Nation-building Research Articles

Działalność społeczności międzynarodowej na rzecz tworzenia społeczeństwa obywatelskiego w Kosowie

ACTIVITIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO CREATE CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS IN KOSOVO The aim of the following article is to analyse which subjects of international relations have been engaged in building civil society organisations in post-conflict Kosovo and what kind of actions they have been taking. The article consists of the definition of civil society organisations and their role in state building and nation building. Special attention is paid to the role of those subjects of international relations, which have had the greatest influence in building civil society organisations in Kosovo since 1999. The author sheds also some light on qualitative and quantitative changes in civil society organisations, which have been erected in Kosovo in the last several years.

Igbophobia and the Quest for National Cohesion in Nigeria: The 2023 General Elections in Perspective

The much anticipated 2023 general elections had come and gone but its effects toward nation building and national cohesion is sacrosanct. The emergence of the formal Governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi as the labour party presidential candidate, his popularity and acceptance among the youth in the country (Obedient movement) re-awakened an Igbophobic sentiment and hatred against Igbo people by the other ethnic groups. There were phobic comments that Igbos are trying to take over Nigeria and divide the country in order to create Biafra. The study examined Igbophobic sentiment during the 2023 general elections and its implications on the national cohesion. The data for the study were derived from the secondary source, while descriptive method of data analysis was used to analysed the data generated. The was study anchored on the Realist Group Conflict Theory (RGCT) which states that competition between groups for finite resources, power and fair of domination leads to inter group stereotype, antagonism and conflict. Findings reveal that, the fear of Igbo domination created the stereotype and Igbophobic attitudes among other ethnic groups. The study therefore recommends among other things; the rotation of the seat of presidency among the six geopolitical zones as this will give sense of belonging to other minority ethnic groups.

Structural performance of balloon mass timber shear walls under in-plane lateral loads

Balloon-type mass timber shear walls are one of the most efficient structural systems to resist lateral loads induced by earthquakes or high winds. They are a viable solution for high-rise buildings, since they endure several key advantages, such as reducing connections and avoiding accumulating compression perpendicular to grain in the floors. This system, however, is not included in the 2020 National Building Code of Canada and has no design guidelines in the 2019 Canadian Standard for Engineering Design in Wood, so it is out of reach of most designers. A multi-year research project has been initiated at FPInnovations to quantify the system performance and develop the necessary technical information to codify balloon-type mass timber shear walls. This paper presents results of an analytical study on the structural performance of balloon-type CLT shear walls. A mechanics-based analytical model was updated to predict the CLT panel resistance, in addition to predicting the deflection and resistance of balloon type CLT shear walls. The influence of specific key parameters such as wall length and thickness, aspect ratio, vertical loads, and vertical joints, on the structural performance of this wall system under lateral loads was investigated using the updated model. The results of this study will give a valuable insight into the seismic performance of balloon type CLT shear walls.

Energy use patterns and renovations of Swedish second homes

During and post pandemic more people spent time in their second homes, which is expected to have led to higher energy use for heating. The knowledge of energy performance, heating systems, energy renovation and use patterns of second homes is still poor. The aim of the research is therefore to compile available information from building registers but also to empirically investigate user patterns, heating source and the renovation and energy efficiency measures carried out in second homes. A first step is to synthesize existing knowledge and develop a method for a broad mapping in a next step. The methods used are analysing statistics from national building registers and collecting information from owners/users through a pre-survey that is developed and tested. In this paper statistics on Swedish second homes and results from a pre-survey responded by 92 second homes owners/users are reported. From statistics, the energy performance and the main heating source for second homes with an EPC are identified. Despite the limited sample, the results from the pre-survey give an indication of user patterns, energy renovation measures carried out, and also whether the owners care about cultural values. Based on the experience from the pre-survey, a national survey has been initiated in Sweden.

