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21 – 30 of over 97000Economic development, as contrasted from “growth” (inthe sense of increase in GNP) has been a subject of interest for lessthan 50 years. Divergent, perhaps even conflicting views…
Abstract
Economic development, as contrasted from “growth” (in the sense of increase in GNP) has been a subject of interest for less than 50 years. Divergent, perhaps even conflicting views, are expressed on the question of what constitutes, or should constitute, the end‐product of economic development. The article discusses some of the issues relevant to this debate.
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It is widely recognised that the human development index (HDI) does not totally capture the rich content of the human development concept, necessitating a more adequate measure of…
Abstract
It is widely recognised that the human development index (HDI) does not totally capture the rich content of the human development concept, necessitating a more adequate measure of human development. This paper introduces an ethics‐augmented human development index (E‐HDI) as a new indicator of socio‐economic change and development. The E‐HDI incorporates freedom, faith, environmental concerns and the institution of family in the HDI and ranks countries of the world accordingly. It is envisaged to be of practical use in national policy making and may also be related to agenda of the bilateral and international development agencies. Just as the HDI has managed to shift discussions beyond gross national product, the E‐HDI is expected to inject ethical concerns more explicitly into policy making in the contexts in which the human development reports are used.
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Previous studies have challenged the Human Development Index’s (HDI) ability to emulate the achievement of falāh (happiness). This paper aims to evaluate the role of religious…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous studies have challenged the Human Development Index’s (HDI) ability to emulate the achievement of falāh (happiness). This paper aims to evaluate the role of religious values in establishing a positive link between the current measurement of development and falāh.
Design/methodology/approach
First, this study derives an improved value-loaded development measure from the concept of Maqasid al-Shari’ah (the higher objectives of Islamic law). Second, this paper compares the calculated Maqasid al-Shari’ah Index (MSI) with the HDI of some Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries by using the parametric pair difference z-test and t-test along with the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Finally, the relationship of both indices and the proxy of falāh are examined by using the ordinary least square and the generalised method of moments estimations.
Findings
As far as the religious-led development is concerned, the HDI underestimates OIC countries’ development progress. Here, the MSI can better embody the attainment of falāh than the HDI.
Research limitations/implications
This study only covers limited OIC countries due to the data availability issue.
Practical implications
The cultural-based development stemming from the religious values proves useful for putting the government effort towards the attainment of the objective of human well-being in the right direction.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study examining the empirical relationship between the MSI and falāh.
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– The research aims to include good governance as a facet in the measurement of human development.
Abstract
Purpose
The research aims to include good governance as a facet in the measurement of human development.
Design/methodology/approach
A modified Human Development Index (MHDI) was computed by including a governance dimension computed using the six governance indicators published by the World Bank. The rankings using the new index were obtained and compared to the rankings of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP's) HDI.
Findings
The rank correlation of the original and modified indices was very high, but there were many big rank changes for individual countries in each HDI group. These rank changes could be largely reconciled in the light of the rankings of these countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index and the Democracy Index.
Research limitations/implications
The research considers the measurement of human development at a point in time alone and incorporates 2010 governance indicators into the 2011 HDI, which could lead to a discrepancy in time periods considered. Furthermore, the governance indicators are measures of perceptions which can be subjective. The Practical implications paper does not delve into the country-specific factors that may have caused big rank changes.
Practical implications
The paper builds a case for incorporating, or at least providing the option of including a governance dimension in the HDI.
Originality/value
The paper is a novel attempt to incorporate good governance as a dimension in the HDI. It reasserts the need for policy-makers and governments to realize that peoples' capabilities cannot be realized in the absence of good governance, and that whilst improving other facets of human development, much attention needs to be paid towards establishing good governance.
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Purpose – This chapter examines the impact of armed conflict and three forms of militarization on child mortality rates cross-nationally. Previous theorizing argues that…
Abstract
Purpose – This chapter examines the impact of armed conflict and three forms of militarization on child mortality rates cross-nationally. Previous theorizing argues that praetorian militaries create conditions particularly adverse to the well-being of civilians, but the effects of praetorian militarization are likely confounded both by economic and social militarization, and by armed conflict, economic development, and political regime.
Methodology – This study conducts a cross-national panel study of the impact of armed conflict and militarization on civilian life chances using data from 175 countries with populations 200,000 or larger. Analyses employ a fixed-effects model, which controls for stable country characteristics; the analyses also control for time-varying characteristics of countries that influence the impact of armed conflict and militarization on life chances.
Findings – Praetorian militarization appears to increase child mortality, as does social militarization (particularly during years of internationalized internal armed conflict), once stable country effects and other variables are controlled. This chapter is the first to systematically examine the impact of praetorian militarization on social development (indexed by child mortality rates).
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Although the Social Progress Index offers a thorough overview of the top-ranked countries with a highly developed social performance, it assigns the same weight to all component…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the Social Progress Index offers a thorough overview of the top-ranked countries with a highly developed social performance, it assigns the same weight to all component scores, implying that each component has identical and independent contribution to the SPI. By removing these flawed assumptions, the purpose of this paper is to examine the causal relationships among component scores and identify the critical components for reform priorities.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose an alternative approach to exploring the causal relationships and prioritizing the underlying components of the SPI. The four-step methodology comprises cluster analysis, data mining, partial least square path modeling, and importance-performance matrix analysis.
