Alternative Development Model Research Articles

Promoting sustainable communities through affordable housing. A case study of Beirut, Lebanon

Promoting sustainable communities aims at creating both environmentally and socially responsible living environments. This paper explores the role of affordable housing in promoting the long-term sustainability of a community within healthy living conditions by closely examining the relationship between affordable housing, urban development policies, and sustainability, with the capital of Lebanon, Beirut, serving as a case study. The first part of the paper focuses on the current building laws issued in the official newspaper in 2004 using a content analysis methodology to demonstrate the impact of the changes in the laws on the new morphology and social fabric of the city through the creation of a favorable environment for big developers, wealthy property owners, and real estate agencies and, at the expense of old city residents and low-income families. The second part of the paper uses the qualitative analysis methodology to justify the presence of large unused stock of residential units in Beirut, referring to information from multiple data sources selected based on their applicability to sustainable development, affordable housing, and urban planning in areas related to the case study, Beirut. This part then investigates the potential presented by this stock of residential units in Beirut to increase the supply of affordable housing and foster a sustainable community. This paper argues that the promoted vertical expansion of the city weighs heavily on the environment and fails to provide a diverse mix of housing units, excluding a significant portion of the community from the city. Alternative development models aligning with principles of sustainable development and challenging the current building laws can promote social inclusivity, reduce urban sprawl, and minimize environmental impacts associated with new constructions, thus preserving the city’s physical and social fabric.

Análisis bibliométrico de los estudios sobre Economía Solidaria (2013-2023).

In the last decade, research related to the Solidarity Economy (SE) has provided the framework for the establishment of an alternative development model. This research aims to present a bibliometric analysis of studies on this topic, mainly from the Latin American and Spanish perspective, from the last 10 years (2013-2023). The applied methodology is predominantly quantitative, focused on the bibliometric analysis of a sample of 487 articles published in Scopus and Web of Science, from 2013 to 2023. The software used is Bibliometrix and NVIVO 14. The main results demonstrate the increase in the impact and number of publications, as well as, the most relevant journals, authors, institutions, articles and clusters of concepts on the topic in the study period are identified. It is observed that the driving themes related to SE are: social innovation, social development, public police, entrepreneurship, among others. In research on SE, it is observed that they focus on issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations, from the local level, that is, from the active, collective and solidarity participation of the members of a community.

Upwind Despite Headwind? Degrowth Transformations Amidst Shrinkage and Eroding Democracy in an East German Small Town

Spatial transformation follows the logic of a growth-oriented economy that values cities according to their place in the chain of capitalist wealth production. Many cities in East Germany have lost their significance as sites of production and are consequently facing population decline and the weakening of social bonds in the community. For this reason, citizens of the East German small town of Zella-Mehlis (state of Thuringia) have begun to reflect on alternative models for urban development. In this article, the process of arriving at a degrowth strategy, as provided by the academic discourse, will be documented. It will be demonstrated that the process of shrinkage has not only left little space for a degrowth planning approach put into practice. Moreover, the article reveals that the costs of the growth economy on society are not limited to population shrinkage, but also have a severe impact on the sociability of the local community. The rise of right-wing populists and climate change-denying actors mirrors the decreasing social ability for collective learning processes needed for a shift to a solidary degrowth strategy. However, the case study shows how ambivalent these developments are: Long-term participatory processes within the public–civic partnership framework of the Aufwind (German for upwind) initiative in Zella-Mehlis can challenge path dependencies and open new degrowth-inspired perspectives. The article is informed by many years of intensive field research in a qualitative mixed-method design and focuses on the close links between shrinkage processes, the local degrowth agenda, and the consequences of an eroding democracy.

