Settlement as a determinant for community's resilience to local economic development in Ghana

Local Economic Development (LED) is the main anchor through which economic development is achieved by building entrepreneurial capacities and improving opportunities for economic growth and citizens' quality of life, especially in rural settlements. In Ghana, the implementation of LED is under the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLDGRD) through the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) at the local level. The implementation of LED contributes significantly to Ghana's economic growth, business creation, and employment generation. LED is therefore identified as essential to sustainable development and poverty reduction in rural settlements in Ghana. However, the challenges of poor implementation of the LED policy are financial constraints to implement LED activities at the local level, performance action of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) towards LED, and limited exploration of the sanitation value chain LED efforts at the local level. The poor capacity of small-medium micro enterprises (SMMEs) and smallholder farmers have often affected the successful implementation of LED activities at the local level. Hence, this paper seeks to identify the determinants for resilience in Local Economic Development in Ghana. The paper further provides an overview of the LED challenges in Ghana. Finally, this paper recommends appropriate theoretical frameworks that integrate the determinants for the resilience of Local Economic Development to address the identified challenges of LED, leading to poverty reduction in Ghana

An adaptation of the Malay kampongs or villages concept on modern housing schemes development in Malaysia

Traditionally, villager's houses organised in groups, surrounded by green nature, landscape, each space connected by informal pathways to form a settlement known as village, kampong or 'kampung'. The kampong setting grow harmoniously and evolved over the years. Indirectly the culture and values of the Malay community in the village are slowly influenced by the atmosphere and living environment that tested through many years. Today, the existence of a traditional Malay village as an early settlement pattern of the Malay community threatened by the process of urbanisation and modernisation of the country. The kampong setting has replaced by mass production of housing schemes called 'taman perumahan'. As a result, the existence of traditional Malay kampongs in urban areas has been replaced by a planned housing schemes that is considered modern and well-planned. However, there is an effort to re-adapt the traditional village concept ideally into modern urban housing either through architectural design, landscape and neighbourhood planning at different level. This paper is written based on qualitative approach by collecting and structuring field data through several methods such as observation, and fieldwork study. This paper explores such effort in modern housing schemes at the Precinct 8 (Putrajaya) and Nong Chik Height (Johor Bahru)

Relationship between medium and large grade contractors on implementing safety management in construction site

Construction sectors are familiar with dangerous and exposed to accidents including of minor accidents, ergonomics problem, outdated machinery can cause the breakdown, and lack awareness from employers and employees. However, the occupational can be reduced through the effectiveness of prevention measure by training, good housekeeping, hazard assessment, better personal protective equipment (PPE) and inspection. The main objective of this research is to identify safety management implementation in medium and large grade contractors. A questionnaire was used as the main instrument on a Likert-type scale with a total of 46 returned questionnaire out of the 100 distributed. The respondents of this study are includes project manager, site supervisor, Safety and Health officer (SHO), engineer, clerk, planner, Quantity Surveyor (QS) and architect. The finding of this paper was identified mostly the contractors implement safety before start bidding; and after bidding and before start site work phases. The highest rank of safety activity is implemented in contractor companies is a formal safety incentive program. Furthermore, the results show significant differences on safety management implementation to working experiences and the relationship between contractor companies and safety management implementation. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the medium and large grade contractors implement safety management properly and good

Implementation of affordable housing programmes in Johor, Malaysia for sustainable housing

Sustainability in housing includes the concept of housing affordability that revolves around the elements of sustainable housing affordability. Affordable housing provision could be discussed under the context of social equity where it demonstrates the ability of all segments of the population to have access to housing. Housing production in Malaysia is mostly dominated by private sector developers and is generally based on supply and demand in the open market. Government intervention in the form of policies and programmes that include affordable housing programmes were introduced to assist all segment of population to have access to housing. This study looks at the implementation of these programmes in the state of Johor, Malaysia. The objectives of this paper are to define housing sustainability through implementation of affordable housing programmes; to determine if these programmes comply with the concept of sustainable housing affordability. Finally, general issues on its implementation will be identified. Findings indicates that the concept of the housing programmes introduced fulfils the criteria for sustainable housing affordability, such as in terms of its price, quality of house, specifications, proximity to facilities and to work place. Some of the main issues identified on its implementation at state and local government can be summarised as the existence of separation of jurisdictions and authorities between the federal and state governments; conflicting requirement for policies between state and federal government and lack of specific Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which contributes towards delays in the overall development process

