Socioeconomic Impact Analysis Research Articles

Mapping local green hydrogen cost-potentials by a multidisciplinary approach

For fast-tracking climate change response, green hydrogen is key for achieving greenhouse gas neutral energy systems. Especially Sub-Saharan Africa can benefit from it enabling an increased access to clean energy through utilizing its beneficial conditions for renewable energies. However, developing green hydrogen strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa requires highly detailed and consistent information ranging from technical, environmental, economic, and social dimensions, which is currently lacking in literature. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive novel approach embedding the required range of disciplines to analyze green hydrogen cost-potentials in Sub-Saharan Africa. This approach stretches from a dedicated land eligibility based on local preferences, a location specific renewable energy simulation, locally derived sustainable groundwater limitations under climate change, an optimization of local hydrogen energy systems, and a socio-economic indicator-based impact analysis. The capability of the approach is shown for case study regions in Sub-Saharan Africa highlighting the need for a unified, interdisciplinary approach.

Analysis of Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Agricultural Practices Using Stepwise Regression

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted rural farming communities, revealing significant shifts in economic factors, production methods, and farm management practices. This study, conducted in Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka, delves into the socio-economic ramifications of the pandemic on agricultural practices and the livelihoods of farmers. Utilizing a stepwise regression analysis approach, the research identifies influential variables such as changes in farm management, production, and health and sanitation facilities. Data were collected from 50 respondents during the pandemic's peak, employing statistical measures like mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation for comprehensive analysis. The findings underscore the intricate relationships between various factors affecting rural livelihoods and highlight the need for targeted interventions and policy measures. The study emphasizes the critical need for tailored policy interventions to address the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on agricultural practices. Specifically, policy recommendations include enhancing access to agricultural extension services, promoting digital agricultural solutions, investing in healthcare infrastructure, supporting economic diversification, and strengthening social protection mechanisms. By aligning policy interventions with the findings and indicators observed in the research, policymakers can effectively support rural farming communities in navigating the challenges posed by the pandemic and building resilience for the future.

Seismic Resilience of Interdependent Built Environment for Integrating Structural Health Monitoring and Emerging Technologies in Decision-Making

The functionality of interdependent infrastructure and resilience to seismic hazards has become a topic of importance across the world. The ability to optimize an engineered solution and support informed decision-making is highly dependent on the availability of comprehensive datasets and requires substantial effort to ingest into community-scale models. In this article, a comprehensive seismic resilience modeling methodology is developed, with detailed multi-disciplinary datasets, and is explored using the state-of-the-science algorithms within the interdependent networked community resilience modeling environment (IN-CORE). The methodology includes a six-step chained/linked process consists of: (a) community data and information, (b) spatial seismic hazard analysis using next-generation attenuation, (c) interdependent community model development, (d) physical damage and functionality analysis, (e) socio-economic impact analysis and (f) structural health monitoring (SHM) and emerging technologies (ET). An illustrative case study is presented to demonstrate the seismic functionality and resilience assessment of Shelby County in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. From the discussion of results, it is then concluded that data from structural health monitoring and emerging technologies is a viable approach to enhance characterising the seismic hazard resilience of infrastructure, enabling rapid and in-depth understanding of structural behaviour in emergency situations. Moreover, considering the momentum of the digitalization era, setting an holistic framework on resilience that includes SHM and ET will allow reducing uncertainties that are still a challenge to quantify and propagate, supported by sequential updating techniques from Bayesian statistics.

Telecommunications and Energy Infrastructure Sharing: Technical and Socio-Economic Impact Analysis in a Multi-Operator Environment in Burundi

Telecommunications and Energy Infrastructure Sharing: Technical and Socio-Economic Impact Analysis in a Multi-Operator Environment in Burundi

Analysis of Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Agricultural Practices Using Stepwise Regression

Analysis of Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Agricultural Practices Using Stepwise Regression

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impact Analysis of Quarry Operations in General Santos City on its Host Communities

