Industrial Development Research Articles

Industrialization, decarbonization, and sustainability: The role of development finance and implications for inequality

ABSTRACT Post-apartheid, the South African economy remains characterised by persistent unemployment and world-leading inequality. Transitioning towards more equal and inclusive economic outcomes is hampered by an industrial base concentrated in powerful firms in upstream resource-based carbon-intensive sectors. Pursuing industrialisation in the context of the push towards decarbonisation and sustainability by significant trading partners depends on a massive investment programme in renewable energy and specific high-emitting sectors and developing linkages between sectors to target a just, equitable, and inclusive transition that tackles the country’s deep-rooted inequalities. This paper evaluates South Africa’s main development finance institution, the Industrial Development Corporation’s role in green industrialisation in South Africa. It investigates whether the investments made and the orientation of the IDC positively impacts the structural transformation of the economy, using disclosed and publicly available data. It suggests a set of criteria with which the IDC can assess the transformational impacts of its climate change funding.

Synergizing Enterprise Digital Governance and Green Development: Opportunities and Challenges

With the in-depth development of global informatization and industrialization, the collaborative development of enterprise digital governance and green has become an important issue faced by enterprises today. Digital governance can improve the operational efficiency of enterprises, while green collaborative development can help enterprises achieve sustainable development. The two complement each other and jointly promote the long-term development of enterprises. This paper will analyze the current situation, challenges, and development trends of the collaborative development of enterprise digital governance and green and present some insights and thoughts. Only by strengthening the mutual promotion of digital governance and green collaborative development can the sustainable development of enterprises be achieved. In the future, with the in-depth development of informatization and industrialization, this topic will be more important. This study hope that more enterprises and research institutions will pay attention to this issue, jointly promote the progress of digital governance and green coordinated development and contribute to green and high-quality economic and social development.

Dynamic interactions among exchange rate, natural gas demand, production in manufacturing and battery industry export – evidence from Hungary

In the context of the current global economic transformation, the rapid rise of the electric vehicle industry has made the battery industry a new focus of competition among countries. Despite its relatively small economic and demographic size, Hungary has garnered significant academic interest by emerging as the world’s third-largest battery producer in 2021. The study employed a dynamic vector autoregressive (VAR) model to determine that fluctuations in the Hungarian exchange rate have a notable immediate influ-ence on exports in the battery business，which suggests that changes in exc-hange rates directly affect international competitiveness. The battery sector is experiencing a progressive increase in the influence of fluctuations in na-tural gas demand, particularly in terms of their impact on production costs and supply chains. The battery industry has had substantial advancements in technological innovation and production efficiency as a direct result of the expansion in manufacturing production. And Hungary’s total industrial deve-lopment is significantly influenced by the long-term effects of export expan-sion in the battery industry. JEL Codes: L62, E44, O14, C22

How green strategies and policies influence production‐based emissions, industrial development and sustainable development goals?

AbstractSustainable development is a global imperative; however, it is unattainable without a transformation of the production sector. Therefore, the study examines the impact of green strategies [Industrial innovation, Eco‐tech imports‐IMPT, and Green finances‐GFN] and policy interventions [Environmental policy‐EPY and Environmental taxes‐ETX] on production‐based emissions (PBE), industrial value addition (IVA), and sustainable development goals (SDG). The study covers the years 1990–2022 and focuses on 25 European nations. In addition, the pooled mean grouped (PMG)‐ARDL and mean group (MG) techniques were used to assess the short‐ and long‐term parameters. The country‐specific relationships are evaluated using the Bootstrap Granger Causality test. The results affirm that green strategies and policy interventions mitigated PBE and increased the IVA and SDG in Europe. However, globalization and energy use increase the PBE and IVA while impeding progress toward the SDGs. The mitigation technologies fueled with green energy (MPRE) came out as the ultimate solution, which requires green technologies and sustainable practices across all sectors. Therefore, it is suggested that governments implement eco‐friendly policies that boost GFN, reduce pollution, increase green output, and meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

Advances in Gas Detection of Pattern Recognition Algorithms for Chemiresistive Gas Sensor

Gas detection and monitoring are critical to protect human health and safeguard the environment and ecosystems. Chemiresistive sensors are widely used in gas monitoring due to their ease of fabrication, high customizability, mechanical flexibility, and fast response time. However, with the rapid development of industrialization and technology, the main challenges faced by chemiresistive gas sensors are poor selectivity and insufficient anti-interference stability in complex application environments. In order to overcome these shortcomings of chemiresistive gas sensors, the pattern recognition method is emerging and is having a great impact in the field of sensing. In this review, we focus systematically on the advancements in the field of data processing methods for feature extraction, such as the methods of determining the characteristics of the original response curve, the curve fitting parameters, and the transform domain. Additionally, we emphasized the developments of traditional recognition algorithms and neural network algorithm in gas discrimination and analyzed the advantages through an extensive literature review. Lastly, we summarized the research on chemiresistive gas sensors and provided prospects for future development.

