The document discusses how improving health and education can maximize human capital and productivity in society. It argues that focusing on childhood health and developing human capital early in life through education is key, as most human development occurs during childhood. Improving childhood health can lead to higher adult incomes by promoting lifelong learning and productivity. The document also notes that both health and education are important for economic growth, as they increase innovation, social well-being, and participation in the economy.
The document discusses how improving health and education can maximize human capital and productivity in society. It argues that focusing on childhood health and developing human capital early in life through education is key, as most human development occurs during childhood. Improving childhood health can lead to higher adult incomes by promoting lifelong learning and productivity. The document also notes that both health and education are important for economic growth, as they increase innovation, social well-being, and participation in the economy.
The document discusses how improving health and education can maximize human capital and productivity in society. It argues that focusing on childhood health and developing human capital early in life through education is key, as most human development occurs during childhood. Improving childhood health can lead to higher adult incomes by promoting lifelong learning and productivity. The document also notes that both health and education are important for economic growth, as they increase innovation, social well-being, and participation in the economy.
The document discusses how improving health and education can maximize human capital and productivity in society. It argues that focusing on childhood health and developing human capital early in life through education is key, as most human development occurs during childhood. Improving childhood health can lead to higher adult incomes by promoting lifelong learning and productivity. The document also notes that both health and education are important for economic growth, as they increase innovation, social well-being, and participation in the economy.
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1.
How does your own institution/agency engage
into enlivening the VMGO and be contributory to the realization of sustainable development goals?*
Strategic direction depends on an organization's ability to
define its vision and mission. Knowing the organization's goals and the fundamental principles that guide it aids the employee. It is an essential component of a company's strategy that aids in setting priorities, allocating resources, and ensuring that everyone is working toward shared goals and objectives, thus providing a road-map to the future. However, there is a basic difference between the vision and mission statements.First, mission and vision provide a vehicle for communicating an organization’s purpose and values to all key stakeholders. Stakeholders are those key parties who have some influence over the organization or stake in its future However however, for now, suffice it to say that some key stakeholders are employees, customers, investors, suppliers, and institutions such as governments. Typically, these statements would be widely circulated and discussed often so that their meaning is widely understood, shared, and internalized. The better employees understand an organization’s purpose, through its mission and vision, the better able they will be to understand the strategy and its implementation. Second, mission and vision create a target for strategy development. That is, one criterion of a good strategy is how well it helps the firm achieve its mission and vision. To better understand the relationship among mission, vision, and strategy, it is sometimes helpful to visualize them collectively as a funnel. At the broadest part of the funnel, you find the inputs into the mission statement. Toward the narrower part of the funnel, you find the vision statement, which has distilled down the mission in a way that it can guide the development of the strategy. In the narrowest part of the funnel you find the strategy —it is clear and explicit about what the firm will do, and not do, to achieve the vision. Vision statements also provide a bridge between the mission and the strategy. Third, mission and vision provide a high-level guide, and the strategy provides a specific guide, to the goals and objectives showing success or failure of the strategy and satisfaction of the larger set of objectives stated in the mission. we would expect to see profitability goals, in addition to metrics on customer and employee satisfaction, and social and environmental responsibility. Some of the benefits of having a vision and mission statement are discussed below:
Above everything else, vision and mission statements
provide unanimity of purpose to organizations and imbue the employees with a sense of belonging and identity. Indeed, vision and mission statements are embodiments of organizational identity and carry the organizations creed and motto. For this purpose, they are also called as statements of creed. Vision and mission statements spell out the context in which the organization operates and provides the employees with a tone that is to be followed in the organizational climate. Since they define the reason for existence of the organization, they are indicators of the direction in which the organization must move to actualize the goals in the vision and mission statements. The vision and mission statements serve as focal points for individuals to identify themselves with the organizational processes and to give them a sense of direction while at the same time deterring those who do not wish to follow them from participating in the organization’s activities. The vision and mission statements help to translate the objectives of the organization into work structures and to assign tasks to the elements in the organization that are responsible for actualizing them in practice. To specify the core structure on which the organizational edifice stands and to help in the translation of objectives into actionable cost, performance, and time related measures. Finally, vision and mission statements provide a philosophy of existence to the employees, which is very crucial because as humans, we need meaning from the work to do and the vision and mission statements provide the necessary meaning for working in a particular organization. As can be seen from the above, articulate, coherent, and meaningful vision and mission statements go a long way in setting the base performance and actionable parameters and embody the spirit of the organization.In other words, vision and mission statements are as important as the various identities that individuals have in their everyday lives. It is for this reason that organizations spend a lot of time in defining their vision and mission statements and ensure that they come up with the statements that provide meaning instead of being mere sentences that are devoid of any meaning. 2. In consideration of the current economic needs in our society, which aspect do you think education and health should focus on in order to maximize the human capita and ensure productivity?
