Toward a New Rural Typology: Mapping Resources, Opportunities, and Challenges

While the concept of rurality has been debated in academic and professional literature for decades, less research has been done on a practical typology that can guide localized economic development strategies. This paper adds to the growing body of literature in search of a more nuanced definition of rural by applying unsupervised machine learning (ML) to the abundance of existing county-level data in the United States. The authors illustrate how this method can lead to a new county typology, named after economic development strategies, that accounts for idiosyncrasies in resources, opportunities, and challenges. This research serves as a practical step toward tractable, heterogeneous classifications that can inform the work of federal, state, and local policy makers, economic development practitioners, and many others.

The Role of Edible Insects in Rural Livelihoods, and Identified Challenges in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa

Edible insects are an important natural commodity in rural areas that is used for household consumption and to generate income through trade. As a result, edible-insect trading is a profitable business that provides employment and improves the livelihoods of impoverished rural people. This study aimed at determining the socioeconomic benefits of and reasons for trading insects, and to assess if edible insects are included in economic development strategies in the Vhembe district of Limpopo province, South Africa. We conducted 72 questionnaire interviews targeting traders in 5 towns across the district. Five insect groups belonging to four insect orders are traded in informal markets of the district. Mopane worms (Gonimbrasia belina) were the most traded (42%) edible insects. Unemployment (45%) and the demand for edible insects (34%) were the major reasons for trading insects. Insect trading has numerous benefits; however, the provision of income (60%) and financial support (35%) were stated as the primary benefits. Despite several benefits associated with trading in insects, there are many challenges such as insect spoilage and a decline in the availability of edible insects in the wild. Edible insects play an important role in food security and the rural economy by generating employment opportunities for unemployed traders. Trading in insects is a traditional practice based on indigenous knowledge, which has persisted as an economic practice that improves rural livelihoods by reducing poverty and increases the human dignity of rural citizens. Only four governmental organisations in Limpopo included edible insects in economic development strategies. Trading insects is primarily an informal activity. The government could stimulate the activity and broaden and deepen the community benefits by providing infrastructure, access to harvest areas, financial support, and business training as part of a rural empowerment strategy to end hunger and poverty while creating employment opportunities in rural areas.

Macro Sustainability across Countries: Key Sector Environmentally Extended Input-Output Analysis

When formulating economic development strategies, the environment and society must be considered to preserve well-being. This paper proposes a comparative sustainability assessment method using environmentally extended input-output analysis and multi-criteria decision aid. Using symmetric input-output tables and sectoral CO2 emissions and employment data for six countries, linkage coefficients are calculated for 163 sectors in each country. Multi-criteria decision aid tool, ELECTRE III, is used to derive outranking relationships among each country’s sectors using these coefficients as criteria, resulting in a hierarchy of sectors ordered by sustainability. Sectors that frequently appear at the top of the six hierarchies included education, health care, construction, and financial intermediation. China’s results differ significantly because of its concentration of economic activity on the primary/secondary sectors. The results can enable identification of key intervention pathways along which sustainable development could be stimulated. Country-specific recommendations and reflections on economic and sustainability policy initiatives are discussed.

The Direct and Spillover Effect of Multi-Dimensional Urbanization on PM2.5 Concentrations: A Case Study from the Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration in China

The Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration (CUA) faces considerable air quality concerns, although the situation has improved in the past 15 years. The driving effects of population, land and economic urbanization on PM2.5 concentrations in the CUA have largely been overlooked in previous studies. The contributions of natural and socio-economic factors to PM2.5 concentrations have been ignored and the spillover effects of multi-dimensional urbanization on PM2.5 concentrations have been underestimated. This study explores the spatial dependence and trend evolution of PM2.5 concentrations in the CUA at the grid and county level, analyzing the direct and spillover effects of multi-dimensional urbanization on PM2.5 concentrations. The results show that the mean PM2.5 concentrations in CUA dropped to 48.05 μg/m3 at an average annual rate of 4.6% from 2000 to 2015; however, in 2015, there were still 91% of areas exposed to pollution risk (>35 μg/m3). The PM2.5 concentrations in 92.98% of the area have slowly decreased but are rising in some areas, such as Shimian County, Xuyong County and Gulin County. The PM2.5 concentrations in this region presented a spatial dependence pattern of “cold spots in the east and hot spots in the west”. Urbanization was not the only factor contributing to PM2.5 concentrations. Commercial trade, building development and atmospheric pressure were found to have significant contributions. The spillover effect of multi-dimensional urbanization was found to be generally stronger than the direct effects and the positive impact of land urbanization on PM2.5 concentrations was stronger than population and economic urbanization. The findings provide support for urban agglomerations such as CUA that are still being cultivated to carry out cross-city joint control strategies of PM2.5 concentrations, also proving that PM2.5 pollution control should not only focus on urban socio-economic development strategies but should be an integration of work optimization in various areas such as population agglomeration, land expansion, economic construction, natural adaptation and socio-economic adjustment.

