Economic Structural Change Research Articles

School Lunch Advisory Councils’ use of behavioural economics influences vegetable selection and waste

Introduction: Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is low among adolescents, and waste of these foods is high in school cafeterias. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of behavioural economic strategies and structural lunchroom changes on FV selection and waste in high-school lunch programmes using the collaborative efforts of teachers, food service directors and students. Methods: A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used to collect plate waste data for 3 days in the autumn and 3 days in the spring semesters. Five high-school cafeterias from three rural and two urban counties in Montana participated. School Lunch Advisory Councils selected and implemented behavioural economic strategies that focused on increasing selection and decreasing waste of FVs served on the main service line and salad bar. Plate waste data were collected using direct weighing and the quarter-waste method. Preintervention to postintervention plate waste amounts were compared using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Vegetable selection at the salad bar significantly increased ( p < .05). Vegetable waste significantly decreased at the main service line ( p < .05). Fruit selection and waste did not significantly change. Conclusion: Changes in the lunchroom environment through behavioural economic strategies provide one avenue to increase selection and decrease waste of vegetables, ultimately influencing overall dietary quality among high-school students and creating more sustainable food systems.

Ebb and flow: Structural and spatial change in Victoria's brewing industry, 1870–1900

AbstractThe brewing industry has undergone profound structural and spatial change over the last 150 years. We examine how consolidation began in Victoria's brewing industry using a historical GIS approach. We argue that industry restructuring was shaped by four interlocking dynamics between 1870 and 1900: (1) structural economic change; (2) railway development; (3) technological innovation; and (4) regulatory reform. We show that the ebb and flow of these interacting dynamics generated a non‐linear process of change. Similar to North America and Europe, the industry became highly concentrated. However, this process was complicated by local factors such as climate, economy, and distance.

LMDI decomposition analysis of CO2 emissions in Algeria during 2000-2019 and the role of energy policy in reducing emission

This study aims to determine the forces and factors driving the change in CO2 emissions in Algeria in 2000-2019. The analytical decomposition methodology used is the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI), which enables us to know the role and magnitude of the impact of economic activity, structural changes, energy intensity, energy mix, and emission factors on the change in CO2 emissions. The results revealed that the total emissions are rising during the period 2000-2019 and that economic activity is the primary driving force for the increase in CO2 emissions in Algeria. Furthermore, the deterioration of energy efficiency and the trans- formation of the Algerian economy into an energy-intensive sector (the service sector at the expense of the industrial and agricultural sector), the energy intensity factor, and the economic structure factor did not help reduce the levels of CO2 emissions. Additionally, the energy mix factor contributed to a slight increase in emissions. In the context of following up on the im- plementation of the National Program for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and its role in reducing the levels of CO2 emissions, it was found that the program failed to achieve its objectives during the first half of its implementation 2011-2020. These results indicate that public policymakers in Algeria should be strict in implementing the National Energy Program by 2030 by dissolving the conflict between economic growth and climate change policy

Dynamics of wage inequality over the prolonged economic transformation: The case of Vietnam

This study explores changes in wage inequality in Vietnam during a prolonged period of economic transformation. We found that wage inequality increased in the earlier period of 1998–2010, but declined considerably in the following period of 2010–2020. The change in economic structure and increased supply of higher educated workforce have substantially contributed to changing wage inequality. Overall changes in increasing wage inequality over the former period was mainly due to changes in labor market, job and workers’ observed characteristics. In the latter period, however, the decline in wage inequality was related to changes in the returns to job and workers’ observed characteristics. A rapid rise in supply of higher educated workers, which exceeded the demand for skilled labor, in the later stage of economic transformation also contributed to declining returns to education and the decline in wage inequality.

