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41. AURUM Journal of Social Sciences (Volume 9, Number 1) - Full Issue

Author:
Meltem Yilmaz, Büşra Alparslan, Arzu Uğurlu Kara, Mesut Özcan, and Ceyhun Ilsever
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
AURUM Journal of Social Sciences
Institution:
Altinbas University
Abstract:
The first article of this issue is on the field of law. The study is titled “A Street Law Course Experience for Raising Human Rights Awareness”. This study by Meltem Yılmaz aims to examine the contribution of ‘street law’ type legal clinic courses to increase of human rights awareness among both law students and society. As a result of the study, the author finds that giving street law-type law clinics as elective courses in the last years of faculty of law education is the most efficient option; in addition, the importance of enhancing the courses in terms of active learning methods and techniques was emphasized in order to increase efficiency concerning high school and secondary school students’ achievements. The second study in this issue is “War and Peace in Game of Thrones as An Epic Narrative”. This study from the field of psychology was conducted by Büşra Alparslan. The aim of the study is to investigate to examine the war and peace themes in the TV series Game of Thrones, which can be considered as an epic a popular culture narrative. This study’s results reveals that Game of Thrones somewhat differs from traditional epic narratives. Although classical themes like “just war discourse” pops on and off throughout the show, it is also emphasized that, unlike the traditional approach, war is not a glorious act. The third study in this issue is from the field of human resources titled “Adaptation of the “Design Thinker Profile” Scale into Turkish” by Ayça Uğur and Kemal Özkan Yılmaz. As the title suggests, the aim of the study is to adopt “Design Thinker Profile” scale developed by Chesson (2017) to the Turkish and to assess its validity and reliability. The results show that the scale has validity and reliability in Turkish. Another study in our journal is titled “Development of Maritime Public Transportation in Istanbul in the Framework of Organic Transportation Approach”. The study conducted by Ceyhun İlsever and Ayşe Buse Cılız aims to make concrete suggestions for the development of urban maritime public transportation in Istanbul in line with the principles and criteria of organic transportation, which is developed as one of the approaches to integration, accessibility, and governance in transportation. As a result, the authors propose some suggestions under specific headings to increase the demand for maritime transportation in Istanbul. The last study in this issue is from the field of psychology. The article by Ecem Kıran, Yaren Erdoğdu ve Naci Can Sümengen is titled “Examining the Relationship Between Eating Attitudes and Self-Compassion”. As its title suggests, this study aimed to examine the relationship between eating attitudes and self-compassion and to investigate the prevalence of this relationship in a non-clinical sample by evaluating it in terms of chronic and psychological disorders. As a result, a statistically significant negative relationship between disordered eating attitudes and self-compassion levels is found; in addition, results shows that the self-compassion levels of participants diagnosed with a psychological disorder were significantly lower, while participants with a chronic disease had eating attitudes that were significantly disordered compared to participants without a psychological disorder. In addition to the research articles briefly summarized above, we have also included a book review in this issue. Ahmet Tuğşad Doğukan and Fatih Dağ reviewed Thomas Piketty’s “Nature, Culture et Inégalités” book. According to the reviewers, in this book, Piketty examines the complex dynamics of socioeconomic disparities, questioning traditional assumptions that can be characterized as deterministic and offering an innovative perspective on the causes and evolution of inequality. While traditional assumptions emphasize natural factors such as individual abilities or resource endowments, Piketty argues that contrary to these factors, political and social forces have been more influential in the course of inequality throughout history.
Topic:
Development, Culture, Law, Human Resources, Social Science, and Public Transportation
Political Geography:
Turkey and Global Focus

42. Tough Love and the Diplomacy of Foreign Assistance

Author:
Mark G. Wentling
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
American Diplomacy
Institution:
American Diplomacy
Abstract:
Providing aid to low and middle-income countries (LMIC) is at the heart of our relationships with those countries. The concept is that needy countries on this list of 132 LMICs, particularly the 45 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the bottom range of this list, require external aid for their development. However, almost all the countries on the LMIC list are the same as they were over 30 years ago, and they are no closer to graduating into a higher income category. It is highly doubtful if any LMIC will achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030. This raises several fundamental questions about the return on the US government’s investment. What are the cost-benefit and recurrent costs analyses? Do the returns justify the investment of the USG’s human resources and funding amounts? Is USG assistance contributing to modifying the host country’s behavior so that it is more favorable to US interests? Basically, is the activity worth USG resources?
Topic:
Development, Diplomacy, Investment, and Foreign Assistance
Political Geography:
Global Focus and United States of America

