bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Technological Opportunities for Sub‐Sahara Africa1
Authors: Gordon Theodore Jay 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The status of sub‐Saharan African nations and their people can be affected now and even more so in the future by technology. Both the frequency and profundity of inventions that change lives have been accelerating because of the disappearance of artificial walls that separated scientific disciplines, improved and rapid communications, and the inventory of breakthrough discoveries which spawn new invention. Of particular importance in the near future are: genetics, new materials, communications and data bases, new energy systems, miniaturization of machines, and computers including smaller, cheaper PC's, big main‐frames, and new software. The article reviews these technological developments and their likely impacts.RÉSUMÉLa technologie peut influencer la situation des pays et populations de l'Afrique subsaharienne d'aujourd hui et, plus encore, de demain. La fréquence et la nature des inventions qui changent la vie des hommes connaissent une évolution rapide imputable à la disparition des murs artificiels qui séparaient des disciplines scientifiques, aux communications modernes rapides et au stock de découvertes décisives qui engendrent l'invention. Auront une importance toute particulière dans un avenir proche, la génétique, les nouveaux matériaux, les communications et bases de données, les systèmes d'énergies nouvelles, la miniaturisation des machines, les ordinateurs y compris les PC de tallies plus petites et moins coûteux, les gros ordinateurs centraux, et les nouveaux logiciels. Dans cet article, l'auteur examine ces innovations technologiques et leurs incidences éventuelles. II analyse aussi les types de technologies dont l'Afrique subsaharienne a besoin.
African Opportunities in the Transition to a Knowledge Economy
Authors: Wilson Peter 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper examines the future knowledge economy and the opportunities it presents for Africa. Technology, as noted in the paper, is the vehicle through which value and wealth will be created in the future. The importance of affordable access to modem technology, and creating the drive and ability to exploit the new media to add value to raw knowledge are stressed. The paper argues that future polarisation will be between knowledge rich and knowledge poor communities. Africans, therefore, need to have confidence in their own knowledge, whether formal or tacit and establish their rightful place as centres of expertise in specific knowledge domains, whilst exploiting the explosion of opportunities afforded by the global transfer and trade in knowledge.RÉSUMÉL'auteur de cet article analyse l'avenir de l'économie axée sur la connaissance et les possibilités qu'elle ofrre à l'Afrique. La technologie, comme le dit l'article, est le véhicule par lequel la valeur et la richesse seront créées à l'avenir. L'auteur souligne l'importance de l'accès à la technologie moderne ainsi que de l'impulsion et de l'aptitude à exploiter les nouveaux media pour produire de la valeur ajoutée à la connaissance brute. Selon cet article, une polarisation future existera entre les communautés riches en connaissances et les communautés pauvres en connaissances. Les africains doivent done avoir foi en lews connaissances, de façon formelle ou tacite, et se faire leur place légitime en tant que centres d'expertise dans des domaines spécifiques de connaissance, tout en exploitant le foisonnement de possibilités offertes par le transfertet l'échange de connaissances à l'échelon mondial.
Information System Projects in Africa: Reflections on Learning and Systemic Devices
Authors: Bell Simon 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The paper examines some experiences in information technology (IT) projects in Africa. It reviews the twin contexts which IT projects in Africa bring together ‐ the experience of IT projects and the experience of projects in developing countries. It is shown that both have erratic track records but that valuable learning is contained from the experiences of each. Drawing on research experience from three developing country (two African) contexts, the paper draws out a series of lessons, which indicate good and poor practice in IT development. Finally a set of policy implications for IT projects in developing country contexts are discussed. The key lessons are: the IT professional is often a poor ‘expert’; local people must be drawn into the essentially social development process of IT systems planning; modest evolutionary systems have a better record than ambitious, multi‐sector projects; and effective monitoring and evaluation of IT projects requires a systemic assessment of qualitative and quantitative issues.RÉSUMÉCet article examine certaines expériences relatives aux projets de technologie de l'information (TI) en Afrique. Il analyse le contexte double des projets de TI en Afrique, à savoir l'expérience en matière de projets TI et l'expérience en matière de projets dans les pays en développement. L'expérience montre que l'un et l'autre types de projet donnent des résultats irréguliers, mais les leçons qui en découlent sont précieuses. A partir de l'expérience en matière de recherche enregistrée dans trois pays en développement dont deux africains, l'auteur de l'article tire une série de leçons qui révèlent des pratiques bonnes et mauvaises en matière de conception de technologies informatiques. Enfin, l'article analyse une série d'incidences de politiques relatives aux projets de TI dans le contexte de pays en développement. Les leçons essentielles sont les suivantes: le professionnel TI est souvent un “expert” médiocre; les populations locales doivent être associées au processus de planification des systèmes de technologie informatique essentiellement liée au développement social; des systèmes évolutifs modestes donnent de meilleurs résultats que les projets multisectoriels ambitieux; et le suivi et l‘évaluation rétrospective efficaces des projets de technologie informatique nécessitent une évaluation systémique des aspects qualitatifs et quantitatifs.
