Suchergebnisse

The ecosystem approach has been widely incorporated in the management and evaluation of agrarian sustainability. Despite enormous progress in this new evolving area, still there is no consensus on how to assess the sustainability of agro-ecosystems due to the diversity in understandings, approaches, methods, employed data, etc. In Bulgaria there are no comprehensive studies on the integral, socio-economic and ecological sustainability of the different types of agro-ecosystems. This paper makes a first attempt at assessing the sustainability of agro-ecosystems in Bulgaria. Initially, a holistic framework for assessing the integral, economic, social and ecological sustainability of agro-ecosystems, which includes 17 principles, 35 criteria, and 46 indicators and reference values, is suggested. After that, the integral and the multi-aspect sustainability of 7 generic and 10 specific agro-ecosystems in Bulgaria are assessed. The estimates are based on first-hand information collected by the managers of "typical" farms operating in different agro-ecosystems in 4 geographical regions of the country. The study has found out that there is a substantial variation in the level of integral and multi-aspect sustainability of the different types of agro-ecosystems, as well as in the level of contribution to the sustainability of various sub-sectors of agriculture and farms of different juridical type and size, where the individual indicators with the highest and lowest values show the (critical) factors which enhance or deter sustainability.

This article discusses the concept of bribery in the perspective of hadith jurisprudence and its impact on human life. By looking at some definitions of bribery, it is found that all definitions give different meanings, goals, and aspects, there are essence of bribery, or which have similarities to them (such as gratification), because bribery is a social phenomenon and has many patterns making it difficult to define definitions the right and limit the meaning. But a definition that explains the meaning of bribery objectively, namely: Giving given to someone (an official) so that the right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right, because it summarizes the essence of bribery practice and is considered a comprehensive definition of all banned aspects of bribery, so let us choose this. In Qur'ān and Ḥadīth, Allah forbade his servant to eat bribery property, because this property was included as part of consuming other people's assets with vanity. Even though bribery is called a variety of terms in daily life, such as facilitation payments, tips, etc., the legal status and prohibition cannot change with these various terms. Bribes also have the potential to create hate conflicts and hostility among members of the community. Because in essence, bribery is only a tool for those who hold policies to oppress the weak. On the other hand, those who surrendered their wealth to the recipients of this bribe gave their assets very forcefully.

With the objective of providing an insightful analysis of Chagas disease in the world, the authors share their collective reflections about the current situation of this public health problem in: rural environments of Latin America; urban environments of endemic and non-endemic areas everywhere; and, at a global level. A perspective based on the 'Democracy and Health Promotion' axis allowed the development of an innovative update about Chagas disease as a model of a complex socio-environmental health problem, with a key set of elements that goes beyond biomedical aspects. The authors created a dialogue between the fundamental elements of the Curitiba Statement on Health Promotion and Equity and crucial aspects of a reflection on the reality of Chagas disease today that at the same time challenges the different actors involved. With that reference, the call to promote a 'critical analysis of viabilities and opportunities for action, considering the potentialities and barriers imposed by the complexity of social movements in the present context of recedes and the loss of rights' was emphasized repeatedly. Finally, on the occasion of the recent creation of the Technical Group on Information, Education and Communication to control Chagas disease, WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, the authors share reflections to propose an inclusive and transformative approach of health promotion what we hope is a new horizon for people affected, directly and indirectly, by Chagas disease. ; Grupo de Didáctica de las Ciencias

The last seismic events in Central Italy (L'Aquila 2009, Amatrice 2016) have demonstrated that the economic loss from physical damage strongly influence the community's recovery capability, especially when a relevant portion of the building stock is represented by unreinforced masonry (URM) constructions. As a matter of fact, URMs are recognized as the most vulnerable structures with respect to seismic forces. Furthermore, damage on masonry usually involves expensive and time-consuming repairing activities that can be carried out only by expert builders. Although these considerations are widely known among the Italian technical-scientific community, nowadays the social and political awareness about the problem is still quite low. One of the key aspects for an effective seismic risk mitigation is the analytical quantification of decision variables (e.g. monetary loss) to be shared with different stakeholders such as building owners, policy makers, insurance companies, etc. In response of this need, new assessment methodologies have been included in technical guidelines. In the present paper, the façade of a historic URM building located in the city center of L'Aquila is adopted as a case-study for the quantification of its seismic-induced economic average annual loss. In detail the Performance Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) approach proposed by the US FEMA P-58 and the simplified economic assessment methodology included in the Italian Sisma Bonus act are herein discussed and compared, pointing out the salient aspects of their application to URMs.

