Search results for: regional and international corridor
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 5130

Search results for: regional and international corridor

4860 The Phenomenon of Rockfall in the Traceca Corridor and the Choice of Engineering Measures to Combat It

Authors: I. Iremashvili, I. Pirtskhalaishvili, K. Kiknadze, F. Lortkipanidze

Abstract:

The paper deals with the causes of rockfall and its possible consequences on slopes adjacent to motorways and railways. A list of measures is given that hinder rockfall; these measures are directed at protecting roads from rockfalls, and not preventing them. From the standpoint of local stability of slopes the main effective measure is perhaps strengthening their surface by the method of filling, which will check or end (or both) the process of deformation, local slipping off, sliding off and development of erosion.

Keywords: rockfall, concrete spraying, heliodevices, railways

Procedia PDF Downloads 350
4859 The Implementation of the Human Right of Self-Determination: the Example of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

Authors: S. Vlasyan

Abstract:

The article deals with the implementation of the right to self-determination of peoples on the example of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The problem of correlation of two fundamental principles of international law i. e. territorial integrity and the right to self-determination of peoples is considered to be one of the vital issues in the field of international law for several decades. So, in this article, the author analyzes the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada regarding specific issues of secession of Quebec from Canada, as well as the decision of the International Court of Justice in the case concerning East Timor (Portugal v. Australia), and in the case of Western Sahara. The author formulates legal conditions of Nagorno-Karabakh secession.

Keywords: right of self-determination, territorial integrity, the principles of International Law, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

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4858 Experimental Research on Ductility of Regional Confined Concrete Beam

Authors: Qinggui Wu, Xinming Cao, Guyue Guo, Jiajun Ding

Abstract:

In efforts to study the shear ductility of regional confined concrete beam, 5 reinforced concrete beams were tested to examine its shear performance. These beams has the same shear span ratio, concrete strength, different ratios of tension reinforcement and shapes of stirrup. The purpose of the test is studying the effects of stirrup shape and tension reinforcement ratio on failure mode and shear ductility. The test shows that the regional confined part can be used as an independent part and the rest of the beam is good to work together so that the ductility of the beam is more one time higher than that of the normal confined concrete beam. The related laws of the effect of tension reinforcement ratio and stirrup shapes on beam’s shear ductility are founded.

Keywords: ratio of tension reinforcement, stirrup shapes, shear ductility, failure mode

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4857 Soft Power Building through International Education: Indonesia's KNB Scholarship Scheme

Authors: Ratih Indraswari

Abstract:

As it occupies a new status in international relations, Indonesia needs to re-organize its resources in projecting the preferred image internationally. Attractiveness becomes crucial as Indonesia needs to maintain its posture as a reliable contributor to the world. This paper tries to scrutinize the un-tap potential of ideational powers Indonesia possesses. Herein the ideational power is assumed to be translated into a soft power, intangible and rely on its influential degree to persuade and attract other countries, through its public diplomacy activities. A specific correlation will be dedicated to the effort of Indonesia public diplomacy on international education. It is believed that international education progresses mutual understanding in disseminating Indonesia values and engages public audience. As a result these exchanges and engagements support the attainment of Indonesia’s interests and forwarding Indonesia’s foreign policies. A case study on KNB (Kemitraan Negara berkembang) scholarship scheme will be provided and its impact towards building people-to-people connections.

Keywords: Indonesia, international education, KNB (Kemitraan Negara Berkembang), public diplomacy

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4856 COVID-19: A Thread to the Security System of Foreign Investment

Authors: Mehdi Ghaemi

Abstract:

In principle, foreign investment security is enshrined in International Investment Agreements (IIAs) and Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) in the form of protection standards such as the Full Protection and Security Standard (FPS). Accordingly, the host countries undertake to provide the necessary security for the economic activities of foreign investment. With the outbreak of coronavirus, the international community called COVID-19 a threat to international peace security, as well as to the public interest and national security of nations; and to deal with, they proposed several solutions, generally including quarantine, creating social distances, and restricting businesses. This article first studies the security of foreign investment in international investment law. In the following, it analyzes the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for foreign investment security so that if there is a threat to that security, solutions could be offered to reduce it.

Keywords: foreign investment, FPS standard, host country, public health, COVID-19

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4855 Measuring Quality of Service in King Khalid International Airport

Authors: T. M. Al Muhareb

Abstract:

Any organization should take into consideration the customers’ satisfaction while providing any service to their customers. The quality of services is always considered as the main aspect that attracts the customers’ attention and helps the airports to develop their services and operations. King Khalid International Airport is considered as the gateway of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to identify the quality service in the departure area at in King Khalid Airport. The SERVQUAL questionnaire was distributed among the passengers in King Khalid International Airport and the respondents have reached to 500 passengers. The results that are obtained from the SERVQUAL questionnaire showed that the quality of airport’s services is low.

