Search

Many regions or countries seek to transition to a low-carbon economy, but there is ambiguity about how carbon emissions change with economic growth. This paper captures characteristics of carbon emissions in China using the Tapio Method. To detect driving factors of carbon emissions in economic growth, we adopt the Log-Mean Divisia Index decomposition method. The results of the paper are as follows: (1) Economic growth in most regions of China has outpaced the growth rate of carbon emissions, showing the characteristics of decoupling. (2) Metropolitan cities have a greater impact on the level of decoupling in neighboring provinces and municipalities. (3) The decoupling of carbon emissions from economic growth is caused by declining energy intensity in China. (4) The energy mix and industrial structure have little impact on the growth rate of carbon emissions. In addition, some policy implications are summarized according to the findings of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper estimates the effect of changes in the wage share on the growth rate of the US economy for the period 1947–2019. • We use a time varying parameter model, which allows for continuous changes in the regime over time. This is the first paper that has attempted to do this. • We find that the US economy became more profit-led in the first postwar decades until the 1970s and has become less profit-led since. In the last fifteen years of our sample the effect of changes in distribution on economic activity is statistically insignificant. This paper estimates the distribution-led regime of the US economy for the period 1947–2019. We use a time varying parameter model, which allows for continuous changes in the regime over time. To the best of our knowledge this is the first paper that has attempted to do this. This innovation is important, because there is no reason to expect that the regime of the US economy (or any economy for that matter) will remain constant over time. On the contrary, there are significant reasons that point to changes in the regime. We find that the US economy became more profit-led in the first postwar decades until the 1970s and has become less profit-led since. In the last fifteen years of our sample the effect of changes in distribution on economic activity is statistically insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between structural change, as measured by sectoral composition of employment and value-added (VA), and aggregate productivity growth for sub-Sahara African (SSA) Least Developed Countries (LDCs), using panel data from 1991 to 2018. First, a Granger causality test finds that the relationship between structural change and economic growth is bidirectional. Next, the Pooled Mean Group, a dynamic panel data estimator teases out short-run and long-run effects of structural change on economic growth. The results suggest that the magnitude of labor and VA reallocation across sectors is not large enough to have a significant impact on economic growth, implying that the direction of structural change is important when analyzing its impact on growth in the SSA LDCs. The paper also explains why labor in the SSA LDCs moves from one low productivity sector to another and how that pans out for development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis of the nature of the Welsh ethnolinguistic community in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The study considers culture maintenance, and suggests that Welsh ethnic integrity was initially maintained due to linguistic necessity, high levels of endogamy, occupational specialization, and the creation of popular cultural institutions. Ultimately, however, the community was undermined, not only by economic change, the cessation of immigration from Wales, and the general forces of acculturation, but also by specifically Welsh factors. The paper suggests, therefore, that while the Welsh experience in Blue Earth County differed sharply from that of the other nationalities of the United Kingdom, it did not simply mirror the experience of other non-Anglophone groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel stable economic model predictive control (EMPC) strategy for constrained nonlinear systems with changing economic criteria. The traditional EMPC may lead to infeasibility and even instability of the closed-loop system when the criterion has been changed. Firstly, a generalised terminal constraint is introduced to ensure the recursive feasibility of the economic optimisation problem, which enforces the terminal states to converge to an arbitrary equilibrium state rather than a predetermined fixed one at the initial time. Then the stability constraint is constructed by solving an auxiliary optimisation problem online, which is the key to guaranteeing the asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system. Finally, sufficient conditions for feasibility and asymptotic stability are derived in the context of changing economic criteria. The main feature of the proposed strategy is that it does not need to know the changes of economic criterion in advance, and its properties and effectiveness are exemplified by simulations on a nonlinear chemical process example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately measuring real economic output in the space economy is made difficult by the rapid increase in capabilities and decrease in prices of launch and satellite technologies achieved over the past two decades. Nominal measures of output in space will tend to underestimate real growth if customers are paying lower prices for better services over time. In this paper, we use price indexes that apply techniques to the space economy that have been used for decades to adjust nominal measures of output in sectors such as information technology, including matched-model and explicit hedonic quality adjustment. We find that adjusting for price and quality changes in the space economy has substantial effects on estimated growth in economic output, especially across its sectors. Price increases over time in the space information sector, which is dominated by direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television, mean that real growth has been slower than nominal growth since at least 2012, the typical pattern in industries not undergoing rapid technological change. In sharp contrast, rapid price decreases and quality increases in other areas—especially launch and manufacturing of satellite, earth observation, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) equipment—have meant that nominal growth rates substantially understate real growth rates in those industries. Given the central importance of space to our modern economy, having accurate information on growth in the space economy is vital for efficiently allocating the substantial private and public investment being devoted to its development. • Adjusting space output for price and quality changes impacts economic growth rates. • Growth in the US space sector masks underlying heterogeneity across its subsectors. • US space manufacturing products exhibit rapid price decreases and quality increases. • US space information product prices are rising even as overall output is falling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable smart city initiatives significantly improve the living standards of citizens and bring significant changes in economic, environmental, and social well-being. Sustainable and remote medical services are vital attributes of modern smart health infrastructure. Smart remote health infrastructure uses interconnected devices to gather and exchange health data. In smart health infrastructure, massive quantities of health data are gathered as Personal Health Records (PHR). Clinical images form a major part of the accumulated PHR. As medical images are confidential and sensitive, secure storage and transmission are significant. Hence, different cryptographic techniques are used to enhance medical image security. The conventional cryptographic schemes are complex and generate a single cipher image corresponding to a plain image. The cipher images are stored in a single database. Such storage makes the cryptosystem weak against single-point attacks. This paper discusses a simple, keyless, and distributed secure storage mechanism for medical images called SecMISS. SecMISS uses Random Grid-based Visual Secret Sharing (RGVSS) along with super-resolution for secure encryption with distributed storage and better reconstruction. The security parameters such as SSIM (≈ 0), correlation of adjacent pixels (≈ 0), PSNR (≤ 8 dB), and entropy (= 1) between share and initial image show that SecMISS provides highest level of security. Similarly, different Human Visual System (HVS) parameters between the initial and reconstructed images show an improvement in the reconstruction. Experimental results show that SecMISS outperforms the existing technique in terms of security and reconstruction. Thereby SecMISS can be efficiently used for securing medical image in sustainable smart hospitals and health infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization rates and weak development control machinery have led to exponential city sprawling to urban fringes. This paper examines how urban sprawl impacts livelihoods of urban fringe dwellers and their coping strategies. A multiple case strategy was deployed and a sustainable livelihoods framework was used in the analysis. Empirical data were obtained through literature review, household and key informant interviews, observations, Focus Group Discussions and analysis of satellite images. Results indicate that negatively urban sprawl has increased households' transport expenditure to work at unaffordable levels; traffic congestion; cost of food products; and inadequate provision of essential livelihood-enhancing facilities. Positively, urban sprawl has presented new livelihood opportunities and enabled households to access minimal social amenities and services. We recommend diversification of economic activities, change of economic activities, making urban fringe livelihoods key element of policy formulation and essential infrastructure and services provision to harness positive impacts and mitigate negative ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-2000s, democratization has slowed, stopped, and even reversed across the world. At the same time, societies have become more oriented toward free markets as measured by indexes of economic freedom. Relying on a panel sample of 141 developed and developing countries between 2006 and 2017, this paper is the first to investigate whether the two phenomena are related by employing economic freedom data. It finds that there is no net-negative relationship between aggregate economic freedom and democracy in this time-period. Instead, mixed findings of both an overall positive and overall neutral (but not negative) association are uncovered in between-country and within-country analyses, respectively. In between-country analyses, using the disaggregated index shows that the legal system/property rights component drives most of the positive relationship between aggregate economic freedom and democracy in the developed world. The same between-country analyses in the developing world show that freedom of international trade is positively associated with democracy, while modest regulation has a negative relationship. However, additionally controlling for omitted variable bias using country-fixed effects, the paper does not find evidence for either a positive or negative relationship between subsequent changes in levels of economic freedom and democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a time of multiple, competing, and nested crises, the draw to storytelling is intuitive. Stories help us make sense of the world around us. People are drawn to stories because of their emphasis on community, and the way they create possibilities when it feels like there are none. This paper builds upon geographic research on storytelling, articulating how stories are critical for creating meaning in light of crises. Based on 14 months of fieldwork with storytellers in Appalachia and Alaska, two regions facing profound social, climatic, and economic change and with culturally rich storytelling