Several international policies have been formulated to address the environmental and social impacts of the quarrying industry. However, this multifaceted issue persists, particularly in the Buayan River System in General Santos City. This study examined the environmental and socioeconomic repercussions of quarry operations in General Santos City, focusing on 14 commercial sand and gravel quarries along the Buayan River system. A mixed-methods approach was employed, collecting quantitative data through structured questionnaires, direct observations, and secondary data analysis, and incorporating qualitative insights from key informant interviews. Stakeholders within a 500-meter radius of the quarries were sampled using Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) to ensure representation. The findings revealed significant environmental impacts, including increased dust levels, soil erosion, and changes in water quality, which have adversely affected the local ecosystem and residents' health. The socioeconomic effects were mixed: while quarrying created jobs and improved infrastructure, it also showed deficiencies in community engagement and training programs. Regulatory analysis identified strengths in collaboration but highlighted weaknesses in enforcement, fee systems, and monitoring. The results indicated that although quarrying provides economic benefits, enhanced regulatory enforcement and sustainable practices are imperative to mitigate associated costs. Recommendations include strengthening enforcement, improving community engagement, updating fee structures, and implementing sustainable quarrying practices in General Santos City. By incorporating these recommendations, General Santos City can ensure the quarrying industry operates responsibly, balancing economic benefits with environmental and social well-being.

Effect of Water Management and Development in Rainfed Agriculture: A Socio-economic Impact Analysis

The study attempted to determine the effects of soil and water conservation measures on the socio-economic status of the people in rain-fed agriculture. The findings showed that the socio-economic development index of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the Khuntapingu watershed were 0.623 and 0.426, respectively. The socio-economic development index of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the Haripur watershed were 0.404 and 0.263 respectively. The results showed the difference in the impact of the adoption of soil water conservation measures; in two different agro-climatic regions within a district, such that the impact of the Khuntapingu watershed was comparatively better than Haripur watershed. The impact of the treatment of the watersheds differs in two agro-climatic zones. It was mainly due to the difference in land topography and the difference in baseline socio-economic conditions of the people across the watersheds. So, in order to achieve good results from the treatment of the watersheds in two agro-climatic conditions, the effort and approach of the implementing agency on two different agro-climatic zones will be different as per the location. Better convergence of government schemes with empowerment for the demand-driven approach of the community institutions through the adoption and adaptation of technology of soil and conservation will have a better impact on the community. Keywords: Rain-fed agriculture, socio-economic development index, water management. JEL Codes: O13, Q15, Q25.

EE74 Costing for Socioeconomic Impact Analysis: Implications of Adopting a Patient's Perspective

Research into the socioeconomic impact of cancer and cancer care from the perspective of patients and their relatives (CP&R) has been highly heterogeneous and has been hampered by an absence of standards for measuring their objective financial burden.

Assessment of the sustainability of asphalt pavement maintenance using the microwave heating self-healing technique

Pavements are the major load-carrying Civil Engineering structures in roads, runways, parking lots, and driveways; hence, they are fundamental for regional or national development. However, the pavement life cycle has significant environmental, economic, and social impacts. The asphalt pavement microwave heating self-healing technique (MWHSHT) is a relatively new alternative to traditional pavement maintenance techniques. Research has mainly focused on its technical feasibility with little attention to its effect on economic, environmental, and social sustainability . This work assesses the sustainability of asphalt pavement maintenance using the MWHSHT through an environmental and socio-economic impact analysis for various scenarios. Results show that pavement maintenance alternatives that include MWHSHT show reductions in energy consumption, feedstock energy, materials consumption, and economic indicators compared to full traditional maintenance during the asphalt pavement life cycle, thus increasing pavement sustainability. In addition, the inclusion of the MWHSHT has potential social benefits for stakeholders. Overall, including the MWHSHT for maintaining asphalt pavements has the potential to improve the economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability in comparison to using only traditional asphalt pavement maintenance. • The asphalt pavement microwave heating self-healing technique (MWHSHT) is a relatively new. • This work assesses the sustainability of asphalt pavement maintenance using the MWHSHT technique. • Maintenance that includes MWHSHT reduces energy and material consumption, feedstock energy, and improves economic indicators. • MWHSHT potentially improves pavement sustainability in comparison to using only traditional asphalt pavement maintenance.

