scholarly journals Can agriculture and conservation be compatible in a coastal wetland? Balancing stakeholders’ narratives and interactions in the management of El Hondo Natural Park, Spain

Author(s):  
Sandra Ricart ◽  
Antonio M. Rico-Amorós

AbstractCoastal wetlands are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems worldwide, although one of the main factors affecting their survival is the coexistence between agriculture and conservation. This paper analyses the complex balance between agriculture and conservation coexistence in El Hondo Natural Park (Alicante, Spain) coastal wetland by examining stakeholders’ narratives, perceptions, and interactions. The aim is to highlight the concurrence between socio-economic progress and socio-environmental justice perspectives by identifying those driving factors motivating stakeholders’ conflicts while expanding stakeholders’ behaviour and interaction when discussing the current and future management of this socio-ecological system. Data were collected between April and June 2019 from semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to river basin authorities, regional governments, municipalities, irrigation communities, union farms, regional and local ecologist groups, and social movements; and scrutinized through qualitative data analysis and descriptive statistics. Stakeholders discussed the main driving factors identified through the local newspapers to motivating current conflicts and confronting perspectives in El Hondo Natural Park: (1) the origin and evolution of the coastal wetland, (2) the provision and value of ecosystem services, (3) the management of water scarcity and water quality standards, (4) the guarantee and management of public and private investment, and (5) consequences of a natural park declaration. Likewise, the triple-loop analysis of stakeholders’ representativeness, relevance and collaboration highlighted examples of stakeholders’ underrepresentation and power imbalance, a negative assessment of the stakeholders’ actions, and how agreements are based on both stakeholders’ predisposition to collaborate and affinity.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Vejdani ◽  
Fatemeh Kokabisaghi ◽  
Javad Moghri

Abstract Background One of the most important challenges of the healthcare system in recent years have been physicians' dual practice in the public and private sectors. this study aims to investigate the factors affecting the physicians' dual practice in Iran. Methods In this qualitative study 41 stakeholders were selected by purposeful sampling. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. The Framework analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Factors affecting the physicians' dual practice in Iran were classified into three main themes: "individual motivational factors", "structural factors" and "historical and cultural factors". Conclusions Getting a faculty position, the demand for private services and job security, and the continuous and guaranteed income are the most important motivations for physicians to work in the public sector. Greater financial and monetary incentives, more job independence, as well as private offices as a work identity and prestige were the most important motivations for working in the private sector.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salem Saleh Ibnian

This study aimed at exploring attitudes of public and private schools' students towards learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and investigating factors affecting the students' attitudes towards learning EFL.The study attempted to answer the following questions:1-What are the overall attitudes of public and private schools’ students towards learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL)?2- Is there a statistically significant difference between the overall mean of attitudes of public and private schools' students towards learning EFL according to the type of school (public or private)?3- What are the main factors affecting students' attitudes towards learning EFL?The sample of the study consisted of 144 ninth grade students chosen randomly from Amman public and private schools. The students were distributed into four sections, each section comprised 36 students.To conduct the study, the researcher used a 20-item questionnaire to reveal attitudes of the students towards learning EFL. In addition, the researcher also carried out semi-structured interviews so as to explore factors affecting students' attitudes towards learning EFL.Findings of the study showed that the overall mean of attitudes of public and private schools' students towards learning in EFL is positive; however, the results indicated that students of private schools have more positive attitudes towards learning EFL than students of public schools.The findings showed that methods of teaching, the physical environment and the educational setting of schools were the main factors that affected students’ attitudes towards learning EFL.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Hui Xu ◽  
Xiaohan Wang ◽  
Jiahong Wen ◽  
Shiqiang Du ◽  
...  

Green infrastructure (GI) plays a fundamental role in achieving urban pluvial flood management, mitigating urban heat island effect, and improving living suitability. Residents’ participation is the main driving force of GI implementation. Based on semi-structured interviews, GIS spatial analysis, and multiple regression, we investigated residents’ willingness to participate in the implementation of GI in public and private space and identified the influence factors in Shanghai, China. The results show that, compared with private space, residents prefer to implement GI in public space, where they have different preferences of GI measures. On urban scale, residents’ willingness to participate in the implementation of GI in private space is characterized as “high in the inner city, low in the suburban areas”, while the spatial difference is insignificant for public space. In addition, the factors affecting residents’ willingness to participate in the implementation of GI are different in private and public space. The deterministic factors of GI participation are gender, education level, and floor for private space, while only include building age for public space, in addition to the common factors of free time, cognition of GI, perception of pluvial flood risk, supportive factors, and environment-improving factors that can influence both private and public space GI participation. Our analysis therefore provides valuable information for policymakers concerning nature-based solutions to climate change adaptation and urban sustainability.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097215092110297
Author(s):  
Beatrice Avolio

Women’s underrepresentation in science and technology (ST) has multiple complex reasons caused by cumulative effects at different stages in women’s lives. This is a relevant public policy issue for economic, social and ethical reasons that requires multiple solutions. In this sense, this study analyses the factors affecting Peruvian women’s participation in ST and proposes strategic guidelines to increase it. The originality of this article lies in studying this phenomenon, considering different stages of the career choice (access to education, career persistence and career progress) in a context that has not been previously studied, characterized by the highest female labour participation rate in Latin America. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with female students in high schools and universities, university professors in ST departments, professionals in ST careers, qualified researchers in ST institutions and ST experts. The information was encoded, categorized and analysed according to thematic analysis. Consequently, we propose an integrated framework of strategic guidelines based on the stages of women’s careers: access, persistence and advancement. The results are useful for public and private professionals and institutions engaged in ST, education and gender equality.


