Economic Justice in Post-COVID India: A Macroeconomic Perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown wreaked havoc on substantial segments of the Indian population through unemployment and income loss, only highlighting the lack of institutional structures and policies to protect vulnerable sections of society from aggregate as well as idiosyncratic shocks. This chapter argues that the variations in the capacity to better one's life are conditional on socio-economic divisions a person belongs to and this makes such divisions fault lines. They constitute structural weaknesses in the economy leaving out millions of people without the capability to participate in the economy meaningfully and remuneratively. The author provides evidence of disproportionate impact of the pandemic along these fault lines and provides a policy framework for economic justice and prosperity to all in the post-COVID economy. He also highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to policy-making given the complex nature of the problem. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

The impact of COVID-19 on academic aeromobility practices: Hypocrisy or moral quandary?

Academics have long regarded air travel as vital to pursuing a successful career. Meanwhile, many academics are at the frontline of climate change science and advocate the urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The conflict between combating global warming and high aeromobility practices traps academics in a loop of hypocrisy. However, COVID-19 presents an opportunity for academics to advance their research and careers with reduced aeromobility. This research investigates how academics have adapted to virtual working experiences during COVID-19 and the implications for establishing changes in aeromobility practices. Informed by the theory of practice change, this paper reports the findings of a comprehensive survey and interview programme in New Zealand. It provides insights into the prospects for reduced aeromobility and the institutional policy frameworks required to embed a new normal, considering the unique circumstances faced by academics working at geographically remote institutions. The findings reveal that instead of being trapped in a loop of hypocrisy, New Zealand academics face a moral quandary in being concerned about climate change and wishing to reduce aeromobility practices, while wanting to avoid compromising career success. Recommendations for academics to face this moral quandary and their institutions to support practice change are proposed. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Mobilities is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Perception and Practice Towards Hand Hygiene during Pandemic among Patients Visiting OPD in A Private Institution

One of the most significant and well-publicized prevention practises for Covid 19 is hand cleanliness. Face masks and social withdrawal are useless without good hand hygiene. The healthcare professionals can only intervene and raise awareness to enhance the public's hand hygiene practises after they are aware of the public's perceptions of and barriers to hand hygiene. A private dental facility had 150 outpatients participate in this cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Ten questions addressing various facets of hand hygiene and perceived obstacles made up the survey. The information from Google Forms was then imported into SPSS Version 15 using Excel. Data were presented as frequencies and percentages after the chi square test, and a p value of 0.05 or less was regarded as statistically significant.. In our study, 92.62 percent of outpatients at a private facility said that they continue to take measures against COVID19. 83.89% of our patients agreed that good hand hygiene habits are crucial for preventing COVID19. Whereas 38.26% of outpatients claimed to only wash their hands for 30 seconds, 33.56% of outpatients claimed to wash their hands for a full minute. In contrast to the 48.32 percent who said hand sanitizer is best and important for hand hygiene, 51.68 percent of outpatients said soap and water is best and essential for hand hygiene. According to the study's findings, the participants had a reasonable understanding of hand hygiene and its significance. Yet, there is a need for greater awareness of the finishing details on touch surfaces. Thus, it is advised that media-based propaganda and awareness campaigns have a positive impact and should be kept up, with a stronger focus on the finer points. © 2023 IEEE.

Undertanding the Experience of Universities Flexible Learning in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case for Two Universities in the Philippines

The school system was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to assess the implementation of flexible learning in academic institutions. The study intends to describe the flexible learning as practiced in the highly urbanized University and the countryside University during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey research aims to explore students' and faculty members' perceptions of the flexible learning modality implemented in the two institutions of higher learning. It also aims to discover the challenges, preferences, and support students and faculty need. Based on the results, learning becomes not workable given reasonable factors: strength of internet connectivity, quality of modules provided, the validity of the assessment, availability of learning devices such as smartphones, availability of budget for net data subscription, conduciveness of respective households for learning, et cetera. There should be standardized, normativized, and effective modules that are produced out of the intervention of various stakeholders. Requirements must be simple, reasonable, and workable given the students' time, resources, and capacity. Assessments should not be traditional and objective but should be authentic assessments. The digital divide should never be promoted directly or indirectly. The default system for all degree programs has to be the modules. The synchronous and/or asynchronous sessions should be made available to students but not mandatory;the University and teachers have to monitor every student's learning progress effectively. © 2022 IEEE.

