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The Rise of Islamic Jihad in Northern Nigeria and Its Implications on the Jos-Plateau Religious Conflicts
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014
Pages:
67-73
Received:
23 April 2014
Accepted:
15 May 2014
Published:
30 May 2014
Abstract: For over two decades, the regions of northern Nigeria have been experiencing various religious conflicts and government approach in curbing the menaces have often been of no positive effect. From the year 2001, the conflicts have taken a new dimension because Hausa/Fulani jihadists sporadically attack rural communities within the Jos Plateau province repeatedly killing hundreds and thousands of people without showing any remorse. The conflicts have often been described by the media and politicians as strictly an ethnic or land-ownership conflicts. Using historical analogies, this researcher argues that the course for Islamic Jihad in northern Nigeria which started since 1804 is the main reason behind Muslim and Christian conflicts in Jos.
Abstract: For over two decades, the regions of northern Nigeria have been experiencing various religious conflicts and government approach in curbing the menaces have often been of no positive effect. From the year 2001, the conflicts have taken a new dimension because Hausa/Fulani jihadists sporadically attack rural communities within the Jos Plateau provin...
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Living Labs, Spaces for Open Innovation and Technology Transfer. An Alternative to the Solution of Social Problems in Paraguay
Antonieta Rojas De Arias,
Sergio Duarte Masi,
Diego Dorigo,
Francisco Arias Rojas,
María Celeste Vega,
Miriam Rolon
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014
Pages:
74-79
Received:
7 April 2014
Accepted:
10 May 2014
Published:
30 May 2014
Abstract: Living Labs model concentrate its effort to support actors, providing a neutral space in which stakeholders could know and co-develop innovations in real-world contexts and proposes five basic principles for the operations of the aforementioned living labs: courage, openness, realism, influence and sustainability. The objective of this paper is to propose and test a Living Lab and project management model from the actual stakeholders, following the perspective of the Stakeholder Theory and the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). This perspective places the Research - Action model on the basis of the SSM model as an appropriate vehicle for the openness towards worldviews, problems and conflicts solving by the organizations, especially when it involves the formulation of possible cultural changes (structural, process, attitudinal) and "actions for improvement" are established. Therefore, we present the case of the Development Center for Scientific Research which brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers and the project "Participatory approach with ethnic focus for Community Development of the Maskoy Diez Leguas ethnicity in the Central Chaco of Paraguay".
Abstract: Living Labs model concentrate its effort to support actors, providing a neutral space in which stakeholders could know and co-develop innovations in real-world contexts and proposes five basic principles for the operations of the aforementioned living labs: courage, openness, realism, influence and sustainability. The objective of this paper is to ...
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The Political Basis of the European Identity
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014
Pages:
80-85
Received:
12 May 2014
Accepted:
27 May 2014
Published:
30 May 2014
Abstract: The concept of European identity is understood as an attempt to consolidate the process of European integration that would provide the European Union with a more stable future. This is why, generally speaking, the concept has gained its full relevance with the entry into force of the Mastricht Treaty in 1993, establishing the European Union, thus ever growing integration. Under the concept of European identity, it is not enough to be within the borders of the EU. One can become “more” European by accepting what is considered to be European norms and values while at the same time having appreciation for the background. The European identity is expressed by trying to speak the local language, by trying to assimilate and integrate to the extent that will facilitate our everyday life in the given environment, by respecting an opportunity to be part of such an environment, etc. The official establishment of the concept of the European identity during the 1973 Copenhagen Summit at that point was a political category as a foreign policy tool. Since then, it moved from political to social category and back. For example, the veil issue has moved from being a cultural issue to become a political issue and this also has implications for the development of European identity. The politicization of European identity in international scientific circles is more of a question as a practical reality versus efforts of the Union for Americanization of European cultural space that imposes globalization to the values of culture, especially the media space.
Abstract: The concept of European identity is understood as an attempt to consolidate the process of European integration that would provide the European Union with a more stable future. This is why, generally speaking, the concept has gained its full relevance with the entry into force of the Mastricht Treaty in 1993, establishing the European Union, thus e...
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Media Ethics - Principles and Practices in Macedonian Journalism
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014
Pages:
86-91
Received:
8 May 2014
Accepted:
21 May 2014
Published:
20 June 2014
Abstract: In the era of democratization of institutions in all spheres of social living and globalization on a large scale imposed by the rapid technical-technological development and modern communication, the issue of media ethics has become all the problematic and has been connected with the moral responsibility of journalists and the application of professional standards and criteria. In the countries with young democracies and transition of systems of social establishment among which is also the Republic of Macedonia, the behavior of the media and the rules of conduct of professionals were often prescribed and imposed by others: the government, the state, the ruling political parties or the media close to them. Respecting professional standards and criteria, especially in research journalism, is often reflected in media practice with certain misfortunes for journalists, administrative barriers, bans and court prosecutions. With the new national media laws, the fundamental human right to be appropriately informed is limited and repressed, and thus there is a maximal affirmation of a new, made-up and artificially construed right without any basis arising from the relevant international legal regulative. Journalistic ethics must firstly call upon the public which the media content is intended for, upon the goodness of those who are in dire need of the announcement and the content that can deeply influence their lives, in a good or a bad way. The ethic code of journalists and other media professionals is only the second name of the rules of conduct based on which the journalistic profession is founded. These rules make sense only if they arise from a broader social context that characterizes the acceptance of a certain system of universal values.
Abstract: In the era of democratization of institutions in all spheres of social living and globalization on a large scale imposed by the rapid technical-technological development and modern communication, the issue of media ethics has become all the problematic and has been connected with the moral responsibility of journalists and the application of profes...
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Rural Household Livelihood Strategies: Options and Determinants in the Case of Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Yishak Gecho,
Gezahegn Ayele,
Tesfaye Lemma,
Dawit Alemu
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014
Pages:
92-104
Received:
10 May 2014
Accepted:
3 June 2014
Published:
30 June 2014
Abstract: Due to sever land scarcity, high population pressure and recurrent drought, farm households in the study area widely engage in and pursue diverse activities as livelihood strategies. The carrying capacity of agriculture to attain food and livelihood security is extremely declining from time to time. Diversifying livelihood strategies at current time become a common phenomenon in the study area. The major objectives of this study are, therefore, to identify the existing livelihood strategies adopted by rural households and to assess factors that determine households’ decision to choose alternative livelihood strategies. For the purpose of this study primary data were collected from randomly selected 300 households in four woredas (districts) of the zone. Descriptive statistics was applied to characterize the sample households’ social, economic, demographic and institutional factors. The finding of the survey result indicates that rural households in the study area practice diversified livelihood strategies, in that large part of the respondents (57.7%) combine agriculture with other activities (non/off-farm). Surprisingly, some farmers were pursuing non-farm and off-farm activities as the primary livelihood strategies rather than agriculture. Multinomial logit model applied to investigate factors influencing the households’ choice of livelihood strategies. In this regard, a total of 19 explanatory variables were included in the empirical model of which 11 were significant. These variables include agro-ecology, sex, education, farm size, livestock ownership, participation in social leadership, annual cash income, fertilizer use, improved seed use, age, and training which were determining farmers’ choice of livelihood strategies. The results of this study suggest that development interventions, policies and supportive services should be designed to suit the felt needs and circumstances of different groups of farmers.
Abstract: Due to sever land scarcity, high population pressure and recurrent drought, farm households in the study area widely engage in and pursue diverse activities as livelihood strategies. The carrying capacity of agriculture to attain food and livelihood security is extremely declining from time to time. Diversifying livelihood strategies at current tim...
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