This paper is an attempt to study the representation of socio-cultural life in Kamala Markandaya's Bombay Tiger. Being a leading post-independent Indian novelist, Kamala Markandaya has candidly portrayed Indian social, cultural and political life through her novels. She has rightly reflected these aspects in the work Bombay Tiger. Her description of various aspects and dimensions of cultural life is not imaginary and based on some literature, but it is based on carefully observed traditions and depicted cultural values and ideas. Soon after the death of Kamala Markandaya her daughter Kim Oliver found a typewritten copy of her novel and it was published posthumously with the title 'Bombay Tiger' in 2008. Charles R. Larson, one of the close friends of Markandaya and Professor of Literature, American University, Washington, DC has written an introduction to novel Bombay Tiger (2008) where he writes: Reading Bombay Tiger twenty years after Kamala Markandaya began writing the novel is a kind of revelation - especially for what it says about contemporary India" (Larson xii). Although Markandaya lived in abroad she kept in touch with the India. She actively read English newspapers which provided excellent coverage of occurrences in the commonwealth in general and India in particular. It has been rightly said that Kamala Markandaya's "Sense of India was always extraordinarily vivid, filled with rich vitality, and imaginative in the way of all great writers (and especially novelists) who have been connected to place (Larson xii).

The last seismic events in Central Italy (L'Aquila 2009, Amatrice 2016) have demonstrated that the economic loss from physical damage strongly influence the community's recovery capability, especially when a relevant portion of the building stock is represented by unreinforced masonry (URM) constructions. As a matter of fact, URMs are recognized as the most vulnerable structures with respect to seismic forces. Furthermore, damage on masonry usually involves expensive and time-consuming repairing activities that can be carried out only by expert builders. Although these considerations are widely known among the Italian technical-scientific community, nowadays the social and political awareness about the problem is still quite low. One of the key aspects for an effective seismic risk mitigation is the analytical quantification of decision variables (e.g. monetary loss) to be shared with different stakeholders such as building owners, policy makers, insurance companies, etc. In response of this need, new assessment methodologies have been included in technical guidelines. In the present paper, the façade of a historic URM building located in the city center of L'Aquila is adopted as a case-study for the quantification of its seismic-induced economic average annual loss. In detail the Performance Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) approach proposed by the US FEMA P-58 and the simplified economic assessment methodology included in the Italian Sisma Bonus act are herein discussed and compared, pointing out the salient aspects of their application to URMs.

Kyrgyzstan is located in the runoff formation area of Aral Sea basin. The ecological protection of this country has a great effect on the downstream and Aral Sea conservation. There were a few studies about this region carried out from ecological policy aspects. The aim of this study was two-fold. First, we characterized the eco-policy system structure of Kyrgyzstan in different stages. It means the transition from &ldquo ; command and control&rdquo ; to &ldquo ; market-based&rdquo ; ecological policy. The priority of ecological policy was changed from &ldquo ; sustain economic growth and poverty reduction&rdquo ; to &ldquo ; sustainable development and green economy&rdquo ; . We then used a data envelope analysis method to evaluate the effects of eco-policy and government governance through eco-efficiency. The results are that (1) the eco-efficiency achieved the relative optimal state and the ecological policy obtained a relatively positive effect as a whole ; (2) economic development promotes the protection of the ecological environment. It is the first time that quantitative method has been used to analyze the effects of ecological policy of Kyrgyzstan. The model results can reflect comprehensive effects of ecological policy in social, economic, and ecological aspects. This study provides a reference for those who want to shape the next generation of eco-environmental policies both in Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries.