In-use conditions of air-tightening materials applied in the air gap of ventilated building envelope constructions: A parametric study for different European climates

Materials used in the building envelope have to withstand a wide range of varying and harsh conditions over their life cycle. Particular relevance falls upon the materials used for tightening buildings, such as wind barriers and tapes, as air infiltration was found to be responsible for between 10 and 30 % of heat losses of different national building stocks in Europe. However, there is large uncertainty about the conditions a material is exposed to over a building’s service life. A validated, hygrothermal model of a zero emission office building in Trondheim, Norway was simulated with 10-year climate files from different European locations: Bergen (NO), Berlin (DE), Oslo (NO), Paris (FR), Rome (IT), Tromsø (NO), and Trondheim (NO). This was done to investigate the temperature and humidity conditions in the ventilated air gap. The results show the total and median values for temperature in the ventilated air gaps of the simulated building’s walls and roof for the investigated locations. Moreover, the maximum change compared to the previous hour and the distribution of hours in 5 °C temperature and 10 % relative humidity intervals of the roofing underlay and wall to the west are reported.

Media, Security Challenges and the Future of Nigeria: A Theoretical Overview

Security issues in Nigeria have of recent attracted global attention. The country now faces security threats from insurgent groups and bandits including the unknown gunmen that operate in broad day light almost unhindered. These have resulted to massive loss of lives and properties with devastating effects on the economy of the country and freedom of movement. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the challenges posed by the unfolding threats from these enemies of the nation building and how the mass media in Nigeria could help in saving the country from this mess. The study employed literature review method and anchored on the Democratic Peace Theory. The review reveals that Nigerians depend so much on mass media for accurate and timely information about the happenings in the society; the traditional roles of the mass media in any society which are to inform, educate and entertain are so crucial that Nigeria can hardly progress meaningfully without these channels of mass communication; that although the mass media are faced with a lot of challenges in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria, they have significant influence in fighting the menace; the media have not been fully utilised in addressing the security challenges in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommends among others that the government should adopt dialogue and communication based approach in addressing security problems facing the country instead of relying solely on the use of force and stiff measures; Journalists in the media industry should utilise the mass media as agents of social change, and in spite of all odds redouble their efforts in setting agenda for public discussion on the best ways to salvage the country from the quagmire of insecurity; government officials and other relevant authorities should periodically organise media security summit for members of the public to contribute their quota on how to achieve attitudinal change and secure the country from collapse, security agents should work with intelligent information to avoid being victims of insecurity.

Nation Building And Security Enhancement In Post Covid-19 Era, A Sociological Applications

Education strongly and significantly correlates with nation- building and security enhancement. That is to say. A nation cannot be built without quality education. Nation are built by men. In order to build a nation on the firm moral foundation, the people who build the nations must themselves be men of sterling qualities and integrity. This is the task of education. The main thrust of this paper is to x-ray nation-building and security enhancement in post covid-19 era. It examines the multi-dimensional roles of education in nation-building and enhancing security like improving the standard of living of the populace, liberation of man from endemic poverty, problems confronting nation-building and security enhancement such as historical legacies, leadership, corruption, mismanagement, insecurity, poverty and illiteracy were extensively thrashed, also the causes of security challenges in the country are identified. The way forward was proffered and conclusion made as education and nation-building and security enhancement complement each other for a better society.

Multi-cultural perception of impact sound -- An international online listening survey about the perceived annoyance due to impact sounds

To support the introduction of requirements for protection from impact noise in the National Building Code of Canada, the National Research Council of Canada implemented pilot subjective evaluations of impact sounds to evaluate the best metric to be used in the Code. As an alternative to the typical laboratory-based listening experiments, online-based listening tests were used. The ability to collect data with an online survey allows to reach the general public much more than with any laboratory-based experiment, and it was especially relevant in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced researchers to re-evaluate in-person procedures. This online listening survey was published for world-wide access, enabling data collection across a diverse target audience in many parts of the world. The survey and its preliminary results are presented and discussed in this paper. Data collected as part of the online survey, such as the person's country of residence and the type of dwelling they lived in, is used to explore the multicultural effects on the annoyance ratings.

