Management Policies Research Articles

The co-evolution of sustainable finance stakeholders under the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities: an exploratory study of Irish disclosure experiences

Purpose In pursuit of objectives, under the European Green Deal, to channel capital flows to sustainable activities, the EU Taxonomy offers clarity, labelling real economic activities as “sustainable”, based on technical screening criteria. This study of disclosure experiences aims to explore the role of co-evolutionary relationships in the Taxonomy’s effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach Co-evolution theory implies a dynamic interplay among sustainable finance stakeholders (SFSs), through adjustment to, impact on and operationalisation of the Taxonomy. Corporate disclosure experiences, including those of financial institutions and related SFS experiences, may reveal co-evolutionary processes. With significant Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) and Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), Irish SFSs provide contextual insight. Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of Irish SFSs capture inaugural corporate Taxonomy disclosure experiences. Findings A thematic analysis reveals six co-evolutionary processes that facilitate Taxonomy implementation in pursuit of policy objectives: [1] cross-functional reporting; [2] iterative pre-empting and addressing compliance issues; [3] regulation as a catalyst for co-evolution; [4] advanced capacity building; [5] stakeholder adaptation and [6] graduated use of ESG data. Implications for sustainability policy development and management are significant. Practical implications Whilst limited to just one EU jurisdiction, given limited prior empirical evidence for sustainable finance regulations from co-evolutionary perspectives, this study highlights a catalytic, yet precautionary role for co-evolution in their transformation effectiveness. As such, they must take account of their potential to stimulate co-evolution and to nurture it in pursuit of their policy objectives. Social implications The findings of this study add to a small, but growing body of academic literature on the Taxonomy Regulation, which suggests that a co-evolutionary lens is important for gaining a comprehensive understanding of its early-stage dynamics. From an implementation perspective, the qualitative data reveals actionable implications for regulators and policymakers, such as building capacity, better anticipation of outcomes and investment in data infrastructure. Originality/value Unlike existing analyses of disclosures, this study offers a co-evolutionary lens on Taxonomy contributions to sustainable development through qualitative accounts.

Groundwater-dependent ecosystem map exposes global dryland protection needs.

Groundwater is the most ubiquitous source of liquid freshwater globally, yet its role in supporting diverse ecosystems is rarely acknowledged1,2. However, the location and extent of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are unknown in many geographies, and protection measures are lacking1,3. Here, we map GDEs at high-resolution (roughly 30 m) and find them present on more than one-third of global drylands analysed, including important global biodiversity hotspots4. GDEs are more extensive and contiguous in landscapes dominated by pastoralism with lower rates of groundwater depletion, suggesting that many GDEs are likely to have already been lost due to water and land use practices. Nevertheless, 53% of GDEs exist within regions showing declining groundwater trends, which highlights the urgent need to protect GDEs from the threat of groundwater depletion. However, we found that only 21% of GDEs exist on protected lands or in jurisdictions with sustainable groundwater management policies, invoking a call to action to protect these vital ecosystems. Furthermore, we examine the linkage of GDEs with cultural and socio-economic factors in the Greater Sahel region, where GDEs play an essential role in supporting biodiversity and rural livelihoods, to explore other means for protection of GDEs in politically unstable regions. Our GDE map provides critical information for prioritizing and developing policies and protection mechanisms across various local, regional or international scales to safeguard these important ecosystems and the societies dependent on them.

Spatial network characteristics of carbon balance in urban agglomerations– a case study in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city agglomeration

The cities within city clusters have strong trade connections, resulting in spatial heterogeneity and correlation of carbon balances. Previous studies have not deeply explored the characteristics of the spatial association network (SAN) of carbon balance in urban agglomerations, particularly regarding network structure, node effects, and spatial-temporal inhomogeneities. This study investigated the spatial network characteristics of carbon balance in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region from 2000 to 2019, employing a modified gravity model and social network analysis (SNA). The findings revealed the following: 1) Carbon emissions increased by 106.42%, and carbon sinks increased by 31.06%, displaying spatial-temporal heterogeneity and forming a multi-level, multi-nodal SAN of carbon balance centered around Beijing. 2) The carbon balance was mainly influenced by spatial spillovers occurring at different nodes, typically moving from lower-tier to higher-tier nodes. 3) Cities assumed four roles: bidirectional spillover, net spillover, primary beneficiary, and agent, with these roles being dynamic. 4) The spatial correlation of carbon balance was primarily influenced by economic development (max 0.602), spatial distance (max 0.331), and per capita ecological land (max 0.445). This approach would refine carbon management policies and deepen the understanding of the SAN and its influencing factors, providing insights for optimizing carbon emission reduction management.

