Exploring Visitor Perceptions towards Urban Park Design and Levels of Enclosure: A Case Study from the UAE

As cities transition towards urbanization and sustainability, designing attractive green spaces and urban parks is an important issue to planners and urban designers. One factor believed to have some impact on a park’s attractiveness is level of enclosure. Despite the importance of such a factor in identifying types of park visitors and frequency of visits, a limited amount of research has attempted to statistically model impacts of level enclosure on a park’s attractiveness. To address this gap, this article explores impacts of multiple physical characteristics, including levels of enclosure, on park attractiveness and user behavior. Activities in two parks in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) were studied using field observations, photography, interviews, and statistical analysis. Field observations were utilized to model people’s attitude while using parks. Logistic regression was employed to the field observations to investigate associations between different factors and park attractiveness. Results indicated levels of enclosure had a direct influence on park users. Gender, age, and ethnicity were also found statistically significant determinates of park visitor attitudes and park choice. Traces of territorial behaviors and social conflicts were also observed.

Diversification and Industrialization in the Economic Development of Turkmenistan

In the early stages of its transition, Turkmenistan pursued a gradualist path. Diversification, industrialization, and market-based reforms led to very rapid economic growth particularly since the late 2000s. This article investigates the role of Turkmenistan’s economic development policy in diversifying industries and promoting the manufacturing sector. The government has diversified the destinations for the natural gas exports. Although its agriculture had been characterized as cotton monoculture, the share of wheat has risen since the 1990s. The textile industry has led the manufacturing sector, and other industries are not well developed. The government has successfully attracted foreign direct investment. Turkmenistan’s trade policy has contributed to supplying machines for manufactured products, although it might have been harmful to the early-stage development of the manufacturing sector. Turkmenistan, which is not a member of the WTO, may actively utilize its policy space to promote technology-intensive industries and must strengthen its level of human capital.

Movers, Motives, and Impact of Illegal Small-Scale Mining: A Case Study in Ghana

This research unravels the agents and driving motivation behind the rise of illegal small-scale mining in Ghana and its impact. This is accomplished via a qualitative study using illegal small-scale mining in the Talensi and Nabdam districts of Ghana as a case study. At the forefront of this phenomenon are rent-seeking elites, whereas structural factors such as rising unemployment and high population growth, as well as opportunistic factors including low barriers to entry, get-rich quick syndrome, and political corruption/weak institutions are fueling it as well. Although there are some economic benefits of illegal small-scale mining, these benefits are undermined by factors associated with the Resource Curse Hypothesis (RCH) or the ‘Paradox of Plenty.’ We argue that most illegal small-scale mining communities are characterized by increased rent-seeking activities by diverse stakeholders particularly the elites, poor investments in human capital development, and weak institutional structures and processes. To sustainably address the illegal small-scale gold mining menace in Ghana, all efforts should be aimed at holistically dealing with the rent-seekers, especially the elites involved, eliminating their motives and removing the conditions that facilitate their involvement.

Decolonization of Higher Education in South Africa

Western education still dominates the education terrain across Africa. For some people, the dominance is nothing but ‘academic imperialism,’ which is believed to have relegated African scholars to mere conduits of knowledge through which European and American scholarship and interests are protected and promoted. Consequently, a dissident voice is resonating in the African educational system, particularly South African education system, demanding the recognition of ‘home-grown’ knowledge to solve home-grown problems. This article engages the debate about decolonization of higher education in South Africa and asks the fundamental question of whether or not it is possible to achieve a fully decolonized curriculum in a society that is already cloaked and engulfed by capitalism and Western ideologies.

