scholarly journals Developing tools to link environmental flows science and its practice in Sri Lanka

2014 ◽  
Vol 364 ◽  
pp. 204-209
Author(s):  
N. Eriyagma ◽  
K. Jinapala
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Development Phase ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Estuarine Ecosystems

Abstract. The term "Environmental Flows (EF)" may be defined as "the quantity, timing and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend on these ecosystems". It may be regarded as "water for nature" or "environmental demand" similar to crop water requirements, industrial or domestic water demand. The practice of EF is still limited to a few developed countries such as Australia, South Africa and the UK. In many developing countries EF is rarely considered in water resources planning and is often deemed "unimportant". Sri Lanka, being a developing country, is no exception to this general rule. Although the country underwent an extensive irrigation/water resources development phase during the 1960s through to the 1980s, the concept of EF was hardly considered. However, as Sri Lanka's water resources are being exploited more and more for human usage, ecologists, water practitioners and policymakers alike have realized the importance of EF in sustaining not only freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, but also their services to humans. Hence estimation of EF has been made mandatory in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) of all large development projects involving river regulation/water abstraction. Considering EF is especially vital under the rapid urbanization and infrastructure development phase that dawned after the end of the war in the North and the East of the country in 2009. This paper details simple tools (including a software package which is under development) and methods that may be used for coarse scale estimation of EF at/near monitored locations on major rivers of Sri Lanka, along with example applications to two locations on River Mahaweli. It is hoped that these tools will help bridge the gap between EF science and its practice in Sri Lanka and other developing countries.

scholarly journals A Demand-Side Approach for Linking the Past to Future Urban–Rural Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-174
Author(s):  
Schuman Lam ◽  
Heng Li ◽  
Ann Yu
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
World Population ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Development Framework

Is economy-led urbanization the only answer to urban planning? By 2050, about 70% of the world population will live in urban areas, intensified by rapid urbanization in developing countries. A new urban development framework is critically relevant to investigating urban living’s emerging complexity for advancing human-social-economic-environmental sustainability. The multi-disciplinary study explores a roadmap for solving industrialization’s adverse effects to inform future resilient development in developing countries. The classical Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (MHN) and some scholars have stated that human physiological needs would be prioritized and fulfilled by developing countries, and psychological needs would be satisfied and desired by developed countries after fulfilling physiological needs level. Our study argued that transit-oriented-development (TOD) and ICT could simultaneously fulfill some essential physio-psychological needs with digital-ruralism. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to test the indicator-based MHN theory developed by literature, urban quality of life (Uqol) evaluation between the developing and developed countries, and backed by digital-ruralism success in developing China. The Uqol evaluation identifies the developing countries’ subjective well-being demand as the health, mobility, governance, environment, social, economy, human capital, technology-ICT, smart living, and lifestyle, which are used to transform the classical MHN model to the indicator-based MHN model. The SEM subsequently illustrates that the observed well-being indicators are positively correlated to the TOD and ICT, defined by the proposed urban-ruralism development framework. The study contributes to an innovative approach to reconnect the classical MHN theory to contemporary sustainable urban planning while narrowing the socioeconomic-environmental gap between the developed (urban) and developing (rural) domains, which encourages a paradigm shift for future resilient urban development in the developing countries.

Critical Infrastructure Protection in Developing Countries

2019 ◽  
pp. 1142-1158
Author(s):  
Amr Farouk
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Critical Infrastructure Protection ◽  
Infrastructure Protection ◽  
Technology Sector ◽  
Massive Growth ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Use Of Internet

Not all infrastructures are critical. In most countries' definitions, a critical infrastructure (CI) is a collection of indispensable assets that provide an essential support for economic and social well-being, for public safety and for the functioning of key government responsibilities. CI assets can be classified into three broad categories: Physical, Cybernetic and Human. In the present era, Information and Communication Technology sector (e.g., Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things) can be regarded as the backbone of the economies of developed and the developing countries worldwide since they provide basic services to all segments of a society. Critical infrastructure protection (CIP) is a concept du jour in many developed countries. The present chapter discusses the method of protecting critical infrastructures in developing countries. It observes many developing countries experiencing massive growth in Internet capacity and the use of Internet-based technologies. Attacks on the information infrastructure can severely affect the ability of a country to function effectively.