Findings
The authors find evidence of causal interrelations between the 12 components of the SPI. To accelerate social progress, the authors suggest that policy makers should allocate resources in order of priority to personal freedom and choice, personal rights, access to advanced education, water and sanitation, access to information and communications, tolerance and inclusion, personal safety, shelter, ecosystem sustainability, nutrition and basic medical care, health and wellness, and, finally, access to basic knowledge.
Practical implications
Policy makers in government, business, and civil society should become aware of causal relationships among the 12 components of the SPI and select an appropriate methodology to prioritize areas where social improvement is most needed.
Originality/value
Allowing for unequal weighting and causal relationships between component scores of the SPI, the authors’ methodology is the first attempt to offer a concrete way to identify which areas of social progress should constitute priorities for policy reforms.
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Riccardo Natoli and Segu Zuhair
– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of the resource-infrastructure-environment (RIE) index as a supplementary tool to assist policy makers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of the resource-infrastructure-environment (RIE) index as a supplementary tool to assist policy makers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study undertakes a sensitivity analysis (SA) to assess the responsiveness of the RIE index to potential policy actions on three countries: Australia (mid-industrialised nation), Mexico (emerging economy) and the USA (highly industrialised nation).
Findings
The results show that the RIE framework is capable of accommodating SA to guide the policymakers on the directional changes of the index to measurable changes to its component parts.
Research limitations/implications
Although the initial results seem promising, further refinement of the indicator is required before it can be practically implemented. For instance, the RIE framework has yet to incorporate dimensions to represent distribution and effects of substitution.
Originality/value
The paper undertakes a SA to assess the responsiveness of the RIE index which is an alternative measure of progress for nations that has the capability to capture more aspects important to progress.
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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of major structural changes on the conceptualization of the transnational corporation (TNC) based on foreign direct investment…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of major structural changes on the conceptualization of the transnational corporation (TNC) based on foreign direct investment (FDI) and on indicators of transnationality.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of three major structural changes which impact the current conception of transnationality. They are: the rise of digital companies; the increased role of finance in the economy; externalization of activities via non-equity modalities (NEMs) with an impact on FDI and on the labour market.
Findings
The paper finds that the current concept of transnationality needs widening to take account of companies with a low degree of fixed assets abroad such as the digital and the financial companies and those internationalizing via NEMs, as well as to take account of the evolving relationship between TNCs and labour.
Research limitations/implications
Future research along the lines proposed should consider: working explicitly with the new, inclusive concept of transnationality and arrive at an empirical estimate of the proposed indices of transnationality which modify and amplify the current United Nations Conference on Trade and Development indices.
Social implications
Useful for understanding the nature of transnationality in the twenty-first century and for developing policies.
Originality/value
The paper proposes a new concept of transnationality and of the TNC, one that allows for new ways of organizing direct business activities abroad. It also proposes broadening the list of indicators of transnationality.
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Fernanda Francielle de Oliveira Malaquias and Romes Jorge da Silva Júnior
This paper aims to investigate the use of m-government applications for public services providing in Brazil. As a secondary objective, the paper aims to analyze the relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the use of m-government applications for public services providing in Brazil. As a secondary objective, the paper aims to analyze the relationship between the use of m-government applications and development.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve the objective of this research, the 100 smartest cities of Brazil were selected and the mobile apps provided by their local governments were identified. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted, including content analysis technique, chi-square test and regression analysis.
Findings
The results show that mobile apps developed by local governments of Brazilian smart cities include information and public services access, health, education, security, tourism, water supply system, environment, among others. The results also show a positive relationship between apps downloads and development indexes.
Social implications
This paper emphasizes the social side of information technology, showing that it can contribute to the implementation of more inclusive cities that respond to the needs and interests of their citizens.
Originality/value
This paper presents empirical evidences of the potential benefits of m-government technologies for development in an emerging country. Moreover, it highlights how mobile applications developed by local governments may lead to a better quality of life of the population, considering a comprehensive approach of development that involves its economic, social and human dimensions.
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Jyotirmoy Dalal, Pratap K.J. Mohapatra and Gopal Chandra Mitra
Poor conditions of rural roads in most developing countries have hindered the growth of their rural economy. Investments from government and other sources in rural road projects…
Abstract
Purpose
Poor conditions of rural roads in most developing countries have hindered the growth of their rural economy. Investments from government and other sources in rural road projects are inadequate, leading often to political, rather than socio‐economic, considerations in allocating funds to specific projects. Realizing this, many donor organizations demand an unbiased study for prioritizing rural roads for funds allocation. This requires prioritizing rural roads on a rational basis. This paper seeks to examine this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
A two‐stage AHP model is developed considering several socio‐economic criteria relevant to a road and the region through which it passes. The model is exercised in a group‐decision environment. The final scores indicate a list of roads in decreasing order of priority.
Findings
The framework, when applied to 178 rural roads in two districts of Orissa, a relatively backward state of India, yields a ranked‐order list of roads.
Research limitations/implications
Experts' judgments during pair‐wise comparison are associated with imprecision. Fuzzy AHP is a distinct alternative. Possible dependency among criteria has been ignored. Use of Analytic Network Process (ANP) can overcome problems arising from such dependencies.
Practical implications
Funds that are limited can be allotted to the highly ranked roads.
Originality/value
The paper presents application of AHP for ranking of rural roads in a developing country; development of a generic road prioritization framework; and devising a group decision‐making procedure that combines the best features of the group consensus and geometric mean methods.
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