This paper introduces the history of Japan's ODA to China, and examines the realisation of national interests through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Even though most scholars acknowledged that providing foreign aid is always connected to the national interests of the donor countries, it should be further discussed what those national interests are and how those interests are realised. This paper therefore summarised the national role conception and categories of national interests of Japan regarding the ODA policy to China through narrative analysis based on the role theory. In general, Japan's ODA to China has achieved some of the diplomatic objectives successfully, but failed to achieve all.

How can we nudge people to not engage in unethical behaviors, such as hoarding and violating social distancing, during Covid-19? As past research on antecedents of unethical behavior did not provide a clear answer, we turned to machine learning to generate novel hypotheses. We trained a deep learning model to predict whether or not World Values Survey respondents perceived unethical behaviors as justifiable, based on their responses to 708 other questions. The model identified optimism about the future of humanity as one of the top predictors of unethicality. A pre-registered correlational study (N=218 US-residents) conceptually replicated this finding. A preregistered experiment (N=294 US-residents) provided causal support: participants who read a scenario conveying optimism about the Covid-19 pandemic were less willing to justify hoarding and violating social distancing guidelines. The findings suggest that optimism can help reduce unethicality, and document the utility of machine learning methods for generating novel hypotheses. Accepted for COVID-19 fast-track publication in Psychological Science.

Present study was conducted to find the relation of family types with the educational achievements of the children belonging to those families. Randomly selected 100 families were categorized as 50 despotic and 50 with MOPS. The academic achievement records of children of tested families were compared and analyzed to find out the relationship. The relationship of family types were not found with the children achievement levels. A few important findings regarding the relationship between mothers and fathers family roles and mothers and fathers education levels with children achievements emerged. Further studies would reflect more relationship.

I have not come across a paper that deals with access to criminal justice for women's with postmodern feminist criminology view. We conducted Library study and field research between women who enter the criminal justice system as judges and employees and came up and they face inequalities in the criminal justice system because of the dominance of discourse, subjectivity and masculine power. I feel that this article will be the beginning of further research in the field of women and the analysis of masculine concepts in the criminal justice system.

This study aims to access regime change and democratic consolidation in Africa from a comparative perspective. Comparative method was employed and content analysis used to analyse why most states on the continent are yet to consolidate their democracy. The study found that despite regime frequency in the Republic of Niger and regime longevity in Equatorial Guinea both states are yet to consolidate their democracy. One of the recommendation of the paper is that state institutions should be strengthened.

It has become increasingly clear that COVID-19 transmits between individuals. It stands to reason that the spread of the virus depends on sociocultural ecologies that facilitate or inhibit social contact. In particular, the community-level tendency to engage with strangers and freely choose friends, called relational mobility (RM), entails increased opportunities to interact with a larger and more variable range of others. It may therefore be associated with a faster spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Here, we tested this possibility by analyzing growth curves of confirmed cases and deaths of COVID-19 in the first 30 days of the outbreaks in 39 countries. We found the growth was significantly accelerated as a function of a country-wise measure of RM. This relationship was robust either with or without a set of control variables, including demographic variables, reporting bias, testing availability, and cultural dimensions of individualism and government efficiency. Policy implications are discussed. Accepted for COVID-19 fast-track publication in Psychological Science

Bio plastic plastic is an innovative and emerging industry that brings hope as well as ambiguity from materials sourcing to end life management. Circular economy (CE) is to decouple economic growth from a carbon footprint and maximum utilization of renewable resources that keep creating pressure on emerging bio-based or bio-plastic industry to save our planet from the adverse effect of traditional plastic industry. Through the article, bio plastic circular value chain and a flow chart have been developed to understand, how circularity works in the value chain and stimulate competitiveness, and necessity of practicing circular economy concept in the bioplastic industry. The research has been conducted by mini literature review, information and knowledge gain from stakeholder’s publications, website, books, case study as well as direct and indirect involvement in bio-plastic industry. We observed bio plastic industry also needs to practice circularity in the value chain that will ensure more competitiveness and gain sustainability leadership index.

