Long-term Aspirations Research Articles

“Throw Dat Hat!”: Educational Experiences, Attainment, and Aspirations of Adolescent Female Trafficking Survivors in a Residential Facility

This study addresses the gap in research on the educational experiences of adolescent human trafficking survivors, with a focus on their past, present, and future educational experiences and goals. Its objective is to inform the best practices for educational programming within female adolescent residential care centers in the United States. Drawing on a subset of data from a broader mixed-methods case study conducted at the Allasso House residential facility, this research involved 11 current residents. The data sources included case files detailing their past educational experiences, assessments of their current educational achievements, and interviews exploring their future aspirations. The findings reveal key themes related to the residents past risk factors, current educational successes and barriers, and tensions in setting future goals. Most of the residents expressed a desire to attain high school equivalency, identifying financial stability as a primary motivation. They also aspired to form healthy families, while placing significant value on material success. Unlike studies that define success primarily through survival, sobriety, and the avoidance of re-trafficking, this research highlights the broader aspirations of these adolescents, emphasizing the critical role of education in general wellbeing, risk mitigation, and future success. This study underscores the importance of prioritizing educational attainment and long-term aspirations in future research and in the design of residential programs for adolescent survivors of trafficking.

Applicability of Financial Inclusion Theories and Rural Development Theories in the Implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Uganda

This article provides guidance on how to implement the Parish Development Model, which was launched in February 2022 as the government's multi-sectorial strategy to achieve socioeconomic transformation by converting 39% of Ugandan households from the subsistence economy to the money economy. Uganda, often known as the Pearl of Africa, has seen national development plans incorporate Vision 2040 goals, and it is now undertaking its third National Development Plan. To complete the 2040 vision cycle, three further identical projects must be done. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni highlighted Financial Inclusion as one of the 17 implementation strategies, since Uganda's monetary poverty rate (the proportion of the population earning less than US$1.04 per day) has increased over the preceding nine years, from 19.7% in 2012/13 to 21.4% in 2016/17. Despite an average annual economic growth rate of 4.7%, the number of underprivileged individuals rose to 8.7 million in 2019/20 from 6.6 million in 2012/13. As a consequence, the Parish Development Model was implemented in rural regions to eliminate poverty. Financial inclusion and rural development principles can help to assist this economic growth plan. As a result, this study investigates how these principles have acted as guides for effective parish development model implementation, as well as recommendations to ensure that they are consistent with rural people's long-term aspirations. Keywords: Financial inclusion and Rural Development theories, Parish Development Model

Forking From the Future: How an Interorganizational Network Learned Its Way to New Software Business

Technological disruptions call for new capabilities beyond the reach of a single firm. How does a large interorganizational network learn its way to new Cloud software business while leveraging forking—that is, copying and branching of code common to software development? Such forking promotes commitment and innovation but may compromise joint learning in the network required for developing new capabilities under technological disruption. Elaborating a seminal learning theory in an interorganizational network context, we demonstrate how forking was about to sacrifice long-term aspirations to short-term interests early on. We contribute a new type of forking—forking from the future—and describe how this type of forking harnesses future aspirations and builds collaborative capabilities in the network while reducing tendencies for shortsightedness. Forking from the future consists of the introduction of external perspectives, the implementation of new rules, the use of integrative tools, and generally accelerating collaboration among the network participants from the future back (not from the present forward). As software becomes increasingly important across industries, forking from the future becomes foundational for future competitiveness.