Human capital allows an economy to grow. When
human capital increases in areas such as science, education, and management, it leads to increases in innovation, social well-being, equality, increased productivity, and improved rates of participation, all of which contribute to economic growth. Increases in economic growth tend to improve the quality of life for a population. Poor countries tend to be unhealthy, and unhealthy countries tend to be poor. Across the broad swath of history, improvements in income have come hand-in-hand with improvements in health. Further, the poorest countries of the world are in the tropics, an area rife with tropical disease. These stylized facts lead to a natural question: does disease hold back development? It seems possible that it would. Health is a kind of human capital as well as an input to producing other forms of human capital. Being unhealthly depresses the ability to work productively and/or the ability and incentives to invest in human capital. Taken together, these mechanisms imply that worse health implies lower income. But is this enough to account for the stylized facts above?
The correlation between health and development is
hard to interpret simply as the causal effect of health on income. Third factors such as bad government or geographic disadvantages might impede both productivity and disease control. Health is also a normal good: when people get richer, they invest more in their own health, and exhort their governments to spend more on public health. The correlation between health and income might be one of circular and cumulative causation: health affects income and income affects health and so on.
This review is organized around the following
question: in the aggregate, how much does disease depress income and human capital? The answer to this question would help us understand the global distribution of income and also inform us about the rate of return on health policies.
I start with a review of micro-empirical studies,
where the evidence is most compelling, but less tightly linked to the original question, and then move to macro, where the evidence is less compelling, but better linked to the original question. I discuss evidence drawn both from developing countries today and from the historical experience of now- developed regions. The micro-empirical literature that I review is somewhat disconnected from economic theory, so I also use some stylized models to sort things out. The models help determine if a given result is of ‘first order’ importance, which is to say whether health has, to a first approximation, any effect at all on income.
I limit the scope of this review in a few ways. First,
this review is about income, not well-being. People like being healthy, and so better health means better well-being even if the improvement in health does not increase income at all. Second, the review is not a bibliography on this topic. Instead, I discuss and critique examples of work that I group together by mechanism and methodology. Third, the topic of this review is economics, not biology. There are many fascinating detours into biological mechanisms that I could take, but the focus is instead on economic outcomes, viewed through the lens of economics. Fourth, this review considers the response of income to a given improvement in health, but not how to optimally design health programs. These features hopefully make this article more complement than substitute to existing reviews in this area.
Both theory and evidence suggest that we should
stop thinking of health as a univariate object. Health’s impact on income likely depends on how health changes (morbidity versus mortality, for example) and when (childhood, working age, or old age). Health is multifaceted, and must be treated as such.
In Section 2, I consider effects of childhood health
on adult income. Early-life health could depress human capital (broadly defined) and thereby reduce lifetime income. Even if a person is perfectly healthy as an adult, damage from childhood disease may be hard to undo. Most of a person’s human-capital and physiological development happens early in life. Childhood is thus a key period for human-capital building, and the burden of disease in childhood could have effects that persist throughout the life course. There may also be shorter ‘critical periods’ during childhood, by virtue of which some aspect of human development is hampered if it does not take place at a particular, biologically determined age.
