The Integrative Dam Assessment Model: Reflections from an Anthropological Perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Tilt ◽  
Edwin Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Anthropological Perspective ◽  
The World ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Nu River

In 2000, the World Commission on Dams (WCD), an organization under the guidance of the World Bank and the World Conservation Union, called for more equitable, interdisciplinary, and sustainable decision making with respect to large dams. The WCD advanced seven Strategic Priorities toward this goal, one of which was the need for a "comprehensive options assessment" of different hydrodevelopment scenarios. In response, an interdisciplinary group of scientists began developing the Integrative Dam Assessment Model (IDAM) with funding from the United States National Science Foundation. Our goal was to support more informed and transparent decision making processes related to dam development by creating a modeling tool that could help decision makers understand and visualize how a given dam project would affect human communities and ecosystems. Working with institutional partners in China, we have collected natural and social science data from two watersheds—the Nu River and the Upper Mekong River—that are currently undergoing large-scale hydropower development. In this paper, we wish to outline the objectives and accomplishments of this interdisciplinary project and reflect on our experience as anthropologists contributing to the modeling effort.

scholarly journals Improving Best Management Practice Decisions in Mixed Land Use and/or Municipal Watersheds: Should Approaches Be Standardized?

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1402
Author(s):  
Jason A. Hubbart
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Mixed Use ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Best management practices (BMP) are defined in the United States Clean Water Act (CWA) as practices or measures that have been demonstrated to be successful in protecting a given water resource from nonpoint source pollution. Unfortunately, the greatest majority of BMPs remain unvalidated in terms of demonstrations of success. Further, there is not a broadly accepted or standardized process of BMP implementation and monitoring methods. Conceivably, if standardized BMP validations were a possibility, practices would be much more transferrable, comparable, and prescriptive. The purpose of this brief communication is to present a generalized yet integrated and customizable BMP decision-making process to encourage decision makers to more deliberately work towards the establishment of standardized approaches to BMP monitoring and validation in mixed-use and/or municipal watersheds. Decision-making processes and challenges to BMP implementation and monitoring are presented that should be considered to advance the practice(s) of BMP implementation. Acceptance of standard approaches may result in more organized and transferrable BMP implementation policies and increased confidence in the responsible use of taxpayer dollars through broad acceptance of methods that yield predictable and replicable results.

scholarly journals Using gross ecosystem product (GEP) to value nature in decision making

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (25) ◽  
pp. 14593-14601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyun Ouyang ◽  
Changsu Song ◽  
Hua Zheng ◽  
Stephen Polasky ◽  
Yi Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Green Growth ◽  
Economic Information ◽  
The World ◽  
Chinese Province ◽  
Compensation Payments

Gross domestic product (GDP) summarizes a vast amount of economic information in a single monetary metric that is widely used by decision makers around the world. However, GDP fails to capture fully the contributions of nature to economic activity and human well-being. To address this critical omission, we develop a measure of gross ecosystem product (GEP) that summarizes the value of ecosystem services in a single monetary metric. We illustrate the measurement of GEP through an application to the Chinese province of Qinghai, showing that the approach is tractable using available data. Known as the “water tower of Asia,” Qinghai is the source of the Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow Rivers, and indeed, we find that water-related ecosystem services make up nearly two-thirds of the value of GEP for Qinghai. Importantly most of these benefits accrue downstream. In Qinghai, GEP was greater than GDP in 2000 and three-fourths as large as GDP in 2015 as its market economy grew. Large-scale investment in restoration resulted in improvements in the flows of ecosystem services measured in GEP (127.5%) over this period. Going forward, China is using GEP in decision making in multiple ways, as part of a transformation to inclusive, green growth. This includes investing in conservation of ecosystem assets to secure provision of ecosystem services through transregional compensation payments.

scholarly journals Recall to prison in Belgium: Back-end sentencing in search of reintegration