Optimized Financial Planning: Integrating Individual and Cooperative Budgeting Models with LLM Recommendations

In today’s complex economic environment, individuals and households alike grapple with the challenge of financial planning. This paper introduces novel methodologies for both individual and cooperative (household) financial budgeting. We firstly propose an optimization framework for individual budget allocation, aiming to maximize savings by efficiently distributing monthly income among various expense categories. We then extend this model to households, wherein the complexity of handling multiple incomes and shared expenses is addressed. The cooperative model prioritizes not only maximized savings but also the preferences and needs of each member, fostering a harmonious financial environment, whether they are short-term needs or long-term aspirations. A notable innovation in our approach is the integration of recommendations from a large language model (LLM). Given its vast training data and potent inferential capabilities, the LLM provides initial feasible solutions to our optimization problems, acting as a guiding beacon for individuals and households unfamiliar with the nuances of financial planning. Our preliminary results indicate that the LLM-recommended solutions result in budget plans that are both economically sound, meaning that they are consistent with established financial management principles and promote fiscal resilience and stability, and aligned with the financial goals and preferences of the concerned parties. This integration of AI-driven recommendations with econometric models, as an instantiation of an extended coevolutionary (EC) theory, paves the way for a new era in financial planning, making it more accessible and effective for a wider audience, as we propose an example of a new theory in economics where human behavior can be greatly influenced by AI agents.

Menggali kekuatan karakter: conscientiousness berperan pada orientasi masa depan dan keputusan karir siswa SMK

Career choices is a central role in an individual’s life, especially for vocational school students. For this reason,understanding the elements that influence career decisions becomes essential to ensure that individuals can formulateaccurate and aligned choices with their long-term aspirations. Future orientation is among the factors impacting careerchoices. Students who possess a strong sense of future orientation enhance their capacity to make informed careerdecisions. Conscientiousness is thought to have an important role in increasing the influence of future orientation on thecareer decisions of female vocational high school students. The purpose of this study was to determine the moderatingeffect of Conscientiousness on the effect of future orientation on career decisions. The research subjects were 194students who were in class XII at SMK in Ponorogo. Data were collected using the Career Decision Scale, FutureOrientation Scale, and the Big-five personality scale NEO-PI-R. The Moderate Regression Analysis (MRA) method wasemployed for data analysis. The findings of the research indicate that Conscientiousness has the capability to amplifythe influence of future orientation on the career choices made by vocational school students in Ponorogo.

Television as a Factor in Formation of Common Cultural Space and Integration of Society

The purpose of the article is to reveal the essence of the integration function of television and, at the same time, the factor in the formation of a single cultural space. The research methodology is based on the application of the principles of analysis and synthesis, the unity of the logical and systematic approaches. The scientific novelty of the results obtained lies in understanding the essence of the integration function of television and, at the same time, the factor in the formation of a single cultural space. Conclusions. It is emphasised that the role of television in the process of integration lies in its ability to combine all participants of the social dialogue, to be its driving force. Integration as a transformation of the system of values, a long-term aspiration that guides society based on the acceptance of the value of cooperation, is directly related to the formation of a socio-cultural space, one of the subjects responsible for filling which is television. As a subject of the informational and sociocultural space, television structures and fills this space in accordance with the interests of its viewer – the nature of television broadcasting allows, influencing the audience, to appeal to almost all the feelings and emotions of a person. It is noted that television contributes to: a) consistency between cultural standards, norms, patterns of behaviour; b) the introduction of cultural standards in people's behaviour by regulating public opinion; c) is the subject of the exchange of cultural meanings, symbols and meanings in an integrated society; as well as a factor of social differentiation and at the same time its product, playing its specific role in the modern world. It is summarised that television actively promotes national values, patterns of behaviour, moral and ethical norms, and broadcasts these elements of culture not in an abstract form, but in their socio-cultural context, in the form of concrete and accessible images. The interaction of television and culture provides communicative forms and methods of informational and cultural integration.
 Keywords: television, information space, cultural space, society integration.

The Golden Visa: Anatomy of making a long-term home in the UAE

While traditionally governed by the ‘kafala’ system of sponsorship for non-nationals, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have diversified their visa portfolios in the past few years, in line with rising global trends. The launch of the Golden Visa in the UAE has marked a historic shift in the way the country approaches its non-national community. Building this research on the novel aspirations-capabilities nexus within the often-overlooked lifestyle migration theoretical corpus, I unpack the short-term impact of changing residency policies on the UAE’s Golden Visa recipients – medium- and high-skilled non-nationals from various backgrounds and industries. I employ semi-structured interviews with twenty-five recipients. My research inquiry finds that, while it does not provide a structural break in the whole-of-life approach to UAE’s non-residents, the Golden Visa does, indeed, act as an enabler of its recipients’ capabilities to fulfil their long-term aspirations and (re)construct their desired life(style) in the country. Hereby, this research dampens the paucity of inquiry on the backend processes before and after obtaining the Golden Visa through the lens of lifestyle migration, making a new mark on the GCC-focused literature as well.

