1,184 research outputs found

    Urban Development Transitions and their Implications for Poverty Reduction and Policy Planning in Uganda

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    Urbanization is one of the critical global trends shaping the future of humanity. At the same time, it has been argued that full development requires an urbanized environment. This paper attempts to examine and characterize the major phases of urbanizatiotransitions, urbanization, planning, poverty, Uganda

    Student based funding in higher education systems with declining and uncertain enrolments: the Portuguese case

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    Higher education systems have generally been adapting to increasing demand, higher quality requirements and severe financial constraints. In Portugal, where public funding critically depends on the new enrolments, the short term uncertainties of declining applications exacerbate systemic long term underfunding certainties. Unfavourable demographics explain most, but not all, recent negative trends in demand for higher education. In such uncertain context strategic planning is difficult, and predicting new enrolments, and thus the volume of public funds, became a new and major challenge for universities. This paper proposes an empirical analysis of demand's main determinants, allowing a more precise picture of future enrolments and funding.demand for higher education; determinants of university participation; financing higher education; enrolments forecasting.

    Housing policy and outcomes in Southern and Southeastern Europe Bulgaria and Greece compared

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    This PhD comparatively analyzes and explains the institutional structure, functioning and transformational dynamics of the Bulgarian and Greek housing systems, also considering the wider geopolitical context. Despite their historically differentiated backgrounds, the two countries are selected due to several structural similarities in their housing systems. Likewise, neither is easy to fit into the socialist and southern European groupings, and both are experiencing radical transformational pressures and severe systemic shocks as a result of socio-political and financial turbulences. Despite the academic interest, housing research in both countries has been relatively 'introverted', mainly confined to describing sociopolitical ‘idiosyncrasies’ and applying 'typologies'. An elaborate comparative study of the two countries is practically inexistent, while the increasing transformational dynamics in the Bulgarian and Greek housing systems remain insufficiently discussed. Thus, the available literature lacks outreaching comparative perspective and has trouble being incorporated in wider studies. By employing an institutionally embedded mixed-methods approach the research assesses similarities whilst respecting differences, avoiding dogmatic adherence to typologies. Primary data was collected through qualitative in-depth interviews with housing experts and households in Bulgaria and Greece. The EU-SILC and national statistical agencies databases have been the main source of secondary quantitative data. Officially published reports and newspaper articles provided complementary secondary qualitative and quantitative data of relevance. The thesis shows that the Bulgarian and Greek housing systems are since circa the 1990s gradually moving away from de-commodified and towards pre-commodified forms. Established institutional interfaces are now being challenged, stressed under the weight of strong socio-financial restructuring forces and persisting societal housing precepts. Comparing the two countries with each other and with their wider groupings, allows for improved inclusion in southeastern European housing systems. Consequently, the latter can be better incorporated in broader comparative housing studies. This research overall contributes to the wider ongoing discussion about housing system transformation in southeastern European countries under transition

    Social Rented Housing in the (Dis)United Kingdom:Can different social housing regime types exist within the same nation state?

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    Welfare and housing regime literature has treated nation states as being uniform regime types. However, there is growing interest in the possible development of distinct regimes below the level of nation states. This article applies regime theory though a robust analytical framework to the devolution of social housing policy to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies within the UK. We establish that prior to devolution, the UK’s social housing regime was firmly located within a residual model, but one that operated as a ‘safety net’. Particularly since the adoption of austerity by the UK Government in 2010 and divergence in political outlook between UK and devolved administrations, England’s social housing regime is beginning to morph into an ‘ambulance service’, whilst the ‘safety net’ model is being maintained in Northern Ireland and Wales, and strengthened in Scotland. However, with few powers with which to influence the ‘wider welfare regime’, high levels of poverty mean that the ‘boundaries of possibilities’ for the devolved administrations to create more than this distinctive regime sub-type – and so to move to a ‘social market’ performing a ‘wider affordability’ role – are limited. The theoretical and analytical framework developed in this article is capable of being applied to sub-nation state jurisdictions in other countries, and so enrichen comparative analysis

    Health sector reforms: implications for maternal and child healthcare in South Africa

