Natural Resource Investments Research Articles

IBA Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Presentation: ‘Net Zero and Natural Resources Law: Sovereignty, Security and Solidarity in the Clean Energy Transition’ (Oxford University Press, 2024)

The IBA’s Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law is advised by the Academic Advisory Group (AAG), a group of leading academics from around the world. Every two years, the AAG publishes a book about a key topic of interest to the entire Section. This year’s book focuses on the legal issues involved with the clean energy transition. In response to the climate emergency, several countries, corporations and other actors worldwide have announced programmes aimed at reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change to net zero by the year 2060 or earlier. While the need for a clean energy transition is clear, incoherently designed transition programmes could produce complex environmental, social and governance risks, including legal liability and protracted disputes. At the same time, the growing rush for minerals needed to manufacture clean energy technologies raises fundamental questions. Most crucial is how to ensure the exploration and development of energy transition minerals in a manner that does not exacerbate resource conflicts, resource nationalism, human rights violations, protectionism, energy insecurity, social exclusions and inequity, especially in conflict-affected and high-risk regions. These scenarios raise the need for net-zero and climate-aligned natural resource contracts, legislation and investment agreements to drive a just and inclusive energy transition. With presentations from some of the expert contributors to the latest AAG book, Net Zero and Natural Resources Law, this panel session 1 reflected upon innovative legal drafting, contract negotiation and policymaking approaches needed to address the wide range of resource sovereignty, security and solidarity questions posed by the net zero transition.

A comparative study of the nexus of natural resource investment in national economies: Effects on cultural communication and economic growth

This article provides a comparative analysis of the complex interplay between cultural exchange, national economic development, and investments in natural resources. This research aims to examine how rising Asian countries' economies have grown as a result of a green economic rebound from 2000 to 2020. The study makes use of the D-H causality test methodology as well as the CCE-MG It assesses the varied impacts of resource investment on employment, GDP growth, and income distribution by looking at case studies and empirical data. It examines how investments in natural resources impact economic pathways and cultural communication dynamics. It sheds light on the complex effects of resource investment on cross-cultural understanding and economic development via case studies and empirical data. It also delves into how resource investments impact economic development plans and how cultural communication patterns interact. The results highlight the need to comprehend these relationships for efficient policymaking and sustainable development.

Competitiveness and tourism GDP in Magic Towns: an analysis based on the theory of forgotten effects

AbstractThe magic towns of Mexico require strategies that help them to face competition and influence the economic development of the country and the tourism sector itself. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between tourism competitiveness and tourism GDP in the magic towns, in order to identify direct and indirect effects of the phenomenon from the perspective of experts. To respond to this approach made, the theory of forgotten effects proposed by Kaufmann & Aluja in 1988 was used. In order to apply the forgotten effects, 25 experts from different countries and knowledgeable about the “Pueblos Mágicos” programme evaluated the cause-effect relationships. A close relationship was observed between natural and cultural resources and stock market, exchange and investment activities. A strong relationship was also found between accessibility to the destination, tourism infrastructure and complementary tourism services with photography and videography services. Finally, a relationship was found between natural resources and retail trade. These relationships suggest that investment in natural and cultural resources, improved accessibility, tourism infrastructure and the promotion of complementary tourism services can have a positive impact on the local economy. Prior to the present work, an evaluation between the two aforementioned variables (tourism competitiveness and tourism GDP) in Magic Towns had not been performed. With the results obtained, the cause-effect relationships of the phenomenon under study were made visible, both direct and indirect relationships, thus being able to obtain a complete picture and in fact, facilitate both decision-making and the generation of strategies that seek to improve these tourist destinations.