How Machine Learning Can Unveil Challenges Faced by Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Machine Learning has emerged as a prominent force in entrepreneurship, particularly amidst the evolving economic landscape of Pakistan and the global challenges posed by inflation. This qualitative study, employing thematic analysis complemented by sentiment analysis, focuses on insights derived from women entrepreneurs for whom entrepreneurship serves as the primary source of family income. These women exhibit a tech-savvy approach, utilising algorithms to optimise their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The research explores key questions regarding the informational needs of women entrepreneurs, central to the study's objectives. Participants uniformly advocate for increased governmental support to foster entrepreneurial growth, alongside a collective call for women to assert their rights within the entrepreneurial domain. Additionally, proactive training initiatives are emphasised, with a shift towards internal initiatives driving change rather than relying solely on external interventions. Incremental progress is highlighted as crucial, given the societal barriers impeding long-term aspirations. Recommendations stemming from the study advocate for multifaceted interventions to cultivate an entrepreneurial ecosystem conducive to women's empowerment. These include the establishment of government-funded youth training centres, comprehensive educational seminars to foster entrepreneurship awareness, flexible educational schedules accommodating extracurricular activities, and provision of supplementary certifications aligned with entrepreneurial lifestyles by educational institutions. These recommendations aim to foster systemic changes empowering women entrepreneurs, facilitating their transition into influential stakeholders within Pakistan's entrepreneurial landscape. Furthermore, sentiment analysis informs predictive modelling for Machine Learning, enriching insights into the entrepreneurial experiences of women in Pakistan.

Rethinking solutions for protracted refugee situation: A case study of the Buduburam refugee camp closure in Ghana

Despite the passage of three decades since their forced migration, many former Liberian refugees remain confined within the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. Recent tensions between the former refugees and the Ghanaian government have arisen due to the proposed closure of the camp. In light of these circumstances, this paper reexamines the preferred durable solution sought by the former refugees and demonstrates its relevance within their current protracted situation in Ghana. The study adopts a comprehensive approach that combines data from past interviews, a survey conducted amongst former refugees, and insights derived from a rapid scoping review of the existing literature. By synthesising these various sources of information, this paper sheds light on the nuanced perspectives and ideas expressed by the former refugees. Furthermore, it explores how the findings from these data sources have shaped the present state of affairs within the Buduburam refugee camp. The study reveals that a significant majority (∼77%) of the former refugees expressed a strong preference for resettlement in a third advanced country, driven not only by security concerns but also by their aspirations for improved economic wellbeing. This preference for resettlement stands in contrast to the available solutions offered by governing institutions, which have contributed to the protracted nature of their situation. Nonetheless, there were marginal discrepancies in the inclination towards durable solutions among individuals, contingent upon their educational attainment (x2 = 30.452; p = 0.002) and marital status (x2 = 23.746; p = 0.022). Drawing on the available evidence and insights gained from the former refugees, this paper advocates for a more comprehensive bottom-up, multifactorial approach to the implementation of durable solutions for refugees. It emphasises the need for a more holistic and concurrent application of all viable solutions, right from the beginning of refugee settlement in host countries, to break the cycle of protracted displacement. By taking into account the persistent preferences and needs of the affected individuals, policymakers and governing institutions can work towards implementing durable solutions that address both the immediate and long-term aspirations of refugees, aiming to bring an end to the protracted refugee cycle once and for all.

Implicit theories of opportunity: When opportunity fails to knock, keep waiting, or start cultivating?