Testing alternative tectonic models for the Permian-Pleistocene tectonic development of the Kyrenia Range, N Cyprus: Implications for E Mediterranean Tethyan palaeogeography

Three published alternative tectonic models of the Permian-Pleistocene development of the Kyrenia Range, N Cyprus are tested, supported by new field, geochemical and micropalaeontological evidence: 1. The Kyrenia Range represents the northern continental margin of the S Neotethys, close to its present relative position. The range initiated as a Permian-Cretaceous rift/passive margin, switching to a N-facing active margin during Late Cretaceous-Neogene; 2. The Range was located along the N African continental margin until the Neogene when northward subduction transferred it to the southern margin of the Eurasian plate; 3. The Range is a far-travelled allochthon that was emplaced to near its present position, probably during the Eocene.In the light of regional comparisons, especially with southern Turkey, the combined evidence mainly supports tectonic model 1. Sedimentary and palaeontological data show that the restored stratigraphy of the Kyrenia Range indicates Late Permian initial rifting and Early-Middle Triassic advanced rifting, followed by Jurassic-Early Cretaceous passive margin subsidence. Small exposures of ophiolite-related melange located between the Mesozoic carbonate platform and the overlying latest Cretaceous-Palaeogene deep-water volcanic-sedimentary succession include evidence of HP/LT metamorphism, pointing to Late Cretaceous subduction. MORB/boninites, diabase-gabbro and extensive harzburgitic serpentinite originated as a SSZ ophiolite, together with a possible high-grade metamorphic sole (garnet amphibolite) and an accretionary prism (E-MORB/OIB; metachert). Microfossil evidence indicates exhumation of the melange and the underlying platform prior to Late Maastrichtian. A mass-transport complex formed within a compression-related foredeep during the Middle Eocene. Associated southward thrusting and folding culminated in emergence and subaerial erosion, generating a major unconformity, that was followed by subaerial and then marine deltaic deposits (Late Eocene-Oligocene). Following major Late Miocene southward thrusting, uplift of the Kyrenia Range took place during the Pleistocene, related to collision of the leading edge of the North African plate (Eratosthenes Seamount) with the Eurasian (Anatolian) plate.

THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AND MONETARY VALUE OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPAIRMENT BY THE DISPLACEMENT TOWARDS PROTECTED AREAS IN ECUADOR

Objective: Generate environmental awareness and economic valuation of the pollution caused by the movement of people to the protected areas (PA) of Ecuador from the city of Ambato. Theoretical Framework: The perspectives of alternative development and sustainable development models provide the theoretical framework that supports this work and allows us to envision alternatives for solving environmental conflicts such as pollution and environmental deterioration of the country's protected areas. Method: The methodology used was built based on environmental assessment methods. Thus, first, the country's protected areas were identified, and the distances from Ambato to the PAs in kilometers were calculated. Then, the fuel used for the trip was calculated, as well as the fuel consumption of the round trip, which helped to obtain the carbon footprint generated by the transfer and determine the environmental cost of the carbon dioxide emission. Results and Discussion: The investigation results determined that the cost of environmental contamination when visiting the 47 Ecuadorian protected areas was $395,391.37. Research Implications: However, the contribution of this study focuses on providing evidence that conserving nature is more profitable than exploiting it. Originality/Value: The study demonstrates the need to change transportation for a sustainable mobility system to achieve social, economic, and environmental balance.

Globalization and its Effect on the National Economy: The Albanian Case

Globalization is a widely discussed phenomenon that involves the free flow of goods, services, capital, and people across the world. It is mainly focused on economic and cultural aspects, among others. Globalization can be considered as a trend towards increasing of the interdependence and integration among the countries and regions of the globe. Globalization affects us all and leads a radical change in the human’s lives all over the planet, in the relations between them as well as in culture and other aspects related to institutions. So globalization increases incomes but simultaneously increases social inequalities, leaving some countries and groups of people behind. To put it simply, globalization can rapidly enrich a small group of capable individuals while impoverishing the larger population. This ultimately leads to a decline in living standards across the world. Globalization has both positive and negative sides, globalization also produces winners and losers, both between countries and within them, so there are losses and the lost, but the supporters of globalization do not accept this fact. In conditions when the economies are converging and that this phenomenon is generally acceptable, national governments should look forward to pay attention to the growth of domestic capital the pursuit of international financial reforms with the aim of making it possible to find solutions to help losses and the lost. National governments should have social protection policies on the top of their agenda as well as programs that will help as much as possible in the correcting of the unequal distribution, to help different groups in need. Labor migration is a negative phenomenon that caused by the globalization and damages the economy of small countries in transition as people capable of working move to developed countries for a better life than what they leave in their country of origin. The main indicators of the globalization of the national economy are producing for world markets, being part of the global financial markets, as well as foreign direct investments. Globalization is inevitable, under these conditions the duty of the national governments is to face of the pressure that leads to the subordination of the local economy to the global one. Globalization facilitates the connection of different parts of the world, reducing borders and allowing national economies to cater to global tastes. The decreased transportation costs also contribute to the intermingling of the global and local aspects, ultimately leading to the unification of regions. About globalism, there are currents for and against, while the opponents of globalism as well as those who call globalization the cause of poverty and inequality have not drawn up any alternative model for economic growth and development throughout the globe. Small countries like Albania require large international corporations or companies to invest in them to achieve comprehensive economic development, reduce unemployment, and increase well-being. Financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund also play a crucial role in this process. Received: 25 December 2023 / Accepted: 25 February 2024 / Published: 23 April 2024

