Of gateways and gatekeepers: Language,education and mobility in francophone Africa

Over the past 15 years, a range of alternative education programs have been launched in Burkina Faso. The programs have been developed primarily by international or national NGOs, within a supportive policy space provided by the national government. They aim to respond to the widely recognized inadequacy of the French-language écoles classiques to provide a meaningful primary education experience for most Burkinabè children.     

Communication between Participants and Non-participants in Analytical Capacity Building Projects: Management Advice to Family Farms in Benin

Purpose: Approaches to build farmers' analytical capacities are said to trigger wide-ranging changes. This article reports on the communication process between participants and non-participants in one such approach, related to the technical and management skills learned by participants and the changes these participants subsequently made, and the outcomes in terms of non-participants' learning.

Design/Methodology/Approach: In this study, we analysed the following: (1) participants' learning and changes in social practices; (2) communication between participants and non-participants regarding technical and management skills and changes in social practices; (3) non-participants' learning and changes in social practices. The case study was a management advice to family farm project in three villages in Benin.

Findings: Most participants learned management skills, which led them to reassess their objectives and to reduce traditional social practices they now considered unproductive. Even in the case of frequent communication, non-participants found it difficult to learn management skills, which hindered their experiential learning. Non-participants consequently had difficulty understanding why participants changed their social practices such as reduction of their traditional gift giving, leading to limited well-argued discussion about these changes in practices between participants and non-participants.

Practical Implications: This study shows that, due to the limited learning process of non-participants communicating with participants, there is a need to design and test approaches to achieve capacity-building while including more participants at a similar cost, and to stimulate explicit discussion at village level about the changes in values and social practices that these approaches may trigger.

Originality/Value: The article analyses both participants and non-participants' experiential learning, and looks at the two sides of the interaction between the communication processes and non-participants' learning.     

The continuum of bilingual education in Burkina Faso: an educational innovation aimed at improving the quality of basic education for all

This article describes a real-life project currently being conducted in Burkina Faso—the bilingual education continuum—and explains its original and innovative aspects with respect to the teaching methods used and the development and process by which it is implemented in the schools. The article focuses on five main points: the status of bilingual education; the minimum factors needed for its success; the implications concerning the role of the teachers; the obstacles encountered; and strategies used to introduce bilingual education, while overcoming various obstacles.

物流服务质量多层灰统计综合评价

为建立物流企业服务质量综合评价体系,从服务基础、服务过程、服务效果、服务创新4个方面构建了二级评价指标体系,采用改进的层次分析法计算指标权重,采用改进的灰统计构建多层综合评价模型,并应用该模型对3家物流企业的服务质量进行了综合评价,结果与这3家企业的市场表现一致。     

民国时期的全国学术工作咨询处

1934年,南京国民政府成立了全国学术工作咨询处,这是近代中国由政府成立的,第一个旨在解决高校学生就业及学术人才调剂的全国性专门机构。它在20世纪30年代高校毕业生就业难的背景下成立,为解决学生的就业问题作出了一定的贡献。     

New Challenges in Agricultural Advisory Services from a Research Perspective: A Literature Review,Synthesis and Research Agenda

Abstract

Purpose: Agricultural advisory services are perceived by many actors involved in rural development as a key driver behind innovation processes in agriculture. However, changes in national and global contexts cause dramatic changes in the orientation of advisory services, their organisation and their methods of intervention. This article aims to analyse the major research topics related to agricultural advice.

Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on an extensive review of literature produced over a ten-year period that is accessible through the CAB, ECONLIT and Web of Science citation indexes. Using keywords related to extension and advisory services, we selected published articles according to the relevance of the results provided in relation to advisory services and the quality of the discussion on past or current controversies.

Findings: The results show that the ongoing scientific debates are shaped by the diversity of disciplines, methods, topics and schools of thought. The scientific community largely has focussed on five main themes: (1) the institutional environment of agricultural advisory services; (2) the structures necessary for the operation of an advisory system; (3) the actors providing advisory services and the skills deployed in advisory activities; (4) the approaches, methods, tools and content of advisory activities; and (5) the assessment and impacts of advisory systems.

