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SN Social Sciences
Number of Followers: 4  Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)ISSN (Online) 2662-9283 Published by Springer-Verlag  [2468 journals]
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- Can demographic targeting alter short-term fertility decisions' The
effects of humanitarian assistance on the fertility behaviour of Syrian
refugees in Turkey-
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Abstract: Abstract Turkey, as the country with the highest number of refugees, is currently home to 3.6 million Syrians who had to flee their country due to the conflict that started in 2011. Since December 2016, refugees from all nationalities in Turkey can apply for the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), the largest humanitarian program ever funded by the European Union. ESSN is an unconditional cash transfer program that targets households using demographic criteria to select the most vulnerable among those who are forcibly displaced and, in 2021, ESSN had a total of 1.7 million beneficiaries. Two out of six of these demographic targeting criteria were directly or indirectly affected by the total number of children in the household, which were a dependency ratio equal to or greater than 1.5 (i.e., 3 children and 2 parents) and having at least 4 minor children. These criteria are questioned based on whether families were encouraged to have more children to become beneficiaries. In this research, we compare the fertility rates, fertility calendar, and birth order of children of ESSN beneficiaries and ineligible applicants by using propensity score matching. Our results show that the existence of the ESSN targeting criteria does not encourage ineligible households to have more children in order to become eligible for the ESSN. It can, however, encourage households to have children more quickly than they would otherwise.
PubDate: 2023-12-01
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- Exploring Kente weaving industry to drive smart community development in
Ghana-
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Abstract: Abstract The concept of smart city or smart community development can be utilised to develop small urban centres and improve livelihood and discourage migration. However, limited attention has been given to the rapidly growing Kente weaving industry, which holds significant promise for smart community development in recent decades. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess how leveraging the unique cultural values and benefit of Kente can contribute to the development of smart communities taking into consideration the potentials and challenges in the region. The study employed qualitative studies by interviewing key community members, observing the condition of the working environment of the Kente business, and reviewing the literature. Based on the content analysis, the study revealed some key benefits and cultural values associated with Kente weaving, including craftsmanship, international recognition and market, serving as a tourist attraction and representation of Africa in terms of prestige, status, and cultural pride which can be used to drive development in the settlement. The key challenges identified include lack of facilities for commerce and hospitality, inadequate workshops, lack of collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders, financial constraints and competition with printed textiles. Despite these challenges, the study observed some potentials that can be tapped to drive smart community development, including the international recognition and market for Kente, the value of the product, the use of digital payment methods to promote easier transactions, and the ongoing development of a Kente weavers’ website. The government should collaborate with private investors, create websites and provide training in business skills and online marketing to engender smart community development.
PubDate: 2023-12-01
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- Children of new immigrants in Taiwan: educational outcomes in secondary
education-
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Abstract: Abstract The academic achievement of children of new immigrants (those having at least one immigrant parent) in Taiwan is well explored in the extant literature. It is generally found that children of Southeast Asian mothers had lower performance than children of mainland Chinese mothers. However, other aspects of educational outcomes such as the type of high school a student attend, which has important implications for future occupational status in the labor market as the Taiwanese educational system begins to sort students into either a general or vocational track when they reach high school, are underinvestigated in the literature. Using the Taiwan Upper Secondary Education Database 10% samples of 10th- and 11th-graders from 2012 to 2018 (10th-grade n = 162,219, 11th-grade n = 147,600), this study shows that while children of mainland Chinese mothers do not differ significantly from students with native parents in class ranking, GPA, public and general high school attendance, and expected educational attainment, children of Southeast Asian mothers are indeed lagging behind. Further analysis of Southeast Asian subgroups reveals that children of Thai mothers have the highest performance, whereas children of Vietnamese and Indonesian mothers have the lowest performance. An important factor contributing to the lower performance of children of Southeast Asian mothers is family background, which is particularly salient to children of Vietnamese and Indonesian mothers. They are more disadvantaged in terms of family socioeconomic status and more likely to from a single-parent family. Due to this heterogeneity, policymakers and educators may need to understand the specific needs of each subgroup when designing educational programs.