Keywords: service quality, SERVQUAL methodology, King Khalid International Airport (KKIA), customers’ satisfaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 767
4854 The Quality of Human Capital as a Factor of Social and Economic Development of the Region

Authors: O. Gubnitsyna, O. Zakoretskaya, O. Russova

Abstract:

It is generally recognized that the main task of modern society is human development. The quality of human capital has been identified as a key driver of economic development in the region. In this article, considered the quality of human capital as one of the main types of social and economic potential for the region’s development. The phenomenon of human capital represents both material and intellectual components of human activity. It is show that the necessary population characterized by certain quantitative and qualitative indicators (qualification and professional structure, education or social general condition and others) and is an necessary resource for the development of the regional economy. The connection of the regional goals with the quality of human capital is discussed in the article and a number of recommendations on its improvement were given. Solving the tasks stated in the article, the authors used analytical and statistical methods of research, scientific publications of domestic and foreign scientists on this issue. The results can be used in this implementation of the concept of regional development.

Keywords: human capital, the quality of human capital, economic development, social general condition

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4853 Creative Peace Diplomacy Model by the Perspective of Dialogue Management for International Relations

Authors: Bilgehan Gültekin, Tuba Gültekin

Abstract:

Peace diplomacy is the most important international tool to keep peace all over the world. The study titled “peace diplomacy for international relations” is consist of three part. In the first part, peace diplomacy is going to be introduced as a tool of peace communication and peace management. And, in this part, peace communication will be explained by international communication perspective. In the second part of the study,public relations events and communication campaigns will be developed originally for peace diplomacy. In this part, it is aimed original public communication dialogue management tools for peace diplomacy. the aim of the final part of the study, is to produce original public communication model for international relations. The model includes peace modules, peace management projects, original dialogue procedures and protocols, dialogue education, dialogue management strategies, peace actors, communication models, peace team management and public diplomacy steps. The creative part of the study aims to develop a model used for international relations for all countries. Creative Peace Diplomacy Model will be developed in the case of Turkey-Turkey-France and Turkey-Greece relations. So, communication and public relations events and campaigns are going to be developed as original for only this study.

Keywords: peace diplomacy, public communication model, dialogue management, international relations

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4852 Traditional Factors of States’ Economic Growth: Modern Patterns, Values and Limitations

Authors: Denis Ushakov

Abstract:

Fast growing international migration as a factor of labor globalization now is one of the most important trends of world economy and determinant of social-political transformations. Study of fundamental economical reasons for international migration is relevant due to their prognostic, predictable and normative potential, which can be used in conditions of global economic non-stability. This paper analyzes role of natural-resources, financial and labor factors in economic growth of the modern states; studies relationships between stimulating role of natural resources, finance and labor with levels of modern countries’ economy development. Based on achieved results, findings about fundamental reasons of international migration; transformation of labor factor’s role in providing an economical progress of the states; efficiency of positive impact of manufacturing factors (domestic and attracted from international markets) were offered.

Keywords: international migration, migrant, labor productivity, economy efficiency of migration, migration policy

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4851 Living or Surviving in an Intercultural Context: A Study on Transformative Learning of UK Students in China and Chinese Students in the UK

Authors: Yiran Wang

Abstract:

As international education continues to expand countries providing such opportunities not only benefit but also face challenges. For traditional destinations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, the number of international students has been falling. At the same time emerging economies, such as China, are witnessing a rapid increase in the number of international students enrolled in their universities. China is, therefore, beginning to play an important role in the competitive global market for higher education. This study analyses and compares the experiences of international students in the UK and China using Transformative Learning theory. While there is an extensive literature on both international higher education and also Transformative Learning theory there are currently three contributions this study makes. First, this research applies the theory to two international student groups: UK students in Chinese universities and Chinese students in UK universities.Second, this study includes a focus on the intercultural learning of Chinese doctoral students in the UK filling a gap in current research. Finally, this investigation has extended the very limited number of current research projects on UK students in China. It is generally acknowledged that international students will experience various challenges when they are in a culturally different context. Little research has focused on how, why, and why not learners are transformed through exposure to their new environment. This study applies Transformative Learning theory to address two research questions: first, do UK international students in Chinese universities and Chinese international students in UK universities experience transformational learning in/during their overseas studies? Second, what factors foster or impede international students’ experience of transformative learning? To answer the above questions, semi-structured interviews were used to investigate international students’ academic and social experiences. Based on the insights provided by Mezirow,Taylor,and previous studies on international students, this study argues that international students’ intercultural experience is a complex process.Transformation can occur in various ways and social and personal perspectives underpin the transformative learning of the students studied. Contributing factors include culture shock, educational conventions,the student’s motivation, expectations, personality, gender and previous work experience.The results reflect the significance of differences in teaching styles in the UK and China and the impact this can have on the student teaching and learning process when they move to a new university.