Determinant on Economic Growth in Developing Country: A Special Case Regarding Turkey and Bangladesh

AbstractThis study delves into the complex interplay between gross domestic product (GDP) and key macroeconomic indicators in the contexts of Turkey and Bangladesh. By examining panel data spanning from 1981 to 2020 sourced from the World Bank, we investigate the causal relationships between GDP growth and various factors including population growth, inflation, literacy rate, natural resource utilization, investment, and foreign direct investment (FDI). Our research aims to address critical questions regarding the economic trajectories of these two emerging economies. Specifically, we seek to understand how different macroeconomic variables influence GDP growth in Bangladesh and Turkey, while also exploring the unique socio-economic landscapes of these nations. Methodologically, we employ the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test to analyze the causal relationships between GDP growth and the aforementioned macroeconomic indicators. Our findings reveal direct, statistically significant associations between GDP growth and these variables, with population growth emerging as a particularly influential factor. The implications of our study extend beyond empirical observations, offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to foster sustainable economic development in both Bangladesh and Turkey. By identifying the key drivers of GDP growth and their impact on economic performance, our research contributes to the existing body of literature on economic development in emerging economies. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the intricate dynamics of GDP growth in Turkey and Bangladesh, highlighting the importance of understanding and leveraging macroeconomic indicators to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth in these nations.

Попередня оцінка втрат для рибного господарства Харківської області внаслідок воєнних дій

Purpose. Based on the author’s materials, to carry out a preliminary assessment of ecological and economic losses caused to the fisheries complex of the Kharkiv region as a result of military actions. Methodology. Field studies on water bodies of the Kharkiv Region, which were affected by military actions, were conducted. Public data of the State Agency of Land Reclamation and Fisheries of Ukraine in the Kharkiv Region (2021–2023) were used. The following research methods were used during the assessment of the ecological consequences and economic losses caused to the aquatic biological resources of water bodies of the Kharkiv region: analytical – collection of information from official sources of enterprises and institutions carrying out economic activities, control and monitoring of water bodies; geoinformation – assessment of the actual hydrological regime of water bodies; identification of the spatial location, measurement of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of water areas formed after the reservoirs drying-up; hydrobiological – determination of fish species and other hydrobiont composition; statistical – for qualitative and quantitative assessment of commercial ichthyofauna and the economic damage inflicted to the fishery; forecast –assessment of the potential transformation of the species biodiversity of the ecosystem in time under different conditions of further development of the water sector of Ukraine. Findings. The impact of military actions on the conditions of existence of aquatic biological resources in the Oskil and Pechenegi reservoirs, on the functioning of special commercial fish farms, the production of aquaculture products, and the development of industrial and recreational fishing in the region has been preliminarily assessed. The calculation of economic losses for aquatic bioresources of water bodies of the Kharkiv region was carried out. Originality. For the first time, a preliminary assessment of losses for the fisheries industry (including commercial, recreational fishing, aquaculture) of the Kharkiv region due to military actions was carried out. Practical value. The obtained results have important and multifaceted practical value, in particular they can be used for: assessment of environmental damage caused to Ukraine as a result of military actions; rational management of water and fisheries management due to restoration of water ecosystems exposed to military impact; development of recommendations on restoration of ecosystem services; spread of social awareness about the post-war environmental challenges of the future; making decisions about investments in natural resources and the use of ecosystem services.

A regenerative agenda for economic recovery: Nurturing natural resource efficiency to foster environmental, social, and economic well-being

This study investigates the impact of green finance investments on sustainable development across 30 regions in China from 2005 to 2020, focusing on the role of technological advancement and natural resource efficiency in the context of mineral resource investments. Employing Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCE-MG) methodologies, we explore the complex interactions between technology development, renewable energy integration, and their implications for sustainable development. Our analysis delves into the nuanced relationship between technological progress in natural resource management and its contributions to economic growth and environmental sustainability. The findings underscore the necessity of a holistic resource utilization strategy, highlighting the critical importance of investments in natural resources for enhancing industrial efficiency and fostering socio-economic advancement. We advocate for a comprehensive investment approach that melds green finance principles with technological innovations to ensure sustainable development throughout the mineral resource exploitation process.

