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Internationalization of Higher Education and Student Mobility in Japan and Asia
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Out-of-School Children and Disability
Get PDFThis paper is written to introduce major discussions and literature on the determinants of out-of-school children in developing countries in terms of poverty, gender, child labor, conflict-affected fragile states and partly with focus on disabilities. Review begins discussing on trends and definitions of out-of-school children and further explores major approaches to the issue and empirical studies on factors to determine children’s out-of-school. Review of literature mainly focuses on empirical studies with quantitative methods. In the end of the paper, a summary of the discussions and implications for future studies are briefly outlined.articl
Focusing on the Quality of EIS to Solve the Constraints on EIA Systems in Developing Countries: A Literature Review
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to clarify the trends in the constraints on environmental impact assessment (EIA) systems and their recommendations in developing countries through a review of the past 30 years of relevant literature, and to propose solutions to improve these systems. EIA was introduced in many developing countries from the early 1980s. They have implemented EIA over the past 30 years and donors played a catalytic role in the application of EIA systems in developing countries. But weak enforcement has been a major problem. After compiling the brief history of EIA system in developing countries, the study built a sample of 82 documents produced between 1985 and 2016 on the EIA systems in developing countries, and examined the revealed constraints on the EIA system and its recommendations using quantitative text analysis. The constraints and recommendations changed before and after 2000 and, in particular, the ratio of constraints from report quality nearly doubled. The study focused on improving the quality of the environmental impact statement (EIS) in order to solve the constraints on EIA systems, because the EIS is a product of the EIA process, and its quality is the fundamental indicator of an effective EIA system. At the same time, the study proposed to analyze the quality of EIS using statistical methods, and identify the determination factors influencing its quality. These factors could be concrete recommendations with evidence. Further research is needed to review the quality of EIS in developing countries, and analyze the quality of the data to propose concrete recommendations.research repor
Does a Rural Road Improvement Project Contribute to Inclusive Growth?–A Case Study from Bangladesh
Get PDFThe concept of “Inclusive growth,” which has increasingly been used in the international arena, is concerned with both the pace and pattern of growth (i.e., the income growth of both poor and non-poor, non-income poverty and inequality). Developing countries and donors have often considered rural roads to have a positive impact on the growth of the rural economy and poverty reduction, through the promotion of better connectivity. This paper analyzes the impact of a rural road improvement project on inclusive growth in Bangladesh using a difference-in-difference method based on panel data from a large household survey. The results show that the project did contribute to the growth of the average income in the project area, and therefore to the inclusive growth at the national level. However this was mainly because of the income growth of households other than the poorest. In particular, the poor households with inferior initial resource endowments in landholding and household occupation did not benefit from the project. Thus, rural road projects are not necessarily inclusive at household level, though project specific factors should carefully be considered. A policy implication is that a rural road project in a poor rural area does not always benefit the poorest; hence complimentary interventions for these poorest households are needed.research repor
Can Efficient Provision of Business Development Services Bring Better Results for SMEs?: Evidence from a Networking Project in Thailand
Get PDFRecent systemic reviews on the impact of business development services (BDS) on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reveal mixed effects on various outcomes. For example, the effects on improving skills or practices are often found to be positive while those on employment creation are modest and those on financial outcomes are weak. While there are many BDS providers in developing countries, SMEs’ BDS usage is still very low. Studies have attributed this to reasons such as a lack of information about BDS, a shortage of credits, and the limited availability of BDS. However, most of the existing literature focuses on impacts of demand-side interventions, and empirical evidence about BDS providers is still lacking. We focus on the supply-side constraints of BDS. We take a case from Thailand in which the government, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, implemented a project to establish a formal network among the existing BDS providers with the aim of enhancing their effectiveness in supporting the SMEs. Using the primary data of SMEs and BDS providers, we find that the BDS providers in project provinces increased their interaction with SMEs and improved their BDS practices. SMEs’ network and interactions with BDS providers also increased. We also find some positive evidence that SMEs have more contracts and more certified products on average, and provincial heterogeneous impacts on increasing profits and the percentage of domestic sales in some provinces. These together suggest that networking BDS providers improves the performances of both BDS providers and SMEs. A policy implication follows that an efficient delivery of public services can bring tangible results.research repor