Spaces of youth politics and the Arab uprisings: environmental activism and the Algerian Hirak

ABSTRACT The two waves of uprisings in the Arab world in 2011, then 2019, have brought profound changes. In the second wave, including Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan, the Algerian hirak of 2019 constituted a massive political and social movement, bringing a new president and government, and affecting the popular consciousness that change was now possible. While participation in formal politics remains low, new spaces of participation have emerged. Environmental activism in the public space, as well as deeper challenges to extractivist development ideology, have inspired new practices of youth politics. From the disruption of the hirak to subsequent active citizenship, Algerians have proposed alternative development models. Drawing on findings from a participatory research project working with a network of Algerian youth researchers, and interviews with Algerian young people, associations and entrepreneurs, it is argued that the practices of the hirak have consolidated and amplified the everyday activism of Algerian civil society. Organizing environmental protests and action, Algerian youth have created new political spaces and inspired deeper reflections about the future of their country. These findings offer new insights into the longer term impacts of the Arab uprisings and of environmental activism, on spaces of youth political participation.

Socio-Economic Dynamics Inhibiting Inclusive Urban Economic Development: Implications for Sustainable Urban Development in South African Cities

Globally, the need for sustainable urban development has never been more urgent than it is now. This is because estimates indicate that more than half of the global population will be living in urban areas by 2050, with South Africa estimated at 80%. This paper focuses on socio-economic nuances that impede sustainable urban development, as well as the strategies that can accelerate sustainable and inclusive urban development in South Africa. Through a literature-review methodology, the analysis identified the following issues as impediments to sustainable urban development in South Africa: informality, lack of consultations with urban citizens, unresolved apartheid legacies, crime and insecurity, and migration intricacies in South Africa. The paper also establishes prospective strategies to accelerate sustainable urban development, such as working with informality and not against it, promoting inclusivity and access to resources, accelerating policy reforms, investing in rural towns, and investing in superior technology and innovation. These findings imply that there is a need to seek alternative development models and approaches, to address poverty, unemployment, and poor housing, aspects that negatively impact urban development planning and sustainable development. The paper recommends inclusive urban housing as a remedy to address the challenges of access, affordability, and the quality of housing facilities in urban areas.

The Urgency of Environmental Education in Kurikulum Merdeka: A Geophilosophical Approach

Environmental Education (EE) is currently receiving broad attention in formulating and implementing fostering students' character to be more environmentally conscious. This issue is also entangled with the global commitment to create a sustainable society. Indonesia experienced a curriculum transition from the K13 to Merdeka curricula; thus, integrating environmental problems into the new curricula is important. In general, the implementation of EE in schools can be divided into two approaches: integrating it into a specific syllabus and incorporating it into extracurricular or ceremonial school activities. Several obstacles have been identified during the implementation of EE, especially at the high school level and its equivalents, including EE being perceived as a burden on students' study time, a lack of coordination among relevant institutions, insufficient funding, and ineffective EE program formats. These findings are based on focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in-depth interviews with Adiwiyata High School students to determine the implementation of PLH in schools and supporting literature reviews. To address these obstacles, this research adopts a geophilosophical perspective as a novel approach to support education and curricula that promote sustainable environmental awareness, both in affective and practical-contextual actions, by considering the importance of geographical agency in teaching and learning. Consequently, it was discovered that the geophilosophical approach could serve as an alternative model for curriculum development that is more flexible to strengthen Kurikulum Merdeka.