Keywords: intercultural learning, international higher education, transformative learning, UK and Chinese international students

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4850 Recognition of International Internships for Students at European Level

Authors: Tiron-Tudor Adriana, Ciolomic Ioana, Farcas Teodora

Abstract:

The mission of a business school is to train students for business careers in which practical skills- based on theoretical knowledge- are needed. These skills include a thorough knowledge of languages, creative skills, and well-founded professional and practical knowledge. With those skills, the graduates are highly competitive in the labour market. The paper objective is to disseminate the results of an international project by revealing how a HEI are prepared for higher vocational training course leading to professional diplomas.

Keywords: vocational education, business schools, international projects, HEI

Procedia PDF Downloads 380
4849 Relevance of the Tokyo Trial: A Comparative Perspective

Authors: Nalanda Roy

Abstract:

The project will offer a fresh and critical perspective into the Tokyo Trial judgment led by the Indian Jurist Dr. Radha Binod Pal. The project will focus on the Third World Approach to International Law (TWAIL) methodology to examine the relevance of international law from the post-colonial perspectives. The project will analyze Pal’s dissenting arguments from a new and comparative perspective, apply for work from other disciplines, and create an understanding of the significance of the historic judgment considering its contemporary relevance, and fill in the gaps that exist in the call for global justice.

Keywords: Tokyo trial, third world, judgment, international law

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4848 Investigation of Different Machine Learning Algorithms in Large-Scale Land Cover Mapping within the Google Earth Engine

Authors: Amin Naboureh, Ainong Li, Jinhu Bian, Guangbin Lei, Hamid Ebrahimy

Abstract:

Large-scale land cover mapping has become a new challenge in land change and remote sensing field because of involving a big volume of data. Moreover, selecting the right classification method, especially when there are different types of landscapes in the study area is quite difficult. This paper is an attempt to compare the performance of different machine learning (ML) algorithms for generating a land cover map of the China-Central Asia–West Asia Corridor that is considered as one of the main parts of the Belt and Road Initiative project (BRI). The cloud-based Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform was used for generating a land cover map for the study area from Landsat-8 images (2017) by applying three frequently used ML algorithms including random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN). The selected ML algorithms (RF, SVM, and ANN) were trained and tested using reference data obtained from MODIS yearly land cover product and very high-resolution satellite images. The finding of the study illustrated that among three frequently used ML algorithms, RF with 91% overall accuracy had the best result in producing a land cover map for the China-Central Asia–West Asia Corridor whereas ANN showed the worst result with 85% overall accuracy. The great performance of the GEE in applying different ML algorithms and handling huge volume of remotely sensed data in the present study showed that it could also help the researchers to generate reliable long-term land cover change maps. The finding of this research has great importance for decision-makers and BRI’s authorities in strategic land use planning.

Keywords: land cover, google earth engine, machine learning, remote sensing

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4847 From Linear to Nonlinear Deterrence: Deterrence for Rising Power

Authors: Farhad Ghasemi

Abstract:

Along with transforming the international system into a complex and chaotic system, the fundamental question arises: how can deterrence be reconstructed conceptually and theoretically in this system model? The deterrence system is much more complex today than it was seven decades ago. This article suggests that the perception of deterrence as a linear system is a fundamental mistake because it does not consider the new dynamics of the international system, including network power dynamics. The author aims to improve this point by focusing on complexity and chaos theories, especially their nonlinearity and cascading failure principles. This article proposes that the perception of deterrence as a linear system is a fundamental mistake, as the new dynamics of the surrounding international system do not take into account. The author recognizes deterrence as a nonlinear system and introduces it as a concept in strategic studies.