Ethnic Organizations and Adaptation: A Case Study of Indian Immigrant Engineers in the US

The United States has witnessed waves of immigration throughout its history, with the current immigration policies regulated by the reforms enacted under President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. Immigrants now come from all over the world, with China and India supplying the largest numbers in science and engineering (S&E) fields. Although the US is seen as coping rather successfully with immigration from Europe, that is not the case with Asian immigration. Assimilation theorists have long argued that Asian immigrants face problems in adapting to the American culture and lifestyles; in contrast, multicultural theorists have hailed cultural diversity brought by Asian immigrants. Ethnic organizations can play an integral role in Asian immigrants’ adaptation and integration in the United States. Utilizing 40 in-depth interviews of Indian immigrant engineers working in the US technology companies, the present study examines if they belong to ethnic associations. If yes, why do they feel a need to belong to these associations? If no, why not? It further sheds light on their need to belong to such associations. The findings show that the need to belong to Indian associations varied with the stage of their lives, which can be depicted as a U-shaped curve.

FM Stations’ Role in Rural Development: The Case of Northern Ghana

Over the past two decades, Ghana’s media landscape has undergone radical transformation, leading to the emergence of hundreds of frequency modulation (FM) stations across the country. These stations have become the country’s most powerful mediums of communication, carrying an array of programs aimed at diverse audiences. With northern Ghana as a case study, this research examines FM stations’ role in rural development, their mode of impact, and their attendant challenges. This is achieved via qualitative methodology; that is, in-depth interviews with station managers and local development stakeholders, supplemented by programming content analysis of ten FM stations. Findings indicate that FM stations in northern Ghana, irrespective of their classification, aid rural development by serving as an endogenous conduit for the transfer of information that promotes community development and empowerment. This is achieved through programming in local dialects, local musical and cultural programs, expert presentations, interactive phone-in sessions, and news presentations. Challenges include the lack of employee professionalism, financial constraints, poor audience research, technical challenges, excessively partisan political coverage, and lack of original programming.

South Africa in the Installation Phase of a New Techno-economic Paradigm

South Africa’s situation of financialization, low growth, unemployment, and inequality is linked here to the ‘installation phase’ of a new technology as described by Carlotta Perez. South Africa’s informational economy is examined, and the role of the financial sector is summarized. The article then considers the strengths and weaknesses of the manufacturing and service sectors, and the embeddedness in them of digital technologies. The article concludes by supporting manufacturing as the best route to a new productive economic core while other sites of digital industry take deeper root. The need to shape finance to more national ends is also affirmed.

Students’ Perceptions Concerning Emergency Remote Teaching During COVID-19

The sudden shift from physical classroom education towards emergency remote teaching (ERT) in higher education during the unprecedented global pandemic SARS-CoV-2, or more commonly known as COVID-19, caused an abrupt change in the learning environment for students and educators alike. The disruptive overnight change to convert entire courses to emergency remote teaching caused distress for not only educators, but also students as they had little time to adapt to the new circumstances. While the embedment of technologies in the classroom is not a new concept, this quantitative research examined the impact on perceived student engagement as a result of the sudden change, and how students in higher education in Finland (n = 121) and Thailand (n = 137) responded to this change. One of the primary findings of the research was that students in Thailand indicated difficulties completing group assignments digitally, while, contrary to that finding, students in Finland consented to ease in digital collaboration concerning their group works. As a logical next step, it is recommended to conduct qualitative research to gain a more comprehensive insight into how the views on this particular statement differed significantly between both focus groups of students.

Social Distancing During the Sars-Cov2 (COVID-19) Pandemic: Interpretations and Implication in the African Context

In absence of vaccine or a well-known treatment at onset of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), public health measures such as social distancing, washing hands, and wearing face masks were implemented as the most effective strategies to combat the spread of the virus. This article explores the perceptions and interpretations of COVID-19-related regulations and implications of the disease to human life in different contexts. The article adopted a qualitative research methodology, where twenty participants were selected purposively and interviewed, then data analyzed inductively. The analysis of interviews revealed varied conceptualizations and interpretations about the disease and social distancing. Notably, COVID-19 regulations such social distancing and face masking were perceived as imported policy, a misconception that would be attributed to non-adherence to COVID-19 protocols. Further, the study underscore that the disease and policies related to it disrupted ways of social life; infringed on people’s social-cultural rights; and had adverse health consequences. The study recommends a strategic and deliberate reconstruction of the society to restore its sociological functions post COVID-19 pandemic.