Social control of land and water in the State of São Paulo: the case of the city of Pereira Barreto

The study herein describes and analyzes how State and society exert, in a historic process, the control over land and water resources. A case study is conducted on the historical processes of territorialization that involves land and water in the city of Pereira Barreto, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Water resources have been key strategies to maximize the value of private lands. The ownership of land merges with the ownership of water. The overlapping of land and water places the management of water resources under the care of land owners. With the construction and filling of the reservoirs of Jupiá, Ilha Solteira and Três Irmãos hydroelectric plants, the regional dynamics and management of water resources in the city of Pereira Barreto and region have undergone profound social and economic structure changes. The social control of land and water is then put into practice by UHE Três Irmãos in the city of Pereira Barreto. The Water Basin Committees of the State of São Paulo emerge as social actors who have the social control of water resources and who seek, by means of water resource management, to have control of lands, thus reversing in part the aforementioned initial scenario.

Trends and priorities in development of the field of technology transfer

In modern conditions of dynamic changes, the main trend in the development of the world economy and national economies is the presence of dominant factors characteristic of the development of an innovative economy, where the main source of innovation is science and education, which ensure sustainable economic growth through the implementation of innovations. Technology transfer is a key driver of industrial progress, increased productivity and competitiveness, and structural economic and social change. In the conditions of turbulent innovative development of the world economy and increasing needs for innovations that provide sustainable competitive advantages of economic growth, increasing efficiency and accelerating the transfer of scientific and technical developments is extremely necessary.

Global history in two chronotopes: Time, identity and the practical past in Nagasaki, Japan, 1990 and 2006

ABSTRACT This article compares two recent expositions held in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1990 and 2006. Both expositions responded to structural economic changes related to deindustrialization that prompted reidentifications with the city’s history as a maritime trade hub in early modern Japan. To compare two temporally laced identities that emerged from this turning point, I distinguish each exposition’s dominant chronotope. The 1990 Journey Exposition is characterized by Tabi (Journey)-time, which departs from a distant past to transit through a disappearing present towards a utopian future where Nagasaki has once again become an international port. The 2006 Saruku Expo is characterized by Saruku (Strolling)-time, which introspectively rediscovers Nagasaki’s local heritage within the present while imagining a changeless future, erasing the temporal divisions formative of Tabi-time. If Tabi-time is national time derived from national expositions, Saruku-time is local time derived from heritage and memory. These chronotopes are characterized by different arrangements of exposition grounds and different mobilities that visitors were expected to perform on their fairgrounds. The Journey Exposition spatially delineated Nagasaki into future and past zones, whereas the Saruku Expo featured a series of wandering strolls that drew no clear temporal boundaries. Visitors in Tabi-time engaged in epic, romantic voyages across national borders, whereas visitors in Saruku-time displaced themselves locally in an inquisitive, slow-paced manner. The article draws from exposition documents like guides and official records as well as a local town magazine to argue that the formal organization of time can be practically utilized for economic and identity-building purposes as well as politically contested between different parties. It also develops recent scholarship in Theory of History such as Hayden White’s concept of the ‘practical past’ and recent theorizations on the disorder of postmodern time.

Evolvement of Global Value Chain Positions in Central and Eastern European Countries: A New Dimension in Catching Up?

The paper examines the evolvements in the global value chain positions of the Central–Eastern European (CEE) countries. This approach enables us to reveal both economic and sector-level structural changes in the economic catching-up process. To study the structural patterns, we developed a modified smile curve framework that combines the value-added ratio and upstreamness index. Data were derived from the WIOD database from 2000 to 2014. By undergoing a significant catch-up in the last decades, CEE countries have shown considerably different patterns in their evolvements of GVC positions. Regarding the economy level, we concluded that leading economies can be described by a “U”-shaped smile curve over the period., There are two further dominant patterns that have become widespread among the CEE countries. Until 2014 the most common structure is marked by “/” shape that reflects an upstream-weak economy (e.g. BGR 2000; HUN 2000; LVA 2014). The second most common structure is marked by an inverted “U” shape (“^” shape) that signs a manufacturing-heavy economy (e.g. EST 2000; POL 2000; HUN 2014; POL 2014). There is no significant difference in the added value ratio of the manufacturing sectors compared to the western countries.<br />Implications for Central European audience: Typically, the CEE countries are shifting towards supplier positions and sectors with less complex output resulting in the flattening and twisting of the “U” shape. While most studies focus on a single sector or region, this study involves many sectors and many countries that provide a real global context, thus extending the GVC-related empirical studies concerning the CEER. To further facilitate the significant catching-up process, the upstream-weak economies should develop their structure in a way that less simple and specialised production process is done in a high ratio in any sector. Heavy manufacturing should elaborate market connections and develop connections to the customers. It alerts that a transition is required from extensive to intensive and knowledge-based developments.