Towards an open pipeline for the detection of Critical Infrastructure from satellite imagery – a case study on electrical substations in the Netherlands

Abstract Critical infrastructure (CI) are at risk of failure due to the increased frequency and magnitude of climate extremes related to climate change. It is thus essential to include them in a risk management framework to identify risk hotspots, develop risk management policies and support adaptation strategies to enhance their resilience. However, the lack of information on the exposure of CI to natural hazards prevents their incorporation in large-scale risk assessments. This study sets out to improve the representation of CI for risk assessment studies by building a neural network model to detect CI assets from optical remote sensing imagery. We present a pipeline that extracts CI from OpenStreetMap (OSM), processes the imagery and assets’ masks, and trains a Mask R-CNN model that allows for instance segmentation of CI at the asset level. This study provides an overview of the pipeline and tests it with the detection of electrical substations assets in the Netherlands. Several experiments are presented for different under-sampling percentages of the majority class (25 %, 50 % and 100 %) and hyperparameters settings (batch size and learning rate). The highest scoring experiment achieved an Average Precision at an Intersection over Union of 50 % of 30.93 and a tile F-score of 89.88 %. This allows us to confirm the feasibility of the method and invite disaster risk researchers to use this pipeline for other infrastructure types. We conclude by exploring the different avenues to improve the pipeline by addressing the class imbalance, Transfer Learning and Explainable Artificial Intelligence.

Agricultural Terracing and Land Tenure in Late Medieval Southern Levant: The Case of Nahal Ein Karim, Jerusalem

ABSTRACT Recent research into agricultural terrace systems across the Jerusalem Highlands, has revealed a significant pattern: the majority of terraces were constructed within the past 700 years, during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The motivation for building terrace systems, a labour-intensive endeavour requiring significant long-term investment, appears to be associated with land management policies. This study set out to test this hypothesis, by focusing on the terrace system at Nahal (wadi) Ein-Karim, Jerusalem, and the adjacent site of Khirbet Beit-Mazmil. The study employed portable OSL (POSL) profiling of sediments and OSL dating of the terraces and other related features, alongside archival document analysis. A key element of this study was the examining and dating of plot fences, which serve as tangible representation of shifts in land tenure. The utilisation of POSL profiling facilitated comprehension of their sedimentation dynamics and aided in identifying the optimal sampling approach for OSL dating. The findings highlight a direct link between land endowment practices and terrace construction, particularly evident from the fourteenth century CE onwards. This interdisciplinary approach contributes to our understanding of agricultural terracing dynamics, shedding light on the intricate interplay between land tenure systems, socio-economic factors, and landscape modification practices in the Late-Medieval Southern-Levant.

Do government resource management policies influence green productivity? New perspectives from fintech and digital resource policy in China

Achieving sustainable development necessitates the exploration of innovative approaches towards low-carbon development and efficient resource management. By adopting the low-carbon city pilot project as a policy shock of Government Resource Management Policies (GRMP), we aim to scrutinize the nuanced impacts of GRMP on green productivity (GTFP). Using the difference-in-difference (DID) approach and panel data from 280 cities in China. Our findings reveal a significant relationship between GRMP and GTFP. In the immediate short-term, GRMP exhibits a negative effect on GTFP growth, followed by a long-term positive promoting effect. A detailed temporal analysis uncovers an “inverted N″ time-period effect of GRMP on GTFP growth. Further exploration into the mechanisms driving this influence reveals three key aspects: the reduction of natural resources consumption and the promotion of low-carbon production (LCP), low-carbon transportation (LCT), and low-carbon industries (LCI). While the regulated effect of financial technology resources on the relationship between GRMP and GTFP is positive but statistically insignificant, the regulated effect of digital resource policy emerges as positive and significant. Additionally, the regulated effect of mineral and forest resource coverage rate is positive but not statistically significant in the context of the influence of GRMP on GTFP. This comprehensive analysis contributes to our understanding of the dynamic interplay between policy interventions, resource management, and sustainable development in the Chinese urban landscape.