traditions, research for this paper discusses the practice of storytelling, as told by storytellers, and how different approaches to storytelling help address the climate crisis specifically with notes for crises more broadly. Further, considering calls to use storytelling to address climate change, this paper examines and critiques the stories that are currently being told and valued. Finally, this paper outlines the kinds of stories that could be told to address crises, noting specifically how stories are sites of cultural and political struggle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, 'place-based' interventions have become influential in shaping economic development policy, especially at the European level. From the 2007 to 2013 programming period onwards, EU Cohesion policy, adopted a 'place-based' approach to encourage the competitiveness of all regions. Rather than spatially-blind interventions, the focus is on tackling territorial inequalities via a more sophisticated spatially-sensitive approach to stimulate economic change, at the local level. The challenge is that place-based policies are complex, risky and the performance indicators used to capture the achievements from EU Cohesion policy focus on direct results rather than expected policy change, making it hard to prove effectiveness and value for money. This paper contributes to ongoing academic and policy debates about how to capture the achievements of EU Cohesion policy, through an in-depth case study of 'place-based' interventions made via Interreg funding, to encourage cross-border cooperation between Spain and Portugal. The evidence illustrates that there is a need for novel approaches, which are conceptually informed and spatially sensitive to be able to capture not only the quantitative but also the qualitative achievements generated through EU 'place-based' interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we pay tribute to the late Emeritus Professor Gavin W. Jones and his outstanding contributions to the scholarship on marriage. Following a chronological assessment of his large body of work on marriage, we reflect on Gavin’s general approach to research changing marriage patterns within and across diverse regions of Asia. His approach to studying marriage went beyond the conventional demographic focus on examining shifts in age at first marriage. He showed how examining shifting patterns across different, yet interrelated aspects of marriage offered an important window to understand the broader complexities of economic and socio-political change in the region; showing why there is much more to demography beyond counting births, deaths, and migration. As two generations of demographers, we reflected how his work and approach to research continue to influence our research and engagement with the region. Gavin’s legacy extends beyond demography and Indonesian/Malay studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study planned and unplanned adjustment processes in master-planned communities and new towns by a first wave of residents, in which changes in lifestyles play a central role. How can unplanned transitions be stimulated and play a role in making a new town more attractive, sustainable, adjustable, and flexible in use? We apply this to the case of Anting New Town in Shanghai. We focus on both personal and collective adjustments and appropriation in housing, commercial, as well as public space. We explore methods of doing visual research by observation, in line with methods by Venturi and Boudon. By adding economic and socio-cultural drivers and institutional frameworks, which allow these alterations to happen, conclusions are made about the possible sustainability, adjustability, and flexibility of these planned structures. We analyze adjustments from different perspectives on the themes of urbanity and identity: (1) architectural-morphological, (2) functional-economical, and (3) socio-cultural. Following different approaches to studying the planned and unplanned city, we explain how the urbanity and identity of Anting have changed in various ways. Appropriation of building structures and urban spaces is a key element in this process of change. It is the outcome of a wider process of economic and socio-cultural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the opening decades of the twenty‐first century certain cities around the world emerged as hubs of entrepreneurial innovation. This paper explores this urban economic change phenomenon through in‐depth and comparative qualitative analysis. It focuses on the recent contemporary history of New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Tokyo and Shanghai prior to the global COVID pandemic. Based on an analysis of the drivers, mechanisms and processes of change, it is found that these cities acted as places of possibility for many individuals who previously may have been unlikely to engage in entrepreneurship. The cities were found to have established new development paths through entrepreneurial innovation stemming from co‐creation network dynamics, with key human agents playing pivotal roles. Common elements include the rise of venture capital, the growth of entrepreneurial cultures, and institutional policy changes. Notably, entrepreneurial innovation was found to be closely tied to changes in large corporates. This innovation evolved through the proliferation of new infrastructure such as co‐working spaces and innovation incubators, with each city being utilised as a test‐bed for new ideas. Finally, the emergence of a darker side to entrepreneurial innovation is found in terms of growing urban inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the shift in career strategies among Japanese women due to the globalization of Japan's economy since the 1980s. It highlights how economic changes led to a gender‐based division of labor, propelling women to seek opportunities abroad. The research draws on interviews with 81 women who moved to financial centers in East Asia, mainly in Hong Kong and Shanghai, examining their experiences in the workforce, the impact of human resource agencies in their