High Level Of Human Development Research Articles

Exploring Long Term Spatial Vegetation Trends in Taiwan from AVHRR NDVI3g Dataset Using RDA and HCA Analyses

Due to 4000 m elevation variation with temperature differences equivalent to 50 degrees of latitudinal gradient, exploring Taiwan’s spatial vegetation trends is valuable in terms of diverse ecosystems and climatic types covering a relatively small island with an area of 36,000 km2. This study analyzed Taiwan’s spatial vegetation trends with controlling environmental variables through redundancy (RDA) and hierarchical cluster (HCA) analyses over three decades (1982–2012) of monthly normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) NDVI3g data for 19 selected weather stations over the island. Results showed two spatially distinct vegetation response groups. Group 1 comprises weather stations which remained relatively natural showing a slight increasing NDVI tendency accompanied with rising temperature, whereas Group 2 comprises stations with high level of human development showing a slight decreasing NDVI tendency associated with increasing temperature-induced moisture stress. Statistically significant controlling variables include climatic factors (temperature and precipitation), orographic factors (mean slope and aspects), and anthropogenic factor (population density). Given the potential trajectories for future warming, variable precipitation, and population pressure, challenges, such as land-cover and water-induced vegetation stress, need to be considered simultaneously for establishing adequate adaptation strategies to combat climate change challenges in Taiwan.

Pathways among Caregiver Education, Household Resources, and Infant Growth in 39 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Caregiver education is known to relate to the growth of children, but possible mediation mechanisms of this association are poorly characterized and generally lack empirical support. We test whether instructional capital (caregiver education) leads to improved infant growth through availability of physical capital (household resources) across a wide swath of low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS3), we explore relations among caregiver education, household resources, and infant (M age = .99 years) growth in 117,881 families living in 39 LMIC. Overall, household resources mediated 76% of the small association between caregiver education and infant growth. When disaggregated by countries characterized by low, medium, and high levels of human development (as indexed by average life expectancy, education, and gross domestic product), household resources mediated 48% to 78% of the association between caregiver education and infant growth. Caregiver education had effects on infant growth through household resources in countries characterized by low, medium, and high levels of human development; for girls and boys; and controlling for indexes of infant feeding and health.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD EXPERIENCE IN KAZAKHSTAN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Investing in human resources is recognized in the realities of the a market economy to be one of the most important areas of the organization that can many times increase its effectiveness. Until recently, the concept of «investment in human resources» was absent in our management practice. I will be very difficult to solve this important for Kazakhstan socioeconomic state task, without improving the education management especially under the conditions when the country educational system have the a goal to perform training and retraining the specialists of new formation, capable to manage the economy at the micro and macro levels, taking into account the fact that the world competitiveness of a separate country is shaped today by the state of national education, the intellectual potential of its citizens, trained skilled workforce. The article presents the results of the study and optimization of the reproduction of the human capital of the organization based on international experience. The article presents results of a study dedicated to exploring and optimizing the system of human capital organization reproduction based on the world practice. Depending on the purpose of education three main groups of respondents were identified: those who are going to use this knowledge in the form of a diploma and self-improvement – 17 %; future businessmen (possessing personal business potential): –51 %; those, who are going to employ business knowledge in looking for career and prestigious (having career potential) – 32 %. The attraction of educated specialists enhances the value of the company’s human capital. The organizations and companies will be able to produce quality market competitive products. Thus. only a high level of education will allow Kazakhstan to achieve a high level of human development in each organization in particular and in the country as a whole.

Lake Use by Three Avian Piscivores and Humans: Implications for Angler Perception and Conservation

Humans and colonial piscivorous birds are often perceived to be in conflict over shared aquatic habitats and fisheries resources in inland lakes. We examined angler perception of birds and the relative abundance of American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis), and boats on two lakes in Saskatchewan, Canada. Anglers perceived cormorants to be the biggest threat to fisheries (60%), compared to pelicans (47%), and western grebes (34%). The density of these birds and boats varied significantly between sections of the two study lakes. Boat density was higher in developed sections with shoreline communities (range 0-7/km2) compared to those surrounded by agricultural land or native prairie (0-1/km2). In contrast, cormorant and pelican densities were highest in areas with an undeveloped shoreline (0-22/km2), and were reduced to near zero in developed sections. Western grebes did not follow the same pattern as the other two species; grebe density was generally more uniform within lakes (0-23/km2 in all sections). Boat density was a negative predictor of pelican and cormorant density on one lake, but was a positive predictor for grebes on both lakes. Our results indicate that pelicans and cormorants avoid sections of lakes that have higher levels of human development, potentially altering the location of their foraging sites on the scale of kilometres. In contrast, western grebes were abundant in all areas of the two lakes and did not appear to avoid human development or activity. We conclude that angler perceptions are not congruent with levels of habitat use overlap with birds. In addition, western grebe responses to human activities appear counterintuitive, making interpretations difficult in a conservation context; further study is required.