Implications for Teacher Training and Support for Inclusive Education in Cambodia: An Empirical Case Study in a Developing Country
Get PDFResearch in developed countries has consistently demonstrated that training and experience are factors that strongly influence teacher attitudes toward inclusive education. Given the implications of this research for teacher-related policies on inclusive education in other countries, the present study seeks to empirically determine and verify the impact of training and experience in the developing country context. Surveys were conducted across Cambodia in February 2015 involving 448 teachers of children with and without disabilities, to find out how their training and experience influences their perspectives on how children with disabilities should be educated. Twenty-four were then selected for focus group interviews. A Pearson chi-square test was used to determine the statistical significance of (i) training on teaching children with disabilities, and (ii) experience in teaching children with disabilities, in teacher perceptions of inclusive education. Their perceptions were also analyzed by disability categories. Statistical analysis revealed that neither training nor experience in teaching children with disabilities significantly influences teacher perceptions of inclusive education in Cambodia. Qualitative responses pointed out that not only is the current cascade teacher training system ineffective in reaching out to all teachers, the message of inclusive education—its purpose and methods—is also not effectively transmitted to all teachers. The responses show that the lack of quality training and on-site support negatively affected their experience of teaching and meeting the educational needs of children with disabilities. The results also showed that the inclusion of severe sensory impaired children in such programs is perceived much more negatively in Cambodia as compared to developed countries. The findings of this study thus have implications for teacher training programs, their resources, and the support for teachers that is required to facilitate the inclusion of disabled students in the context of developing countries, particularly for those students with severe sensory impairment.research repor
Teacher and Parental Perspectives of Barriers for Inclusive and Quality Education in Mongolia
Get PDFThis paper calls attention to the concept of quality education for children with disabilities in developing countries, specifically focusing on Mongolia. Quality education for children with disabilities has been overlooked by the international community despite the extensive commitment to ensuring access to basic education and learning outcomes for children (Croft, 2010). At the same time, influenced by the international community, inclusive education policies that bring children with disabilities into regular classrooms, have been introduced in many developing countries. While there have been some studies on inclusive education in the developing world, very little research has been conducted on the situation in Mongolia. This paper therefore examines how teachers and parents in regular and special schools evaluate the current educational provisions in schools towards better education for children with disabilities in Mongolia. The findings from the descriptive analyses demonstrate that perceived barriers are ‘poor school facilities,’ ‘lack of equipment,’ ‘inadequate incentives for teachers’ and ‘insufficient school budgets.’ In addition to these items, teachers and parents in special schools are highly concerned about ‘lack of understanding in the community.’ Third, each of the four groups—teachers and parents in regular and special schools—perceive ‘resource barriers’ including issues of money and facilities as the strongest obstacle, followed by ‘teacher training and experience’ and ‘understanding’ at statistically significant levels. Fourth, there are statistically significant differences in opinions between parents and teachers in regular schools related to ‘resource barriers’ (with parents viewing the problem as more important). As for ‘teacher training and experience’ barriers, there is a significant difference between personnel in regular schools and special schools as parents and teachers in regular schools perceive that there is a lack of opportunity for training. The last category of barriers evaluated is ‘understanding’ (referring to ‘lack of understanding by classmates,’ ‘lack of understanding by parents of children with disabilities,’ ‘lack of understanding by parents of children without disabilities’ and ‘lack of understanding by teachers’). Teachers in regular schools significantly feel strongest about the lack of understanding while parents in special schools significantly feel this least among all the groups. Qualitative data from interviews aligns with the statistical results and identifies that teacher training is unlikely to be effective without an appropriate teaching environment. Based on the results of both statistical and interviewed data, the study highlights the needs for a comprehensive approach to strengthening coordination and collaboration with stakeholders and donor communities, which may eventually bring benefits to all children by improving the quality of schooling.research repor
