A Framework for Development Policy in an Ethnically Polarized State

From SAPs to PRSPs: Ideological Dogmatism in Development Policy and Good Governance in the Era of Neoliberalism

Standing before exasperated delegates on June 12, 1992, at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, President George H. W. Bush spoke in vague terms. “We believe that the road to Rio must point toward both environmental protection and economic growth, environment and development,” the president proclaimed. “By now it's clear: To sustain development, we must protect the environment. And to protect the environment, we must sustain development.” President Bush's words left many onlookers baffled. On the one hand, Bush spoke the language of sustainability, noting the interrelationship between economic development and environmental protection. Soon after his speech, the president signed the conference's formal declaration, which proclaimed “sustainable development” as the discursive framework for the United Nations' development policies. He acknowledged the need to integrate environmental protection into all economic development policies. On the other hand, President Bush did not attempt to describe exactly how that process would occur. He also rejected many of the formal conventions on the table in Rio. The president refused to sign a treaty on biodiversity protection, and he only agreed to support an agreement on global climate change that came without any binding stipulations. Although the president had accepted the necessity of crafting environmentally friendly approaches to development, it was clear that full cooperation and significant concrete measures remained out of reach. The gulf between the president's rhetoric and actions revealed two salient aspects of how the relationship between environmentalism and economic development had evolved over the previous decades. As President Bush's speech indicated, the conference legitimized the use of sustainability rhetoric to acknowledge the link between environmental protection and economic development, which major environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) had been promoting for over a decade. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, many policy makers conceived of environmental protection and economic policy as separate policy domains; by 1992, every government leader acknowledged the interconnectedness of the two concepts and every leader spoke of “sustainable development.” In some respects, NGOs such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had succeeded beyond their expectations in popularizing the sustainability concept.

The East Asian model of economic development focuses on 5 shared characteristics that seem significant in the contemporary economic development of Japan Taiwan and Korea. They are economic characteristics and include 1) high investment ratios 2) small public sectors 3) competitive labor markets 4) export expansion and 5) government intervention in the economy. Large and efficient investments in human capital and well-developed capacities to absorb new technology are 2 other economic features shared by The Three. One could add overcrowding (high man/land ratios) and scarcity of natural resources though these are handicaps rather than sources of economic strength. It is possible however that virtue springs from necessity and that ample arable land or abundant natural resources mainly permit governments to postpone the difficult decisions needed to promote development rather than provide the wherewithal needed to finance development. Other noneconomic characteristics of The Three such as ethnic and linguistic homogeneity relatively compact geography manageable population size and the Confucian tradition have not been considered in the model even though they have undoubtedly influenced labor productivity savings behavior and other aspects of economic performance. Whether the East Asian model ought to be followed depends on whether current and foreseeable circumstances are sufficiently like those faced by The Three to justify using the same policies that they used. Applicability of the East Asian model should also depend on whether the strategy employed by The Three has been responsible for their economic success. 2 aspects of the East Asian models policy features are noteworthy: 1) the policies typically work by influencing rather than replacing private market decisions and 2) the public expects government to intervene to influence economic growth.

Purpose: It is essential to formulate and implement different policy frameworks for skills development in Bangladesh's garment sector, which may play an important role in Bangladesh’s economic growth and sustainable development. That is why, in this study, the principal purpose has been made to formulate and estimate a structural model to identify the determinants of demand and supply of skills in the garment sector of Bangladesh to assess the needs of skilled workers in this sector as well as to find out the capacity of the training providers to bring out skilled graduates which may play an important role to formulate policies for sustainable development of the garment sector of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on primary data. Primary information on different variables is collected using a structured questionnaire from 130 garment workers in four big cities: Chattogram, Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj. Stratified random sampling is used to collect the sample observations, considering each city as a stratum, and a part of the sample is drawn at random from each city. We select respondents from the client's list of beneficiaries through simple random sampling. Advanced-level econometric techniques are used to provide a lucid analysis. Findings: From the χ2 -test results it is found that different pairs of attributes, such as skills and wages, skills and education level, and skills and required quality, are associated in the garment sector of Bangladesh. From the final estimates based on the two-stage least squares method of the demand and supply functions of skills of the structural model, it is found that the effects of the variables, education level of the employees, yearly sales revenue of the factories, and the total investment of the factories have significant positive impact, on the demand of skills and the variables monthly cost of living of the workers has statistically significant positive effects and the variable wage rate of the competitive sector hurts the supply of skills in the garment sector of Bangladesh Originality/value: To the best of my knowledge, this study is a unique attempt to formulate and estimate a structural model of the demand and supply of skills in the garment sector of Bangladesh to assess the needs of skilled workers in this sector based on the primary data of several variables. Conclusions: In this paper, a structural model is developed to assess the factors influencing the demand and supply of skills in Bangladesh’s garment industry. This model can be used to formulate and implement different policy frameworks for skills development in Bangladesh’s garment industry. Policies should be formulated based on the estimated results of the structural model. From the estimated results it is found that the variables, education level, expenditure for training programs, sales revenue and total investment play a significant positive role in the demand for skills in the garment sector of Bangladesh, therefore emphasis should be given to creating literate skilled workers, considering more expenditure for training programs, more investment in the garment sector, and the government and other stakeholders have to develop policy-frameworks to earn more sales revenue as a result the demand for skilled workers will increase. Since the variable wage rate of the competitive sectors plays a significant negative role in the supply of skills. Therefore, the government, including other stakeholders, have to take necessary measures to increase the wage rate of the garment sector of Bangladesh as a policy framework for the sustainable development of the garment sector; otherwise would be very difficult to find quality workers in the garment sector. As a result, the production function will be running as a decreasing return to scale for a long period. Therefore, it may work as a barrier to the development of the garment sector as well as for the national economy, and in future, this sector may happen like the Jute industry of Bangladesh.

