Feed: Grad School Jungle - AggScore: 52.1

The academic community is a social entity. By that we mean a body which has an obligation to society in which its existence is dependent upon.

The old school concept of colleges and universities however, is that it is an independent organization with an “untouchable” status. This permits them for a moral obligation to criticize other sectors of society in order to impose their theoretical concepts of development and change. Such practice doesn’t help but rather creates a wider than ever margin between theory and practice. There is a great difference between knowing development and doing it.

But old school is an old concept and is gradually being thrown into the archives and hopefully into oblivion. Academic advancement doesn’t need to be realized inside the secluded campus. Colleges and universities sharing their time, expertise, and material resources can provide benefits to society in so many ways. And I’m not talking about extension activities for accreditation purposes but rather ones which truly change the quality of life of its beneficiaries.

We don’t really need to search globally for such examples. I just found out that I don’t need to look much farther for there is one just within a walking distance from where I used to work in Davao City.

Started in 1978 with the primary aim to be the extension arm of the Davao Medical School Foundation, the Institute for Primary Health Care (IPHC) was established. The institute was thus envisioned to help the school in linking the academe to the real world in the light of community health care initiatives.

To date IPHC is one of the most visible and active NGO in the Davao Region as well as in Southern Mindanao. This makes it a perfect example of a paradigm that very well illustrates the essential role schools should play in community development, one which is worthy to emulate.

In this context, I use IPHC as case study of a development model that I propose called the Schools Having Active Participation in Ensuring Development. For purposes of better retention I call this model simply as the SHAPE paradigm.

The SHAPE paradigm encompasses the clichéd concept of the academe and uplifts it into a more vivid and fuller purpose. The paradigm has three stages: the local extension, shifting priorities, recognition, and the ultimate stage. All these stages can be empirically proven through the different achievements of IPHC since its existence.

The Local Extension

In this particular stage, a school starts evolving by extending its arms towards the very entity that it is dependent upon: the community. Usually it starts from reaching out to the marginalized portion of society and provides assistance by utilizing its resources in terms of financial and technical assistance.

Such technical assistance most probably is themed upon the available expertise that the school mainly have. In the case of IPHC, it’s on community health care.

Primarily, along with the purpose of helping communities, the school equally aims to do this in order to provide hands on training to its students as well as its faculty. Undeniably, such learning experiences cannot be done inside the four corners of a classroom.

Shifting Priorities

After the school starts to reap the bountiful harvest of their efforts, it starts to get hooked on its success. Suddenly, the objective becomes more ambitious in a good way. Community development now becomes a “Holy Grail” for the school’s activities.

After the reaping  the low hanging fruits, the school now becomes determined to go beyond the “school-linking-to-the-community” and towards a “school-partnering-with-communities”. The priority concern is to extend its original theme of community assistance to a broader goal of helping communities achieve stability.

Development is characterized as both dynamic and elusive. Thus, we must adapt to such character by transforming our priorities and at the same time our values and views on development as the need arises.

Recognition

Working for development could be an exhausting yet a rewarding job. Seeing communities stand up for themselves against the harsh necessities in life can give the necessary motivation to work more. Furthermore, being instrumental to a community’s success can be a reward in itself much more so if such is being recognized by others.

Aside from the numerous awards that IPHC received in recognition of its efforts, a much more rewarding act could actually be if others start emulating your work. After all, replication is a form of flattery.

The Philippine Government have recognized IPHC’s work and started using one of its own strategies for community development. This time it’s in the aspect of community assessment.

Now, this particular stage of the SHAPE paradigm referring to awards and recognitions may or may not be experienced right away. However, it doesn’t mean that the ultimate stage cannot be achieved by any school once the second stage is already in place. Furthermore, I have already emphasized that recognition doesn’t necessarily mean trophies or plaques.

And another thing: As much as recognition is concerned, it doesn’t equate to stopping what you are doing when you receive it, all the more if you don’t.

The Ultimate Stage

Now, I’m not really saying that the SHAPE paradigm is easy as 1-2-3. And more than that, a fourth stage is necessary if we are to transcend in to a much more relevant part(ner) of society. This stage is a case of going beyond the ME, MYSELF, and I mentality after undergoing the WE and US approach towards what we call as the YOU, YOU, and YOU frame of mind.

