Deforestation in the Global South: Assessing Uneven Environmental Improvements 1993–2013

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 764-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron William Tester
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Global South ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Environmental Laws ◽  
Economic Forces ◽  
Key Sites ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
The Impact

In recent decades forest degradation declined around the globe. While encouraging, improvements emerged unevenly in the Global South. What explains these variable trends? Using longitudinal panel models with fixed effects, I assess changes to forest area from 1993–2013 in 73 countries. Drawing from sociological institutionalism and unequal ecological exchange, I make three contributions. I find that omnibus environmental laws mitigate forest loss rather than environmental international nongovernmental organizations, and, I show that dependency on trade with wealthy countries weakens the impact of these policies. I also substantiate and theorize export-led industrialization as a leading driver of deforestation. Broadly, I argue that national states are key sites of contestation between transnational political-economic forces and legitimated but pliable environmental institutions. Developing countries adopt standardized forest protections while, facing political-economic pressures, they variably consent to predatory trade terms and streamline export infrastructures. I conclude with recommendations for future research and policy implications.

Beyond the austerity-driven hypothesis: Political economic theses on penality and the recent prison population decline

2021 ◽  
pp. 147737082110006
Author(s):  
José A. Brandariz
Keyword(s):  
Prison Population ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
The Past ◽  
Economic Forces ◽  
Global North ◽  
Economic Perspectives ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Spending Cuts

In what might be called the ‘austerity-driven hypothesis’, a consistent strand of literature has sought to explain the prison downsizing witnessed in many jurisdictions of the global north over the past decade by referring to the financial crisis of the late 2000s to early 2010s and its effects in terms of public spending cuts. Since this economic phase is essentially over, whereas the (moderate) decarceration turn is still ongoing, there are good reasons to challenge this hypothesis. This article delves into the non-economic forces that are fostering a prison population decline that, 10 years on, is becoming the new ‘penal normal’. The article thereby aims to spark a dialogue not only with the scholarship exploring the prison downsizing but also with certain theoretical frameworks that have played a key role in examining the punitive turn era. Additionally, the article contributes to the conversation on the need to reframe materialist readings on penality in a ‘non-reductionist’ fashion. By revisiting heterodox theses and scrutinizing the impact of recent penal changes on traditional materialist accounts, the article joins the collective endeavour seeking to update political economic perspectives on punishment and the penal field.

Understanding the Moderating Impact of Context-Awareness and Ubiquity on Mobile Government Services Adoption

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Context Awareness ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Impact

The factors of context-awareness and mobile ubiquity are major components in the development and diffusion of any mobile technology-driven applications and services. Principally in the m-government development space, the issues of context-awareness and ubiquity are crucial if m-government initiatives are to be successful. The moderating effect of context-awareness and ubiquity on mobile government adoption is examined for 409 students from a Chinese University based on the Technology Acceptance Model. Using the Structural Equation Modeling technique, the results indicate that perceived ease of use (PEOU) was significantly related to intention to use, but perceived usefulness (PU) did not have a significant effect on mobile government adoption. The moderating analysis indicated that context-awareness significantly moderated the impact of PU but had no moderating effect on PEOU. Also, it was discovered that ubiquity was significant in moderating both the PEOU and PU on mobile government adoption. Policy implications and directions for future research are presented.

Impact of trade facilitation reforms on tax revenue

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 765-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sena Kimm Gnangnon
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Tax Revenue ◽  
Trade Facilitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the empirical literature of the macroeconomic effect of trade facilitation reforms by examining the impact of the latter on tax revenue in both developed and developing countries. The relevance of the topic lies on the fact that at the Bali Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2013, Trade Ministers agreed for the first time since the creation of the WTO (in 1995) on an Agreement to facilitate trade around the world, dubbed Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The study considers both at-the-border and behind-the border measures of Trade Facilitation. Design/methodology/approach To conduct this study, the authors rely on the literature related to the structural factors that explain tax revenue mobilization. The authors mainly use within fixed effects estimator. The analysis relies on 102 countries (of which 23 industrial countries) over the period 2004-2007 (based on data availability). A focus has also been made on African countries, within the sample of developing countries. Findings The empirical analysis suggests evidence of a positive and significant effect of trade facilitation reforms on non-resources tax revenue, irrespective of the sample of countries considered in the analysis. Research limitations/implications This finding should contribute to dampening the fear of policymakers in developing countries, including Africa that the implementation of the TFA would entail higher costs, without necessarily being associated with higher benefits. An avenue for future research would be to extend the period of the study when data would be available. Originality/value To the best of the authors knowledge, this study had not been performed in the literature of the determinants of tax revenue mobilization, although fact-based analysis was performed.