Experimental investigation of impact of fire size on heat transfer and flame behavior of initial stage unsteady pool fires inside a cubical enclosure

The ventilation equipment for enclosed spaces or office rooms is specified according National Building Code of India published by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Natural ventilation peri-odically together with mechanical ventilation is recommended to remove pollutants. The need to study fire and smoke behavior inside a completely closed room with air intake and exhaust vents becomes important in case of low or no mechanical ventilation service. An experimental study on unsteady heptane pool fires of different sizes in their initial stages was conducted in a cubical fire test chamber of 27 m3 inside dimensions. The compartment was naturally ventilated with a typical configuration of a vertical intake on a side wall and an exhaust vent at the ceiling leading into a duct. Three circular pans of diameters 0.34, 0.47 and 0.61 m were employed to generate the fire with n-heptane as fuel on a bed of water. Temperatures, wall heat fluxes and mass loss rate were measured. The flame was visualized using a video camera through a tempered view glass. The total heat transfer to the ceiling and wall increased with the increase in fire size as the flames became taller in the initial stages (3-4 minutes) with sig-nificant increase in case of 500 kW fire. The smoke layer was observed at about mid height (1.5 m) above floor. The leaning behavior of flames was seen due to naturally induced air inflow. The wall heat flux of about 50 kW/m2 obtained indicate hazardous environment for further flame spread. A fourfold increase in mass loss rate was observed with just 2.5 times increase in fire size inside the ceiling vented compartment.

한국과 뉴질랜드 초등학교 교사들의 경험을 통한 교실에서의 다문화수용성 질적 비교 연구

New Zealand (NZ) and South Korea (Korea) have undergone different historical trajectories in the courses of nation building, which are reflected in their education goals. NZ has focused on incorporating Māori and Pasifika elements within largely European based curriculum to allow for a harmonious national identity that underscores diversity as a strength. Meanwhile, Korea has only in the last few decades put concrete efforts to shed the monoethnic cultural ideology in the schools. This qualitative study looks into how multiculturalism is perceived and acted upon by teachers in NZ and Korea respectively. The results suggest that there are marked differences on how the concept of multiculturalism is embodied in everyday teaching situations. In the NZ case, the concept was a natural extension of cultural processes, allowing the teacher to exercise autonomy in designing and carrying out relevant activities. Therefore, ‘multiculturalism’ was not an operational key term used as a daily vernacular. In contrast, teachers in Korea tended to rely on formulaic methods to incorporate multiculturalism in their pedagogical practices, which largely stems from top-down, state-led policies.

Independent Africa: The First Generation of Nation Builders, written by Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong

Independent Africa: The First Generation of Nation Builders, written by Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong

Lateral Load and Design Disparity between BNBC1993 and BNBC2020

Building codes are the minimal requirements for design and construction to assure a safe and resilient structure. A building code recognized as the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) is existent in Bangladesh (BD), just like in other developing nations. It's now a difficult task to comply with the code because of the extensive update after two decades. The main goal of this work is to compare the analytical and design requirements for lateral loads between BNBC2020 and BNBC1993. To do so, a large number of structural models are assessed using ETABS following the considered code procedure at different locations in the country. It also compares the lateral load parameters such as zone coefficient, wind velocity, building period, story shear, base shear, drift, deflection, reinforcement ratio etc. The parametric comparison of the outcomes has demonstrated that BNBC2020 is more conservative and boosts the safety factor against lateral loads. Engineers will be able to comprehend the differences in lateral load between these codes after perusing this study.

Exploring the Optimization Path of Rural Governance in the Perspective of Three Governance Integrations

With the implementation of the new eras rural revitalization policy, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has explicitly set the goal of building a modern rural governance system, emphasizing the integration of self-governance, rule of law, and moral governance in the grassroots social governance system. Rural governance plays a crucial role in grassroots governance, serving as the foundation and key to social governance, and it holds significant importance in advancing the national governance system and governance capacity building. Therefore, this paper discusses the issues in rural governance from the perspective of Three Governance Integrations. Currently, the pain points of grassroots governance are particularly evident in three aspects: the inadequate effectiveness of rural self-governance, the hindered operation of rural rule of law, and the limited role of rural moral governance. Based on this, the paper innovatively proposes three solutions: deepening villagers self-governance, strengthening rural rule of law, and enhancing rural moral governance. By consolidating the foundation of rural governance systems, enhancing safeguard mechanisms, and establishing a robust support system, further development and improvement of the rural governance system in the perspective of Three Governance Integrations can be achieved.