Keywords: complexity, international system, deterrence, linear deterrence, nonlinear deterrence

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4846 Biodiversity and Biotechnology: Some Considerations about the International Regulation of Agriculture and the International Legal System on Access to Genetic Resources

Authors: Leandro Moura da Silva

Abstract:

The international community has strived to create legal mechanisms to protect their biodiversity, but this can represent, sometimes, particularly in the case of regulatory regime on access to genetic resources, an excessive nationalism which transforms itself into a significant obstacle to scientific progress causing damages to the country and to local farmers. Although it has been poorly publicized in the media, the international legal system was marked, in 2014, by the entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol, which regulates the access and benefit sharing of genetic resources of the States Party to that legal instrument. However, it’s not reasonable to think of regulating access to genetic resources without reflecting on the links of this important subject with other related issues, such as family farming and agribusiness, food safety, food security, intellectual property rights (on seeds, genetic material, new plant varieties, etc.), environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and biosafety.

Keywords: international law, regulation on agriculture, agronomy techniques, sustainability, genetic resources and new crop varieties, CBD, Nagoya Protocol, ITPGRFA

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4845 A Survey on How Faculty Perceive and Quest for Modes of Internationalization in a Private Higher Education Institution

Authors: Hanife Akar, Basak Calik, Gulcin Gulmez-Dag, Elanur Yilmaz

Abstract:

Internationalization in higher education (IHE) has been a longstanding issue in the Western World but its impact has travelled beyond its borders. As a developing country, universities in Turkey also have put into their agendas strategic plans for IHE to compete with global trends and benchmarked universities. The purpose of this study was to explore how faculty in a private university in Mid Anatolia would like see modes of internationalization in their institution through a survey design and understand their quest for internationalization. Findings indicate that participants (N=49) are internationalized in different ways, from holding international Ph.D. degrees to postdoctoral degrees, or being international faculty themselves. Participants’ visions seem to be affected by the type of programs they are in, and many consider being a part of an international joint program or having international students and faculty are an essential component in IHE. In addition to holding joints degrees, and exchange or international human sources, participants quest for more collaboration for R&D, more comparative research opportunities, and examine or develop curricula from a global perspective.

Keywords: faculty, higher education, internationalization, visions

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4844 A Qualitative Study of a Workplace International Employee Health Program

Authors: Jennifer Bradley

Abstract:

With opportunities to live and work abroad on the rise, effective preparation and support for international employees needs to be addressed within the work-site. International employees must build new habits, routines and social networks in an unfamiliar culture. Culture shock typically occurs within the first year and can affect both physical and psychological health. Employers have the opportunity to support staff through the adaptation process and foster healthy habits and routines. Cross-cultural training that includes a combination of instructional teaching, cultural experiences, and practice, is shown to increase the international employee adaptation process. However, little evidence demonstrates that organizations provide all of these aspects for international employees. The occupational therapy practitioner (OTP) offers a unique perspective focusing on the employee transactional relationship and engagement of meaningful occupations to enhance and enable participation in roles, habits and routines within new cultural contexts. This paper examines one such program developed and implemented by an OTP at the New England Center for Children, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The effectiveness of the program was assessed via participant feedback and concluded that an international employee support program that focuses on a variety of meaningful experiences and knowledge can empower employees to navigate healthy practices, develop habits and routines, and foster positive inter-cultural relationships in the organization and community.

Keywords: occupational therapy practitioner, cross cultural training, international employee health, international employee support

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4843 Counter-Hegemonic Movements and Their Consequences at the International Level: Transposing Gramsci to the 21st Century

Authors: Hanna Corsini

Abstract:

This article provides an analysis of counter-hegemonic movements and their consequences for the neoliberal world order at the international level. Even if calls for change are becoming louder, current research on populist forces at the domestic level in comparative politics is lacking an investigation of the international dimensions of the rise of such movements. At the same time, in the International Relations field, the focus still remains on the surge of challengers at the global level, while the national one stays neglected. This paper argues that to fill this gap as identified in the academic literature, the concept of hegemony, and more precisely, as deployed by Antonio Gramsci, can bear some interesting insights. An adaptation to the 21st century of Gramsci’s concept is proposed, highlighting the explanatory power that key concepts of his theoretical framework have. Transposing it to contemporary politics provides precious elements for an in-depth understanding of counter-hegemonic movements and the consequences of their rise for the neoliberal world order. In an era of disruption and turmoil in national politics, International Relations theory cannot avoid to engage with this dimension. However, populism as a theoretical concept lacks the capacity to go beyond the domestic border. It is therefore essential to create a dialogue between these two fields. Ultimately, the paper claims that (counter-)hegemony is crucial to build a bridge between the international and the domestic level.