Effective import substitution programs and services in the context of sanction restrictions in 2022–2023

Subject. This article focuses on the search for alternative models of Russia's economic development and the dangers of disruption of global value chains. Objectives. The article aims to assess the methods and forms of sale of Russian industrial goods abroad in the context of international sanctions. Methods. For the study, I used general scientific research methods. Results. Electronic platforms developed in 2022 provide Russian manufacturers with various opportunities, including the export of Russian-made goods to friendly countries, the redistribution of warehouse balances, and the search for high-quality domestic analogues of foreign industrial products. Conclusions. Large-scale international sanctions against Russia are likely to have a positive impact on the development of industrial enterprises.

A practical tool to enable Indigenous enterprise planning and development grounded in culture

Globally, Indigenous people seek to develop sustainable livelihood options that enable them to practice their culture, look after their traditional estates and generate economic development outcomes for their wider community. Enterprise development can and may provide one such pathway. However, challenges can arise with regard to reconciling the core drivers of ‘economic development’ with aspirations to practice and preserve culture. Current enterprise development approaches and models do not always suit Indigenous contexts. In this paper, we present a practical tool to enable Indigenous leaders, their partners, and others, to consider enterprise development options grounded in culture that may generate multiple benefits including economic outcomes. Our tool combines critical review of alternative development models, with empirical research to outline a set of foundational principles, building blocks and potential enterprise development options. We apply the practical tool to a case study of a nascent enterprise from the northern Australia Indigenous-led bush products sector. The case study illustrates how enterprise development planning is integral and discussions should consider how to enable cultural governance, protection of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property, potential benefits and sharing, access to resources, as well as the ‘building blocks’ for enterprise development and consideration of different enterprise approaches. The practical tool aims to ensure development pathways build on local economies and ecologies, do not compromise culture and recognise the influence of extra-local political economies on lived experiences and outcomes.

Canine diabetes mellitus demonstrates multiple markers of chronic inflammation including Th40 cell increases and elevated systemic-immune inflammation index, consistent with autoimmune dysregulation.

Canine diabetes mellitus (CDM) is a relatively common endocrine disease in dogs. Many CDM clinical features resemble human type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), but lack of autoimmune biomarkers makes calling the disease autoimmune controversial. Autoimmune biomarkers linking CDM and T1DM would create an alternative model for drug development impacting both human and canine disease. We examined peripheral blood of diagnosed CDM dog patients comparing it to healthy control (HC) dogs. Dogs were recruited to a study at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and blood samples collected for blood chemistry panels, complete blood counts (CBC), and immunologic analysis. Markers of disease progression such as glycated albumin (fructosamine, the canine equivalent of human HbA1c) and c-peptide were addressed. Significant differences in adaptive immune lymphocytes, innate immune macrophages/monocytes and neutrophils and differences in platelets were detected between CDM and HC based on CBC. Significant differences in serum glucose, cholesterol and the liver function enzyme alkaline phosphatase were also detected. A systemic immune inflammation index (SII) and chronic inflammation index (CII) as measures of dynamic changes in adaptive and innate cells between inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions were created with highly significant differences between CDM and HC. Th40 cells (CD4+CD40+ T cells) that are demonstrably pathogenic in mouse T1DM and able to differentiate diabetic from non-diabetic subjects in human T1DM were significantly expanded in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Based on each clinical finding, CDM can be categorized as an autoimmune condition. The association of significantly elevated Th40 cells in CDM when compared to HC or to osteoarthritis, a chronic but non-autoimmune disease, suggests peripheral blood Th40 cell numbers as a biomarker that reflects CDM chronic inflammation. The differences in SII and CII further underscore those findings.