Practical implications: This literature review is useful for researchers and practitioners to better understand research results in the field of advisory services. It paves the way for future research.

Originality/Value: Although many articles have been written in recent decades on agricultural advisory services, few studies provide an overview of the contributions of, and debates in, the international scientific community.     

衡阳市公共文化服务能力的综合评价

该文利用层次分析法确定了指标权重,建立了公共文化服务的指标体系,以及建立了公共文化服务能力的综合评价模型。并以衡阳市为例,运用所建模型对衡阳市公共文化服务能力进行评价,最后提出了提高公共文化服务能力的建议。     

从中央顾问委员会的设立看邓小平政治体制改革思想

中央顾问委员会是中国政治体制改革特定时期的一种特殊产物，是在邓小平的直接推动下设立的。它的设立体现了邓小平对中国特色政治体制的深刻洞见：政治体制改革势在必行；政治体制改革必须纳入制度化轨道；政治体制改革的重要一环是建立退休制度；政治体制改革必须稳定、渐进地进行。     

吉林省西部湿地生态系统服务功能价值评价

为了科学准确地体现湿地的生态系统服务功能价值,为有关部门做好区域规划编制、生物多样性保护工作提供理论依据,基于突变理论构建吉林省西部湿地生态系统服务功能价值评价指标体系,利用突变级数法对其价值进行计算.结果表明,75％的湿地保护区生态系统服务功能价值处于Ⅱ级、较高水平或Ⅰ级、很高水平.由此得出结论：近年来吉林省西部地区生态恢复与环境保护工作成效显著,湿地生态系统服务功能得到改善.     

基于3G网络的旅游服务质量评价系统研究

旅游服务质量评价是提高旅游业服务质量的有效措施之一.基于3G网络的旅游服务质量评价系统消除了时空的限制,从根本上克服了传统的调查问卷模式的局限性,能够提供更为实时、准确的调查数据为旅游业提供有效的决策支持.     

Gender Norms and Access to Extension Services and Training among Potato Farmers in Dedza and Ntcheu in Malawi

Purpose: This paper explores the interaction between extension services and gender relations in order to suggest ways and strategies that can be useful in ensuring that extension services are gender-equitable and empowering for women.

Design/Methodology/Approach:In total, 35 sex-disaggregated focus group discussions with farmers, and 4 interviews with extension officers were conducted in Dedza and Ntcheu districts. Data on the type of training offered, training participants recruitment methods, as well as data on barriers to and opportunities for training were collected. A social relations approach, focusing on gender relations, was used to analyse the data.

Findings:Underlying gender norms and cultural norms mediate access to information. For instance, some men regard themselves as representatives of their households during training and, to some extent, extension officers reinforce these views by using biased training recruitment methods. Gender norms related to household decision-making impact on the ability of women to access training opportunities.

Practical implications: Agricultural extension should not be a purely technical programme focusing only on good agricultural practices. It should also embed modules aimed at addressing social practices that disadvantage some people, particularly women, as well as adopt gender sensitive recruitment methods that do not rely on male-biased recruitment channels.

Originality/Value:The social relations approach used, focusing on gender relations, is aimed at trying to come up with the conditions necessary for agricultural training to be empowering for women. This paper is therefore of interest to extension agents and other development practitioners interested in women’s empowerment and the transformation of gender relations.     

