Efficiency and Equity in the Spatial Planning of Primary Schools

The shrinking populations of many regions in Portugal have led to a debate on the criteria which should guide the restructuring of public services at the local scale, and namely how to balance raising per capita costs with guaranteeing equity in accessibility. This article contributes to this debate by analyzing the spatial distribution of primary schools in the municipality of Vagos. It is based on a linear programming approach to optimize the resources needed for the operation and installation of school facilities and the level of accessibility that is provided. The simulated configurations are used as benchmarks for the actual spatial distribution of schools, identifying how it could be made more efficient or equitable and the criteria which have been prioritized in recent school planning policies. This allowed to conclude that, in the analyzed context, changes to the spatial distribution of schools have been made with significant equity concerns and that, while it would be possible to decrease costs through further consolidation, this would pose significant equity challenges.

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Nutrients Essential for Cognitive Function Are Typical Problem Nutrients in the Diets of Myanmar Primary School Children: Findings of a Linear Programming Analysis

Food and Nutrition Bulletin ◽

10.1177/0379572119878070 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 211-223

Author(s):

Le Thandar Soe ◽

Umi Fahmida ◽

Ali Nina Liche Seniati ◽

Agus Firmansyah

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Linear Programming ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Essential Fatty Acids ◽

Primary School Children ◽

World Health ◽

Programming Approach ◽

Primary Schoolchildren ◽

Programming Analysis

Background: Good cognitive function is important for school-age children. Although essential fatty acids play a main role in cognitive functions, their intakes are assumed as inadequate among developing countries including Myanmar. However, there is still lack of evidence to show whether they are problem nutrients. Objective: This study aimed to determine the problem nutrients in the diets of Myanmar primary schoolchildren and to formulate food-based recommendations (FBR) to optimize the intake of these micronutrients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at 3 primary schools in Nyaungdon Township of Myanmar. A 1-week dietary intake assessment was done on 7- to 9-year-old (n = 100) primary schoolchildren. A linear programming approach using the World Health Organization Optifood software was used to assess the nutrient intake and develop FBRs. Results: The prevalence of stunted growth, wasting, and being underweight in the students were 28%, 18%, and 28%, respectively. The intake of calcium, vitamin B1, folate, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid was insufficient. Locally available nutrient-dense foods that include water spinach, carp fish, duck egg, garden pea, and shrimp were selected to develop FBR to increase the intake of problem nutrients. Conclusion: The linear programming analysis showed that the primary schoolchildren have difficulty meeting nutrient recommendations given locally available foods, especially iron and essential fatty acids which are important for cognitive performance of schoolchildren.

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Public Services and Regional Development in Canada

The Journal of Economic History ◽

10.1017/s0022050700077524 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 498-513 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. K. Shoyama

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Spatial Distribution ◽

Regional Development ◽

National Economy ◽

Development Policy ◽

Public Services ◽

Regional Economic Growth ◽

Public Expenditures ◽

Per Capita ◽

Rates Of Growth

Throughout the first hundred years of Canadian Confederation, an underlying problem in the struggle to “unite and integrate the separate regions” in a viable national economy has been the continuing interaction between disparate rates of regional economic growth and unequal levels of regional public services. This paper is an attempt to set out in a general way the extent and significance of differences in regional expenditures by government in Canada and to inquire into their possible relationships with variations in rates of growth and levels of regional per capita incomes. It also indicates a spatial distribution of public expenditures at all three levels of government and notes some implications for national and regional development policy currently in the forefront of public debate in Canada.

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Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Point Distribution Pattern of Schools Using Spatial Autocorrelation Indices in Bojnourd City

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12187755 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (18) ◽

pp. 7755

Author(s):

Mostafa Ghodousi ◽

Abolghasem Sadeghi-Niaraki ◽

Farzaneh Rabiee ◽

Soo-Mi Choi

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

High Schools ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Nearest Neighbor ◽

Hot Spot ◽

School Building ◽

Hot Spot Analysis ◽

Building Area ◽

Per Capita ◽

Spot Analysis

In recent years, attention has been given to the construction and development of new educational centers, but their spatial distribution across the cities has received less attention. In this study, the Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) and the optimized hot spot analysis methods have been used to determine the general spatial distribution of the schools. Also, in order to investigate the spatial distribution of the schools based on the substructure variables, which include the school building area, the results of the general and local Moran and Getis Ord analyses have been investigated. A differential Moran index was also used to study the spatial-temporal variations of the schools’ distribution patterns based on the net per capita variable, which is the amount of school building area per student. The results of the Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) analysis indicated that the general spatial patterns of the primary schools, the first high schools, and the secondary high schools in the years 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2021 are clustered. Applying the optimized hot spot analysis method also identified the southern areas and the suburbs as cold polygons with less-density. Also, the results of the differential Moran analysis showed the positive trend of the net per capita changes for the primary schools and first high schools. However, the result is different for the secondary high schools.

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