Extended producer responsibility in e‐waste recycling: A secure path to a sustainable future for UAE

AbstractThe effective waste management of electrical and electronic equipment gains increasing importance in the modern world. This issue is particularly relevant for the countries of the Middle East region, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the research objectives, this study employs the method of political and legal analysis. The paper investigates the features of legal regulation and implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies in the waste management of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the UAE. At the same time, the study aims to analyze the current environmental protection policy and assess the prospects for its development. The research also determines the development directions for the profile environmental policy regarding general priorities in the field of economic development of the country. The results of the study indicate that the country's current policy and legislative regulation in the implementation of EPR are complex and meet modern challenges.

A New Paradigm for Sustainable Supply Chain Management for Business Operation

Background: The rapid developments in society and population, climate change, and environmental challenges are crucial factors impacting business operations and sustainability. To adapt to these changes effectively, businesses need to understand these factors from the dimensions of society, the environment, and the economy. Method: This research investigates these factors by deploying a questionnaire to gather data from 400 participants and employing confirmatory factor analysis as well as structural equation modeling to identify the relationships among these factors. Results: This study confirms the significant role of policy and strategy in sustainable supply chain management for operations in the public sector and institutions. This new perspective allows stakeholders to respond to changes more effectively with sustainable supply chain management while maintaining flexibility in application. Additionally, this study identifies the dimension of institution and policy as another key factor. Conclusions: These findings provide in-depth insights into the key factors of sustainable supply chain management for business operations. These insights can aid in developing strategies and setting targets aligned with sustainable development goals, responding to changes in society, the environment, the economy, as well as in institutions and policy, leading to long-term sustainable business operations.

Fiscal Policy and Economic Stability: A Comprehensive Analysis

This piece outlines fiscal policy and how it helps in stabilizing the economy. It starts with explaining fiscal policy and emphasizing its role as an effective tool for economic management. Tax policies, government spending, and budget deficits/surpluses which make up fiscal policy are discussed in details. The article continues by discussing the influence of fiscal policy on the economy's stability, considering its ability to boost growth, curb inflation, and reduce unemployment. While the management of fiscal policy comprises of the challenges such as political concerns and coordination with monetary policy, is also examined. Case studies and examples demonstrate success and failure of those fiscal policy implementation, which have become an invaluable lesson for policy makers. The article concludes with a look into the future trends and some suggestions on sustainable fiscal policy procedures.

Exploring Financial Risks in Relation to Performance of MPESA Agents in Rural Areas, Kenya

The growth of mobile banking services, specifically Mpesa, has transformed financial transactions in Kenya, particularly in marginalized and rural regions. Ever since Safaricom introduced Mpesa in 2007, it has enabled various financial transactions like money transfers, bill payments, savings, and loans, becoming vital to Kenya's financial infrastructure. In rural areas, Mpesa shops are at risk of facing financial challenges which can impact their operations and long-term success. This research investigates how liquidity, credit, and operational risks affect the financial performance of Mpesa outlets in rural Kenya. The mismatch between cash coming in and going out results in liquidity risks, which can cause service interruptions and unhappy customers. Credit risks, resulting from borrowers failing to repay loans on time or defaulting, put pressure on cash flow and the stability of finances. Operational risks like technical failures, fraud, and regulatory non-compliance pose additional threats to the functionality and customer trust of the shops. By thoroughly analyzing pertinent literature and empirical data, this research investigates the way in which these risks interplay and impact the economic sustainability of Mpesa shops. The results are intended to guide improved risk management methods and policy suggestions to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of Mpesa agents, guaranteeing ongoing availability of crucial financial services in rural Kenya.