PubDate: 2023-11-30
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- Coping with disasters: changing patterns of disaster risk reduction
activities in the southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh-
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Abstract: Abstract Bangladesh is exposed to frequent natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, tidal surges, and earthquakes. To improve resilience, the country has implemented multisectoral and muti-level national interventions based on international guidelines over the past few years. As a result, local people have become more knowledgeable about and adept at coping with disasters. While previous studies have focused on the causes and consequences of this development, this study examines the trend of successful disaster risk reduction (DRR) interventions through qualitative research in the southwest coastal area of Bangladesh. The authors performed 10 in-depth interviews, four focus group discussions, non-participatory observatory notes, and gathered 36 photographs of the surrounding landscapes in two selected villages of Dacope Upazila and Mongla Upazila, Khulna Division of Bangladesh. This study has suggested that coastal residents have changed their actions through DRR due to a range of awareness programs led by governmental and non-governmental organizations. While a top-down approach has improved early warning, disaster preparedness, and safer environments, a bottom-up approach should be considered to incorporate effective local DRR activities such as kinship network support. These findings suggest that both new and traditional disaster-coping activities should be integrated into more effective DRR strategies.
PubDate: 2023-11-29
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- Importance of the human factor in user satisfaction with local government
office counter services: on-site survey of Higashihiroshima city hall
users-
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Abstract: Abstract This study empirically investigates the major factors determining user satisfaction with counter services at local government offices in Japan. Data were collected via on-site surveys on user satisfaction with the local government office counter services using an original three-category questionnaire scale tailored to fit local administration characteristics in Japan. A total of 1000 questionnaires were distributed at the city hall during August 23–26, 2021; a total of 537 valid responses were received (response rate: 53.7%). Regression analysis indicated that the independent variables of category C (service delivery) were the most influential, followed by the B (human-related factors) and A (office hardware) categories (adjusted R2 value: 0.58). Results showed that the human factor is a key factor in counter service in terms of user satisfaction. The human factor was found to be a statistically significant explanatory variable in two on-site surveys at Higashihiroshima City and Internet surveys of ward office users in Osaka City and the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. These findings align with the conclusions of implementation research, which first emerged in the 1970s. For instance, street-level bureaucracy research has highlighted the importance of frontline administrative officials. For service delivery (C), identified as the most important factor, promptness of service delivery and a short waiting time do not necessarily affect user satisfaction positively. Moreover, this study identified two important factors for the counter-staff responses and human-related factors category: (1) speed with which the attending counter clerk speaks and (2) atmosphere and kindness of the attending counter clerk.
PubDate: 2023-11-28
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- Maternal education and child malnutrition: evidence from selected West
African countries-
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Abstract: Abstract This paper investigates the effects of mother’s education on child malnutrition in selected West African countries; Ghana, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast. As the early years of every individual’s life are the most essential stage of their life, one of the most important factors that pave the way for their survival and growth during childhood is their levels of nutrition. Since mothers are the primary caregivers, recent studies have demonstrated the importance of maternal education on child health across both developed and developing countries. This study utilizes the most recent versions of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) of Ghana, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast and employed the ordered probit models and finds that in all three cases, maternal education is important in combating child malnutrition, particularly with long term malnutrition (stunting). Results also suggest that higher educational attainment poses high benefits on child malnutrition compared to lower levels implying the need to encourage females to pursue higher education. Additionally, mass media exposure and investment in human capital by African governments are imperative. This paper provides empirical evidence that outlines the influence of mothers’ education on their children’s health status. Thus, it helps in understanding the most essential form of child malnutrition across the three West African countries considered, filling the gap in the extant literature.
PubDate: 2023-11-25
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- An analysis of the access to academic resources in higher study in
Bangladesh: a case study of the University of Dhaka-
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Abstract: Abstract For undergraduate students, especially in the universities of developing countries like Bangladesh, access to proper academic resources remains a crucial issue. Insufficiency of library resources and structural capacities is a troubling factor in ensuring the students’ proper access to resources. Besides, management deficiencies also make it difficult for the students to track down or get hold of the necessary study materials. In this age of globalization and digitalization, e-resources of learning are promising hubs of academic resource distribution, but many undergraduate students in Bangladesh lack any direction or support from the universities to get access to these digital resources. This paper attempts to sketch the problems and prospects of access to academic resources in undergraduate education in Bangladesh through a case study on the University of Dhaka. It studies the students’ access to four distinct areas of academic resources: University library facilities, departments’ seminar library facilities, E-resources, and programs like seminars, symposiums, etc. A questionnaire survey is conducted on a sample of undergraduate students. A KII with the deputy librarian of the Central Library and structured interviews with seminar library management staff are conducted for collecting multidimensional data. This study finds that a varied range of resources is available for the students in the four sources examined. The problem lies in the information gap, lack of updating, and lack of students’ enthusiasm. Prospective programs include a few projects of integrating library resources and digitization of library books.
