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The increasing amount of global waste reflects the social, environmental, and economic trajectories of the local environment. This study addresses this multifaceted problem that requires a holistic view with an ecosystem-level perspective on waste. The research objective is to analyze how the waste business ecosystem enables value capture and creation. Thus, this study contributes to the literature by using a business ecosystem approach that acknowledges several stakeholders, value networks, and the social and environmental issues of the local environment. We qualitatively examine the structure and process of value capture in the waste business ecosystem in two different environments, Finland and Sao Paulo metropolitan area, Brazil. We identify the key stakeholders and their roles, as well as contrast the waste business ecosystem between a developing country and a developed country to unveil differences in value networks. The comparative qualitative case study described relies on the interview and observation of multiple stakeholders. Theoretically, this research builds on the business ecosystem literature, value capture and creation literature, and the extant literature on waste business management. As its key result, the study maps two different ecosystems and their value creation and value capture mechanisms. The findings show that notwithstanding the strong role of regulators in both local environments and their business ecosystems, some private companies engage in value capture. However, the process and structure of the value capture differ in the two case studies. We also found that the stakeholders and their roles in the value capture structure and process vary between these two local environments and with regard to collaboration for value creation. In Finland, ecosystem-level value creation is not rare, but in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area, business models are typically single-firm-centric in terms of value creation and capture. The results presented in this paper delineate and structure the waste business ecosystems in both local environments and provide implications for stakeholders by suggesting the value capture trajectories that can be reached. Finally, fruitful avenues for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb production in Brazil has the state of São Paulo as its largest consumer market, but due to competition for area with other agricultural activities, sheep farming in São Paulo underwent an intensification of the production system to achieve better economic profitability. This intensification can compromise the sustainability of the system. There is no research concerning about emergy evaluation on lamb production systems applied in Brazil, so this is the first paper to discuss the sustainability of lamb production systems using this method. Therefore, this article proposes to discuss the importance of considering environmental aspects in the economic analysis of production systems, aiming at the sustainable development of the sector. This study assessed the economic and emergy performance of three different sheep farms in Brazil managed under different levels of technology: Intensive, Semi-intensive, and Feedlot. Results show that from an economic perspective, the Feedlot system is more attractive (9,800 US$/yr for net profit) than Intensive and Semi-intensive ones, while emergy synthesis show that Semi-intensive system (30% for renewability) should be prioritized. On the other hand, when emergy is analyzed from an economic perspective based on Emdollars (Em$, with an 'm'), the economic advantage regarding the production cost of Feedlot on the Semi-intensive system becomes less evident. The Intensive system obtained the worst performance for economic, and emergy indicators. More than contributing to the discussions about the importance in considering a systemic perspective when quantifying the economic performance of production systems, this study also (i) establishes the most sustainable sheep farm system that could be supported in Brazil, and (ii) make available new unit emergy values that would enrich the existing emergy databases. • The synthesis emergy together with the economic assessment are performed for three sheep production systems with different levels of technology. • Intensive systems (Intensive and Feedlot) are economically profitable, but generate greater pressure on the environment. • Semi-intensive systems present less pressure on the environment, but are not economically viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper uses the 1998 reform in the funding of fundamental education in Brazil (FUNDEF) to identify the effect of teachers’ wages on the proficiency of public school pupils. Wages are set by legislation at the local level and this reform established a floor on the share of expenditures on teacher wages out of total revenues in each Brazilian State and Municipality. The evidence using micro-data suggests that increases in relative wages within the public system brought about by the reform had a positive impact on the students’ proficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A semi-analytical model was proposed to retrieve Chl- a using satellite imagery. • The model was based on the inherent optical properties (IOPs). • Chl- a distribution was mapped in inland waters from oligo-to-hypereutrophic status. • The model error was higher for hypereutrophic waters. • The model can be used operationally for long-term monitoring of the trophic status. Previous studies have shown the challenges in using a single model to estimate chlorophyll- a concentration (Chl- a) in water bodies with widely differing characteristics. A single model based on remote sensing to map the Chl- a distribution across the entire Tietê River Cascade System (TRCS) serves as a cost and time-efficient alternative to the conventional monitoring by providing trophic status over space and time. The Tietê River contains one of the largest cascade reservoir systems in the world, which sustains important ecological and socio-economic activities in the São Paulo State, Brazil. Surplus nutrients in water draining its surrounding catchments have been the main cause of eutrophication in the reservoirs of the TRCS. To assess the trophic state of the reservoirs, Chl- a has been regularly monitored by sampling points. However, they are limited by operational costs and dependent on weather conditions. Moreover, the current sampling method only produces point-based measurements. In this paper, we calibrate remote sensing images based on the absorption coefficient to map the spatial distribution patterns of Chl- a levels in the reservoirs. Mapping is done by estimating the Chl- a concentration. The absorption coefficients were retrieved from OLI/Landsat images using the Quasi-Analytical Algorithm (QAA). The total absorption (a t) in 482 nm and 655 nm retrieved by QAA presented NRMSE of 17% and 18.5%, respectively. Both a t (482 and 655 nm) were used in the model calibration and presented a satisfactory result covering all data ranges, with R2 of 0.646 and NRMSE of 15.3%. The proposed model in this study to retrieve Chl- a maps with relatively high accuracy can be incorporated into the operational monitoring system of the TRCS at a low cost that can provide timely information for reservoir managers to carry out necessary actions. This may include mitigating environmental impacts caused by sudden algae blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]