VET and the occupations it serves does not, of itself, mean that the person providing advice is any more informed about or inherently encouraging of young people to engage in VET. Instead, vocational educators’ perspectives were more aligned with those of school teachers and parents of school-aged children than those of school students. The key finding here is that rather than relying upon the contributions that arise to engagement with familiars (i.e. parents and teachers), a process approach is required to provide impartial and comprehensive advice about and experiences with diverse post-school pathways and occupations to young people and to have mechanisms that allow their capacities, interests, and aspirations to be engaged with this advice.

Strategy of Islamic Religious Education Teachers in Increasing Student Learning Motivation

The purpose of the article was to describe and analyze strategies of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) Teachers in Improving Students' Learning Motivation in Madrasah Aliyah (MA) Class X Hikmatul Amanah. The type of research used is qualitative with a case study approach. Data collection is done by observation, interviews, documentation. Data analysis used the Miles and Huberman method, namely by reducing, presenting, and certifying data. To test the validity of the data by testing credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The results of this article show 1) IRE teachers at Hikmatul Amanah Mojokerto Islamic School have implemented strategies and methods that are in accordance with the applicable curriculum at the school. However, there are still shortcomings where the teacher lacks varied and boring strategies and methods in the learning process so that students are less motivated to learn pie subjects 2) the inhibiting factor of the teacher's strategy in increasing student motivation to learn is the lack of communication between teachers and parents, the lack of learning media, the family environment, and the school environment can also be an obstacle for teachers during the teaching and learning process. The supporting factors for the teacher's strategy are from the students themselves, how they feel a strong desire and have high aspirations so they are motivated to learn and receive support in the form of attention, rewards, and punishment, praise from family, teachers, and the environment.

Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health

Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health

JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FEMALE TEACHERS OF PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES OF NAVI MUMBAI

This study investigated the factors behind job satisfaction among women teachers of professional institutes of Navi Mumbai. The researcher chose professional institutes because these are the centres of higher education where expectations from teachers are the highest and where their work performance is under constant review. The researcher decided to make women teachers as the subject of her study because they form the backbone of the profession and have high career aspirations. The major findings of the study showed that there is no significant difference in the job satisfaction dimensions of women teachers of professional institutes of Navi Mumbai with respect to age and years of experience.

THE IMPACT OF EGG RETRIEVAL ASPIRATION PUMP PRESSURE ON IVF OUTCOMES

Given concern that high aspiration pressures may induce damage in the oocytes, this study assessed whether egg retrieval aspiration pressures of 110, 150, or 160 mmHg have any impact on oocyte yield, embryo development, or oocyte retrieval surgical time.

Understanding aspirations: why do secondary TVET students aim so high in Chile?

ABSTRACT The interest in educational and professional aspirations of students transiting to post-secondary education has gained prominence in academic debates and policy agendas internationally. Political interventions for raising aspirations quite often draw on narrow instrumental and rationalistic assumptions of individual decision-making that, as we will argue, do not capture adequately the meanings students attribute to these aspirations. By means of in-depth interviews and combining a critical realist approach to social action with capabilities approach, the paper explores the educational and professional aspirations of students at the end of secondary TVET in Chile. We consider that high educational aspirations of secondary TVET students in Chile need to be understood as a reflexive response to significantly high social inequalities in the country, the precarity of working conditions in a highly liberalised labour market, and the enduring neoliberal tenet of meritocracy. We also argue that understanding aspirations is key to reimagine TVET’s roles and purposes at individual, institutional and national levels, towards fairer opportunities for human development.

\u2018Do Poor People\u2019s Dreams Ever Come True?\u2019 Educational Aspirations and Lived Realities in Urban Slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh has made progress in advancing adolescent girls’ education, but there remain substantial evidence gaps around age and gender differences in motivations, retention, and access to education for adolescents living in urban slums. This article draws on quantitative and qualitative data collected in 2017 and 2018 by Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) with adolescents aged 10–17 across three low-income areas in Dhaka to explore adolescent educational attainment, aspirations, and environmental factors that constrain both. We find high educational and professional aspirations among adolescents and their parents, with parental support being an important predictor of both current enrolment and adolescent aspirations. Location is also an important predictor of adolescent aspirations and enrolment, highlighting the importance of infrastructure and services, integration into the city, and stability of the community (including schools and facilities), along with higher incomes and better employment opportunities for households.