Advances in Gender and Development Studies

Effectiveness of Foreign Aid in Water Supply and Sanitation Sector: A Comprehensive Review of Literature

Masood Ahmad, Qurrah-tul-ain Khan — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This study reviews the research studies conducted to estimate the impact of foreign aid on access to improved water sources and sanitation facilities. More than half of the studies show a positive impact of foreign aid on the water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector. Due to improved econometric techniques and better availability of data, increase in number of studies have helped to analyze the impact of foreign aid on WSS and have shown that foreign aid to WSS is effective only under certain circumstances. As the literature on foreign aid effectiveness is still at the nascent stage, there are many questions to further the research in this area. These questions include exploring reasons why aid to WSS is more effective in rural areas as compared to urban areas and what role local politicians can play in rural areas? Whether aid money compliments or substitutes the local expenditures?

Macroeconomic Determinants of Consumption Function in Selected Developing Countries: An Empirical Analysis Using ARDL Approach

Shakil Ahmad, Nazia Malik, Mushtaq Ahmad — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This study is focused on comparative analysis of consumption costs in Pakistan, India, China and Bangladesh. The data for this study has taken from the database of World Bank for period of 1987 to 2019. Final consumption expenditure is a dependent variable while GDP, exchange rates and personal remittances are independent variables. The unit root test is performed using the Augmented Dicky Filler test for consistency between variables. Further analysis is done with the help of ARDL model. Analysis unveiled that the negative impact of exchange rate on final consumption, and the positive and significant impact of income on consumer spending which supports Kenya's theory.

Redesigning Teacher Education System in Pakistan: Insights from Singapore Model for Teacher Development

Kiran Pervez Noorani — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Effectiveness of an education system is greatly dependent upon teacher education and its quality. The National Education Policy (2009-2015) of Pakistan specifies the country’s Planning Commission Vision 2030 focusing on change of mindset which exhibits commitment to a new set of societal goals. The policy also advocates commitment(s) of the Government of Pakistan towards Education for All and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) coupled with inclusive and child friendly education that will provide platform for materializing Sustainable Development Goals, as quality education is an important pre-requisite for development. In Pakistan, there is an immense need to trace teacher education development and reforms in terms of the major questions that have driven the field and the sometimes in which these questions have been constructed, debated, and enacted in research, policy, and practice. Through employing case study research design, this study is focused at critical analysis and deep understanding of Teacher Education System in Pakistan and Singapore along-with the opportunities and challenges for reforming Teacher Education in Pakistan. This study also bears importance due to post-eighteenth amendment in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan resulting in hampering the process of accreditation of Teacher Education programs and emergence of provincial Higher Education Commission(s) and accreditation bodies. Subsequently, Indigenous Model of Teacher Education in Pakistan has been proposed incorporating essential components of teacher education pertaining to admission criteria, curriculum, training of teacher education, uniform teacher recruitment policies and introducing accreditation and licensing across the board. This study may also inform evidence based and data led policy development with special reference to Teacher Education being central to all the educational reforms.

Integrating Gender in Energy: A Case Study of Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)

Anum Irfan — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Energy policies are often viewed as gender neutral, whereas policy decisions have far-reaching consequences and implications for women’s economic empowerment and equality between men and women. The detrimental consequence of having a gender-neutral policy is that the energy sector inadvertently discriminates against women’s integration in energy sector and their particular needs and expertise. In Pakistan, women constitute only 4 percent of the total energy workforce. The aim of the study was to present a case study on Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the leading institution of energy in Pakistan in relation to integration of women in energy policy. For this purpose, primary data was collected through an online survey designed specifically for employees of WAPDA. The responses were enriched through conducting interviews of key female informants at WAPDA in leadership positions. The analysis technique used to gauge the level of gender-mainstreaming in WAPDA was through thematic analysis of identifying themes in interviews and statistical analysis of online responses. The findings highlighted almost 70 percent fewer women were employed in energy sector. Further issues in relation to retention of women, leadership and advancement were discussed to understand systemic obstacles for joining the energy sector. This study has implications for designing a gender-responsive energy framework that aims to integrate differential socio-cultural requirements, needs and priorities of women and men in order to overcome gender biases that hinder actions based on equality.

Effects of Electric Load Shedding on Academic Performance of Students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Junaid Ahmed Khan, Anwar Ayub, Usman Farooq — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This study was carried out in District Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan to find out the effects of electric load-shedding on the academic performance of students. District Buner was purposively selected for the study because people in this area have been observing long hours of electric load-shedding in recent years. A total of 120 respondents were selected randomly from 10 different institutions through proportional allocation sampling technique. A well designed and a pretested questionnaire was prepared for collection of data. In order to find the effects of electric load-shedding on academic performance of students in the study area, multiple linear regression model was used. The students’ scores in annual examinations of the years 2016 and 2017 are taken as dependent variables and number of hours of electric load-shedding during the 10 weeks before preparation for annual exam, among others, such as parents’ income, parents’ education and household size are the independent variables. The results show that long hours of electric load-shedding has an adverse effect on the academic performance of students. Keeping in view the results of the study, the study recommends the provincial government of KP to take appropriate actions to eradicate this problem.