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Recording of AAP Public Dialogue on November 30, 2022 African countries are experiencing exponential growth in the youth population. However, economies are not creating new wage-earning jobs fast enough to absorb the growing workforce. This, coupled with the seasonal nature of labor demand, leaves many skilled youths in a crisis. Fostering entrepreneurship has become a key pillar to expanding employment opportunities for youth since it creates employment prospects for young people, builds ingenuity and resilience, and builds their demographic dividend but is yet to be fully harnessed. Co-hosted with Egerton University

By: Justin Rabineau

EDUCATION

Open access eBooks and translations on global smartphone use (including in Uganda and Cameroon)

We would like to draw your attention to the publication and Arabic, French and Portuguese translations of ‘The Global Smartphone: Beyond a youth technology’, an open access eBook which presents a series of original perspectives deriving from the Anthropology of Smartphones and Smart Ageing (ASSA) project. A multisited research project at UCL Anthropology with two fieldsites in Yaoundé, Cameroon and Kampala, Uganda. The book is based on simultaneous 16-months of research in 11 countries around the world. The research highlights the impact of the smartphone on the experience of mid-life (people who do not consider themselves either young or elderly) around the world and considers the implications of the use of smartphones in the field of mHealth. They are available as a free download from UCL Press. We believe it is very important, where we can, to ensure the availability of our research findings to people whose first language is not English and we would be grateful if you can spread news of these publications to any networks you are aware of. For example, those who might find this useful for teaching purposes. Two key ethnographies in the book were conducted in Yaoundé, Cameroon and Kampala, Uganda. Patrick Awondo, a Cameroonian anthropologist, conducted his research in a middle-class district within Yaoundé. Most of the people in this area are senior civil servants working in central administration or in other public affairs such as education and culture. Many residents of the district are also involved in private businesses or work for private companies. They come from all over the country and include some expatriates. Charlotte Hawkins, a British anthropologist, carried out her research primarily in Kampala. To understand the use of smartphones specifically, Charlotte drew on methods such as surveys, as well as open-ended interviews and participation in community activities such as women’s and savings groups. English: The Global Smartphone: Beyond a youth technologyArabic: الهاتف الذكي العالمي: ما وراء تكنولوجيا الشبابFrench: Le Smartphone Global: Au-delà d’une culture jeunePortuguese: O Smartphone Global: Uma tecnologia para além dos jovensFor more translations and publications please visit here: https://www.uclpress.co.uk/collections/series-ageing-with-smartphones Best wishes,Alex Clegg

Determinants of Small-Scale Irrigation Use for Poverty Reduction: The Case of Offa Woreda, Wolaita Z

Small-scale irrigation is one of the agricultural activities used by rural farmers to improve the overall livelihood of the rural community by increasing income, securing food, meeting social requirements, and reducing poverty. e main objective of this study was to look into the factors that influence small-scale irrigation for poverty reduction among small-holder farmers in theOffa Woreda, Wolaita Zone.

By: Elias Bojago

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

New open access book: Rethinking Heritage for Sustainable Development (UCL Press)

UCL Press is delighted to announce the publication of a new open access book that may be of interest to list subscribers. Rethinking Heritage for Sustainable Development, by Sophia Labadi. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN in 2015 have influenced the actions of international and intergovernmental organisations and governments around the world, and have dictated priorities for international aid spending. Culture, including heritage, is often presented as fundamental to addressing the SDGs: since 2010, the United Nations has adopted no fewer than five major policy recommendations that assert its importance as a driver and enabler of development. Yet, heritage is marginalized from the Sustainable Development Goals. Rethinking Heritage for Sustainable Development constitutes a substantial and original assessment of whether and how heritage has contributed to three key dimensions of sustainable development (namely poverty reduction, gender equality and environmental sustainability) within the context of its marginalisation from the Sustainable Development Goals and from previous international development agendas. Sophia Labadi adopts a novel, inclusive, large-scale and systematic approach, providing the first comprehensive history of the international approaches on culture (including heritage) for development, from 1970 to the present day. This book is also the first to assess the negative and positive impacts of all the international projects implemented in sub-Saharan Africa by a consortium of UN organisations that aimed to provide evidence for the contribution of heritage for development in time for the negotiation of the SDGs. The book’s conclusions provide recommendations for rethinking heritage for development, while reflecting on the major shortcomings of the selected projects. Free download: https://bit.ly/3m10NRK

By: Raquel Acosta

URL

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Perceptions of online self- and peer-assessment: accounting students in a large undergraduate cohort

Purpose Self-assessment (SA) and peer-assessment (PA) are considered useful tools in the development of lifelong learning and reflective skills. The authors implemented a teaching intervention using SA and PA amongst a large cohort of final year undergraduate students. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of online SA and PA in order to understand the differences between these perceptions and to allow instructors to adopt differentiated instruction in developing a diverse student group's professional skills. Design/methodology/approach The research design adopted a mixed methods approach through the use of surveys that were administered before and after the SA and peer-assessment intervention in a taxation module taught at a large public South African university. Through the use of a series of open and closed questions students' perceptions on SA and peer-assessment were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings The findings show that student perceptions of SA and peer-assessment differed significantly, where perceptions of SA were more positive than those towards PA. The findings indicate that SA and peer-assessment still present a challenge in an online context for large student cohorts, despite improved tracking, faster feedback and anonymity. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by analysing students' perceptions about SA and peer-assessment in an accounting education context and in an online setting in South Africa.

By: Teresa Pidduck