Revitalizing rural areas in Malaysia: a framework for economic revitalization

Rural, poor and marginalized community often face many challenges in achieving economic equality and attaining socio-economic sustainability, especially among rural communities who have limited sources of income. In countries with emerging economies such as Malaysia, rural populations constitute the majority of citizens. They are generally poorer and more disadvantaged than their urban counterparts. In Malaysia, rural communities and their development are important aspects of a country's political and economic stability in which revitalization of the rural economic is part and parcel of a nation's development. Rural revitalization is an outcome of the interplay between many sources of influence and it is also a response to the opportunities and challenges which are presented by rural decline. This paper provides an overview of revitalization of rural areas. Besides that, it also explains the factors differences in economic performance and socioeconomic differentiation in rural areas in order to achieve a better outcome for rural revitalization. Finally, this paper discusses the framework to revitalize rural areas and the methods to use this framework that measure rural economic performance

Approaches to addressing informal settlement problems: a case study of district 13 in Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghanistan witnessed rapid urbanization in recent decades due to the post-war recovery process. When the war ended in 2001 by fall of Taliban regime, most Afghans refugees returned to urban areas of Afghanistan, especially in Kabul city. Moreover, the rapid urbanization, migration from rural areas, and population growth impacted on Kabul city with the manifestation of informal settlement. It is acknowledged that the residents of informal settlements suffer social, spatial, and economic exclusion from the benefit and opportunity of an urban environment. Furthermore, the residents of informal settlements experience disadvantages by geographical marginalization, shortage of basic infrastructure, improper governance framework, vulnerability into the effect of poor environment, and natural disaster. With all the above, the problems of informal settlements are considered challenges for and informal residents. Thus, it is a dire need to tackle and overcome problems of informal settlements. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the most proper approaches to addressing informal settlement problems in District13 of Kabul city. In order to reach this aim, interviews and a questionnaire survey have been conducted with government officials and local inhabitants. And the finding of this paper indicates that through the resident’s preferences, government capacity, and District 13 physical condition there are three approaches which can be implemented and adopted for improvement of informal settlement in District 13 of Kabul city, which is settlement upgrading as the first option, the land readjustment as the second option and urban redevelopment as the last option

Correlational Analysis Between Social Business Model and Women Entrepreneurs Empowerment

