The Economic Dimensions of Slums in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Over half of the population in developing countries lives in slums. Issues of slums happen to be global rather than regional phenomenon hence; various measures have been adopted by several stakeholders to manage its development. Despite the kingpin roles they play in the urban economy, the problems which retard their growth and development within the slums are enormous. Slum dwellers are thus faced with daily eviction threats fuelled by the belief that their existence is detrimental to the continued growth and development of the urban areas. The study concludes that for the new paradigm of “cities without slums” to be realistic and achievable, slums should be upgraded rather than subjecting it to evictions and demolishing as the latter will be addressing the effects instead of the problem itself. Keywords: Slum Development, Urbanization, Slum Dwellers, Poverty, Migratio

Theoretical and Practical Motives for Participation Obstacles in Resettlement Programs. Review from the Mining Perspective

Studies on the rationale for effective involvement of affected population in resettlement programs have increased significantly in recent years. Yet, practical aspects of handling participation challenges remain under researched. This paper assesses the effectiveness of livelihood-promoting interventions in mining-induced resettlement programs using case evidences from the literature. The paper first reviews the historical background of the concept and other ideas that have come to brand the practice over time. It further justifies the discussion in the context of the mining industry. Thirdly, the paper adopts the concept of territorial governance to provide a theoretical base for the focus of the paper. After the theoretical justification, the paper reviews case evidences in context of engagement prospects and challenges in resettlement programs. Finally, the paper makes suggestions that have policy implications to help better the current resettlement practices.The paper observes that until participation challenges are overcome by resettlement practitioners,mining-induced displacement and resettlement (MIDR) programs cannot revitalise the livelihoods of the affected population as envisioned in resettlement guidelines. JEL Classification: M14, H7, D21, Keywords: Resettlement Programs, Mining Induced Displacement and Resettlement, Stakeholder Participation, participation challenge

Likert Items: Should(n’t) We Really Care?

One of the controversial methodological topics in the social and behavioral sciences is the (ab)use of Likert Scale items, Likert-type items and ranked ordered response categories. The debate is whether parametric tests can be legitimately conducted on technically ordinal response categories that are represented with numbers. Participants answered survey questions on moral disengagement, where we changed the intervals of seven response categories and tested whether assigning numbers made any difference in two separate studies. The results showed that participants’ ratings were not significantly different with or without numbers. Participants tend to covertly superimpose numbers where none were provided. Also, there were no significant interactions between assignment of numbers and ‘intervalness’. However, ratings were significantly different between two key interval groups. Knowing the assumptions of respondents to these Likert items even without numbers could inform researchers especially if parametric tests are to be conducted

A command-like descending neuron that coordinately activates backward and inhibits forward locomotion

Command-like descending neurons can induce many behaviors, such as backward locomotion, escape, feeding, courtship, egg-laying, or grooming. In most animals it remains unknown how neural circuits switch between these antagonistic behaviors: via top-down activation/inhibition of antagonistic circuits or via reciprocal inhibition between antagonistic circuits. Here we use genetic screens, intersectional genetics, circuit reconstruction by electron microscopy, and functional optogenetics to identify a bilateral pair of larval “mooncrawler descending neurons” (MDNs) with command-like ability to coordinately induce backward locomotion and block forward locomotion; the former by activating a backward-specific premotor neuron, and the latter by disynaptic inhibition of a forward-specific premotor neuron. In contrast, direct reciprocal inhibition between forward and backward circuits was not observed. Thus, MDNs coordinate a transition between antagonistic larval locomotor behaviors. Interestingly, larval MDNs persist into adulthood, where they can trigger backward walking. Thus, MDNs induce backward locomotion in both limbless and limbed animals

MDN brain descending neurons coordinately activate backward and inhibit forward locomotion.

Command-like descending neurons can induce many behaviors, such as backward locomotion, escape, feeding, courtship, egg-laying, or grooming (we define 'command-like neuron' as a neuron whose activation elicits or 'commands' a specific behavior). In most animals, it remains unknown how neural circuits switch between antagonistic behaviors: via top-down activation/inhibition of antagonistic circuits or via reciprocal inhibition between antagonistic circuits. Here, we use genetic screens, intersectional genetics, circuit reconstruction by electron microscopy, and functional optogenetics to identify a bilateral pair of Drosophila larval 'mooncrawler descending neurons' (MDNs) with command-like ability to coordinately induce backward locomotion and block forward locomotion; the former by stimulating a backward-active premotor neuron, and the latter by disynaptic inhibition of a forward-specific premotor neuron. In contrast, direct monosynaptic reciprocal inhibition between forward and backward circuits was not observed. Thus, MDNs coordinate a transition between antagonistic larval locomotor behaviors. Interestingly, larval MDNs persist into adulthood, where they can trigger backward walking. Thus, MDNs induce backward locomotion in both limbless and limbed animals

Theoretical and practical motives for participation obstacles in resettlement programs: Review from the mining perspective

Studies on the rationale for effective involvement of affected population in resettlement programs have increased significantly in recent years. Yet, practical aspects of handling participation challenges remain under researched. This paper assesses the effectiveness of livelihood-promoting interventions in mining-induced resettlement programs using case evidences from the literature. The paper first reviews the historical background of the concept and other ideas that have come to brand the practice over time. It further justifies the discussion in the context of the mining industry. Thirdly, the paper adopts the concept of territorial governance to provide a theoretical base for the focus of the paper. After the theoretical justification, the paper reviews case evidences in context of engagement prospects and challenges in resettlement programs. Finally, the paper makes suggestions that have policy implications to help better the current resettlement practices.The paper observes that until participation challenges are overcome by resettlement practitioners, mining-induced displacement and resettlement (MIDR) programs cannot revitalise the livelihoods of the affected population as envisioned in resettlement guidelines