Sociocultural Adaptation Among University Students in Hungary: The Case of International Students From Post-Soviet Countries

With the number of international students increasing worldwide, the sociocultural adaptation difficulties that sojourners face should be addressed adequately. This study explored the sociocultural adaptation of international students (N = 267,Mage = 24.5, SD = 4.7) in Hungary. The exploratory factor analysis of the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale yielded five factors: Affiliative Relations, Bureaucracy and Services, Power Relations, Cultural Understanding, and Academic Performance. The students’ countries of origin (post-Soviet countries versus others) and locations of residence (the capital versus small cities) were determinants of sociocultural adaptation. Depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and lower life satisfaction were associated with greater sociocultural adaptation difficulties. Resilient coping was linked with a lower level of difficulties in academic performance (rs = −.20) and cultural understanding (rs = −.15). Our findings supported that the students’ countries of origin, places of residence, and mental health should be considered in improving counseling and educational programs targeting international students.

Assessing the readiness of small cities in Ghana to tackle overweight and obesity

The rapid rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and the associated health problems, is an emerging challenge in Ghana, and for women in particular. This study contributes to the understanding of this emerging phenomenon in Ghana by analyzing it from a community perspective, applying the Community Readiness Model in two small cities in Ghana. A series of Key Informant Interviews were undertaken and analyzed, using the model’s scoring structure and supplementary textual analysis. We find that communities are aware of overweight and obesity as a health issue, but that it is not prioritized or championed. Furthermore, the diet counseling and keep-fit programs put the responsibility on individuals to address, rather than considering the upstream and structural causes and solutions.

University campuses in Russia: architectural and urban development typology

The purpose of the present study is to develop a typology of university campuses reflecting all their diversity. The main attention is paid to the peculiarities of the location of the university campuses relative to the settlements, as well as their spatial planning arrangement. In general, depending on the spatial planning arrangement, three types of university campuses are defined and analyzed, namely, dispersed, dissected, and compact (local). The features of university complexes located in the metropolitan areas, largest, and large cities, as well as in medium and small cities, and outside of large settlements in the suburban area have been determined depending on the location of campuses relative to settlements. Besides, the authors have identified the ways of spatial planning development of existing university complexes and justified improving the spatial planning arrangement of university campuses. In general, four ways of the spatial development of existing universities are identified: purchasing facilities in the adjacent territory to expand the existing campus; placing the necessary additional facilities in the adjacent and other areas of the city, that is, integrating into the urban environment; creating an additional campus in a remote territory (often in the suburbs); and moving all or part of the university facilities to a new campus with a full-fledged infrastructure in another area of the city or suburb. The article provides examples of university campuses (complexes) in Russian cities for all the types considered, provided with the attached graphic schemes.

Financial inclusion and digital banking on an emergent economy

PurposeTo analyze financial inclusion through digital banking in order to identify how digital banking is including or excluding different types of populations in an emergent economy.Design/methodology/approachChi-square statistical tests were conducted to test the relationship between demographic variables (i.e. gender, region, locality and age) with having a digital banking account, types of services and reasons for not using them. As an example of an emergent economy, the Mexican Financial Inclusion Survey database was used, which includes stratified and clustered sampling.FindingsHaving a bank account with digital banking is related to gender. Women are more excluded than men, demonstrating a gender gap in access to digital banking accounts. Moreover, having a bank account with digital banking depends on the region. In regions where digital banking is more developed, the population uses a wide variety of digital banking services, in contrast to less developed regions. About the size of the locality, the lack of financial inclusion via digital banking is more common in rural contexts or small cities, demonstrating the exclusion of this type of population.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is conducted with data from the latest Mexican Financial Inclusion Survey. Since the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (NISG) in Mexico previously conducted the study for exploratory purposes, it was not possible for the researchers to modify the variables.Practical implicationsThe results might be considered on similar emergent economies to promote financial inclusion of vulnerable groups such as women, people living in underdeveloped regions, rural areas, small cities and elders. These findings may provide criteria for both government agencies and banking institutions to make efforts focused on including these population groups that have not been financially included through digital banking.Originality/valueIdentifying the barriers that affect financial inclusion, such as gender, region, size of the city and age can help to guide efforts to achieve greater economic freedom and quality of life for diverse types of populations. Although the study is carried out in an emerging economy, the results can also shed light on how to address these forms of exclusion that occur in different types of economies. It is understood that the lack of financial inclusion is a limitation to the economic freedom and quality of life to which everyone should have access, hence the relevance of the article.