Land development in sub-urban areas is more frequent than in highly urbanized cities, causing land prices to increase abruptly and making it harder for valuers to update land values in timely manner. Apart from this, the non-availability of sufficient reliable market values forces valuers to use alternatives and subjective judgement. Land value is critical not only for private individuals but also for government agencies in their day-to-day land dealings. Thus, mass appraisal is necessary. In other words, despite the importance of reliable land value in all aspects of land administration, valuation remains disorganized, with unregulated undertakings that lack concrete scientific, legal, and practical foundations. A holistic and objective way of weighing geospatial factors through expert consultation, legal reviews, and evidence (i.e., news) will provide more realistic results than a regression-based method that does not comprehend valuation factors (i.e., physical, social, economic, environmental, and legal aspects). The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) enables these factors to be included in the model, hence providing a realistic result. The innovative land valuation model (iLVM), developed in this study, is an inclusive approach wherein experts are involved in the selection and weighing of 15 factors through the AHP. The model was validated using root mean squared error (RMSE) and compared with multiple regression analysis (MRA) through a case study in Baybay City, Philippines. Based on the results, the iLVM (RMSE = 0.526) outperformed MRA (RMSE = 1.953).

As a humanitarian worker who was professionally involved for decades in crisis- and war-shaken countries, the author strove to understand the political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors contributing to conflicts. This contextualization, with a focus on Arab countries, confirmed what other thinkers found: the majority of political, economic, social, cultural, religious, and finally humanitarian crises in the Arab world are man-made and can be attributed to both extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Central to the latter appears to be a shared cultural construct that can be termed "Arab reason." This essay tries to present information on various aspects of the crisis; to understand why reform efforts come so late and why are they are more difficult for Arabs than for other Muslims. It continues by looking at the knowledge systems that govern Arab reason and their evolution, including the decisive role of the religious knowledge system. From there, it proposes some reform ideas including a renewed legal reasoning process with the goal of a future-oriented, knowledge-based, and inclusive Arab Islamic vision. A pragmatic way forward could be an additional unifying eighth legal school (madhhab/madhāhib) to counter sectarian conflicts and violence. This essay is built on a targeted literature search and is not a comprehensive review of the growing literature generated by distinguished thinkers on various aspects of Arab Islamic identity.

Improved water resources governance supports important social, economic, and environmental objectives. The 2030 Agenda recognizes improved water governance to be critical for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and commits to monitor the progress of implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM). This paper critically reviews the approach to monitoring SDG indicator 6.5.1 on implementation of IWRM. Firstly, the paper places the indicator monitoring within the context of other initiatives to measure water governance. Secondly, it analyzes experiences of application of the SDG indicator 6.5.1 methodology to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the indicator and presents the key findings of the 2017/2018 global baseline assessment of IWRM implementation. Baseline reporting shows that degree of IWRM implementation globally is 49%, though country scores range from 10 to 100%. Disaggregating the data by country and by aspect of water resources governance provides a diagnostic tool to identify areas of high and low progress, and, therefore, where increased resources and attention are required. The article concludes by suggesting how the next iteration of SDG indicator 6.5.1 monitoring cycle can be made into a tool for advancing the IWRM implementation and improved governance practices on the ground. It also proposes how the methodology can be strengthened to address current limitations, including aspects relating to integrity, accountability and transparency.

The creation and mobilization of knowledge are key issues in environmental governance. Consequently, understanding the roles that knowledge may play in governance is crucial for enabling well-informed governance arrangements. An aspect of knowledge-governance interactions that has received relatively little focused attention is that knowledge can be understood to be an intrinsic element of environmental governance. This paper aims to further the theoretical and empirical insight into this aspect. In order to do so, it elaborates a framework that conceptualizes various governance capacities, i.e. regulatory, adaptive, and integrative capacity, in terms of the coproduction of knowledge, values, and social order. This framework is applied in the analysis of three domains of governance that notably concern the management of the Dutch Wadden Sea area. The findings suggest that settling disputes about natural resources, and working towards a sustainable equilibrium between conserving and utilizing nature, may be enabled by means of interactive and flexible governance arrangements that complement centralized governance. Moreover, knowledge may constitute the governance capacities that are needed for reaching such an equilibrium in various ways: as a steering mechanism, as a key to learning, and as a connective element of governance. The findings indicate that enabling well-informed environmental governance is not just a matter of managing the interfaces between knowledge and governance, but also a matter of capacity-building in order to bring about reflexive governance arrangements.