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-25
Author(s):  
Kristel Beyens ◽  
Lars Breuls ◽  
Lana De Pelecijn ◽  
Marijke Roosen ◽  
Veerle Scheirs
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Early Release ◽  
Technical Violations ◽  
Front End ◽  
Decision Making Processes

In recent years, the United States and England and Wales have witnessed growing re-incarceration rates. This growth is not only due to the courts sending more people to prison (‘front-end sentencing’), but also due to an increasing number of revocations of early release measures, mainly following technical violations of licence conditions (so called ‘back-end sentencing’). However, it is unclear whether the same phenomenon exists in other (European) countries. Therefore, we empirically studied prison recall decision-making processes in Belgium by file analysis, complemented with focus groups with the decision makers involved in the recall process of prisoners with a sentence of more than three years. We found that the recall process in Belgium is embedded in a strong narrative of ‘giving chances’ and that all decision makers deploy a large amount of discretion, which they use to make deliberate decisions in an attempt to facilitate parolees’ reintegration process. Non-compliance with imposed conditions does not automatically lead to recall and even when a parolee is sent back to prison, recall is framed by the decision makers as a step in the reintegration process, not the end of it.

Ban Ki-moon, 2007–2016

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Gowan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Security Council ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Central African Republic ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cautious Approach ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Council Decision ◽  
The Face

During Ban Ki-moon’s tenure, the Security Council was shaken by P5 divisions over Kosovo, Georgia, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine. Yet it also continued to mandate and sustain large-scale peacekeeping operations in Africa, placing major burdens on the UN Secretariat. The chapter will argue that Ban initially took a cautious approach to controversies with the Council, and earned a reputation for excessive passivity in the face of crisis and deference to the United States. The second half of the chapter suggests that Ban shifted to a more activist pressure as his tenure went on, pressing the Council to act in cases including Côte d’Ivoire, Libya, and Syria. The chapter will argue that Ban had only a marginal impact on Council decision-making, even though he made a creditable effort to speak truth to power over cases such as the Central African Republic (CAR), challenging Council members to live up to their responsibilities.

“Little Plants in the Country”: Henry Ford's Village Industries and the Beginning of Decentralized Technology in Modern America

Prospects ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 181-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard P. Segal
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
New York ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
New York Times ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Proximity ◽  
The World ◽  
Word Processors

“Technology Spurs Decentralization Across the Country.” So reads a 1984 New York Times article on real-estate trends in the United States. The contemporary revolution in information processing and transmittal now allows large businesses and other institutions to disperse their offices and other facilities across the country, even across the world, without loss of the policy- and decision-making abilities formerly requiring regular physical proximity. Thanks to computers, word processors, and the like, decentralization has become a fact of life in America and other highly technological societies.

Framing Information Technology Governance in the Public Sector: Opportunities and Challenges

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 89-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalifa Al-Farsi ◽  
Ramzi EL Haddadeh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
It Governance ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Technology Governance ◽  
Support Organizations ◽  
Information Technology Governance ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Information technology governance is considered one of the innovative practices that can provide support for decision-makers. Interestingly, it has become increasingly a de facto for organizations in seeking to optimise their performance. In principle, information technology governance has emerged to support organizations in the integration of information technology (IT) infrastructures and the delivery of high-quality services. On the other hand, decision-making processes in public sector organisations can be multi-faceted and complex, and decision makers play an important role in implementing technology in the public sector. The aim of this paper is to shed some light on current opportunities and challenges that IT governance is experiencing in the context of public sector services. In this respect, this paper examines the factors influencing the decision-making process to fully appreciate IT governance. Furthermore, this study focuses on combining institutional and individual perspectives to explain how individuals can take decisions in response to institutional influences.

scholarly journals Corruption and Combating Corruption: A Framework for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development in Post-Independent Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Eric Che Muma
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Sustainable Peace ◽  
The World ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Global Peace ◽  
The Way

