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Article
Publication date: 17 March 2023

Seid Demeke Mekonnen

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the compliance of foreign investment projects with local environmental standards in Ethiopia. It examines the cause and impact of the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the compliance of foreign investment projects with local environmental standards in Ethiopia. It examines the cause and impact of the environmental problems created by such projects as well as the necessary policy response, especially by examining the role of the applicable bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in enforcing local standards.

Design/methodology/approach

The research approach is fundamentally an empirical study with some doctrinal analysis. The empirical data (qualitative) was collected through interviews, focus group discussions and observation tools.

Findings

The investment projects selected for the case studies were not complying with the local environmental standards, which resulted in several environmental problems. The major cause for the overall environmental problems was not a legal gap in the local standards, but the failure of enforcing such standards by the government bodies and foreign investors. The applicable BITs also played no role in environmental protection as they do not impose environmental obligations along with enforcement mechanisms. Non-compliance with local standards can be mitigated if the applicable BITs impose environmental obligations along with workable enforcement mechanisms – as a treaty obligation has more binding force. The author argues that, in general, foreign investments are not environmental-friendly unless otherwise strictly regulated by combining local environmental standards and a BIT that imposes environmental obligations (along with enforcement mechanisms) on the foreign investors, host state and home state.

Originality/value

The existing literature does not deal with the environmental problems, the enforcement constraints and the role of the applicable BITs together in a single publication. They separately address these issues, which do not give a comprehensive understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship. This paper fills this gap by presenting comprehensive findings that combine the environmental problems and the associated enforcement constraints as well as the role of the applicable BITs in this regard. It also contributes to the ongoing debate concerning whether foreign direct investment is good or bad for the environment by producing empirical evidence from Ethiopia, the African continent.

Details

Journal of Property, Planning and Environmental Law, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9407

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 May 2022

On Ni Chan

Purpose: This chapter examines alternative education programs available for Myanmarese migrant youth in Thailand, what these young migrants expect of education, and how these

Abstract

Purpose: This chapter examines alternative education programs available for Myanmarese migrant youth in Thailand, what these young migrants expect of education, and how these migrant learning centers (MLCs) can help provide more opportunities for migrants.

Methods: This study draws from the data collected through two stages of qualitative research undertaken in Mae Sot, a town that borders Myawaddy, Myanmar in Thailand. Stage one consisted of ethnographic research with the local Myanmarese diaspora when I worked as a volunteer at a community-based organization. In stage two, a series of interviews were conducted with eight faculty members and twenty students enrolled in the secondary school level or vocational training program of three local MLCs.

Findings: The main finding is that even with both inclusive education policies and alternative education options in place, there is still a missing link between the educational attainment of Myanmarese migrant youth and their future prospects. While Thai public education seems to be a pathway to more future opportunities in the host country, it can be a trap when migrant youth cannot make good use of their learned knowledge and Thai language skills in the future due to their irregular status. In contrast with Thai public schools, MLCs offer more than simply education. They also provide scholarship, employment and social welfare assistance to serve the varying needs of young migrants.

Originality: The case of Myanmarese migrants presents a unique study in which the gap between students’ educational attainment and future prospects cannot necessarily be bridged even with a valid work visa scheme in place. Some Myanmarese migrants are displaced individuals who fled from civil wars and without any identification documents. The legal systems enforced by nation-states, such as Thailand, that rely on identification documents to control the flow of population still lack the capacity to adequately address the educational needs and employment opportunities of individuals with irregular status.

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2023

Saad Ahmed Al-Saad, Rana N. Jawarneh and Areej Shabib Aloudat

To test the applicability of the user-generated content (UGC) derived from social travel network sites for online reputation management, the purpose of this study is to analyze…

Abstract

Purpose

To test the applicability of the user-generated content (UGC) derived from social travel network sites for online reputation management, the purpose of this study is to analyze the spatial clustering of the reputable hotels (based on the TripAdvisor Best-Value indicator) and reputable outdoor seating restaurants (based on ranking indicator).