The trade potential of grain crops in the countries along the Belt and Road: evidence from a stochastic frontier model

This study employs the stochastic frontier model (SFM) to analyze trade potential and efficiency in wheat and maize among Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries from 2002 to 2021, encompassing 45 countries for wheat trade and 55 for maize trade. The empirical findings reveal that economic development level, population growth, government efficiency, political stability, and regulatory quality are critical determinants of trade efficiency. Notably, World Trade Organization (WTO) membership exhibits a negative correlation with trade efficiency, potentially reflecting challenges in rule implementation and opportunity utilization among member states. In the context of maize trade, increased arable land area is inversely associated with efficiency, suggesting potential issues in managing large-scale agricultural regions or optimizing land use. The BRI’s impact on trade efficiency varies across countries, with Turkey and Hungary showing improved wheat trade efficiency, while Ethiopia and Georgia experienced declines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, effective disease management strategies and diversified trade mechanisms significantly influenced trade efficiency. Furthermore, the study reveals that larger economies do not necessarily outperform small and medium-sized economies in terms of trade potential. These findings contribute significantly to the literature on agricultural trade and offer valuable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the importance of enhancing government efficiency, political stability, and regulatory quality in the context of regional economic development initiatives such as the BRI. This research underscores the need for tailored approaches to trade policy and agricultural management, considering the unique characteristics and challenges faced by different economies along BRI.

Optimal management of international reserves

AbstractThis article develops a continuous time stochastic model for determining the optimal international reserves management policy when the data generating process of international reserves is a geometric Brownian motion. The policy is a two‐parameter control‐limit that consists of an appropriate and a ceiling level on reserves holdings, given an exogenous floor on international reserves. The optimal solution is determined so as to minimize the total costs of international reserves holdings. It is proved that our results extend the framework of Frenkel and Jovanovic when the logarithm of international reserves is an arithmetic Brownian motion. We also explain that Jung paper does not extend Frenkel and Jovanovic model as claimed by the former. The model is calibrated to derive the optimal level and liquidity tranche size upper bound of international reserves of the CEMAC monetary union.

Navigating the Nexus of Tax Avoidance and Strategic Planning: Insights and Strategies

Tax avoidance and tax planning are two concepts often discussed in the context of corporate governance, financial management, and government fiscal policy. While both aim to minimize tax liabilities, they differ significantly in their legality, ethical considerations, and long-term implications. Tax planning involves strategic decisions within the bounds of tax laws to optimize tax efficiency, ensuring compliance while maximizing benefits for stakeholders. In contrast, tax avoidance exploits loopholes or ambiguities in tax laws to reduce tax burdens, sometimes pushing the boundaries of legality and ethical standards. This abstract explores the distinctions between tax planning and tax avoidance, their impacts on financial transparency, corporate social responsibility, and regulatory responses worldwide. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for policymakers, corporations, and taxpayers navigating the complexities of modern taxation systems. This paper is a humble effort to understand the concept of ‘Tax Evasion’ and ‘Tax Planning’ difference between these two concepts. It also explores how can existing legal aids be made more accessible and reap better results.

Managing ecosystem services in oleaginous forests for bioenergy provision and climate change mitigation

Oleaginous forests provide diverse ecosystem services, including timber, seed yield (a vital feedstock for biodiesel production), and substantial carbon savings. These carbon savings encompass carbon sequestration related to timber growth and carbon savings resulting from substituting fossil fuel with biodiesel. However, oleaginous forests are vulnerable to seed wasp attacks (disservice), which significantly threaten both seed yield and carbon savings. Using an integrated ecological-economic model that includes Faustmann's Land Expectation Value model and a pest damage control model, we aim to understand the intricate relationship among multiple ecosystem services and disservices of oleaginous forests. The results reveal four distinct phases contingent on varying pesticide application rates: the pesticide under-use phase, substitution phase, complementary phase, and over-use phase. Notably, a potential avenue to minimize pest damage is identified during the complementary phase by reducing the optimal rotation age at the expense of decreased carbon sequestration and bioenergy provision, posing a challenge to climate change mitigation. These findings have implications for formulating policies to manage conflicting ecosystem services of energy forests, offering valuable insights into the intersection of sustainable forest management and climate policy.

