Measuring regional cohesion effects of large-scale transport infrastructure investments - an accessibility approach

Accessibility gains arising from transport infrastructure improvements are one of the key elements boosting a complex process involving transport, land use and regional development effects. The inclusion of the wider socio-economic effects stemming from large-scale transport infrastructure investments is uneven among national evaluation procedures, and there is no commonly accepted methodology to measure them. In addition, there are other effects which do not take into account the overall change in the value of a specific variable, -normally GDP or employment-, but only the changes in its spatial distribution. These distributive effects, related to spatial equity issues, are increasingly included as a policy objective in most infrastructure Master Plans. More over, at a European level, economic and social cohesion is considered among the priority objectives in the enlarged EU. However, the inclusion of cohesion effects in national assessment methodologies is quite limited. If cohesion issues are not taken into account, new infrastructure schemes may induce spatial polarising effects, as more profitable projects are usually the ones which interconnect central regions, at the expense of the relative position of peripheral regions. Moreover, each transport mode has its special features which make it more inclined towards cohesion or polarising effects. In this sense, recent studies at a European level on the impacts of RTE-T show that HSR lines seem to have rather polarising effects, while new road schemes seem to have slight cohesion effects. In this context, activity-based accessibility indicators can be used as a proxy to measure these distributive effects. Changes in the relative positions of the regions in terms of accessibility provide an estimate to test if the Master Plan increases or reduces disparities among regions- i.e. reduces or increases cohesion, respectively. The paper analyses these issues measuring the changes in accessibility stemming from the implementation of different high-capacity road and HSR schemes in Spain. Results show a slight cohesion effect after the implementation of the high-capacity road network, along with a polarising effect arising from the implementation of new HSR lines, in line with the results included in recent European- level studies. The paper is based on the work being carried out for the author’s Ph.D. Dissertation, titled: “Assessment of Transport Infrastructure Plans: a strategic approach integrating environmental, economic and spatial equity aspects”.

SEM Analysis on Determinant Aspects: Strengthening Social Cohesion through Holistic Learning

Social cohesion is an important goal in education to create a harmonious and integrated society. One approach that is considered to have the potential to strengthen social cohesion is holistic learning. This article aims to analyze the determinant aspects of holistic learning that contribute to strengthening social cohesion through the use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of AMOS software. This research uses a survey method by collecting data from Bakti Mulya 400 High School 263 students who take part in holistic learning programs in several schools. Survey instruments were developed to measure various aspects of the determinants of holistic learning, such as holistic curriculum, participatory teaching methods, the role of educators, and school environmental support. The collected data was then analyzed using AMOS SEM software to test the relationship between the determined variables. The model proposed in this research examines how holistic learning determinant variables influence students' social cohesion as an outcome variable. The results of the analysis show that holistic learning has a significant positive effect on strengthening social cohesion. Holistic curriculum and participatory teaching methods have a positive relationship with social cohesion, indicating that the inclusiveness of learning materials and active participation of students in the learning process supports the formation of strong social bonds. Furthermore, the role of educators is also proven to be significant in forming students' social cohesion. Educators' empathetic, student-oriented approach contributes to a positive and inclusive classroom climate, which in turn influences students' social interactions inside and outside the classroom. Apart from that, the support of the school environment also has a positive impact on students' social cohesion. Collaboration between schools, families and communities creates opportunities for students to better understand their role in wider society and encourages mutual care and empathy. The findings of this research describe equation modeling (SEM) analysis using AMOS software to identify aspects of holistic learning determinants that contribute to strengthening social cohesion. Goodness of Fit is chi square = 105 Probability Significance = 0.05; GFI=0.94; AGFI=0.91; Finance=0.95; TLI=0.96; NFI=0.89; CMIN/DF=1.35; RMSEA=0.051; RMR=0.02 The results of the analysis show that a holistic learning approach has an important role in building students' social cohesion. The implications of this research can provide a basis for educators and policy makers to design holistic learning programs that are more effective in achieving the goal of strengthening social cohesion in the educational environment. Keywords: Social Cohesion, Holistic Curriculum, Holistic Learning, SEM Analysis