In the ultimate stage, schools start to see that they are not the center of society but as a mere part of it. Its achievement is merely a minute contribution to society and its current resources will never be enough to attain its vision even with the best of intentions. The school now partners with others who help others.

However, the ultimate stage is a never ending process of struggling to attain the characteristic of being unconditional: helping for the main reason of helping and never asking for something in return. We may still have a long way for perfecting the technique to determine this but IPHC have gone a long way to achieve it. Thus, I propose we give them credit of being on this stage.

In Conclusion

Schools are primarily established as a learning institution. But let’s face it; we just don’t put our kids into it just to learn math, science, or philosophy. We send them to school because we want them to learn more about life in general. We want them to learn about values such as faith, hope, and love. This time, IPHC teaches us about having FAITH in the capabilities of communities to realize their HOPEs and thereby shows us the real meaning of LOVE.

So in this particular case study, IPHC provides us a perfect example of how changing the stereotypical image of a school can be an essential brushstroke in painting the complex portrait of change. I bet schools should all start to reSHAPE if they haven’t done it yet.

(Author’s Note: Words in quotation marks were taken from the 1st RAFI Triennial Awards eBook)
This is an official entry to the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Triennial Awards Blogging Contest. For more details log on to www.rafi.org.ph
A brief background on the RAFI Triennial Awards is featured in my previous post.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation was founded in November 16, 1966. The foundation wishes to recognize individuals and institutions that go the extra mile in bringing about change and in enhancing the quality of life of various groups and communities. Thirty years after RAFI started, the RAFI Triennial Awards was launched in memory of its founders Don Ramon and Eduardo Aboitiz.

The awards are given in two categories: The Ramon Aboitiz Award for Exemplary Individual and The Eduardo Aboitiz Award for Outstanding Institution. It is given to individuals and institutions who have committed themselves to building a more humane, equitable and caring society, reflecting the philanthropic, humanitarian and holistic ideals and values of Don Ramon and Don Eduardo.

In order to highlight both the RAFI Triennial Awards awardees and finalists the RAFI Triennial Awards blogging contest is presently conducted. With the contest theme: RAFI Triennial Awards Laureates: Shaping the big picture of change, RAFI invites bloggers to do background research on their awardees and finalists and feature them in their blogs.

Contest duration is from September 30 – December 15, 2011.

For more details on the contest log on to www.rafi.org.ph

Read my entry in my next post.

Distinguished professor Dahe Jiang, Ph.D. from Tongji University in Shanghai, China visited Central Mindanao University last July 13, 2011. Dr. Jiang was here on a UNEP and UNESCO project to implement the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Higher Education. This is a move to incorporate and fuse the concept of sustainable development in the higher education curriculum. Other academic institutions to be visited by Dr. Jiang will be UP Diliman and the Mapua Institute of Technology.

Dr. Jiang talked about the Education for Sustainable Development framework of the UN and how institutions in the country and in Asia can take part in the process of advocating the young minds about the concept of sustainable development.

In my own view, I think it is a great step in trying to advance the concept of sustainability into the limelight. However, may I add that it will also depend on how we will market sustainability in the classrooms. I hope that we can transcend from advocating environmentalism and sustainability as a cause-oriented endeavor to a profit-oriented one.

We just cannot market environmentalism these days like what we have done with “nationalism” and/or “patriotism”. It just won’t work in these times of practicality and pragmatism. Though we all know any type of unsustainable activity won’t be as practical in the long run as it seems.

However, when we start marketing sustainability as a product, we may start to slowly reap the fruits of sustainability in due time. Once people begin to realize that living sustainably can bring more savings and profit through the efficiency it provides (more work with less energy, materials, and waste), then they would start buying the concept like a product).

Businesses and institutions would then follow suit. This could start with policies and activities that adhere to the standards of sustainability and in so doing leads to savings and profit for such business. Hopefully, government will eventually follow.

How about you, do you think environmentalism and sustainability is still a cause-oriented concept or has it transformed into a profitable one?

