Rural accessibility problems and human resource development: Case study from Nigeria

This paper focuses on rural transport as a crucial factor in rural development. It examines the problems posed by poor transportation and the extent to which these constitute constraints to the mobilization of human resources for rural development. Using Kwara State. Nigeria, as a case study, the study shows the poor nature of rural transport network and its effect on the evacuation of agricultural products from the farm centres to markets. This accessibility problem was found to have negative effects on the farmers who are not in the least motivated to increase the acreage cultivated.     

Rural small towns: an environmental context for aging

Following a brief review of sociological and psychological definitions of rurality, this paper illustrates the uses of an empirically-derived taxonomy of environmental perceptions for understanding the rural experiences of older residents of small towns in the midwestern United States. Specifically, variations in perceptions of twelve dimensions of rural environments were examined (1) among older residents of small towns of different sizes (populations 100–500, 501–1500 or 1501–2500), and (2) among four groups of older residents (n = 898) displaying differing profiles of subjective social and psychological well-being. Reliable town- size differences in environmental perceptions were found for eight of the 12 environmental attributes. Illustratively, residents of smaller towns reported lower levels of community satisfaction and community involvement, higher levels of intimacy and consensus on town issues, and fewer barriers to services and activities than residents of larger towns. Reliable differences in environmental perceptions were found for ten of the attributes for older residents differing in well-being. For example, more frail residents were less satisfied with their communities, and felt more constricted and isolated by physical barriers and social norms; they were less involved in their communities and less aware of available community services. The advantages of the application of person-environment taxonomies to research and intervention in rural environments are discussed. Chief among these is the refinement gained in the understanding of individual differences in ecological adaptation.     

Community development: working in the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand

This paper explores the relationship between community developmentand working within bicultural contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand.It identifies a number of key themes that have been found bythe authors to have significance for working with biculturalcontexts. It provides definitions that are used within AotearoaNew Zealand and identifies how lessons learned in this countryhave relevance for an international context. While the paperexamines the tensions and struggles in working within a biculturalframework, it also articulates possibilities for sustained changethat has positive outcomes for diverse populations.     

Time to go home? The conflictual politics of diaspora return in the Burmese women’s movement

ABSTRACT

The initiation of political reforms and a peace process in Myanmar has fundamentally altered the conditions for Burmese diasporic politics, and diaspora groups that have mobilized in Myanmar’s neighbouring countries are beginning to return. This article explores how return to Myanmar is debated within the Burmese women’s movement, a significant and internationally renowned segment of the Burmese diaspora. Does return represent the fulfilment of diasporic dreams; a pragmatic choice in response to less than ideal circumstances; or a threat to the very identity and the feminist politics of the women’s movement? Contrasting these competing perspectives, the analysis offers insights into the ongoing negotiations and difficult choices involved in return, and reveals the process of return as highly conflictual and contentious. In particular, the analysis sheds light on the gendered dimensions of diaspora activism and return, demonstrating how opportunities for women's activism are challenged, debated and reshaped in relation to return.     

The historical context of community development in Aotearoa New Zealand

Community development in Aotearoa New Zealand can be conceptualizedas three concurrent processes such as (1), statutory work undertakenby the State through central government departments and localauthorities (consisting of a system of legislation, fundingassistance to individuals, groups and organizations and theprovision of social services), (2) social change processes undertakenprimarily through the collective action of individuals, groupsand organizations that give voice to marginalized groups andcommunities and (3) the forces of change within Tangata Whenuacommunities working for tino rangatiratanga, self determination.Three time-periods are identified to help structure the discussionthat begins from 1840, the time of the signing of the Treatyof Waitangi between the Queen of England and Maori, the indigenouspeoples of Aotearoa New Zealand, signalling the birth of modernAotearoa New Zealand. This paper argues that community developmentas policy and the practice (methodology) of social change throughorganizing, coordinating and initiating activities that enhancethe wellbeing of individuals, groups and communities is morethan ‘pedagogy of the oppressed’ and, therefore,cannot be conceptualized simply in terms of ‘resistance’.It is a holistic process of transformation encompassing socio-economic,political, cultural, environmental and spiritual dimensions.     