We live in a time of disappearing professions, pandemic-related upheaval, and growing social inequality. While recognizing that good opportunities are unequally distributed in society (an injustice that requires rectification), can beliefs about the nature and workings of opportunities help people see the door to their goals as more open than closed, and can these beliefs influence the likelihood of goal attainment? Seven studies (N = 1,031) examined people's beliefs about whether or not opportunities can be changed (growth vs. fixed theory of opportunity). In Studies 1a-4, participants responded to scenarios about competent people (or themselves) with challenging, long-term aspirations. When opportunities were available, both theories predicted high expectations for success and a preference for active strategies to pursue the goal, like being persistent. By contrast, when opportunities seemed unavailable, a stronger fixed theory predicted lower expectations for success and a preference for passive strategies, like simply waiting. We also established the implicit theories' causal role and demonstrated processes explaining how a growth theory leads to higher anticipated success. The final two studies examined unemployed people. In Study 5, those with a stronger growth theory chose to engage more in a task about cultivating new opportunities for employment. Study 6 showed that those with a stronger growth theory were more likely to report securing employment 5 months later, even when controlling for motivation-relevant variables, education, and socioeconomic status. They also engaged in more active job-search strategies. These studies offer a novel perspective on when, how, and why people initiate and maintain goal pursuit. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The UK Pay Transparency Regulations: apparent transparency without accountability?

AbstractThe UK enacted its first legal measure to address gender pay inequity, the Equal Pay Act 1970, more than 50 years ago. Yet, in 2021, the gender pay gap (GPG) still stood at 15.4%. Departing from the remedial and individual approach that characterises equal pay legislation, the 2017 Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations (the Regulations) require private and voluntary sector organisations with 250+ employees to annually publish pay data broken down by gender. The long-term aspiration of the Regulations is to contribute to closing the GPG within a generation. It is also hoped that they will encourage the public disclosure of pay data and changes in workplace policies to reduce organisational GPGs (immediate aims) and improve employers’ accountability (underlying aim). This paper considers whether the Regulations have what it takes to meet those immediate and underlying aims. Our assessment framework is built on the premise that for public disclosure to be useful and for employers to tackle the causes of the GPG, the information reported must be of sufficient quality, meaningful and relevant. The paper draws on both doctrinal analysis and empirical data reported by FTSE 100 Index companies to assess the Regulations and determine whether they hold the potential to meet those aims.

The impact of grit on the academic buoyancy of Filipino undergraduate students engaged in distance learning

ABSTRACT Previous studies have revealed that academic buoyancy, or everyday academic resilience, have become more important amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study was conducted to ascertain if determination and passion for attaining long-term aspirations, or grit, would facilitate the academic buoyancy of Filipino undergraduate students who are engaged in distance learning. Through quota sampling, 114 Filipino college learners (57 males, 57 females) aged 18 and above were recruited to complete an online survey which included the Triarchic Model of Grit Scale (TMGS) and Academic Buoyancy Scale (ABS). Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that grit had a positive impact on academic buoyancy while controlling for demographic variables. It was also identified that the grit dimension of adaptability to situations was the most significant predictor of academic buoyancy and that the demographic characteristics of the participants were not associated with their capability to cope and stay afloat on a day-to-day basis. The results provide interesting insights about the relationship between the triarchic model of grit and academic buoyancy in the collectivist setting.

War and Peace, Freeze and Thaw: Regional Narratives of North Korea and the 2018 Winter Olympics

The marching of North and South Korea under one flag at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony was celebrated as a step towards greater harmony in the region. North Korea’s attendance and widespread goodwill during the “Peace Games” even led to talk of a joint Korea bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics. While the 2018 Games were successful in bringing the nations together, the opportunities for long-lasting peace – and a memorable Games legacy – were not achieved. Utilising thematic analysis across 551 articles from four online news publications from North Korea, South Korea, China and Japan, this study examines regional narratives of North Korea’s participation in PyeongChang 2018. The results highlight portrayals in the media towards North Korea and the broader key themes of war, conflict, peace and reconciliation. Overall, it is evident that the hope generated by the nation’s participation in 2018 was a false dawn for long-term aspirations of unification, and reflective of the freeze and thaw approach to engagement by North Korea with its neighbour.

