Sustainability Challenges of The Landfill Gas Power Plants in Indonesia

As part of urbanization, waste causes a significant challenge in Indonesia. As part of the solution to this challenge is applying the landfill gas (LFG) powerplant. Various efforts are being conducted to implement the LFG powerplant in Indonesia. The literature review was conducted to focusing on the performance sustainability of the LFG powerplant. The explaining power capacity, expected energy supply, actual energy supply, problems, and their cause and impact data are presented. All LFG power plants show technical problems, such as leakage gas pipe, defected gas capture, absence of gas storage and purification equipment, and limited monitoring system. Financial and social challenges exacerbate the technical issues that risk the system’s sustainability, such as unclear funding mechanism, lack of capacity from stakeholders, and conflict with the local community. All of the issues hindered achieving performance targets in the powerplant development, operation, and maintenance phase.

Evolution of the legislation in the field of public-and-private partnership agreements in the Russian Federation in 2021

The author of the article has been involved in the research, concerning such a funding mechanism as the agreements of public-and-private partnership for many years. This time, some regulatory legal acts, adopted in 2021, came under the spotlight. The article contains the brief review of the legal innovations and the reasoning on how they can influence the development of public-and-private partnership in our country as well as the implementation of the construction projects, financed through the public-and-private partnership agreements.

Universal Service in Telecommunications: A Case Study of New Zealand and Vietnam Legal and Institutional Frameworks, with Proposals for Reform in Vietnam

<p>This thesis examines models for the delivery of telecommunications universal services in Vietnam and New Zealand. The focus is on identifying obstacles to effective and economically efficient performance of services delivery in Vietnam, and proposing solutions for substantial improvements to legal frameworks and institutional structures. The central argument of the thesis is that the universal service scheme in Vietnam and the supporting laws and agencies responsible for implementation of the scheme need to be improved in order to contribute to the achievement of social targets. The universal service funding mechanism in Vietnam, including the allocation of industry levies and subsidies, is not linked to real costs, nor is it efficient. The laws and legal instruments governing the universal service scheme are incomplete and in parts contradictory. Moreover, the institutional structures reflect diffuse and duplicated accountability among the authorities involved, lack of transparency, and insufficient external monitoring mechanisms. Performance information systems and involvement of the public and stakeholders are also insufficient. The insufficiencies in the Vietnamese structure are illustrated in the thesis by comparing them to the key elements of a best practice model. They are also compared with elements of the New Zealand model that reflect features closer to the best practice: transparency, effective monitoring and performance accountability. These features serve as a basis for the principal proposals for improvements to the legal framework and institutional structures in Vietnam and for economically efficient and competitive funding arrangements.</p>

Universal Service in Telecommunications: A Case Study of New Zealand and Vietnam Legal and Institutional Frameworks, with Proposals for Reform in Vietnam

<p>This thesis examines models for the delivery of telecommunications universal services in Vietnam and New Zealand. The focus is on identifying obstacles to effective and economically efficient performance of services delivery in Vietnam, and proposing solutions for substantial improvements to legal frameworks and institutional structures. The central argument of the thesis is that the universal service scheme in Vietnam and the supporting laws and agencies responsible for implementation of the scheme need to be improved in order to contribute to the achievement of social targets. The universal service funding mechanism in Vietnam, including the allocation of industry levies and subsidies, is not linked to real costs, nor is it efficient. The laws and legal instruments governing the universal service scheme are incomplete and in parts contradictory. Moreover, the institutional structures reflect diffuse and duplicated accountability among the authorities involved, lack of transparency, and insufficient external monitoring mechanisms. Performance information systems and involvement of the public and stakeholders are also insufficient. The insufficiencies in the Vietnamese structure are illustrated in the thesis by comparing them to the key elements of a best practice model. They are also compared with elements of the New Zealand model that reflect features closer to the best practice: transparency, effective monitoring and performance accountability. These features serve as a basis for the principal proposals for improvements to the legal framework and institutional structures in Vietnam and for economically efficient and competitive funding arrangements.</p>

The Development Trajectory of the Eurasian Economic Union Is a One-Way Road

The EAEU, as one of the key integration associations of our time, is at the initial stage of its life cycle. This fact objectively presupposes, along with undoubted successes, the need for the EAEU to function in a problematic field, in the face of certain challenges, threats and risks. The main challenge to Eurasian integration is the “zero carbon footprint” and the EU’s intention to introduce a cross-border carbon tax as a tool for climate regulation. For a Eurasian response to the global challenge of zero carbon footprint, it is advisable to create an exchange of absorbing emissions within the EAEU. Experimental approaches, such as the introduction of an export duty on the carbon footprint, should to be used to create a funding mechanism for scientific and technical cooperation.