A Study on the Challenges and Legal Issues arising from Chinese investment in Bangladesh Natural Resources and Infrastructure

This study focuses on the challenges and legal issues surrounding Chinese investment in Bangladesh's natural resources and infrastructure. It looks at the impact of Chinese investment on the country's resources and infrastructure, including any legal and regulatory issues that may arise. The study may examine how Bangladesh's laws and regulations protect the country's natural resources and infrastructure from foreign investment, and whether these laws are adequate to ensure that the country's resources are being used sustainable and in a manner that benefits the local communities. Additionally, the study may look at the role of international law and international organizations in mediating disputes between Bangladesh and Chinese investors. I have mentioned foreign investments in natural resources of Bangladesh e.g. natural gas, petroleum oil, coal and water resources. Until now, China only invests in a couple of sectors relating to natural resources. These investments are infrastructure projects e.g. power generation, construction, port establishment, agro-processed product, electrical and electronics, light engineering, roads, railways, power plants, and water treatment facilities, etc. This is a second generation Chinese BIT that incorporated general Characteristics of BITs of that era. Under this BIT, Regarding the dispute of expropriation, an ad hoc arbitral tribunal can be formed which would determine its own procedure, but the first negotiation shall take place between the parties to solve the dispute. Under these agreements, the disputes shall be settled by applying generally recognized principles of international law accepted by the parties.

Investing in Ukraine during the war and prospects for investment processes in the postwar period

This article analyzes the current state of the investment market in Ukraine. The impact of Russian military aggression on the investment attractiveness of our country is studied. During this study, all investment opportunities for existing and potentially new Ukrainian investors were analyzed. This study was based on the results of a survey of active Ukrainian investors. The study identified negative factors that affected the investment project market in Ukraine during the war and in the postwar period. Among them were the following: the unstable economic situation in the country, an imperfect legal framework for investor protection, military aggression by Russia and the lack of war risk insurance during the war, and the general economic crisis. The study also identified positive factors influencing investment processes in Ukraine. Among them were the following: the introduction of a visa-free regime, Ukraine’s active foreign economic policy, its association with the European Union, Ukraine's integration course into NATO, and the abolition of export duties and quotas. Possible areas for investment in Ukraine during martial law and in the postwar period were identified. In addition, the problem of attracting foreign investment during the military aggression against Ukraine was analyzed. The possibilities of attracting domestic and foreign investment in the Ukrainian investment project market were considered. The main areas for investment in the country were identified as the defense industry, energy, agriculture, metallurgy, logistics, infrastructure, innovative technologies, and others. For a more detailed analysis, the investment potential of each sector was determined. The largest investment potential was noted in the energy sector (UAH 177 billion), logistics and infrastructure (UAH 123 billion). Woodworking (UAH 5 billion) and investments in natural resources (UAH 5.6 billion) were the least attractive for investors. This article analyzes in detail the investment opportunities in each sector. The article also considers the possibility of shifting international relations from the anti-Putin coalition to closer economic relations, in particular by attracting foreign investors to the Ukrainian investment project market.

The impact of natural resource markets and green financing on financial stability and renewable energy investment efficiency

Energy resources' impact on gross domestic product and financial growth is controversial. The research is quiet on the potential effects of fluctuation in other areas, such as energy resource investment and finance, on exchange rates, financial and environmental indicators, making it urgent that this topic receives attention today. Our research aims to fill this gap by highlighting the fundamental insecurity of natural resource markets, energy expenditure markets and green financing markets. Because of the challenges in collecting older data, this analysis focuses on the decade from 1990 to 2020. We analysed the following asymmetry by employing the model TGARCH specification. According to the calculations, there is more room for fluctuation after a negative shock to natural resources than after a positive one. The study's empirical findings are then used to inform policy recommendations for maintaining a secure financial system and controlling the rising cost of scarce natural resources. The study also highlights the need for increased investment in green finance and recommends diversifying existing energy resource investments to foster the growth of alternative energy sources. This research suggests that we put more resources into green financing and develop new renewable energy sources. Conclusions: natural resource and energy investments are subject to volatility over time, as evidenced by the results and standard and relevant volatility assessments such as autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity.