Inclusive Human Growth

This article is about Kazakhstan’s path toward achieving high levels of human development and an institutional environment favorable to both productivity growth and protection for the most vulnerable. The growth of human capital is closely linked with economic growth. Human capital facilitates the transmission of knowledge and will accelerate the rate at which Kazakhstan can take advantage of technology transfers through foreign direct investment. It will also facilitate research and innovation, providing Kazakhstan the flexibility to adapt as its economy grows. The article comprises four sections that in turn deal with education, labor market, health, and social protection. Each section starts by examining recent trends and the conditions that Kazakhstan faces today, the vision for 2050, and a possible program of action for the next four decades that could make Vision 2050 reality. The concluding section presents crosscutting recommendations and identifies overarching challenges.

Liberal Nationalism, Religious Nationalism, and the Human Development Index

Darkening the dawn of a new era painstakingly liberated from the trammels of Cold War – played out in proxy wars, totalitarian Communist nation-states espousing central planning struggling against a market oriented democratic bloc – is the shadow of a potentially more wrenching ideological divide. Liberal nations committed to the rights revolution find themselves pitted against established and wannabe nation-states drawing upon ancient religions for their identities. The political and military dimensions of this new world order are with us on a daily basis, constantly reminding us of its violent ramifications: assassinations, suicide bombings, body counts from intractable civil wars dominate the news. Less appreciated are the economic dimensions of this conflict. This paper shows liberal nationalism encourages human development while religious nationalism diminishes it. An important corollary of this finding concerns the so-called material foundations of secularism, namely the view that societies are secular because their populations enjoy economic security as evidenced by a high level of human development. The view taken here is that the ideology – beliefs – profoundly shapes the human development of a nation’s populace. Where an agenda promoting individual and minority group rights prevails, improving human development goes hand in hand with advances in the per capita standard of living. Where a religious agenda runs counter to rights rising real per capita incomes is not automatically devoted to bolstering the human development of the populace. Secularism and human development go hand in hand mainly because of ideas realized in the political sphere; not because material well-being automatically promotes secular values. One possible outcome for societies shaped by religious nationalism is a religion trap, successful development falling victim to adherence to religious inspired ideology.

Improvements to Student Learning Through Multidisciplinary Perspectives Reviewed from the Dimensions of Analytical Psychology

In this paper, we look at some previously presented improvements to student learning through multidisciplinary perspectives (Watagodakumbura, 2012, 2013a, 2013b) from the viewpoints of analytical psychology. Diverse psychological and neurological student characteristics presented are evaluated from the viewpoints of psychological types presented in analytical psychology. Deep or higher-order learning is paralleled with the phenomenon of enhancing conscious sphere in which contents from the unconscious are brought to consciousness. Feeling and intuition psychological types are inferred to play an important role in this regard. Further, feeling and intuition conscious functions are identified to involve significantly when abstract concepts are learned and hence take relatively a longer time. The process of enhancing the conscious sphere directs individuals towards higher levels of human development. Developing creative instincts of learners through higher-levels of human development is inferred to be achieved only by allowing learners to undergo a complete, balanced learning cycle in which all conscious functions of sensing, thinking, feeling and intuition are given due attention. That is, both dominant and inferior functions play important roles.

Benefits of Authentic Education with Multidisciplinary Perspectives from the Viewpoints of Analytical Psychology

Authentic education system highlighted in this paper provides a unique learning experience to individual learners, specifically by addressing their psychological and neurological needs; assessment of learners are done through generic attributes that have more validity and relates to intrinsic learner characteristics, lasting throughout the life span. The psychological types or conscious functions defined in analytical psychology provide additional insights into learner classification and identifying appropriate generic attributes. . In the authentic education system described, learners are encouraged to pursue higher-order learning sending them through a complete learning cycle; this engages learners deeply to the task and provides a lasting experience, enabling individuals to reach their full potential. Learners are encouraged to pursue an individuation process as described in analytical psychology towards a higher level of human development; that is the shadow or the inferior functions are directly addressed enabling the path towards the concept of the self. Through authentic education, we get to value human resources much more than related economic aspects, making a significant difference to our current approaches and focus; it has the promise to effect a significant positive social change towards a sustainable development. In this regard, the viewpoints from analytical psychology as a framework of human development provide additional justifications.

