Perceptions of local community members towards foreign aid: A case study of Vava'u,Tonga

Foreign aid has arguably played a significant role in the economic development of the Pacific Island countries. Tonga is deemed to have succeeded in implementing the principles of the Paris Declaration of 2005, especially Ownership, Alignment and Harmonisation, by aid funding channelled through state institutions. Nevertheless, it is still unknown if the aid effect has reached civil society, and how community members perceive aid. This article examines the perceptions of community members towards foreign aid, using the case study of the archipelago of Vava'u, Tonga.     

“一带一路”建设对沿线国家经济增长的影响效果与中介路径

科学评估“一带一路”建设对沿线国家经济增长的影响效果与中介路径,对理解国际合作模式、推动“一带一路”建设向高质量发展转变具有重要意义。基于2003—2017年“一带一路”沿线64个国家的相关数据,采用固定效应面板模型和中介效应检验程序,实证检验了“一带一路”建设对沿线国家经济增长的总体性影响效果,并分析对外直接投资、进出口贸易、交通运输、就业等中介因素之间的作用关系。研究结果表明：2013—2017年间“一带一路”建设能够显著地促进沿线国家的经济增长,但新建交通基础设施线路长度、中国对外直接投资等对沿线国家GDP增长的直接促进作用并不显著。它主要通过推动中国与沿线国家之间的贸易增长,对沿线国家内部的货物资源流动、人口就业率、就业结构等产生积极影响,进而促进沿线国家的GDP增长。     

中国大都市区高新技术产业分叉过程及动力机制——以武汉生物产业为例

以演化经济地理学为理论基础,综合经济地理学、产业经济学等相关研究成果,认为中国高新技术产业的形成与发展是本地要素与全球力量、历史条件与现实努力、技术创新与制度变革共同作用的结果,并构建了基于多尺度、多要素的中国高新技术产业分叉动力机制分析框架。同时,以武汉市作为案例区,通过梳理武汉市生物产业形成和演化历程,总结影响其生物产业发展的要素和作用形式。研究发现：生物产业与本地光电子产业之间的技术联系、高校和研究所、以及企业本身仅仅是决定生物产业在武汉市形成的一部分因素,地方政府、跨国公司和留学归国人员等主体也是促成生物产业“生根发芽”的重要主体,它们在武汉生物产业发展的各个阶段,作用程度是不同的。这一点是区别于欧美发达国家以技术为核心的产业分叉研究的,也在一定程度上反映出中国目前的高新技术产业发展仍然停留在“量的扩张”阶段,与欧美发达国家以“质的提升”为主的发展本质有所不同。     

Global impact of a climate treaty if the Human Development Index replaces GDP as a welfare proxy

This study explores the implications of shifting the narrative of climate policy evaluation from one of costs/benefits or economic growth to a message of improving social welfare. Focusing on the costs of mitigation and the associated impacts on gross domestic product (GDP) may translate into a widespread concern that a climate agreement will be very costly. This article considers the well-known Human Development Index (HDI) as an alternative criterion for judging the welfare effects of climate policy. We estimate what the maximum possible annual average increase in HDI welfare per tons of CO₂ would be within the carbon budget associated with limiting warming to 2°C over the period 2015–2050. Emission pathways are determined by a policy that allows the HDI of poor countries and their emissions to increase under a business-as-usual development path, while countries with a high HDI value (>0.8) have to restrain their emissions to ensure that the global temperature rise does not exceed 2°C. For comparison, the well-known multi-regional RICE model is used to assess GDP growth under the same climate change policy goals.

Policy relevance

This is the first study that shifts the narrative of climate policy evaluation from one of GDP growth to a message of improving social welfare, as captured by the HDI. This could make it easier for political leaders and climate negotiators to publicly commit themselves to ambitious carbon emission reduction goals, such as limiting global warming to 2°C, as in the (non-binding) agreement made at COP 21 in Paris in 2015. We find that if impacts are framed in terms of growth in HDI per t CO₂ emission per capita instead of in GDP, the HDI of poor countries and their emissions are allowed to increase under a business-as-usual development path, whereas countries with a high HDI (>0.8) must control emissions so that global temperature rise remains within 2°C. Importantly, a climate agreement is more attractive for rich countries under the HDI than the GDP frame. This is good news, as these countries have to make the major contribution to emissions reductions.     

Financing loss and damage: reviewing options under the Warsaw International Mechanism

After decades of pressure from vulnerable developing countries, the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (the WIM) was established at the nineteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 19) in 2013 to address costly damages from climate change. However, little progress has been made towards establishing a mechanism to fund loss and damage. The WIM's Executive Committee issued its first two-year workplan the following year at COP 20 which offered, among other things, a range of approaches to financing loss and damage programmes, which we review here. We provide brief overviews of each mechanism proposed by the WIM ExCom, describe their current applications, their statuses under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), some of their advantages and disadvantages, and their current or potential application to loss and damage. We find that several of these mechanisms may be useful in supporting loss and damage programmes, but identify some key gaps. First, most of the mechanisms identified by the WIM ExCom are insurance schemes subsidized with voluntary contributions, which may not be adequate or reliable over time. Second, none were devised to apply to slow-onset events, or to non-economic losses and damages. That is, if harms are inflicted on parts of a society or its ecosystems that have no price, or if they occur gradually, they would probably not be covered by these mechanisms. Finally, the lack of a dedicated and adequate flow of finance to address the real loss and damage being experienced by vulnerable nations will require the use of innovative financial tools beyond those mentioned in the WIM ExCom workplan.

