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This paper aims to analyze the technical efficiency of Indian State governments in providing elementary education (EE) and to identify the determinants of their technical inefficiency.

The Generalized Stochastic Frontier Approach (GSFA) is used in the context of the Inefficiency Effects Model to simultaneously estimate the frontier production function and the technical inefficiency model. Panel data of 28 Indian States from 2009–10 to 2018–19 is used.

The mean efficiency of States stands at 86%. Efficiency varied between 67 and 97%. 96% of the inter-state disparity in EE outcomes can be explained by inefficiency. Arunachal Pradesh is the least efficient State, followed by Sikkim and Tripura. Efficiency estimates were observed to change across States over the study period. Proportion of government schools, rural population, and proportion of Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe children are the major determinants of inefficiency.

This study emphasizes that efficient resource management is as important as adequate resource allocation for achieving positive EE outcomes. It distinguishes resource-poor States from inefficient ones, providing insights to enhance States’ efficiency, and aiding policymakers in formulating strategies for ensuring equitable and quality EE.

This is the first paper to apply GSFA (for Indian States), providing a more robust estimation of efficiency. The Inefficiency Effects Model is employed that address the limitations inherent in the two-stage approach.

In December 2022, the Taliban announced that women were banned from attending higher education institutions in Afghanistan, which was met with concerns, condemnation, and a call to action. Social media platforms have presented Afghans and others from around the world with a free, public, and relatively safe space to voice their opinions and connect with others to discuss the ramifications of the Taliban education policies. The study conducted a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of 186 English-language posts published on the Twitter social networking site in September 2021 and December/January 2022 in response to the Taliban’s announced decisions concerning women’s access to higher education. Six discursive strategies were identified that use hashtags, negatively represent the Taliban, represent Afghan women as victims, report on acts of advocacy, condemn the Taliban’s restrictions and ban, and call to action to advocate for women’s right to higher education. While the ban has triggered more condemnation and calls for resistance than the restrictions enforced in the previous year, the findings suggest that the response to the restrictions imposed in September 2021 was mostly that of indifference compared to the posts that comment on the education ban in December 2022. Questions are raised concerning the role and effectiveness of the analyzed Twitter posts in mobilizing serious measures to reclaim women’s rights to access quality higher education in Afghanistan within the confines of the English-language Twitter sphere.

India has a distinct family hierarchy and a vertical collectivistic culture. Indian traditional cultural norms discourage young adults from having romantic or sexual relationships before marriage. Romantic liaisons and marriages are fiercely opposed outside the caste and social network. Despite this cultural practice, research in the last decade demonstrated that more young adults in India engage in premarital romantic relationships and prefer a marriage of choice. However, they strongly wish their parents to approve of their partner and arrange their marriage. This increasing trend of love-cum-arranged marriages could be considered how Indian culture adapts to the demands of modernization strongly impelled by globalization. This chapter discusses the dynamics of change in the romantic and marital agency among young adults in India. First, the authors provide a brief historical introduction to the Indian marital system. Then, the authors discuss the changing cultural dimensions that promote marital choice and independence in partner selection (e.g., filial piety). Further, the authors provide an overview of the trends in premarital romantic relationships in India. In addition, the authors discuss the distress and conflict in Indian families due to the increasing premarital romantic and sexual relationships among Indian youth, as evidenced by eloped marriages, forced marriages, and honor killings.

This chapter draws on an ethnographic study with children aged 10–14 and their parents from heterogeneous socio-economic backgrounds in Türkiye. Building on a relational approach, it employs parental surveillance and children's individual privacy management in their intrafamilial relationships as a point of entry to reflect on childhood masculinities. From the perspectives of boys, girls and their parents, it illustrates how children's experiences of achieving privacy emerge as a gendered and age-related cultural phenomenon. Looking particularly at family negotiations around personal spaces and time at home and outside, it suggests that privacy regulation is a significant aspect of everyday family lives through which childhood masculinities and femininities are constructed, reproduced and performed. It further argues the ways that Turkish parenting culture may view intergenerational dialogue as a hierarchic category, rather than a relational category, contribute to a generational divide in boys' and girls' access to individual privacy.

Transitional periods are important for people, such as birth, marriage and death, are important times when ceremonial meals are prepared and served and certain practices are carried out. These periods and the practices constitute our gastronomic cultural heritage. In order to keep our cultural heritage alive and pass it on to future generations, existing values must first be identified and recorded. For this reason, in this study, gastronomic practices of Mentese's transitional periods were examined within the scope of intangible cultural heritage.

In this research, data was collected using ethnographic design, which is one of the qualitative research methods, and document analysis, interviews and focus group studies, as well as participant observation techniques and image/audio materials. The sample was determined using snowball sampling, convenience sampling and maximum diversity sampling methods. In the analysis of the data, themes and codes related to gastronomic practices in transitional periods were created and direct quotations were included with a descriptive approach.

It has been found that traditions are kept more alive in rural areas, while those living in the city centres no longer perform these practices dating back to the ancient times. Participants attribute the main reason for this to the fact that economic conditions are not favourable and that some traditional practices are “unnecessary” today. While wedding meals, which are the main part of the weddings, used to be made by women in the past, they are now mostly made by catering companies.

It was accepted that some of the participants started to give short answers as the duration of the interview increased and that the answers given were limited to what the participants could remember.

This study reveals special day meals and practices, rituals and traditions related to food within the scope of Mentese's culinary culture, which has a very deep-rooted history. In this regard, in addition to making an important contribution to the literature, the study also contributes to the articles about “recording and promoting the culture” mentioned in the Intangible Cultural Heritage convention.

The case study aims to provide students with an understanding of child labour in India and how the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) movement is facilitating the eradication of child labour in India. The key objectives are to understand the challenges of eradicating child labour in India, assess the approaches to rescue and rehabilitation for the protection of a child in India, analyse the personality traits of a leader and evaluate the charismatic leadership of a leader.

The case study discussed child labour and the movement started by Kailash Satyarthi to protect children through the BBA or Save the Childhood Movement in India. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his contribution to creating an environment to abolish child labour. Headquartered in New Delhi, BBA was established in 1980 to eliminate child slavery and violence against children (BBA.org.in, 2017). Satyarthi’s effort brought regulatory changes in the Indian constitution in the form of “Education as a fundamental right” (The Novel Prize, 2023). As per census 2011, more than 10 million children were involved in various industries in India (Drishtiias.com, 2019). Satyarthi and his BBA were far behind the mission they were to achieve. How should he move to eliminate child labour from India? Will he be able to create any impact on citizens, society and government through his new approaches?

The case study is ideal for courses on understanding strategy, leadership, personality traits and labour laws. This case study is designed for use in undergraduate and graduate early-stage programmes. The main purpose of this case study is to be used in programmes leading to a Master of Business Administration or a Bachelor of Business Administration. This case scenario focused on the BBA movement in India and its aim to eradicate child labour in India. It discussed the child labour scenario in Indian industries and how Satyarthi started the BBA movement to protect the future of underprivileged children in India. The case study discusses the challenges faced in rescuing and rehabilitation of children in India. The authors applied the big five model to analyse the personality of Satyarthi in the case context. The authors also used the concept and components of charismatic leadership to evaluate the traits of charismatic leaders from a case perspective. This case study will benefit students by focusing on traits related to personality and charismatic leadership concepts. Students will get the opportunity to explore the practical and theoretical concepts that interplay in this study.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human resource management.