Social Cohesion and Well-Being in the EU

At European level, social and economic policies are currently ordered and organised around achieving the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy - high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion (1). It is widely recognised, however, that social cohesion is declining or at least under new pressures as a consequence of the economic and employment crisis, but also due to longer-term trends including growing inequality, immigration and increasing cultural diversity (2). A new report on \u27Social justice in the EU\u27 from the Bertelsmann Stiftung shows that social disparities in the EU are increasing in relation to poverty, labour market access, health, equitable education as well as intergenerational justice (3). A t the same time, social cohesion is generally valued in and of itself, as it reflects solidarity and social harmony, while also being regarded as an important resource for economic success and quality of life. In general terms, well-being has become established as a fundamental objective of EU policies; Article 3 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) states that the Union\u27s aim is to promote \u27the well-being of its peoples\u27. Likewise the European Sustainable Development Strategy of 2006 cites the well-being of present and future generations as its central objective. Europe 2020 aims to put people first to create \u27more jobs and better lives\u27. It has adopted a number of targets that go beyond conventional measures of economic performance, with goals to reduce poverty and social exclusion, to promote education and employment. Over the past decade there have been growing demands from politicians, the media and public opinion to develop better approaches to measure economic and social progress and to monitor well-being in a more comprehensive way (4). In particular, the European Commission\u27s (2009) Communication on \u27GDP and beyond\u27 underlined the need for measurement of quality of life and well-being as outcome indicators, and highlighted the importance of more accurate reporting on the distributional aspects and corresponding inequalities. It concluded that ultimately, national and EU policies will be judged on whether they are successful in delivering (social, economic and environmental) goals and improving the well-being of Europeans. (5). This policy brief examines how significant social cohesion is for the well-being of people in Europe. It considers, in particular, how income inequalities are related to social cohesion and well-being. It is based upon existing reports (2,4) and specifically upon the analyses in a report prepared for the Bertelsmann Stiftung (6)

State failure in the South Pacific and its implications for New Zealand security policy : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Defence Studies at Massey University

The concept of state failure is complex, encompassing many aspects of the decline in a state, from its institutional and political capacities, to its social cohesion and economic performance. In the South Pacific, the term "failing" has been used to describe the Solomon Islands before the regional assistance mission RAMSI intervened. Its continued use to describe other countries in the region, such as Papua New Guinea or Fiji is controversial, mainly because the states of the South Pacific are generally considered much more peaceful than those in other regions labelled failing. Importantly, the geographical nature of the region itself provides a vastly different strategic context to African and European failing states which are often situated in landlocked geographies. It follows on that if Pacific Island states do experience aspects of failure (as opposed to being completely collapsed or failed) then their incapacities would breed unique security implications for the South Pacific region. This thesis aims to discern what those implications are for New Zealand policy in the South Pacific region. The method used will be to assess seven countries (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) and their degree to which they measure up against twelve indicators of state failure. These indicators have been borrowed from the Fund for Peace's annual Failed States Index (with their permission) and they provide the structure for the assessment

Convergence of Regional Human Development Indexes in Poland

The subject of convergence became popular in Poland upon its accession to the EU in 2004. Since then Poland has been a beneficiary of the cohesion policy - a regional policy of the European Union aimed at increasing the level of economic, social, and territorial (spatial) cohesion. While the economic aspect is a very thoroughly researched area of convergence studies, the social aspects are less often covered by specialist literature. This is the issue raised in this paper which, along with separate measures of social convergence, constructs a region HDI measure to evaluate the social cohesion of Poland’s regions1. Values of regional HDIs in Poland were not known and required calculation, which allowed for drawing conclusions about the standards of living of inhabitants in specific provinces. In general, it was possible to determine that HDIs are rising in all regions, which means, simultaneously, an increase in the standards of living of the provinces’ populations. At the same time, however, that growth was accompanied by increasing divergences in the HDI distribution among regions (sigma-divergence). The study of convergence of specific HDI components also allowed to note that HDI divergences are mainly caused by increasing economic inequalities between regions in Poland (measured by the Gross Domestic Product Index), and inequalities in education (measured by the Education Index).Temat konwergencji stał się w Polsce popularny wraz z akcesją do Unii w 2004 r., od kiedy to Polska jest beneficjentem polityki spójności - polityki regionalnej Unii Europejskiej, dążącej do podwyższenia poziomu spójności gospodarczej, społecznej i terytorialnej (przestrzennej). O ile aspekt gospodarczy jest bardzo dobrze przebadanym obszarem badań nad konwergencją, to aspekty społeczne rzadziej pojawiają się w literaturze przedmiotu. Ten właśnie wątek jest poruszany w niniejszym referacie, w którym zbudowano wojewódzki miernik HDI do pomiaru spójności społecznej polskich województw. Dzięki oszacowaniu wojewódzkich HDI można było stwierdzić, że standard życia mieszkańców wszystkich województw rósł w okresie 1995-2010. Jednocześnie jednak wzrostom tym towarzyszyły narastające nierówności w rozkładzie HDI (sigmadywergencja). Badanie konwergencji poszczególnych składowych indeksu HDI pozwoliło stwierdzić dodatkowo, że głównymi sprawcami dywergencji wojewódzkich HDI są narastające w Polsce nierówności gospodarcze (mierzone Indeksem Produktu Krajowego Brutto) oraz nierówności w wykształceniu (mierzone Indeksem Edukacyjnym)