Empowering sustainability practices through energy transition for sustainable development goal 7: The role of energy patents and natural resources among European Union economies through advanced panel

Achieving sustainable development goals demands an unprecedented change in the global economic structure and a transformation of the traditional energy system. Based on the sustainability agenda, the current study's main aim is to investigate the trends in sustainability, measured through ecological footprints as determined by the energy transition, energy patents, natural resources, and non-renewable energy in the European Union members during 1998–2019. Cross-sectional-autoregressive-distributed lag approach has been applied to investigate both long-run and short-run relationships between the variables. The initial findings confirm the presence of cross-sectional dependence, heterogeneity in the slope coefficients, stationarity properties, and panel cointegration, respectively. The empirical results further ensure that energy transition and patents work for environmental sustainability in reducing ecological footprints in the long run. Contrarily, non-renewable energy and natural resources adversely impact the sustainability agenda while increasing the ecological footprints both in the long and short run. Moreover, the results are consistent with the robustness check through the Augmented Mean Group and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group estimators. The study suggests that the European Union members continue to promote the transition from non-renewable energy to clean energy sources to empower the sustainability plans determined by United Nations.

Testing the Predictive Power of Hydro-Economic Supply-Side Input–Output Models Under Different Water Availability and Economic Conditions Over Time in a Transboundary River Basin

Although the temporal transferability of input–output (IO) models has been examined before, no study has investigated the impacts of changing water availability conditions over time, e.g., due to climate change, on the predictive power of water-inclusive IO models. To address this gap, we investigate the performance of inter-regional supply-side input–output (ISIO) models that incorporate precipitation and water intake under varying climates over time in a transboundary water management context. Using the Saskatchewan River Basin in Western Canada as a case study, we develop four ISIO models based on available economic and hydrological data from years with different climatic conditions, i.e., two dry and two wet years. Accounting for price changes over these years, our findings indicate that the joint impact of changes in water availability and economic structural changes on economic output can be considerable. The results furthermore show that each model performs particularly well in predicting the economic output for similar climatic years. The models remain reliable in predicting economic outputs over several years as long as changes in water availability are within the range observed in the water-inclusive base year ISIO model.

Economic Liberalisation, Structural Change and Productivity Growth in Indian Organised Manufacturing Sector, 1991–2016

Economic Liberalisation, Structural Change and Productivity Growth in Indian Organised Manufacturing Sector, 1991–2016

Exploring a new development direction of the Belt and Road Initiative in the transitional period towards the post-COVID-19 era

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, its impacts have been envisaged in multi-dimensional ways, including global supply chains, international logistics, and transportation. Owing to a series of virus variants since 2020, several Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects have been halted along the Belt and Road (B&R), and their implementation progress has been affected. In addition, China, which initiated the BRI in 2013, has been facing challenges which are caused by its economic, socio-demographic, and international political structural changes. Moreover, growing conflicts and tensions in international trade and politics, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine, China-US trade conflicts, foreign companies’ reshoring the production lines from China, and diplomatic disputes between China and Australia, have been interwoven with the impacts of COVID-19 on the supply chains, international trade, and transportation in the world. Having considered the above, this study explores a new research-driven approach to reignite the BRI momentum in the transitional period towards the post-COVID-19 era from a Chinese economic perspective. In doing so, this paper proposes nine research agendas, such as the optimization network of transportation and logistics distribution centers (LDCs) along the B&R, priority development and performance of LDCs, greening the B&R with green shipping corridors, revisiting port devolution continuum, humanitarian logistics in association with COVID-19, security and risk analysis of China’s energy supply chains, and export of the 6th Generation Ports (6GP) model with smart ports to major container ports along the port supply chains. Each research agenda is addressed with its motivation, significance, and applicable and representative methods.

