Search results for "STAI"
showing 10 items of 5922 documents
University Rankings: The Many Sides of the Debate
2014
Abstract Within the context of bourgeoning institutions that rank higher education institutions, this paper examines the merits and demerits of university rankings and diverse ranking methodologies. It explores and presents recent developments and diversification of international rankings and highlights their general trend towards more broadly balanced and multidimensional criteria. The paper concludes that like any other complex endeavour, rankings have their pros and cons but the latter does not justify their abandonment. What is required is public education that builds a discerning user who can optimally gain from the use of rankings while avoiding their pitfalls. The original version of…
The Agenda and Relevance of Recent Research in Microfinance
2005
This paper studies recent research efforts in the field of microfinance. Two questions guide the study: What is the agenda of recent research efforts? And, for who is the research relevant? As for the agenda the “yin and yang” of microfinance; impact and sustainability, continue to influence most research efforts. The study illustrates that microfinance attracts mainly the interest of development researchers and journals. Accordingly the researchers seem mainly to interact with the donors’ and practitioners’ communities. The research produced seems to be relevant for them and less so for the governmental and banking communities. The paper concludes proposing the design of a new research age…
The Oblivion of Demography in Sustainability’s Studies
2017
[RESUMEN] A lo largo de la historia del Homo sapiens, su número se ha mantenido muy reducido y hubo que esperar a principios del siglo XIX para que alcanzara los mil millones. Se inició entonces un rápido crecimiento y durante el siglo XX la población mundial casi se cuadriplicó, superando los 6000 millones, lo que llevó a estudiar, con lógica preocupación, los posibles efectos de esta explosión demográfica sobre el conjunto de la biosfera y sobre la propia especie humana. Hoy, sin embargo, cuando se han sobrepasado los 7500 millones y la población mundial sigue aumentando en unos 80 millones cada año, la problemática demográfica ha dejado de tener una presencia relevante en los estudios y …
A Review of “Risk, vulnerability and tourism in developing countries: the case of Nepal”
2013
Risk, Vulnerability and Tourism in Developing Countries aims at synthesizing a wide range of concerns with respect to global warming, sustainability, poverty and the existing material conditions th...
Citizens' participation and community orientation – indicators of social sustainability of rural welfare services
2011
The article discusses the issues of social services in rural areas from a theoretical view point of sustainability paradigms of social work. The ecological crisis existing beyond the ongoing global economic crisis is not separated from the increasing urbanization and weakening perspectives in rural areas. The paper is based on results from a participatory action research project in Finland, which aims at strengthening social service provision in rural areas through citizens' participation and community-orientation. The neoliberal politics of centralization, marketization and privatization are heavily transforming rural regions also in the Nordic welfare states right now. The debates in the …
Welfare State inSpain. Sustainability criteria
2014
The construction of models of universal coverage in Spain and Europe, that established social rights, has offered a period of prosperity, peace and freedom in the second half of the twentieth century that was based on social justice. These values have benefited all of us. Despite the significant achievements that were made, the economic crisis has raised different voices warning about the impossibility of social protection systems. The difficulties of the time and the resource constraints have encouraged an ideological offensive against the welfare state, predicting its end in a short term. Therefore we have to consider that the present moment leads to the review and "deconstruction" of wha…
Innovation and networks in rural areas. An analysis from European innovative projects
2014
Abstract Innovation is a central factor for the development of rural areas, both in terms of diversification and increased competitiveness, also related to new structures of governance. The creation, adoption or adaptation of innovations is particularly complex, requiring the right combination of local knowledge (often tacit and implicit) with expert knowledge (often more explicit and formalised), as well as the support of extensive networks. This paper analyses a number of innovation projects in several European rural areas, through the data collected via in-depth interviews. It examines the projects' contributions and the role played by stakeholders in each stage of the projects. On the o…
Sustainable tourism and global warming: panacea, excuse, or just an accidental connection?
2012
PurposeThe debate linking tourism with global warming is very polemical: neither camp engaged in the debate sees the other side. Sustainable tourism is seen by some as a panacea to mitigate the negative impact of tourism on global warming, and by many others as a ploy planted by post‐industrial society to divert attention from the core issues. A few see it as just an accidental relationship. This paper aims to be a reflective essay on the current state of polemics relating to tourism and global warming.Design/methodology/approachA critical review of relevant literature coupled with original reflections of the authors forms the basis of argument employed in this paper. In certain ways, this …
Innovation in the Rural Areas and the Linkage with the Quintuple Helix Model
2016
Abstract In this paper we analyze some specific conditions for local development. Our interest is oriented towards a multidimensional aspect of peripheral and rural areas. The rural areas considered as a productive system reflects a strong relationship between the agriculture and the other economic activities, In addition eco-systems must be protected and enhanced to develop innovation models that propose new roles and responsibilities for a new development vision. Following the implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategy and the Quintuple Helix Model this paper underlines the importance of connecting the innovation process with rural territories. We have considered some environment…
Sustainability Reporting in Central and Eastern European Companies: Results of an International and Empirical Study
2017
Reporting on corporate social, environmental and economic responsibility has broadened widely within the last decade. The European Union is the most active region in the world in terms of sustainability reporting, largely on a voluntary basis. Most of the empirical research related to sustainability reporting in Europe has been conducted in Western European countries. In Central and Eastern Europe, only a small number of studies have focused on sustainability reporting. Little, however, is known whether how and why companies in CEE report about their corporate sustainable activities. The aim of the research project is to describe the status quo of SR in CEE, to explain some noteworthy diffe…