Environmental change and the informal plastic recycling networks of Kolkata

This article introduces plastic recycling networks in Kolkata, India, as a case to illustrate the contradictory entanglement of economic and environmental change in urban informal contexts of the Global South. In light of the prevailing environmental critique of informal plastic recycling in India, this article discusses plastic recyclers’ environmental impact and contribution as well as the potential to enhance the environmental and economic performance of their business. Network and chain approaches in the emerging field of Environmental Economic Geography are combined with the notion of social metabolism to conceptualize the entanglement of environmental and economic processes as well as socio-environmental inequalities entailed in recycling networks. The analysis reveals the impact that the heterogeneity and fluctuation of plastic waste supply has on the economic organization of recycling networks, giving rise to distinct forms of governance in its intermediate and down-stream segments. Such an integrated perspective also serves to explain why environmental upgrading is hard to achieve under prevailing circumstances by plastic recyclers in Kolkata. Based on an assessment of the social and political conditions of informality under which plastic recyclers operate, the adoption of common assumptions about ecological modernization imbuing parts of Environmental Economic Geography is called into question.     

中国产业发展与布局的关联法则

产业地理学研究产业空间分布及其动态演化规律。基于地理邻近性的集聚理论揭示了产业地理不平衡分布的内在机制。演化经济地理学借鉴演化经济学的历史视角,从历史角度考察经济活动空间分布的渐进演化机制,认为地理邻近性不是产业地理格局演化的充分必要条件,以认知邻近性为核心的多维邻近性能够提供更好的解释。本文从认知邻近视角系统地分析了中国区域产业发展与布局动态演化规律,总结出中国产业发展与布局的“关联法则”,即一个企业或区域进入（或退出）某项经济活动的概率是该企业或地区拥有的基于相关知识基础的经济活动的函数。本文全面地回顾了关联法则涉及的关键概念,梳理企业和区域尺度的实证研究成果,讨论关联法则在中国的适用性及其补充和拓展。本文指出：① 在认知邻近视角下,基于资源转换和组织学习等理论基础,关联法则研究了企业或区域发展新产业与现有产业之间的关系。② 关联法则不仅适用于中国企业和区域尺度,还会影响区域经济发展、创新和韧性等。③ 外部联系、冲击以及内部制度环境等可能会降低区域产业动态对本地产业基础的依赖性。关联法则指出中国区域需培育内生发展模式,围绕现有区域能力、技术和知识积累发展区域产业和实现区际产业优化布局与分工,逐步建立相关多样化的产业体系,增强区域韧性,支撑国内经济循环。     

中国主要经济区的近期气候变化特征评估

论文在中国《第三次气候变化国家评估报告》基础上,根据2012年以来的最新研究成果和中国气候公报,综合评估了环渤海经济区、长江经济带、华南经济圈和东北经济区的近期气候变化特征。主要结论有：① 1961—2018年,环渤海经济区、长江经济带、华南经济圈和东北经济区的平均气温上升趋势分别达0.35 ℃/10 a、0.20 ℃/10 a、0.20 ℃/10 a和0.33 ℃/10 a;尽管在1998—2014年间这些区域均出现了增暖趋缓特征,但除东北经济区外,环渤海经济区、长江经济带和华南经济圈均在2014年之后突破了其前最暖年的年均气温记录。② 1961—2018年各经济区(圈、带)的降水趋势变化虽均低于1 mm/10 a,但其间年际和年代际波动显著;2012—2018年降水虽总体偏多,但时空差异较大,其中东北经济区2013年和长江经济带2016年降水为1961年以来最多,而辽宁2014年降水却为1961年以来最少。③ 2014—2018年,各经济区(圈、带)最高气温超历史极值或极端阈值(发生概率≤10%的分位值)的极端高温事件频发,同时环渤海和东北经济区的区域性跨季连旱和极端特大暴雨等事件的发生频率增多,长江经济带暴雨日数偏多,华南经济区受台风影响呈加重态势;长江经济带和东北经济区在增暖同时也出现了多次大范围的极端低温事件。     

地方政府土地出让干预对区域工业碳排放影响的对比分析——以中国8大经济区为例

探讨不同区域地方政府干预对碳排放的影响差异,对于中国推进碳减排战略、协调区域经济社会发展具有重要意义。鉴于此,论文基于地方政府土地出让的视阈,以中国8大经济区为研究对象,有机耦合STIRPAT模型与CKC模型,构建形成STIRPAT拓展模型,并使用2007—2016年中国28个省(市、自治区)的工业面板数据,对比考察8大经济区政府土地出让干预对区域碳排放的影响差异。结果表明:不同经济区的地方政府土地出让干预对区域碳排放的影响存在显著差异。其中,同为CKC“倒N”型的北部沿海、南部沿海、长江中游经济区,其政府土地出让干预对区域碳排放的影响呈现出北部沿海经济区为负、南部沿海经济区为正、长江中游经济区无显著影响的差异效果;同为CKC“倒U”型的东北、西南和西北经济区,其政府土地出让干预对区域碳排放的影响,东北和西南经济区都显著为负,西北经济区未表现出显著影响;同为CKC“U”型的东部沿海和黄河中游经济区,其政府土地出让干预对碳排放也呈现出前者为负、后者为正的相反影响。研究结果可为制定碳减排差别化政策、协调区域可持续发展提供参考。     

Population,urbanization and economic scenarios over the Belt and Road region under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