Elements of Commerce Shows Enterprise Development Innovation Efficient Auditing and the Way of the Future

Technological entrepreneurship helps create sustainable value, accelerate corporate growth and promote economic sustainability through the capitalization and commercialization of innovative new technologies. There are obstacles in conducting Business Model Innovation (BMI) as a reference form of technological entrepreneurship as a reference. This study aims to establish a business model for developing the economy with technological entrepreneurship innovation (BMIfTE). Readiness is one of the keys in carrying out a goal, because there are things that must be prepared, such as the topics discussed in papers related to previous researchers who have published the development of a BMIfTE. For this reason, the paper in this study discusses opportunities and risks, value transitions, economic development, strategies for companies, dynamic capabilities and stakeholders. The new proposal is a form of BMI reconstruction regarding the business model in function of technology to create new systems and methods to take advantage of existing business development opportunities to be able to compete and stand in the national market.

The main strategic documents of the Russian Federation's subjects: analysis, actualization, individualization

The texts of the strategies of socio-economic development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are analyzed. The studied database includes 240 strategic documents approved in the period from 1997 to 2020. Based on the analysis of the selected strategic documents, the prerequisites for their actualization are identified. Based on the results of studying the dynamics of the approval of strategic documents, the author’s periodization of the “waves of interest” in the development of socio-economic development strategies is proposed: from the year of the introduction of a new type of planning document to the current stage of development strategies. General ideas about the individualization of strategies for the socio-economic development of territories of different levels are founded.

Systemic Principles for Improving Strategic Management: Institutional Aspect

Improving the management of social and economic development is now a pressing issue. First of all, the strategic component attracts attention, the importance of which is particularly increased in connection with the objectives of the implementation of national projects, which should have a significant impact on the achievement of key social development goals. The institutional aspect is an important part of the process of improving strategic governance. This is because such basic strategic management elements as targeting and identifying problems, as well as developing (adoption) of a solution, are heavily influenced by institutional factors. The methodological grounds are formed by the important principles and categories of general system theory (ES) of: social and economic development (SDS), structuring of the socio-economic system (SES), targeting, analysis of problems in the development of SES, the system of management of these processes. This work is addressed to researchers specializing in strategy analysis, planning processes and management of social and economic development strategies.

The Pittsburgh Transition: Not Quite So Simple

Benjamin Armstrong’s article compares state economic development policies in Pittsburgh and Cleveland in the 1980s, the period of major regional economic restructuring. Armstrong argues that what separated Pittsburgh from Cleveland in the ensuring years was the state-mandated inclusion of the city’s universities as major economic development decision makers and the role that advanced technology played in Pittsburgh’s recovery—much more prominent than in Cleveland’s. The authors agree that the 1980s expanded stakeholders in the region’s traditional economic development strategies, but not to the extent that Armstrong argues, and that significant other factors have affected the two regions in recent decades. The authors also find that the divergence in economic trends between the two regions is not a strong as Armstrong suggests.

Forecast Analysis of Gross Regional Domestic Product based on the Linear Regression Algorithm Technique

Statistical data are indispensable for macro-economic planning activities such as the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) where data can determine the economic development strategies and policies that have been adopted and can be continued in the future. This study draws on quantitative data sources from the Regional Statistical Agency of Jakarta for the period 2017-2019, the subject of the Gross Regional Domestic Product based on current business prices. The aim of this research is to test and predict the level of accuracy of GRDP at current prices based on business fields using the Linear Regression method supported by Rapid Miner software. The results show that the validated Linear Regression algorithm with K-Fold values from 2 to 10 with the sampling type linear sampling and shuffled sampling can be used and implemented with the smallest Root Mean Square Error value of IDR 9,977,431 at k = 10 for the sampling.