Background Note - UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs - (DESA)

Background Note on The Global Financial and Economic Crisis, Its Impact on Development, and How The World Should Respond

How migration policies moderate the diffusion of terrorism

There is an ongoing debate among practitioners and scholars about the security consequences of transnational migration. Yet, existing work has not yet fully taken into account the policy instruments states have at their disposal to mitigate these risks, and we lack reliable evidence for the effectiveness of such measures. The following research addresses both shortcomings as we analyze whether and to what extent national migration policies affect the diffusion of terrorism via population movements. Spatial analyses report robust support for a moderating influence of states’ policies: while terrorism can travel from one country to another via larger migration populations, this only applies to target countries with extremely lax regulations and control mechanisms. This research sheds new light on the security implications of population movements, and it crucially adds to our understanding of governments’ instruments for addressing migration challenges as well as their effectiveness

Case Studies and the Teaching of Development

SUMMARY Case studies come in several forms and can be used for different pedagogic and academic purposes. The authors examine the role of case study in development studies teaching, reviewing definitions and actual usages. The experience of Harvard in the 1920s and 1930s is considered since there are parallels between business studies then and development studies today. Three dimensions of case study (not always clarified in the literature) relevant for development studies are considered: case study as a teaching method, particularly for small groups; case study as research activity; and case study and the process of generalisation in an interdisciplinary study area. The general argument is that there are good reasons for using case study, but for successful transcultural teaching, more attention needs to be given to educational issues where case study is used with students from a variety of different economic and cultural backgrounds. RESUME Les études de cas et l'enseignement du développement Les études de cas se présentent sous diverses formes et peuvent être utilisées à des fins pédagogiques et académiques différentes. Les auteurs examinent le rôle de l'étude de cas dans l'enseignement des études sur le développement, en passant en revue les définitions et les utilisations actuelles. Ils s'intéressent à l'expérience de Harvard dans les années 20 et 30 car il y a des parallèles entre les études de gestion d'alors et les études sur le développement d'aujourd'hui. Trois dimensions de l'étude de cas (pas toujours expliquées dans les textes) s'appliquant aux études sur le développement sont examinées ici: l'étude de cas en tant que méthode d'enseignement, en particulier pour les petits groupes; l'étude de cas en tant qu'activité de recherche; et l'étude de cas et le processus de généralisation dans un domaine d'étude interdisciplinaire. L'argument général est qu'il y a de bonnes raisons pour utiliser l'étude de cas, mais pour un bon enseignement transculturel, il faut prêter davantage d'attention aux problèmes d'éducation lorsque l'étude de cas est utilisée avec des étudiants venant de milieux culturels et économiques divers. RESUMEN Estudios de casos típicos y la enseñanza del desarrollo Los estudios de casos típicos se presentan de varias formas y se pueden utilizar para diversos fines pedagógicos y académicos. Los autores examinan la función del estudio de casos en la enseñanza de estudios sobre el desarrollo, reseñando las definiciones y las aplicaciones efectivas. Se considera la experiencia de Harvard en los decenios de 1920 y 1930, ya que existen similitudes entre los estudios sobre negocios en aquella época y los estudios sobre el desarrollo en la actualidad. Se consideran tres dimensiones del estudio de casos (no siempre puestas en claro en nivel informativo) que están relacionados con los estudios sobre el desarrollo: el estudio de casos típicos como método de enseñanza, especialmente para grupos pequeños; el estudio de casos típicos como actividad de investigación; y el estudio de casos típicos y el proceso de generalización en una esfera de estudios entre disciplines. El argumento general es que hay buenos motivos para utilizar el estudio de casos típicos, pero para que la enseñanza de las relaciones culturales recíprocas tenga éxito se tiene que prestar mayor atención a los aspectos docentes cuando el estudio de casos típicos se utilice con estudiantes de diversas procedencias culturales y económicas

Effects of thermal insulation on thermal comfort in low-income tropical housing

This paper evaluates the effects of thermal insulation on thermal comfort in low-income tropical housing in Uganda. Dynamic thermal simulations are conducted to assess the effects of wall, roof and floor insulation strategies. 96 combination scenarios are simulated for various geometries, insulation and construction methods. Adaptive approach is used to evaluate the conditions within the case study buildings. The results indicate that external wall insulation improves thermal comfort in all conditions whereas internal wall and floor insulation may deteriorate the conditions. Roof insulation is the most effective strategy to reduce the risk of overheating. Due to the effectiveness of roof insulation and marginal improvements of external wall insulation, especially for brick walls, wall insulation may be disregarded when used in conjunction with roof insulation