Mainstreaming disaster risk management technical and vocational education and training (DRM-TVET) program in higher education institutions: flexible ladderized capacity building model amid COVID-19

Disasters are increasingly becoming more destructive in their impacts. Lives have been lost and properties damaged due to the lack of institutional and personnel coping and adaptive capacities. Several policies in the Philippines have noted the importance of capacity development in implementing Disaster Risk Management (DRM). To meet the above necessity, in 2017, Philippine School of Business Administration (PSBA), Manila, one of the higher education institutions pioneered a specialization of DRM in its existing Master in Business Administration program. However, meeting the demand for Disaster Risk Management Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DRM-TVET) through Formal Degree Program (FDP) and keeping FDP sustainable is still facing a number of challenges. The main drivers of these challenges include but are not limited to the following: time constraint on the part of participants to complete 2–4 years' FDP;lack of institutions offering DRM-TVET programs;and unavailability of a Learning Management System. The main objective of this research is to develop an Alpha-Flexible Ladderized Capacity Building Model (A-FLCBM) amid COVID-19. Further, the study should also provide logical flow and recommendations to operationalize the remaining activities of the Conceptual Framework in developing the Beta (B)-FLCBM amidst COVID-19. In this regard, the researchers collected pertinent data through a substantive, thorough, sophisticated literature review and examined the available mandates on existing Flexible ladderized models. Further, a Conceptual Framework (CF) is also developed and partially operationalized. The output allowed researchers to develop A- FLCBM amidst COVID-19 using the PSBA curriculum as a pilot case. However, the framework activities, i.e., dry run, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) registration for National Certification (NC), development of B-FLCBM, and the empirical assessment of DRM-TVET and FDP sustainability will be covered in future studies. The A-FLCBM comprises of interrelated activities including mode of learning and well-designed DRM NC short courses, workshops, and trainings for the trainers. The Model is aligned with the Executive Order 358, promulgated in 2004. Further, the Ladderized Education (LE) system introduced through Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order No. 43, 2008 Series, was also considered for wider-scale and accelerated implementation of LE nationwide and globally. The implementation of B-FLCBM will provide a unique opportunity to develop the skills required to be a professional in the DRM and business continuity field, improving the quality of life and raising awareness on the importance of preventing and mitigating disasters and reducing the loss incurred by countries in terms of lives, property, and economy. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethical moments and institutional expertise in UK Government COVID-19 pandemic policy responses: where, when and how is ethical advice sought?

Background:The emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic has required a rapid acceleration of policy decision making, and raised a wide range of ethical issues worldwide, ranging from vaccine prioritisation, welfare and public health ‘trade-offs', inequalities in policy impacts, and the legitimacy of scientific expertise.Aims and objectives:This paper explores the legacy of the pandemic for future science-advice-policy relationships by investigating how the UK government's engagement with ethical advice is organised institutionally. We provide an analysis of some key ethical moments in the UK Government response to the pandemic, and institutions and national frameworks which exist to provide ethical advice on policy strategies.Methods:We draw on literature review, documentary analysis of scientific advisory group reports, and a stakeholder workshop with government ethics advisors and researchers in England.Findings:We identify how particular types of ethical advice and expertise are sought to support decision making. Contrary to a prominent assumption in the extensive literature on ‘governing by expertise', ethical decisions in times of crisis are highly contingent.Discussion and conclusions:The paper raises an important set of questions for how best to equip policymakers to navigate decisions about values in situations characterised by knowledge deficits, complexity and uncertainty. We conclude that a clearer pathway is needed between advisory institutions and decision makers to ensure ethically-informed debate.

Determinants of students' satisfaction with digital classroom services: moderating effect of students' level of study