PubDate: 2023-11-25
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- Understanding public confidence in the police within a changing crime
landscape-
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Abstract: Abstract This study tested whether Londoners’ public confidence in the Police has deteriorated in the face of numerous stark changes in crime, police workforce and media reporting and if so, which factors hold most influence. The data comes from the London Public Attitude Survey (PAS), a large-scale London-wide survey of citizen views on policing between March 2011 and March 2020—with an overall sample size of 112,000. Analytics includes time lagged cross correlations, Hidden Markov Model, Artificial neural network and permutations feature importance. Citizen confidence in the police has seen a significant reduction over recent years and the variables of knife crime, media reporting, police officer numbers and homicides were able to accurately predict the observed decline. The decline of confidence requires a considered effort to address given the potential detrimental consequences of a society without it.
PubDate: 2023-11-23
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- Correction to: Reader perception of and attitude to English-Chinese
advertising posters: an eye tracking study-
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PubDate: 2023-11-17
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- Migration and poverty in the Global South: an integrated review
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Abstract: Abstract Amidst the escalating poverty levels in the Global South, migration has emerged as a potential remedy for breaking free from the shackles of destitution. Surprisingly, this critical relationship has received relatively limited attention in academic research. Those studies that delved into this intricate connection have often yielded inconclusive findings or relegated it to the periphery of scholarly discourse. To comprehensively investigate this complex association, we employed an integrated review methodology aligned with the PRISMA-ScR criteria, meticulously combing through pertinent literature. Our review of the existing body of knowledge unveiled a promising revelation: global migration can potentially alleviate poverty at its source. This revelation underscores migration as a viable strategy in the fight against poverty. However, it is paramount to underscore that our support and advocacy are exclusively reserved for legal migration pathways. This stance is rooted in the earnest concern for safeguarding human lives and minimising the potential harm migrants may face. In embracing migration to combat poverty, we must do so within the bounds of legal and ethical frameworks to ensure a safer and more promising future for all.
PubDate: 2023-11-16
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- High hopes but aiming low' Explaining why some families with high
educational aspirations do not choose the academic track in German
secondary education-
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Abstract: Abstract Selecting a school track after primary schooling is an early and highly influential decision families have to make in the German educational system. Usually, families with high educational aspirations choose the academic track since it is the direct pathway to higher education eligibility, yet there are families selecting another track. Explaining this decision is highly relevant since it is known that other tracks can divert aspirations away from the initial high goals, resulting in overall lower educational achievements. The present study analyzes the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) dataset to investigate predictors of academic track selection (N > 1500). As dominance analyses show, the overall share of variance that all factors can explain is relatively low (ca. 13%), and only the teacher recommendation and the federal state of residence contribute meaningfully to this total share. Overall, it remains unclear what drives the decision, and other explanatory approaches should be investigated.
PubDate: 2023-11-06
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- Ecological and social correlates of violent crime
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Abstract: Abstract Resilient communities often experience deprivation in multiple areas. Understanding how these areas relate to each other can help policymakers develop effective interventions that target multiple issues, even if the primary focus is a single outcome, such as violent crime. The present study examines counties in Texas, California, Arizona, and Pennsylvania to explore how environmental and social factors are associated with increased violent crime. Our results indicated that violent crime in these counties were predicted by the presence of leaking storage tanks, along with the percentage of low-birthweight pregnancies, housing burden, reduced reading scores, and percentage of children in free lunch programs. In path analysis, environmental factors predicted both individual wellness and violent crime. These results suggest that ecological and social predictors of crime intertwine in important and complicated ways that warrant further examination and policy response.