Why Are Women Less Democratic Than Men? Evidence from Sub-Saharan African Countries

A substantial literature has examined the determinants of support for democracy and although existing work has found a gender gap in democratic attitudes, there have been no attempts to explain it. In this paper we try to understand why females are less supportive of democracy than males in a number of countries. Using data for 20 Sub-Saharan African countries, we test whether the gap is due to individual differences previously ignored or to country-wide characteristics. We find that controlling for individual characteristics does not offset the gender gap, but our results indicate that the gap is eroded by high levels of human development and political rights.

The stage of development among former communist economies: Social capital, the middle class and democracy

The aim of this paper is to trace, comparatively, the path of both development and democracy among Former Soviet Republics (FSRs) and Central Eastern European Countries (CEECs). Democracy is defined using the concept of Dahl (1971) who refers to “contestation” as the essential feature of democracy. Development is identified with the general progress of human beings (Ray, 1998), which can be better captured by the Human Development Index, and which does not include income improvements only. I assume that democratic institutions come from the middle class and social capital. In CEECs a higher level of social capital and a more consistent middle class than in FSRs generate better democratic institutions and consequently higher levels of human development. This hypothesis will be tested through a sample of 28 Former Communist Economies (FCEs) during the last 20 years of transformation since the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989.

Why are Women Less Democratic than Men? Evidence from Sub-Saharan African Countries

A substantial literature has examined the determinants of support for democracy and although existing work has found a gender gap in democratic attitudes, there have been no attempts to explain it. In this paper we try to understand why females are less supportive of democracy than males in a number of countries. Using data for 20 Sub-Saharan African countries, we test whether the gap is due to individual differences in policy priorities or to country-wide characteristics. We find that controlling for individual policy priorities does not offset the gender gap, but those women who are interested in politics are more democratic than men. Furthermore, our results indicate that the gap disappears in countries with high levels of human development and political rights.

Vulnerability of stream biota to climate change in mediterranean climate regions: a synthesis of ecological responses and conservation challenges

Freshwater species worldwide are experiencing dramatic declines partly attributable to ongoing climate change. It is expected that the future effects of climate change could be particularly severe in mediterranean climate (med-) regions, which host many endemic species already under great stress from the high level of human development. In this article, we review the climate and climate-induced changes in streams of med-regions and the responses of stream biota, focusing on both observed and anticipated ecological responses. We also discuss current knowledge gaps and conservation challenges. Expected climate alterations have already been observed in the last decades, and include: increased annual average air temperatures; decreased annual average precipitation; hydrologic alterations; and an increase in frequency, intensity and duration of extreme events, such as floods, droughts and fires. Recent observations, which are concordant with forecasts built, show stream biota of med-regions when facing climate changes tend to be displaced towards higher elevations and upper latitudes, communities tend to change their composition and homogenize, while some life-history traits seem to provide biota with resilience and resistance to adapt to the new conditions (as being short-lived, small, and resistant to low streamflow and desiccation). Nevertheless, such responses may be insufficient to cope with current and future environmental changes. Accurate forecasts of biotic changes and possible adaptations are difficult to obtain in med-regions mainly because of the difficulty of distinguishing disturbances due to natural variability from the effects of climate change, particularly regarding hydrology. Long-term studies are needed to disentangle such variability and improve knowledge regarding the ecological responses and the detection of early warning signals to climate change. Investments should focus on taxa beyond fish and macroinvertebrates, and in covering the less studied regions of Chile and South Africa. Scientists, policy makers and water managers must be involved in the climate change dialogue because the freshwater conservation concerns are huge.