Socio-Economic Impact Analysis of Hydropower Projects in Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India

In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyse the Socio-Economic Impacts of hydropower projects on inhabitants of Project Affected Zone in District Chamba of Himachal Pradesh. The study is based on primary data collected from six major hydropower projects of district Chamba (three NHPC and three private sector projects). A sample size of 250 respondents collected from affected families through convenience sampling. The indicators under consideration were the impact of hydropower projects on, a) local economy with seven variables, b) infrastructural development with its eight sub variables and c) impact on service sector with twelve variables. Data collected through questionnaire was analyzed by using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. As per the findings it has been observed that hydropower projects helped to change the lifestyle of general public with positive impact on infrastructural development and have large impact on services sector of the area. It has developed the tourism industry in the area, establish market base and enhanced the market and infrastructural development.

Socio-Economic Impact of the Creation and Operation of Mega-Science Projects

Challenges of development facing society and states require efforts consolidation, in the research field in particular. Therefore, to organize international cooperation and to conduct basic and applied research, mega-science infrastructures are being created and implemented all over the world. Currently, research facilities of the mega-science class are being created in the Russian Federation. They play an important role in the development of science and the innovation process. The competitiveness of Russian science is a determining factor for ensuring the safety and technological independence of Russia. Therefore, the Federal program for the development of Synchrotron and Neutron research and research infrastructure for 2019-2027 was approved in March 2020. In the present article, the concept of the socio-economic impact of the operation of large-scale research infrastructure is revealed. The authors refer to the materials on the socio-economic impact analysis, which was based on the data on the Swedish neutron source (European Spallation Source). The article provides a generalized idea of the main indicators for assessing the potential of the research infrastructure as well as their application to characterize the research facilities in the Russian Federation. It is worth highlighting that each large research facility is unique and it is not possible to unify the analysis of the socio-economic impact. However, the obtained results can be used for a similar analysis of research infrastructures, based on the same physical principles and created to solve general scientific problems.

Socioeconomic Impacts of high-speed rail: A bibliometric analysis

High-speed rail (HSR), as an efficient and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation mode, has received increasing attention in many countries over the past decades. While the literature on HSR's technology development and the assessment of the socioeconomic impact of the system has increased substantially in recent years, it remains unclear how the understanding of the socioeconomic impact system has evolved, and what the characteristics of various research focuses are. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive examination of the evolution of the high-speed rail literature, with a focus on socioeconomic impact analysis. Specifically, the following research questions are addressed: what is the global trend of scientific publication on the socioeconomic impact analysis of HSR? What specific focuses are uncovered from this trend? And what are the future directions of research in this field? A thorough understanding of the literature helps scholars better identify the research gaps, needs and directions for future research endeavors. In addition, it may also facilitate the decision-making for future investment in HSR through a better understanding of the potential impacts of the system.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL GREEN TOURISM IN THE TRANSCARPATHIAN REGION

The article examines the activities of households that provide services in the field of rural green tourism in Transcarpathian region. The main prerequisites which helped rural residents to start their own business in the sphere of rural green tourism are analyzed; the main indicators of rural tourism homesteads activity according to COVID-19 and in the pre-crisis period are reviewed; the main factors influencing the realization of social and economic potential of households in rural green tourism and its effective use in crisis situations are revealed. The purpose of the article is to conduct socio-economic analysis and assessment of impact of the main generating and destructive factors affecting the functioning of rural tourist estates in Transcarpathian region, which form the basis for the development of anti-crisis measures to improve their socio-economic potential, which can be used by the owners of rural green estates. Methodology. The study was conducted on the basis of the results of sociological monitoring of owners of rural estates in the Transcarpathian region, conducted by the Transcarpathian Regional Center for Socio-Economic and Humanitarian Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2021. The monitoring covered 95 respondents, of whom 51.6% were women and 48.4% were men. 74% of the respondents were economically active people between the ages of 35 and 56. The monitoring was conducted on the basis of the method of personal structured interviews according to a stochastic sample, which is representative for the population of the region at the age of 18 and older. The results of the study confirm that the functioning of the majority of rural tourist estates in the Transcarpathian region, in addition to objectively negative consequences of the crisis COVID-19 is affected by many destructive factors at the micro- and macro level, the elimination of which ensures their functioning in case of recurrence of crisis situations. The results of the study showed that only 4% of entrepreneurs were able to increase the potential and profitability of their own business during the crisis period. Also 23.7% of entrepreneurs, despite the crisis, plan to diversify and expand their business in the future. According to the results of sociological research anti-crisis measures to improve the effectiveness of rural tourist estates were developed, such as increasing the level of education and qualifications of owners of rural tourist estates, business diversification and expanding the range of services, reorientation to a new category of consumers, the development of e-tourism, strengthening of integration and cooperation between different economic actors in the region.

