Suchergebnisse

Big data is a component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The deep penetration of digital technology has turned data into an essential component of the production process. Data are automatically generated by machines during the course of operation and during interactions with humans. This paper describes the concept and composition of big data. Most of the big data are unstructured and include text, audio-video files, images, emails, log files, etc. Statisticians are more interested in structured data presented in a pre-defined database model. Big data offer new sources and opportunities that cannot be discounted. However, the use of big data requires proper assessment in terms of quality dimensions such as accuracy, comparability and methodological soundness. Against the backdrop of arguments regarding big data, some users view big data as a replacement of official statistics. Such a conclusion is premature for at least two reasons: first, only a small part of big data can be used for decision-making. Second, theory and practice prove that a small sample based on scientific methods can yield much more reliable and accurate estimates than the results obtained from the processing of large amounts of unstructured data. The paper assesses the possibility of using big data for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) monitoring, which is a nationally owned process, and NSOs are accountable for the SDG data they report. If the data are derived from a big data source, irrespective of the level of technical sophistication used in data transformation, the reliability of such data might be questioned by the national institutions. The paper concludes that the reliability of data obtained from big data sources hinges on the quality of tools and methods applied to data transformation. Statisticians can play an important role in alerting society, decision-making bodies of the government and businesses about the reliability of information derived from the different sources. ; Большие данные - одна из составляющих четвертой промышленной революции. Глубокое внедрение цифровой технологии в экономику способствовало тому, что информация стала неотъемлемым элементом производственного процесса. Большие данные создаются в процессе работы машины, взаимодействия человека с машиной и взаимодействия между людьми. В статье последовательно рассматриваются вопросы, вытекающие из ее названия. Прежде всего, раскрывается содержание понятия ≪большие данные≫, отмечается, что это не только цифры в традиционном понимании, но и текстовая часть, аудио- и видеозаписи в социальных сетях, фотографии, спутниковые изображения, электронные письма, программы, приложения и многое другое. Автор проводит различие между неструктурированными и структурированными данными, отмечая, что последние - это в основном количественные данные, которые представлены в базе данных с заранее определенной моделью для их хранения, обработки и распространения. Анализируя такой новый и, безусловно, революционный источник информации, каковым являются большие данные, автор оценивает их с точки зрения соответствия основным критериям и базовым принципам качества данных, таким как достоверность, возможность обеспечения сопоставимости, точность и надежность, правильное использование методологии. Отмечается, что тема больших данных вызывает чрезвычайный интерес у статистиков, которые рассматривают их как дополнительный источник сведений в условиях бурного развития информационных технологий. При этом некоторые пользователи переоценивают их потенциал и часто трактуют большие данные как предстоящую замену официальной статистики. Однако, по мнению автора, такое заключение является преждевременным; использовать большие данные необходимо с определенной осторожностью. Автор статьи отмечает два важных момента. Во-первых, для значительного числа пользователей интерес представляет только часть больших данных, а именно структурированные данные, в результате чего объем первых значительно сокращается. Во-вторых, как наукой, так и практикой доказано, что для получения достоверных результатов достаточно наблюдать небольшое число единиц, отобранных на основе случайной выборки (выборочной совокупности). В статье также дается критическая оценка больших данных с точки зрения других национальных базовых принципов, принятых ООН для обеспечения качества статистических данных. Особо выделяются проблемы, связанные с мониторингом достижения Целей устойчивого развития (ЦУР). Автор отмечает, что за данные, предоставляемые официальной статистикой, несут ответственность национальные статистические управления (НСУ). В отсутствие какой-либо институциональной ответственности надежность больших данных может быть поставлена под сомнение. В заключение подчеркивается, что пригодность больших данных определяется обоснованностью предположений, которые устанавливаются в ходе трансформации неструктурированного массива информации для проведения некоторого количественного измерения. В противном случае, по мнению автора, возможно проникновение в информационное поле потока нестатистической количественной информации в большом объеме, которая может дезинформировать общество и привести органы государственного управления и бизнеса к принятию неверных решений.