Exploring the Impact of Government Policies on Japanese Economy from 1945 to 1960

Japan was known as one of the largest economies in the world and its economy once created developing miracles back to the 1960s-1980s. However, Japan went through a very difficult time after the World War II, its capital and investments declined so much during the war that the whole country lost almost all its advantages comparing with the United States and many other developed countries, and yet, Japan still found a way out of the trouble and started to build its new path to success on economy. The question about how this country recovered so fast has bothered people for a long time. The core of Japan’s success comes from its changes after the failure of the war, and most of its economic and political structure changes were led by the Japanese government and SCAP which played important roles during this complex and difficult period. Policies established by the Japanese government and SCAP almost influenced this country’s many aspects, especially in agriculture and industry areas, and the reform of these domains finally led the whole country’s economy to develop. This article is going to research on how these policies influenced the country and why these changes are important by researching details of some most important policies the Japan government had established during this period and analyzing their historic contents and statistics. The research result and process would provide a new perspective of economic development to the public.

The effects of subsidies on foods in Iran: A narrative review

BackgroundSubsidy payments are used to support low-income groups and may improve income distribution and increase social welfare. The food subsidy programs and their long-term effects have been considered as major developmental issues in many developing countries. This review study aimed to examine the effects of subsidies on the food and nutritional status of Iranian people.MethodsEnglish and Persian language databases were searched using related keywords to discover studies on the effects of subsidies on food and nutritional status in Iran. A manual search was also conducted encompassing national and local research projects in Iran. In total, 12 articles were finally included out of an initial total of 70 studies.ResultsSubsidy payment affects many socio-economic variables. In Iran, subsidies are often paid for the basic goods and commodities that are a main part of the consumption patterns of most Iranian people. So, if the basic needs of the people are not well-understood, changes in economic structures may lead to a change in consumption patterns. In addition, physical payments for food may lead to an increase in the consumption of different groups, but cash payments do not necessarily lead to an increase in food intake.ConclusionThe method of payment should be chosen correctly to improve the protection of vulnerable populations. The distribution of targeted subsidies for food security is inevitable due to limited resources available to support vulnerable populations.

Tracking the drivers of global greenhouse gas emissions with spillover effects in the post-financial crisis era

Addressing the challenge of climate change requires information on how to achieve GHG mitigation at the global scale. Here, we use the latest data available on economic interdependencies between economies as well as the associated emission activities to track the drivers of global GHG emissions during the post-financial crisis era from 2009 to 2019, among which the role of spillover in the context of global trade is highlighted. We found that the decrease in GHG emission intensity is the main factor responsible for slowing down global GHG emissions, particularly for the industrial sector. Production technology effect plays an increasingly important role in reducing GHG emissions, yet they are still unable to offset the increasing GHG emissions caused by final demand expansion with the economy rebound after the financial crisis. The bilateral analysis across regions demonstrates that spillover plays an important role in driving global GHG emissions, and it is likely that changes in technology and economic structure could result in more GHG emissions in other economies. This motivates us to raise questions about jurisdiction-based GHG mitigation policies and a call for global cooperation to reduce GHG emissions.

Review of “Koreatown, Los Angeles: Immigration, Race, and the American Dream”