Keywords: counter-hegemonic movements, Gramsci, hegemony, international relations

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4842 The Application of International Law in Terms of Earthlife Africa Johannesburg and Another v Minister of Energy and Others 65662/16 (2017) Case

Authors: M. van der Bank

Abstract:

This study involves a legal analysis of the case Earthlife Africa Johannesburg v Minister of Environmental Affairs and Others. The case considered the impact of the Thabametsi Power Project if it operated to the expected year 2060 on the global climate and ever-changing climate, in South Africa. This judgment highlights the significance, place and principles of climate change and where climate change impacts the South African environmental law which has its founding principles in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. This paper seeks to examine the advances for climate change regulation and application in terms of international law, in South Africa, through a qualitative study involving comparative national and international case law. A literature review study was conducted to compare and contrast the various aspects of law in order to support the argument undertaken. The paper presents a detailed discussion of the current legislation and the position as it currently stands with reference to international law and interpretation. The relevant protections as outlined in the National Environmental Management Act will be discussed. It then proceeds to outline the potential liability of the Minister in the interpretation and application of international law.

Keywords: climate change; environment, environmental review, international law; and principles

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4841 State’s Responsibility of Space Debris

Authors: Athari Farhani

Abstract:

Abstract The existence of space debris is a direct implication of human activities in outer space. The amount of orbital debris resulting from human exploration and use of outer space has been steadily increasing in the history of human exploration and use of outer space, so that space debris in the responsibility of the launching state. Space debris not only hs a direct impact on environmentalpollution but can also harm and endanger the safety of human life. Despite the legal provisions governing the exploration and use of outer space, both international space law and liability convention, however, these legal provisions are only basic prinsiples, so that further thought or effort are needed, such as new international legal instruments to regulate the existence of space debris. The method used in this research is normative juridical with an approach to written legal regulation, especially international agreements related to space law.

Keywords: state’s responsibility, space debris, outerspace, international law

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4840 The Effects of Cultural Self-Efficacy and Perceived Social Support on Acculturative Stress of International Postgraduate Students in the United Kingdom

Authors: Rhea Mathews

Abstract:

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of perceived social support and cultural self-efficacy on the acculturative stress of international postgraduate students in the United Kingdom. The study adopted Berry, Kim, Minde & Mok’s (1987) acculturative framework on acculturative stress and examined the relationship between the variables. The study hypothesized that perceived social support and cultural self-efficacy would predict lower levels of acculturative stress among students. Postgraduate students in the United Kingdom (N = 76) completed three surveys measuring the variables; Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Cultural Self-efficacy for Adolescents. To evaluate the role of the perceived social support and cultural self-efficacy in determining the acculturative stress level of international students, multiple linear regression was employed. Both independent variables exhibited a significant, negative relationship with acculturative stress (p < 0.001; p < 0.01). Results described that cultural self-efficacy and perceived social support significantly predicted acculturative stress (p < 0.01). Together, the variables accounted for 22% of the variance in acculturative stress scores (adjusted R² = 0.22), with cultural self-efficacy playing a larger role in predicting the dependent variable. Limitations and implications of the study are noted. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to enhancing international students’ acculturative experience when relocating to a new environment.

Keywords: acculturative stress, coping, cultural adjustment, cultural self-efficacy, international education, international students, migration, perceived social support

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4839 Automatic Lexicon Generation for Domain Specific Dataset for Mining Public Opinion on China Pakistan Economic Corridor

Authors: Tayyaba Azim, Bibi Amina

Abstract:

The increase in the popularity of opinion mining with the rapid growth in the availability of social networks has attracted a lot of opportunities for research in the various domains of Sentiment Analysis and Natural Language Processing (NLP) using Artificial Intelligence approaches. The latest trend allows the public to actively use the internet for analyzing an individual’s opinion and explore the effectiveness of published facts. The main theme of this research is to account the public opinion on the most crucial and extensively discussed development projects, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), considered as a game changer due to its promise of bringing economic prosperity to the region. So far, to the best of our knowledge, the theme of CPEC has not been analyzed for sentiment determination through the ML approach. This research aims to demonstrate the use of ML approaches to spontaneously analyze the public sentiment on Twitter tweets particularly about CPEC. Support Vector Machine SVM is used for classification task classifying tweets into positive, negative and neutral classes. Word2vec and TF-IDF features are used with the SVM model, a comparison of the trained model on manually labelled tweets and automatically generated lexicon is performed. The contributions of this work are: Development of a sentiment analysis system for public tweets on CPEC subject, construction of an automatic generation of the lexicon of public tweets on CPEC, different themes are identified among tweets and sentiments are assigned to each theme. It is worth noting that the applications of web mining that empower e-democracy by improving political transparency and public participation in decision making via social media have not been explored and practised in Pakistan region on CPEC yet.