关于四川省发展家庭农场的思考

四川发展家庭农场具有现实的必要性,国内先行地区的成功经验对于四川发展家庭农场具有借鉴价值。四川发展家庭农场应处理好三对关系,即家庭农场、专业大户与农民合作组织之间的关系,家庭均田承包与家庭农场规模承包之间的关系,职业农民与传统农民的关系。     

浅谈大学图书馆的科学管理与服务育人

分析了大学图书馆体系的逻辑起点和终点;提出了大学图书馆科学管理的设想;尤其对大学图书馆服务育人应包含管理育人、交往育人等提出了新的见解。     

科举考试与西方文官考试之比较研究

科举考试是中国封建时代采取的最公平的人才选拔制度,是封建统治阶段选官任能的最佳形式和途径;而起源于科举制的西方文官制度,对于选择高效率的人员来充实政府,更好地服务社会,有着重要的意义。考试制度作为一种选拔人才的重要手段,对于当今社会更是必不可少的。因此,对中国的科举考试和西方的文官考试制度进行比较研究,可以更好地服务社会,造福人民。     

Crop Farmers' Willingness to Pay for Agricultural Extension Services in Bangladesh: Cases of Selected Villages in Two Important Agro-ecological Zones

Purpose: Globally, many extension professionals and policy-makers are advocating fee based services, in addressing the fund shortage and sustainable provision of agricultural advisory services. Hence, the article attempts to expose the farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) as agricultural extension in Bangladesh is experiencing chronic fund crisis.

Methodology: This study used contingent valuation method (CVM) for investigating farmers' WTP. Logit and Tobit model was employed to assess the determinants of WTP and amount willing to pay (AWTP) respectively. Besides, different qualitative methods were employed to have a deeper understanding of the research problems.

Findings: WTP was conditioned by providing quality extension services at farm and/or home of the farmers. The study also focused on farmers preferred mode of payment, criteria influencing payment decisions and the type of services for which they are willing to pay. Paid model can contribute to quality extension services, if started with a market oriented commodity based approach accompanied by adequate crop insurance support.

Practical implications: The study considered international experiences and national crisis in delivering extension services that provoke actions towards changing the extension policy of Bangladesh. The findings also prompt the factors that influence the paid extension service delivery for the crop farmers of Bangladesh.

Originality: Although, many studies have been conducted on privatisation of agricultural extension around the globe, we are not aware of any single study on crop farmers' willingness to pay for the extension services in Bangladesh.     

The Financing of Extension Services: A Survey Among Rural Youth in Greece

Abstract

Since its establishment in the early 1950s, the Greek Extension Service has undergone considerable changes. Especially after 1981, a bureaucratic–administrative role related to the implementation of the CAP has been undertaken. In parallel, in the international scene, governments have started experimenting with various cost-recovery mechanisms for extension. In front of such challenges, at both national and international levels, the current work intends to explore the willingness of young rural inhabitants to pay for advisory services. Drawing data from a large-scale survey and utilising probit analysis, the decomposition of the marginal effects of a series demographic, socioeconomic and spatial characteristics and information needs upon willingness to pay for extension is presented. The results show that under preconditions cost-recovery mechanisms may be employed in Greece; furthermore, it is argued that the Extension Service has to be restructured–reoriented.     

高职院校图书馆开展学科化服务的思考

学科化服务是高校图书馆服务的走向与趋势,高职院校图书馆开展学科化服务,需要建立相应的管理体制与运行机制,需要从设立系(部)联络员到学科馆员,从最初的馆藏资源使用培训到建立学科服务平台的过程,也是服务人员学科知识与服务技能不断提高的过程。本文探讨了高职院校图书馆学科化的思路、步骤和服务系统构成的学科用户、学科馆员、资源建设、服务导航与互动平台建设。     

云计算安全服务研究

为了推动云计算应用发展,加强云安全建设,从云基础设施服务、云环境可信控制、云传输安全管理、云安全应用服务等方面分析云安全服务所面临的诸多问题,提出构建云安全一体化防护、云环境可信平台、可信链传递平台、云安全管理防御等安全体系,才能真正化解云计算应用中多变的安全隐患,从而为IT领域与信息安全领域提供服务。     

网络环境下如何深化高校图书馆的信息服务

在网络环境下,信息服务工作发生了深刻变化。要针对高校图书馆信息服务的主要内容,通过更新观念、提高素质、加强对读者的教育培训、调整馆内机构设置及业务功能、加强管理等措施来深化高校图书馆的信息服务。