Rural development and the Fifth Malaysia Plan

The Fifth Malaysia Plan, 1986–1990, represents the fourth phase of Malaysia's Outline Perspective Plan, 1971–1990. Its strategies for the rural sector incorporate broadly technocratic policies outlined in the 1984 National Agricultural Policy (NAP). Maximization of farm incomes, and of the national income derived from agriculture, is to be based on ‘efficiency of production involving the judicious selection of economically remunerative crops and employing the most efficient technology’. The model for the efficient mode of agricultural production is the estate or plantation. The greatest challenge to this ‘modernization’ policy lies in the padi sector. Much of Malaysia's padi land remains low in productivity and many farms are too small to support a family. Although great advances have been made in padi production since 1950, poverty amongst padi households remains high and, since the mid-1970s, there has been an active withdrawal from the industry by substantial numbers of farmers. The problem facing Malaysian planners in the padi sector is that of reconciling the continuation of existing land ownership and inheritance patterns with the need for the creation of larger operating units to permit the use of modern technology and raise the incomes of those working them. In general the technical advances of the last 30 years have widened the income gap between larger and smaller farmers. Weaknesses of the plantation mode of production in the padi sector relate both to its methods per se and their inability to cope with inadequate production by very small farms or shares. With or without major land reforms, which are not on the Fifth Plan's agenda, there is an urgent need to reduce the number of households dependent on padi growing for their living.     

An examination of the adult day services industry using the resource dependence model within a values context

The adult day services (ADS) industry continues to grow and develop in providing care to larger numbers of older adults and their caregivers. Despite the growth in the number of programs and the changes in the way services are delivered, a systematic examination of the development of the ADS industry from a policy perspective has not been published since the mid-1990s. This article provides an analysis of the development of the ADS industry using the resource dependence model within a values-based context to determine whether public reimbursement opportunities are congruent with the needs of older adults and caregivers. Potential directions for the future development of the industry are presented through analysis of the collaborations of adult day providers with the providers of other services for older adults and the effort by public and private funders to connect quality outcomes and resources.     

Family structure or interpersonal relationships: the context for child development

SUMMARY. This article is based on an opening address given in March 1988 at the National Children's bureau conference on ‘Family fortunes: adapting support services for children in changing families’. It argues that the family is not a static unit impervious to outside influence and that on the contrary it is essential we understand the reasons why families change in certain respects and even try to anticipate such changes, as only then is it possible to target support services effectively. This should be done at the level of interpersonal relationships rather than family structure, for research on the determinants of child development has singled out this level as the crucial one     

充分利用土地资源推进县域经济发展

土地资源是人类一切活动的载体,是发展县域经济的基石,是推进县域经济发展的动力.发展县域经济既是贯彻十六大精神的战略要求,又是县域经济发展的客观需求,更是全面建设小康社会的重要举措.因此,必须紧紧抓住充分利用土地资源这个纲,才能有效地推进县域经济尽快进入高速发展的快车道.怎样充分利用土地资源,发展县域经济,本文提出几点探讨性意见.     

Internet lives: social context and moral domain in adolescent development

The author examines the thinking and behavior of adolescents within the digital world. What does all this instant messaging and blogging outside school hours mean? Why do adolescents do it? How much time do they spend doing it? How does it shape their social, emotional, and moral development? Bradley describes the phenomenon and explores some moral development ramifications of a new context of social experience for adolescents. It proposes that the digital world creates its own social context, with a different set of social conventions from the adult-mediated "real" world that adolescents also inhabit. It is a social context that most adults are aware of but do not understand. Adolescents' experiences in the online world influence their experiences in the face-to-face world and play an important role in the development of their social and moral knowledge. This chapter places the discussion within the context of literature on youth ethics that has been developed based on more traditional settings.     