43. Migrant Labor and Economic Assistance

Author:
Mark G. Wentling
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
American Diplomacy
Institution:
American Diplomacy
Abstract:
Factors such as labor migration and remittances are often not given sufficient attention in USG mission host country development strategies. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 3.6 percent of the world’s population is on the move, and that percentage is projected to increase. Future development plans for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) have to consider this population movement and the consequent funds transfer from high income countries to LMICs.
Topic:
Development, Migration, and Labor Issues
Political Geography:
Global Focus

44. Mind the Gap: Bridging the Divide between Cooperation Providers

Author:
Beata Cichocka, Rachael Calleja, Sara Casadevall Bellés, and Emma Mawdsley
Publication Date:
01-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Despite the increasing imperative for cross-provider collaboration, the quest for a truly “global” development paradigm remains elusive, marked by persistent divides between different types of development providers’ normative frameworks, models, experiences, capacities, and institutional allegiances. This paper explores the potential role of countries to act as bridges across these varying institutional, normative, or technical “distances” between providers. We begin by examining why, when, and under what conditions countries choose to act as bridges, given their differing capacities, credibility, knowledge, and willingness to act in the role. We then identify some common types and illustrative examples of bridging countries, including “dual donors,” “development experience” bridges, “political” bridges, and “geographic or cultural” bridges, and explore some of the most common types of actions that they can undertake. While all of these actions—whether joint project implementation, hosting forums, brokering agreements, or contributing to the creation of more inclusive norms and multilateral spaces— require some level of both political and technical commitment, they vary in terms of the level of ambition and mutual trust required to undertake action and therefore provide a broad range of options suited to a variety of contexts, agendas, and actors wishing to play a bridging role. Following a brief examination of the benefits and risks associated with bridging, the paper concludes with some policy recommendations for bridging countries that wish to approach this ambitious challenge more strategically.
Topic:
Development, Government, Donors, and Collaboration
Political Geography:
Global Focus

45. Disinvesting from Low-Value Health Technologies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Between a Solution to the Current Fiscal Crises and a Costly Mirage?

Author:
Adrian Gheorghe and Pete Baker
Publication Date:
04-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
In this policy paper we summarise what is known about healthcare disinvestment and outline documented experiences in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to draw insights on what has worked, to what extent, and under what conditions. We reviewed the published literature on documented experiences of attempted healthcare disinvestment in LMICs. We identified two common scenarios when disinvestment initiatives were attempted, namely “one-off” and “systematic” initiatives, and characterised them in terms of objectives, resources and political will. We found four documented examples of one-off disinvestment initiatives—Iran, Malaysia, Romania, and Vietnam, two documented examples of systematic disinvestment initiatives by health technology assessment (HTA) agencies in LMICs—Brazil and China, as well as a range of countries like Thailand, India, and Ghana that carry out systematic disinvestment through routine HTA processes. We conclude that disinvestment is costly, time-consuming, and rarely as successful as policymakers intend. Key considerations to improve the chances of success include whether strong pre-existing health prioritisation systems exist (such as an HTA agency) and whether the design of initiatives are tightly matched to the level of political will, the policy objective, and available resources.
Topic:
Development, Science and Technology, Global Health, and Fiscal Crisis
Political Geography:
Global Focus

46. Why and How Multilateral Development Banks Support Improved Outcomes for Economic Migrants and Refugees

Author:
Helen Dempster, Martha Guerrero Ble, and Stephanie López Villamil
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Economic migrants and refugees can bring both benefits and costs to their hosting countries. If well-integrated, they can support themselves, their families, and their hosting countries as producers and consumers. Both economic migration and forced displacement are therefore integrally linked with development outcomes. Recognizing this, multilateral development banks (MDBs) are supporting their beneficiary member countries to improve outcomes for economic migrants and refugees, in the form of billions of dollars in grants and loans, as well as technical assistance, policy dialogues, and knowledge exchanges. This paper provides an introductory snapshot of some of the financing instruments, projects, and strategies used; particularly innovative approaches; and challenges MDBs face in expanding their engagement. It is hoped this paper will be useful to anyone who engages with MDBs and wants to understand how they engage on economic migration and forced displacement, particularly as these issues continue to grow in importance.
Topic:
Development, Migration, World Bank, Refugees, and Banking
Political Geography:
Global Focus