Rewind July, 2004. Peter Wallace, an Australian business consultant residing in the Philippines and Managing Director of the Wallace Forum, several years ago released a report entitled KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid). This is a critique of the process of opening up a business in the Philippines.

Although he compared the Philippines as better than the Democratic Republic of Congo in terms of the number of days it takes to open up a business (215), it definitely is way behind Australia’s record (2 days). The country's average is 40 days and can be much more as Wallace wrote. The report basically expands on the World Bank’s work which links excessive government intervention to slow economic growth.

I do agree with such claims, the statistics presented by Wallace is reason enough. Because of the delays caused by some unnecessary processes in business registration, several businessmen may hesitate to do business in the country. Thus, hindering investment into our country and obviously worsens our employment problems and thus slows the economy.

Times have changed I guess.

Fast Forward to February 2011. My hometown, Mati has just been recently declared (again) as a city based on a Supreme Court reversal. I’ve been in and out of the town for several years now, not knowing when and how (and where) to settle down for good with my wife. I have decided to stay (again) for good in the town (city, I mean) last May, then another consultancy project came last October which brought me to General Santos City.

However, I’m back here again, and this time I have decided to symbolically settle down in this promising place by registering my consultancy practice as a business here. Having read Wallace’s KISS report a long time ago, I tried to test if it still is true today here in Mati.

First Stop: Business Name Registration at the Department of Trade and Industry. This would have just taken less than an hour (they have a computerized system). However, I went into the provincial office of DTI in the afternoon and they told me that their cut off time for the day’s transaction is at 12 noon so mine is considered as the next day’s transaction, so my Certificate of Business Name Registration will be released the next day. Fair enough because I still have to get the checklist of requirements for the next step, the Mayor’s Permit.

Next Stop: Getting the Mayor’s Permit. Following is a list of requirements I have to comply before the city permits me to operate my business here (for sole proprietorship):

•Duly accomplished Application for Business Permit
•Current year Business Community Tax
•Certificate of Business Name Registration (from DTI)
•Barangay Clearance
•Police Clearance

That’s 5 requirements and takes note that I have already started finishing one (the DTI Certification). The Business Community Tax took me around 15 minutes to get (including the waiting at the line). The Police Clearance took around 15 minutes too. It’s a bit longer (almost an hour) for the Barangay Clearance.

Afterward, it took me one whole day the next day to pay the necessary payments and fill up the Application for Business Permit Form which should be signed by the different city offices (City Engineer, City Environment, City Planning, City Treasurer, Fire Department, City Health, and the Business Permit and Licensing Office). Thank God I have several friends at the City Hall: I would have suffered the same fate as Wallace’s friend who got lost in the maze of offices and hallways.

Wheew! That’s almost two days of coming and going and I finally got my Mayor’s Permit.

Last Stop: Certificate of Registration from the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Following are the requirements for this particular registration:

•3 copies of Duly Accomplished Form 1901 (Application for Registration for Self Employed and Mixed Income Individuals)
•Registration fee (Php 500.00) to be paid at Land Bank using Form 0605 (Payment Form)
•2 photocopies of Marriage Contract (Birth Certificate for Single Applicants)
•2 photocopies of DTI Certificate of Business Name Registration
•Certification fee and Documentary Stamp (Php 115.00)

The BIR process took less than a day. I guess much has really changed since Peter Wallace’s report.

But wait! There’s one more step.


Ultimate Step: Authority to Print Receipts and Invoices. Here are the requirements for this:

•Dully Accomplished Form 1906 (Application For Authority to Print Receipts and Invoices)
•Job Order (from a BIR accredited printer that you have contracted to print your receipts)
•Final and Clear Sample of Receipts and Invoices (from the accredited printer)
•BIR Certificate of Registration (the one given to me after I have accomplished the Form 1901)
•Proof of Payment of Registration (The Php 500.00 paid to Land Bank with Form 0605)

I was a bit relieved when the printer told me that they will help me in following up my Authority to Print. All I have to do is drop by the printing press and pick up my documents and the receipts after a minimum of three weeks. Huh! Wait. Did I hear it right? Yup, three weeks.

Ok, three weeks, that’s 21 days right plus I have already consumed 2 days for the mayor’s permit plus the 1 day for the BIR registration, that’s 24 days. Not bad. 7 years ago it would have been almost twice that long.