Transforming Atrial Fibrillation Research to Integrate Social Determinants of Health

Only modest attention has been paid to the contributions of social determinants of health to atrial fibrillation (AF) risk factors, diagnosis, symptoms, management, and outcomes. The diagnosis of AF provides unique challenges exacerbated by the arrhythmia's often paroxysmal nature and individuals' disparate access to health care and technologies that facilitate detection. Social determinants of health affect access to care and management decisions for AF, increasing the likelihood of adverse outcomes among individuals who experience systemic disadvantages. Developing effective approaches to address modifiable social determinants of health requires research to eliminate the substantive inequities in health care delivery and outcomes in AF. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened an expert panel to identify major knowledge gaps and research opportunities in the field of social determinants of AF. The workshop addressed the following social determinants: (1) socioeconomic status and access to care; (2) health literacy; (3) race, ethnicity, and racism; (4) sex and gender; (5) shared decision-making in systemically disadvantaged populations; and (6) place, including rurality, neighborhood, and community. Many individuals with AF have multiple adverse social determinants, which may cluster in the individual and in systemically disadvantaged places (eg, rural locations, urban neighborhoods). Cumulative disadvantages may accumulate over the life course and contribute to inequities in the diagnosis, management, and outcomes in AF. Workshop participants identified multiple critical research questions and approaches to catalyze social determinants of health research that address the distinctive aspects of AF. The long-term aspiration of this work is to eradicate the substantive inequities in AF diagnosis, management, and outcomes across populations.

Early Evolution of an Innovation District: Origins and Evolution of MID and RMIT University’s Social Innovation Precinct in Melbourne’s City North

The development of an urban innovation district requires a unique, densely populated site connecting knowledge-intensive institutions with public spaces, large businesses, startups and SMEs, social hubs, and cultural institutions. Based on conceptual frameworks in the field including urban development theory, quintuple helix model, entrepreneurship and open innovation models, this paper uses a case research study approach, the Melbourne Innovation District. The context is Melbourne’s city centre immediately prior to and during Covid-19 recovery. The work analysed the vision and ambitions for the innovation district, the role of technology and enterprise in place-making and the impact of the pandemic in driving social innovation, the acceleration of demand for a ‘wellbeing economy,’ and incentives for collaboration between institutions. This work contributes to existing literature by examining the evolution and progress of Melbourne Innovation District as a case, and the influence of the 22@ district in Barcelona, highlights practical and strategic insights into how the Melbourne Innovation District formed and built capability for collective strategy in a knowledge-intensive urban settings, and the role of innovation ecosystems to develop dynamic, inclusive urban economies in the pandemic recovery era. Through this work we observed the key elements for the success in the early development of an innovation district including: the consideration of the real costs of collaboration; the establishment early on of a common vision and a long-term aspiration; the importance of achieving critical mass; the scattered evidence base; the need for ‘anchoring’ project and backbone organisation; the fragmented governance environment; the need for persistence with an integrated vision, that is connected to the overall city strategy; the identification of practical innovations that feed each other and create momentum.

Life-Purpose Orientations and Academic Misconduct Among University Students in Mexico