Energy, wealth, and human development: Why and how biomass pretreatment research must improve

A high level of human development is dependent on energy consumption (roughly 4 kW per person), and most developed countries that have reached this level have done so through the extensive use of fossil energy. However, given that fossil resources are finite, in order for developed countries to maintain their level of development and simultaneously allow developing countries to reach their potential, it is essential to develop viable renewable energy alternatives. Of particular importance are liquid fuel replacements for petroleum, the fossil resource that primarily drives commerce and economic growth. The intent of this article is to remind our fellow biofuel researchers, particularly those involved in lignocellulosic pretreatment, of these global issues and the serious nature of our work. We hope that this will inspire us to generate and report higher quality and more thorough data than has been done in the past. Only in this way can accurate comparisons and technoeconomic evaluations be made for the many different pretreatment technologies that are currently being researched. The data that primarily influence biorefinery economics can be subdivided into three main categories: yield, concentration, and rate. For these three categories we detail the specific data that should be reported for pretreatment research. In addition, there is other information that is needed to allow for a thorough comparison of pretreatment technologies. An overview of these criteria and our comparison of the current state of a number of pretreatment technologies with respect to these criteria are covered in the last section.

The impact of culture on acceptance of soft drugs across Europe

PurposeThis paper applies Welzel and Inglehart's new human development/modernization theory to explain variation of tolerance in soft drug taking. It hypothesizes that tolerance of illegal drugs is linked to the human development and strength of a general cultural axis of nations: survivalism vs. self-expressionism. MethodsData are from the fourth wave of the World Values Surveys and from the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2001. Using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Regression (HGLM), this study examines variation of tolerance in soft drugs in 30 European nations with 38,719 respondents. ResultsResults support the hypothesis that residents from nations with higher levels of human development and with higher self-expressionist scores are more tolerant of soft drug use than residents in nations with lower human development levels and lower self-expressionist scores. ConclusionsOur findings point to the troublesome relationship between cosmopolitan culture characteristic of liberal democracy and soft drug tolerance. As liberal democracy empowers ordinary people with civil and political rights, it also nurtures the growth of human freedom, making it evident in the mass liberty aspiration of self-expressionism and self-management.

The Capacity Continuum: Tracking the Capacity of State Institutions in Driving Human Development

This paper examines the relationship between a state’s institutional capacity and human development. After analyzing human development trends since 1980 and the state’s role in helping to explain variance, the paper carries out a series of empirical exercises using a proxy variable for institutional state capacity — the Government Effectiveness Index (GEI) from the World Governance Indicators — and human development as measured by UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI). The panel data, which captures more than a decade of performance, suggests a strong, positive relationship between a state’s institutional capacity and its progress on human development. Plotting the data further reveals a ‘capacity continuum’ in which countries seem to follow a common trajectory over time. The data trends suggest that countries with low institutional capacity and low levels of human development struggle to escape the capacity-deficit trap. Conversely, states that boast high levels of human development and low levels of institutional capacity remain highly vulnerable to shocks and are oftentimes those hardest hit. The data trends also suggest that countries characterized by strong state institutions and high levels of human development are those that are most resilient and best able to withstand and manage shocks even during short-term downturns. Given the context-specificity and idiosyncratic nature of institutional change, the paper provides illustrations of the different typologies of countries along the capacity continuum. The investigation concludes by offering the capacity continuum as an analytical tool to support policymakers in their prioritization of policies and investments.

The Importance of Agriculture for Development: A Review Article on the Role of Agriculture in Economic and Social Development Based on the Human Development of South Asia Report 2002

The Human Development of South Asia 2002 Report is of special interest to agricultural economists as it more or less redefines the role of agriculture in development. It argues the case for continued development of agriculture as the only means by which poverty and human degradation could be reduced. The message of the Report is strong and clear. high levels of human development cannot be achieved if development priorities do not focus on the occupation of the people - both farm and non farm ‐ and where they live rural areas. The significance of the Human Development of South Asia 2002 Report is that it focuses on agricultural and rural development as the means by which human development could be achieved in South Asia. It analyses the reasons for the persistence of poverty, poor human development indicators and the inability to raise the poor from their misery and comes to the conclusion that without agricultural and rural development the causes of poor human development indicators cannot be eradicated. It is strongly of the view that the economic development strategies adopted in recent decades by South Asian countries were unable to reduce poverty and household level food security owing to inadequate growth in agriculture. Although promoting economic growth and even increases in agricultural and food production, they were incapable of promoting the welfare of a sizeable proportion of the population. The report is of the view that poverty, hunger, malnutrition and the poor human development indicators that are largely a rural phenomenon cannot be resolved by mere overall economic growth, though overall growth is indeed vital. It argues for a new thrust in agricultural development that alone can address these issues. This thrust requires more resources into research, an effective linkage in research and extension and more effective marketing channels for agricultural produce. In other words it argues for a much stronger institutional support for agriculture. what has to be done in Sri