Key policy insights

• Despite a full article of the 2015 Paris Agreement devoted to loss and damage, there is little international agreement on the scope of loss and damage programmes, and especially how they would be funded and by whom.

• Most of the loss and damage funding mechanisms identified by the WIM ExCom are insurance schemes subsidized with voluntary contributions, which may burden the most vulnerable countries and may not be reliable over time.

• None of the mechanisms were devised to apply to slow-onset events, or to non-economic losses and damages.

     

GIS diffusion in Uganda

Despite myriad studies having been carried out on the diffusion of geographical information systems (GIS) technology, only a limited number have been done within the context of developing countries. This paper addresses the research question, how did the diffusion of GIS technology occur in Uganda? Mixed methods were used for data collection, and analysis was performed using a theoretical framework called the diffusion of innovations (DOI). The results of the study showed that the adoption of GIS by institutions in Uganda occurred in a classic diffusion pattern consistent with diffusion theory. Adoption of GIS was promoted by its relative advantage over, and compatibility with, existing technologies. It was characterized by both heterophilous and homophilous communication channels, and influenced by change agents and champions. Its rate of adoption followed an S-shaped diffusion curve, and was hampered by bureaucracy, and patronage-based societal norms. This study makes a contribution to literature on GIS diffusion in developing countries.     

新形势下中亚五国利用FDI业绩和潜力比较研究

深入了解中亚五国的投资现状和投资潜力,对中国如何在这一地区进行有效投资具有重要意义。采用FDI业绩指数与潜力指数评价方法,运用UNCTAD和世界银行的数据,对2002—2011年中亚五国利用FDI的业绩和潜力进行定量比较分析。结果表明:中亚五国引资业绩突出,总体呈上升趋势,但各国利用FDI业绩不平衡;中亚地区引资潜力变化趋于平缓,并略有下降;哈萨克斯坦和土库曼斯坦利用FDI的综合能力较强,乌兹别克斯坦利用FDI的潜力突出,吉尔吉斯斯坦引资潜力较弱,塔吉克斯坦总体尚处于落后状态。在新形势下,中国对中亚五国的投资应明确各国的比较优势,适当调整投资策略。     

从周边国家银矿床地质特征探讨中国银矿找矿前景

中国周边国家银(含银)矿床主要分布于原苏联、蒙古、日本、朝鲜、菲律宾、缅甸、印尼等国家。有5种类型银(含银)矿床可与中国相应地区银(含银)矿床进行类比,即①陆边缘带陆相火山岩型(金-)银(-多金属)矿床;②火山(-次火山)热液型含银黄铁矿型铜或多金属矿床;③斑岩型银或含银金-铜(铅-锌-锡)矿床;④变质热液交代型金-银矿床(穆龙套型)或银-铅-锌矿床;⑤矽卡岩型含银磁铁矿或多金属矿床。并提出我国相应地区银矿找矿前景。     

城市化对地下水流系统的影响

随着世界经济的飞速发展和人口增长,城市的规模和数量也在急剧增加,城市化的趋势变得日益明显,尤其在发展中国家。在这一过程中,地下水所扮演的角色越来越重要,揭示城市化与地下水各方面之间的相互影响规律以实现其可持续发展,成为一个全球性的重要研究课题。本文在分析世界城市人口增长规律和地下水对城市供水的重要性基础上;以三个典型示范城市为例,进一步具体探讨了城市化对地下水补给与地下水流系统的影响。最后认为,城市化会引起地下水补给量的增加;但城市大规模和经常性毫无节制地开采地下水可产生明显的地下水位下降、地面沉降和盐水入侵而导致地下水流系统的剧烈改变。     

Improving integrity of RC beam-column joints with deficient beam rebar anchorage

In recent earthquakes in developing countries, severe damage was observed on reinforced concrete buildings. This study focuses on exterior beam-column joints with substandard beam rebar anchorage and seismic strengthening by installing wing walls. First, a series of experiments was conducted to investigate the seismic behavior of exterior joints with substandard beam rebar anchorage representing typical Bangladeshi buildings. Two 0.7-scaled exterior joint specimens were tested, and these specimens showed beam rebar anchorage failure and/or joint shear failure. Prior to strengthening of the joint, a series of pullout tests was conducted on postinstalled bonded anchors in low-strength concrete for strengthening design. Then, an experiment was performed to apply the strengthening method by wing walls to one of the exterior joint specimens to improve the integrity, and this method was intended to prevent the failure of beam rebar anchorage. The strengthening method is proposed to extend the development length of beam longitudinal bars by considering the embedment length along the wing walls. The test results verified the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed strengthening method to upgrade exterior RC beam-column joints with deficient beam rebar anchorage.