1,720,955 research outputs found
Towards Environmental Governance: ECOWAS’s Commitment to Sustainability in West Africa
Get PDFEnvironmental governance has emerged as a crucial challenge in West Africa, with ECOWAS playing a central role in fostering sustainability. Despite policy frameworks like the ECOWAS Environmental Policy (2008) and the Environmental Action Plan (2020–2026), implementation remains inconsistent due to financial constraints, weak enforcement and misalignment between national and regional policies. The study examines ECOWAS’s commitment to environmental governance using the secondary data from ECOWAS policy documents, reports, books and journals. The findings of the study reveal that deforestation, transboundary pollution and resource conflicts persist due to poor institutional capacity and governance inefficiencies. Climate change, rapid urbanisation and energy poverty exacerbate environmental degradation, while illegal activities such as oil spills and logging remain prevalent due to weak law enforcement. Although ECOWAS has established institutions like ECREEE and WASCAL to enhance governance, external economic pressures and inadequate funding hinder progress. The study recommends strengthening regional cooperation, enforcing environmental laws, integrating gender-inclusive policies and leveraging technology for sustainable resource management. Also, the political will and international collaboration are essential to bridging the gap between policy and practice. ECOWAS’s effectiveness in environmental governance depends on aligning national efforts with regional sustainability goals while addressing socio-economic and political constraints
Electricity Bands Epidemic in Nigeria: Tariffs Hikes and Consumer Responses
No full textThe recent energy crisis in Nigeria led to a significant increase in electricity tariffs, introduced as part of a broader strategy to attract investment, enhance energy supply, and meet rising consumer demand. In April 2024, the Federal Government of Nigeria implemented substantial tariff hikes across all electricity bands (A to E), based on daily consumption levels. These increases were justified as necessary to offset escalating production costs and stimulate private sector investment in the power sector. However, the policy sparked widespread concern, particularly among low-income households, who questioned the affordability and fairness of the new pricing structure. This article critically examines the electricity tariff adjustments and the responses of Nigerian consumers. Adopting a qualitative methodology, the study draws on both primary and secondary sources, including interviews, academic literature, internet documents, newspapers, and public commentary. The study reveals that many consumers have responded by seeking alternative energy solutions, such as solar power, while simultaneously voicing strong opposition to the tariff increases. The debate surrounding the policy shift underscores deeper systemic challenges in Nigeria’s energy sector. Rather than focusing solely on tariff adjustments, stakeholders have called for urgent investment in modernising and expanding the national grid to deliver reliable, accessible, and affordable electricity for all Nigerians
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
FROM RURAL GRAZING AREA (RUGA) TO NATIONAL LIVESTOCK TRANSFORMATION PLAN (NLTP): A MERE CHANGE OF NAME OR REINCARNATION
No full textPolitical and social instability in numerous African countries has exacerbated conflicts, particularly between farmers and herders, driven by resource competition and environmental degradation. In Nigeria, the escalation of farmer-herder conflict has led to widespread displacement, increased food prices and security challenges. Government interventions such as the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) and National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) policieshave faced scrutiny, prompting a comparative analysis to evaluate their effectiveness and public reception. This study examines the RUGA policy and its alternative, the NLTP, in Nigeria using historical methodology and secondary data, including interviews and national newspapers. RUGA policy was introduced in 2018 to mitigate farmer-herder conflicts; the policy encountered significant opposition due to perceived socio-political implications and a lack of stakeholder consultation. It is argued that it favoured the Fulani ethnic group and could exacerbate ethnic tensions, eliciting mixed public reactions. In contrast, the NLTP aimed to modernise livestock management and enhance productivity through a phased transition from open grazing to ranching. Despite its comprehensive approach focusing on stakeholder engagement, conflict resolution, humanitarian relief and economic development, the NLTP also faced scepticism, with some perceiving it as a rebranded RUGA policy. Findings from the study underscored thesignificant public debate and resistance both policies generated and emphasised the complexities of addressing farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria. The study concludes that inclusiveness of stakeholder engagement, transparent communication, and addressing underlying socio-political concerns are necessary. It advocates for a balanced approach to promote sustainable livestock management practices across ethnic groups
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
- …