Creating the African Information and Knowledge Society
Authors: Adesida Olugbenga 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Information, knowledge and a highly developed scientific and technological base are now pre‐requisites for nations that want to compete in the new global economy. If African countries are to be able to compete, they must build the social capabilities and acquire the necessary capacity in science and technology. To build an African information and knowledge society, the paper proposes the need for African countries to formulate national strategy for science and technology, build capacity not only in hard sciences but also in the management of innovation, build a superb information infrastructure, put in place a strategic learning and early warning systems, rely more on market forces, create innovation funds, and build effective regional cooperation mechanisms.RÉSUMÉL'Information, la connaissance et une base scientifique et technologique hautement développée sont, de nos jours, les conditions qui s'imposent aux nations qui, dans le contexte de la nouvelle économie globale, tiennent à rester dans la course de la compétition internationale. Si les pays africains veulent soutenir la concurrence, ils doivent asseoir la capacité sociale et acquérir le potentiel scientifique et technologique nécessaire. Pour la création d'une société africaine d'information et de connaissance, les pays africains, selon l'auteur de l'article, doivent formuler une stratégie nationale dans le domaine de la science et de la technologie, renforcer leur capacité non seulement dans les sciences pures mais aussi dans la gestion de l'innovation, mettre en place une infrastructure adéquate, des systèmes d'apprentissage stratégique et des dispositifs d'alerte précoce, se fier plus aux forces du marché, créer des fonds d'innovation et créer des mécanismes efficace de coopération régionale.
The Interaction of Non‐agricultural Employment, Agricultural Development and Reduced Chronic Food Insecurity: Sub‐Saharan Africa, 1970 to 1990
Authors: Rempel Henry 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Two distinct competing themes are evident in the study of development in Sub‐Saharan Africa. The dominant policy theme is the World Bank/International Monetary Fund mandated structural adjustment programs which minimise the role of employment and assume the agriculture sector will serve as the employer of last resort, absorbing most of the new entrants to the labour force. An alternative theme arises from the study of chronic food insecurity, which is seen to be located primarily in the rural areas among people who are producing food. The return to labour that was invested in agricultural activities by this sub‐set of the households is inadequate to generate either sufficient food for the household or adequate income to enable the purchase of sufficient food. In this study, macro‐level data from 42 countries is utilised to study the interaction between average caloric intake and non‐agricultural employment during the period 1970 to 1990. Given the importance of employment creation in reducing chronic food insecurity at the national level, the study calls for a re‐consideration of the failure to pursue employment creation as part of structural adjustment policies.RÉSUMÉDeux idées antagoniques distinctes se dégagent de l'étude sur le développement en Afrique subsaharienne, L'idée dominante est que les programmes d'ajustement structurel presents par la Banque mondiale et/ou le Fonds monétaire international minimisent le rôle de l'emploi et supposent que le secteur agricole servira d'employeur de dernier recours, en absorbant la plupart des nouveaux venus sur le marché du travail. La seconde est que l'insécurité alimentaire chronique est vue comme un phénomène qui se manifeste surtout en milieu rural, au sein de populations productrices de denrées alimentaires. Le rendement de la main‐d'œuvre que ce sous‐ensemble des ménages a investi dans les activités agricoles, est insuffisant pour répondre aux besoins alimentaires des ménages ou générer des revenus adéquats qui leur permettraient d'acheter suffisamment de nourriture. L'étude présente des données globales sur 42 pays, qui permettent d'étudier la corrélation entre la ration calorique moyenne et l'emploi dans les secteurs non agricoles, de 1970 à 1990. Etant donné qu'il est important de créer des emplois pour réduire l'insécurité alimentaire chronique au niveau national, l'étude recommande de réexaminer les politiques d'ajustement structurel en raison de leur échec dans ce domaine.