Solid Waste in Urban Areas: A Multidimensional Statistical Approach on Irregular Disposal and Burning in the Municipality of Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais

The improper disposal of urban waste is a global concern, especially in large cities considering aspects of environmental and visual pollution. This study provides a detailed analysis of the municipality of Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, identifying local nuances and a better understanding of this issue to support decisions for corrective actions. It assesses the persistence and incidence of waste burning at irregular disposal sites in the municipality, emphasizing its environmental and health impacts. This work utilized a combined approach of georeferenced mapping with Google Earth Pro images, complemented by in-situ checks with GPS devices. The statistical analysis of the collected data was performed using the PSPP software. Statistical analyses were supported by contingency tables, the application of the chi-square test, Phi, Cramer's V, and Odds Ratio, evaluating the characteristics of the associations. A strong association was identified between the persistent disposal of solid waste in undeveloped areas and the presence of tree pruning and gardening waste. The research also demonstrated a significant association of areas with signs of burning that were located in public spaces. Additionally, a significant statistical association was confirmed at sites where paper and plastic disposals and burning were identified. This research expands the understanding of disposal practices in urban contexts and provides a replicable model of combined georeferenced analysis with physical checks, in addition to the risks to public health and the environment. The results obtained demonstrate direct implications for waste management policies, raising awareness of the consequences of improper disposal and burning.

Environmental vulnerability applied to the territorial planning of a tropical semiarid basin.

Tropical semiarid regions are naturally prone to environmental damage. Human activity can worsen this situation. To understand how human actions affect the ecosystem, plan land use effectively, and establish targeted management practices, assessing environmental vulnerability is crucial. This study focuses on a sub-basin receiving water transfers from the São Francisco River in Brazil's semiarid region. Here, we map and evaluate how land use and occupation alter natural vulnerability. We also propose zoning strategies to support water resource management and implement sustainable development policies in the region. To achieve this, we conducted an integrated analysis of physical factors (soil types, geology, climate, vegetation, and landforms) and spatial land-use data using geographic information systems (GIS) and map algebra techniques. Map algebra allowed us to combine these various datasets within the GIS environment, enabling the creation of maps that synthesize both natural and environmental vulnerability across the study area. Following analysis of these vulnerability maps, our findings reveal a high level of vulnerability. The areas with high to very high degrees of natural vulnerability coincide with the places that have high slopes, high altitudes, Lithic Neosols, and thick vegetation. Furthermore, the interaction between environmental factors and human activity exacerbates vulnerability. Based on the environmental vulnerability assessment, we defined four environmental management zones. These zones require distinct protection measures and management approaches. As a method to potentially improve the basin's vulnerability scenario, soil conservation measures are recommended. This approach is highly relevant for managing land in tropical semiarid regions and, with adaptations to specific regional factors, can be applied globally.

Estimation on growth parameters of Arius maculatus (Thunberg, 1792) along the Thanlwin River Estuary comparing with the observed length and back‐calculated length of otolith

AbstractThis study examined the growth patterns of the spotted catfish, Arius maculatus (Thunberg, 1792) in the Thanlwin River Estuary throughout the analysis of standard lengths obtained from observed otolith data and back‐calculated data. Between April 2023 and January 2024, 516 fish ranging in standard lengths from 8.3 to 33 cm were collected. The annual deposition of annuli in otoliths was confirmed using the marginal increment ratio, with ages ranging from 2 to 9 years. The Dahl‐Lea back‐calculation method expanded the length at age data to 2472 records for ages 1–9 years. Growth was characterized using Von Bertalanffy growth curves, revealing the significant differences between the observed data (asymptotic length L∞ = 25.34 cm, growth coefficient K = 0.257 year−1 and growth performance index ϕ′ = 2.02) and the back‐calculated data (L∞ = 36.23 cm, K = 0.087 year−1 and ϕ′ = 2.21). The findings of the study suggested that the back‐calculated otolith data were more dependable for determining growth parameters compared to the observed otolith data. A. maculatus appears to exhibit slow growth characteristics, suggesting that the environmental conditions in the Thanlwin River Estuary may be deficient for this species. The insights gleaned from this research are crucial for guiding and shaping fishery management policies through informed advice and recommendations.

