The Impact of Foreign and Indigenous Innovations on the Energy Intensity of China’s Industries

China’s industrial sectors have an approximate consumption amounting to 70% of the aggregate power of the entire country. Investigating the driving forces of the decline in the energy intensity is essential for accelerating China’s conversion into a low-carbon economy. Nowadays, there has been no agreement as yet when it comes to the impacts of China’s industrial sectors on energy intensity. The current research work studies the impacts of key driving forces, in particular foreign as well as indigenous innovations, on China’s industrial energy intensity in 34 industrial sectors between 2000 and 2010. Linear and nonlinear analysis methodologies are put to use. The linear empirical findings show that indigenous innovation primarily contributes to driving down the industrial energy intensity across the sampling duration. The foreign innovations, which take the shape of FDI as well as imports, are seen as benefiting the decline in industrial energy intensity; on the other hand, exports ramp up the industrial energy intensity. An additional investigation, on the basis of the panel threshold framework, indicates that the impact of foreign innovations by means of openness as well as industrial energy intensity has an association with the technological absorptive potential. The empirical evidence puts forward some pivotal inferences for policymakers with regard to China’s declining industrial energy intensity—for instance, exploitation of the maximum benefit associated with the technology spillovers; in addition, it is important to take into consideration the attributes and scenarios that impact industrial energy intensity.

Indigenous Innovations on Music and Christianity at Ratana Pa

This chapter explores how Maori innovated on the music and religion that European colonialists brought to Aotearoa/New Zealand, constructing a synthesis that transcended both the European and the native. For Maori, Christianity was conceived within a framework of “cultural economy,” in which cultural misunderstandings served as resources in a process of cultural selection involving the preservation of some elements and rejection of others, to enhance power among Maori. The chapter focuses on the Ratana Church, founded by the visionary prophet T. W. Ratana in the early 20th century. Ratana purposefully used music and performance in forging his syncretic brand of Christianity, creating new repertoires aligned with his project of finding a place for Maori in the new nation. This vision continues to be celebrated each year at the powhiri (ceremony of encounter), where Aotearoa New Zealand is performed through the confluence of diverse cultures, traditions, and worldviews.

Mindfulness, indigenous knowledge, indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship

Purpose – This paper aims to highlight the role of mindfulness in the development of indigenous knowledge (IK), indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship or new entry. Design/methodology/approach – Through an extensive analysis of extant mindfulness and indigenous entrepreneurship literatures, the paper argues for the facilitating role of individual mindfulness in IK, indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship and generates several propositions as a result. Findings – The paper argues that mindfulness encourages the appreciation of other forms of knowledge and practices distinct from the more prevalent Western forms, and by so doing, promotes indigenous innovation and indigenous entrepreneurship (or indigenous new entry or new business venture). Research limitations/implications – It is reasoned that indigenous communities around the world have rich experiences and accumulated knowledge that have enabled them develop explanations of their environments and economic development and sustainability, and by recognizing and valuing such knowledge and experiences, mindfulness facilitates innovations and entrepreneurship. Social implications – The facilitating role of IK in developing indigenous innovations and indigenous entrepreneurship is clearly evident, at least in indigenous societies; however, researchers are yet to recognise and explore this dynamics as deserved. Mindfulness not only opens up the mindset of researchers to further explore this phenomenon but also helps society to recognise the contributions and value of IK. Originality/value – This work is a pioneer in the effort to integrate mindfulness concept into the indigenous entrepreneurship research. By using mindfulness lens to view the relationship between IK, indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship, the study locates mindfulness as both antecedent to and moderator of these relationships.

Shiyan Tao and the history of indigenous meteorology in China

This paper gives an account of some of the indigenous characteristics of China's atmospheric sciences. We use the contributions of Academician Shiyan Tao to demonstrate how scientific advances in an international context were adapted to the evolving field of meteorology in China. The article outlines the major scientific contributions of Shiyan Tao, pays specific attention to his academic career in an international context, and highlights the possible implications of his achievements to the meteorological field in China. Tao came into meteorology while studying at the National Central University (NCU) in 1938. In 1944, he entered the Institute of Meteorology of Academia Sinica (IMAS), and in 1950 he joined the Joint Center for Weather Analysis and Prediction (JCWAP), where he furthered his experiences in weather prediction. In 1958, he published, with coauthors Tu-cheng Yeh and Chen-chao Koo, three important articles in Tellus, giving wider access to his academic contributions in the areas of satellite meteorology, rainstorms in China, East Asian Monsoon, and Tibetan atmospheric research. In this paper, we outline how the indigenous innovations of Tao integrated many international meteorological ideas into the Chinese setting, thereby promoting the development of atmospheric sciences in China. His successes benefited greatly from the desire to: pursue Chinese national requirements, integrate international advances into Chinese meteorology, coordinate research groups, and undertake practical research. He created a Practical School of Atmospheric Science in China and helped mold it with distinctive characteristics indigenous to contemporary China. By virtue of his position, Tao also trained numerous other Chinese meteorologists.