"The volume brings together readings describing a range of less-traversed aspects and transferences of women's rights and struggles in India and develops a comprehensive understanding of the interface between women's activism and politics. The book documents and discusses diverse ways in which Indian women have struggled for empowerment, political voice and representation, and rallied against injustice and discrimination. Against the backdrop of women's assertion of rights and negotiations for empowerment, the chapters in this volume explore diverse facets of collective agency, and emanations of women's politico-legal struggles against stereotypes of gender and class in post-independence India. While the donor-driven international community has been eager to celebrate the successes of its global normative agenda-setting and 'best practices' approach, this book - based primarily on field research by the contributors - showcases authentic local ownership and women's own agency, taking seriously the need to understand the cultural context and pay attention to intersectionality. It presents various examples of women's activism for change, reflecting on the quotidian struggles and dynamic assertions of voice and political power, within and outside of formal political institutions. The book is a contribution to the debate about agency and ownership as key aspects of empowerment, highlighting women who defy dominant narratives. It will be an essential read for students and academics of political science, gender studies, sociology and social sciences, and cultural studies. It will also be of interest to readers interested in the history of women's movements and their participation in national and local politics in India"--

This book offers insights into the issues around food security, public health, equity and global governance. With a focus on India, it highlights the complex networks of sociopolitical, economic and agricultural challenges to ensure self-sufficiency in food production. Based on field research conducted across India and an in-depth study on government agencies and multilateral fora, this book connects and juxtaposes global, national and local narratives on food security and policy. It analyses issues ranging from climate change to gaps in the nation-wide public food distribution systems. Through interdisciplinary narratives on food insecurity and poverty, the book exposes the underlying problems within policy frameworks and offers solutions for greater accessibility and distribution of food supplies while combating climate variability and agrarian distress. The volume explores global food governance norms and India's role in further shaping them. It will be of interest to students and researchers of public policy and governance, development studies, sociology, agriculture studies, public health and nutrition and economics.

Background: In many countries, committees make priority-setting decisions in order to control healthcare costs. These decisions take into account relevant criteria, including clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and need, and are supported by evidence usually drawn from clinical and economic studies. These sources of evidence do not include the specific perspective and information that patients can provide about the condition and treatment. Methods: Drawing on arguments from political philosophy and ethics that are the ethical basis for many priority-setting bodies, the authors argue that criteria like need and its effects on patients and caregivers are best supported by evidence generated from patients' experiences. Social sciences and mixed-methods research support the generation and collection of robust evidence. Results: Patient experience is required for a decision-making process that considers all relevant evidence. For fair priority-setting, decision-makers should consider relevant evidence and reasons, so patient experience evidence should not be ignored. Patient experience must be gathered in a way that generates high quality and methodologically rigorous evidence. Established quantitative and qualitative methods can assure that evidence is systematic, adherent to quality standards, and valid. Patient, like clinical, evidence should be subject to a transparent review process. Discussion: Considering all relevant evidence gives each person an equal opportunity at having their treatment funded. Patient experience gives context to the clinical evidence and also directly informs our understanding of the nature of the condition and its effects, including patients' needs, how to meet them, and the burden of illness. Such evidence also serves to contextualise reported effects of the treatment. The requirement to include patient experience as evidence has important policy implications for bodies that make priority-setting decisions since it proposes that new types of evidence reviews are commissioned and ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social, economic, and environmental systems worldwide, slowing down and reversing the progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs belong to the 2030 Agenda to transform our world by tackling humankind's challenges to ensure well-being, economic prosperity, and environmental protection. We explore the potential impacts of the pandemic on SDGs for Nepal. We followed a knowledge co-creation process with experts from various professional backgrounds, involving five steps: online survey, online workshop, assessment of expert's opinions, review and validation, and revision and synthesis. The pandemic has negatively impacted most SDGs in the short term. Particularly, the targets of SDG 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13 have and will continue to have weakly to moderately restricting impacts. However, a few targets of SDG 2, 3, 6, and 11 could also have weakly promoting impacts. The negative impacts have resulted from impeding factors linked to the pandemic. Many of the negative impacts may subside in the medium and long terms. The key five impeding factors are lockdowns, underemployment and unemployment, closure of institutions and facilities, diluted focus and funds for non-COVID-19-related issues, and anticipated reduction in support from development partners. The pandemic has also opened a window of opportunity for sustainable transformation, which is short-lived and narrow. These opportunities are lessons learned for planning and action, socio-economic recovery plan, use of information and communication technologies and the digital economy, reverse migration and "brain gain," and local governments' exercising authorities. ; The current pandemic has impacts on social, economic, and environmental systems, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs consist of 17 interlinked goals that aim to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. We studied the pandemic's impacts on SDGs for Nepal by following a knowledge co-creation process. For ...