Greening African economy: The role of Chinese investment and trade

AbstractGlobal warming and the rapid depletion of natural assets have made many countries anxious to find green growth strategies, including global partnerships and international business. China has positioned itself as the right partner for sustainable growth and development in Africa through different engagement routes. In this study, we employ fixed effects on a sample of 27 countries over 17 years to examine the impact of China's foreign direct investment and trade on green growth in Africa. Our results show that China's investment and trade affect green growth differently. We find that foreign direct investment and export have a negative impact on green growth. Contrarily, we find importation from China to increase green growth. Our results suggest that the growing presence of China in Africa through direct investment and exportation of natural resources is likely to hamper achieving the Sustainable Development Growth goals. However, countries can harness some benefits from importing sustainable products from China. Our study extends the green growth literature and informs policymakers of the need to pay attention to the effects of growing Chinese‐Africa engagement on attaining sustainable and greener growth. The results are robust to different identification techniques, including two‐stage least square and system generalised method of movement.

Geographic Isolation and Vulnerability Across Peru’s Ecological Regions: The Influence of Regional Contexts of Extraction

Geographically isolated places are often sites of exported environmental risks, intense resource extraction, exploitation and marginalization, and social policy neglect. These conditions create unique challenges related to vulnerability and adaptation that have direct disaster management implications. Our research investigates the relationship between geographic isolation and flood-related social vulnerability across Peru’s ecological regions. Ecoregions have different relationships with colonialism and capitalism that shape vulnerability, and we hypothesize that the relationship between vulnerability and geographic isolation varies across ecoregions. Using mapping techniques and spatial regression analysis, we find that relationships between vulnerability and geographic isolation vary regionally, with differences that suggest alignment with regional contexts of extraction. We find notable differences in vulnerability related to public health infrastructure and access to services and between ecoregions with sharply contrasting histories of natural resource extraction and investment and disinvestment.

The Potential Effect of Polysaccharides Extracted from Red Alga Gelidium spinosum against Intestinal Epithelial Cell Apoptosis.

Gut injury is a severe and unpredictable illness related to the increased cell death of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). Excessive IEC apoptotic cell death during the pathophysiological state entails chronic inflammatory diseases. This investigation was undertaken to assess the cytoprotective action and underlying mechanisms of polysaccharides from Tunisian red alga, Gelidium spinosum (PSGS), on H2O2-induced toxicity in IEC-6 cells. The cell viability test was initially carried out to screen out convenient concentrations of H2O2 and PSGS. Subsequently, cells were exposed to 40 µM H2O2 over 4 h in the presence or absence of PSGS. Findings revealed that H2O2 caused oxidative stress manifested by over 70% cell mortality, disturbed the antioxidant defense, and increased the apoptotic rate in IEC-6 cells (32% than normal cells). Pretreatment of PSGS restored cell viability, especially when used at 150 µg/mL and normal cell morphology in H2O2-callenged cells. PSGS also equally sustained superoxide dismutase and catalase activities and hindered the apoptosis induced by H2O2. This protection mechanism of PSGS may be associated with its structural composition. The ultraviolet visible spectrum, Fourier-transformed infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) demonstrated that PSGS is mainly sulfated polysaccharides. Eventually, this research work provides a deeper insight into the protective functions and enhances the investment of natural resources in handling intestinal diseases.

