International Journal of Publication and Social Studies

Language matters: Analysing the national environmental policy of India (2006) from an ecolinguistic discourse analytic perspective

Midhun Mohan — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This study aims to scrutinize the discursive practices which are as important as the practical steps when it comes to environmental management. The role of discursive practices when it comes to environmental preservation is overlooked by the practitioners. While the previous studies were focusing more on the political and ideological side of the policy taken for the study, the discursive side remained unexamined. By focusing more on the harmful discursive practices regrading environment such as anthropocentric language, phrases, usages used in the National environment policy, the study offers a fresh perspective to Indian environmentalism and policymaking regarding environment. By analyzing the environment policy under the lens of Ecolinguistic discourse analysis, the invisible disparities that are there in the policy will be made perceptible. The study also highlights the importance of incorporating Indian ecosophy (ecological philosophy) when formulating such policies, which advocates interconnectedness, interdependence and environmental stewardship. By addressing and rectifying harmful discursive usages, policymakers can contribute to enhancing environmental awareness, correcting misconceptions and fostering a deeper understanding of the interconnected relationship between humans and environment. The findings of the study remind of the need for holistic and inclusive linguistic usages and the problematic side of the existing language used in the environmental policy.

Mapping the landscape of spatial literacy research: Bibliometric analysis

Chan Kar Lai, Mazlina Che Mustafa, Hanifah Mahat — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of spatial literacy research through a bibliometric analysis, focusing on its development, essential themes, key contributors, and collaboration patterns. Using statistical text-mining and citation link-based clustering techniques, 690 spatial literacy publications from the Scopus database were analyzed, with data extracted on February 18, 2024. The analysis revealed a steady increase in spatial literacy publications, peaking in 2009, and identified key peaks in cited papers in 1996, 2003 and 2012, with a subsequent decline post-2012. Document profiles primarily consisted of articles (60.14%) and sourced from journals (67.97%), with The Journal of Geography being the most active title. Notably, Newcombe, N.S., emerged as the most productive author, while the work of Bednarz and Kemp received the highest number of citations. ‘The Separability of Working Memory Resources for Spatial Thinking and Language Processing: An Individual Differences Approach’ by Shah and Miyake was identified as the most influential document, garnered a minimum of 100 citations per written document. Additionally, the United States stood out with both the largest number of publications and the highest citation impact in spatial literacy research. This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insight into the spatial literacy research landscape, guiding for future research directions and fostering collaborations in this field.

The effect of monetary policy on the balance of payments vulnerability in the CEMAC zone

Nongoh Gilbert Liwoh, Epo Ngah Boniface, Mary Bi Suh Atanga — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of monetary policy on the vulnerability of balance of payments in the CEMAC zone. Data for this study was obtained from the World Development Indicators (WDI) and World Governance Indicators (WGI) databases which are World Bank databases and also from IMF country reports spanning from 1996 to 2020. The ARIMA model used to generate the balance of payments vulnerability while the Panel Tobit model was used to estimate the model. The results revealed that monetary policy has a negative and significant effect on balance of payments vulnerability in the CEMAC zone. This finding was consistent with the results of the correlated panels corrected standard errors (PCSES) regression model for robustness which also revealed that monetary policy has a negative and significant effect on the balance of payments vulnerability in the CEMAC zone. It was recommended that the monetary authority should make policies that would give viable balance of payments for the CEMAC countries, such as increasing the country’s international competitiveness; that is, investing on projects that are productive in order to increase productivity. Secondly, we also recommended that more efforts be put in order abandon the Franc de la Communauté Financière Africaine (Franc CFA) and move to a currency that will provide the region with some level of autonomy in the financial sector.

Socioeconomic determinants of the employment/income capacity of MSMEs in South-west Nigeria

Adebowale Ayobade, Oluseye Ajuwon, Olufemi Saibu — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This paper analyzed socioeconomic characteristics of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that have implications for employment and income generation potentials in Osun and Oyo states of southwestern Nigeria. The paper used multistage sampling technique to identify and collect data from 1020 SMEs, analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical technique. The result showed that gender bias inhibits both income and employment generating potentials, with male dominance over female dominance hindering female ability to pivot and reduce poverty among business owners while age has a significant positive effect on employment generation but not a significant factor in generating revenue. Marital status has a negative effect on job creation but not significant in their income-generating potential. Labour regulation and access to credit are the two most significant institutional factors affecting MSMEs' income and employment generating potentials. Religion does not appear to be a significant component in boosting income-generating potential and education is seen as having a negligible negative influence. Financial difficulties are the greatest restriction for MSMEs in Osun and Oyo states while taxation and government policy have a positive impact on income generation potential, as compliance with official rules encourages firms to explore government incentives.