scholarly journals The Impact of Special Allocation Fund (DAK) for Health on Achievements of Health Development Performance in Indonesia

Economies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Agnes Putri Apriliani ◽  
Khoirunurrofik Khoirunurrofik
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Structural Breaks ◽  
Health Financing ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Health Development ◽  
Short Period ◽  
The Impact

In the implementation of decentralization, the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) for health is given to certain areas of Indonesia to support health financing. The performance of this financing, along with national health development priorities’ achievements, is illustrated through the indicators of coverage of deliveries in health care facilities (PF) and coverage of first neonatal visits (KN1). Yearly increases in the health DAK budget have not been accompanied by increases in these coverages, and there are still significant disparities between regions. Using secondary data at the district/city level for 2014–2017, this study aims to investigate the impact of health DAK on coverage of PF and KN1. The analytical method deployed is linear regression of panel data using a fixed-effects model. The results show that in the short term, health DAK has a positive but insignificant effect on PF and KN1 coverage. However, health DAK has a positive and significant impact on PF coverage in the second year. Impact on KN1 coverage is unfeasible, even over a period of two years. These results indicate that the processes of planning, budgeting, and administering of health DAK require improvement so that benefits can be felt in the short term through better innovations in health programs. Nevertheless, given that our findings are based on a short period of study, the results from such analyses should consequently be treated with the utmost caution Therefore, future research should target a longer period of data collection to detect more trusty lagged effects and structural breaks of a policy intervention.

scholarly journals The Contribution of Sustainable Tourism to Economic Growth and Employment in Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faiza Manzoor ◽  
Longbao Wei ◽  
Muhammad Asif ◽  
Muhammad Zia ul Haq ◽  
Hafiz ur Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Augmented Dickey Fuller ◽  
The Impact

In the global economy, tourism is one of the most noticeable and growing sectors. Thissector plays an important role in boosting a nation’s economy. An increase in tourism flow canbring positive economic outcomes to the nations, especially in gross domestic product (GDP) andemployment opportunities. In South Asian countries, the tourism industry is an engine ofeconomic development and GDP growth. This study investigates the impact of tourism onPakistan’s economic growth and employment. The period under study was from 1990 to 2015. Tocheck whether the variables under study were stationary, augmented Dickey–Fuller andPhillips–Perron unit root tests were applied. A regression technique and Johansen cointegrationapproach were employed for the analysis of data. The key finding of this study shows that there isa positive and significant impact of tourism on Pakistan’s economic growth as well as employmentsector and there is also a long‐run relationship among the variables under study. This studysuggests that legislators should focus on the policies with special emphasis on the promotion oftourism due to its great potential throughout the country. Policy implications of this recent studyand future research suggestions are also mentioned.

scholarly journals Seasonality and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture in Kenya: Evidence from Mixed-Methods Research in Rural Lake Naivasha Basin

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Sassi
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Lake Naivasha ◽  
Nutrition Sensitive ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the impact of seasonality within the debate on nutrition-sensitive agriculture focusing on rural Lake Naivasha Basin in Kenya, which presents an interesting case study of the food system in East Africa. Seasonality shapes food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa, dominated by a rain-fed system; however, lack of monthly data hampers understanding. Using mixed methods, this study constructs a monthly dataset of a representative sample of households from February 2018 to January 2019. A fixed-effects analysis highlights the association between three pathways from agriculture to nutrition while controlling for the hunger and harvesting seasons by crop. Supported by qualitative information from focus groups, the results suggest that seasonality is an important dimension of the agriculture–nutrition link and promote understanding of the complexity of the pathways suggested by the literature, including the association between crops and dietary diversity, with relevant policy implications.