Techno-economic, life-cycle, and socioeconomic impact analysis of enzymatic recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

<h2>Summary</h2> Esterases have emerged as important biocatalysts for enzyme-based polyester recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) to terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Here, we present process modeling, techno-economic, life-cycle, and socioeconomic impact analyses for an enzymatic PET depolymerization-based recycling process, which we compare with virgin TPA manufacturing. We predict that enzymatically recycled TPA (rTPA) can be cost-competitive and highlight key areas to achieve this. In addition to favorable long-term socioeconomic benefits, rTPA can reduce total supply chain energy use by 69%–83% and greenhouse gas emissions by 17%–43% per kg of TPA. An economy-wide assessment for the US estimates that the TPA recycling process can reduce environmental impacts by up to 95% while generating up to 45% more socioeconomic benefits, also relative to virgin TPA production. Sensitivity analyses highlight impactful research opportunities to pursue toward realizing biological PET recycling and upcycling.

Impacts of COVID-19 on the World Economy and Societies: Towards a New Social and Economic Order

This paper reports an analysis of the statistical data and a socio-economic impact analysis of COVID-19. The pandemic started in Asia, particularly China, in December 2019 and continued until it peaked there at the end of February 2020. Europe has seen a dramatic increase in the number of confirmed cases and deaths since March 2020. At the same time, and to a lesser extent, North America, including the USA, has gradually taken over and now contains more new positive cases than anywhere else in the world. In contrast, South America, like Brazil, was the epicentre of the pandemic at the end of August 2020. Africa and Oceania are modestly affected by the pandemic. Econometric estimates were made assuming that the COVID-19 pandemic continues until December 2021. The results show that the duration of the peak of the pandemic would not exceed 400 days worldwide, if during the first 24 months the number of new cases never exceeds 800,000, and in the absence of an effective vaccine and treatment. The measures currently being implemented in many countries to prevent the spread of the disease (social distancing, closing of markets, confinement, banning of gatherings, etc.) are having a profound impact on the various markets and, through them, on the living conditions of households. The number of unemployed may increase. World trade and world prices of financial assets are in free fall. The State and the Central Banks will be obliged to intervene to revive economic activity and regulate certain prices of necessity. This pandemic, through barrier measures, is causing new social developments across the planet. It emphasises the idea that science, techniques and technologies are largely limited. Health and social systems are gradually destabilised. The pandemic suddenly affects religions, socio-professional activities, cultures, the functioning of transport and consumption systems. A new social and economic order is gradually taking shape in place of individualism, notably with a return to communitarian values and the emergence of new behaviours.

Analysis of Indirect Socioeconomic Impacts on East Asia by Recovering Fukushima Forest Watershed Quality

Analysis of Indirect Socioeconomic Impacts on East Asia by Recovering Fukushima Forest Watershed Quality

UNRAVELING THE (INTRINSIC) LINKAGE BETWEEN SOCIAL SPENDING AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS FOR EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

Theoretical approaches and place-specific solutions are required to face with the intrinsic linkage between social welfare and macroeconomic stability in advanced economies, especially in Europe. In this regard, the 2007 recession has influenced extensively the wide spectrum of social policies applicable in the European Community. New socioeconomic divides emerged and fiscal austerity urged Member States to resettle policy discourses, advancing social needs in a more effective way. In line with this evidence, our commentary discusses recent literature and it outlines policy implications of different political, institutional and socioeconomic settings. By analyzing cross-country variations in the shape and extent of welfare policies at the European level, our study evaluates apparent (and latent) performances of welfare systems in a comparative perspective, with a specific focus on Southern European countries. The existence of a latent relationship between social policy expenditures (SPE) and per-capita GDP was demonstrated. However, social expenditures may differ for a given level of income: for instance, Latvia had a lower level of social expenditures given its income level. Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal were clustered together displaying a lower share of social spending in the total GDP in respect with the remaining European countries. This comparison suggests how Mediterranean countries are institutionally fragile and with a moderately higher level of corruption in respect with North-western countries. The results of this work contribute to bridge the semantic dichotomy between theoretical approaches and empirical findings in socioeconomic policy impact analysis.