Accounting Reforms for Accountable Public Sector Management

2020 ◽  
pp. 41-64
Author(s):  
Chitra Sriyani De Silva Lokuwaduge ◽  
Keshara M. De Silva Godage
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

Accounting reforms in the public sector have become one of the most debated aspects of the public sector financial management during the last three decades. Following the steps of developed countries around the globe, Sri Lanka as a developing country made initiatives to adopt international public sector accounting standards (IPSAS). The purpose of this study is to analyse the progress and the challenges they face in adopting IPSAS as a new public management (NPM) reform in Sri Lanka to enhance public sector accountability. Public sector accounting reforms in the developing countries in Asia is relatively under researched. Using the NPM concept, this study attempts to fill this gap. This chapter argues that even though Sri Lanka has initiated the move towards adopting IPSAS, developing countries face practical problems in adopting reforms due to their contextual factors such as limited institutional capacity and resources, high political involvements in decision-making, and high informality.

Comparative study on Life Cycle Assessment of buildings in developed countries and Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isuri Anuradha Amarasinghe ◽  
Dumindu Soorige ◽  
Devindi Geekiyanage
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status

PurposeLife cycle assessment (LCA) has considerably contributed to increasing the environmental friendliness of buildings in developed countries. However, it is hard to find evidence on the application of LCA for buildings in developing countries; particularly, Sri Lanka. There is a lack of research to compare the status of LCA of buildings in developed countries vs developing countries. In this context, the purpose of this study aims to examine the status of LCA implementation for buildings between developed countries and Sri Lanka, a developing country.Design/methodology/approachThe exploratory research was adapted, and in-depth interviews were held with LCA professionals from Sri Lanka and developed countries, respectively.FindingsRelatively less attention has been paid to the implementation of LCA for buildings in Sri Lanka compared to the developed countries due to the time and effort required to collect life cycle inventory data and limited stakeholder understanding of the LCA. Hence, this study proposed improvements, including the development of LCA databases containing region-specific data and conducting programmes to raise stakeholders' awareness to address the gaps in Sri Lanka.Research limitations/implicationsThe identified LCA implementation process for buildings could be used as a guide for first-time LCA users, and it equally makes a valued reference for experienced practitioners.Originality/valueA limited number of the studies formulate a comparison between the LCA for building in developed countries and developing countries. This research attempts to address this knowledge gap.

scholarly journals Predictors of Attitudinal Outcomes in Mobile Advertising in Sri Lanka: An Emerging Market

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilasini De Silva ◽  
Jun Yan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Mobile Advertising ◽  
Mobile Media

<p>Mobile media has been rapidly evolving in the market with novel technological features. It has captured the advertising field in a revolutionary manner. Unlike in developed countries mobile media is less popular in developing countries. This study has been designed to explore the Sri Lankan consumers’ attitudes towards mobile advertising. Self-administrative questionnaire was applied to collect data and 413 valid responses were gathered. The results show that, i) Demographics (age, family income) and ii) Experience with internet advertisements are predictors of attitude towards mobile advertising. Experience with internet advertisements has significant moderating effect on attitude on mobile advertising.</p>

scholarly journals PhD Students’ Background and Program Characteristics as Related to Success in Kenyan Universities

10.28945/4467 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 057-074
Author(s):  
Hyrine Mueni Matheka ◽  
Ellen E.P.W.A. Jansen ◽  
Adriaan W.H.A Hofman
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Program Characteristics ◽  
Students Success

Aim/Purpose: Kenya plans to be a middle-income country by the year 2030. To achieve this development target, the country has rapidly expanded its university sub-sector in order to produce the requisite skilled professionals. This has put a strain on the available PhD holders thus heightening the pressure on universities to produce more PhD graduates to meet the required larger pool of highly qualified professionals to service the academia and other sectors of the economy. However, the PhD graduation rate per year is very low and unexplained. This study sought to explain the factors influencing PhD success rates in Kenyan universities. Background: This cross-sectional study set out to establish how PhD students’ background and program characteristics are related to their success. This knowledge will inform policies and strategies to enhance PhD training and success in Kenya. Methodology: Data on 1,992 PhD students was collected from 10 universities by using the Microsoft Excel data tool to collect administrative data. The researchers utilized the data collection to construct a quantitative research design. The PhD students were enrolled in the following program domains/clusters: Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Physical and Life Sciences, Applied Sciences and Medical Sciences. Contribution: PhD success factors have been extensively studied in developed countries. This paper builds on this body of knowledge with a specific focus on developing countries like Kenya. Findings: Students’ background characteristics (age, nationality, gender, financial support and marital statuses) were not related to PhD students’ success, however, full-time employed PhD students had better progression than their part-time colleagues. Program characteristics (program cluster and mode of study) were significantly related to students’ success. Students who had delayed for two years or more years had limited chance to graduate. Recommendations for Practitioners: To improve the PhD education system, practitioners should endeavor to monitor and track the progress of their PhD students. To do this, the researchers recommend that the universities collect and keep good records of these types of data. Universities should come up with strategies to build on or mitigate against the factors that have been identified to influence PhD success. Recommendation for Researchers: The researchers recommend further research, especially in developing countries, to understand the PhD study systems and inform effective interventions. Impact on Society: To identify, conceptualize or mitigate against the factors which influence PhD success lead to higher success in PhD training in order to enhance knowledge to solve societal problems. Future Research: Further research is recommended especially in the context of developing countries to establish how supervisor–student interactions, availability of infrastructural resources, and students’ motivation, efficacy and well-being relate to PhD success in Kenyan universities