These ideas find confirmation in four strands of the
literature, all of which estimate effects of some aspect of childhood health (or input thereto) on adult outcomes. One line of this literature finds a large labor-market return to adult height, which is, to some degree, a proxy of early-life health. A second line looks at large shocks, such as famines and epidemics and shows that time in the womb is a critical period of sorts. A third set of studies shows that nutritional deprivation early in life can have long-term consequences. Finally, a group of papers examines the effect of early-life exposure to tropical diseases. But caution is indicated if applying many of these results to the question at hand, in that various studies examine a rapid shock interacted with a narrow age window, which would have different consequences than a persistent change in health.
Taking a step back, I discuss the economics of how
childhood health should affect adult income. I use a simple model of human capital to integrate the variety of outcome variables used in this literature. A useful point of departure is the optimal choice of years of schooling in the standard model: a child should attend school until the marginal benefit equals the marginal cost. Childhood health plausibly affects both benefits and costs of schooling, so the model implies that the impact of childhood health on education is actually ambiguous. It is therefore difficult to interpret studies that use time in school as the only outcome.
Thinking about health and human capital in these
terms leads us to the ‘Envelope Theorem’. This theorem implies that improvements in health affect income by making human capital more productive, but not via more investment. This means that lifetime income would rise because childhood health allows you learn faster and grow up stronger. Health might also increase investments such as staying in school longer, but the discounted change in lifetime income from such investment is close zero if the marginal benefits and costs of schooling were already being equated. This analysis also affects how we evaluate evidence of complementarity across inputs to human capital, such as if early-life interventions spur later investments. The Envelope Theorem suggests that we should measure the direct effect of the intervention; whether the other inputs are substitutes or complements is of second- order importance. (This argument should be familiar to macroeconomists; it is analogous to the idea that gains in income per capita come from total-factor productivity, not from marginal changes in factors of production.)
In Section 3, I discuss the effect of adult health on
adult productivity, via two distinct channels. The first channel is the direct one: being sick today reduces your ability to work today. One approach is to measure the time lost to well-defined episodes of sickness and disability. Indeed time lost to such episodes in poor countries is non-trivial, although a minor fraction of work hours. On the other hand, we know less about more subtle effects of adult sickness on income, such as reducing the quality of the labor input via diseases whose symptoms are less episodic. A second channel is more forward looking: people invest more in childhood if their human capital will not be idled by disease in adulthood. There is considerable debate in the literature on the effect of adult life expectancy on years of education and, for example, whether this effect is much greater than zero. However, this channel is of second-order importance, by the same logic as above: changing inputs that were already optimized has no effect, to a first approximation, on income.
Next, I explore the macro implications of the
estimates from the micro literature in Section 4. As a point of departure, I discuss in Section 4.1 attempts to extrapolate from micro estimate to the cross- country gaps. Calculations suggest that improving health in poor countries would raise income, but these estimates range from a few percent to tens of percent, depending on the intervention studied and whether a narrow or broad measure of health was used. By these extrapolations, improving health would deliver large increases in income to unhealthy regions, although the gap between rich and poor countries is one or two orders of magnitude greater than the gains estimated from the microdata.
Incorporating the response of population, which is
affected mechanically by mortality, can alter some of these results, however. Reductions in mortality brought about the majority of the increase in population in the past two centuries (Preston, 1980). Nevertheless, although lower mortality moves population onto a new growth path, where this path eventually settles depends on how fertility adjusts to the change in health. In Section 4.2, I interpret some recent studies within the quantity/quality framework, but argue that more research on fertility is needed. Then, tying these threads together in Section 4.3, I analyze changes in human capital and population. First, I review several calibration exercises. A starting point for this exercise is to recognize that (i) mortality restrains population growth and (ii) an increase in population dilutes the per-capita supply of non-labor factors. Several studies argue that this combination can substantially attenuate—possibly even reverse—gains in income that might otherwise come from increases in human capital. This suggests that the ‘Spectre of Malthus’ continues today. But results based on sharply diminishing returns to labor, which are in a sense calibrated from the 20th century, may be less likely in the 21st. This is because of two large changes: urbanization and globalization, both of which make the economy less dependent on the amount of land that is locally available. I then discuss a few other issues in extrapolating from partial to general equilibrium.
