Exploring Sentiment Analysis on Twitter: Investigating Public Opinion on Migration in Brazil from 2015 to 2020

openTechnology has reshaped societal interaction and the expression of opinions. Migration is a prominent trend, and analysing social media discussions provides insights into societal perspectives. This thesis explores how events between 2015 and 2020 impacted Brazilian sentiment on Twitter about migrants and refugees. Its aim was to uncover the influence of key sociopolitical events on public sentiment, clarifying how these echoed in the digital realm. Four key objectives guided this research: (a) understanding public opinions on migrants and refugees, (b) investigating how events influenced Twitter sentiment, (c) identifying terms used in migration-related tweets, and (d) tracking sentiment shifts, especially concerning changes in government. Sentiment analysis using VADER (Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner) was employed to analyse tweet data. The use of computational methods in social sciences is gaining traction, yet no analysis has been conducted before to understand the sentiments of the Brazilian population regarding migration. The analysis underscored Twitter's role in reflecting and shaping public discourse, offering insights into how major events influenced discussions on migration. In conclusion, this study illuminated the landscape of Brazilian sentiment on migration, emphasizing the significance of innovative social media analysis methodologies for policymaking and societal inclusivity in the digital age

Artificial Intelligence and Education. Guidance for Policy-makers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges in education today, innovate teaching and learning practices, and ultimately accelerate the progress towards SDG 4. However, these rapid technological developments inevitably bring multiple risks and challenges, which have so far outpaced policy debates and regulatory frameworks. This publication offers guidance for policy-makers on how best to leverage the opportunities and address the risks, presented by the growing connection between AI and education. It starts with the essentials of AI: definitions, techniques and technologies. It continues with a detailed analysis of the emerging trends and implications of AI for teaching and learning, including how we can ensure the ethical, inclusive and equitable use of AI in education, how education can prepare humans to live and work with AI, and how AI can be applied to enhance education. It finally introduces the challenges of harnessing AI to achieve SDG 4 and offers concrete actionable recommendations for policy-makers to plan policies and programmes for local contexts

Politics and public opinion in China: the impact of the Internet, 1993-2003

This dissertation is to provide empirical evidence as well as in-depth discussions to reflect the theme of new technologies like the Internet and its impact and implications on the political systems and public opinion in the Chinese context. It is the premise that technology can transform the mode of political communication and that this in turn can change the nature of political participation, as well as the milieu in which political discussions are made. This project concludes that the Internet has not at this stage fundamentally transformed China's political system, let alone caused a sudden political regime collapse and engendered a sweeping democratisation process. The Internet is, however, expanding people's minds, facilitating public discourse, and pushing for more transparent and accountable governance. In other words, the Chinese government is argued as not being as much in control of public debates on the Internet as it is of debates in other forms of media channels; the government cannot control and manipulate public opinion as much as it has traditionally done. This work has contributed to a more systematic picture of public opinion on political issues with documented examples, thanks to the Internet. Besides, this research has shed light on how to measure the impact of the Internet upon political debates, and to document the political impact of the Internet. Moreover, this dissertation highlights a usually neglected phenomenon that researching the political change or transformation in China can also be conducted form different aspects like the impact of Information Communication Technologies on its political system. The conventional approaches may be enriched thanks to the advent of new technologies in the increasingly networked, globalised and marketised world

The Market and Ethics: The Case of the 1994 Decision by the Clinton Administration to Delink China\u27s Human Rights Record From Most-Favored-Nation Status

Amid the globalization of markets and the interdependence of states, human rights violations throughout the world still persist. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the economic interdependence of nations and the moral responsibilities of nations by examining the case of the 1994 decision by the Clinton administration to delink China\u27s human rights practices from most-favored-nation status. The annual 1997 Freedom House world survey of human rights rated China at its lowest point and quoted that “the regime continues to have one of the worst human rights records in the world.”1 Yet despite China\u27s ongoing human rights transgressions, economic relations between the United States and China continue to expand. The 1994 decision is a particularly significant one because it represents a decisive change in how human rights issues are—and will be—addressed in U.S. foreign policy. The decision brings to the fore the conflicting issues of states\u27 moral responsibilities to the protection of universal human rights and states\u27 economic interests. 2 This study adds insights not only into the Sino-American relationship, but also into the broader understanding of the relationship between national interests and ethical principles. The three major competing theoretical paradigms of realism, liberalism and radicalism are applied to the question of why the Clinton administration considered it no longer useful to condition trade on China\u27s respect for human rights. The findings suggest that each paradigm alone was theoretically limited in explaining the motives for the decision, and therefore, an alternative explanation, that considers the complexities of the post-Cold War era, is advanced