migration, and the challenges and opportunities they encountered. The study reveals a complex landscape where Japanese women navigate gendered expectations and discrimination both in Japan and abroad in pursuit of career advancement. The conclusion emphasizes three points. First, women found opportunities abroad to do what they wanted, even if it was not what they initially expected before leaving Japan. Second, although supportive and subordinate to male managers, their work was indispensable to the management of Japanese companies abroad. Their contribution has long been underestimated but needs to be considered. Third, the experience abroad gave them direct interaction with various clients and colleagues and a view of rapid societal change in Hong Kong and China, contributing to choosing their diverse career trajectories and life plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our world is turbulent: ecological, social, political, technological, economic, and competitive business environments change constantly. Consumers have changing preferences, learn, build trust in brands, adopt new products, and are persuaded by advertising. Firms innovate and engage in and respond to competition. Exogenous events, such as changes in economic conditions and regulations, as well as human crises, also cause major shifts in markets. This special issue focuses on novel Marketing data and modern methodologies from different fields (e.g., Operations Research (OR), Statistics, Econometrics, and Computer Science), which help firms understand, utilize, and respond to market dynamics more efficiently. Here we propose a framework comprising analytical methods and data for dynamic markets that is useful for structuring research in this domain. Next, we summarize the history of the Marketing/OR interface. We highlight studies at the Marketing/OR interface from the last decade focusing specifically on dynamic markets and use our proposed framework to identify trends and gaps in the extant literature. After that, we present and summarize the papers of the current special issue and their contributions to the field against the backdrop of our framework and the trends in the literature. Finally, we conclude and discuss which future Marketing/OR research could tackle important issues in dynamic markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the fourth industrial revolution, marked by swift technological advancements and changing economic environments, lifelong learning has risen as an essential cornerstone for developing people and society. Adult education, with a particular focus on skills learning, is vital in equipping individuals with the necessary competencies to navigate the dynamic demands of the modern workforce. This paper provides a qualitative analysis and commentary on the case study of Singapore's SkillsFuture movement, an exemplary national initiative to promote skills learning among adults. Intending to reach a wide audience in educational science, we investigate the effectiveness and impact of this comprehensive programme and its implications for other countries. This article contributes to educational science and policy development by illustrating the importance of investing in adult education and skills development. By comprehensively studying the SkillsFuture experience, we offer valuable insights into establishing effective and inclusive lifelong learning ecosystems to foster a culture of continuous learning, equipping individuals to adapt and thrive in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous global landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of information literacy (IL) research, the Anthropocene age offers an opportunity for researchers to explore to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the complexity of information literacy which result from rapid and complex social, political and economic change; to address the risk of societal fragmentation which is created by misinformation/disinformation; and to understand the risk to democratically encouraged information environments that will come with increasing incorporation of AI and opinion-driven social platforms into everyday life. For library practitioners who provide instruction or education, challenges exist in relation to scaffolding and encouraging sustainable, transferrable information and technological practices, not only in our own inward facing professional practice but in our outward facing practice with the myriad communities we support. Against this problematisation, this brief, but broad ranging paper aims to identify a range of questions for thinking about the practice of IL in the Anthropocenic age. No attempt is made to answer these questions, instead they act as an impetus for future researchers and practitioner researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the morphologies of Villages-in-the-City (ViCs) in Kunming in China and Hanoi in Vietnam, that are undergoing rapid urbanisation and urban transformation. In China, the term Chengzhongcun refers to development of rural settlements that have been included in the urban districts arising from city expansion. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the phrase Làng trong phố is used to describe settlements in urban areas that used to be rural villages. Both types of settlements share many common characteristics linked to rural background, and to social and economic policies in these two countries. The findings illustrate that spatial transformations are generated by fundamental economic and social changes, and that the influences of land policies and roles played by local government in each country have significant impacts on the formation of the ViCs. Although the planning processes are managed though top-down systems, the diverse practices and small scale and cost-effective tactics contribute to the transitions of the ViCs. The morphological differences between ViCs development in two countries are due to differences in management modes and land use rights. The outcome of this paper contributes to the deeper understanding about similarities and differences of ViCs in the Global South. • This