Browsing by Author "Lawson, Elaine T."
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Item Does it matter where I live? Comparing the impact of housing quality on child development in slum and non-slum areas in Ghana(International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 2014) Braimah, Farouk R; Lawson, Elaine T.Deteriorating physical characteristics and limited access to social services are said to typify a substantial number of the housing types in Ghana. The impact of these on vulnerable groups such as children remains largely unresearched. This paper compares the quality of houses in a slum (Old Fadama) and a non-slum (Asylum Down) community and its impacts on child development. Data was collected from 150 children between the ages of 9 and 17 years with the aid of semi-structured interviews. The findings showed housing quality was directly linked to income levels. Hence children in non-slum communities lived in better quality houses, had better access to sanitation services, and had better access to education and recreational facilities. The results served as the basis for a theoretical discussion and recommendations for improving child development through the provision of better quality houses, access to improved sanitation, and facilities for recreation.Item Re-thinking relationships between environmental attitudes and values for effective coastal natural resource management in Ghana(The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability, 2015) Lawson, Elaine T.The coastal zone of Ghana is home to about a quarter of the total population of the country and its importance has been well emphasised in policy documents, such as the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda, the National Climate Change Policy as well as the National Environmental Policy. However, environmental degradation remains a critical issue as dependence on coastal natural resources continues to increase, and its effect is being felt more strongly by certain groups than others. This paper identifies women as key stakeholders, and through an empirical assessment highlights the need to factor their environmental attitudes and values into efforts to manage the coast in an integrated manner. The results show that respondents generally had positive environmental attitudes, which did not translate to good environmental behaviour. Respondents placed the greatest importance on the coastal natural resources as sources of wealth creation and of food, values which are often described as being “anthropocentric”. Hence, initiatives that could win the support of the local people and also help manage coastal resources effectively are those that link the livelihoods and well-being to coastal natural resource management.Item When Rhetoric Meets Reality: Attitudinal Change and Coastal Zone Management in Ghana(Environment and Natural Resources Research, 2014) Lawson, Elaine T.The current poor state of coastal natural resources in Ghana has been attributed to pressures largely from anthropogenic sources, as well as to the negative attitudes of resource users. In order to facilitate attitudinal change educational programmes have focused on the linear model of behaviour, where an awareness of environmental problems is thought to lead to positive environmental behaviour. This paper presents the results of a study of the environmental attitudes of some coastal residents and the socio-economic milieu in which these attitudes are expressed. The results indicated that (1) majority of the respondents lacked access to basic infrastructure, (2) their main environmental concerns were linked to their desire for better living conditions, (3) they have generally positive environmental attitudes and (4) their positive environmental attitudes did not translate to good environmental behaviour because of factors mentioned in (1) and (2). The paper recommends the consideration of environmental and socio-economic concerns of resource users, which influence behavioural intentions during the policy-making processes.