Invest My Idea: A Case Study of Crowdfunding for Startups and Entrepreneurs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Purpose: This qualitative study explores the effectiveness of crowdfunding as a financing alternative for startups and entrepreneurs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), compared to traditional funding sources such as bank loans and grants. Specifically, the study examines the Invest My Idea initiative by Rwanga Foundation, which supports small businesses and startups throughout Iraq. The research aims to evaluate entrepreneurs' knowledge and experience with crowdfunding, identify barriers to promoting campaigns in KRI, and provide recommendations for future efforts. Design/methodology/approach: Data were gathered through online interviews with four experts and ten entrepreneurs, analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Findings indicate that crowdfunding holds potential as an effective fundraising strategy for KRI entrepreneurs, contributing to the growth and development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Research limitations/implications: However, various obstacles were identified, including lack of trust, cultural barriers, limited knowledge about crowdfunding, legislative issues, and insufficient government support for online campaigns. Practical implications: To address these challenges, the study recommends raising awareness among stakeholders, implementing policy support, and promoting crowdfunding as a widely recognized fundraising method. This research offers valuable insights into the potential advantages and challenges of crowdfunding for KRI startups and entrepreneurs, presenting practical recommendations to enhance campaigns and foster entrepreneurial ecosystem growth. Paper type: Research pape

Inclusive participation in information and communication technologies (ICTs) processes for smart services in the city of Johannesburg

Governments everywhere must focus on rethinking service delivery as inclusive involvement in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) procedures for smart services has become unavoidable. Metropolitan municipalities in South Africa have joined the technology revolution that embraces smart services delivery through various ICTs and advances the idea of e-governance using the Stakeholder Inclusive Approach. To comprehend how the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) encourages inclusion in smart services, the researchers use an explorative qualitative design that works well with the inclusive stakeholder approach, which supports a collaborative process in ICT adoption. The study discovered through qualitative thematic analysis that inclusiveness is a comprehensive process that considers the demands of different stakeholders in the adoption and implementation of ICT. One issue that leads to ICT efficiencies in the CoJ is data fragmentation from numerous municipal agencies. Inclusionary participation has been widespread in virtual Integrated Development Planning (IDP) forums and other cutting-edge services provided by the CoJ. There have been some exceptional examples of free wifi supply. The study's conclusion reiterates the importance of comprehensive inclusion in ICT adoption and implementation as it links communities with the municipality and stresses the need for city officials to commit to upskilling programmes to improve the delivery of public goods and services delivery

An Institutional Design for Sustainable Foreign Forest Carbon Projects in Developing Countries

Under the international climate legal regime, many tree planting and forest management activities have been conducted in developing countries with the intention to generate carbon offsets (forest carbon projects). However, studies have shown that some foreign forest carbon projects lead to severely unsustainable results. The current international institutional framework cannot guarantee the long-term environmental and social benefits. This study set out to investigate how to design institutional reforms to promote sustainable results in foreign forest carbon projects in developing countries. The study provides one possible solution to this question that lies in the existing governing systems of multilateral funds. _Part I_ reviews the international institutional framework on forest carbon projects in developing countries using doctrinal and historical approaches. _Part II_ analyses the incentive schemes and the financial streams among major project actors from developed and developing countries. _Part III_ presents a case study of China, which examines the national institutional framework and practices based on interviews and project-site visits. Based on the analysis in the previous parts, Chapter 9 confirms that multilateral funds, which invest in foreign forest carbon projects in developing countries as financial intermediaries between the North and the South, have institutional and economic advantages in addressing the problems identified in the institutional framework and in the incentive schemes. Ten measures are discussed and tailored to address identified problems, based on evidence from practice, and embedded in a workable existing system

Building capacity in climate change policy analysis and negotiation: methods and technologies

Capacity building is often cited as the reason “we cannot just pour money into developing countries” and why so many development projects fail because their design does not address local conditions. It is therefore a key technical and political concept in international development. Some of the poorest countries in the world are also some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Their vulnerability is in part due to a lack of capacity to plan and anticipate the effects of climate change on crops, water resources, urban electricity demand etc. What capacities do these countries lack to deal with climate change? How will they cope? What steps can they take to reduce their vulnerability? This innovative and high-profile research project was part of a larger project (called C3D) and conducted with non-governmental organisations in Senegal, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The research involved several participatory workshops and a questionnaire to all three research centres

What do citizens communicate about during crises? Analyzing twitter use during the 2011 UK riots

Abstract The use of social media during crises has been explored in a variety of natural and man-made crisis situations. Yet, most of these studies have focused exclusively on the communication strategies and messages sent by crisis responders. Surprisingly little research has been done on how crisis publics (i.e., those people interested in or affected by the crisis) use social media during such events. Our article addresses this gap in the context of citizens' Twitter use during the 2011 riots in the UK. Focusing on communications with and about police forces in two cities, we analyzed 5984 citizen tweets collected during the event for content and sentiment. Comparing the two cases, our findings suggest that citizens' Twitter communication follows a general logic of concerns, but can also be influenced very easily by single, non-crisis related events such as perceived missteps in a police force's Twitter communication. Our study provides insights into citizens' concerns and communication patterns during crises adding to our knowledge about the dynamics of citizens' use of social media in such times. It further highlights the fragmentation in Twitter audiences especially in later stages of the crisis. These observations can be utilized by police forces to help determine the appropriate organizational responses that facilitate coping across various stages of crisis events. In addition, they illustrate limitations in current theoretical understandings of crisis response strategies, adding the requirement for adaptivity, flexibility and ambiguity in organizational responses to address the observed plurivocality of crisis audiences