Keywords: machine learning, natural language processing, sentiment analysis, support vector machine, Word2vec

Procedia PDF Downloads 119
4838 Measuring Regional Inequality: The Italian Case

Authors: Arbolino R., Boffardi R., L. De Simone

Abstract:

The success of a development policy requires the definition of a proper investment planning on behalf of policymakers. Such planning should consider both tangible and intangible features characterizing a territory and, moreover, evaluate both state of place and an ideal situation to be achieved, that represents the final goal of the policy. The aim of this research is to propose a methodological approach to implement this ideal solution or the best solution appliable to the Italian regions. It consists of two steps: the first one is a measure of regional inequality through building a composite indicator for analyzing the level of development and compare the differences among the regions. It is constructed by means of a principal component analysis. Ranking regions according to the scores achieved is useful as benchmark, to identify a best solution towards which other regions should strive. Thus, this distance is measured through a revised Sen index that allows to assign a weight on which calculate the financing resource programming. The results show that this approach is a good instrument to fairly and efficiently allocate public funds, in order to reduce regional inequalities.

Keywords: public economics, inequalities, growth, development

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4837 The Impact of Size of the Regional Economic Blocs to the Country’s Flows of Trade: Evidence from COMESA, EAC and Tanzania

Authors: Mosses E. Lufuke, Lorna M. Kamau

Abstract:

This paper attempted to assess whether the size of the regional economic bloc has an impact to the flow of trade to a particular country. Two different sized blocs (COMESA and EAC) and one country (Tanzania) have been used as the point of references. Using the results from of the analyses, the paper also was anticipated to establish whether it was rational for Tanzania to withdraw its membership from COMESA (the larger bloc) to join EAC (the small one). Gravity model has been used to estimate the relationship between the variables, from which the bilateral trade flows between Tanzania and the eighteen member countries of the two blocs (COMESA and EAC) was employed for the time between 2000 and 2013. In the model, the dummy variable for regional bloc (bloc) at which the Tanzania trade partner countries belong are also added to the model to understand which trade bloc exhibit higher trade flow with Tanzania. From the findings, it was noted that over the period of study (2000-2013) Tanzania acknowledged more than 257% of trade volume in EAC than in COMESA. Conclusive, it was noted that the flow of trade is explained by many other variables apart from the size of regional bloc; and that the size by itself offer insufficient evidence in causality relationship. The paper therefore remain neutral on such staggered switching decision since more analyses are required to establish the country’s trade flow, especially when if it had been in multiple membership of COMESA and EAC.

Keywords: economic bloc, flow of trade, size of bloc, switching

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4836 The International Prohibition of Religiously-Motivated 'Incitement' to Violence

Authors: J. D. Temperman

Abstract:

Introduction: In particular, in relation to religion, the meaning and scope of freedom of expression have been tested in recent times. This paper investigates the legal justifications for restrictions that have been suggested in this area and asks whether they are sustainable from an international human rights perspective. The universal human rights instruments, particularly the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), are increasingly geared towards eradicating ‘incitement’ to contingent harms like violence or discrimination, whilst forms of extreme speech that fall short of such incitement are to be protected rather than countered by states. Human Rights Committee’s draft-General Comment on freedom of expression, adopted in 2011, provides another strong indication that this is the envisaged way forward: repealing anti-blasphemy and anti-religious defamation laws, whilst simultaneously increasing efforts to combat ‘incitement’. Within regional human rights frameworks, notably the European Convention system, judgments have in fact supported legal restrictions on both hate speech, holocaust denial, and blasphemy or religious defamation. Major contributions to scholarship: This paper proposes an actus reus for the offense of ‘advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination or violence’, as enshrined in Article 20(2) of the UN ICCPR. In underscoring the high threshold of ‘incitement’, the author distinguishes this offense from such notions as ‘blasphemy’ or ‘defamation of religions’. In addition to treating the said provision as a sui generis prohibition, the question is addresses whether a ‘right to be protected against incitement’ may be distilled from the ICCPR. Furthermore, the author will discuss the question of how to judge incitement; notably, is mens rea required to convict someone of incitement, and if so, what degree of mens rea? This analysis also includes the question how to balance content and context factors when addressing alleged instances of incitement, notably what factors make provide for a likelihood that imminent acts of violence or discrimination will ensue from an inciteful speech act? Methodology: This paper takes a double comparative approach: (i) it endeavours to compare and contrast monitoring bodies’ approach to incitement (notably, the UN Human Rights Committee, but also the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which monitors states’ compliance with Article 4 of ICERD on incitement); and (ii) it endeavours to chart and compare and analyse from an international human rights perspective recent forms of state practice in the field of dealing with incitement (i.e. a comparative legal analysis and vertical human rights analysis of newly emerging incitement legislation in the light of the said international standards). Conclusion: This paper conceptualizes a legal notion – ‘incitement’ – encapsulated in international human rights law that may have a profound bearing on contemporary challenges of radicalization and religious strife.