The Sources of Financial Instability in Côte d'lvoire
Authors: SEKA Pierre Roche 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: It has long been assumed that the main cause of financial instability in Côte d'lvoire is the deterioration in its terms of trade. The paper analyzes the effects of changes in the terms of trade on domestic savings and investments in Côte d'lvoire. It is an interesting question, especially for a country subjected to large swings in its terms of trade caused by world market fluctuations. In particular, we analyze how the waves of the terms of trade are transmitted to the budget, to consumption and saving, to investment and to income, and how in turn these variables interact in the process of adjusting to the terms of trade shocks both in the private and the public sectors. The findings show that though the terms of trade shocks are important in causing financial instability, the main cause remains the way people adjust to these shocks. In particular, from disequilibrium, absorption (consumption and investment) adjust more rapidly than saving, owing primarily to the way people react to growth and predicted rise in the terms of trade by spending more without accommodating saving. It has been shown that the public sector in particular, did impose a burden in that respect.RÉSUMÉOn a longtemps supposé que la détérioration des termes de l'échange était la principale cause de l'instabilité financière en Côte d'lvoire. Cet article analyse les incidences de l'évolution des termes de l'échange sur l'épargne intérieure et les investissements dans ce pays. Cette analyse présente un certain intérêt, notamment pour un pays où les termes de l'échange varient considérablement, en fonction des fluctuations du marché mondial. L'auteur montre, en particulier, l'effet que les ondes de distorsion des termes de l'échange ont sur le budget, la consommation, l'épargne, les investissements et les revenus, et la corrélation entre ces variables lorsqu'elles tentent de s'adapter aux chocs provoqués par les termes de l'échange tant dans le secteur public que dans le privé. Les constats réalisés montrent que, bien que ces chocs soient une cause importante d'instabilité financière, la cause plus importante reste la faculté d'adaptation des populations à ces chocs. En particulier, la capacité d'absorption (consommation et investissement) d'un pays s'adapte plus vite aux déséquilibres que sa capacité d'épargne, en grande partie parce face à la croissance et à une hausse prévue des termes de l'échange, la population réagit en dépensant plus et sans songer àépargner. Le secteur public, en particulier, s'est avéréêtre un fardeau, à cet égard.
A Neo‐Functional Examination of the African Economic Community: Lessons from the Experience of the European Union
Authors: Babarinde Olufemi A. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract:In mid‐1991, members of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) signed a treaty in Abuja, Nigeria, which sought to create an African Economic Community (AEC) by the year 2031. The aim of the proposed Community, which was preceded, roughly a decade earlier, by the Lagos Plan of Action and the Final Act of Lagos (LPA) is to facilitate regional cooperation on a continental scale as a strategy for economic growth and development in Africa. At the Abuja summit, African leaders attempted to compare the proposed AEC to the European Union (EU). This article inquires the likelihood of the AEC to takeoff and eventually evolve to a level of maturity and sophistication reminiscent of the EU. To that end, the socio‐economic and political conditions of the continent are reviewed, following which the substance and the structure of the AEC treaty are evaluated against the experience of the EU.RÉSUMÉVers le milieu de l'année 1991, les membres de l'Organisation de l'unité africaine (OUA) ont signé un traitéà Abuja (Nigeria) relatif à la création, d'ici à l'an 2031, de la Communautééconomique africaine (CEA). L'objectif de ce projet‐dont les précurseurs ont été le Plan d'action et l'Acte final de Lagos, élaborés près d'une dizaine d'années plus tôt ‐ est de faciliter la coopération régionale à l'échelle continentale, en tant que stratégic de croissance et de développement économique en Afrique. Au sommet d'Abuja, les dirigeants africains ont cherchéà comparer la future Communautééconomique africaine à l'Union européenne (UE). Le présent article s'interroge sur les chances de la CEA d'émerger et d'arriver éventuellement à un degré de maturité et de sophistication proche de celui de l'UE. A cette fin, elle examine les conditions socioéconomiques etpolitiques des pays du continent, puis évalue le contenu et la structure du traité de la CEA en se fondant sur l'expérience de l'UE.
On Ethiopia's Economic Transition and Beyond
Authors: Naudé Willem 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Ethiopia has recently embarked on a course away from socialism towards a market oriented economy. The way in which the authorities envisage this process to take place, has been set out in a number of policy documents, some written in collaboration with the World Bank and IMF. This paper evaluates these documents, especially the New Economic Policy (NEP) document first released by the Ethiopian government in November 1991. The evaluation takes place against a discussion of the constraints created by past economic policies. Directions for future modification of economic policies are indicated.RÉSUMÉL'Ethiopie s'est récemment engagée dans une politique qui vise à abandonner le socialisme au profit d'une économie orientée vers le marché. La méthode, par laquelle les autorités nationales envisagent d'opérer une telle évolution, a été définie dans de nombreux de documents de politique, dont certains ont étéélaborés en collaboration avec la Banque mondiale et le FMI. Le présent article examine ces documents, notammentcelui dans lequel est définie lanouvelle politique économique adoptée en novembre 1991 par le Gouvernement. Cet examen se fonde sur une analyse des contraintes des anciennes politiques économiques. L'auteur émet des principes d'action en vue d'une modification future des politiques économiques.