Abstract Since the introduction of democratic reforms in post-independent Africa, most states have been battling corruption to guarantee sustainable peace, human rights and development. Because of the devastating effects of corruption on the realisation of peace, human rights and sustainable development, the world at large and Africa in particular, has strived to fight against corruption with several states adopting national anti-corruption legislation and specialised bodies. Despite international and national efforts to combat corruption, the practice still remains visible in most African states without any effective accountability or transparency in decision-making processes by the various institutions charged with corruption issues. This has further hindered global peace, the effective enjoyment of human rights and sustainable development in the continent. This paper aims to examine the concept of corruption and combating corruption and its impact on peace, human rights and sustainable development in post-independent Africa with a particular focus on Cameroon. It reveals that despite international and national efforts, corruption still remains an obstacle to global peace in Africa requiring a more proactive means among states to achieve economic development. The paper takes into consideration specific socio-economic challenges posed by corruption and the way forward for a united Africa to combat corruption to pull the continent out of poverty, hunger and instability, and to transform it into a better continent for peace, human rights and sustainable development.

scholarly journals Uncomfortable Decisions

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bloom ◽  
Laurie Paul
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Career Change ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Social Science Data ◽  
Personal Decision ◽  
Algorithmic Process

Some decision-making processes are uncomfortable. Many of us do not like to make significant decisions, such as whether to have a child, solely based on social science research. We do not like to choose randomly, even in cases where flipping a coin is plainly the wisest choice. We are often reluctant to defer to another person, even if we believe that the other person is wiser, and have similar reservations about appealing to powerful algorithms. And, while we are comfortable with considering and weighing different options, there is something strange about deciding solely on a purely algorithmic process, even one that takes place in our own heads.What is the source of our discomfort? We do not present a decisive theory here—and, indeed, the authors have clashing views over some of these issues—but we lay out the arguments for two (consistent) explanations. The first is that such impersonal decision-making processes are felt to be a threat to our autonomy. In all of the examples above, it is not you who is making the decision, it is someone or something else. This is to be contrasted with personal decision-making, where, to put it colloquially, you “own” your decision, though of course you may be informed by social science data, recommendations of others, and so on. A second possibility is that such impersonal decision-making processes are not seen as authentic, where authentic decision making is one in which you intentionally and knowledgably choose an option in a way that is “true to yourself.” Such decision making can be particularly important in contexts where one is making a life-changing decision of great import, such as the choice to emigrate, start a family, or embark on a major career change.

scholarly journals A Neuroeconomic Framework for Creative Cognition

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hause Lin ◽  
Oshin Vartanian
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Network Dynamics ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Creative Cognition ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Neuroeconomics is the study of the neurobiological bases of subjective preferences and choices. We present a novel framework that synthesizes findings from the literatures on neuroeconomics and creativity to provide a neurobiological description of creative cognition. It proposes that value-based decision-making processes and activity in the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) neuromodulatory system underlie creative cognition, as well as the large-scale brain network dynamics shown to be associated with creativity. This framework allows us to re-conceptualize creative cognition as driven by value-based decision making, in the process providing several falsifiable hypotheses that can further our understanding of creativity, decision making, and brain network dynamics.

Naming Crime Suspects in the News

2017 ◽  
pp. 207-225
Author(s):  
Robin Blom
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
News Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Search ◽  
Ethics Codes ◽  
Search Results ◽  
Crime News ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Whereas some news outlets fully identify crime suspects with name, age, address, and other personal details, other news outlets refuse to fully identify any crime suspect—or even people who have been convicted for a crime. News media from a variety of countries have accused and fully identified people of being responsible for crimes, although those persons turned out to be innocent. Yet, when someone types the names of those people in online search engines, for many, stories containing the accusations will turn up at the top of the search results. This chapter examines the positive and negative aspects from those practices by examining journalistic routines in a variety of countries, such as the United States, Nigeria, and The Netherlands. This analysis demonstrates that important ethical imperatives—often represented in ethics codes of professional journalism organizations—can be contradictory in these decision-making processes. Journalists need to weigh whether they would like to “seek truth and report it” or “minimize harm” when describing crime suspects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document