PubDate: 2023-11-06
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- Pre-professional student perceptions of team-based learning applied in a
medical college admission test preparatory course-
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Abstract: Abstract California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine established an 8-week Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Preparatory Course that implemented Team-Based Learning (TBL) with the goal of identifying to what extent students perceived working in a team impacted their learning and ability to perform well on the MCAT. Students were exposed to information in both lecture-based learning (LBL) and TBL formats. TBL sessions followed the typical progression- the dissemination of pre-work beforehand, individual readiness assessment test (IRAT), team readiness assessment test (TRAT), and application exercises. Students were in sessions for a total of 112 h, 88 of which used a traditional lecture model, while 32 h followed the TBL format. All professors developed lessons using AAMC published content outlines but were given the flexibility to prepare based on their expertise and experience. At the conclusion of the course, students responded to a 14-item survey asking for their perspective of the impact of TBL on their course outcomes. Surveys reported positive perspectives on course outcomes with a mean of 4.23 out of 5 on a Likert-type scale. Question means ranged from 4.07 to a high of 4.44. Individual student means ranged from 2.21 to 5.00. Study findings showed that TBL is perceived as an effective modality for teaching MCAT materials and that students find that it positively impacts their learning.
PubDate: 2023-11-05
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- Reader perception of and attitude to English-Chinese advertising posters:
an eye tracking study-
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Abstract: Abstract Modern advertising posters are largely multimodal, with the visual and verbal parts combining to highlight the meaning. This study aims to explore how Chinese readers perceive English-Chinese online advertising posters and whether their patterns of perception are related to their attitude via an eye tracking experiment and an online questionnaire. We collected 20 English advertisements with Chinese translations for the experiment and recruited 37 Chinese native speaker participants. They were randomly divided into two groups and assigned to view the English and Chinese versions respectively. After the experiment, they filled out a questionnaire and rated those advertisements on a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis shows that, despite differences in the two groups’ perception pattern, there is no significant difference in their attitude. For both groups, the visual is noticed earlier, and participants’ preference for an advertisement is positively correlated to fixation on visuals but negatively correlated to fixation on texts. The findings suggest that more attention should be paid to visuals in English-Chinese advertisement translation and simpler wording could win consumers’ favor better.
PubDate: 2023-11-01
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- Making a case for rights of public access in Ireland: a multifunctional
approach-
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Abstract: Abstract The availability of waymarked trails in Ireland has been a remarkable success story for advocates of outdoor recreation. Yet, there is little legal basis to suggest that one has any right to the outdoors in Ireland. Aside from scattered allotments of public land and national parks, much of the island’s trails pass through private land, upon which no recreational user has any right to be. This paper investigates the normative basis for this status quo, beginning with the simple hypothesis that this cannot be justified in any normative sense. I explore the present hierarchy in which public rights of access reside by expanding upon the means by which private property rights dominate what access rights exist in such a way that cannot be justifiable. I conclude my argument by offering the counterexample of Sweden’s allemansrätt as a guide towards potential remedies that benefit both public and private parties.
PubDate: 2023-10-25
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- How does the place of residence affect young people’s
disengagement'-
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Abstract: Abstract Young people are one of the most vulnerable segments of the population in the labour market. This evidence is due to many personal and macro-economic factors and applies to all countries worldwide. However, the young people's disadvantage strongly differs across countries and, in some cases, also within the countries. In this paper, we aim at analyzing the influence that the place of residence exerts on the propensity to the NEET (young individuals not in employment, education, or training) status in Italy, the country that, in Europe, shows by many years the highest share of NEETs, with an evident internal variability. We applied a multilevel model using macro-data with deep territorial detail: the regional, the provincial, and even the municipality level. Results highlight the significant effect on the NEET phenomenon of factors linked to the territory, including the share of enterprises, the innovative content of the economy, and the quality of the education system. Investing in education, even in adults’ continuing education, can significantly reduce the share of NEETs, especially in the most depressed areas of the South of Italy.