In Section 5.1, I discuss evidence from cross-country
comparisons in macroeconomic data. A large literature examines the relation between GDP per capita and proxies of health in a cross-section or panel of countries. The main finding is essentially the stylized fact that motivated this review in the first place. These studies are typically well done, given the methodological constraints. But the constraints are non-trivial: it is difficult to know what to make of the causality between these two variables, and the use of a single proxy variable for health muddles the policy relevance. Another difficulty in interpreting cross-sectional estimates is that we do not know the mechanism or timing with which improving health affects output.
A smaller literature, described in Section 5.2, treats
the aggregate response to large health shocks. First, I discuss within-country evidence from two studies. Next, I turn to a recent paper by Acemoglu and Johnson (2007) who examine, in a cross-national panel, improvements in health technology in the 20th century. They find that decreases in mortality were followed by increases in population and concomitant decreases in GDP per capita. This suggests that returns to labor diminish rapidly, although it is hard to square this result with observed shares of labor in production. I then discuss recent criticisms of this study. I also consider explanations for the different results of these three studies, but argue that more research of this sort is needed.
In Section 6, I offer conclusions from this review.
Whether we think of many of the estimates below as large or small is, in some measure, a question of perspective. In my judgment, the existing micro literature does point to effects of (some types of) health on output that are modestly sized. Note that I mean ‘modest’ from the point of view of a macro/development economist: the income gap between Zambia and Sweden, for example, is very large, and the micro estimates of health effects explain only a small fraction of this difference. But from the point of view of a micro/labor economist, some of these estimates are quite large.
3. Cite requirements of a strategy of agricutural
and rual development. Briefly explain.
Citation requirements of a strategy of agricultural and rural
development are essential in ensuring the validity and authenticity of information used in the formulation and implementation of such strategies. Citing sources helps to attribute ideas, data, and arguments to their original authors and provides a solid foundation for evidence-based decision-making. In this essay, we will explore the importance of citing sources, the benefits it brings to a strategy of agricultural and rural development, and some potential citation requirements that should be considered. Firstly, citing sources in a strategy of agricultural and rural development serves to acknowledge and give credit to the original authors or researchers who have contributed to the field. This helps to maintain academic integrity and fosters a culture of respect for intellectual property. Additionally, it allows readers, policy-makers, and stakeholders to access the sources directly, enabling them to further explore the topic, conduct their own analysis, and strengthen the overall knowledge base.
Furthermore, citation requirements in agricultural and rural
development strategies facilitate transparency and enhance the accountability of decision-makers. By providing a clear reference list, it becomes easier for reviewers and evaluators to validate the information used in the strategy and assess its reliability. This is particularly crucial when strategies involve the allocation of resources, implementation of programs, or initiation of policies that directly impact the agricultural and rural sectors. Accurate and reliable citations can also contribute to building trust between stakeholders and help minimize potential conflicts or disputes.
To ensure proper citation practices in a strategy of agricultural
and rural development, several requirements can be considered. Firstly, all sources used, be it research papers, reports, statistical data, or other forms of evidence, should be cited and referenced appropriately. This includes providing accurate details of the author(s), publication year, title, location, and other essential information, depending on the citation style adopted. The use of a consistent citation style throughout the strategy can enhance its professionalism and clarity.
Moreover, citation requirements should also incorporate the
verification of the credibility and reliability of the sources used. In the context of agricultural and rural development, relying on peer-reviewed publications, reputable institutions, and established research organizations can significantly enhance the quality and validity of the information presented. By conducting a thorough assessment of the sources' credibility, decision-makers can minimize the risk of basing strategies on flawed or biased information.
In conclusion, citation requirements play a vital role in a strategy
of agricultural and rural development. They ensure the acknowledgement of original authors, maintain academic integrity, enhance transparency, and contribute to the overall validity and reliability of the strategy. By adhering to proper citation practices, decision-makers can effectively build upon existing knowledge, foster a culture of accountability, and create a robust foundation for the development of sustainable agricultural and rural policies and programs. Agricultural and rural development is essential for the economic growth and sustainability of a nation. It plays a vital role in ensuring food security, reducing poverty, and fostering rural prosperity. However, designing an effective strategy for agricultural and rural development requires careful consideration of various factors and the incorporation of certain requirements. In this essay, we will discuss the primary requirements that a strategy of agricultural and rural development should address.