Climate Change Vulnerability, Adaptation, and Feedback Hypothesis: A Comparison of Lower-Middle, Upper-Middle, and High-Income Countries

Governments and policymakers are increasingly concerned about climate change. To cope with this inevitable issue, the SDGs-13 target underscores the importance of developing adaptation measures that reduce its adverse effects and ultimately safeguard both society and the environment. This issue is critical in developing countries, which are unable to counter climate-related risks because they lack adaptive capacity, suitable infrastructure, technology and, most importantly, human and physical capital. By contrast, resource-endowed developed countries have succeeded in integrating adaptative and protective policies into their developmental agenda using human power, technology, and especially investment. Keeping these facts in mind, this study is framed to examine the nexus between climate change, adaptation measures, and economic development across different income groups (lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income), using the Driscoll–Kraay (D/K) standard errors method for panel data from the period of 1995 to 2020. This study incorporates two indices (i.e., adaptive capacity and adaptation readiness) in the adaptation framework. The results demonstrate that developed countries such as Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA, and the UK are highly adaptive countries due to their readiness for adaptation. Developing countries with very low levels of readiness have a lower adaptive capacity and are, therefore, more vulnerable to climate change. Additionally, a non-causality test demonstrates that a one-way causality runs from readiness, ecological footprint, GDP, renewable energy, FDI, and natural resource investment to the adaptive capacity in all panels. The developed countries are less vulnerable to climate change because of their well-established economies, rich capital resources, good governance, and timely and effective readiness strategies. Adaptation readiness is a vital tool in capacity building for societal adaptation to minimize the effects of disasters on the living standard of communities.

Impact of capital investment and industrial structure optimization from the perspective of "resource curse": Evidence from developing countries

In the background of the worldwide pursuit of sustainable economic development, some developing countries with abundant resources are still facing problems of industrial transformation and upgrading and improving their development models, although they continue to increase capital investment to provide the resources and talent for industrial structure optimization. These problems occur due to the mismatch between natural resources acquired and capital invested. Therefore, this study examines 18 developing countries that are rich in natural resources but face difficulties in industrial structure transformation and investigates the influence of natural resource endowment on the relationship between capital investments and industrial structure optimization based on panel data from 1995 to 2019. The results indicate that physical capital investment in developing countries with abundant natural resources inhibits industrial transformation, while human capital and labor promote it. The presence of the threshold of natural resource abundance makes the effect of different capital investments on the optimization of industrial structure non-linear. Specifically, the increase in natural resource investment enhances the inhibiting effect of physical capital on industrial structure optimization and weakens the promoting effect of human capital. Therefore, this study argues that reasonable control of the ratio of natural resource investment to capital, promotion of physical asset restructuring or business consolidation, and improvement of human capital quality are critical for achieving industrial structural optimization in developing countries.

State regulation and support of agriculture in the Republic of Kazakhstan

State regulation and support of the agricultural sector is a complex and evolving network of government interventions in production markets, resource markets, trade, investment in public goods, renewable and depletable natural resources, regulation of externalities, and marketing and distribution of food products. The purpose of this article is to formulate a conceptual vision of agricultural development and state regulation of the agrarian sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This article presents 5 sections, which will reflect views on the main directions of the agrarian sector in the economy of Kazakhstan: 1) main microeconomic indicators; 2) financing of the agricultural sector; 3) support of agriculture; 4) main policy instruments; 5) recent changes in policy; 6) conceptual vision of agricultural development. The object of the research in this article is the agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan. The paper assesses the main indicators of development of the agroindustrial complex, evaluates the state financial support, analyzes the current state of livestock, fish farming, crop production. The work uses a systematic approach to the selection of data, methods of quantitative and qualitative study of reality, methods of economic, statistical and comparative analysis as a methodological tool for solving problems. The analytical part of the paper is based on the official statistical data on agriculture, published on the website of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the World Bank, OECD data. The authors believe that political and economic achievements shed light on the conditions under which future welfare-enhancing agricultural and food policy reforms may be feasible.