Design/methodology/approach

This study used data mining techniques to obtain the UGC from TripAdvisor. The Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering method based on algorithm (HDBSCAN) was used for robust cluster analysis.

Findings

The findings of this study revealed that best value (BV) hotels and reputable outdoor seating restaurants are most likely to be located in and around the central districts of the urban tourist destinations where population and economic activities are denser. BV hotels' spatiotemporal cluster analysis formed clusters of different sizes, densities and shape patterns.

Research limitations/implications

This study showed that reputable hotels and restaurants (H&Rs) are concentrated within districts near historic city centers. This should be an impetus for applied research on urban investment environments.

Practical implications

The findings would be rational guidance for entrepreneurs and potential investors on the most attractive tourism investment environments.

Originality/value

There has been a lack of studies focusing on analyzing the spatial clustering of the H&Rs using UGC. Therefore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to map and analyze the spatiotemporal clustering patterns of reputable hotels (TripAdvisor BV indicator) and restaurants (ranking indicator). As such, this study makes a significant methodological contribution to urban tourism research by showing pattern change in H&Rs clustering using data mining and the HDBSCAN algorithm.

研究目的

为了测试社交旅游网站 (STNS) 的用户生成内容 (UGC) 对在线声誉管理 (ORM) 的适用性, 本研究分析了知名酒店的空间聚类(基于 TripAdvisor 最佳价值指标) 和信誉良好的户外座位 (ODS) 餐厅(基于排名指标)。

研究设计/方法/途径

该研究使用数据挖掘技术从 TripAdvisor 获取 UGC。 基于(HDBSCAN)算法的分层基于密度的空间聚类方法用于鲁棒聚类分析。

研究发现

调查结果显示, 最具价值 (BV) 酒店和信誉良好的 ODS 餐厅最有可能位于人口和经济活动较为密集的城市旅游目的地的中心区及其周边地区。 BV 酒店的时空聚类分析形成了不同大小、密度和形状模式的聚类。

研究原创性

目前的文献扔缺乏专注于分析利用 UGC 的酒店和餐厅 (H&R) 空间聚类的研究。 因此, 本研究首次绘制并分析了知名酒店(TripAdvisor BV 指标)和餐厅(排名指标)的时空聚类模式。 因此, 本研究通过利用数据挖掘和 HDBSCAN 算法显示 H&Rs 聚类的模式变化, 为城市旅游研究做出了重要的方法论贡献。

理论意义

这项研究表明, 著名的 H&R 集中在历史悠久的市中心附近的地区。 这应该是对城市投资环境的应用研究的推动力。

实践意义

研究结果将为企业家和潜在投资者提供最具吸引力的旅游投资环境的理性指导。

Article
Publication date: 13 May 2022

Mohamed Nour El-Barbary, Mariko Ikeda and Yasufumi Uekita

The paper aims at identifying the underlying factors that differentiate the local people's demographic and socio-economic characteristics, which influence their sense of place…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims at identifying the underlying factors that differentiate the local people's demographic and socio-economic characteristics, which influence their sense of place (SoP) toward different types of cultural heritage sites in different urban regions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the sequential explanatory design, using quantitative and qualitative methods, respectively, to investigate the research themes in-depth. A total of 201, 207 and 228 questionnaires were collected on religious, non-religious/memorial and historic commercial buildings, respectively, at two different quarters in Historic Cairo, followed by 20 semi-structured interviews with a representative sample of local people in each quarter.