The countries throughout the Belt and Road region account for more than 60% of the world's population and half of the global economy. Future changes in this area will have significant influences on the global economic growth, industrial structure and resource allocation. In this study, the proportion of the urban population to the total population and the gross domestic product were used to represent the levels of urbanization and economic development, respectively. The population, urbanization and economic levels of the Belt and Road countries for 2020–2050 were projected under the framework of the IPCC's shared socioeconomic pathways(SSPs), and the following conclusions are drawn.(1) The population, urbanization and economic levels in the Belt and Road region will likely increase under all five pathways. The population will increase by 2%–8%/10 a during 2020–2050 and reach 5.0–6.0 billion in 2050. Meanwhile, the urbanization rate will increase by 1.4%–7.5%/10 a and reach 49%–75%. The GDP will increase by 17%–34%/10 a and reach 134–243 trillion USD.(2) Large differences will appear under different scenarios. The SSP1 and SSP5 pathways demonstrate relatively high urbanization and economic levels, but the population size is comparatively smaller; SSP3 shows the opposite trend. Meanwhile, the economy develops slowly under SSP4, but it has a relatively high urbanization level, while SSP2 exhibits an intermediate trend.(3) In 2050, the population will increase relative to 2016 in most countries, and population size in the fastest growing country in Central Asia and the Middle East countries will be more than double. Urbanization will develop rapidly in South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia, and will increase by more than 150% in the fastest growing countries. The economy will grow fastest in South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia, and increase by more than 10 times in some counties with rapid economic development.     

Post-earthquake economic resilience and recovery efficiency in the border areas of the Tibetan Plateau: A case study of areas affected by the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake in Sichuan,China in 2008

Journal of Geographical Sciences - The border areas of the Tibetan Plateau and the neighboring mountainous areas have a high incidence of earthquakes with a magnitude greater than Ms 5.0, as well...     

长江经济带城市土地利用效率的影响因素及其空间溢出效应研究

在人多地少的基本国情下,提高城市土地利用效率是促进区域可持续发展和建设生态文明的内在要求。本文在对2009-2016年长江经济带108个地级及以上城市土地利用效率的研究基础上,采用空间相关性研究方法分析了时空分布格局,通过构建空间杜宾模型(SDM)对其空间溢出效应进行分析。研究结果表明:1)2009-2016年长江经济带城市土地利用效率整体呈现稳定上升趋势;基本呈现以上海、南京、武汉等不同城市群中心城市向外逐步降低的“中心-外围”的分布格局。2)通过构建空间杜宾模型分析发现,经济发展水平、产业结构有显著为正的直接效应和溢出效应;土地市场化水平有显著为正的溢出效应;城市固定资产投资对城市土地利用效率具有正的直接效应和负的溢出效应;政府财政支出水平则对城市土地利用效率的直接效应和溢出效应均不明显。3)不同影响因素对经济带上中下游城市土地利用效率的空间效应存在一定差异性。     

Entrepreneurial causation and effectuation logics in a regional context: Assessing the importance of population density

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the article is to assess whether an entrepreneurial causation or effectuation logic is a function of geographical location in densely populated economic regions versus sparsely populated economic regions. A causation logic implies that the entrepreneur primarily focuses on a predefined goal and further aims to identify the means to reach that goal. By contrast, an effectuation logic implies that the entrepreneur to a larger extent focuses on the means at hand, which she or he aims at materialising into one or more goals that are not necessarily predefined. The empirical data for the study are based on an investigation and evaluation of Norwegian entrepreneurs in business incubation that are located in many different economic regions of the country. Multilevel regression analyses showed that geographical location in sparsely populated economic regions is associated with a causation logic, whereas a location in densely populated economic regions is associated with an effectuation logic. An implication of the article is that entrepreneurial stakeholders, such as policymakers, incubator managers, public and private partners, and entrepreneurs themselves should be aware of differences in causation and effectuation logics between entrepreneurs located in densely versus sparsely populated economic regions.     

Vibrant Centers as Locations for High-Growth Firms: An Analysis of Thirty U.S. Metropolitan Areas

What kinds of places have high entrepreneurial activities? There has been an emerging body of studies about so-called entrepreneurship ecosystems, but virtually all of the past studies have examined this question from a perspective of which metropolitan areas have higher entrepreneurial activities. In this article, we examine the intrametropolitan scale at the Census tract level. By analyzing thirty metropolitan areas to extend external validity, we demonstrate the concentration of high-growth firms in specific employment nodes in both urban and suburban parts of each metropolitan area. Significant correlations exist between place-based vibrancy indicators and high-growth firm concentrations.     

国家统一的地理学解释——以东西德统一为例

国家的统一问题一直是关乎区域稳定发展、民族复兴乃至世界和平的大事,然而在地理学领域系统讨论该命题的研究尚不多见。事实上,地理学拥有比政治学和法学更为综合的理论分析体系,尤其是随着政治地理学的快速崛起,从地理学视角解析国家统一的发生机理和影响机制已经日渐成熟。本文从国家主权学说、地缘政治学、后殖民主义、新帝国主义等理论出发,试图构建“国家统一地理学”的分析框架,将国家统一分解为地缘政治重构、经济一体化和文化认同重建3个不同的阶段;并通过东西德国统一的案例分析,深入诠释了德国统一过程中政治版图和地缘格局变化,德国统一后漫长的经济一体化和原西德资本主义的野蛮扩张,以及由于长时间受到不同文化帝国主义渗透带来的民族身份认同分歧问题。德国案例很好地展示了从地理学视角探讨国家统一问题的优越性,同时德国的案例分析可为其他国家的统一问题提供参考与借鉴。