Development of a Cohesion Questionnaire for Youth: The Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire

The purpose of the current study was to initiate the development of a psychometrically sound measure of cohesion for youth sport groups. A series of projects were undertaken in a four-phase research program. The initial phase was designed to garner an understanding of how youth sport group members perceived the concept of cohesion through focus groups (n = 56), open-ended questionnaires (n = 280), and a literature review. In Phase 2, information from the initial projects was used in the development of 142 potential items and content validity was assessed. In Phase 3, 227 participants completed a revised 87-item questionnaire. Principal components analyses further reduced the number of items to 17 and suggested a two-factor structure (i.e., task and social cohesion dimensions). Finally, support for the factorial validity of the resultant questionnaire was provided through confirmatory factor analyses with an independent sample (n = 352) in Phase 4. The final version of the questionnaire contains 16 items that assess task and social cohesion in addition to 2 negatively worded spurious items. Specific issues related to assessing youth perceptions of cohesion are discussed and future research directions are suggested

Social capital and cigarette smoking among Latinos in the United States

This paper presents the results of analyses conducted to examine if social capital indicators were associated with current cigarette smoking and with quitting smoking among a national representative sample of Latinos living in the United States. Data are from 2540 Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Other Latinos who participated in the National Latino and Asian American Survey. A significant inverse association between neighborhood cohesion and current smoking, and a positive association with quitting smoking, were found only among Mexican Americans. No other significant associations were found except for family conflict being associated with higher odds of current smoking with Cuban Americans. Implications of these findings are discussed to unravel the differences in social capital and smoking behaviors among Latino populations.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374601/Published versio

The control of state regional aids by the European competition policy and its effects on economic and social cohesion

The economic activity of the countries which make up the European Union (EU) is being profoundly affected by the advance in the process of integration. The consolidation of the Single European Market (SEM) and the process of transition towards Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) are two elements which affect the economic evolution of all of teh countries and regions of the EU. The impact of this greater economic integration is expected to be reflected with different intensity in each of them, according to their own economic structures and their capacity of adaptation to the necessary convergence. The effect of this process on the development of the regions, in itself already unequal, has caused growing concern about the reinforcement of economic and social cohesion within the EU, as was reflected in the Treaty of the European Union. In this way, the steps taken towards a growing integration are complemented by a greater development of structural policies. The reinforcement of these policies, and in particular of regional policy, confers special importance to the analysis of its instruments, above all, to that of the programs for regional economic incentives. Economic incentive programs constitute one of the most widely used tools of regional policy among the member nations of the EU. Given the fact that this assistance is aimed at companies, it is subject to meet Community regulations on competition and, at the same time, as a measure for regional development, play a role in the attainment of economic and social cohesion. In this paper the most important aspects of this last component will be analyzed in terms of regional assistance in order to then proceed to the study of its effects on the correction of interregional inequality.

Software Metrics for Package Remodularisation

There is a plethora of software metrics \cite{Lore94a, Fent96a, Hend96a, Han00a, Lanz06a} and a large amount of research articles. Still there is a lack for a serious and practically-oriented evaluation of metrics. Often metrics lack the property that the software reengineer or quality expert can easily understand the situation summarized by the metrics. In particular, since the exact notion of coupling and cohesion is complex, a particular focus on such point is important. In the first chapter of the present document, we present a list of software metrics, that are commonly used to measure object-oriented programs. In the second chapter we present our proposition for package metrics that capture package aspects such as information hiding and change impact limits