As Wallace has reported, Pakistan’s computerization and streamlining of business registration, shortened the time of starting business in that country from 53 days to 22 days. Maybe the Philippines has done something aside from just talk about it for the past seven years (take note: that’s from 40 days to 24 days). Or maybe it’s geographical, Mati maybe an exception. Maybe the city government learned something from Wallace’s KISS 7 years ago. Or maybe (Wallace would have said) I’m just lucky.

INTRODUCTION

This is an analysis of the article entitled “On Reductionism” (1994) by Gerald L. Smith. This literature tries to give an account of how reductionism as a concept was revolutionizing our traditional view of science putting emphasis on the scientific method thereby giving some positive as well as negative implications on our modern way of thought.

In the first part of the article, Smith cites some statements from Descartes’ “Rules for the Direction of the Mind”. he specifies that Rules V, VII, IX are Descartes’ effort to uphold scientific inquiry through a system we now call scientific method. This now becomes the foothold of our modern science, that nature should be studied through empirical observation. Smith further added that Descartes’ statements on Rule II and III demanded non-acceptance of claims that are not proven within the methods that he proposes (V, VII, and IX).

Smith, I believe is right about this claims. The rules when studied carefully reveal the kind of philosophical and ideological battle during that time between scientists and its critics (the Church). We may cite how Galileo was disgraced because he was presenting his findings on the nature of position of the sun and the planets based on empirical observations, a method we may now call scientific. Galileo’s findings were rejected not because there was something wrong with his methodology or because of discrepancies with his data but because his findings does not coincide with the church’s view.

Probably this was the concern of the scientist’s during those times. They were trying to prove something in order to free the mind of civilization on things they believed that are apparently false as proven by a rational inquiry. Descartes’ “Rules” were geared towards this motivation. Embedded in the “Rules” are philosophical statements that could spark a revolutionary view of fact finding. Descartes and Galileo motivated future scientists to pursue knowledge with a more valid explanation on natural phenomena. These explanations should not be based on mere speculations or philosophical debate but rather by data observed with nature. This furthermore, should be quantified and arranged in mathematical equations which we could plainly understand. This paved the way for scientific laws which have become unchallenged through the ages (Newton’s Laws, Einstein’s theories, the Gas laws).

WHAT IS REDUCTIONISM?

Reductionism can either mean a) an approach to understanding the nature of complex things by reducing them to the interactions of their parts, or to simpler or more fundamental things or b) a philosophical position that a complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts, and that an account of it can be reduced to account of individual constituents.  This could refer to objects, phenomena, and theories. Smith described it based on what Descartes stated in the “Rules” as “an attempt to understand an object of inquiry by a precise and exhaustive detailing of the particulars, the constituent which compose the object”. An example of this is considering an ecosystem to be composed of organisms and its non-living components, or those organisms to be composed of molecules, or these molecules to be composed of atoms.

Smith wrote that the “Rules” fit into such reductionist perspective. However, he noted that reductionists have no consensus on the idea of Descartes being a reductionist. Those who do think that Descartes was one without him knowing it. Those who don’t, submit to the idea that reductionism was undreamed of. It just came out of the process.

It is also important to note that reductionism regards the whole system being studied as equal to the sum of its subsystems, disregarding the relationships that put them together. I go with Smith’s stand that it is truly untrue. If the whole is equal to its parts, then the whole is not a whole, those are only parts. I firmly believe that the whole is called a whole not because of its parts but by how these parts were relatively strung up together by natural laws. These interactions got lost along the way because of a reductionist approach.

In studying nature for example, we should strive to study its parts so that we could understand nature more not understand it as mere arrangements of organisms, elements, or compounds. The study of these parts should enhance more our understanding and appreciation of how nature is a fragile interdependence among different meaningful parts which in turn are also composed of interdependent parts. The reductionist approach is just like thinking of a table only as wood and nails, and in the process we forget the purpose of the table because we have concluded that it is just equivalent to a wooden coffin which we can also reduce into wood and nails.