Findings

The authors found an apparent similarity in the significant characteristics that influence the local people's SoP levels toward the different historic buildings at the same quarter and a notable variation between both quarters. Also, many factors determine the local people's influential characteristics on their SoP toward the different cultural heritage sites (e.g. the sites’ distance from the person's residence/workplace, economic value, people's awareness about its history, type of activities and targeted gender, feeling of stability and regions' characteristics)

Practical implications

Identifying these underlying factors and priority local groups can assist policymakers in ensuring a sustainable management/conservation of the different cultural heritage sites.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates the causality of a significant correlation between local people's characteristics and their SoP levels toward the different types of historic buildings, apart from their religious symbolism or historical value, using the sequential explanatory design.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2019

Yuning Wu, Ivan Sun, Feng Li and Siyu Liu

The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of group position and consciousness in predicting people’s perceptions of police fairness in China.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of group position and consciousness in predicting people’s perceptions of police fairness in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used survey data collected from 1,095 respondents in Shanghai. Multivariate regression was used to analyze the effects of group positions and group consciousness variables on perceived police fairness, controlling for personal, experiential and neighborhood factors.

Findings

Regardless of their own hukou status, individuals who live in high migrant areas expressed less favorable attitudes toward police fairness. Meanwhile, people who displayed greater degrees of sensitivity to bias in law rated police fairness less favorably, whereas people who expressed higher levels of moral alignment with the law and belief in no choice but to obey the police rated police fairness more favorably. Lower levels of neighborhood disorder and higher degrees of cohesion were also associated with more positive evaluations of police fairness.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ measure of migrant concentration was constructed based on respondents’ own assessments of this neighborhood feature. Future studies should consider using objective measures to supplement the construction of migrant concentration variables. The authors’ group consciousness variables are limited as they are general, non-residential status specific and only capture part of the traditionally conceptualized variable of group consciousness. Future study should employ better-worded items that can tap precisely into people’s various dimensions of social consciousness based on their group status.

Practical implications

Training officers has to give a high priority to the principles of both procedural and distributive justice, and implement performance and evaluation policies that support fair and responsive police behavior, particularly during situations where citizens report crime to and seek help from the police.

Originality/value

Despite their high relevance, variables reflecting group position have received marginal attention in previous research on public evaluations of the police in China. This study represents a first attempt to examine how the interactions between residence status and the level of neighborhood migrant concentration influence Chinese attitudes toward police fairness.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 42 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2019

Ning Chai, Rob Stevens, Xiaozhen Fang, Chun Mao and Ding Wang

The purpose of the paper is to investigate compensation and related welfare issues in the case of the expropriation of land for urban redevelopment in China.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to investigate compensation and related welfare issues in the case of the expropriation of land for urban redevelopment in China.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods quantitative and qualitative approach was selected to undertake the research. This involved a wide ranging qualitative review of the academic and policy literature to explore the relevant arguments and issues, combined with a quantitative regression analysis of survey data collected from research subjects.

Findings

The research identified the complex and changeable phenomena of urban village redevelopment in China, and the variable compensation arrangements used. The research found that monthly family income before land expropriation, monthly family expense before expropriation, the location of the housing expropriation and family unit size are important determinants for the property holders chosen methods of compensation. It also found that an increase in family size leads to a decreasing probability that the expropriated farmers choose the single monetary compensation relative to the alternative option of housing compensation. The degree of satisfaction with compensation, changes in monthly family income and expense are found to be significant determinants for changes in life satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The research made the following four recommendations based upon the qualitative and quantitative analysis: that local governments should pay closer governance/ political attention to changes in the welfare of the farmers/ villagers whose property has been expropriated; that central and local government should aim to improve the compensation system for rural land and property expropriation, to make the compensation policy be perceived as fairer and more reasonable by citizens; that a broad National standard of compensation be used within a pragmatic locally focussed regime; that the Chinese Central, Provincial and Local governments can devise improved policy tools and make more effective policy interventions by learning from the experiences (both successes and failures) of other countries approaches to this topic. It also suggested that further research be undertaken investigating the multitude of local level policy experiments, as a way of developing better National compensation standards based upon those compensation standards that appear to be working – and have citizen support – at the local level.