Keywords: incitement, international human rights law, religious hatred, violence

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4835 International College Students Understand Entrepreneurial Readiness and Business-Related Skills: A Qualitative Study

Authors: Aleksandar Chonevski

Abstract:

The free-market economy provides many opportunities for entrepreneurship or starting one’s own business, attracting many students to study business at for-profit colleges in the United States. This is also true for international students, many of whom are filled with the hope of making a better life for themselves and their families through entrepreneurial endeavors. This qualitative research showed that not all graduates business students start their own business. In investigating this phenomenon, the effectiveness of entrepreneurship curricula at international colleges needs to be examined in order to adjust, improve and reform entrepreneurship curricula. This qualitative study will explore how business skills learned in college for-profit play a role in the entrepreneurial readiness of undergraduate business students in the south Florida. Business curricula helps international students achieve goals and transform their actions to understand challenges in a corporate society. Students will be interviewed to gain information about the students’ experience with entrepreneurship curricula in a for-profit college in south Florida.

Keywords: business skills, college curriculum, entrepreneurial readiness, international students

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4834 Landslide Susceptibility Analysis in the St. Lawrence Lowlands Using High Resolution Data and Failure Plane Analysis

Authors: Kevin Potoczny, Katsuichiro Goda

Abstract:

The St. Lawrence lowlands extend from Ottawa to Quebec City and are known for large deposits of sensitive Leda clay. Leda clay deposits are responsible for many large landslides, such as the 1993 Lemieux and 2010 St. Jude (4 fatalities) landslides. Due to the large extent and sensitivity of Leda clay, regional hazard analysis for landslides is an important tool in risk management. A 2018 regional study by Farzam et al. on the susceptibility of Leda clay slopes to landslide hazard uses 1 arc second topographical data. A qualitative method known as Hazus is used to estimate susceptibility by checking for various criteria in a location and determine a susceptibility rating on a scale of 0 (no susceptibility) to 10 (very high susceptibility). These criteria are slope angle, geological group, soil wetness, and distance from waterbodies. Given the flat nature of St. Lawrence lowlands, the current assessment fails to capture local slopes, such as the St. Jude site. Additionally, the data did not allow one to analyze failure planes accurately. This study majorly improves the analysis performed by Farzam et al. in two aspects. First, regional assessment with high resolution data allows for identification of local locations that may have been previously identified as low susceptibility. This then provides the opportunity to conduct a more refined analysis on the failure plane of the slope. Slopes derived from 1 arc second data are relatively gentle (0-10 degrees) across the region; however, the 1- and 2-meter resolution 2022 HRDEM provided by NRCAN shows that short, steep slopes are present. At a regional level, 1 arc second data can underestimate the susceptibility of short, steep slopes, which can be dangerous as Leda clay landslides behave retrogressively and travel upwards into flatter terrain. At the location of the St. Jude landslide, slope differences are significant. 1 arc second data shows a maximum slope of 12.80 degrees and a mean slope of 4.72 degrees, while the HRDEM data shows a maximum slope of 56.67 degrees and a mean slope of 10.72 degrees. This equates to a difference of three susceptibility levels when the soil is dry and one susceptibility level when wet. The use of GIS software is used to create a regional susceptibility map across the St. Lawrence lowlands at 1- and 2-meter resolutions. Failure planes are necessary to differentiate between small and large landslides, which have so far been ignored in regional analysis. Leda clay failures can only retrogress as far as their failure planes, so the regional analysis must be able to transition smoothly into a more robust local analysis. It is expected that slopes within the region, once previously assessed at low susceptibility scores, contain local areas of high susceptibility. The goal is to create opportunities for local failure plane analysis to be undertaken, which has not been possible before. Due to the low resolution of previous regional analyses, any slope near a waterbody could be considered hazardous. However, high-resolution regional analysis would allow for more precise determination of hazard sites.