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty shock on the macroeconomic stability in Ethiopia in the short run period. The World Pandemic Uncertainty Index (WPUI) was used a proxy variable to measure COVID-19 Uncertainty shock effect. The pandemic effect on core macroeconomic variables like investment, employment, prices (both food & non food prices), import, export and fiscal policy indicators was estimated and forecasted using Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) Model. The role of fiscal policy in mitigating the shock effect of coronavirus pandemic on macroeconomic stability is also investigated. The finding of the study reveals that the COVID-19 impact lasts at least three years to shake the economy of Ethiopia. Given that the Ethiopian economy heavily relies on import to supply the bulk of its consumption and investment goods, COVID-19 uncertainty effect starts as supply chain shock, whose effect transmitted into the domestic economy via international trade channel. The pandemic uncertainty shock effect is also expected to quickly transcend to destabilize the economy via aggregate demand, food & non food prices, investment, employment and export shocks. The VAR estimate indicates that COVID-19 uncertainty shock results a massive rise in import in the six months following the outbreak of the pandemic. The finding in this regard is expected, as the pandemic triggers massive demand in food and pharmaceuticals, for which Ethiopia is import dependent on both items. In the next two years, however, the import bill of Ethiopia shows a decline. Reduction in aggregate demand (both consumption & investment expenditures) is one explanation for decline in import size in 2013 and 2014 E.C. The price dynamics as forecasted in the upcoming three years in Ethiopia tells the direction of impacts of COVID-19 uncertainty shock to shake the macroeconomic order. The findings in this regard revealed the structural breakups of Ethiopian economy, characterized by its inability to withstand shocks. As signaled in forecasted price dynamics on both food and non food price indices, COVID-19 was a supply shock in its first time impact, but quickly transpasses to demand shock. And in the next few years the demand shock outweighs the supply shock. The results of estimations indicate that food prices to sky rocketed at least until the end of 2014 E.C (2021/22 E.F.Y). On the other hand, except communication & hotel & restaurant prices, other components of non food price indices show a slump. The decline in non food price level is a clear showcase of under consumption characterizes the economic order in Ethiopia in the coming three years. COVID-19 uncertainty shock puts huge loss in the investment sector in Ethiopia at least in the coming two years 2013 and 2014 E.C (2020/21-2021/22). In this regard, the pandemic effect transmitted to shake investment expenditure via the length of the pandemic period itself and export performances, both of which are exogenous shocks. The study identified that general under consumption features the Ethiopian economy in the next couple of years. Therefore, the government is expected to enact incentives/policy directions which can boost business confidence. A managed expansionary fiscal policy is found to be key to promote investment, employment and to stabilize food & non-food prices. A particular role of fiscal policy was identified to stabilizing food, transport and communication prices. More importantly, price stabilization policies of the government can have spillover effects in boosting aggregate demand by spurring investments (and widening employment opportunities) in transport/logistics, hotel & restaurant, culture & tourism and export sectors in particular.

A document by Diyora Rasuleva. Click on the document to view its contents.

We designed this study to understand the Ethiopian youth's decisions to migrate irregularly. Qualitative research is ideal to understand shared individual stories within its natural context. Since the aim of this study was to understand Ethiopian youth's decision in their natural setting, we used the qualitative approach. Qualitative research helps researchers to stay closer to their data. Therefore, qualitative interviews and FGDs conducted with youth who were potential irregular migrants or returned irregular migrants who were planning to re-migrate irregularly.

As social media serves as a new marketing platform, there are more opportunities for greater consumer-to-consumer interaction enabling consumer to connect, interact, and engage with wider audience (van Doorn et al., 2010). Consequently, this engagement shifted to a different social form such as the creation of online communities that links engagement to social media more than ever before. Looking on this perspective, the study will explore on nature and value dimensions of consumer engagement in online brand communities. With its focus on online brand community, Masarap Ba? Facebook Community, the study aims to address how hedonic and utilitarian dimensions influence consumer engagement in terms of (1) consumer communication; (2) consumer feedback and (3) consumer collaboration. It also investigates on which value as hedonic or utilitarian is a stronger driver of consumer engagement

This study examined the reasons why young persons still engage in the act of handshake amidst the spread of Covid-19 in Nigeria. Eight young persons were interviewed and data analyzed descriptively. Findings show that the participants believe that they are not susceptible to the virus due to self-administration of hydroxychloroquine and claim on divine (God-given), geographic (hot temperature) and demographic (being young) immunity.