Adolescent development in social and community context: a program of research

Search Institute's integrated program of research on the linkages among community, developmental assets, and health outcomes is discussed. Recommendations are made for building a science that is dedicated to exploring pathways to developmental success.     

Symbolic play provides a fertile context for language development

In this study, we test the hypothesis that symbolic play represents a fertile context for language acquisition because its inherent ambiguity elicits communicative behaviors that positively influence development. Infant–caregiver dyads (N = 54) participated in two 20-minute play sessions six months apart (Time 1 = 18 months, Time 2 = 24 months). During each session, the dyads played with two sets of toys that elicited either symbolic or functional play. The sessions were transcribed and coded for several features of dyadic interaction and language; infants’ linguistic proficiency was measured via parental report. The two contexts elicited different communicative and linguistic behaviors. Notably, the symbolic play condition resulted in significantly greater conversational turn-taking than functional play, and also resulted in the greater use of questions and mimetics in infant-directed speech (IDS). In contrast, caregivers used more imperative clauses in functional play. Correlational and regression analyses showed that frequent properties of symbolic play (i.e., turn-taking, yes–no questions, mimetics) were positively related to infants’ language proficiency, whereas frequent features of functional play (i.e., imperatives in IDS) were negatively related. The results provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that symbolic play is a fertile context for language development, driven by the need to negotiate meaning.     

经济转型期我国海洋资源的产业化开发研究

随着我国人均收入突破1000美元大关．国内消费结构出现了明显的升级态势,房地产和汽车等高档耐用消费品成为拉动国内经济增长的主力．我国经济结构已完全进入重化工阶段．代表性行业如石油、汽车、电力、冶金、煤炭、化工等发展势头迅猛,成为工业结构中增长最快的部分,这些行业对自然资源的依赖性很强。由于我国目前人均收入接近人均金属和能源消费量大幅增加的临界水平,     

Participatory analytic hierarchy process for resource allocation in agricultural development projects

In the framework of 2030 Agenda sustainable agriculture plays a central role. In the field of international aid the participatory approaches to assessment, research, management and budgeting have been widely studied and applied in the last decades, mostly because international aid initiatives, in all their relevant phases from planning through implementation, monitoring and evaluation, are faced with the problem of identifying initiatives that could be successfully and sustainably implemented. The present paper investigates the use of a modified form of analytic hierarchy process, namely the participatory analytic hierarchy process, as a tool for choice criteria elicitation and resource allocation in the framework of an operational planning for agricultural development projects in the Dioceses of Goma, Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. During our research, we were able to make use of most frequent inconsistencies in pairwise comparison matrixes in order to stimulate the debate, to adjust local preferences and to build consensus across the group. From an operational point of view, the PAHP methodology was also suited for training the project team and for identifying a shared resource allocation pattern, which matches the existing international guidelines for agricultural development in the region.     

An analysis of major social obstacles affecting human resource development in Iran

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to analyze the major social obstacles affecting the human resource development (HRD) in Iran. The study population included faculty members in Yazd province, Iran (N = 280, n = 162). A survey and a researcher-made questionnaire were used to collect data. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by using Cronbach’s alpha (0.88) and its validity was approved by a panel of experts. The results indicated that the major social obstacles affecting HRD are ‘an increase in the share of foreigners in the labor market’, ‘frustration of native graduates’ and ‘local brain drain’, respectively. Furthermore, the results of exploratory factor analysis indicated that the most important social obstacles affecting HRD can be summarized into six factors including migration, lack of nativism, inclination towards foreigners, gender imbalance, lack of justice in distribution of resources, and lack of meritocracy. These factors altogether could explain 65.45% of the total variance. In the end, some applied recommendations (such as paying more attention to rural youth, fair distribution of facilities towards urban and rural balance, supporting native elites, preference for employment, and applying indigenous peoples based on meritocracy, creating favorable balance at different levels of academic education, avoiding gender inequality) have been presented.