CHALLENGES OF AGRO-ALLIED INDUSTRIES IN BENUE STATE: AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL FOR THE WAY FORWARD

This study examined the challenges of agro-allied industries in Benue state, and suggested an alternative model for industrial development. The study covered the period of 1979 to 2021 using state developmental theory as a theoretical framework. Multi-stage sampling approach was used. The study employed a descriptive survey research design based on the need to collect data from diverse and heterogeneous populations. Primary and secondary data were sourced through questionnaires, in-depth face-to-face interviews with key informants, official documents and personal observations. The study utilised descriptive and inferential statistics for data analysis. The findings reveal that inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, corruption, government interference, lack of political will power and visionary leadership, bad sociocultural attitude of Benue indigene, and wrong approach to development plan are the major challenges of agro-allied industries in the state. The study recommends Public‒Private-Partnership (PPP), where the government serves as a regulatorthrough effective and independent legislature, executive (efficient bureaucracy) and judiciary, while the private sector serves as the mainstream business operator.

The Qur’anic Botanic Garden in Qatar: Challenges and Opportunities for Islamic Environmentalism

Abstract Islamic environmentalism has increased within the last several decades in the Muslim world and in Muslim-minority countries. The Arab Gulf is one of the regions in which environmentalism – let alone Islamic environmentalism – has been greatly understudied. This paper aims to partially fill this gap by exploring the Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG) in Qatar as an illustrative – albeit imperfect – example of Islamic environmentalism, combining environmental aspirations of many modern botanic gardens with religious and cultural aims. After briefly introducing Islamic environmentalism and the significance of environmentalism in the Arab Gulf region, I draw on field research conducted in Qatar to elucidate how the QBG utilizes Islamic scripture, beliefs, and values to articulate its vision and objectives. This paper also examines how QBG leaders’ religious and cultural views influence environmental advocacy within the QBG and beyond. Finally, this research critically explores the QBG’s potential impact on socio-environmental realities in Qatar. While the QBG may succeed in making intellectual advancements and promoting religious and ecological values, this paper posits that such a state-sponsored institution’s inability to politicize ecological degradation demonstrates the difficulty of reforming development models to achieve more socially just and sustainable ends. I conclude that the broader potential of Islamic environmentalism lies in its ability to unite Muslims and people in the Arab Gulf region behind a shared socio-environmental vision. Its efficacy also comes from mobilizing people to advocate alternative development models prioritizing the integrity of all people and honouring planetary boundaries over economic growth or political gain.

PEMETAAN PENCIPTAAN NILAI PADA AKTIVITAS PENGADAAN DAN PENJUALAN SKRAP LOGAM KALENG MENGGUNAKAN VALUE STREAM MAPPING UNTUK MENGURANGI WASTE DI PT ANISA JAYA UTAMA

Industrialization is an alternative development model needed by the country to spur economic processes. Apart from accelerating the economy, the development of industrialization also has impacts that need to be watched out for, including the presence of a waste industry. One of the companies that manages the waste, namely PT. AJU is also a service company for the procurement and sale of metal waste (metal scrap) in Karawang. The metal scrap studied is canned metal scrap, which is wasteful in the procurement and sales process. So that efforts are made to minimize the waste that occurs. This research uses the Value Stream Mapping method with VALSAT analysis. Based on the research results, the most common types of waste are waiting (28%), inventory (24%), and movement (20%). Then the mapping tools that will be used based on the results of converting the questionnaire scores into the VALSAT matrix are Process Activity Mapping (33%), Supply Chain Response Matrix (20%), and Demand Amplification Mapping (17%). The Value Added Ratio (VAR) before the repair has a value proportion of 3%, while after the repair analysis the VAR value becomes 9%.