Originality/value

The literature review identified recent developments in Chinese urban studies and originally synthesised both recent and longstanding work on the issue of urban villages in China. The research also suggested changes to the National and Local legal and policy framework for compensation cases in urban redevelopment expropriation scenarios.

Details

Journal of Property, Planning and Environmental Law, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9407

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 September 2022

Iris Koleša and Andreja Jaklič

The chapter outlines the main forms of diasporas' contributions to the economic development and growth along with the determinants of their scale and scope. It then focuses on the…

Abstract

The chapter outlines the main forms of diasporas' contributions to the economic development and growth along with the determinants of their scale and scope. It then focuses on the diasporas' economic potential through participation in labour markets as an international staffing option at the level of individual organizations. Both the opportunities and threats of using diaspora members in international staffing are discussed. Finally, possible directions for future research are identified.

Article
Publication date: 14 May 2020

Fulden Nuray Kucukergin and Yuksel Ozturk

The preservation of social structure in slow cities has not been adequately examined in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine social change perceptions of…

Abstract

Purpose

The preservation of social structure in slow cities has not been adequately examined in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine social change perceptions of local people in a slow city. Whether the dimensions of social change differ according to gender and inhabitancy was investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

Multivariate analysis of variances was used for data analysis. Data were collected from 399 participants in Seferihisar.

Findings

Results showed that the perception of local people related to social change differs according to their gender and duration of stay in Seferihisar. Differences were also examined for each sub-dimension of social change.

Originality/value

The preservation of social structure in slow cities has not been adequately examined in the literature. Accordingly, this study explores social change with five sub-dimensions in the context of Cittaslow.

Details

International Journal of Tourism Cities, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-5607

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2011

Karyn Kirkpatrick

This article examines the progress made in supporting people with learning disabilities to live in their own homes in the community over the past 40 years. The recent NHS campus…

Abstract

This article examines the progress made in supporting people with learning disabilities to live in their own homes in the community over the past 40 years. The recent NHS campus closure programme has demonstrated once again that even people with complex support needs can have a better quality of life with improved outcomes in appropriate community accommodation. The article examines the work undertaken following Valuing People Now to develop the housing options of people with learning disabilities, including implementing a regional housing programme, developing a good‐practice toolkit for local authority commissioners and encouraging provider engagement. The barriers to progress are discussed, and areas are identified for future development in order to meet people's legitimate ambition to have a home of their own.

Details

Tizard Learning Disability Review, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-5474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 February 2024

Anne Stouby Persson and Line Revsbæk

This paper aims to answer report how mentors who onboard newcomers to a high-stress social work organization can learn about their onboarding practice by treating onboarding as a…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to answer report how mentors who onboard newcomers to a high-stress social work organization can learn about their onboarding practice by treating onboarding as a wicked problem that escapes definitive formulation and final solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors follow an action research approach with three iterations of learning about onboarding with mentors in a Danish social work organization struggling with an employee turnover exceeding 30%.

Findings

The authors unfold the authors’ emerging sensitivity to wickedity over the iterations of learning about onboarding with the mentors. As the authors foreground the wickedity of the authors onboarding in the last iteration, three lessons learned could be derived: it warrants the mentors’ continuous inquiry; opens inquiry into the ambivalence of mentoring; and convenes responsibility for inquiry to a community of mentors.

Research limitations/implications

This study of problematic onboarding to high-stress social work shows the value of fore-grounding wickedity instead of hiding it with a positive framing. This wickedity rests on situated grounding and is only transferrable to other organizations with the utmost caution.

Practical implications

High-stress social work organizations without the capacity to systematically sustain best practices for onboarding may, instead, increase attention to the wickedity of onboarding as a motivation for continuous inquiry by a broader community of mentors.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to present an action research study of problem wickedity to motivate mentors’ inquiry into onboarding newcomers to high-stress social work.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

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