Challenges and Strategies in the Industrial Application of Dendrobium officinale

Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo (D. officinale) is a well-recognized traditional Chinese medicinal herb that is both medicinal and edible. Contemporary pharmacological studies have revealed that D. officinale contains abundant bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkaloids, and dendrobine, exhibiting diverse pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. However, the industrial application of D. officinale faces many problems, such as the scarcity of wild resources, low natural reproduction rate, and slow growth rate as well as the lack of relevant industrial standards. Nevertheless, substantial advancements, including the exploitation of artificial propagation techniques and breeding of new varieties, have been achieved in recent years. These developments have effectively addressed the challenges associated with its low natural reproduction rate and the scarcity of wild resources. This review summarizes the progress in the industrial development, seedling cultivation, and pharmacological exploration of D. officinale in recent years. Furthermore, it analyzes current research inadequacies and offers strategic solutions to enhance its application in healthcare and medicine.

Enhancing regional sustainable industrialisation and poverty reduction post‐COVID. The case of the common market for the eastern and southern Africa region

AbstractIndustrialisation is important for attaining economic development in an economy as well as other macroeconomic objectives, such as economic growth and low levels of unemployment. This research aimed to examine how the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa can use industrialisation for effective poverty reduction. The research adopted the panel autoregressive distributed lag model. Data were sourced from the World Bank from 1994 to 2022. The results demonstrated that social security, remittances, industrial development and development aid are crucial factors that can be leveraged to reduce poverty in the COMESA region. It was established that if industrialisation increases by 1%, poverty will decrease by 19% in the long run. It was suggested that trade barriers be removed, and modern technology be harnessed to ensure the value‐benefit of the beneficiation of raw materials for effective poverty reduction.

Road through a broken place: the BRI in post-coup Myanmar

In the wake of the 2021 coup, Myanmar experienced a renewed civil war that has fragmented the country along a myriad of old and new conflict lines. Despite the high-intensity violence across many regions of the country, China is still pursuing an ambitious connectivity project under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) is meant to connect Myanmar to the Chinese market and boost Myanmar’s industrial development. However, the challenging post-coup environment has required significant changes in China’s approach to local infrastructure development and empowered a new set of subnational actors on both sides of the border. This article analyzes how CMEC has fared since the coup, and how the fragmentation of Myanmar has gone hand in hand with that of Chinese agency in the country. Contrary to prevailing descriptions of the BRI as a coherent, strategic, and top-down project, we argue that the case of Myanmar exposes the degree to which it is shaped by local interests and circumstances, and the limits of centralized BRI implementation. Finally, it is likely that adjustments in Chinese policy triggered by the situation in Myanmar will have more long-term consequences for the future of the BRI, specifically a more direct involvement in local security efforts and greater engagement with local authorities beyond the central government.

Developing the industrial capacity for energy transitions: Resource formation for offshore wind in Europe

As energy transitions progress from formative to growth or acceleration phases, issues related to resource formation increase in importance. In this paper we address a type of resource formation that has received scant attention in the sustainability transitions literature to date: developing the industrial capacity to manufacture and deliver key complementary assets (i.e. components and services) to large energy projects. Such supply chain elements constitute a significant share of investment, are crucial for the upscaling of low-carbon technologies, and offer important job and value creation opportunities for different regions and countries. Empirically we study the build-up of industrial capacity to supply key complementary assets to the European offshore wind power market in the 2000–2019 period through three phases (formative, take-off, growth) of development. We provide explanations to observed spatio-temporal patterns of industrial capacity development by considering 1) industry life-cycle dynamics, 2) pre-existing assets and industrial relatedness, and 3) home market opportunities.