Implication of building inventory accuracy on physical and socio-economic resilience metrics for informed decision-making in natural hazards

The data and information available at the community-scale are directly linked to the ability to make a resilience-informed decision in natural hazards. This paper develops a systematic approach to quantify the implication of building inventory accuracy on resilience metrics for informed decision-making across engineering, economic and sociological dimensions at the community level. The method of approach consists of: (1) data and information availability, (2) community model development, (3) spatial hazard analysis, (4) physical damage and functionality analysis, and (5) socio-economic impact analysis. This process begins by generating a series of increasingly diminished data quality cases, i.e., increasing the apparent lack of knowledge about the building’s structural attributes within a community and developing computational models for each case. Then, damage and functionality analysis are performed to obtain building-level damage estimates, which are then fed into a computable general equilibrium model as well as a population dislocation model to compute a series of physical, economic, and socio-demographics resilience metrics. The estimated metrics are used to quantify the effects of diminishing data availability on physical and socio-economic metrics within the community. The proposed methodology is demonstrated using the illustrative example of the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MMSA) in Tennessee, USA.

CRAFT: Comprehensive Resilience Assessment Framework for Transportation Systems in Urban Areas

Urban areas in the US and around the globe are facing increasingly complex resilience challenges. Among the components of the “urban system,” transportation networks are among the most critical facilitators that support the lives, interactions, and dynamics of urban dwellers. They are essential to the well-being of the society not only under business-as-usual conditions, but also during times of disaster for the entire response and recovery timeline. This paper introduces CRAFT (Comprehensive Resilience Assessment Framework for Transportation Systems in Urban Areas), which is designed to achieve holistic analyses of transportation disruptions by addressing the many shortcomings and research gaps in this domain. The framework couples a novel structure-specific modeling methodology with a high-fidelity metropolis-scale travel demand model based on real socioeconomic data, and produces results, which, in turn, serve as input for a state-of-the-art socioeconomic impact analysis methodology that is based on computable general equilibrium (CGE) analysis. By the virtues of its data-intensive, model-based, and cross-disciplinary nature, CRAFT aims to capture and incorporate many details that are usually neglected in traditional approaches, and generates resilience insights at 3 levels: (1) system component level (e.g., damages to bridges, tunnels and information on component recovery), (2) system level (e.g., road network disruptions, reconfiguration of traffic and network level functionality) and (3) regional economic level (e.g., impacts on regional GDP, employment, economic resilience). The objective of this paper is to introduce CRAFT and to demonstrate the workings of its first coupling between the hazard and transportation modules through a case study on the Greater Los Angeles Area.

A bio-physical and socio-economic impact analysis of using industrial treated wastewater in agriculture in Tamil Nadu, India

Wastewater has high potential for reuse in agriculture; to reduce the water scarcity problems, for increasing food and environmental security, avoiding direct pollution of rivers, canals, surface water, conserving water and nutrients, etc. The study revealed that the water availability increased significantly during both the rainy season and summer in the open wells as well as the new bore wells sunk in the study area. The area cultivated increased by 24.65 per cent along with change in cropping pattern – changing over from coarse cereals namely; sorghum and pearl millet to commercial crops such as; coconut and fodder grass as inter-crops, beside fodder sorghum in the study area in the current period as a result of use of treated wastewater for irrigation. The livestock activity also moved towards more cattle in place of small animals such as; sheep and goats. The land value per hectare remained higher at Rs. 19.76 lakhs in treated wastewater irrigated farms compared to that of the control farms at Rs. 6.42 lakhs. The employment generation through crop activities in the treated wastewater irrigated farms were higher by 129.79 per cent compared to control farms. The treated wastewater irrigated farms could save farm yard manure and N and P nutrients by 5.02 tons, 270.22 kg. and 31.04 kg., respectively. The net income per hectare increased by 9.32 per cent and 1.42 per cent, respectively, compared to the pre-industry period and the net income in control farms. Even while the pH, EC and salt load remained at permissible levels in soil, the salt loads were found moving towards upper permissible limit or exceeding limits in the case of ground water. The positive externalities while require government to bring in policy, making paper mills to treat effluent and provide for irrigation; the negative externalities when read with WHO stipulations and also on the basis of past studies to go for suitable crops which are seasonal or annual with safe transfer factors regarding heavy metals from soil/ground water to plant parts or fiber crops which are not directly consumed by humans.