PurposeThe paper attempts to revisit the nexus between economic growth, carbon emissions, trade openness, financial effectiveness and FDI for a sample of seven developed and developing countries using curvilinear relationship as per environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis over long term.Design/methodology/approachThe authors determine the unit root properties of variables (using Clemente–Montañés–Reyes unit root test with double mean shifts and AO model and augmented Dickey–Fuller test) for structural breaks at different levels. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and error correction model (ECM) methodology was used to estimate long- and short-run parameters among the selected variables in sample countries from 1965 to 2016. Vector error correction (VEC) and Granger causality approach was used to determine the direction of causality.FindingsThe authors confirmed long-run relationship among the variables and highlighted high economic growth and energy consumption as the main causes of environmental degradation. While in India financial development and FDI inflows depict a negative association with environmental sustainability, however, such relationship was positive in the United Kingdom (UK), which is often considered as a benchmark for policymakers. The authors’ findings were in agreement with existing research insights in reporting FDI and financial development as the major contributors towards (unsustainable) sustainable environment through emissions in case of (developing country like India) developed country like UK. For other sample countries (China, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, United States of America (USA)), the authors’ model failed to capture financial development and FDI as significant contributors of carbon emissions. However, unidirectional causality running from energy to carbon emission was observed leading to the policy adoption of incentivizing alternative energy-based resources to increase energy efficiency across the energy value chain.Research limitations/implicationsManufacturing with renewable energy, in collaboration with private and foreign players, under an institutional framework is desirable. Policy instruments including mandatory administrative controls, economic incentives and voluntary schemes that promote energy efficiency building blocks need to be established. A sound legal system for implementing technological innovation, financial subsidy incentives, interest-free loan programmes and development of financial sector supports creation and thriving of energy efficient units, often a perquisite for accelerated development.Originality/valueBy undertaking a comparative analysis, the authors address the research gap through revisiting EKC hypothesis with different set of trade policy and financial development framework. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, earlier studies were limited to one-country data analysis and did not consider the comparative data set of developed and developing countries with reference to financial development and FDI components.

Learning Regions in Australia - The Case for Collaborative Infrastructure Outside Metropolitan Centres - The Pilbara Region as a Possible Case Study

The paper argues that an economy's industry/technology structure is endogenously determined by the economy's endowment structure. For the convergence to occur, the government of an LDC should target the upgrading of endowment structure instead of the industry/technology structure in its development strategy. If the government chooses to pursue an industry/technology structure, which is inconsistent with the comparative advantage determined by the economy's endowment structure, the firms in the government's priority sectors will be nonviable and the government needs to suppress the function of market and distort all kinds of prices as a way to protect the nonviable firms. Convergence will fail to occur as a result. Regression results from cross-country panel data are consistent with the predictions of the above arguments.

Recent legislation has determined that federal budget allocations and tax expenditures for housing should be tied to specific housing goals or “missions.” The major issues of national housing policy can be organized within six problem areas—three relating to production and three to consumption. Current federal housing programs can be classified into four broad budget categories (involving mortgage credit and thrift institutions, housing assistance, community development, and tax expenditures) and a fifth off‐budget category of credit market activities. By examining a matrix that relates these five areas of federal involvement to the six broad problem areas, this article attempts to provide an analytical foundation for a national policy and budgetary framework for housing, housing finance, and community development.

Economic Vulnerabilities and Livelihoods: Impact of <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 in Fiji and Vanuatu

Van city has serious socio-economic cultural development problems. Despite these problems, Van's cultural and natural diversity, as well as its potential to be an important commercial center due to its geopolitical situation, are important for the solution of extant problems. In this regard, this paper strives to examine the challenges of Van from the cultural aspect. Accordingly; in Van, the investments determined by the actors affecting the development and planning process periodically (2003-2016) were evaluated vis-à-vis the classification of cultural economy and human development index. Content analysis was used in the research. The European Union (EU) is one of the international actors in Van and the national actors are; Ministry of Development, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, T.C. Prime Ministry General Directorate of Foundations, Eastern Anatolia Project (EAP) Regional Development Administration, Eastern Anatolia Development Agency (EADA) and Municipalities. It is seen that these are important actors in development policies and the investments they have made coincide with the strategies they have targeted. International actors prioritize social and human development investments within the framework of EU regional development policies. National actors however followed both a development model within the scope of industry, trade and services, which was predominantly based on the economic perspective, and a development model from the tourism perspective in the services class. Consequently, it is seen that development in Van is not directly evaluated from the cultural view, but evaluated together with tourism, culture is instrumentalized for tourism and cultural tourism is brought to the fore and cultural policies are developed from the tourism perspective.