Extracting Meso- and Microscale Patterns of Urban Morphology Evolution: Evidence from Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China

Understanding and recognizing urban morphology evolution is a crucial issue in urban planning, with extensive research dedicated to detecting the extent of urban expansion. However, as urban development patterns shift from incremental expansion to stock optimization, related studies on meso- and microscale urban morphology evolution face limitations such as insufficient spatiotemporal data granularity, poor generalizability, and inability to extract internal evolution patterns. This study employs deep learning and meso-/microscopic urban form indicators to develop a generic framework for extracting and describing the evolution of meso-/microscale urban morphology. The framework includes three steps: constructing specific urban morphology datasets, semantic segmentation to extract urban form, and mapping urban form evolution using the Tile-based Urban Change (TUC) classification system. We applied this framework to conduct a combined quantitative and qualitative analysis of the internal urban morphology evolution of Binhai New Area from 2009 to 2022, with detailed visualizations of morphology evolution at each time point. The study identified that different locations in the area exhibited seven distinct evolution patterns: edge areal expansion, preservation of developmental potential, industrial land development pattern, rapid comprehensive demolition and construction pattern, linear development pattern, mixed evolution, and stable evolution. The results indicate that in the stock development phase, high-density urban areas exhibit multidimensional development characteristics by region, period, and function. Our work demonstrates the potential of using deep learning and grid classification indicators to study meso-/microscale urban morphology evolution, providing a scalable, cost-effective, quantitative, and portable approach for historical urban morphology understanding.

The window of opportunity: a case study of the battery electric vehicle in Thailand

Purpose Thailand, although a late entrant, has emerged as a significant center for the production and export of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in Asia. With the arrival of a disruptive battery-electric vehicle (BEV), this study aims to investigate whether Thailand can exploit this window of opportunity to leapfrog. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses data sourced from Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property to analyze electric vehicle (EV) patent applications. This paper collected qualitative data and conducted interviews with several EV manufacturers. Findings Although Japanese automakers dominate essential EV technology patents, they trail behind Chinese automakers, which benefited from the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in EV sales. The incumbents, Japanese and Western, choose to expand their production of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles. ICE technology does not constrain new entrants, such as Chinese automakers, Japanese newcomers and Thai newcomers. Compared to Japanese carmakers stuck with ICE and HEV technologies, they have been transitioning to BEVs at a faster pace. BEV has opened the door for large Thai indigenous energy corporations to enter the automotive industry by focusing on niche areas (nonfour-wheel vehicles) and supporting businesses like charging stations. In summary, Thailand has successfully attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) into the EV sector, but it has not yet succeeded in developing indigenous technologies related to EVs. The Thai automobile sector fails to leapfrog because it is too tied up with Japanese automotive production networks and has an unfavorable FTA with China. Originality/value This study sheds light on the limitations of an industrial development strategy relying on openness to trade and FDI without adequately strengthening indigenous technologies and firms, as the country adopting the strategy fails to leapfrog when the window of opportunities created by disruptive technologies arrives.

Acute copper stress showed toxic effects on the physiological metabolism of Ulva lactuca, a common green macroalgae

The pollution by heavy metals in coastal waters has gradually intensified due to industrial development. In this study, physiological responses of Ulva lactuca, one of the most common green seaweeds with important ecological and economic value in the global intertidal zone, to acute copper stress were investigated. Results showed that an increase in copper ions concentration significantly inhibited photosynthetic activity and inorganic nitrogen utilization by U. lactuca but, increased its respiration. Copper stress limited the activity and gene expression of enzymes related to carbon and nitrogen assimilation of U. lactuca. Under moderate copper stress, U. lactuca had higher soluble carbohydrate and soluble protein contents, whereas under high copper stress, these components decreased sharply. Copper stress increased malonaldehyde content, and relative electrical conductivity in U. lactuca, but changes in antioxidant enzyme activities were not significant and even slightly decreased. Moreover, the contents of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine and polyADP ribose polymerase in U. lactuca increased by high Cu2+ concentration culture, indicating that oxidative damage caused by high Cu2+ level involved its DNA damage and interfered with DNA repair in the alga. Copper stress seemed to be more damaging to the carbon assimilation process of U. lactuca, resulting in weakened resistance to copper stress and lower growth rate. This reflected the threat of coastal high copper stress to intertidal biodiversity. This provided ecological reference for the assessment of offshore heavy metal pollution represented by copper.

