This book is a comprehensive compilation of groundbreaking insights stemming from the esteemed International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Systems for Sustainable Development (AI2SD'2023), hosted at Cadi Ayyad University Morocco. Focused on the crucial themes of energy, environment, agriculture, and industry, this book captures the essence of transformative discussions and cutting-edge research that unfolded during the conference. Within these pages, readers are invited to explore the intricate world of intelligent systems, where innovation converges to tackle the key challenges of sustainability. The book immerses its audience in a wealth of knowledge that deeply represents the latest advancements shaping the future landscape. Diverse topics are intricately woven into the fabric of this discourse, covering AI-driven solutions designed for energy optimization, environmental sustainability, precision agriculture, and intelligent industry applications. Each contribution serves as a testament to the collaborative efforts of researchers, practitioners, and experts who gathered to drive innovation at the intersection of intelligent systems and sustainable development. Crafted as an invaluable resource, 'Advancements in Intelligent Systems: AI2SD'2023 Proceedings‘ caters to a diverse readership eager to delve into the forefront of trends and developments emerging from the crossroads of advanced intelligent systems in energy, environment, agriculture, and industry. Whether you're a researcher, practitioner, or enthusiast, unlock the transformative potential inherent in these innovative domains.

This study traces the welfare regimes of Mauritius and South Africa from the early 20th century focusing on the historical circumstances that gave rise to the dominance of state-funded old-age pensions within their respective welfare frameworks. It highlights intersections between powerful business interests, the state, and social forces that sowed the seeds of social entitlements. Due to different mobilisation efforts of these social actors, both countries have spawned welfare regimes of different persuasions. Mauritius has maintained its long-standing traditions as a social democracy stretching back to the late 1950s, while South Africa continues relentlessly in pursuit of a liberal welfare state, a journey it has treaded since 1928 when the old-age pension laws first came into effect. While unravelling the innermost workings of welfare state development in Mauritius and South Africa, it also probes the present political and economic circumstances that have kept these two welfare regimes resolutely unchanged. Against this backdrop, it draws parallels between current welfare outcomes and those of old as they continue to chart their way into the future.

Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin expressed Russia's commitment for the reconstruction of the war-devasted Eastern regions of Ukraine. It is surprising how little analytical and comparative literature exists about Russia’s experience in post-conflict recovery despite its involvement in a large number of conflict areas, both as an intervenor and as a donor.

This book brings together world-renowned experts and rising scholars to provide a collection of chapters examining the long-term impact of historical events on modern-day economic and political developments in Latin America. It, uses a novel approach, stressing empirical contributions and state-of-the-art empirical methods for causal identification. Contributing authors apply these cutting-edge tools to their topics of expertise, giving readers a compendium of frontier research in the region. Important questions of colonialism, migration, elites, land tenure, corruption, and conflict are examined and discussed in an approachable style. The book features a conclusion from Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Stanford University.

This book contributes to thriving debates in academic as well as professional circles about the role of civil society in shrinking civic spaces, rising authoritarianism and right-wing populism, conflicts, fragile states, and most lately, the global COVID-19 pandemic. This is one of the first books to address the implications of changing civic spaces for civil society organizations worldwide. It offers a unique overview of how social movements and civil society groups in very different settings are responding to state-imposed restrictions of basic civic freedoms. The authors are all experts in the field, and their analyses are based on original and onsite research. This unique book also contributes to a better understanding of the conceptualizations and practices of civil society. It is of keen interest to academic scholars, students, civil society practitioners, and policy makers in the field of international development research and civil society action.

The book addresses the urgent need for rethinking the geopolitics and ecology in the Himalaya, by emphasising the entanglements between these two factors. Most international relations analyses of the Himalaya emphasize the central role of the region’s states and their great power struggles. By reducing the region to its state actors, however, we miss the intense more-than-human diversity of the region, and the crucial role that the mountains play in the global environment.