A Human Development Index by Internal Migrational Status

Domestic migration constitutes the largest flow of people in developing countries and is among the most important opportunities for people to improve their human development. We calculate the Human Development Index by internal migrational status to assess the differences between the levels of human development of internal migrants compared with non-migrants. An empirical illustration for a sample of 16 low-income countries shows that, overall, internal migrants achieve a slightly higher level of human development than non-migrants. These improvements are largely due to higher incomes of migrants while differentials in education and health are smaller.

The Nordic counternarrative: Democracy, human development, and judicial review

The Nordic countries’ changing constitutional scenery is a largely unexplored paradise for theory building in the field of comparative constitutional law and politics. As the articles in this symposium illustrate, the Nordic countries provide what is, arguably, a most fitting test case for examining the impact of transnational law on domestic constitutionalism, with its patterns of global convergence alongside enduring national divergence. Likewise, the Nordic experience calls for the incorporation of comparative politics or political economy theory into the study of constitutional law. This is particularly true with respect to the empirical examination of some core insights of post–World War II constitutional theory concerning the origins of constitutionalization and judicial review and the supposedly critical role of the latter in facilitating democracy and high levels of human development.

Chronic Poverty and Development Policy in Sri Lanka: Overview Study

Sri Lanka is well known for achieving high levels of human development at relatively low levels of GDP per capita. Successive governments have invested heavily in education, health and welfare programmes, and this has been associated with the country achieving levels of life expectancy and literacy that are comparable to industrial countries. However, these human development achievements and high levels of public expenditure on social welfare, have not eradicated deprivation. Factors contributing to the prevailing poverty levels include inadequate economic growth; low economic benefit trickle down to the poor; high state expenses on defence due to the prevailing secessionist conflict in the North; and inefficient allocation of resources to the deprived populations and regions in the country, based in part on a lack of differentiation of the poor. In the absence of systematic information on the chronically poor, the present study attempts to capture chronic poverty in Sri Lanka by examining general information on poverty and drawing conclusions on those who are likely to be among the chronically poor. Certain population groups that are likely to experience poverty over many years (or all their lives) are examined in this review. These include the internally displaced persons from the conflict, disabled, elderly, street children, employed children, female headed households and youth. The poor are also examined using a 'livelihood' framework. Examination of human capital in terms of education, health and nutrition show that despite free services, the poor have not always benefited, leading to low education, and poor health. In turn, these are associated with lower access to well paid employment as well as reduced labour productivity. Access to physical capital is also low for the chronically poor, in terms of infrastructure provided by the state, housing and productive assets such as land and irrigation facilities. The poor are also more prone to environmental problems such as rainfall, deforestation and soil degradation, with a depressing effect on their productivity and income. The chronically poor experience financial instability associated with low wages, low skills, seasonality of employment, employment opportunities limited to hired labour, deterioration of real wages, high food expenditure ratio, high expenditure on alcohol, inadequate income support from state poverty alleviation programmes and low access to credit facilities. Overall, the need for the government to redirect its welfare policies and programmes to more adequately assist the poor is apparent. At present the government is in the process of developing a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Sri Lanka to address the issue of high levels of poverty in the country. However, certain information gaps with regard to the livelihoods of the poor and differentiation of the poor by deprivation levels for specific and effective interventions needs to be addressed. The review concludes with highlights of areas for future research on chronic poverty in Sri Lanka.

From constraint to sufficiency: The decoupling of energy and carbon from human needs, 1975–2005

We investigate the relationship between human needs, energy consumption and carbon emissions for several indicators of human development: life expectancy, literacy, income and the Human Development Index. We find that high human development can be achieved at moderate energy and carbon levels; increasing energy and carbon past this level does not necessarily contribute to higher living standards. By conducting a novel longitudinal analysis from 1975 to 2005, we observe a previously undetected decoupling of the per capita energy and carbon required for human needs. If resources were equally distributed, current energy and carbon levels would be more than sufficient to satisfy global human needs at high levels of human development. By projecting current trends to 2030, we demonstrate that the global energy consumption and carbon emissions required to satisfy human needs will decrease with time, despite growth in population.