The Catalan Digital Republic: Between Nation Branding and Nation Building

ABSTRACT This article empirically studies the Catalan Digital Republic, that is the set of practises, narratives, institutions, and infrastructures mobilised by a stateless nation to reposition itself in the international arena. The article has a two-sided objective. First, to analyse how nation branding and nation building strategies intersect with digital technologies and technopolitical narratives. Second, to examine how stateless nations are making use of such technologies and strategies in order to find their way in the international arena. To satisfy these objectives we have empirically studied the case of Catalonia, a stateless nation which in the last years has developed an ambitious technopolitical strategy rebranding itself as the southern European technological hub. To do so we have relied on a triangular methodological strategy combining (1) critical discourse analysis; (2) in-depth interviews with high-profile actors coming from the political, academic, and civil society landscape, and (3) a thorough documentary analysis. The first part of the article explores the concept of digital nation and its relationship with the notion of nation branding. In the second part of the text, we present the methodology and the objectives. We continue the paper by outlining the results of the interviewing process and the critical analysis of the findings. The article concludes with a critical recapitulation of the research results.

Digital Education: A Positive Step towards Nation building and Growth

Digital education is indeed a great innovation in the field of imparting of education to the students in terms of learning and accessing knowledge through means of technology and digital devices. The importance of digitally imparting education was realized during the covid-19 pandemic when almost all the educational institutions were closed during to lockdown. At that time, the importance of digital education was understood which helped in maintaining continuity in the education of students. Digital education helps students attain knowledge and access information from any corner in the country according to their convenience using digital devices. Initiatives of government such as eVidya, DIKSHA ( Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), Swayam- Prabha, e-Pathshala, Shiksha Vani etc have facilitated in imparting of education digitally. Along with education, students also get technical and practical knowledge. Imparting of education digitally remove all geographical barriers in providing education. Along with advantages of digital education, there are also various challenges in imparting education digitally which need to be addressed.

Making or unmaking the nation? A reflection of president Moi’s regime

ABSTRACT This study explores Kenya’s second President, Daniel Arap Moi’s attempts to establish a sense of a shared national identity. Content analysis of books written about him, his speeches, and newspaper articles reveals how Moi used Nyayo philosophy, national holidays, the Father of the Nation narrative, currency notes and coins, and monuments to foster a Kenyan national identity. Despite efforts to forge a common national identity, the government frequently operated in a way that was at odds with what Moi said in his speeches. Whereas President Moi advocated for peace, love, and unity, his administration was largely characterised by clientelism, patronism, social and regional inequalities, and interethnic violence, among other social, economic and political evils. Because of the disconnect between what Moi claimed and what his administration actually did, his attempts to foster nationhood could alternatively be seen as a way for him to control the state, consolidate power, and legitimize his leadership. Therefore, during Moi’s rule, national identity building lacked a strong collective consciousness, which would have enabled Kenyans to institutionalise a sense of belonging and attachment to the nation.

Train-the-trainers intervention for national capacity building in infection prevention and control for COVID-19 in Nigeria