The current study is aimed at understanding the impact of TikTok’s recommendation system. The algorithm is perceived as very efficient in targeting users but raises several ethical concerns regarding the ability to manipulate users’ experience and the extent to which private data and preferences are respected. Utilizing the data collected from 40 in-depth interviews, this study explores: How do users perceive TikTok’s ethical responsibilities in regard to their algorithmic recommendation system? Furthermore, the analysis discusses and evaluates the tension between a) how the platform’s algorithm feeds users similar videos that they highly appreciate; and, inversely, b) how the diversification of recommendations is limited. A thematic analysis shows interviewees describe TikTok as a safe space where users can be themselves and feel included in a community of people interested in posting content to connect and engage meaningfully beyond difference. However, the algorithm is perceived as harmful because it tries to manipulate and drive users towards specific videos that increase their ‘addiction’ to the platform. Interviewees consider some of the recommendations on the ForYou page to be questionable because they aimed at persuading or nudging in favor of particular hashtags and social causes. This contradiction may partly be explained by the fact that interviewees report their rationalizations in a performative manner in order to avoid feelings of dissonance while attempting to relate to their own self-identity. This observation leads to the idea that the concept of mediated diversity can explain the tension between the expectation of similarity and diversity.

Public Reform and Development Secretariat GoK,(2005) reports indicates that corruption and discretionary powers contribute to the poor delivery of services in government apparatuses and departments. The loss of control of records has consequences for all citizens, especially for the poorest who are least able to defend themselves. Relevant and accurate public records are essential to preserving the rule of law and demonstrating fair, equal, and consistent treatment of citizens. All citizens are entitled to access to records and information yet in most cases, they do not get them or if they do, it takes a long time because of inadequate information systems, lack of appropriate use of technology as well as challenges to do with the human resources establishment and functions. By using an internet data search on government reports ,books, journalS, articles, and websites Paper is going to investigate on the effect of record management on public procurement performance in Kampala Capital City Authority.

Critiques about the misconstrued thesis of Garrett Hardin’s (1968) classic essay entitled The Tragedy of the Commons are well documented. However, little is known of the remote and proximate causes of the pejorative confusion about the vital essay. This article engages the discursive reconstruction of the thesis from the management of the commons to the original intent about the unscrupulousness of unchecked population growth as a critical factor to the looming collapse of the earth. Deploying an eloquent metaphor, the devil in the number, the article reinvents the illogic of overpopulating the world while simultaneously pursuing the technocratic solutions to nature’s burden. The article reports four marked factors that swayed perception away from Hardin’s thesis. The significance of Hardin’s essay for the overburdened ecosystem as the harbinger for the socio-economic and governance crisis across the global divides is also discussed.

The paper provides understanding of managers’ rationales and constraints when hiring foreign workers in the manufacturing and manufacturing related services sectors in Singapore. Using purposive and quota sampling methods, the study covers in-depth interviews with 25 managers from multinational companies from Singapore’s five leading industries, in the manufacturing sector and manufacturing related services sector. Analysing qualitative data from the structuration perspective show that managers’ choices are shaped by the changing foreign labour policy that limit the hiring of foreign workers from specific countries according to different levels of skills. Reasons for hiring unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled foreign workers vary which ranging from ‘blended low labour cost’ to shortage of domestic labour, right attitude to work, skill mismatch of domestic labour, high salary demands by domestic labour, accreditation and innovation capability, and relevant knowledge, skills and language proficiency. As the dependency ratio for foreign workers continue to narrow, in the near future, managers would have to search for limited skilled workers within the Singapore’s domestic labour market. The post-pandemic Covid-19 crisis would disrupt the future demand for unskilled foreign workers as the adoption of automation would increase and managers would have to readapt to the new economic scenario.

Spectrum of Consciousness is introduced in the paper. It is a human-friendly facilitator in human consciousness that balances human saintliness and animalization continuous interplay within us because of alpha intimidation. Structure and function assumptions discussed. A pilot study with 100 volunteers those answered 5 structured questions in a survey supported presence. More studies would inform more.

This study analysed the differences in career choices, career satisfaction and educational performance and the effects of career choices and satisfaction on educational performance among police officer