PubDate: 2023-10-25
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- The effect of economic conditions on poverty perception in Minnesota
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Abstract: Abstract The paper analyzes subjective poverty in St. Louis County, Minnesota, with the methods of systematic data collection in 2020 and makes a diachronic comparison using the results of a similar survey from 2010. The paper identifies the most important poverty-related items and compares the precise meanings of the results of the 2010 and 2020 surveys. It also aims to find out how the recovery after the recession of 2008 modified perceptions of poverty. It is revealed that poverty in 2020 is mainly associated with items related to material needs. Many of the items mentioned in relation to poverty are related to financial issues, to basic human needs, or to physical safety. The paper concludes that in spite of the economic recovery, subjective poverty did not change significantly in the examined period.
PubDate: 2023-10-24
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- Building resilience to flood risks via green space planning in urban
Ghana-
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Abstract: Abstract Green spaces provide flood-regulating functions that help minimize the impact of flooding. However, in urban Africa, rapid urbanization has led to the decline and deterioration of greeneries, which have adverse outcomes on the preparedness of cities to respond to ecological disasters, particularly flooding. Through the review of eight relevant urban planning documents and interviews with relevant urban planning institutions, this study found that city officials had considerable knowledge and acknowledged the significance of green spaces in minimizing flood occurrence and its impacts. This notwithstanding, the interviews and analyses of the urban planning documents showed some clear attempts to integrate green space planning into flood management interventions in only three of the policy documents. Political interference, financial constraints, and inadequate logistics, were mentioned as the notable challenges toward successful integration of green space planning into flood management efforts. The study recommends the conscious inclusion of green space planning into flood management efforts towards minimizing the occurrence and adverse impacts of floods.
PubDate: 2023-10-24
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- Investigating the physico-chemical properties of drinking water: a case
study of South Twenty-Four Parganas, West Bengal-
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Abstract: The availability of safe and clean drinking water is very limited across the world. However, it is essential to have access to safe and quality drinking water to lead a healthy life and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 by 2030. This study examines the quality of drinking water in Palghat village of South Twenty-Four Parganas, West Bengal, considering households’ level factors. A total of 78 households were selected for the study, which represents 15% of the total households. A cross-sectional research design was used and purposive sampling method was applied to conduct the household-level survey. Different improved sources of water were selected using random sampling techniques for the analysis of water quality. The water quality was determined using the water quality index (WQI). We found that 53.8% of the households in the village were dependent on tube wells for drinking water. Besides, 82.1% of the households were directly consuming drinking water without purification. The study depicts that the ordinary tube wells are slightly contaminated with arsenic heavy metals ( \(0.05 \mathrm{mg}/\mathrm{L}\) ), and the overall water quality of the village is 'unfit for consumption' (WQI: 190.87). Therefore, the authors suggest paying special attention to the water quality of the ordinary hand pumps in the study area. Besides, monitoring of shallow tube wells and spreading public awareness about clean and safe drinking water can improve the water quality and human health in the region. Graphical
PubDate: 2023-10-21
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- Gender disparities in self-perceived health and subjective well-being
among older adults in India: evidences from a large-scale survey-
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Abstract: Abstract Due to unequal access to resources and social services there are enormous gender disparities in the self-perceived health and subjective well-being of the older adults in India. This study has assessed the gender disparities in self-perceived health and subjective well-being and examined the individual and household determinants of health and wellbeing. Data from WHO sponsored Study on Global AGEing and adult health survey wave-I, 2007–2008 (n = 3621) were used. We employed principle component analysis and multivariate logistic regression to examine the factors affecting the differences in self-perceived health and subjective well-being. Older women have poorer self-perceived health and subjective well-being as compared to their male counterparts in all three categories of good, moderate and poor. In good category, men have reported higher level (38.86%) of subjective wellbeing as compared to women (28.26%). In contrast a higher proportion (41.13%) of women has reported poor wellbeing than men (33.63%). The multinomial regression also shows that men enjoyed higher level of subjective wellbeing [OR (95% CI) 0.327 (0.183–0.585)] than women [OR (95% CI) 0.088 (0.005–1.463)]. There is clear distinction in self-perceived health and subjective well-being between older men and women due to lifelong discriminatory socio-economic factors leading to such disparities. In this context, strong gender-neutral policies and interventions are essential to minimize the existing gender disparities.
PubDate: 2023-10-19
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