Life-Purpose Orientations and Academic Misconduct Among University Students in Mexico Mariya Yukhymenko-Lescroart (bio), Gitima Sharma (bio), and Jason M. Stephens (bio) Academic misconduct has been conceptualized as students' engagement in various types of proscribed behaviors, such as plagiarism and cheating on assignments and tests or exams (e.g., Stephens et al., 2021). While most of the current literature on academic misconduct has focused on developed countries, the problem is rampant across the world (Krou et al., 2021), especially in developing countries (e.g., Gaytán & Quintanilla-Dominguez, 2014; Stephens et al., 2010). Gaytán and Quintanilla-Domínguez (2014), for example, found that the rate of academic misconduct in Mexican universities was significantly higher than the estimated rate in the United States. More recently, Guerrero-Dib et al. (2020) found that students who reported engaging in academic misconduct were more likely to be dishonest in non-academic contexts. Surprisingly, despite the extent of academic misconduct and its association with other forms of dishonesty, little else is known about the problem in Mexico. In order to help fill this void, the present study examined the relationship between life-purpose orientations and academic misconduct among university students in Mexico. Based on a meta-analytic investigation, Krou et al. (2021) concluded that academic misconduct is a motivated behavior with sense of purpose as a key variable that influences students' goals, drives, and values. Research on purpose has shown that university students' academic motivations are often informed by their life's purpose (e.g., Sharma et al., 2021; Yukhymenko-Lescroart & Sharma, 2020). While conceptualizing the motivational mechanisms that might influence academic misconduct, Murdock and Anderman (2006) emphasized the importance of helping students reflect on their lives' underlying goals and the overarching question of "What is my purpose?" (p. 130). We posit that students' purpose might shape their motivations for pursuing higher education, and, hence, students' behaviors related to academic misconduct might vary depending on their life purpose orientations. However, more studies are needed to tease out the role of students' purpose orientations in determining their decision to engage in academic misconduct. Hill et al. (2010) conceptualized purpose orientations as the constellations of multiple but related life goals. Empirical studies on purpose [End Page 333] orientations have revealed that college students with a high level of life purpose focused on goals such as achieving career success, making money, and being happy reported more frequent academic misconduct (Yu et al., 2017). Recently, Yukhymenko-Lescroart and Sharma (2021) conceptualized purpose orientation as the underlying intention behind people's longterm aspirations and as having three specific dimensions: (a) self-growth, defined as actualizing one's purpose in life through engaging in activities that make one a better person (p. 15); (b) career-focused, defined as people's resolve to excel in their chosen profession and actualize their work-related potential (p. 15); and (c) others-growth, defined as actualizing one's purpose in life through engagement in activities that would enrich the lives of other people (p. 14). The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which these three life-purpose orientations predicted self-reported academic misconduct. METHOD Participants were 8,240 students from six universities in Mexico: 3,161 (38.4%) identified as male; 4,970 (60.3%) identified as female, and 109 (1.3%) identified as "other" or declined to declare their gender. Students represented all class years, with 2,131 (25.9%) first-year students; 2,336 (28.4%) second-year students; 2,470 (30.0%) third-year students; and 1,292 (15.7%) fourth-year students and above. A small number of students (n = 11, 0.1%) declined to declare their year in school. Students were asked to self-report the frequency of engaging in various types of conventional and digital academic misconduct over the last year. Examples of misconduct included cheating on assignments (e.g., copying all or part of another student's homework and turning it in as their own), plagiarism (e.g., buying a full paper and presenting it as your own), and cheating on a test or exam (e.g., using notes or books that are not allowed during an exam), The nine-item scale...

