Decentralization and Development of Sri Lanka Within a Unitary State


Book Description

This comprehensive volume provides uniquely diverse insights into various aspects of decentralization and development from both developed and developing countries, with special reference to Sri Lanka. For a quarter century, Sri Lanka was battered by its prolonged civil war, which ended in 2009, but has now achieved relative peace and stability. Having developed rapidly, Sri Lanka offers a classic example for developing countries. There is, however, a strong need, particularly in the context of postwar conflict, to formulate policies for reconciliation, peace building, and development at all levels—local, provincial, and national. Decentralization itself is not a new subject; however, how to devolve power to local administrative levels within a unitary system and how to link the devolved power to make local administrative systems more conducive to development and provide better services for citizens are challenging tasks in many countries. Taking into account the developmental, governance, and conciliatory needs and the sensitivity of central–local relations, this volume critically examines the local government systems in Sri Lanka. It also proposes a viable, effective and autonomous local-level administrative unit based, which draws on experiences from Japan and other countries, and identifies the role and functions of such a unit. The book presents commissioned papers from a three-year research project undertaken by internationally respected experts with financial support by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) under a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research.




Decentralization and Health Policy in South Asia


Book Description

This ambitious and insightful book provides a unique regional perspective on health policy across South Asia, focusing on how the decentralization of policy and governance leads to differing health outcomes across different countries in the region. Comparing the contexts and outcomes in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, the book asks how power sharing arrangements between central and subnational layers of government nevertheless result in varying levels of success across issues such as infant and under-five mortality rates. The book argues that it is the role of central government in formulating policy, and how this feeds into regional implementation, that partly explains the disparities in health outcomes across the region. The book will interest students and scholars of South Asia politics, global health and health policy more generally.




OECD Multi-level Governance Studies Decentralisation and Regionalisation in Bulgaria Towards Balanced Regional Development


Book Description

Bulgaria has made solid progress in its territorial governance and socio-economic development. Yet, it has not been able to counteract large and increasing territorial disparities. Doing so will require addressing remaining structural challenges that may be limiting further transformation, government performance and regional resilience.




ICoSHIP 2023


Book Description

The conference proceedings provided a setting for discussing recent development in a wide variety of topics and areas including social science and humanities. The theme of the 4th International Conference on Social Science, Humanity and Public Health (ICoSHIP 2023) was “Enhancing a Sustainable Future in The Fields of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Public Health”. All of the papers have been checked through rigorous reviews and processes to meet the requirements of the publication and maintain the quality.




Examining International Land Use Policies, Changes, and Conflicts


Book Description

Though conflicts continue to arise over land use and land cover changes, the conversion of forest land to cropland or other land uses such as housing and urban development have been on the rise in recent years. Decisions regarding land use and land cover influence climate change as well as various natural processes. While proper changes can minimize the effects and speed of climatic changes, the continued adverse changes may be accelerating the deterioration of the world’s condition. Examining International Land Use Policies, Changes, and Conflicts presents the latest research on the present status of land use and land cover changes throughout the world in order to determine appropriate land use policies that can protect earth’s present and future condition. The findings of the studies investigate the conflicts behind the land tenure and land uses in different countries of the world and examines existing policies and the reasons behind changes in them. Ultimately, the book provides readers with knowledge on how land can be managed in a sustained manner, how landscape models are helpful for predicting and determining future land uses, how land can be managed with the best architectural measures, and how urban forestry is helpful for better environmental management and adapting or mitigating climate change effects. Land users, agriculturalists, urban planners, policymakers, government officials, researchers, academicians, and students looking to improve their understanding of this topic for better use of land in the future will find this book to be an asset to their current research.




Handbook of Accounting and Sustainability


Book Description

This Handbook provides a comprehensive study of research, practice and policy at the nexus of accounting and sustainability, or sustainable development. Chapters explain key drivers of developments at the nexus, critique those developments, summarise the findings of research on key themes in the field, and suggest areas for further research, offering evidence-based practice and policy solutions.




Optimization of the Taxation System: Preconditions, Tendencies and Perspectives


Book Description

This book addresses the optimization of taxation systems, a topic currently being explored by scholars all over the world. It puts forward a critical opinion on the problem and offers an original approach to solving it – through informatization. The target audience of the book includes not only scholars and experts who professionally deal with taxation optimization issues, but also representatives of public authorities, and the general public. The book offers sound and practical solutions for the informatization-based optimization of taxation systems, and its conclusions and recommendations could be used in the management of tax systems for modern economic systems and in taxation optimization for specific economic subjects – individuals and organizations alike – , ensuring a broad range of practical applications.




Government and Politics in South Asia, Student Economy Edition


Book Description

This book describes the countries of South Asia, and examines the reason for their successes and failures. It addresses the interrelationships among the states in the region and their roles in the international system, and discusses the political development of the region.




Access to Higher Education


Book Description

Until 2015, no refugees in Malaysia were able to access higher education, and they were unable to attend government schooling. Since then, six private higher education institutions have agreed to open their doors to refugees for the first time. This book contains stories from this small group of successful refugees, who have managed to receive higher education in a country that neither recognizes that they exist nor offers them even basic education. It identifies the factors that aided their success, and charts the challenges that they and their communities have faced. The authors present each story, based on interviews, within the context of the individual’s background and nation of origin. These stories are framed by a discussion of the situation that refugees face in accessing education globally, explaining how these stories and the methodologies used for this study are universal.