BackgroundThe first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was reported on February 27, 2020, and over time, spread across the country leading to many healthcare worker infections. The risk of transmission of COVID-19 within healthcare facilities makes it necessary to establish infection prevention and control measures. The World Health Organisation supported the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to conduct a train-the-trainers workshop on infection prevention and control for key healthcare workers across Nigeria. Aim/ObjectivesThis study aims to describe the process and results of train-the-trainers as an intervention for national capacity building in infection prevention and control for COVID-19 among healthcare workers in Nigeria. MethodsEight-hour sessions were held over three days with face-to-face instruction and practical hands-on experience in April 2020. A total of 61 healthcare workers participated across the six geographic zones of Nigeria: North Central, North East, North West, South West, South East, and South South. The training included slide presentations, case-based scenarios, and practical hands-on sessions with plenary discussions. Pre- and post-test assessments were used to evaluate knowledge of COVID-19, triage, and infection prevention and control among healthcare workers. Finding/Results69 % (42) of the participants were male 31 % (19) were female, and the majority (67 %) were medical doctors. Others attending were nurses or health administrators. Of the 70 % (26) of the states with existing infection prevention and control structures within the COVID emergency response, only 40 % were functional. The average percentage of pre-test and post-test scores were 60.8 ± 13.4 and 67.8 ± 9 0.3 respectively, showing a statistically significant difference (p > 0.001) in trainee knowledge. Additionally, 70 % of participants evaluated the training workshop as “satisfactory” or higher in training format, relevance for daily clinical work, active participation, learning new concepts, and logistics. ConclusionNationwide infection prevention and control training is feasible during a national health crisis. Infection prevention and control is cardinal in the containment of epidemic-prone diseases like COVID-19 and is invaluable in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in healthcare settings.

2010s Hollywood science fiction: Telling China’s stories well to the world

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, film has been regulated in terms of Mao Zedong’s proclamation that ‘art serves politics’. This article argues that in the 2010s, Hollywood science fiction films serve Chinese politics as nationalistic propaganda and nation branding as part of the soft power initiatives of China’s public diplomacy efforts of ‘going global’ and ‘telling China’s stories well’ in exchange for access to China’s lucrative box office. While most Hollywood films do not include any representations of China, this article identifies a trend in Hollywood science fiction films from the 2010s where entities of China play major roles in the narrative. The article applies narrative and textual analysis to illuminate national image building in five Hollywood films: 2012 (2009), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), RoboCop (2014), Arrival (2016) and Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018). These films realize the goal of China’s film policy for positive images of China, such as the world’s leading political and industrial power. The depictions of China are shown to reflect the Made in China 2025 initiative for securing global dominance in technology and manufacturing and links these depictions to the China Dream. The article concludes with a comparative analysis of the Chinese science fiction films Reset (2017) and Shanghai Fortress (2019) and finds that the Hollywood films contain the same national images and narrative roles of China as these domestic films. While this article sheds light on one case of the impact of China on the content of one nation’s films, it is just a small example of the impact of China’s film policy on national cinemas as there are 22 countries with Chinese co-production agreements resulting in over five hundred Sino-foreign co-production revenue-sharing films in the 2010s from countries around the world whose content has been regulated by the Chinese government.

Digital China and its discontents: On the politics of Sinofuturism and image building at the Venice Biennale

This article examines how the China Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale attempts to reimagine a new ontology between contemporary Chinese art, artificial intelligence-generated art and artistic practices, as well as the official Chinese discourse on technological positivity. It argues that the China Pavilion can be read through the lens of a Sinofuturist discourse and how the pavilion is spatially and temporally situated in contemporary digital Chinese art. Taking the title ‘Meta-Scape’, the China Pavilion can be understood as a futuristic phototype that the Chinese state mobilizes in formulating a rhetoric of a cohesive digital civilization. This underlines the ways the pavilion not only generates technological inquiries to imagine new paths for artistic practices but also manifests the role that Chinese new media art has on rendering the nation’s international image. In exploring one of the AI-generated artworks titled Streaming Stillness (2022), this article investigates how the ‘techno-turn’ in contemporary Chinese art illuminates the digitalization of cultural memory in relation to the dynamics and discontents between technological aestheticism and China’s national image building process.

Cluster analysis-based energy performance assessment for office building stock

To achieve carbon neutrality at the national or city level, the energy performance and conservation measures of large buildings should be evaluated. However, the assessment of the energy performance of existing building stock is often based on annual energy use intensity calculated from energy bill data due to data acquisition limitations. This approach has limitations in analyzing seasonal effects and establishing effective energy conservation strategies. In this paper, we propose a novel energy performance assessment method for existing office building stock. Our method classifies monthly electricity, gas, and heat energy use patterns using clustering algorithms without requiring additional database construction beyond the National Building Energy Database in Korea. We discuss the clustering results and provide an application method to assist policymakers through a case study.