REDUCTIONISM AND NIHILISM

Part of smith’s article is an excerpt from an essay by Victor Frankl entitled “Reductionism and Nihilism” which tries to equate reductionism to nihilism. This dealt further with the idea of reductionism disregarding relationship among the elements of the system thus in the process, the system being studied becomes meaningless. An example here is the human value of love which was then chopped down into sexual activity by the famous Masters and Johnson experiments.

I definitely stand up for this proposition because it is so evidential. Everyday, we see how traditional human values become useless pieces of physical artifacts. We seem to these all instantly because it employs the method we have always known as science. One of this examples is how Christianity as a religion becomes nothing more than a political movement motivated an influential man coming from an ordinary working class family at least based on historical studies. The field of psychology trimmed it down as a result of man’s need to be sedated of a divine thinking in order to overcome the trials and sufferings in life.

The notion that the whole is equal to its parts creates a negative effect on our civilized mind. It destroys the higher meaning of the whole by equating it with the lower meaning of its parts. Management becomes nothing but strategies; political campaigns becomes marketing and customer service becomes a constant smile and memorized greetings. During the Cold War, political agenda were realized through a seemingly reductionist approach of military intelligence science by dirty tricks and sabotage. All of these were equated as part of a democratic process.

Reductionism is indeed nihilism, values become nonsense. In the future we may realize all the things we have upheld as values for our children now becomes meaningless pieces of dry psycho-socio-cultural elements much like the idea that a table is nonsense because its just wood and nails.

DEVELOPMENT AS A SYMBOL

Symbols as Frankl pointed out, has two parts: something that signifies (the parts; lower meaning) and something that is signified (the whole; higher meaning). Reductionism equates the two. Man for example, as a symbol, now becomes fragmented parts of non-life substances studied by varied disciplines of humanity. We forgot about what man signifies because we think it is equal to what signifies it (its parts).

I wish to include development as an example of how symbols are reduced here. As a whole development is a process of advancement towards a better condition. It is a complex symbol which represents man’s higher aspiration of living and trying to overtake necessity and hardships. It complexity is so vast that expertise on this field needs a generalist approach. It has a wider meaning as a whole yet we study its bits in order to understand it better. However, this somewhat reductionist approach alienates its different dimensions from each other, creating low level meaning for each dimensions as we equate it with the whole.

One dimension is economic development which is geared towards additional income. Another is physical development which concerns technology and the convenience it offers. Social development on the other hand deals with the improvement of people’s welfare and needs in terms of interaction among societal organizations. These components of development are all important aspects of development. Each one defines what development should be thus harmonizing all of these is a tough job for a development manager. In order to better understand it we practically studied each component individually and in the process, we created different perspectives on development depending on where we stand in the picture. To the economist it means income; to the engineer it means buildings or infrastructure projects; to the sociologist it means a more modern type of organization or flow of information. We forgot the whole meaning of development. What we know are only the meaning of its parts which are a lot different from the whole.

Another victim of this reductionist approach in development administration is how we have neglected the real purpose of nature and the environment as our source of resources for development to take place. Economics equates environment as factors of production which should be utilized to a maximum in order to achieve the maximum production. In the process we have depleted nature and reduced it into something that unconditionally gives us everything we need all the time. While processing raw materials from nature into goods and services we also create large amount of waste, something we don’t need. This time we throw it back to the environment. Therefore, we have reduced the environment into something that receives everything we don’t need all the time. Reductionism comes unnoticed because it disguises itself as science and it is thus appropriate that we must be careful in identifying how we generate knowledge and how we use it for our decisions and policies.

CONCLUSION

It is thus an alarming situation in these so called “scientifically charged” civilization that reductionism is a threat to its viability to explain and predict phenomenon. It clouds our view of reality which is our only hope of explaining better the natural events that would help us make decisions and policies for our future survival. This clouded view permits us to make the wrong decisions. Employing analyses from a reductionist approach may create worse courses of action for development thus creating more problems.

Reductionism however, has been of great help in the natural and pure sciences especially in the fields of neurology, genetics, physiology, etc. However, when employed in the social sciences especially with implications on development administration, these create a twisted interpretation on the type of knowledge that we try to pursue. If these will then be used as basis for our development policies, great setbacks might occur adding impact to the problems we are trying to solve.