paper examines and compare the morphologies of Villages-in-the-City in Kunming in China and Hanoi in Vietnam. • The diverse practices and small scale tactics contribute to the transition from rural to urban live styles in both places. • The differences between ViCs developments are due to different modes of management and land use rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the key role sustainability plays in the agricultural sector and its impact on local communities. With climate change and economic challenges on the rise, it is vital to focus on sustainable agricultural practices to ensure food security and well-functioning ecosystems. Throughout the article we highlight global and local initiatives that encourage sustainable agriculture, as well as the benefits to the environment and society, highlighting our shared responsibility to future generations, highlighting collaboration between farmers, communities, governments and international organizations. For the representativeness of what will be presented we use the creative platform Canva, the basic statistical information comes from the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) and FAOSTAT, the descriptive analysis is performed using the advanced tools offered by Microsoft Excel 365 and in addition to standard reference sources, we have also consulted recognized specialized websites, thus strengthening our perspective and providing readers with up-to-date and verified information. The purpose of this review is to examine the depth and breadth of the implications of sustainability in the context of agricultural work, highlighting the complex interconnections between agricultural practices, the environment and society. In conclusion, this article highlights the need for a collective and integrated approach to achieving sustainability goals in agriculture and building a more resilient and balanced future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the performance of conventional and organic fruit farms in Spain, using a set of base indicators to assess their economic and environmental performance on a per hectare basis. Composite indicators are also calculated to measure the overall economic and environmental performance of both production systems. Comparisons are made using propensity score matching to minimize the non-randomization biases caused by structural differences between the samples of conventional (n = 552) and organic (n = 127) fruit farms sourced from the Spanish Farm Accountancy Data Network (RECAN). The results based on per hectare metrics point to modest changes in the performance of farms that converted to organic farming. This is mainly because most converted farms were former conventional farms characterized by lower profitability and less intensive input use, consequently minimizing the effects of the conversion process. Nevertheless, the conversion outcomes exhibit a degree of variability depending on the specific type of fruit production. Economic gains are only discernible in the case of nut farms, whereas fruit and tropical fruit farms tend to yield the most favorable results per hectare from an environmental perspective. • Changes in per hectare performance are assessed when fruit farms convert to organic. • A complete set of economic and environmental base and composite indicators is used. • A matching procedure is implemented to obtain unbiased difference estimators. • Small changes are found in the per hectare performance of farms after conversion. • Mixed results depending on the type of fruit production subsector considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many renewable natural resources have been extracted beyond sustainable levels. While some resource stocks have recovered, others are still over-extracted, causing substantial economic losses. This paper develops a model motivated by empirical facts about resource use and regulation to understand these patterns. The model is a dynamic model of a dual economy with technological progress, structural change, and costly resource regulation. Based on this model, we show that technological progress explains the initial increase in resource use. Technological progress also induces structural change and a decline in resource users. While the declining number of resource users does not directly lead to resource recovery, it does reduce regulatory costs, paving the way for resource regulation and recovery. Our results show that although technological progress can contribute to resource degradation, it also helps resource recovery through reduced regulatory costs. Our results suggest further that a temporal use beyond sustainable levels can be socially optimal until regulatory costs fall below the benefits of regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is much concern about future fish consumption based on expected population growth as well as due to the large number of people still suffering from undernourishment. At the same time, there may be limits to the potential for expanded production from fisheries and aquaculture. What is often overlooked in many studies of future food security is the economic impact of changes in supply and demand, for example, due to changes in food prices, household income, and consumer preferences. This paper takes an economic approach to analysing the supply of and demand for fish up to 2030, with an emphasis on aquaculture. Four scenarios are considered, with the average annual growth rate in production varying between 2.4 and 5%, but with little change in capture fishery production. Variations in the aquaculture growth rates are found to have important consequences not only for future fish prices but also for per capita fish consumption up to 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected by the growth rate of aquaculture production. • Modelling of fish supply and demand to 2030. • Capture fish production expected to be stagnant in the future. • Different scenarios for future aquaculture production. • Aquaculture essential for future fish supply. • High growth in aquaculture production necessary for Sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]