Koreatown in Los Angeles now attracts locals and tourists to experience unique ethnic cultural experiences from food to nightlife in a section of the global L.A., where diverse cultures are celebrated and appreciated. Yet, for Koreans both in the United States and in South Korea, Koreatown in LA is a symbol of Korean America far from their homeland, reflecting their successes and struggles as a racialized minority group in urban United States. In fact, the past memories of urban unrest and Black-Korean conflicts of the 1990s are still alive and have lingered in their minds, resonating collective memories of painful loss and ruins, where their American Dream was destroyed overnight. In Koreatown, Los Angeles, Lee introduces how Koreatown in LA has evolved by engaging with both local and global contexts across the Pacific Rim from the 1960s to the current era, including the urban riots in the 1960s and ‘70s, the 1965 Immigration Act, white flight, disinvestment in inner-cities, spatial segregation of Black urbanites, globalization, and more recent foreign investments since the late 1990s. Past research on Koreatown and Korean American communities in the United States can be broken down into two main categories: (1) ethnic enclave economy debates from the 1970s to 1990s and (2) Black-Korean conflicts of the 1980s and ‘90s, such as the LA riots and Black boycotts against Korean merchants, and its consequent political awakening of Korean Americans. Lee uniquely and interestingly marinates the two major research agendas in Korean American studies and reminds and reconnects readers of the recent past of the pain and loss that have often been overshadowed by more recent redevelopment of the space, characterized by the construction of luxurious high-rise buildings. Impressively, the author not only emphasizes local contexts in the United States but also shows the deep understanding of transnational influences in overseas Korean communities, particularly economic structural changes in South Korea and foreign investment after the Asian financial crisis of 1997.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gender Differences in Depression Based on National Representative Data.

Restrictions on daily life and changes in economic structure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) likely would have affected men and women differently. However, there is still a lack of research on the difference between men and women in the amount of change in depression during COVID-19 compared to before COVID-19. Therefore, the researchers investigated gender differences in the magnitude of increase in the prevalence of depression with its severity and individual symptoms during COVID-19 compared with pre-pandemic levels. The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016 and 2018 were used to assess depression levels pre-pandemic and the KNHANES 2020 for pandemic depression levels. Depression was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). To analyze the differences between men and women in the magnitude of the mental health impact of COVID-19, the researchers analyzed the weighted differences in depression prevalence, severity, and individual symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before COVID-19 stratified by gender. In men, there were significant increases in weighted prevalence for depression (1.2% percentage point; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0-2.3) and severe symptoms of depression (2.6-fold; 95% CI, 1.2-5.7). Among the individual symptoms of depression, significant increases during the pandemic compared to before were: little interest or pleasure in doing things, 1.26-fold; feeling tired or having little energy, 2.2-fold; and suicidal thoughts, 1.7-fold. However, there was no significant difference in prevalence, symptoms severity, and any symptom before and during COVID-19 in women. Because the pandemic is likely to increase mental problems of the affected over time due to such problems as financial stress and joblessness or post-infection health issues, the researchers anticipate an increase in the prevalence of some mental illnesses. In particular, since the suicide rate of men is higher than that of women, from a public health perspective, active interventions are needed to prevent an increase in the suicide rate due to COVID-19. It is also necessary to establish national policies to overcome the psychological, social, and economic losses resulting from COVID-19.

Organizational culture of Russian companies within socio-economic changes

Goal: to analyze the organizational culture of Russian companies within changes. Methodology: the research was carried out using scientific databases (RSL and RSCI catalogues), system analysis, comparative analysis, inductive-deductive method. Findings: the organizational culture of companies in a transition economy was analyzed, as well as structural changes in economy and psychology of personnel within changes. Based on comparative studies, the national specifics of management and characteristic features of the culture of Russian companies are shown — the behavior of managers and employees — belonging to a group, communicative values, horizontal cohesion and vertical opposition, uncertainty avoidance, importance of relationships. Originality and contribution of the author: systematic analysis of Russian companies organizational culture research was carried out.

An Historical Perspective of Structural Economic Changes Evidence From the Industrial and Investment Promotion in Uruguay (1974-2010)

An Historical Perspective of Structural Economic Changes Evidence From the Industrial and Investment Promotion in Uruguay (1974-2010)

Identification of the Impact of Transport Performance on the Economy of Particular Area

Abstract Transport is one of the most important economic sectors in the world. It is a fundamental and important element of a country’s GDP. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is considered one of the most important indicators of economic performance of a country. GDP can be compiled for both a country and a region. Changes in technology and economic structure of the production system of an area are the central issues of long-term economic growth according to the increase in the gross value added of a region. In this paper, the authors focus on finding out how the development of road freight transport performance affects the economy of a region. At the same time, they try to answer the question to what extent transport regulation can influence the economic development of an area. The research is mainly focused on EU policies aimed at regulating road freight transport.