Science has come a long way for the betterment of mankind. It has enlightened our minds on the reality of things we formerly cannot explain. These explanations lead us to create plans of actions that were beneficial to us. However the impending threat of reductionism trying to stain our view of reality is a threat that needs constant vigilance. Reality should never be pursued through reductionism especially in the development sector. It may be helpful in the natural sciences when we talk about mass or volume as an example. In this case reductionism may be true. However, development is a more complex issue and reductionism only degrades our view of it thus lessening its original meaning.

Graduation day is such a memorable event in our lives. Photos and videos are priceless souvenirs to reminisce those wonderful days in school. Unfortunately some souvenirs may also gather some laughs. Here are examples of funny graduation photos:

1. An Indian Ceremony or a College Prank?

A graduation class pictorial obviously becomes a wet photo as pranksters throw pails of water into the graduates as the camera clicks. (Source: damnfunnypictures.com)

2. A Dual Party for a Student Mom

Kudos to successful working moms, single parents, and student moms. Super multi taskers. (Source: www.collegehumor.com)

3. Don’t they have an English major in the Graduation Committee?

Though we don’t need an English major to notice such errors. Even MS Word can do that (Source: www.collegehumor.com)

4. A Witty(?) Yearbook Quote

Yearbook quotes are mirrors to a student’s intelligence (hope so). It is preserved in the pages for others to admire, comment or make fun about. (www.zoopatrol.com)

5. An Unknown Girl in the Varsity Team (Yearbook Picture)

Maybe, its just here real name. I wonder what his father’s name is. (Source: failblog.org)

6. Lack of Planning?

Anyway, it’s the thought that counts. (Source: www.funnypictures.net.au)

7. Ever Wonder what Female Graduates Wear under their Gowns?

Now I know why male deans sitting on stage are frozen on their seats. (Source: funnyforwards.net)

8. Can you pick her out from among the Graduates?

There will always be at least one. (Source: thechive.com)

9. A Typical Graduation in Somalia

Graduates of military science and guerrilla tactics? I wonder if they need security guards at the ceremony. “Give me my diploma or else!” (Source: killsometime.com)

10. He thought it was Funny

But the school administrators don’t think so. The man wearing a sexually offensive costume during a graduation ceremony was later arrested for disorderly conduct. He was asked by the court to publish a letter of apology in the local newspaper, pay court charges, and do 24 hours of community work. (Source: nicedeb.wordpress.com)

Are there any funny graduation photos you can share with us? Send us the link by using the comment link below.

I wish I have bought a book or two about grad school 7 years ago when I took up my master’s degree. I just wasn’t able to find one at least locally.

I wish somebody would have shared with me what to expect from grad school. My academic life would have been a bit bearable because I would have prepared for some unexpected twists in my academic life.

Maybe it was meant to be.

Having survived the jungle, here’s a guide for everyone who has taken the same step as me (advancing their academic career).

However, if you’re still contemplating on whether to get in or not into grad school, this eBook is also for you (in fact this is really for you).

However, if you’re not into the “grad school thing” you can still download it and share it to anyone you think would benefit from it.

Reading this book however will not guarantee higher grades in grad school. It cannot even guarantee that you obtain that degree just from reading it and following everything written on it. All it could guarantee is that somebody has done what’s written on it and survived grad school (that’s me).

And oops! Did I mention that it’s free? O yes! I just did. So what’s stopping you? I’m sorry, here’s the link:

Grad School Survival Guide: The Incomplete Handbook for Surviving the Rough Academic Terrain

Kind of a long title for a short book isn’t it? Any way here’s another catch: you don’t really have to download it because all the chapters are built up upon articles on this blog. So if you have the time to explore the archives on this blog please do so. However, if you wish to have a good reading experience offline I suggest you download this eBook.

Here’s the link again.

gradschoolsurvivalguide.pdf

And if you ever have opinions after reading it (I’m sure you do) or any suggestions to improve it (I’m planning a 2nd edition), then please do use the comment link below. I would sure love to hear from you.

You may have heard of Cityville, the newest game craze on Facebook. Right now, you might already be hooked on the game. Yup Cityville, and you know what? I hated it. You know why? It’s because my wife is totally hooked on it. Right now while I’m writing this post, her eyes are glued on it. Then come to think of it, she’ll have something to think about while I’m also glued on my monitor writing this post.