Governance Practice Implementation on Education for Sustainable Development in Host Universities’ Regional Centres of Expertise, Kenya

Institutional management refers to the effective running of different programmes and activities of an institution. This study sought to assess governance practice implementation on education for sustainable development (ESD) in host universities’ Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) in Kenya. The study employed mixed methodology and concurrent model of triangulation and descriptive survey research design to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The target population was from 8 acknowledged RCEs in Kenya. This included 8 RCE coordinators, 270 lecturers conversant with ESD and 150 representatives of partner institutions making a total of 428 respondents. Purposive and simple random sampling was used to come up with the study sample of 93 respondents comprising of of 3 RCE coordinators, 60 lecturers, and 30 representatives of partner institutions. Research tools used were open and close-ended questionnaires, interview schedule and document analysis checklist. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively using SPSS version 23 and presented using tables, frequencies, percentages and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Qualitative data was thematically analysed and presented verbatim and as narratives using MS Word. Mixing and interpretation of data was then done. The study established that despite numerous challenges, RCE host universities had implemented RCE governance practice on ESD through establishment of governance structures and appointment of coordinators. Financial and infrastructural resources were found to be a main challenge in implementation of governance practice on ESD. Anticipated beneficiaries of the study findings and conclusion include the management of RCE host universities, RCE coordinators, Ministry of education and County governments. The study recommended that host universities in Regional Centres of Expertise should initiate innovative methods of raising funds from both government and private sectors to establish a funding mechanism for ESD activities and programs in the RCEs. The appointment of RCE coordinators needs to be removed from the host university Vice Chancellors and a committee of partner representatives tasked with the appointment.

RAPID DATA COLLECTION FOR THE AUDIT OF MONUMENTS & MEMORIALS IN SOUTH AFRICA

The tradition of memorialising people and events through physical constructions such as statues and monuments like in many countries, has shaped the public space of a modern South Africa. Considering the colonial and apartheid history of South Africa, these physical markers, often uncontextualized, continue to maintain positions of prominence within the modern streetscape.Since the turn of the democratic era in South Africa, a pressing need has existed to assess the impact of the markers on the heritage landscape of the country. An endeavour made more difficult by a lack of a comprehensive inventory of these resources across the country.The National Audit of Monuments and Memorials (NAMM) was designed to address this gap through a full national survey of monuments and memorials, conducted under the auspices of a job creation stimulus package designed to create short term employment in the wake of the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. Undertaking this project under this funding mechanism required that all phases of the project be undertaken within a six-month period.The compressed timeframes associated with this project required an approach that could support a level of fluidity to address the challenges of undertaking a project of this nature, whilst ensuring that the data collected by field surveyors can be monitored and included in the inventory of the national estate in an effective manner.The aim of this paper is to discuss and showcase the tools and workflows used to roll out and manage the large-scale national audit of monuments and memorials across South Africa.

Willingness to Pay for Crowdfunding Local Agricultural Climate Solutions

The recent rise in climate concern among citizens worldwide is coinciding with a rising interest in agricultural climate solutions. The future scaling-up of these solutions, however, requires more knowledge about the mitigation potential, costs and financing options, including crowdfunding (CF). Our objective is to explore the driving factors behind the public’s willingness to pay for crowdfunded climate mitigation projects at the farm level. In this study, four mitigation options from the perspective of farmers were identified: solar panels on the barn roof, biogas from animal manure, drag hoses for improved manure dispersal, and the addition of biochar to soils. The study investigates the optimal characteristics of crowdfunding campaigns to finance such mitigation measures. The most influential factors on the respondents’ WTP is neither climate concern nor proximity, but instead the knowledge regarding CF, combined with how comprehensible and salient the suggested measure is. The main implications are that future projects that aim to achieve broad participation in CF campaigns need to communicate well, to improve both public knowledge of the funding mechanism (CF) itself and the comprehensibility and salience of the agricultural measure.

STEM doctoral students’ skill development: does funding mechanism matter?

Background A substantial monetary investment supports STEM doctoral students in the United States (U.S.) through a variety of funding mechanisms (e.g., fellowships, research, and teaching assistantships). However, we have limited knowledge of how students’ funding influences their development of career-relevant skills during graduate school. Using survey data from STEM doctoral students (n = 719) across 35 highly ranked U.S. institutions, we use exploratory factor analysis and nested multivariate regression modeling to understand how students’ primary funding influences development of: (a) research skills; (b) teamwork and project management skills; (c) peer training and mentoring skills, and (d) communication skills. Results We find significant differences in students’ self-reported development for all four career-related skills based on their primary funding type. Students with research assistantships reported higher research and teamwork and project management skills than those with teaching assistantships. Yet, students with teaching assistantships reported significantly higher development of peer training and mentoring than students funded via all other types. Students funded via external fellowships reported lower skill development than students funded primarily by research assistantships across all four career-relevant skills. Conclusions Doctoral students' development of career-relevant skills are not uniform across primary funding types. Particularly, the perceived benefits of external fellowship funding (i.e., prestige, autonomy, increased pay) may come at the cost of fewer opportunities to develop skills important for career success. STEM graduate education scholars, practitioners, and policymakers should consider and ameliorate the varied impacts that funding mechanisms can have on graduate students’ development of career-relevant skills.