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De Gruyter Handbook of Rural Entrepreneurship in Developing Economies
No full textDespite major global shifts in agriculture, demographics, and rural environments, rural enterprise and entrepreneurship in developing economies remain underresearched, especially at the international level. This handbook addresses this gap by presenting contemporary research on rural enterprise across diverse settings, with a particular focus on Africa. It offers practical insights from countries including Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Much existing policy is US or Europe-centric, often assuming superior knowledge. However, the examples discussed in this volume show that rural entrepreneurship in less developed countries may be more focused and innovative than in the Global North, especially in innovating to address climate and environmental challenges due to the immediate and visible impacts of climate change on food production and weather.
This book addresses two key questions: First, in light of the fact that entrepreneurship literature tends to be urban-centric, should "rural entrepreneurship" be a distinct category, or is it simply entrepreneurial activity in rural areas? Second, is a rural business fundamentally different from an urban one in its operations?
With its wide range of contributions and unique exploration of the definition of rural enterprise, this handbook will benefit academic scholars and postgraduate students interested in rural entrepreneurship and rural development.
Explains how and why a rural enterprise can be defined.
Addresses the lack of knowledge about rural entrepreneurship in developing economies.
Demonstrates how the rural economy underpins many developing economies from a sustainability point of view
Disease burden attributable to intimate partner violence against females and sexual violence against children in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023
Get PDFBackground
Violence against women and against children are human rights violations with lasting harms to survivors and societies at large. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence against children (SVAC) are two major forms of such abuse. Despite their wide-reaching effects on individual and community health, these risk factors have not been adequately prioritised as key drivers of global health burden. Comprehensive x§and reliable estimates of the comparative health burden of IPV and SVAC are urgently needed to inform investments in prevention and support for survivors at both national and global levels.
Methods
We estimated the prevalence and attributable burden of IPV among females and SVAC among males and females for 204 countries and territories, by age and sex, from 1990 to 2023, as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2023. We searched several global databases for data on self-reported exposure to IPV and SVAC and undertook a systematic review to identify the health outcomes associated with each of these risk factors. We modelled IPV and SVAC prevalence using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, applying data adjustments to account for measurement heterogeneity. We employed burden-of-proof methodology to estimate relative risks for outcomes associated with IPV and SVAC. These estimates informed the calculation of population attributable fractions, which were then used to quantify disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to each risk factor.
Findings
Globally, in 2023, we estimated that 608 million (95% uncertainty interval 518–724) females aged 15 years and older had ever been exposed to IPV, and 1·01 billion (0·764–1·48) individuals aged 15 years and older had experienced sexual violence during childhood. 18·5 million (8·74–30·0) DALYs were attributed to IPV among females and 32·2 million (16·4–52·5) DALYs were attributed to SVAC among males and females in 2023. IPV and SVAC were among the top contributors to the global disease burden in 2023, particularly among females aged 15–49 years, ranking as the fourth and fifth leading risk factors, respectively, for DALYs in this group. Among the eight health outcomes found to be associated with IPV, anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder were the leading causes of IPV-attributed DALYs, accounting for 5·43 million (–1·25 to 14·6) and 3·96 million (1·71 to 6·92) DALYs in 2023, respectively. SVAC was associated with 14 health outcomes, including mental health disorder, substance use disorder, and chronic and infectious disease outcomes. Self-harm and schizophrenia were the leading causes of SVAC-attributed burden, with SVAC accounting for 6·71 million (2·00 to 12·7) DALYs due to self-harm and 4·15 million (–1·92 to 13·1) DALYs due to schizophrenia in 2023.
Interpretation
IPV and SVAC are substantial contributors to global health burden, and their health consequences span a variety of individual health outcomes. Importantly, mental health disorders account for the greatest share of disease burden among survivors. Investing in prevention of these avoidable risk factors has the potential to avert millions of DALYs and considerable premature mortality each year. Our findings represent strong evidence for global and national leaders to elevate IPV and SVAC among public health priorities. Sustained investments are needed to prevent IPV and SVAC and to implement interventions focused on supporting the complex social and health needs of survivors
Emotional past and future events after pulvinar damage: A neuropsychological case series
No full textThe pulvinar nucleus represents a key neural structure involved in signalling emotional content in the domain of visual perception, whereas its role in the processing of simulated emotional events is less clear. fMRI research has hinted at a role for the pulvinar in imagined emotional scenarios, but the evidence is mixed and this proposal has yet to be tested using the lesion study method. In this study, 3 patients with unilateral lesions to the pulvinar, and 10 matched control participants, completed a set of well-established tasks that required them to think about emotional past and future events. This procedure allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of emotional past and future thinking, using both subjective and objective measures. The results indicate that, relative to controls, processing of emotional past and future events is not impaired in patients with unilateral pulvinar nucleus lesions. However, outcomes of this study should be interpreted in the context of the volume, lateralisation and location of pulvinar lesions in these cases. These data have implications for understanding of the processing of emotionally-salient stimuli in the context of pulvinar damage
How does involvement in campaigning, impact close relatives bereaved by gambling-related suicide?