But wait I’m giving it a second thought. Just from observing the intricacies of the game while she plays it, I come to realize its academic value. Academic in the sense that it made use of certain concepts and models I have encountered in school when you play it. I think playing the game can be a good exercise for the (academic) mind. Here’s a short list of these concepts and models which are applied in the game:

Models of Urban Structure

The Concentric Ring Model

I have encountered this when I took up Environmental Planning. There are three models that can be used in the game in terms of the placement and arrangement of your building and structure in your city. You can use the Concentric Ring Model if you wish for simplicity in building your city. This means you start with a central business district in the city center and surround it with industrial, residential, and agricultural lands in an outward fashion (anyway the game allows you to move structures even if you have already built it, so this is doable in the game as opposed to a real city).

A more complex yet interesting model is the Sector Model. This is a city developed along major transportation structures (railroads, roads, ports, etc.). The model is based upon the idea that settlements grow from a need for greater access thus commercial areas are established along main roads and industries along railroads. Residential areas are then categorized into low income (those near industries and businesses), middle income (farther away from industries) and high income (farthest from the industries).

The Multiple Nuclei Model, although starts with a central business district, eventually  produces multiple centers as necessary structures spring around major businesses (e.g. hotels and restaurants built around airports or apartments and cafeterias established around schools). This may happen in the game as you city expands into a more complex arrangement of buildings, houses, and other structures.

Factors of Production

As a basic economic concept, production is possible through the right combination of the following factors: land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. In Cityville, your performance on the game is based on how you make decisions in using and acquiring these factors: land (expansion), labor (energy), capital (buildings, structures, etc.), and entrepreneurship (this refers to your skills and strategies as a player).

The Law on Comparative Advantage

This is a concept in political economics referring to an economy’s advantage in the production of goods in response to the advantage of another economy. If you have the ability to produce more of a specific product which is needed by another country which has a limited production of it and that country also has the ability to produce a certain product which you need but you cannot produce much for your own consumption, then why not trade. You sell your surplus goods to them and buy goods you need from them. In Cityville, the train facilitates the use of comparative advantage. If you lack the goods to supply your business then buy goods using the train. On the other hand, if you lack the money to build your businesses, then sell your goods using the train. Export/Import! That’s what I’m talking about.

Ecological Services

My inclination in the field of economics is on balancing it with the environment. So I can’t help but notice this concept. Ecological services refer to the services given by nature (organisms and ecosystems) which has given us a load of benefits through its processes (water purification, provision of clean air, pollination, or aesthetic and recreational benefits). The value of these services is a factor of production (e.g. we need to breathe clean air and drink clean water in order to do our job well, right?). Furthermore, these services cannot be replicated even by the most modern technology. Thus, it should have a certain value in the market and in Cityville it does have. The shady tree decoration adds a 1% value to your earnings if you plant it near a business or a residence. This means more trees more earnings. I just regret that a tree only adds 1% value to an economic good, it should be more. Any way, I hope this transcends into reality, so plant more trees around your homes to add value to it.

Social Capital

Social Capital is a sociological concept referring to social networks (friends, relatives, associations, etc.) as a factor of production in the same way as a computer or your master’s degree contributes to productivity (e.g. if you’re a single parent, you might not be able to work without a relative whom you trust to take care of your child while your in the office). In Cityville, you won’t be able to harvest all the crops in your farm or collect your earnings from businesses without the help of your neighbors (friends) you need lots of energy for that. Sometimes you need to hire your friends in your community buildings (city hall, post office, police station) so that you can attract more citizens. Furthermore, you need your neighbors’ gifts so that you can effectively build your city. After all Cityville (and Facebook) is a community, we need each other every now and then.

There you go. Games should not just be recreational, it should also be educational. There are more concepts in my list but this post is getting longer. I don’t want to bore you so I’ll end this post by breaking the following news:

My wife told me that she needs my help in building her city. She asked me to be her neighbor so I could give her gifts that she could use. She said, I can also help by visiting her city and help her with harvesting her crops and collecting fees. Being a good husband I submitted to her will.