Keywords: hazus, high-resolution DEM, leda clay, regional analysis, susceptibility

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4833 Spatial Spillovers in Forecasting Market Diffusion of Electric Mobility

Authors: Reinhold Kosfeld, Andreas Gohs

Abstract:

In the reduction of CO₂ emissions, the transition to environmentally friendly transport modes has a high significance. In Germany, the climate protection programme 2030 includes various measures for promoting electromobility. Although electric cars at present hold a market share of just over one percent, its stock more than doubled in the past two years. Special measures like tax incentives and a buyer’s premium have been put in place to promote the shift towards electric cars and boost their diffusion. Knowledge of the future expansion of electric cars is required for planning purposes and adaptation measures. With a view of these objectives, we particularly investigate the effect of spatial spillovers on forecasting performance. For this purpose, time series econometrics and panel econometric models are designed for pure electric cars and hybrid cars for Germany. Regional forecasting models with spatial interactions are consistently estimated by using spatial econometric techniques. Regional data on the stocks of electric cars and their determinants at the district level (NUTS 3 regions) are available from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) for the period 2017 - 2019. A comparative examination of aggregated regional and national predictions provides quantitative information on accuracy gains by allowing for spatial spillovers in forecasting electric mobility.

Keywords: electric mobility, forecasting market diffusion, regional panel data model, spatial interaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 126
4832 Measures Adopted by FIFA and UEFA against Russian Athletes: A Human Rights Perspective

Authors: Ayyoub Jamali, Alena Kozlova

Abstract:

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has tested the mettle of the international community, prompting not only States but also non-state actors to take deterrent action in response. Indeed, international sports organisations, namely FIFA and UEFA, have been rather successful in shifting the power dynamics by introducing a complete ban on the Russian national and club teams. This article aims to inquire into the human rights implications of such actions taken by international sports organisations. First, the article departs from an assessment of the legal status of FIFA and UEFA under international law and reflects on how a legal link could be established vis-à-vis their human rights obligations. Second, it examines the human rights aspects of the impugned measures by FIFA and UEFA on the part of the Russian athletes, further scrutinising them against the international human rights law principle of non-discrimination through a proportionality test. Last, it draws basic pathways for how possible human rights violations committed in the context of measures adopted by such organisations could be remedied, outlining the challenges of arbitration and litigation in Switzerland.

Keywords: FIFA, UEFA, FUR, ban, human rights, Russia, Ukraine, non-state actors

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4831 An Integrated Water Resources Management Approach to Evaluate Effects of Transportation Projects in Urbanized Territories

Authors: Berna Çalışkan

Abstract:

The integrated water management is a colloborative approach to planning that brings together institutions that influence all elements of the water cycle, waterways, watershed characteristics, wetlands, ponds, lakes, floodplain areas, stream channel structure. It encourages collaboration where it will be beneficial and links between water planning and other planning processes that contribute to improving sustainable urban development and liveability. Hydraulic considerations can influence the selection of a highway corridor and the alternate routes within the corridor. widening a roadway, replacing a culvert, or repairing a bridge. Because of this, the type and amount of data needed for planning studies can vary widely depending on such elements as environmental considerations, class of the proposed highway, state of land use development, and individual site conditions. The extraction of drainage networks provide helpful preliminary drainage data from the digital elevation model (DEM). A case study was carried out using the Arc Hydro extension within ArcGIS in the study area. It provides the means for processing and presenting spatially-referenced Stream Model. Study area’s flow routing, stream levels, segmentation, drainage point processing can be obtained using DEM as the 'Input surface raster'. These processes integrate the fields of hydrologic, engineering research, and environmental modeling in a multi-disciplinary program designed to provide decision makers with a science-based understanding, and innovative tools for, the development of interdisciplinary and multi-level approach. This research helps to manage transport project planning and construction phases to analyze the surficial water flow, high-level streams, wetland sites for development of transportation infrastructure planning, implementing, maintenance, monitoring and long-term evaluations to better face the challenges and solutions associated with effective management and enhancement to deal with Low, Medium, High levels of impact. Transport projects are frequently perceived as critical to the ‘success’ of major urban, metropolitan, regional and/or national development because of their potential to affect significant socio-economic and territorial change. In this context, sustaining and development of economic and social activities depend on having sufficient Water Resources Management. The results of our research provides a workflow to build a stream network how can classify suitability map according to stream levels. Transportation projects establish, develop, incorporate and deliver effectively by selecting best location for reducing construction maintenance costs, cost-effective solutions for drainage, landslide, flood control. According to model findings, field study should be done for filling gaps and checking for errors. In future researches, this study can be extended for determining and preventing possible damage of Sensitive Areas and Vulnerable Zones supported with field investigations.

Keywords: water resources management, hydro tool, water protection, transportation

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