Artificial light at night reveals hotspots and rapid development of industrial activity in the Arctic

Climate warming enables easier access and operation in the Arctic, fostering industrial and urban development. However, there is no comprehensive pan-Arctic overview of industrial and urban development, which is crucial for the planning of sustainable development of the region. In this study, we utilize satellite-derived artificial light at night (ALAN) data to quantify the hotspots and the development of light-emitting human activity across the Arctic from 1992 to 2013. We find that out of 16.4 million km2 analyzed a total area of 839,710 km2 (5.14%) is lit by human activity with an annual increase of 4.8%. The European Arctic and the oil and gas extraction regions in Russia and Alaska are hotspots of ALAN with up to a third of the land area lit, while the Canadian Arctic remains dark to a large extent. On average, only 15% of lit area in the Arctic contains human settlement, indicating that artificial light is largely attributable to industrial human activity. With this study, we provide a standardized approach to spatially assess human industrial activity across the Arctic, independent from economic data. Our results provide a crucial baseline for sustainable development and conservation planning across the highly vulnerable Arctic region.

A three-pronged new development model for overcoming the middle-technology trap in China

This article addresses a critical issue facing developing countries: overcoming the “middle-technology trap” to achieve sustainable economic growth. It posits that transitioning to an innovation-driven economic growth model is pivotal for surmounting this trap and is an essential prerequisite for high-quality development. This study introduces a strategic approach through a new development model, emphasizing the synergy among three core systems: basic scientific research, applied technology, and financial support. This “three-pronged” collaboration model is argued to foster sustainable innovation-driven growth, essential for leaping over the “middle-income trap” towards high-quality development. By analyzing the historical trajectories of the Soviet Union and the United States, the article delineates the critical role of the proposed model in fostering an innovation economy. The Soviet Union’s failure and the United States’ success are examined through the lens of their respective approaches to integrating basic scientific research, applied technology, and financial systems. The analysis underscores the necessity of a balanced and interactive relationship among these systems for technological innovation, industrial development, and sustainable economic growth. The article concludes that for China to overcome the “middle-technology trap” and achieve long-term prosperity, it should embrace this “three-pronged” new development model, ensuring continuous scientific exploration, technological innovation, and productivity enhancement.

Possibilities of Using Environmental Knowledge in the Process of Environmental Protection

Abstract In the globalising world, scientific and technical progress, increase in production areas, industrial and economic development have positively affected society and human life, but have caused serious deterioration of the ecological balance. Every person working in any field should have ecological culture and ecological knowledge. Since chemistry is mostly related to ecology among the subjects taught, the role of chemical production and anthropogenic effects in disrupting the ecological balance is great. In chemistry teaching, importance should be given to providing students with the necessary knowledge and skills about the source of environmental problems, environmental concepts, causes of problems and ways to eliminate them.

NURTURING DOMESTIC OPEN-SOURCE TALENTS TO EMPOWER NEW-QUALITY PRODUCTIVITY: CONNOTATIVE CHARACTERISTICS AND DIRECTION OF PROMOTION

The domestic open source industry is showing a vigorous development trend, with many industrial-level open source projects springing up, injecting new vitality into China's independent innovation and industrial development. However, in the face of global competition, we must face up to the challenges we are currently facing. China's open source community is still in a disadvantageous position on the international stage. There is a significant gap between the performance of enterprises in the open source field and that of foreign countries, and there is also a serious shortage of open source talent reserves in domestic universities. In view of this, this article deeply analyzes the shortcomings in the development of open source industry talents, focuses on how to inject strong impetus into new productivity, and deeply explores the connotation characteristics and promotion path of open source talent cultivation, emphasizing the key role of open source talents in the formation of new productivity. Based on these analyses, this article proposes a series of countermeasures and suggestions, including supporting the development of open source communities, strengthening the construction of open source talent teams in enterprises, strengthening the cultivation and echelon construction of open source talents in universities, integrating talent elements and scientific and educational resources, and exerting the siphon effect of talents, aiming to help China achieve a leading position in the open source industry and promote the sustainable development of new productivity.