Purpose: Like every other sector, educational institutions have also been suffering immensely due to COVID-19 pandemic. Many educational institutions are now adopting digital classroom services. However, an online platform with the need for appropriate technology and infrastructure from the students' perspective poses a severe challenge to developing countries like Bangladesh. The paper aims to figure out the relevant factors that affect the extent of student satisfaction with digital classroom services at the school and tertiary levels. Design/methodology/approach: It is a quantitative study of 450 students from Bangladesh who encountered online classes during the pandemic of COVID-19. An equal number of students from all levels, including schools, colleges and tertiary stages, participated in the survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are used to interpret the data. Structural equation modeling using AMOS graphic software is incorporated to test the study's hypothesis. Findings: Among all the four determinants of student satisfaction during this critical era, all levels look satisfied with the three underlying influences: technological, convenience and resource-related factors. However, school-level students found the digital classroom services abrasive with Internet connectivity and technical structures during online classes and exams. Research limitations/implications: A comprehensive study can assess the difference between private and public university students in this regard. In addition, the impact of gender and/or location (rural/urban area) can be assessed by using the same model of the study. Practical implications: Having the experience of the students' satisfaction level during this pandemic, the government, educational institutions and other stakeholders can take away the findings of the results to have a better plan for Internet-based education at every level. Originality/value: The study is unique to see the readiness of developing nations such as Bangladesh to focus on the sudden uncertainty like a pandemic in introducing the digital education platform. The study can add value to achieving the country's sustainable development goal of becoming a digitally enabled regional education hub. © 2023, Md Abdul Momen, Seyama Sultana, Md. Anamul Hoque, Shamsul Huq Bin Shahriar and Abu Sadat Muhammad Ashif.

Through the Lens of Students: MS Teams as a Sustainable Pedagogical Tool

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for higher education institutions to modernize and embrace the post-digital age. This study evaluates students' perspectives of utilizing MS Teams as a means of facilitating remote learning during the pandemic. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was employed as the theoretical framework to examine students' views on self-efficacy, facilitating conditions, ease of use, usefulness, and intention to use. The results showcase positive views of MS Teams, with self-efficacy rated the highest among the five constructs, followed by ease of use, facilitating conditions, intention to use, and usefulness. Additionally, no significant differences were found in students' perceptions based on gender. MS Teams has proven to be a successful platform for delivering online learning and communicating, bridging the divide of distance and time in teaching and learning. As discussions about the future of higher education in the post-pandemic world have commenced among academia and university officials, it is crucial to consider the impact of COVID-19 on student learning and provide suggestions for a more sustainable and effective post-pandemic education. © 2023 IEEE.

A research on the using of bank loans in accommodation companies traded in Borsa Istanbul

The main purpose of this research is to analyze the using of bank loans provided by the banking sector in accommodation companies traded in Borsa Istanbul in terms of type, maturity and cost. The study also examined the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the accommodation companies' use of bank loans. In this context, the level of bank loan usage, the type of bank loans, interest rates, maturity and their distribution in currency between the years 2009 and 2021 were tried to be determined by ratio and document analysis. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that 10,84% of the assets in accommodation companies are financed by bank loans, the use of bank loans in total liabilities is 19.92% and short-term bank loans are preferred. It was also detected that accommodation companies mainly benefit from business loans, daily spot loans, revolving loans, current account loans, foreign exchange earning loans, vehicle loans and investment loans in Turkish Lira, Dollar, Euro and Sterling with interest rates varying every year. However, compared to the pre-Covid-19 outbreak period, it was observed that the level of bank loans used by accommodation companies first decreased, but then increased again.

A Predictive Model for Assessing Satisfaction with Online Learning for Higher Education Students During and After COVID-19 Using Data Mining and Machine Learning Techniques: A Case of Jordanian Institutions

Higher education institutions confronted an escalating unexpected pressure to rapidly transform throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic, by replacing most of the traditional teaching practices with online-based education. Such transformation required institutions to frequently strive for qualities that meet conceptual requirements of traditional education due to its agility and flexibility. The challenge of such electronic learning styles remains in their potential of bringing out many challenges, along with the advantages it has brought to the educational systems and students alike. This research came to shed the light on several factors presented as a predictive model and proposed to contribute to the success or failure in terms of students' satisfaction with online learning. The study took the kingdom of Jordan as a case example country experiencing online education while and after the covid -19 intensive implementation. The study used a dataset collected from a sample of over "300” students using online questionnaires. The questionnaire included "25” attributes mined into the Knime analytics platform. The data was rigorously learned and evaluated by both the "Decision Tree” and "Naive Bayes” algorithms. Subsequently, results revealed that the decision tree classifier outperformed the naïve bayes in the prediction of student satisfaction, additionally, the existence of the sense of community while learning electronically among other reasons had the most contribution to the satisfaction. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Blended Online Learning Strategy Amidst Covid 19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the landscape of education around the world. As academic institutions moved from traditional face-to-face instruction to distance learning instruction to ensure educational continuity while dealing with the health global crisis. The present study reports on the effectiveness of blended online learning at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Phenomenological research design was employed to obtain empirical information from the participants, and the data collected were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that blended online learning was beneficial for the learners since it offers flexibility, autonomous learning, engagement, and improved ICT skills. However, the participants also experienced challenges that hamper their learning including technical issues, incomprehensible materials, home distractions, and a lack of resources. © 2022 IEEE.