This book unveils the nexus between disaster, governance and development with a particular focus on Bangladesh and examines the legislative and institutional aspects in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development planning. With the help of rich content analysis interpreting disaster management history of the country, it looks at the challenges associated with disaster management in the context of Bangladesh. The book highlights the most reasonable strategy on how to accelerate a paradigm shift from relief culture to DRR culture. It also assesses the viewpoint of how political economy influences governance and institutional strengthening, thus identifying obstructions and opportunities for mainstreaming disaster management into development. The book also lays emphasis on collaboration between public sector and private sector for the expansion of disaster risk reduction programme. It shows how multilevel governance works for professionalizing disaster management and throws light on policy frameworks developed. This book is a tremendous resource for scholars, practitioners and researchers of disaster management, environmental studies, development agencies, political science, public policy, development studies, governance, regional development, South Asian studies and local government, particularly those interested in disaster, governance and sustainable development.

This book seeks effective strategy to realize a rice Green Revolution in sub-Saharan Africa based on more than ten years of research team’s inquiries into determinants and consequences of new technology adoption in rice farming in seven countries in this region. Rigorous statistical analyses are carried out by using valuable household data of rice farmers. The book is actually sequel to the two earlier books on the same subject published by Springer and edited by K. Otsuka and D.F. Larson, An African Green Revolution published in 2013 and In Pursuit of an African Green Revolution in 2016.

This book offers a comprehensive comparative perspective on the increasingly significant development cooperation activities of the BRICS. Providing a powerful set of insights into the drivers for engagement within each country, it brings together leading experts from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and OECD countries. The authors review the empirical evidence for the BRICS’ modes of development cooperation and their geographical reach, and explore the historical background and patterns of international development engagement of each country. They also present a cutting-edge analysis of the broader geopolitical shifts, distinctive ideologies and normative discourses that are influencing and informing their engagement in increasingly ambitious joint projects such as the New Development Bank. This collection is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the rapidly changing landscape of international development.

This book explores the political economy of China-Pakistan economic corridor, a major pilot project for China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiatives. Pakistan will provide China with not only a pathway access to the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Africa, but also vital connections to the Trans-Asia railway network that links Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia. This book analyzes how domestic factors in Pakistan will affect China’s $46 billion investments. It will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and journalists.

This textbook explores ethical issues for not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations, providing discussion-oriented cases for NFP and NGP practitioners. The book begins with an introduction to professional ethics as practiced in industry, not-for-profits and NGO’s. Attention is paid both to classical ethical theories and contemporary variants. Then, combining that theory with an introduction to the morally unique facets of the NFP and NGO landscape, it offers a series of cases which pertain to the underlying theoretical substrate. The reader will find a blend of theory and application within the text as well as guided assignment prompts. Themes covered include board relationships, staff management, work with vulnerable populations, financial transparency, Human Resources ethics and ethical dilemmas unique to international operations.

This book explores the second-order effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social and economic development in India. The chapters in this volume provide theoretical perspectives and empirical insights from a range of disciplines including history, economics, water management, food and nutrition security, agriculture, rural management, public health, urbanization, gender studies and development of the marginalized. It discusses the pressing questions that have been raised by the disruption caused by the pandemic and proposes insights and interventions to build a more just, sustainable and united post-COVID India.

Processes of development concerning reconciliation, rehabilitation and peace-building have become a central theme for global organizations tasked with intervening in broken and divided societies after violent conflicts. What can reunite populations divided by war and violence whilst attempting to build a peaceful civil society? This book considers the impact and value of sport, notably football, towards achieving this goal.

This book is based on detailed empirical research conducted to analyse the communication dissemination approach applied to the world’s largest employment guarantee program MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). To uncover the insights, perspectives and understanding of the program, more than 30 villages in Western parts of India were visited and more than 400 MGNREGA beneficiaries were contacted personally by the author.

Diese Studie untersucht den komplexen Zusammenhang zwischen Naturkatastrophen, individuellem Verhalten - in Form von individueller Risikobereitschaft und Vertrauensniveau - und der Nachfrage nach Mikroversicherungen. Entwicklungsländer sind besonders anfällig für die Auswirkungen von Naturkatastrophen und Klimawandel, da diese ihre Entwicklungsprozesse beeinträchtigen und die Bemühungen zur Armutsbekämpfung zurückwerfen. Unter Verwendung eines einzigartigen Datensatzes für das ländliche Kambodscha, der auf einer Umfrage, experimentellen Spielen und einem diskreten Auswahlexperiment basiert, unterstreicht die Studie die Bedeutung von Wahrnehmungen, Erwartungen und psychologischen Faktoren in Entscheidungsprozessen mit erheblichen Folgen für langfristige wirtschaftliche Perspektiven und die Armutsbekämpfung.