Suchergebnisse

The post-Soviet withdrawal phase of the Afghanistan conflict (1989-1995) -- The advent of the Taliban (1995-2001) -- Post-9/11 Afghanistan -- The external powers : interests and concerns -- The challenge of religious militancy and extremism in Pakistan -- Pakistan : a case of intellectual crisis and weak governance -- Conclusions

Global warming is a current and burning topic, today. To comprehend, it is: th E gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth`s atmosphere, due to increased level of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.` Extreme weather events, rise in the sealevel and a plethora of diseases are some of the serious concerns, which have drawn attention of policy-makers and scientists. It has a number of negative effects on, say, natural systems and creatures, such as butterflies, alpine herbs, life cycle of birds and plantation, etc. Given its harmful impacts, initiatives have been taken, both on n

Abstracts
Declaration of positionality and the confession of privilege as a way of revealing unequal power dynamics in knowledge production has become an increasingly encouraged reflexive practice in international relations and other disciplines. However, we interrogate the potentially negative implications of this methodology, occurring through a reification of material, assumed, and imagined hierarchies between people, which then is advertised and (re)produced by its utterance. We further query the modernist origins of reflexive methodology, which has inspired the practice of declaring positionality, and argue that its underpinning coloniality has bearings for its use today. We then explore how this coloniality manifests: Thus, first, we consider the extent to which publicly acknowledging privilege paradoxically acts as a means of centering whiteness through the narcissistic gaze and an assertion of legitimacy. Second, we argue positionality statements offer a redemption of guilt for the hegemonic researcher. And lastly, rather than ameliorating unequal power dynamics in the production of knowledge, we contend positionality statements may constitute hidden power moves in which one is able to signal and reinstate one's authority vis-à-vis people, but especially women, of color. We end with a call for a reparative scholarship that acknowledges these limitations in positionality statements.

AbstractExtending health insurance coverage to informal sector populations remains a major challenge toward achieving universal health coverage. This study aimed to fill the gap in the literature by examining barriers to enrollment in National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among informal sector workers in Nigeria. Data were drawn from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The study population comprised of men (n = 10,163) and women (n = 22,216) working in the informal sector. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine barriers to enrollment in NHIS. Results show that the majority of men (98.9%) and women (98.6%) were not enrolled in NHIS. Age, gender of household head, educational level, socioeconomic status, geopolitical zone, distance to a health facility, frequency of reading newspapers or magazines, and watching television were significantly associated with non‐enrollment in NHIS. Findings suggest that enrollment in NHIS in Nigeria is very low. Additionally, there are significant barriers to enrollment. There is a need for governments and policymakers to address these barriers. The use of voluntary prepayments from informal sector workers as a strategy to extend health insurance coverage has not been effective.

SEC oversight of publicly listed firms ranges from comment letter (CL) reviews of firms' reporting compliance to pursuing enforcement actions against violators. Prior literature finds that firm political connections (PC) negatively predict enforcement actions, inferring SEC capture. We present new evidence that firm PC positively predict CL reviews and substantive characteristics of such reviews, including the number of issues evaluated and the seniority of SEC staff involved. These results, robust to identification concerns, are inconsistent with SEC capture and indicate a more nuanced relation between firm PC and SEC oversight than previously suggested.

Globally, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among individuals aged 10 to 64 years and it ranks between second and fourth among those age 10 to 45 years. Data on suicidal behavior from Pakistan is sparse, especially for children and adolescents. A retrospective descriptive case note study was carried out of all patients under the age of 18 years (n = 69) admitted with deliberate self-harm (DSH) to a university hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Females (63.8%) outnumbered males by 1.7:1. The mean age of the group was 16 years (± 2.2). The most frequent method used was benzodiazepine overdose (30.4%). "Family conflicts" was the main stressor reported by 66.7%. The most frequent diagnosis made was major depressive disorder in 18%. Despite the fact that 98% of our sample was Muslims and suicide is strictly forbidden in Islam, 76.8% expressed their intent to die. Multivariate logistic regression found current stressor to be significantly associated with an intention to die. Patients with nonfatal suicidal behavior form a pool for future suicides. Preventive efforts should be directed at this group. School based programs would be an effective way of addressing this.