Ecological Governance and the Sustainability of Rural Household Water Conservation Systems in the Savannah Region of Ghana

This chapter examined the link between ecological governance and water conservation as sustainable pathways for enhancing rural livelihoods in the Savannah Region. Designs adopted were post-positivist and cross-sectional. Probability sampling techniques were used to sample 450 household and official respondents. Questionnaires were administered, while descriptive statistics and chi-square test were utilised to analyse the data. Findings showed significant relationship between conservation initiatives, finance, rehabilitation/maintenance, and gender inclusion and domestic water conservation. Therefore, with commitment to maintenance, funding, and gender inclusion in water decisions, there is the likely for water to be locally sustainable in rural communities of the region. Democratic, decentralised, and participatory approaches to ecological governance and empowerment of the local communities are recommended as essential preconditions for achieving ecologically self-governing communities and sustaining domestic water systems in the rural areas of the region.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Based on extensive fieldwork, this book demonstrates how gender is an organizing principle of entrepreneurial ecosystems and makes a difference in how ecosystem resources are assembled and how they can be accessed. By bringing visibility to how ecosystem actors are heterogeneous across identities, interactions and experiences, the book highlights the role and complexity of individual, organizational, and institutional factors working in concert to create and maintain gendered inequities. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems provides research-driven insights around effective organizational practices and policies aimed at remedying gendered and intersectional inequalities associated with entrepreneurship activities and economic growth. Proposing a typology of four ecosystem identities, it highlights how some might be more amenable and organized towards gender inclusion and change, while others may be much more difficult to change, reorganize and restructure. It offers scholars, students, practitioners and policymakers insights about gender in relation to analyzing entrepreneurial ecosystems and for fostering inclusive economic development policies.

CREATING A SAFE WORKPLACE FOR WOMEN: A STEP TOWARDS GENDER INCLUSION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Gender Inclusion at the workplace is a necessary step towards eclectic growth of an organisation, holistic development of society at large and sustainable development at the national and global level. The trajectory towards gender equality and the simultaneous abrogation of gender gap at the macro-level begins with bringing about changes at the micro-level. This article aims to explore the extant condition of the working women, what they feel about the security of women at the workplace, both at present and in the futuristic hybrid model and the possible changes which can make the workplace amenable to their safety and further ameliorate the workplace environment. An effort has also been made to skim through the existing women-centred policies like the Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment at the workplace (POSH) Act, 2013; women’s awareness of the existence of such laws and the implementation of the same in praxis. Responses of working women in the corporate sector have been analysed and their expectations about enhancing safety at the workplace have been used for recommending further policy decisions.

Open Educational Practices in Learning and Teaching of Computer Science

This paper shows several actions that address the use and development of open educational resources (OERs) and the utilisation of open source machine virtualization tools for Moodle course instantiation in a Computer Science-based Teacher Training course. The training is dedicated to show the basic characteristics and tools present in e-learning environments and to transmit the knowledge to develop educational resources and personalize different learning environments. The learning activities have been designed following the constructive approach, in the form of practical tasks that ensure the training of students in the self-implementation and personalisation of e-learning courses embedded into virtual machines. Students learn how to do the pedagogical design, to set up a delivery, and perform to develop their own resources and re-use from others. Finally, students have to assess the quality of the OERs following the UNE71362 standard. As a transversal pedagogical objective of the Master’s course, the learning aims to help the dissemination and awareness of the UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and fosters lifelong learning opportunities for all. In this sense, specific OER development for gender inclusion and accessibility for all learners has been promoted.

Curriculum transformation to address the Sustainable Development Goals: A holistic approach for embedding gender in higher education

To better prepare a new generation of practitioners and thought leaders to meet the complex challenges highlighted in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), innovation is needed in the design and delivery of degree programmes. Gender inclusion and diversity are increasingly recognised as key tenets of Education for Sustainable Development. Energy access education in Africa provides an excellent context in which to explore ways of delivering gender inclusive Masters programmes and the curriculum transformations needed to address the dual challenges of SDG7 (energy access) and SDG 5 (gender equality). This paper explores the evolving context of gender mainstreaming in energy access education at Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) in Africa, drawing on a desktop study and interviews with 8 African Universities in the Transforming Energy Access Learning Partnership (TEA-LP). The paper calls for the adoption of a more holistic approach to mainstreaming gender in energy access education at IHLs, encompassing curriculum content, teaching methods, learning environments and the broader institutional enabling environment.

Feminist Critical Theory

This chapter offers an account of central issues and themes in feminist philosophical engagements with critical theory, focusing specifically on critical theory of the Frankfurt School. The chapter’s discussion reflects on examples of important feminist interventions in and contributions to critical theory, debates within feminist critical theory, and the extent to which critical theory can be considered feminist given its critique of power relations and interests in emancipation. The chapter suggests that future directions in the field must go beyond the question of gender inclusion and focus on the transformation of critical theory itself.

The Inclusion of Rights of People with Disabilities and Women and Girls in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Policy Documents and Programs of Bangladesh and Cambodia: Content Analysis Using EquiFrame

People with disabilities and as women and girls face barriers to accessing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and facilities that fully meet their needs, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Women and girls with disabilities experience double discrimination. WASH policies should support and uphold the concepts of disability and gender inclusion, and they should also act as a guide to inform WASH programs and service delivery. Using a modified version of the EquiFrame content analysis tool, this study investigated the inclusion of 21 core concepts of human rights of people with disabilities and women and girls in 16 WASH policy documents and seven end-line program reports from Bangladesh and Cambodia. Included documents typically focused on issues of accessibility and neglected wider issues, including empowerment and support for caregivers. The rights of children and women with disabilities were scarcely focused on specifically, despite their individual needs, and there was a disconnect in the translation of certain rights from policy to practice. Qualitative research is needed with stakeholders in Bangladesh and Cambodia to investigate the inclusion and omission of core rights of people with disabilities, and women and girls, as well as the factors contributing to the translation of rights from policy to practice.