Political education is a systematic and deliberate educational effort to form individuals who are politically aware and capable of becoming political actors who can be morally responsible in realizing the political goals themselves. To support this, the role of youth is an important key in organizing democratic life in Indonesia. In article 1 paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia it is expressly stated that the sovereignty of the state is in the hands of the people and youth are part of it. As affirmed in Law Number 40 of 2009 concerning Youth emphasizes that the young generation has the position and the main role in realizing the life of a democratic Indonesian nation. This shows that the people are an important part of national and state life. Youth plays an active role as a moral force, social control, and agent of change in all aspects of national development. The Spirit of Youth Law which saves youth in every aspect becomes an important part, but in its implementation it does not always run properly. Sociological facts show that not fully Indonesian youth are aware of their important role as a major part in the taking part of organizing this country. The youth have a moral obligation in realizing a generation of political literacy and have a character that is in accordance with the noble values of the Indonesian people in developing the country's democracy.

This paper investigates the extent to which people in five Middle Eastern countries endorse key beliefs of developmental idealism that associate development with freedom, democracy, and human rights. Developmental idealism is a set of beliefs concerning the desirability of development, the methods for achieving it, and its consequences. The literature suggests that these beliefs have diffused worldwide among elites and lay citizens and posits that when such beliefs are disseminated they become forces for social and economic changes. Although developmental idealism research has primarily examined family and demographic issues, developmental idealism has tremendous potential to influence other aspects of society. This paper extends knowledge by considering societal aspects not addressed previously in the developmental idealism literature: personal freedom, democracy, and human rights. Using survey data from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, we investigate how publics of these countries associate development with these elements. We find that majorities believe development brings greater personal freedom, democracy, and human rights. Conversely, the data show that in four of the countries majorities believe more personal freedom contributes to development. These findings provide support for the idea that developmental idealism beliefs concerning freedom, democracy, and human rights have diffused to lay publics in these five Middle Eastern countries. We also find evidence of uniquely Islamic developmental models; a significant proportion of people in these countries believe that more religion will bring more development.

One Health (OH) positions health professionals as agents for change and provides a platform to manage determinants of health that are often not comprehensively captured in medicine or public health alone. However, due to the organization of societies and disciplines, and the sectoral allocation of resources, the development of transdisciplinary approaches requires effort and perseverance. Therefore, there is a need to provide evidence on the added value of OH for governments, researchers, funding bodies, and stakeholders. This paper outlines a conceptual framework of what OH approaches can encompass and the added values they can provide. The framework was developed during a workshop conducted by the "Network for Evaluation of One Health," an Action funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology. By systematically describing the various aspects of OH, we provide the basis for measuring and monitoring the integration of disciplines, sectors, and stakeholders in health initiatives. The framework identifies the social, economic, and environmental drivers leading to integrated approaches to health and illustrates how these evoke characteristic OH operations, i.e., thinking, planning, and working, and require supporting infrastructures to allow learning, sharing, and systemic organization. It also describes the OH outcomes (i.e., sustainability, health and welfare, interspecies equity and stewardship, effectiveness, and efficiency), which are not possible to obtain through sectoral approaches alone, and their alignment with aspects of sustainable development based on society, environment, and economy.

Old Church Slavic Language in Galicia of XIX – early XX was one of the central objects of Ukrainian intellectuals' attention, appearing in the context of various cultural ideologies, political lines and linguistic concepts. Ukrainian linguistics contains a lot of profound studies dedicated to discussions on Old Church Slavic language as a basis of literary language in Galicia. Although, the mentioned polemics highlighted not only cultural, linguistic and literary, social and political aspect, but also church and liturgical aspect, which still does not get proper attention, while Old Church Slavic language in its original and main function is a liturgical language. The article is aimed to present the position of Church (meaning, first of all, defensive position related to Old Church Slavic language) in the defined situation, as well as its context and preconditions. Herewith, it is investigated that, despite the loss of the status of the predominant literary language and narrowing of the sphere of its functioning to the use in prays and church, liturgical Old Church Slavic language in the defined period played a significant role in linguistics and culture of Galicia. This, in particular, facilitated evolutional switch from Old Church Slavic language to Ukrainian language in churching, not revolutionary, as it was in Greater Ukraine, but from the other hand, it has slowed down the process for many years and caused "soft" (concerning Old Church Slavic antetype) character of Ukrainian translations of liturgical texts.