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    Generally, public health facilities in developing countries tend to be underfunded and inefficient. In South Africa, these problems have continued even after the introduction of free maternal and child health care policy. It is argued that this policy increased utilization rate and consequently overcrowding of public health facilities. Nonetheless, long waiting times and unavailability of certain drugs continue to serve as major barriers to accessing health facilities in South Africa. Available records and our findings indicate that there is lack of consistent training for health personnel, increasing workload, inadequate physical infrastructure, resources and equipment, which have made it difficult to reduce maternal mortality rates. This paper xrays health reforms in other countries vis-à-vis propositions by international organizations and posits that the free maternal and child healthcare policy in South Africa has been formulated without considering the capacity and resources necessary to implement it. As a result, its implementation only aided in increasing access to public facilities and an improvement in utilization rates with no substantial increase in the quality of the services delivery. The paper concludes that the current health reform have the potential of reducing social exclusion, nonetheless, it must be managed carefully through supportive actions in order to avoid negative impacts on the wider health system and consequent worsening of the health system.International Bibliography of Social Science

    Detection of microservice smells through static analysis

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    A arquitetura de microsserviços é um modelo arquitetural promissor na área de software, atraindo desenvolvedores e empresas para os seus princípios convincentes. As suas vantagens residem no potencial para melhorar a escalabilidade, a flexibilidade e a agilidade, alinhando se com as exigências em constante evolução da era digital. No entanto, navegar entre as complexidades dos microsserviços pode ser uma tarefa desafiante, especialmente à medida que este campo continua a evoluir. Um dos principais desafios advém da complexidade inerente aos microsserviços, em que o seu grande número e interdependências podem introduzir novas camadas de complexidade. Além disso, a rápida expansão dos microsserviços, juntamente com a necessidade de aproveitar as suas vantagens de forma eficaz, exige uma compreensão mais profunda das potenciais ameaças e problemas que podem surgir. Para tirar verdadeiramente partido das vantagens dos microsserviços, é essencial enfrentar estes desafios e garantir que o desenvolvimento e a adoção de microsserviços sejam bem-sucedidos. O presente documento pretende explorar a área dos smells da arquitetura de microsserviços que desempenham um papel tão importante na dívida técnica dirigida à área dos microsserviços. Embarca numa exploração de investigação abrangente, explorando o domínio dos smells de microsserviços. Esta investigação serve como base para melhorar um catálogo de smells de microsserviços. Esta investigação abrangente obtém dados de duas fontes primárias: systematic mapping study e um questionário a profissionais da área. Este último envolveu 31 profissionais experientes com uma experiência substancial no domínio dos microsserviços. Além disso, são descritos o desenvolvimento e o aperfeiçoamento de uma ferramenta especificamente concebida para identificar e resolver problemas relacionados com os microsserviços. Esta ferramenta destina-se a melhorar o desempenho dos programadores durante o desenvolvimento e a implementação da arquitetura de microsserviços. Por último, o documento inclui uma avaliação do desempenho da ferramenta. Trata-se de uma análise comparativa efetuada antes e depois das melhorias introduzidas na ferramenta. A eficácia da ferramenta será avaliada utilizando o mesmo benchmarking de microsserviços utilizado anteriormente, para além de outro benchmarking para garantir uma avaliação abrangente.The microservices architecture stands as a beacon of promise in the software landscape, drawing developers and companies towards its compelling principles. Its appeal lies in the potential for improved scalability, flexibility, and agility, aligning with the ever-evolving demands of the digital age. However, navigating the intricacies of microservices can be a challenging task, especially as this field continues to evolve. A key challenge arises from the inherent complexity of microservices, where their sheer number and interdependencies can introduce new layers of intricacy. Furthermore, the rapid expansion of microservices, coupled with the need to harness their advantages effectively, demands a deeper understanding of the potential pitfalls and issues that may emerge. To truly unlock the benefits of microservices, it is essential to address these challenges head-on and ensure a successful journey in the world of microservices development and adoption. The present document intends to explore the area of microservice architecture smells that play such an important role in the technical debt directed to the area of microservices. It embarks on a comprehensive research exploration, delving into the realm of microservice smells. This research serves as the cornerstone for enhancing a microservice smell catalogue. This comprehensive research draws data from two primary sources: a systematic mapping research and an industry survey. The latter involves 31 seasoned professionals with substantial experience in the field of microservices. Moreover, the development and enhancement of a tool specifically designed to identify and address issues related to microservices is described. This tool is aimed at improving developers' performance throughout the development and implementation of microservices architecture. Finally, the document includes an evaluation of the tool's performance. This involves a comparative analysis conducted before and after the tool's enhancements. The tool's effectiveness will be assessed using the same microservice benchmarking as previously employed, in addition to another benchmark to ensure a comprehensive evaluation

