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Processes of Religious Reconstruction among Britain’s South Asian minorities: a reflection on the contemporary dynamics of reverse colonisation
No full textThe authors examines processes of polarisation in the British society with a focus on South Asian minorities in Britain
Urban Health in India
No full textThis paper is going to introduce a framework for the analysis of urban health. This framework conceptualises urban health as being influenced by and simultaneously influencing the characteristics of urbanisation. Based on these considerations, the authors analyse the influences on urban health in the Indian context and illustrate the effects poor health has on the country’s development. Although the overall level of urbanisation in India is rather modest, the Indian case is particularly interesting because the urban population is growing so rapidly
Enhancing the Quality of Education in the Maldives: Challenges and Prospects
No full textThe quality of education is a major policy challenge facing the Maldives. The country achieved the first generation objective of providing universal access to basic education through rapid expansion of enrollment. As is frequently the case with such countries, the second generation challenge is to provide education of adequate quality. Evidence from a variety of sources shows that education quality in the Maldives is weak, and needs urgent improvement. Learning outcomes in both primary and secondary education are modest. National assessments of learning outcomes at Grade 4 and Grade 7 show that learning levels are unsatisfactory. The low average scores suggest that learning levels in both primary education and lower secondary education are weak. There are several dimensions of education quality which Maldivian policy makers consider to be of vital importance. Among these, the quality of school teachers is central to the improvement of education quality. Hence, the Ministry of Education (MOE) is concerned to develop the skills, motivation and performance of teachers. A second key policy initiative is the establishment of a sound quality assurance framework for the school system. The MOE has developed a quality assurance mechanism, which now needs to be pilot tested, refined and scaled up throughout the country. A third strategic policy initiative is the development of a system of regular national assessments of learning outcomes, which can then feed into policy formulation and program development. These three strategic policy initiatives are discussed in the subsequent sections of this report
Expanding Access and Enhancing the Economic Benefits of Education in the Maldives: Challenges and Prospects
No full textHuman capital is the central determinant of economic well-being and social advancement in the modern global economy. The key characteristic that distinguishes between advanced economies, middle-income economies and low-income economies is the knowledge content of their economic activities and production processes. Industry, agriculture and especially services have become increasingly knowledge and skill intensive in recent years. Further, the dominance of knowledge and skills is increasing at an accelerating rate. Among advanced economies, for instance, the education levels of their populations is the single most important factor determining their economic performance [Hanushek and Welch (2006), Hanushek and Woessmann (2008)]. Among middle-income and low-income countries, too, economies that have high education attainment enjoy considerable welfare gains [Fasih (2008), Patrinos and Psacharopoulos (2011)]. Human resource development is particularly important for the economic development of small states [Martin and Bray (2011)]. Education also produces a variety of social benefits. These include healthier and better nourished families and children; the creation of the enlightened citizenry needed for a modern liberal democracy; and the promotion of social mobility [OECD (2012)]. This paper offers an overview of the general education system and the current status of access and participation in the Maldives. This is followed by a discussion of the economic and social benefits of investment in education. The paper concludes by discussing options to expand access and participation at education levels where the Maldives lags behind other comparable small island economies
Sri Lanka: From Peace Dividend to Sustained Growth Acceleration
No full textFollowing the cessation of hostilities in May 2009, the Government of Sri Lanka has announced a suitably ambitious macroeconomic vision to capitalize on the peace dividend. Its goals include growing at 8 percent or more per year and lowering government indebtedness from around 80 to 60 percent of GDP by 2015. This paper's main finding is that while some post-conflict bounce is only to be expected, sustaining high growth presents significant challenges. A substantial rise in the national investment and savings rates will be needed to sustain growth rates of 8 percent even when accompanied by a significant rise in total factor productivity growth. With the government's balance sheet constrained by its desire to lower public indebtedness, private investment will need to become the engine of growth. This places high priority on better infrastructure, clear signals about the relative roles of the public and private sectors, and hard budget constraints and competition both to strengthen the investment climate and spur technological upgrading in pursuit of faster productivity growth
What Explains Big Gender Disparities in India? Local Industrial Structures and Female Entrepreneurship
No full textDespite rapid economic growth, gender disparities in women's economic participation have remained deep and persistent in India. What explains these huge gender disparities? Is it poor infrastructure, limited education, and gender composition of the labor force and industries? Or is it deficiencies in social and business networks and a low share of incumbent female entrepreneurs?This paper analyzes the spatial determinants of female entrepreneurship in India in the manufacturing and services sectors. Good infrastructure and education predict higher female entry shares. There are strong agglomeration economies in both manufacturing and services, where higher female ownership among incumbent businesses within a district-industry predicts a greater share of subsequent entrepreneurs will be female. Moreover, higher female ownership of local businesses in related industries (similar labor needs, input-output markets) predicts greater relative female entry rates. Gender networks thus clearly matter for women's economic participation. However, there is a need to develop a better understanding of how gender networks influence aggregate efficiency. There is no doubt that gender empowerment can be the escalator to realizing human potential and for creating a robust platform for growth and job creation
Buddhism without Borders: Proceedings of the International Conference of Globalized Buddhism
No full textCan it muddle through? Some thoughts on future scenarios for Afghanistan
No full textEverything boils down to one core question: will the Afghan Government be able to stabilise the political landscape or will the country once again fall into the trap of yet another civil war
From bad to worse: sectarian conflict, socio-economic neglect and political deprivation in Gilgit-Baltistan
No full textThere has recently been an increased international interest in this area. Unfortunately this is not due to positive trends, but because of a lack of human rights combined with the absence of political participation of the local population in decision-making
Bhutan's peculiar road to democracy
No full textUntil recently Bhutan did not fit into the story of the global triumph of democracy: not only the way democratisation was pursued, but also the manner in which it was interpreted made this process exceptional