Coronavirus Pandemic and Online Education: Impact on Developing Countries

In this book, eight substantive chapters examine how "developing” countries such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Mexico confronted the pandemic-driven online education shift. As local instruments, resources, and preferences of specific universities meshed with global platforms, ideas, and knowledge, the book addresses several questions. Was the mix too flaky to survive increasing competitiveness? Were countries capable enough to absorb mammoth software technological changes? Throwing a "developed” country (the United States) in for contrast, the book elaborates on the inequities between these countries. Some of these inequalities were economic (infrastructural provisions and accesses), others involved gender (the role of women), political (the difference between public and private universities), social (accessibility across social spectrum), and developmental (urban-rural divides). In doing so, new hypotheses on widening global gaps are highlighted in the book for further investigation. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

Crisis Management and Public Policies. The Trend toward Regulatory Practices in Some Countries

The article aims to investigate whether governments tend to implement regulatory policies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and to examine the type of citizen response to different types of policies. Given that active and collaborative citizen participation is an essential element of adequate crisis management, citizen resistance, active opposition, and demonstrations in public spaces are detrimental to the successful outcome of government policies in the face of a crisis. We employ the crisis management and institutional analyses theoretical perspectives, as well as the qualitative methods of study case and the comparative studies. We review the different types of policies implemented in different countries. Our analysis shows that there is indeed a tendency for implementing regulatory policies. It also identifies that the places where regulative policies are created and implemented without taking into account contextual aspects, it usually catalyzes citizen's discomfort. Therefore, we argue that the type of policy used is relevant to deciding what governments' responses should be and their effect on legitimacy during crises.

E-learning Challenges for Lecturers in Indonesia Higher Education Institutions

Since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020, e-learning has become a necessity. There may have been some uncertainty on how to perform e-learning properly because many educational institutions may not have expected the rapid change in learning style. This is especially true when it comes to offering an e-learning management system (LMS). This study aims to examine the affordances of higher education institutions in Indonesia in conducting the e-learning during the pandemic. To understand more about the adoption of e-learning in their individual institutions, we conducted an online survey towards 100 university lecturers from several cities. The results revealed that 79% of the participants used a specially built LMS in their universities, while the rest still used commercially built LMS like Moodle. Then, 82% of the participants prefer blended learning model which combined face-To-face and e-learning models, and 46% of them wanted to have a fifty-fifty division between face to face and e-learning. As for the challenges, no interaction with students was deemed as the most disturbing challenge for the lecturers. The results imply that e-learning will continue to be implemented in Indonesia, regardless of the condition of the pandemic. Thus, universities should provide an e-LMS that can cater all the e-learning needs, while lecturers should also equip themselves with pedagogical as well as technological skills to face the e-learning challenges. © 2023 IEEE.

Occupational burnout factors among correctional mental health providers

Burnout rates of correctional employees are higher than employees in the general public. The purpose of this study was to identify how occupational factors impact burnout rates among correctional mental health workers. Grounded in the job-demands theoretical model, this study compared burnout rates among mental health staff within county jails and state prisons. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Occupational factors were measured using the Areas of Work life Survey and Pandemic Experience and Perception Survey. Data was analyzed using IBM SSPS software to address multiple a priori directional research questions. Research questions considered how occupational factors impact burnout of this population. Key results indicated no significant difference in burnout rates among mental health providers, though found "workload" and "control" to be significant predictors of emotional exhaustion in both jails and prisons, and "reward" a significant predictor of personal accomplishment in prisons. "Risk perception" and "work life" were predictors of emotional exhaustion during a global pandemic. Future studies should expand the research on the variable "workload" with burnout and consider utilizing the demographic data collected to identify additional correlations. Implications for positive social change include prevention of burnout in correctional settings resulting in lower staff turnover, improved staff quality of life, and increased quality of treatment. Knowing the factors that contribute to burnout in these populations allows for intervention prior to burnout. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Economic policy uncertainty, governance institutions and economic performance in Africa: are there regional differences?