The current status of instructional design theories in relation to today's authoring systems*
Authors: O'Neil A. Fred 
Published: March 2008

AbstractIt is of course very difficult to accurately project important characteristics of the future state of any rapidly evolving field, and the field of authoring systems for computer‐assisted instruction (CAI) is no exception. However, strong trends in evolving CAI systems of today would seem to indicate some important characteristics of the software systems underlying tomorrow's automated instructional systems. Under the premise that form follows function, this paper will explore the functional impetus of some of the most important trends extant in terms of their roots in a powerful, emerging technology of instructional design. This technology promises to complement the advancing hardware and software technologies, by supplying that sine qua non of successful instructional materials. It is inevitable that systems of the future will make (and indeed are making) significant accommodations of this vital technology as it matures, and therefore some important characteristics of tomorrow's systems can be predicated upon what is already known of this technology of instructional design.
Understanding the past—illuminating the future
Authors: Rushby Nick , Seabrook Jan 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThis is the report of a project funded by the British Educational Communications and Technology Research Agency (Becta) to identify the key—but forgotten—information and communication technology research projects in the UK between 1980 and 1999 and to review the contribution that these projects can make in informing the current Becta research agenda and making future research more efficient.
AI in training (1980–2000): Foundation for the future or misplaced optimism?
Authors: Welham David 
Published: March 2008

AbstractSince the beginning of the use of technology to support training and learning there has always been the belief that such new technologies would be able to add value either by reducing costs or increasing effectiveness. The 1980s and early 1990s were a period of enormous optimism as to the promise that such technology could bring. The governments of Europe and the US were generous in their funding of research in this area. In Europe research and development programmes such as ESPRIT, DELTA, RACE, ERASMUS and COMETT, to name only a few, funded a wealth of initiatives aimed at advancing the use of technology. At the margins of the early initiatives was the belief that AI must have a part to play in these developments. This paper reviews the early initiatives and suggests reasons why the potential for the use of AI in education and training has never been truly fulfilled.
A new intelligent tutoring system*
Authors: Ford Lindsey 
Published: March 2008

AbstractEarly in 1984, Logica started an ICAI research contract with MoD (Procurement Executive), which was to be undertaken in collaboration with the technical authority at the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, Malvern. A prototype system, which has become known as TUTOR, was scheduled for delivery to the client later in 1985. Initially, and for evaluation purposes, the system ran on VAX 11/780 hardware under VMS. The target subject for TUTOR was the field of emergency procedures in flight safety regulations as taught to air traffic controllers. Initial development of TUTOR, however, has been aimed at the Highway Code, a domain which we, as well as the client and other observers, are familiar with. Evaluation of TUTOR would be based on both domains. Prolog was chosen as the implementation language because ICAI, as we shall see, makes use of rich data structures that can easily be expressed in Prolog.
Fire play: ICCARUS—Intelligent command and control, acquisition and review using simulation*
Authors: Powell James , Wright Theo , Newland Paul , Creed Chris , Logan Brian 
Published: March 2008

AbstractIs it possible to educate a fire officer to deal intelligently with the command and control of a major fire event he will never have experienced? The authors of this paper believe there is, and present here just one solution to this training challenge. It involves the development of an intelligent simulation based upon computer managed interactive media. The expertise and content underpinning this educational development was provided by the West Midlands Fire Service. Their brief for this training programme was unambiguous and to the point:

Do not present the trainee with a model answer, because there are no generic fires. Each incident is novel, complex, and often ‘wicked’ in that it changes obstructively as it progresses. Thus firefighting demands that Commanders impose their individual intelligence on each problem to solve it.
A suitable Educational Simulator should stand alone; operate in real time; emulate as nearly as possible the ‘feel’ of the fireground; present realistic fire progress; incorporate the vast majority of those resources normally present at a real incident; bombard the trainee with information from those sources; provide as few system‐prompts as possible.
There should also be an interrogable visual debrief which can be used after the exercise to give the trainees a firm understanding of the effects of their actions. This allows them to draw their own conclusions of their command effectiveness. Additionally, such a record of command and control will be an ideal initiator of tutorial discussion.
The simulation should be realisable on a hardware/software platform of £10 000.
The overriding importance is that the simulation should ‘emulate as nearly as possible the feelings and stresses of the command role’.
CACTUS: Command and control training using knowledge‐based simulations*
Authors: Hartley Roger , Ravenscroft Andrew , Williams R J 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe CACTUS project was concerned with command and control training of large incidents where public order may be at risk, such as large demonstrations and marches. The training requirements and objectives of the project are first summarized justifying the use of knowledge‐based computer methods to support and extend conventional training techniques. The software designs are based on a world model in which crowd groups and police units are placed on a digitized map and have probabilistic rules that govern their interactive behaviour. The simulation runs as a decision‐making exercise that can include pre‐event logistic planning, incident management, and debriefing evaluation. A key feature is the flexibility of the software, for it provides not only a working simulation but also a methodology and software tools for customizing programs to suit particular circumstances and training needs.