Need for closure effect on collective action intentions and behavior toward immigrants in Italy:The mediation of binding foundations and political conservatism

Why are people (de)motivated to mobilize in favor of immigrants? Addressing this question, we investigated the role of individuals' epistemic motivation (i.e., need for closure) in influencing the process of becoming motivated to participate in collective action in favor of immigrants in Italy. Specifically, the mediational role of binding moral foundations and political conservatism in explaining the relationship between need for closure and collective action in favor of immigrants was examined in three studies. It was hypothesized that a heightened need for closure would be indirectly and negatively associated with collective action in favor of immigrants, sequentially mediated first through binding moral foundations and then political conservatism. We found support for this prediction when either dispositional measure (Study 1 and Study 2) or an experimental induction (Study 3) of need for closure were used, and when both collective action intentions (Study 1 and Study 3) and behavior (Study 2) were assessed. The results suggest that need for closure constitutes a powerful motivational force that leads individuals to engage in uncertainty‐reducing evaluations and actions. We discuss these results regarding how they are related with previous work and their implications for research and practice

Evaluating quality of contraceptive counseling: An analysis of the method information index

The Method Information Index (MII) is calculated from contraceptive users\u27 responses to questions regarding counseling content-whether they were informed about methods other than the one they received, told about method-specific side effects, and advised what to do if they experienced side effects. The MII is increasingly reported in national surveys and used to track program performance, but little is known about its properties. Using additional questions, we assessed the consistency between responses and the method received in a prospective, multicountry study. We employed two definitions of consistency: (1) presence of any concordant response, and (2) absence of discordant responses. Consistency was high when asking whether users were informed about other methods and what to do about side effects. Responses were least consistent when asking whether side effects were mentioned. Adjusting for inconsistency, scores were up to 50 percent and 30 percent lower in Pakistan and Uganda, respectively, compared to unadjusted MII scores. Additional questions facilitated better understanding of counseling quality

Making geology relevant for infrastructure and planning

The urban population is projected to rise to 66% in 2050 to 7.6 billion. This has had, and will have, a profound effect on the geological and geomorphological character of the Earth’s shallow geosphere. It is important to know the character and geometries of the geological deposits so that infrastructure is planned sensibly and sustainably, and urban areas can be reused responsibly to ensure that they help facilitate economic and social development. This brings major challenges for our cities, where there is increased pressure on resources, space and services. The geosciences have an important part to play in securing sustainable global cities - they can support urban innovation and city performance, reduce our environmental footprint and ensure greater resilience to natural hazards such as flooding and ground instability. For more than 30 years the British Geological Survey has advanced the geoscientific understanding and 3D characterisation of urban environments, producing multi-themed spatial datasets for geohazards and ground investigation used across the environmental, planning and insurance sectors. The BGS have collaborated with the University of Cambridge to better integrate geological data with landuse and infrastructure to look at the long-term impact on these types of activities at surface and subsurface. A 3D GeoLanduse layer was produced from the geological framework model of London. This vector-based grid means that many soil and rock properties (e.g. foundation conditions, groundwater levels, volume change potential), can be represented alongside landuse statistics and infrastructure type and correlated in the XYZ domain. Focus has been at geothermal potential of the ground surrounding residential basements and the broader correlation between geology, energy consumption and landuse at city scale using principle component analysis and cluster recognition

Long-term care cost drivers and expenditure projection to 2036 in Hong Kong

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hong Kong's rapidly ageing population, characterised by one of the longest life expectancies and the lowest fertility rate in the world, is likely to drive long-term care (LTC) expenditure higher. This study aims to identify key cost drivers and derive quantitative estimates of Hong Kong's LTC expenditure to 2036.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We parameterised a macro actuarial simulation with data from official demographic projections, Thematic Household Survey 2004, Hong Kong's Domestic Health Accounts and other routine data from relevant government departments, Hospital Authority and other LTC service providers. Base case results were tested against a wide range of sensitivity assumptions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Total projected LTC expenditure as a proportion of GDP reflected secular trends in the elderly dependency ratio, showing a shallow dip between 2004 and 2011, but thereafter yielding a monotonic rise to reach 3.0% by 2036. Demographic changes would have a larger impact than changes in unit costs on overall spending. Different sensitivity scenarios resulted in a wide range of spending estimates from 2.2% to 4.9% of GDP. The availability of informal care and the setting of formal care as well as associated unit costs were important drivers of expenditure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The "demographic window" between the present and 2011 is critical in developing policies to cope with the anticipated burgeoning LTC burden, in concert with the related issues of health care financing and retirement planning.</p