Calculation of the Optimal Scale of Urban Green Space for Alleviating Surface Urban Heat Islands: A Case Study of Xi’an, China

Research has demonstrated that urban green spaces play a crucial role in mitigating the severe urban heat island (UHI) effect. However, existing studies often suffer from limitations such as the neglect of the cooling effect of water bodies within the green spaces and incomplete considerations of the overall cooling effect. These limitations may lead to inaccuracies in the research findings. Therefore, the present study takes the city of Xi’an as a case study to explore the optimal green space size for achieving efficient cooling. The results indicate that (i) urban green spaces exhibit robust cooling effects, with variations observed among the various types; (ii) for community parks without water, and for street gardens, the optimal areas of these green spaces are 3.44 and 0.83 hectares, respectively; (iii) for community parks with water, the area of internal water bodies should ideally be maintained at around 29.43% of the total green space area in order to achieve an optimal cooling efficiency. In conclusion, this study introduces a new perspective and new optimization methods for urban green space planning, thereby offering scientific guidance to urban planners in formulating effective development and management policies and urban planning schemes.

The Implementation of Canteen Management Policy in Sriwijaya University: A Qualitative Study

A canteen in the campus environment is one of the infrastructures that educational units must own that will support educational activities if it is managed well by paying attention to the nutritional content of food and implementing proper hygiene and sanitation. This research aims to find an overview of the canteen management policy at Sriwijaya University. This research used a qualitative design with 23 research informants, consisting of 2 Vice Chancellors, 1 Dean, 2 Deputy Deans, 6 canteen owners, 6 employees, and 6 students at Sriwijaya University. Data collection was carried out using in-depth interviews and observation.The data was analyzed using the Content Analysis method and presented in a narrative for interpretation. Monitoring of each faculty's canteen for the management of a healthy canteen has mainly been carried out by handlers or sellers. However, facilities and infrastructure, such as access to electricity, clean water, canteen area, and canteen location, still need to be improved. Regarding food quality, practices, and sanitation, the food sold in each canteen already has good nutritional content. The implementation of healthy canteen management policies has been regulated in policies per faculty, although it is not evenly distributed. It is stated that the central policy for managing healthy canteens is still being designed. The implementation of canteen management policies at Sriwijaya University is that facilities and infrastructure still need to be improved, he food handlers and canteen managers are expected to continue to pay attention to food hygiene and sanitation of canteen buildings by the Indonesian Minister of Health Regulation Number 1096 of 2011.

New Perspective to Evaluate the Carbon Offsetting by Urban Blue-Green Infrastructure: Direct Carbon Sequestration and Indirect Carbon Reduction.

Urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) offers a multitude of ecological advantages to residents, thereby playing a pivotal role in fortifying urban resilience and fostering the development of climate-resilient cities. Nonetheless, current research falls short of a comprehensive analysis of BGI's overall potential for carbon reduction and its indirect carbon reduction impact. To fill this research gap, we utilized the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs model and remote sensing estimation algorithm to quantify the direct carbon sequestration and resultant indirect carbon reduction facilitated by the BGI within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) (China). To identify the regions that made noteworthy contributions to carbon offsets and outliers, spatial autocorrelation analysis was also employed. The findings of this study reveal that in 2019, the BGI within the study area contributed an overall carbon offset of 1.5 × 108 t·C/yr, of which 3.5 × 107 and 11.0 × 107 t·C/yr were the result of direct carbon sequestration and indirect carbon reduction, respectively. The GBA's total CO2 emissions were 1.1 × 108 t in 2019. While the direct carbon sequestration offset 32.0% of carbon emissions, the indirect carbon reduction mitigated 49.9% of potential carbon emissions. These results highlight the critical importance of evaluating BGI's indirect contribution to carbon reduction. The findings of this study provide a valuable reference for shaping management policies that prioritize the protection and restoration of specific areas, thereby facilitating the harmonized development of carbon offset capabilities within urban agglomerations.