Students' self-determination in Azerbaijan

PurposeIt has been suggested that social impacts on young people are stronger in collectivistic societies than in individualistic societies due to stronger social norms. Therefore, the satisfaction of psychological needs might be more challenging for students in collectivistic societies. As Azerbaijani society is collectivistic, the purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which the need for the self-determination of Azerbaijani master's students is met in relation to their social circles.Design/methodology/approachForty-four Azerbaijani master's students were interviewed for this study, and their answers were analyzed from the perspective of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness within self-determination theory (SDT).FindingsThe findings of the current study suggest that Azerbaijani students' social environment is not supportive of furthering higher education through achieving a master's degree, and in some cases, this negatively affects students' well-being. Families in Azerbaijan mainly view higher education as being employment focused due to experiences of employment insecurity in the country.Research limitations/implicationsThe participants of the current study were from middle- and low-income families in Azerbaijan, as the interviewer obtained basic information on the educational and occupational situations of participants' families in addition to the interviewees' own states. Perhaps due to financial needs, it was mainly found that families valued making money over long-term self-development aspirations in their children. Reaching larger numbers of participants, future studies may purposefully sample individuals from higher-income families to reveal whether families with fewer financial concerns were more autonomy-supportive in the aspirations by young people to further their education or how the pattern of their support varied due to socioeconomic status.Practical implicationsIt is hoped that the presented results may guide the relevant authorities in the regulation of the employment strategies of youth in Azerbaijan, as high levels of youth unemployment and massive shifts to self-employment and low-skilled occupations create few opportunities to realize self-development aspirations in Azerbaijan. More efficient policies should be implemented to improve recruitment to good-quality jobs and increase the value of skills and knowledge in employment.Social implicationsInterconnected cultural factors determine families' views of furthering education and affect how they satisfy the psychological needs of students in their education lives. It is anticipated that the present study will be useful for students mainly from developing countries in coping with their social environments in pursuing their self-development aspirations.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies, the authors suggest that through “gained autonomy”, Azerbaijani youth who comply with their elders when less experienced tend to gain control over their personal decisions by providing positive information about overseas experiences. The concept of “gained autonomy” also contributes to SDT in illustrating how members of collectivistic societies can attempt to satisfy their basic psychological needs.

Tied Migrant Labor Market Integration: Deconstructing Labor Market Subjectivities in South Africa.

The South African labor market is characterized by a high degree of inflexibility and complexity which poses significant challenges for both indigenes and migrants looking to be integrated into the labor market. These challenges are likely to be more poignant for international migrants as they face additional barriers owing to a chronically high employment rate, xenophobic sentiments, and racial exclusion. For female tied migrants, gender bias, expressed through migration policies and legislation, adds yet another layer of complexity to long-term aspirations of settling in South Africa. How well tied migrants fare in the South African labor market is an important matter for consideration. Using an intersectional approach and the theory of governmentality, this study sought to deconstruct the labor market subjectivities of tied migrants in South Africa. This paper used a qualitative approach, with a narrative and interpretivist research paradigm, on female tied migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa who either accompanied their husbands or followed them to South Africa in a process of family reunification. Although 13 interviews were carried out in total, as part of a broader study, the narratives of six participants were included in this study, to zone in on labor market experiences. The study found that despite their high human capital, tied migrants are not likely to be well integrated into the South African labor market. Their inequality in the South African labor market was attributed to their gender, ethnicity, race, migrant status and locality and various intersections thereof through which they are subjected to informality, immobility and precarity.

How can public participation improve environmental governance in China? A policy simulation approach with multi-player evolutionary game

This study explores how public participation can help reshape environmental governance in China. As China is committed to constructing an ecological civilization, a new participatory mechanism has become necessary for promoting environmental democracy. A non-cooperative tripartite evolutionary game is employed to model the dynamic strategy interactions among local governments, polluting enterprises, and the public for participatory governance. A new mechanism design for public participation is proposed to accomplish cooperative evolutionary equilibrium. Simulations show that with adequate support, public monitoring and activism can help release local governments' supervision burden while still being able to reach the desired outcome. Public participation benefits cooperative equilibrium by reducing governance costs and improving policy flexibility, especially when long-term aspirations of reputational effects and environmental tax reform are embraced. Strong support and ensured independence are crucial for unleashing the full power of public participation in environmental governance. From a methodology perspective, policy simulation in an evolutionary game framework represents a novel addition to the research toolbox for policy studies.

Private finance essential to provide stimulus to post-Covid-19 rebuilding

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in Britain’s biggest debt in over 60 years. However, the country also needs to invest over £600 billion in infrastructure to stimulate economic recovery as well as meet its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. While the UK government’s private finance initiative model for procuring public infrastructure has fallen out of favour, private investment can deliver major public benefits if properly managed. This paper highlights both good and bad outcomes of private finance initiatives around the world, and suggests how they can best be used to support the UK government’s long-term aspirations to ‘build back better’ and meet its climate targets. The key is to focus on specific projects and to structure deals to provide quality, value for money and longevity.