2015 ◽  
pp. 25-41
Author(s):  
Anh Tu Thuy ◽  
Ngoc Le Minh

This paper makes use of two trade indicators, Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and Regional Orientation (RO), to evaluate the economic impacts of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (The) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on Vietnamese commodities at the Harmonized System (HS) 2-digit level. Several sectors in which Vietnam has revealed a comparative advantage, has benefited from the AFTA, and would continue to enjoy trade creation from the RCEP, are: Cereals (10), Salt, sulphur, earth, stone, plaster, lime and cement (25), Rubber (40), Knitted or crocheted fabric (60), etc. More importantly, the result provides a list of commodities in which Vietnam has a comparative advantage and only experiences trade creation when participating in the RCEP. These are: Milling products, malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten (11), Vegetable plaiting materials, vegetable products not elsewhere specified (14), Wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal (44), etc. Findings also show commodities in which Vietnam has a comparative advantage; but are not well positioned in the RCEP market yet, e.g. Cereal, flour, starch, milk preparations and products (19) and Manmade staple fibres (55). If sufficient investment decisions and marketing strategies are applied to these commodities, they will well penetrate the RCEP market and bring trade creation and welfare improvement to Vietnam. Public and private investment should consider the above-mentioned commodities as targets to leapfrog the benefits of RCEP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-263
Author(s):  
Maria Y. Egorova ◽  
Irina A. Shuvalova ◽  
Olga I. Zvonareva ◽  
Igor D. Pimenov ◽  
Olga S. Kobyakova ◽  
...  

Background. The organization of clinical trials (CTs) requires the participation and coordination of healthcare providers, patients, public and private parties. Obstacles to the participation of any of these groups pose a risk of lowering the potential for the implementation of CTs. Researchers are a key human resource in conducting of CT. Their motivation for participation can have a significant impact on the recruitment and retention of patients, on the quality of the data collected, which determines the overall outcome of the study. Aims to assess the factors affecting the inclusion of Russian physicians-researchers in CT, and to determine their role in relations with patients-participants. Materials and methods. The study was organized as a part of the Russian multicenter face-to-face study. A survey was conducted of researchers from 10 cities of Russia (20172018). The participation in the survey for doctors was anonymous and voluntary. Results. The study involved 78 respondents. Most research doctors highly value the importance of research for science (4,84 0,39), society (4,67 0,46) and slightly lower for participating patients (4,44 0,61). The expectations of medical researchers are related to improving their financial situation and attaining new experience (n = 14; 18,18%). However, the opportunity to work with new technologies of treatment and diagnosis (n = 41; 52,56%) acted as a motivating factor. According to the questionnaire, the vast majority of research doctors (n = 29; 37,18%) believe that the main reason for patients to participate in CT is to receive quality and free medical care. The most significant obstacle to the inclusion of participants in CT was the side effects of the study drug (n = 38; 48,71%). Conclusions. The potential of clinical researchers in Russia is very high. The patient-participant acts for the research doctor as the subject of the study, and not the object, so the well-being of the patient is not indifferent to the doctor. However, the features of the functioning of our health care system form the motivation of doctors-researchers (additional earnings, professional self-development) and the way they perceive the motivation of patients (CT as an opportunity to receive quality medical care).


Author(s):  
Ivonne R. G. Kaya ◽  
Fildo De Lima

Tourism has become one of the major players in ‎international commerce and represents one of the main income ‎sources for many developing countries at the same time. These dynamics have turned tourism into a key driver for socio-‎economic progress.‎ This article described the potential of tourism attraction and factor affecting the development of marine tourism area in the utilization zone of Manusela National Park. Semi-structured interviews, in-depth interviews and participant observations were conducted with respondent (n=110) in Bellarizky, Air Belanda, Ora Beach and Lizar Bahari resort. The potential of tourist attractions in the utilization zone of Manusela National Park is as a snorkeling, diving and point of view. Factors affecting the development are service, transportation, supporting facilities and tourism attractions.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Carolyn Tarrant ◽  
Andrew M. Colman ◽  
David R. Jenkins ◽  
Edmund Chattoe-Brown ◽  
Nelun Perera ◽  
...  

Antimicrobial stewardship programs focus on reducing overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics (BSAs), primarily through interventions to change prescribing behavior. This study aims to identify multi-level influences on BSA overuse across diverse high and low income, and public and private, healthcare contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 prescribers from hospitals in the UK, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, including public and private providers. Interviews explored decision making about prescribing BSAs, drivers of the use of BSAs, and benefits of BSAs to various stakeholders, and were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Analysis identified drivers of BSA overuse at the individual, social and structural levels. Structural drivers of overuse varied significantly across contexts and included: system-level factors generating tensions with stewardship goals; limited material resources within hospitals; and patient poverty, lack of infrastructure and resources in local communities. Antimicrobial stewardship needs to encompass efforts to reduce the reliance on BSAs as a solution to context-specific structural conditions.


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