O PAPEL DOS TERMINAIS RODOVIÁRIOS NA MOBILIDADE URBANA NOS MUNICÍPIOS EM DESENVOLVIMENTO: O CASO DE ANCHIETA NO ESPÍRITO SANTO

The use of passenger bus terminals has developed over the years and they are no longer just places for boarding, connecting between points and disembarking users. The passenger bus terminals represent an aid to the transport infrastructure and, in addition to contributing to mobility, they constitute an integration factor, generators of jobs and taxes (SOARES, 2006). The growth of cities and territorial occupation intensifies the dependence on the use of road equipment, which has become indispensable in daily commuting. Thus, bus terminals have a fundamental role in the development of small cities, as they expand the possibilities of municipal and intercity commuting. Anchieta, a small municipality, is located in a tourist, agricultural and port area on the southern coast of Espírito Santo. The city has approximately 29,263 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020) and does not have a location with adequate infrastructure for passengers to embark and disembark. Thus, the objective is to discuss the importance of implementing road terminals in small cities for the construction of urban mobility. Thus, we seek to analyze the case of Anchieta in terms of its historical and geographical context and the infrastructure associated with the public transport offered.

Examining Small-Town Growth and Expansion in Peri-urban Areas of Small Cities: Evidence from Peripheries of Three Small Cities in Central Java

Urbanization in small and medium-sized cities in Java is marked by an urban expansion process to the surrounding areas, forming the growing small towns in their peripheries. Using the case of the extended urban areas of Tegal, Pekalongan and Magelang in Central Java, this study examined small-town growth and development in peri-urban areas of small and medium cities. It first looked at the growth of small towns in the peri-urban areas of these small cities and then identified various factors and mechanisms that contribute to the formation, growth and expansion of small towns. The study further looked into the challenges and implications of the trend toward policies for managing such processes more sustainably. The growth of urbanized villages in some kabupatens (non-urban districts or regencies) surrounding these small cities, as documented by the national statistical board from 1990 to 2017, was used as the basis for analyzing these factors. This paper concludes with a discussion on the challenges and policy implications for growing small towns. The findings of this study can be useful for formulating a better approach to managing urbanization processes in the future. Abstrak. Urbanisasi kota-kota kecil dan menengah di Jawa ditandai dengan proses perluasan kota ke wilayah sekitarnya, membentuk kota-kota kecil yang berkembang di pinggirannya. Dengan menggunakan kasus perluasan wilayah Tegal, Pekalongan dan Magelang di Jawa Tengah, penelitian ini mengkaji pertumbuhan dan perkembangan kota kecil di wilayah pinggiran kota kecil dan menengah. Ini pertama-tama melihat pertumbuhan kota-kota kecil di daerah pinggiran kota-kota kecil ini dan kemudian mengidentifikasi berbagai faktor dan mekanisme yang berkontribusi pada pembentukan, pertumbuhan, dan perluasan kota-kota kecil. Studi ini lebih jauh melihat tantangan dan implikasi dari tren terhadap kebijakan untuk mengelola proses tersebut secara lebih berkelanjutan. Pertumbuhan desa urban di beberapa kabupaten (kabupaten atau kabupaten non-urban) di sekitar kota-kota kecil tersebut, sebagaimana didokumentasikan oleh BPS (Badan Pusat Statistik) dari tahun 1990 hingga 2017, digunakan sebagai dasar untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor tersebut. Makalah ini diakhiri dengan diskusi tentang tantangan dan implikasi kebijakan untuk pertumbuhan kota-kota kecil. Temuan studi ini dapat berguna untuk merumuskan pendekatan yang lebih baik untuk mengelola proses urbanisasi di masa depan. Kata kunci. Jawa Tengah, kota kecil, urbanisasi, ekspansi kota.

Regional Russian Books of Memory as a Form of Preservation and Transfer of Cultural-Historical Memory about the Afghanistan War of 1979-1989

The historical memory of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan (1979-1989) is studied through the prism of memory books dedicated to the participants of the war and those who died in it. The present paper is the first study of the Afghan books of memory that were published over the past decades in different regions of Russia. The first part of this paper analyzes the regional books of memory published in various regions of the Russian Federation from 1991 to the present day; the second part analyzes the books of memory published in small cities of Russia as a separate cultural phenomenon. In conclusion, the author describes the main features of regional Afghan books of memory, emphasizing that the memory books are published with the active participation of various regional organizations - from local archives to representatives of municipalities - revealing that the publication of these books is part of cultural policy in the regions. Many memory books have been reprinted, which indicates the continued collection and processing of information about the military casualties in Afghanistan. The regional books of memory are one of the most important forms of preserving and transmitting the historical memory of the Afghanistan war.