Firstly, the strategy must recognize the importance of land and
natural resources in agricultural production. It should emphasize sustainable land management practices, such as soil conservation, water use efficiency, and reforestation. These measures are crucial for preserving land fertility and ensuring the long-term viability of agricultural activities. Additionally, the strategy must also account for the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of natural habitats to maintain ecological balance. Secondly, any strategy for agricultural and rural development should aim to enhance access to credit and financial services for farmers, particularly small-scale farmers. Availability of credit enables farmers to invest in inputs, technology, and infrastructure, thereby increasing productivity and income. Furthermore, the strategy should encourage the establishment of rural financial institutions that can cater to the specific needs of farmers and offer them affordable credit options.
Thirdly, the strategy should prioritize investments in agricultural
research and development. This entails promoting scientific research, innovation, and technology adoption in the agricultural sector. By investing in research and development, the strategy can facilitate the introduction of advanced farming practices, crop varieties with improved yields and resilience, as well as the use of modern machinery and automation. This, in turn, will boost productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and enhance the competitiveness of the agricultural sector.
Fourthly, an effective strategy for agricultural and rural
development must place a strong emphasis on capacity building and knowledge transfer. It is essential to empower farmers with the necessary skills and knowledge to adopt modern farming techniques and improve their productivity. This can be achieved through various means, such as training programs, knowledge sharing platforms, and extension services. Additionally, the strategy should also focus on improving the education and healthcare facilities in rural areas to enhance the overall well- being and quality of life for rural communities.
Fifthly, the strategy should promote market-oriented agriculture
and facilitate market linkages for farmers. Providing farmers with better access to markets, both domestic and international, is crucial for improving their income and promoting rural economic growth. Therefore, the strategy should facilitate the development of efficient marketing channels, infrastructure, and logistics to enable farmers to reach out to consumers and receive fair prices for their produce.
Lastly, a successful strategy for agricultural and rural
development must ensure the inclusivity of all stakeholders, particularly marginalized groups such as women, youth, and indigenous communities. It should aim to address their specific needs and challenges, provide them with equal opportunities, and involve them in decision-making processes. By promoting gender equality and social inclusion, the strategy can help create a more equitable and sustainable agricultural sector.
In conclusion, designing an effective strategy for agricultural and
rural development involves addressing several requirements. These include sustainable land management, access to credit and financial services, investment in research and development, capacity building and knowledge transfer, market-oriented agriculture, and inclusivity. By incorporating these requirements, a strategy can pave the way for a prosperous and sustainable agricultural sector, leading to rural development and overall economic growth.
3. Global warming and climate change have been a
constant threat and countries have exerted effort preparing citizens on foreseen situations, which do you think the government is quite weak in the preparation and how do you think the mitigation and adaptation program be enhanced?
Although balancing between mitigation and
adaptation strategies is still considered at international and national level in different sectors, it displays some important linkages at project level in building sector. IPCC TAR concluded that appropriate optimization between mitigation and adaptation will be a long and boring process and the optimum mix of response options will vary by time and country (place) as local conditions and costs modify (Richard J.T. Klein et al., 2003). Some central shortcoming of optimizing mitigation and adaptation strategies at the project level are, namely, uncertainty, irrespective of the diversity of economic values and preferences within and between society, equity or fairness for distributional cost of impacts (burden sharing), and local conditions. Richard J. T. Klein et al. (2003).
In the absence of perfect information, a number of
alternative mixes of mitigation adaptation and mitigation strategies may be proposed which differ in their economic, social and environmental impacts. For instance, while one option may be equitable and environmentally suitable, it might be cost-effective than other options, although less environmentally and socially acceptable.