A Procedural Framework to Identify Critical Indicators for the Protection of Environment and Ecosystem during Sustainable Urban Development in South-Western Saudi Arabia

This paper investigates the strategies and priorities to identify the critical indicators for the protection of the environment and ecosystem in the mountain regions of southwest Saudi Arabia, considering the natural resources, renewable energy potential, local economy, urban development issues, and compatibility with the Saudi Vision 2030. The southern region of the country is characterized as having cooler climatic conditions than the other regions of Saudi Arabia and is rich in natural resources and renewable energy potential. It also has potential in the sectors of agriculture, forests, and animal production, and the region’s heritage is valuable for its tourism industry. During the past years, the region is experiencing a misbalance in its resources and population due to a quick increase in urban development. It is seen that there has been no strategy in place for the management of development. Hence, it is important to establish a framework designed to manage urban planning and sprawl that considers the topographical conditions, wildlife and forest protection, and investment in natural and renewable resources. This study employs a focus group approach to investigate these issues. Different expert panels were invited to Al-Baha University in December 2019 to discuss the sustainable development priorities of Saudi Arabia’s southern regions. These included decision-makers from governmental sectors, and academics from the university’s faculties of engineering, economics, sciences, and social sciences. The study highlights the issues of urban sprawl management in cities that impact the environmental conditions and wildlife habitat, concluding that the agriculture and tourism industries are the most important factors that should be targeted by developers in the southwestern regions of the country.

The role of foreign trade and technology innovation on economic recovery in China: The mediating role of natural resources development

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused the most recent global economic collapse, which severely impacted worldwide economic operations. Natural resource volatility significantly affects global economic recovery. Therefore, the study aims to determine the significance of natural resource volatility, foreign trade, technological innovation, urbanisation, and investment in energy resources on the economic recovery of Chinese provinces. A total of 30 provinces in China were examined between 1995 and 2020. The generalised method of movement (GMM) technique was used to demonstrate that investments in energy sector resources, international commerce, and technological innovation are inconsistent than gross domestic product (GDP) and natural resources. The results demonstrated how trade blocs limit the effect of natural resources on regional economic development in the central provinces. Specifically, 33.4% of energy was saved while 35.2% of emissions were reduced. Although abundant natural resources significantly influence economic growth, studies discovered a negative impact on urbanisation. Nonetheless, the positive effects of trade openness outweighed those of economic recovery. The study proposed stabilising the fluctuating costs of natural resources, encouraging green financing, and increasing investment in energy resources. The findings also provided a novel strategy for achieving high economic growth and recovery.

Making a Modern U.S. West: The Contested Terrain of a Region and Its Borders, 1893–1940 by Sarah Deutsch