Role of industrial growth on economic development: A comparative analysis of developed and developing countries

Industrialization has played a pivotal role in shaping economic transformation, influencing growth patterns globally across different stages of development. This study investigates the role of industrialization on economic development by controlling labor force, capital formation, school enerollment, and institutional quality. The panel data of 62 developing and 96 developed countries are collected from World Bank from 1990 to 2023. The empirical results are estimated by using the Panel Quantile Regression (PQR), and its robustness is checked through the Method of Moverment-Quantile Regression (MM-QR) approach. The empirical results found the U-shaped relationship between industrialization and economic development in both samples. The labor force significantly increases economic development in developed countries while declines in developing countries. Gross capital formation and preprimary education also significantly enhance economic development. The institutional quality surges economic development in developed countries and declines in developing countries. The MM-QR approach also shows similar results, proving the PQR approach's robustness. This study recommends that all countries should focus on industrial diversification, improving infrastructure and energy access, strengthening institutions, building a skilled workforce, and ensuring environmental sustainability.

Analysis of Green Supply Chain Construction and Driving Factors in the Context of New Retail: Case Study of JD.com

The retail industry occupies an important position in the national economy and is a fundamental industry. With the development of the Internet, retail is constantly innovating, and online retail is developing rapidly. Retail enterprises under the new retail model represented by JD.com have embarked on a new journey in the retail industry. With the further development and acceleration of industrialisation, reducing resource waste and environmental pollution has become a problem that retail enterprises must face. This paper introduces the case of JD.com in building a green supply chain in the context of new retail and analyses. It summarises the driving factors of JDs establishment of a green supply chain by combining the interdisciplinary perspectives of new retail and green supply chains. At the same time, specific case evidence is provided from the perspective of each link in the supply chain. It aims to provide multi-dimensional guidance for the green supply chain transformation of new retail enterprises, which can help improve their market competitiveness, provide better consumer experience, enhance consumer trust, and help avoid potential legal risks.

Reversible MOF-Based mixed matrix membranes for SO2/N2 separation: A photo-responsive approach

Fuel consumption for industrial development, SO2 gas emissions are increasing year by year and have become a focal point of air pollution. Membrane separation method photo-responsive materials and MOFs have attracted more and more attention in a variety of fields. This is because the membrane separation method uses less energy and is an uncomplicated process; MOFs have superior gas adsorption capabilities; and the photo-responsive materials are controllable. In this study, mixed matrix membranes are prepared using Uio-66-NH2 and photo-responsive materials CE-Azo-Uio-66 as fillers and Pebax as base membranes. By improving the dissolution-diffusion mechanism for SO2 gas molecules, SO2/N2 gas separation is accomplished. More channels for the mass transport of SO2 gas through the membrane can be created by MOFs increased porosity and larger specific surface area. Secondly, the SO2 adsorption and dissolution-diffusion mechanism of the mixed matrix membrane are strengthened by the grafted SO2 affinity groups on the MOF. Moreover, Pebax/CE-Azo-Uio-66 membranes is not only significantly more permeation selective than Pebax/Uio-66-NH2 membranes, but also shows photo-responsive characteristic. The SO2 permeability and selectivity of Pebax/CE-Azo-Uio-66 mixed matrix membranes at CE-Azo-Uio-66 content of 20 % are increased by 191 % and 179 %, respectively, compared to pure Pebax membranes. It is also found that the SO2 permeability and SO2/N2 selectivity of the membranes show regularly reversible changes at the UV–Vis photoconversion conditions of Pebax/CE-Azo-Uio-66-20 % membranes, indicating the photo-responsive characteristics of mixed matrix membranes that include Azo groups. The SO2 permeability of the Pebax/CE-Azo-Uio-66 membrane is increased by 1300 Barrer and the SO2/N2 selectivity is increased by 350 when the light source is changed from UV to Vis light, achieving a controlled separation of SO2/N2. Besides, the addition of MOF particles significantly enhances the mechanical properties and stability of the membrane.

Particulate Matter-Induced Emerging Health Effects Associated with Oxidative Stress and Inflammation.

Environmental pollution continues to increase with industrial development and has become a threat to human health. Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) was designated as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2013 and is an emerging global environmental risk factor that is a major cause of death related to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. PM is a complex composed of highly reactive organic matter, chemicals, and metal components, which mainly cause excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can lead to DNA and cell damage, endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammatory responses, atherosclerosis, and airway remodeling, contributing to an increased susceptibility to and the exacerbation of various diseases and infections. PM has various effects on human health depending on the particle size, physical and chemical characteristics, source, and exposure period. PM smaller than 5 μm can penetrate and accumulate in the alveoli and circulatory system, causing harmful effects on the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, skin, and brain. In this review, we describe the relationship and mechanism of ROS-mediated cell damage, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses caused by PM and the health effects on major organs, as well as comprehensively discuss the harmfulness of PM.