Tourism is a key driver of economic growth and regional development, particularly in emerging destinations that capitalize on natural and cultural resources. This study explores the role of European-funded sustainable projects in enhancing tourism infrastructure, services, and environmental policies in the Western Region of Romania. [1] By analyzing various initiatives supported through EU funding (FEADR, EURI), the research identifies best practices and challenges in implementing sustainable tourism strategies. The methodology used includes a mixed approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. On the one hand, the quantitative analysis is based on statistical data obtained from regional development programs, implementation reports of European projects, and relevant economic indicators. On the other hand, the qualitative research involves interviews with tourism stakeholders, including local authorities, industry entrepreneurs, and community representatives. Additionally, the study employs document analysis to examine the legislative framework and funding policies applied in the tourism sector. [2] The findings highlight the impact of financial support on eco-friendly tourism, cultural heritage preservation, and community engagement. Furthermore, the study assesses how sustainability-oriented policies influence regional competitiveness and long-term economic benefits. The research is based on qualitative and quantitative data from regional development programs, tourism stakeholders, and policy frameworks. The results contribute to a better understanding of how EU projects foster sustainable tourism growth while ensuring environmental protection and economic viability. [3] The study offers recommendations for policymakers, businesses, and local communities to optimize future funding and enhance the sustainable tourism ecosystem in the region.

Defining the term “indigenous knowledge” is a difficult process as it encompasses different things to different people. Variations on the term are about as many as there are interpretations of the concept. Inuit Qaujimanituqangit, or “Inuit traditional knowledge,” is a topic of much interest for the Government of Nunavut, which has publicly stated that it will use Inuit Qaujimanituqangit (IQ) as its foundation. IQ, in this context, becomes more than a purely intellectual exercise: from legislation and policy development, to program design and delivery, to needs assessment, statistical analysis, etc. IQ has huge practical ramifications on public administration in Nunavut. The anthropological element of IQ subsides somewhat, and contemporary political and social development issues come to the fore. IQ, then, becomes a question and means of actualizing social and political aspirations of a people. In this paper, I will talk a bit about the IQ work in the Department of Sustainable Development, the policy and program development framework that we developed for the Department, and about the model and set of guiding principles upon which we base our work.

Substantial evidence exists to suggest that ethnicity as a socio-political fundamental has a long standing negative impact on economic development and growth of a society. Following an institutional analysis framework, this study analyzes development policy in the Nigerian State and hence proposes a policy framework that has the potential to douse the negative effects of ethnically motivated government policies that has seen the country’s economy and infrastructure in decadence. The study demonstrates that collective and inclusive action solutions to development issues and policies such as the abolishment of a multi-party state in favour of a two party state, equitable location of facilities of national interest across all the six main geopolitical zones in the country etc. have the potential of reducing ethnic rivalry and tensions thereby paving the way for sustained economic growth.

Exploring Green Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry and innovative business models such as Chemical Leasing in the context of international policy discussions

This research paper examines the land economic development strategies in South Delhi, focusing on their impact on the socio-economic and spatial dynamics of the region. South Delhi, a diverse and economically vibrant district within the National Capital Region of India, presents a unique case study to explore how tailored land use policies and economic planning can foster sustainable growth. Using a mixed-method approach, this study integrates qualitative analysis of policy documents, stakeholder interviews, and quantitative assessment of economic indicators to analyze land use changes, economic transformations, and policy effectiveness from 2011 to 2021. The analysis spans both macro and micro levels, investigating transformations in key areas like Mehrauli, Lado Sarai, and Aya Nagar. Findings highlight significant shifts in land use from agricultural to residential and commercial purposes, driven by rapid urbanization, infrastructure development, and policy reforms. While certain strategies have effectively promoted economic growth, challenges such as environmental degradation, congestion, uneven policy enforcement, and socio- economic disparities persist. The study underscores the need for sustainable land use planning, improved infrastructure, stakeholder collaboration, and adaptive governance frameworks to balance economic growth with social equity and environmental sustainability The research offers comprehensive insights and practical recommendations for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders to optimize land economic development strategies in South Delhi, with implications for similar urban contexts globally. The study advocates for a holistic approach that integrates sustainable development, community engagement, and resilient policy frameworks to create livable and prosperous urban environments. Index Terms— Land Economic Development Strategies,South Delhi, Socio-Economic Dynamics ,Spatial Dynamics, Land Use Policies ,Economic Planning ,Sustainable Growth ,Mixed-Method Approach, Policy Documents, Stakeholder Interviews, Economic Indicators, Land Use Changes, Urbanization, Infrastructure Development ,Policy Reforms Environmental Degradation, Socio- Economic Disparities ,Sustainable Land Use Planning, Stakeholder Collaboration, Adaptive Governance, Urban Environments.