In most developed countries, social entrepreneurship has strived to become an effective mechanism in inculcating skills ofentrepreneurship, especially among women. In these countries, social entrepreneurship has become the main policy used as part of the poverty eradication strategies. Based on this foundation, this paper work is formed with the aim to study the effect of the micro-credit financing of the AIM in creating a strong line of women-entrepreneurs. In particular, it seeks to(1) explore the current social entrepreneurship modelwhich uses AIM's micro-credit financing scheme, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the AIM micro-credit financing schemetowards women-entrepreneurs; and (3) manalyse the challenges and obstacles that are often faced by women entrepreneurs in relation to thecurrent AIM micro-credit financing scheme. The study methodology involves the distribution of surveys to 1500 members of theAIM micro-credit financing schemethroughout Malaysia. As many as 1101 respondents had returned the survey forms, making the return rate 73%. The study findings were analysed using the descriptive statistics involving frequency, percentage and mean. The findings have shown that (1) AIM micro-credit financing schemehassuccessfully generated many womenentrepreneursespecially in rural areas; (2) the existing government policies are deemed sufficient in terms In most developed countries, social entrepreneurship has strived to become an effective mechanism in inculcating skills ofentrepreneurship, especially among women. In these countries, social entrepreneurship has become the main policy used as part of the poverty eradication strategies. Based on this foundation, this paper work is formed with the aim to study the effect of the micro-credit financing of the AIM in creating a strong line of women-entrepreneurs. In particular, it seeks to(1) explore the current social entrepreneurship modelwhich usesAIM's micro-credit financing scheme, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the AIM micro-credit financing schemetowards women-entrepreneurs; and (3) manalyse the challenges and obstacles that are often faced by women entrepreneurs in relation to the current AIM micro-credit financing scheme. The study methodology involves the distribution of surveys to 1500 members of theAIM micro-credit financing schemethroughout Malaysia. As many as 1101 respondents had returned the survey forms, making the return rate 73%. The study findings were analysed using the descriptive statistics involving frequency, percentage and mean. The findings have shown that (1) AIM micro-credit financing schemehas successfully generated many womenentrepreneursespecially in rural areas; (2) the existing government policies are deemed sufficient in terms of preparing financing opportunities to these entrepreneurs; and (3) among the main issues faced by women-entrepreneurs lie in the repayment method, insufficient capital, lack of relevant trainingentrepreneur to increase skills and the lack of mentor system. The outcome of this study is anticipated to be able to improve the policy of entrepreneur development, especially increasing the number of women inthe field ofentrepreneurship. Apart from that, there are several criticial issues that need to be addressed by the government such as the need to coordinate institutions that offer micro-credit funding scheme, also the need to have a more transparent decision-making process in the distribution of financingallocation

Positive impact of equine programs and education on youth development

This study was to describe the impact of equine program and education on youth participants in their development. Analyzed 16 reading materials such as journal, thesis, books and website related to equine program and education. Through analysis, it is found that equine program yields two positive effects on the development of positive youth, which are respectively the development of the characteristic of youths and also the positive development of life skills for youth. Among the development of positive characteristics in youth are such as self-esteem, confidence, responsibility, caring, passion, goal commitment, happiness, trust, and positive selfperception. Meanwhile, the developments of life skills for youth are such as critical thinking, communication, interpersonal skill, competence, ability, public speaking, decision-making, leadership, close friendship and selfdiscipline. The results of this study indicate that there are positive impacts of horse programs and education on youth development. Therefore, the government should support and continue to focus on the development of equine education and program in this country in order to generate more positive characteristic and positive life skill within teenagers

Contribution of equine education to the equine industry development in Malaysia

The objectives of this study were to identify the contribution of equine education to the equine industry development in Malaysia. This study has analyzed the activity in equine industry and equine education in Malaysia. Through analysis, it is found that equine education is important to improve the equine industry in this country. The concerns of the equine industry will assist to fulfill the equine industry requirements such as providing skilled worker and ensuring that each employee owns the relevant equine certificates. The equine industry must work together with education in a symbiotic partnership, not only to strengthen the human resources of the industry, but also to ensure that the equine industry is acceptable. Therefore, the government should support and continue to focus on the development of equine education and program in this country, in order to generate more economic resources for the equine industry

Application of rural web in analyzing the economic performance of rural areas in Johor

Planning for sustainable rural development in Malaysia has entered a phase where rural areas are no longer tied merely to food production as an economic activity. The increasing demand for rural amenities, ecosystem services and preservation of cultural landscapes generates the idea of a much diverse option for an alleviation of the local economy. Due to the variation of local actors, resources, and activities, sustainable rural planning requires the understanding of the complex development processes occurring in its territories. The rural web is an analytical framework that can be used to understand the dynamic relationships between different domains of rural development. In this paper, the rural web is used as a tool to comprehensively analyze the economic performance of the village's development and economic activity of rural areas in Johor. This paper discusses the study areas of six villages from six different rural areas surrounding the state of Johor. The finding shows that KampungParitPuteriMenangis has the highest economic performance while KampungPayaBesar was identified as the lowest economic performance compared to other villages. Market governance was identified as the major domain of the rural web in the twenty economic projects identified in six selected villages for this study