Fair trade and artisanal fishing in Paraná coast: between speech and reality

Paraná Coast has 90 kilometers of coastline with an approximate population of 4,256 artisanal fishermen who carry out their activities in the bays and in the open sea, most of them classified as small fishermen, who historically have an asymmetrical distribution of commercialization profits imposed by retailers. Thus, in view of the need to establish new patterns of fish commercialization in the region, this research aimed to carry out a case study related to the fair trade of fish in this region. Descriptive exploratory research was carried out with 10 (ten) fishermen and the management of the only regional company that includes the practice of fair trade in its values. The study revealed that positive factors, especially security in commercial relations, fair value paid for fish and valuation of family labor, were the issues most valued by the interviewed fishermen. In relation to the negative factors, the company not absorbing the entire production, the time to pay for the production and the limited hours for delivering the fish, were the most cited issues, however they were not classified as situations that could be factors of rupture of the business process. Finally, the analysis of the fairtrade system adopted in the investigated company, allows to consider that it was installed, empirically tested and has had positive results, and can be classified in fact as a fairtrade practitioner. This model can be classified as an alternative development tool or model to the dominant neoliberal model in Brazil that can be replicated in whole or in part in other fishing regions.

What is missing to understand sustainability?

Despite the enormous global problems linked not only to the ecological sphere, but also to the environmental, political, economic, social and cultural dimensions, humanity continues to consider that the discourse of sustainability has a close and unique relationship with nature. It is not like this. This text aims to make a deeper reflection on the historical context, interests and power relations that derive from considering sustainability as an alternative development model. More than a neutral discourse, sustainability must always land in a specific historical and spatial context, which allows it to adapt, and then perhaps become more operational and functional. The hypothesis places the media as simplistic and, at times partial interlocutors; but definitely not neutral, which prevents the individual from understanding the complex dynamics of the planet and the possible solutions to current problems. It is not only the fact that the media define what sustainability is, it is also important to reflect on how and why they do it.

Mainstream economics’ war with the environment: counter-critiques from heterodox economics and Islamic economics

Purpose This study aims to present the perspectives of heterodox economics and Islamic economics on environmental economics, as an alternative to mainstream economics, which takes economic growth as its main objective and argues that environmental problems will largely disappear when economic growth is achieved. Design/methodology/approach In this study, there was no intention to conduct a detailed analysis of heterodox economic models and Islamic economics. Instead, the approaches to the “environment,” which can be considered as an urgent need of the planet, were evaluated, and the inadequate proposals of the mainstream economics’ environmental approach were theoretically criticized and heterodox economics and Islamic economics were proposed as an alternative model. Findings Heterodox and Islamic economics offer alternative models of development prioritizing social and ecological justice to address environmental problems, which is in contrast to mainstream economics’ narrow focus on market mechanisms and individual rationality. Thus, engaging in more dialogue in the context of the environment is inevitable for both schools, considering the vast geography inhabited by Muslims and the proposed heterodox economic policies, and moreover, these approaches are modeled for the first time. Originality/value This article presents a synthesis of Islamic economics and heterodox thinking in contrast to mainstream economic policy, highlighting their similarities and differences and providing a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities and potential solutions of environmental problems. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this approach has not been previously explored, making it an original contribution to the literature.

Entrepreneurship Education for Gross National Happiness in Bhutan

The Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan enjoys global fame for its pursuit of GNH (Gross National Happiness) as an alternative model of development. An increase in youth unemployment has made Bhutan look to entrepreneurship as a possible solution, prompting a need for entrepreneurship education. But what could entrepreneurship education look like in a context where policies and culture promote simple living and contentment, are cautious with regard to cultural change, and seek to constrain wealth accumulation of private sector entrepreneurs? This essay offers a number of suggestions for entrepreneurship education guided by GNH principles. The essay concludes by discussing what Western cultures can learn from GNH infused entrepreneurship education.

Feasibility of alternative economic models for local development in the municipality of Ivinhema/MS

The pandemic context faced at all levels of society (international, national, state and even municipal) made society hostage to restrictive measures implemented by the government, in its most diverse spheres. The object of this study was the municipality of Ivinhema/MS where these restrictive measures were also present, reflecting on the need to make alternative measures feasible for business and income generation. In this way, the objective of the study was to present viable alternatives of social economies for the local development of the municipality of Ivinhema/MS. The main theoretical constructs used as a basis were local development, creative economy, circular economy, social currency and, finally, the brief presentation of the municipality under analysis. The case studies show that the application of alternative economic models has great potential to promote improvement in terms of employment and income in the municipality, with social and economic benefits to the local and regional community.