These authors present to identify which mix or mixes
of options are justifiable, some multi-criteria framework needs to be designed with which one can capture, quantify and compare the direct and dependent effects of application of each of these or other possible criteria. Other scholars like Arrow et al. (1996) and Tóth et al. argues that balancing between mitigation and adaptation will be challenging because of some unique characteristic issues such as long time horizons; non-linear and irreversible effects; social economic; geographic differences amongst affected parties and global nature of problem.... Climate change is a long-term alteration in the statistical distribution of weather pattern over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. The world is currently experiencing drastic change in temperature. This change can be felt in the tropical climate areas where the weather is getting hotter and hotter every day. The change in global temperatures and precipitation over time is due to natural variability or to human activity. It is also caused by accumulation of greenhouse effects (Arrhenius, 1896). Should we as humans let this problem worsen? Climate change will affect everything including humans, flora and fauna, and the environment.;;; Over the course of recent history, much concern has been raised over the industrial revolution and the potential climate changes that it might be causing. It has been stated by global warming theorist that C02 emissions caused by human technologies are causing the world to warm, which will cause negative climate changes. The Earth may be experiencing a global warming trend and climate change; however, the process of climate change is outside of human control because human activity can barely account for any of the C02 level increases. Attempts to reduce human C02 emissions is needlessly expensive, and will have a negligible role in preventing or slowing any climatic changes such as global warming or an impending ice age. People must be prepared to adapt to the climatic changes that occur, because it is unlikely that human intervention will postpone them or limit the impact of their arrival.
5. On the increasing population rate, how should the
government settle on quality and equality pertaining to opportunities in education, health and job market? * In recent decades, the global population has experienced unprecedented growth, posing significant challenges for governments worldwide. As the population continues to increase, ensuring both quality and equality of opportunities in education, health, and the job market becomes paramount for sustainable development and social cohesion. To address these daunting tasks, governments must adopt comprehensive strategies that prioritize investment in these key sectors, foster inclusivity, and promote equitable distribution of resources.
Addressing the challenges posed by the increasing
population rate requires governments to focus on promoting equality in the job market as well. Creating an enabling environment for job creation and fostering entrepreneurship is vital. Governments should collaborate with the private sector to attract investments, particularly in sectors with growth potential, aiming to generate a diverse range of employment opportunities. Additionally, governments should ensure that labor laws protect workers' rights, provide fair wages, and promote workplace diversity and inclusion, so that all individuals, regardless of their background, have equal access and opportunities for career growth.
To ensure fairness and equity in resource distribution,
governments should implement policies that prioritize regions with greater need. Developing and implementing robust social welfare programs can help bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, providing essential support and necessities to those who are most vulnerable. Cash transfer programs, affordable housing initiatives, and subsidized healthcare services are examples of such measures that can alleviate inequalities and promote social cohesion. as the global population continues to rise, it is imperative for governments to prioritize quality and equality in education, healthcare, and the job market. This can be achieved through strategic investments, fostering inclusivity, and ensuring equitable resource distribution. By addressing these crucial areas, governments can create a society where individuals have equal opportunities to thrive, fostering sustainable development and social harmony for future generations. The increasing population rate poses significant challenges for governments across the globe. Alongside this growth, providing quality and equal opportunities in education, health, and the job market is crucial for sustainable development and societal well-being. In this essay, we will discuss how governments can effectively address these challenges and ensure that all individuals have access to these essential opportunities.
Additionally, promoting equality and quality in the job
market requires governments to implement policies that foster inclusivity and address unemployment. Job creation initiatives, such as the promotion of entrepreneurship and small businesses, can help increase employment opportunities. Governments should actively seek to eliminate discrimination in hiring practices and provide training programs to equip individuals with the relevant skills needed for the job market. Furthermore, efforts should be made to bridge the gender wage gap and ensure equal opportunities for women and minorities in the workforce. Policies that promote work-life balance and support flexible working arrangements can also improve job satisfaction and enhance the overall quality of work.
In conclusion, addressing the challenges posed by the
increasing population rate requires governments to prioritize quality and equality in education, health, and the job market. By investing in these sectors, governments can provide individuals with equal opportunities to develop their skills, access healthcare services, and find meaningful employment. Such measures are essential for fostering sustainable development, reducing social inequalities, and ensuring the overall well-being of the population.