47. ABCs of the IFIs: Understanding the World Bank’s IDA21 Replenishment

Author:
Erin Collinson, Clemence Landers, Justin Hurley, and Grace Miner
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The International Development Association (IDA)—the World Bank’s arm that works in low- and lower-middle-income countries—is one of the largest sources of development assistance for the world’s poorest countries. It is also a crucial tool for resource-constrained governments to borrow on affordable terms compared to other creditors, including Chinese entities. IDA supports eligible countries whose annual per capita incomes fall below an established line (currently $1,315 in FY2024). Because IDA provides grants and highly subsidized loans to its client countries, its funds need to be replenished by donors every three years. Replenishments are year-long negotiations where the World Bank’s shareholding countries, of which the US is the largest, negotiate a policy and financing package for the next three-year cycle. This year, 2024, is an IDA replenishment year for the institution’s twenty-first round of funding (“IDA21”), culminating with a pledging session in December to finalize IDA21’s financing envelope.
Topic:
Development, World Bank, and International Development Association (IDA)
Political Geography:
Global Focus

48. Starting from the Source: Methods and Priorities for Explaining Lead Exposure

Author:
Rachel Bonnifield
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin, and lead poisoning remains one of the most serious and neglected public health challenges in the developing world, with major negative impacts on global health, education, and overall economic development. There is now growing international momentum to mitigate lead pollution, with the goal of dramatically reducing human lead exposure and consequent adverse effects. Yet before lead exposure can be effectively mitigated, it is essential to understand why humans are being exposed to lead in the first place and therefore how policymakers can intervene to stop further exposure. To date, such research into the major sources of lead exposure—broadly referred to as source assessment—in developing countries has been limited. Thus, there is limited information and no global scientific consensus about the most important causes of global lead exposure. Given growing global interest in addressing lead poisoning, there is an urgent need to better understand the major sources of lead exposure in different settings by increasing the volume and quality of related research. Tailored to a policy audience, this paper offers a state-of-the-science review of methods for doing so. First, it provides background for understanding lead exposure—that is, how and why lead enters the environment, how it behaves once there, and how environmental lead results in elevated blood lead levels for humans. Second, it outlines basic principles for source assessment, including a discussion of objectives and terminology. Third, it details the range of methods available for understanding the sources of lead exposure and describes how such methods can be used in combination to understand major sources of lead exposure in a given context. Finally, it considers major policy-relevant gaps in the literature base about sources of global exposure and offers suggestions for a research agenda in this space.
Topic:
Development, Public Health, Global Health, and Lead
Political Geography:
Global Focus

49. Making Migration Work for Adaptation: Classifying Remittances as Climate Finance

Author:
Samuel Huckstep and Jonathan Beynon
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Labour migration programmes targeted towards climate-vulnerable populations can provide transformative finance, raising household incomes and allowing adaptation. Current flows of adaptation finance are highly insufficient. Mobilisation of private adaptation finance is very low, despite commitments to increase mobilisation. Targeted labour migration programmes can leverage private adaptation finance at a high level of efficiency. Incentivising the selection of migrant labour from communities most vulnerable to climate change by counting a portion of their remittance flows as mobilised private climate finance may therefore have significant benefits.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Migration, Adaptation, and Remittances
Political Geography:
Global Focus

50. Localization in Theory and Practice

Author:
Ranil Dissanayake
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The movement for localization in foreign aid presents philosophical and practical challenges for providers of foreign aid. In the past, some level of localization (to at least state actors) of both decision-making and spending could be achieved through general and sector budget support, a logistically simple (though politically difficult) approach. Current practices, with more aid disbursed in the form of discrete projects, make localization more difficult to achieve. For development agencies to make progress they must confront conceptual, practical and strategic challenges. This paper suggests practical definitions of different kinds of localization and what they seek to achieve, points out trade-offs between them and sets out how they challenge current conceptions of how and what foreign aid seeks to do, as well as suggest limits to the optimal extent and type of localization. It then considers practical difficulties in implementing these different conceptions of localization given existing donor practices and capacities, and the strategic challenges of realizing the desired outcomes—specifically principal-agent problems within the organization and with contractors. It concludes with key lessons and messages for donors and funding agencies.
Topic:
Development, Humanitarian Aid, Reform, USAID, and Localization
Political Geography:
Global Focus