Get PDFClose relatives bereaved by gambling-related suicide are at the forefront of activism, seeking regulatory changes within the UK gambling industry. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with four surviving close relatives, this study explored the personal impacts upon those involved in campaigning. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify and interpret patterns in the resulting data. This established the following four themes: the relationship prior to the suicide; engagement with media; the emotional impacts of campaigning, and the relationship following the suicide. The results of this study indicate that activism can create a continuing bond between the survivor and their lost loved one. The dynamic nature of activism distinguishes it from other, potentially unhealthy manifestations of continuing bonds. Activism can facilitate a healthy and evolving post-suicide relationship between the survivor and their lost loved one
American studies degrees are declining in popularity – but the subject has never been more important
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Pain management and patient education interventions to increase physical activity in people with intermittent claudication (PrEPAID): a feasibility randomised controlled trial in the United Kingdom
No full textObjectives To explore the feasibility and acceptability of pain management (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)) and patient education (PE) to increase physical activity in people with peripheral arterial disease and intermittent claudication (IC).
Design Feasibility randomised controlled trial with embedded process evaluation.
Setting One secondary care UK vascular centre.
Participants 56 community-dwelling adults with a history of stable IC and ankle-brachial pressure index ≤0.9 were recruited via claudication clinics.
Interventions Participants randomised to 6 weeks of: TENS+PE, TENS, Placebo TENS+PE or Placebo TENS. PE was a 3-hour workshop plus three follow-up phone calls. The TENS machine was worn during walking (TENS: 120 Hz, 200 μs, intensity ‘strong but comfortable’; Placebo TENS: intensity below sensation threshold).
Outcomes Primary feasibility outcomes included rates of recruitment, retention and adherence. Acceptability of the intervention and trial procedures was explored with semistructured interviews. Measures of walking capacity, walking behaviour, quality of life, disease perception and pain were recorded at baseline, end of intervention (6 weeks) and follow-up (3 months).
Results 56 participants were randomised from 95 who completed baseline screening. Of the 39 excluded, 97% (38/39) had >20% variability in absolute claudication distance. All participants received their allocated intervention. Outcome completion was 91% at 6 weeks and 80% at 3 months. Attendance at group education was 96% with 63% taking follow-up phone calls. Compliance with TENS was 70% according to participant-completed logs. Interviewed participants (n=9) were generally positive about the acceptability of the interventions and trial procedures; however, experience of TENS use was mixed. Some participants were dissatisfied with the size of the device and electrode wires.
Conclusions The PrEPAID (Pain management and Patient Education for Physical Activity in Intermittent claudication) trial was feasible to run; however, 40% of potential participants were excluded at screening due to issues of research fidelity rather than participant suitability or willingness to participate. A future definitive trial should consider a revised primary outcome measure and smaller wireless TENS machines.
Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03204825. Registered on 2 July 2017.
Trial funding Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government. Translational grant award (TCS/16/55)
Multidimensional perfectionism and sport performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFEvidence regarding the perfectionism-performance relationship in sport is inconsistent, leading to an ongoing debate about whether perfectionism helps or hinders athletes in achieving their best performance. To address this, we provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of research examining the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and sport performance. A literature search returned 31 studies with 46 samples (N = 6,102). A systematic review of this literature suggests that research varies methodologically, with mixed findings for perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC). The meta-analysis found that perfectionistic strivings were positively related to sport performance (r+ = .21; CI = .15, .26), while perfectionistic concerns were unrelated (r+ = .03; CI = –.02, .08). Total unique effect revealed that, overall, perfectionism was positively associated with sport performance (TUE = .17; CI = .13, .22), with perfectionistic strivings being primarily responsible for the effect. Moderation analyses showed that the relationship between perfectionistic strivings and sport performance was stronger in older athletes. Evidence for a perfectionistic tipping point was also found showing that PS only predicts better performance when PC is low. We suggest that the interplay between PS and PC is key to understanding this relationship further
Subtle Leadership: How Individual and Collective Consciousness Intertwine to Create Change
Get PDFAs society tackles the root causes of the meta-crisis, the development of our internal dimensions presents deep leverage points for outer change. While the concept of consciousness remains contested and lacks a universally accepted definition, it may be broadly understood to encompass the full spectrum of inner human dimensions. To address the complex challenges of global sustainability, society will need a myriad of leaders with the advanced meaning-making capacities that can be gained through consciousness development. This paper presents a study that explored the relationship between consciousness development and leadership performance, from the perspective of changemakers, to inform the design of developmental techniques that can be available to all. It utilised a form of action research called co-operative inquiry to explore changemakers’ experiences. The paper outlines the key findings and explores one in greater depth, being the effectiveness of subtle leadership for creating the change needed to engage with the complexity of the meta-crisis