    An Experimental Analysis of the Call Capacity of IEEE 802.11b Wireless Local Area Networks for VoIP Telephony

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    The use of the Internet to make phone calls is growing in popularity as the Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) allows users to make phone calls virtually free of charge. The increased uptake of broadband services by domestic users will further increase the use of VoIP telephony. Furthermore, the emergence of low cost wireless networks (namely IEEE 802.11a/b/g WLANs) is expected to bring wireless VoIP into the mainstream. As the number of wireless hotspots increases more users will want to use VoIP calls wherever possible by connecting to open access points (AP). A major concern with VoIP is Quality of Service (QoS). In order for VoIP to be truly successful users must enjoy a similar perceived QoS as a call made over a traditional telephone network. There are many factors that influence QoS which include: throughput, packet delay, delay variation (or jitter), and packet loss. This thesis is an experimental study of the call capacity of an IEEE 802.11b network when using VoIP telephony. Experiments included increasing the number of VoIP stations and also increasing the level of background traffic until network saturation occurs. Results show that the network is capable of supporting at least 16 VoIP stations. Due to the operation of the IEEE 802.11 medium access control (MAC) mechanism, the AP acts as a bottleneck for all traffic destined for wireless stations, in that significant delays can be incurred by VoIP packets which can lead to a poor perceived QoS by users. Consequently the performance of the AP downlink is the critical component in determining VoIP call capacity

    The Tenants' Movement: the domestication and resurgence of a social movement in English housing policy

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    The launch of a National Tenants Voice for the English social housing sector rekindles a contentious debate among housing scholars over the role played by class and material interest in the mobilisation of collective action. The clear suggestion in the declaration of a National Tenants Voice is that tenants in the fragmented and residualised social housing sector share certain common interests that can be mobilised around, represented and promoted and that there exists a tenants’ movement that is effective to some degree in negotiating at national policy level. The contention that common interests rooted in class or sectoral divisions engender political conflict was the dominant theme in the application of Marxist and Weberian theory to the struggles of social housing tenants in the 1970s and early 1980s. This thesis was debunked in the 1990s when the restructuring of the social housing sector made the assumption of shared interests and common cause between tenants impossible to maintain. The return of the concept of shared interests applied to a tenants’ movement makes it necessary to re-examine the treatment of tenant collective action in academic studies. This paper explores the concept of material interest as applied to housing struggles and provides a new analysis of the mobilisation of tenant collective action. It concludes in setting out an interpretive framework based on social movement theory to guide further study into the mobilisation, aims and effectiveness of the tenants’ movement and its role in English housing policy

    Determinants and projections of demand for higher education in Portugal

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    This paper formulates a model of demand for higher education in Portugal considering a wide range of demographic, economic, social and institutional explanatory variables. The estimation results suggest that the number of applicants reacts positively to demographic trends, graduation rates at secondary education, female participation, compulsory schooling and the recent Bologna process. Demand reacts negatively to the existence of tuition fees and to unemployment rates. Within an adverse demographic and economic context, forecasts of demand for the next two decades suggest the need to increase participation rates, to avoid funding problems in the higher education system and increase long-term economic development prospects.Demand for higher education; determinants of university participation; applications forecasting.

    Investigator Issue in Financial Service Crime in Indonesia

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    The objective of this paper is to address a question of the effectiveness of Financial Service Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan - OJK) investigators in eradicating financial service crimes in Indonesia. This question arises because in Law on Financial Service Authority there are OJK's investigators with an investigatory authority on OJK crimes, including; banking, capital market, insurance, pension fund, financing institutions, and other financial service institution sectors. Meanwhile, there have been other investigators with an authority to investigate, namely, public prosecutor, police, and KPK (Indonesia's corruption eradicating commission). The theoretical framework of this paper was grounded in the thoughts of Aristotle, who says that the goal of law is to achieve justice, and that of Hans Kelsen's stuffen theory. The method of writing was juridical-normative, by studying legislations, both contained in laws themselves and in literatures/books of legal science, particularly those related to Financial Service Authority. The result was in a form of juridical aspect and written in a descriptive-analytical form. The conclusion of this paper was as follows: There was an overlapping of authorities between OJK's investigators and public attorney's investigators, police, and KPK, be they in the investigation of general crimes and that of special crimes/corruption. As for the effectiveness of OJK's investigators, it should be proved yet in the future
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