Reviewed by: Making a Modern U.S. West: The Contested Terrain of a Region and Its Borders, 1893–1940 by Sarah Deutsch William G. Robbins MAKING A MODERN U.S. WEST: THE CONTESTED TERRAIN OF A REGION AND ITS BORDERS, 1893–1940 by Sarah Deutsch University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 2022. Bibliography, index, notes. 656 pages. $50.00 cloth. Making a Modern U.S. West, a volume in the University of Nebraska Press History of the American West Series, covers the period from the 1890s to the eve of World War II. The first of the four chronological sections covers the federal government’s organization of its new continental and overseas empire and the lives of people in its territories. The second section treats trans-border movements involving corporate money, organized labor, women’s suffrage, and government and capital suppression during World War I. Part three focuses on speculative investment in natural resources and tourism in the 1920s, and the fourth part involves the deportation of Mexican laborers, New Deal efforts to organize union workers, and John Collier and the Indian Reorganization Act. To slow speculative activity in public lands, Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act in 1891, permitting the president to withdraw federal forests from the public domain. The problem, Sarah Deutsch writes, was that forests were “under the purview of the Department of Agriculture, which had no foresters. The Department of the Interior had foresters but no reserves” (p. 41). In fact, the opposite was true, the forest reserves were under the Interior Department and foresters were in the Department of Agriculture. President Theodore Roosevelt transferred the forests to the Department of Agriculture in 1905 under Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot and the Forest Service. Deutsch misidentifies the Homestead Act (1862) with the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909, the legislation designed to settle the arid West. The act doubled land grants to 320 acres, attracting an inrush of homesteaders to arid regions. A period of extended drought “forced three-quarters of those who had arrived since 1916 to leave” (p. 133). The great American dilemma, race, functioned differently depending on location. Deutsch identifies conflicting and inconsistent accounts in federal commissions involving the classification of Mexicans. An Industrial Commission report in 1901 grouped Mexicans and Indians as “foreign whites,” while most of its commentary focused on Chinese and Japanese immigrants who dominated the news. When commissioners learned that Mexicans composed one-third of maintenance workers on Southwest railroads, they devoted one paragraph in the 800-page report to “Mexican peon labor.” The Dillingham Commission in 1911 complained about the lack of data on Mexicans in the United States but still devoted a few pages to Mexicans as an unprogressive race but intelligent enough for common jobs. Deusch devotes considerable attention to cross-border revolutions, giving greater attention to the Southwest than insurgencies north of the forty-ninth parallel. She offers an important reality about the southern border: “The Mexican Revolution laid bare that the history of the Mexican North and the U.S. Southwest were inseparable” (p. 132). Radical democratic movements existed across both southern and northern borders. Women’s movements followed similar trajectories, Montana electing the first woman to Congress in 1916, Canadians electing the first woman to sit in a legislature in the British Empire, and two Mexican states sponsoring Mexico’s first women’s congresses. The federal government joined with western corporations in suppressing the Industrial Workers of America and the Non-Partisan League when the United States entered World War I. To tell the story of the Northwest lumber industry, the government’s organization of the Loyal [End Page 404] Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen, and the suppression of unions, the author relies on Harold Hyman’s nearly sixty-year-old book, Soldiers and Spruce (1963). Making a Modern U.S. West explains the conflicted state and federal efforts to marginalize Indians’ and other minorities’ rights to land ownership. Deutsch cites John Collier’s importance as a forceful proponent of fighting for the integrity of Pueblo lands. During the 1920s, fears about Japanese land ownership among White landowners along the West Coast prompted California to worry that the state was becoming a Japanese colony. Legislatures in...

Analysis on the Investment Environment and Investment Problems of Manufacturing Industry in Anhui Province

Anhui has gradually changed from a traditional agricultural province to a new manufacturing province in recent years, and has made proud achievements. This paper attempts to take the investment situation of Anhui manufacturing industry as the starting point to analyze the hard environment and soft environment of Anhui manufacturing investment. The results show that Anhui has the conditions to promote manufacturing investment in natural resources, human resources, infrastructure and scientific and technological innovation. However, after further understanding the development status of Anhui manufacturing investment, some problems have also been found, such as the reduction of investment scale, slow recovery speed, unreasonable source of funds, large investment gap between regions, and low efficiency of resource utilization. In order to solve the above problems, this paper puts forward countermeasures from the aspects of investment intensity, investment confidence, financing channels, regional gap, investment efficiency, etc., in order to speed up the construction of a strong manufacturing province in Anhui.

Matching of resource use and investment according to waterbody size in recreational fisheries

The size of an ecosystem affects ecological interactions, but less is known about how ecosystem size may affect social interactions. We posit that ecosystem size could serve as a basis for understanding and contextualizing social interactions, connecting how ecosystem size influences natural resource investment decisions and the use of ecosystem services. We leverage international (Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, United States of America) inland recreational fishery data to explore whether certain ecosystem sizes receive a disproportionate amount of fish stocked (a measure of resource investment) and attract more angler effort – our measure of an ecosystem service. We find that smaller lentic waterbodies receive a disproportionate amount of fish stocked per area and also attract more angler effort per area consistently in all four countries. Therefore, we find that resource use and resource investment is matched by ecosystem size. We conclude that small waterbodies are prioritized by both managers and users and contribute more (per area) to recreational fisheries compared to large and more visible waterbodies on the landscape. An increasing focus on smaller-sized lakes and rivers, also those anthropogenically created, in science, assessment, and management is warranted.