In recent years, the global economy has witnessed several uncertainty-inducing events. However, empirical evidence in Africa on the effects of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on economic activities remains scanty. Besides, the moderating effect of governance institutions on the uncertainty-economic performance relationship in Africa and the likelihood of regional differences in the response of economic activities to EPU on the continent are yet to be investigated. To address these gaps, we applied system GMM and quantile regressions on a panel of forty-seven African countries from 2010 to 2019. We find that while global EPU and EPUs from China, USA and Canada exert considerable influence on economic performance in Africa, the effects of domestic EPU and EPUs from Europe, UK, Japan, and Russia were negligible, suggesting that African economies are resilient to these sources of uncertainty shocks. We also find that governance institutions in Africa are not significantly moderating the uncertainty-economic performance relationship. However, our results highlighted regional differences in the response of economic activities to uncertainty, such that when compared to East and West Africa, economic performance in Central, North and Southern Africa is generally more resilient to global EPU and EPUs from China, USA, Europe and UK. We highlighted the policy implications of these findings.

Two Major Economic Crises in the Early Twenty-First Century and their Impact on Central Bank Independence

Two major economic crises in the early twenty-first century have had a serious impact on monetary policy and CB independence. Disruption in financial intermediation and associated deflationary pressures caused by the global financial crisis of 2007–2009 and European financial crisis of 2010–2015 pushed central banks (CBs) in major currency areas towards adoption of unconventional monetary policy measures, including large-scale purchase of government bonds (quantitative easing). The same approach has been taken by CBs in response to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 even if the characteristics of this crisis differ from the previous one. As a result of both crises, CBs have become major holders of government bonds and de facto – main creditors of governments. Against rapidly deteriorating fiscal balances, CBs have become hostages of fiscal policies, which compromises their independence. Risks to the CB independence also come from their additional mandates (beyond price stability) and populist political pressures.

The Importance of Transformational Leadership to Support Faculty Diversity in Our Nation's Predominantly White Institutions of Higher Learning

Predominantly white institutions (PWIs) struggle to attract and retain underrepresented faculty. Despite aspirations for diversity, the reality remains that underrepresented faculty are not hired and retained in numbers sufficient to change the institution's demographics. The leadership of PWIs strives for solutions to ameliorate the trend in recruitment, retention, and climate. The issue has gained even more significance recently due to the global coronavirus pandemic when layoffs, non-renewals, and hiring freezes have been widely imposed. This case examines how systemic leadership problems, mindsets, and climates keep PWIs at the status quo, and invites application of leadership and adult learning theories to develop a strategy for improving faculty diversity at PWIs.

The First Wave of COVID-19 in Forensic Psychiatry: A Rapid Review Series

At the beginning of the pandemic, experts expected an increasing number of hospitalizations in forensic settings, uncontrollable outbreaks of COVID-19, and deterioration of mental health of residents within institutions. Certain publications corroborated these concerns;however, no synthesis of the results of empirical publications at the initial stage of the pandemic has yet been conducted. Three rapid reviews were conducted on these topics. Besides almost a two-fold decrease in the total number of urgent consultations/hospitalizations, there were no changes in the number of involuntary hospitalizations, suicide attempts, and psychoses. The COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates in secure institutions were compatible with the general population. However, the lockdown period was associated with a significant increase in self-harm in secure settings.

A Quantitative Analysis of Different Learning Strategies for Senior High School Students in the 'New Normal'

Along with hitting certain regions of the country, the COVID-19 outbreak substantially impacted all academic institutions, prompting the traditional classroom structure to be adjusted immediately. Governments have shifted to a virtual learning environment to alleviate separation from educational activities and boost involvement. The primary objective of this research is to examine the different learning techniques used by senior high school students at a Philippine University when they engage in online learning. This study investigates the underlying pedagogies and instructional designs employed in the production and delivery of online courses. Numerous challenges, including infrastructure and school readiness for a rapid transition to distant education, would develop due to the rapid transformation in education. The researchers employed a descriptive technique in conducting this study and set survey questions to collect data from respondents. The non-probability sampling approach is used in this study, and the results are analyzed using a 5-point Likert scale to determine the mean and standard deviation. The study's results indicate that although students are dissatisfied with the online setting due to its performance differences from the traditional approach, they believe the course material to be fascinating and relevant for the future. It is also indicated that the online learning materials have a significant impact and are convenient to their education. The researchers recommend that institutions arrange asynchronous and synchronous sessions throughout the week and that institutions pay more attention to course design. Finally, students should investigate the school's potential for online instruction. © 2023 IEEE.