scholarly journals How Does Internet Usage Influence On Social Capital, Connectedness, Success And Well-Being Of Grassroots Level Inventors In Sri Lanka?

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaminda Nalaka Wickramasinghe ◽  
Nobaya Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
Grassroots Level ◽  
The Impact

Internet has been recognized as the world largest knowledge depositary. Therefore, there is overwhelming expectation over the Internet to be influenced the social and technological development of marginalized communities of less developed countries. However there were no published studies that investigate the nature of the innovation systems and the impact of internet on the inventors in developing countries. Therefore, the existing knowledge of how the internet usage of influence on social capital, connectedness, success and subjective well-being of inventive community in developing countries is vague. Present study explores the influence of the internet usage on social capital, community connectedness, inventive achievements and subjective well-being of the grassroots level inventive community of Sri Lanka. Findings suggest that internet has been significantly influenced on the social capital, connectedness and subjective well-being of grassroots level inventors in Sri Lanka. However, internet usage is not significantly influence on the objective inventive achievements of the inventors.

Critical factors affecting the performance of large construction projects in developing countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-556
Author(s):  
Djoen San Santoso ◽  
Polwatta Gallage Madusha Piumal Gallage
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the factors affecting the performance of large construction projects in Sri Lanka. The causes, impacts and mitigations in association with the critical factors are explored and discussed. Design/methodology/approach The research focuses on the evaluation and perspectives of clients and contractors of large projects in Sri Lanka. Combined quantitative and qualitative methods were applied in this research. Initially, a questionnaire survey was conducted with clients and contractors involved in large projects to evaluate the factors affecting the performance of projects and to identify the ten most critical factors. Interviews with the clients and contractors of three large projects were conducted to examine the causes and impacts of the critical factors and the approaches used to mitigate them. Findings Significant differences in the factors were observed for more than 40 per cent of the total factors under study, the contractors assigning more weight to most of the factors than the clients. The study identified nine internal factors and one external factor as the critical factors. Of these, seven were related to the contractors, which suggested that the contractors have greater roles in defining performance. Lack of management and technical skills of the parties involved, human capacity, lack of understanding and knowledge of the local context, changes in government policies and political interference were identified as significant causes of the critical factors. Originality/value The study analysed the factors affecting the performance of large projects in Sri Lanka, which, at the time of research, had just ended a 26-year-long civil war and was pushing the construction of large projects to be competitive. The challenges faced in this effort were explored as lessons learnt that might improve the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure development in Sri Lanka. The combined quantitative and qualitative methods applied in this study are expected to provide new insights in the project performance research, especially the interviews of the critical factors to gain an understanding on how the factors occurred and manifested themselves in real projects. The findings are, however, expected to be applicable to other developing countries that are currently aggressively developing their large infrastructure.

Critical Infrastructure Protection in Developing Countries

2017 ◽  
pp. 23-39
Author(s):  
Amr Farouk
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Critical Infrastructure Protection ◽  
Infrastructure Protection ◽  
Technology Sector ◽  
Massive Growth ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Use Of Internet

Not all infrastructures are critical. In most countries' definitions, a critical infrastructure (CI) is a collection of indispensable assets that provide an essential support for economic and social well-being, for public safety and for the functioning of key government responsibilities. CI assets can be classified into three broad categories: Physical, Cybernetic and Human. In the present era, Information and Communication Technology sector (e.g., Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things) can be regarded as the backbone of the economies of developed and the developing countries worldwide since they provide basic services to all segments of a society. Critical infrastructure protection (CIP) is a concept du jour in many developed countries. The present chapter discusses the method of protecting critical infrastructures in developing countries. It observes many developing countries experiencing massive growth in Internet capacity and the use of Internet-based technologies. Attacks on the information infrastructure can severely affect the ability of a country to function effectively.

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