Framing Community Resilience Through Mobility and Gender

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Otsuki ◽  
◽  
Godfred Seidu Jasaw ◽  
Victor Lolig ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
And Gender ◽  
External Forces ◽  
The Impact

The study of community resilience observed in times of crisis has conventionally focused on the impact of external forces on sedentary and homogeneous communities embedded in specific ecological systems. Drawing on a qualitative case study of a rural community in northern Ghana, this paper reports that, even in a community of mostly small farmers, diversifying livelihoods is apparently a main coping strategy. This paper focuses on two, often overlooked, dimensions that underpin this livelihood diversification: mobility and gender. Mobility, the first dimension, indicates the work of livelihoods that develop outside the community such as the so-called “settler farming,” a variety of trading activities, and outmigration to cities. Gender, the second dimension, indicates cropping and commercial activities carried out differently by men and women. Both mobility and gender characterize diverse livelihood strategies, which evolve by enriching social relationships and extending networks. This paper argues that shedding light on social relationships and networks helps us to reframe the concept of community resilience from the community-based capacity of self-organization to the capacity of a flexible social system for being able to mobilize a wide variety of resources. Future research agendas must advance this understanding of resource mobilization in relation to ecological resilience and must clarify its technological and policy implications.

scholarly journals Impact of Trade Liberalization on Employment in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): A Gender Approach

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Lesfran Sam Wanilo Agbahoungba
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Monetary Union ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
West African ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
Women's Employment ◽  
Women’S Employment ◽  
The Impact

The main objective of this paper is to assess the impact of trade liberalization on employment in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) through a gender approach. We apply generalized least squares (GLS) estimation techniques with both random and fixed effects on panel data covering the period of 2000-2017. Due to the lack of data, Guinea-Bissau is not part of our analysis. The results show that, while trade liberalization does not explain women’s employment patterns, it rather contributes in job destruction for men in the WAEMU. In conclusion, the impact of trade liberalization of employment is not gender neutral. Rather, it varies depending on the sex of people. In terms of policy implications, this study calls policy makers to setting up, better negotiating or renegotiating trade agreements and implementing trade policies that are more inclusive and beneficial particularly to the population. This could be done by taking into consideration women’s employment particularities in the union, enhancing productive capacities of men, reducing and eliminating inequalities related to people gender and sex.

The Links Between Religiosity, Childhood Sexual Abuse, and Subsequent Marijuana Use

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 937-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris C. Chu
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Childhood Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Marijuana Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Impact

A number of studies indicate that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has a negative impact on later psychological well-being. It is well documented that experiences of CSA are associated with depression, self-destructiveness, and subsequent substance abuse or alcohol consumption. Compared with women who experienced no such sexual abuse in childhood, women who were victims of sexual abuse in childhood were more likely to be depressed and use drugs or consume alcohol in later life. Analyzing data of 1,569 females derived from the “Longitudinal Study of Violence Against Women,” this study examines whether the strain caused by sexual victimization leads to a higher level of subsequent marijuana use and whether religiosity moderates the negative effects of CSA. It was found that CSA was associated with an increased level of marijuana use in high school. However, more proximate sexual victimization (victimization in college) seemed to override the impact of CSA on subsequent marijuana use. Religiosity was found to moderate the effect of CSA on marijuana use in high school. Religiosity was negatively associated with marijuana use in high school as well as the second and fourth collegiate years. Policy implications and promising directions for future research are discussed.

A Dynamic Model of Rational Addiction with Stockpiling and Learning: An Empirical Examination of E-cigarettes

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 5886-5905
Author(s):  
Jialie Chen ◽  
Vithala R. Rao
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Cigarette Taxes ◽  
Smoking Behaviors ◽  
The Impact

Current regulations on e-cigarettes are minimal compared with cigarette regulations, despite their growing popularity globally. Advocates of e-cigarettes claim that they aid in ceasing smoking habits. However, leaving e-cigarettes unregulated has raised growing health concerns. Policymakers in several countries, including the United States and those in Europe, are considering and experimenting with policy interventions. To evaluate current policies and implement potential regulations on e-cigarettes, policymakers must understand the impact of e-cigarettes on consumers’ smoking behaviors. To address this issue, we construct a dynamic structural model that incorporates consumers’ purchases and consumption behaviors of both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The results from our proposed model indicate that consumption of e-cigarettes promotes, rather than counteracts, smoking. This is because the less costly e-cigarettes incentivize consumers to build their addiction to nicotine, which, in return, increases future consumption of both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. This finding calls for regulations on e-cigarettes. We then conduct counterfactual analyses to evaluate two policy regulations on e-cigarettes: (1) e-cigarette taxes and (2) price regulation. Because both of these policies have been discussed extensively in both the United States and many countries in the European Union, results of our policy simulations address these policy debates. We find that both are effective in reducing overall consumption of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. We also examine the role of consumers’ heterogeneity on the simulation results as well as the policy implications. We conclude with future research directions, such as inclusion of social influence and cross-selling marketing. This paper was accepted by Matthew Shum, marketing.

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