Does the Policy of Ecological Forest Rangers (EFRs) for the Impoverished Populations Reduce Forest Disasters?—Empirical Evidence from China

The effective prevention and control of forest disasters is important for forest resources and the well-being of those living in forested areas. This study evaluates the impact of a policy that employs a rural impoverished population as ecological forest rangers (EFRs) for the incidence of forest disasters. We estimate a generalized difference in differences (DID) model using nationwide provincial-level forest disaster data combined with regional data in all policy pilot areas. There are three primary findings. (1) The implementation of the EFR policy failed to effectively reduce the incidence of forest fires, forest pests, forest diseases, forest rodents and other forest disasters, which shows that the EFR policy has not achieved the goal of “forest protection”. (2) The effect of the EFR policy on forest disaster control is not significantly different among provinces with different forest resource endowments and different levels of social and economic development. This shows that there is no significant difference in the implementation of EFR policies between different forest resource endowments and different socioeconomic development areas. (3) The EFR policy failed to achieve the effective coordination of the dual goals of “poverty reduction” and “ecological protection”; this is the main reason for the failure to reduce the incidence of forest disasters while reducing poverty. The pressure of this policy neglected the “forest management and protection” function of the policy and the corresponding assessment requirements. At the same time, the central government also neglected the assessment of the prevention and control of “forest disasters” by local governments when implementing this policy. Ultimately, the opportunism of local governments and ecological rangers was strengthened. Therefore, the goals of environmental service payment items and the corresponding evaluation index settings need to be matched to truly achieve the established goals.

Resource endowments and the problem of small change: insights from two American mints, 1600–1700

This article discusses historical evidence from the Potosi mint and Massachusetts Bay mint that illustrates the importance of the resource endowment (in this case silver) for the provision of small change. We show that the availability of silver was fundamental in shaping incentives. The relative scarcity of silver in Massachusetts Bay contributed to the small scale of the mint's operations, and implied that neither the monetary authority nor the mintmaster faced a significant tradeoff between drawing seigniorage from the mint and the production of small-denomination coins. In contrast, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, the abundance of silver, and the consequent large level of production of the mint's heavy peso coin, heightened the tradeoff between the fiscal and monetary objectives of the coinage. We suggest that these incentives negatively affected the production of fractionary coinage in the Peruvian viceroyalty, whereas in Massachusetts Bay the production of small-denomination coins was the norm.

Analysis of Resource Endowments of Mustard Growers in Hamirpur District of Bundelkhand Region Uttar Pradesh

A vigilant study of the resource endowment conditions of farmers is a precondition for the appropriate design and successful implementation of the government’s programs. The study was conducted in Hamirpur district of Bundelkhand during 2019-20 to investigate the resource endowments and socioeconomic status of mustard grower farmers. Maudaha block of Hamirpur was selected, randomly. Primary data was collected from a sample of 120 respondents through structured questionnaire using a multistage sampling. The data indicated that out total respondent’s maximum were found illiterate, majority of farmers were having Pakka house. Agriculture was found to be the major source of income for the farmers of Maudaha block and also provided a source of the dietary needs of the family. Average size holding per farm was found highest under large farms followed by medium and small farms. The cropping intensity of Hamirpur was found less than that of whole Bundelkhand region. Buffalo population was found to be increasing in the region over the period.

Assessment of Productivity and Crop Diversification Pattern in Punjab Agriculture

This study examines the structure of agriculture productivity and crop diversification across different zones in Punjab, India during 1966–1967 to 2017–2018. The composite entropy index shows that almost all zones are specialised in few crops but some of them are relatively less or some are more. Hence, we found zones are experiencing a lateral movement toward crop specialisation and crop diversification is not happening. Further, results reveals that accessibility of market and roadhave a positive influenced the level of crop diversification are accessibility of market, roads have found a positive influenced on crop diversification. Whereas more use of fertiliser, intensity of irrigation and rainfall have leads to concentration rather than crop diversification. Similarly, study also analysed the factors that are responsible of variation in productivity by regional factors such as better road, fertiliser, urbanisation, literacy and cropping intensity. As the analysis indicates that there is need to emphasise on agro-climatic regional preparation by clearly identifying the existing resource endowments and constraints of the agro-climatically homogeneous regions. JEL: C23,Q10, Q19

Part III Conceptual Pillars, Ch.19 Differentiation

This chapter explores differential treatment, which is one of the main instruments that exist in international environmental law to foster equity. It builds on ideas of global distributive justice and helps to rebalance some of the most visible inequalities arising between formally equal states of very different size, power, and natural resource endowments. The principle that reflects differential treatment in international environmental law is that of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR). The chapter discusses the conceptual bases for and development of differential treatment. This confirms the significance of the break proposed to the traditional international legal framework and explains the continuing opposition to differential treatment by some countries. The chapter then highlights the different manifestations of differential treatment in international environmental law and shows that differential treatment pervades the whole field. It also looks at some of the critiques of differentiation and the forms of differential treatment that have evolved over the past couple of decades.

Exploring the Influences of Innovation Climate and Resource Endowments through Two Types of University–Industry Collaborative Activities on Regional Sustainable Development

“Innovation driven” is the proper term for promoting regional sustainable development under the general goal of national high-quality development. University–industry collaboration (UIC) has become an important innovation resource for regional sustainable development. The study aims to analyze the influencing factors and mediating mechanisms of university–industry collaboration scientific and technological (S&T) and business activities oriented for regional sustainable development in 30 provinces in China (excluding Tibet). Specifically, we used the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling method to test the effects of innovation climate and resource endowments on regional sustainable development through two mode pathways of university–industry collaboration activities. The results show that the innovation climate and resource endowments significantly affect UIC in scientific and technological innovation activities, and then affect the regional economic development and human capital. UIC S&T innovation activities play positive mediating roles in promoting regional sustainable development. In addition, the innovation climate does not significantly impact the business activities of UIC. Therefore, region can get a greater sustainable development through UIC S&T innovation activities than business activities. Much more UIC S&T activities can improve the economic development, human capital, and environmental conditions in the region.

Domestic institutions, growth and global justice

According to one prominent theory of development, a country’s wealth is primarily explained by the quality of its institutions. Leaning on that view, several political theorists have defended two normative conclusions. The first is that we have no reason for concern, from the point of view of justice, if some countries have greater natural resource endowments than others. The second is that proposals for redistribution across borders are likely to be superfluous. Advocates of global redistribution have not yet grappled with these momentous arguments, or shown whether, and how, they might be rebuffed. This article does just that.

Does family involvement help small migrant businesses survive? A closer examination of family in migrant entrepreneurship

Purpose Drawing on the resource-based view, this study aims to examine how family involvement in migrant-founded small businesses gives rise to distinctive resources that help these businesses survive. Design/methodology/approach Using microdata from the 2007 US survey of business owners (SBO), this study uses logit regression modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings Results show that small businesses founded by migrant entrepreneurs are less likely to survive and that family involvement weakens the negative relationship between founder migrant status and business survivability. In addition, the positive moderating effect associated with family involvement is further strengthened by the use of external/borrowing startup capital, thus migrant families founded small businesses with access to external capital have the highest probability of survival. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on both migrant entrepreneurship and family business. This paper finds family involvement in the business, interacting with the founder’s migrant status, tends to create distinctive resource endowments that help to compensate for the resource constraints associated with migrant entrepreneurs. Such resource endowments may take the form of high levels of solidarity among migrant family members and the spanning role of the migrant kinship networks extended from the country of origin to the country of residence.