Urban Market Research Articles

Assessment of profitability and efficiency analysis of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) value chain in Yobe State, Nigeria

Purpose: An imperative step in enhancing investment returns for watermelon producers and marketers is to comprehensively analyze the watermelon value chain. This evaluation was recently conducted in Yobe State, Nigeria, during the period spanning from July to August 2023. Research methodology: The data acquisition process involved the administration of a questionnaire that facilitated the gathering of information from 540 participants across various roles within the value chain, encompassing producers, wholesalers, and retailers operating within the study's geographic scope. Results: The findings of this investigation illuminate the prevalent utilization of urban marketing channels by watermelon marketers, and it is noteworthy that approximately half of these marketers engage in their marketing endeavors within urban markets such as Kano, Kaduna, and Abuja. Notably, the study underscores the substantial impact of transportation costs on both the pricing and net marketing returns associated with watermelons. A significant proportion of these marketers were motivated primarily by the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods, while the allure of profitability drove others. However, a critical challenge encountered in the watermelon marketing domain pertains to the accessibility of credit facilities, which affects nearly 90% of the stakeholders involved in the value chain. Additionally, other constraints exerted relatively minor effects on marketers' activities and outcomes. Limitations: This study was limited to data from 460 participants involved in various stages of the watermelon value chain in the study area from July to August 2023. Contribution: This study can aid different actors in the watermelon value chain when making investment decisions.

Does land market matter for urban energy efficiency? Empirical evidence from cities in China

Improving urban energy efficiency on the basis of cost-effectiveness is an important topic of universal concern across the world. The input cost has great influence on energy efficiency. Thus, as one of the important factors in the production progress, land price may exert an energy effect via affecting the urban industries. With a focus on land price levels and the variability, our study investigates the impact of land market on urban energy efficiency, based on the panel data of China's prefecture-level cities. Further, by exploring effects of the segment land markets, our study reveals the exact price features in land market that have driven the changes in energy efficiency of cities. The main results are: (a) Either of the price level and the price variability in urban land market has a positive net effect on energy efficiency. When price level and variability increase by 1%, urban energy efficiency respectively increases by 0.06% and 0.04%, and the effects vary with city's population size and geographic location; (b) An increase of land price level improves energy efficiency by optimizing industrial structure and reduces energy efficiency by weakening industrial production efficiency, while an increase in land price variability exerts a positive impact on energy efficiency by adjusting industrial structure; (c) The price level factor affecting urban energy efficiency is mainly the commercial-residential land prices, while the difference between commercial-residential and industrial land prices is the variability factor that affects energy efficiency.

The medicinal plant used in the Guangxi Fangcheng Golden Camellias national nature reserve, a coastal region in southern China

BackgroundsGuangxi Fangcheng Golden Camellias national nature reserve, situated in Fangcheng City, Guangxi Province, China, is a coastal region renowned for its exceptional natural environment. Over time, the residents of this area have acquired extensive knowledge regarding medicinal plants, owing to their close association with the abundant flora. Our study aims to document the medicinal plants used by the local community near the Guangxi Fangcheng Golden Camellias national nature reserve. We seek to investigate the unique regional properties, cultural significance, and potential connections between medicinal plants used in surrounding villages and those sold in markets.MethodsDuring 2019–2021, 96 informants, including 36 key informants, were interviewed in the study area. The snowball sampling method was used to select respondents from medicinal markets and villages. Local therapists were defaulted as key informants. A panel discussion was held on the protection and threat of medicinal plants and traditional knowledge. In this study, two quantitative indicators, relative frequency citation (RFC) and informant consensus factor (ICF), were used to analyze the traditional medicinal plants in the study area.ResultsAccording to the investigation, a total of 396 species of medicinal plants belonging to 295 genera and 116 families were recorded. From the perspective of Lifeform, herbs accounted for 38.9%, followed by shrubs. Most of the medicinal parts are whole plant (120 species, 25.59%), branches and leaves (116 species, 24.73%), and roots (101 species, 21.54%). Medicinal bath is the most commonly used therapeutic method. Among the 13 therapeutic targets recorded, rheumatic drugs accounted for the highest proportion, followed by muscular system diseases and skin-related diseases, which are closely related to local climate and livelihood. ICF shows that the use of local medicinal plants and related knowledge is very diverse, so local people have more options for treating diseases. Melicope pteleifolia, Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum, Lygodium flexuosum, Elephantopus scaber, Artemisia argyi, Plantago asiatica, Centella asiatica, Grangea maderaspatana, and Liquidambar formosana have high RFC, which are closely connected to local people's daily lives and are potentially vital to them. The wild vegetation, mostly around the nature reserve, is the primary source of medicinal materials sold in the urban medicinal market. Urban areas have fewer varieties of medicinal plants compared to villages near protected areas. However, there is consistency in their usage and application.ConclusionThe medicinal plants used in the villages near the Golden Camellia Nature Reserve are diverse, and the relevant traditional knowledge is relatively well preserved. The collection of medicinal materials by local people is sustainable. This study suggests that the local government should also protect relevant traditional knowledge in the decision-making process.

Can urban land market reform mitigate industrial emissions? Environmental evidence from 257 prefecture-level cities in China

In the period of planned economy, China used low-cost land investment to drive economic development for a long time, which brought problems such as low efficient use of natural resources and environmental pollution. Under the dual pressure of economic development and environmental protection, Chinese government has begun to implement the urban land market reform, hoping to gradually change the extensive economic development model with high input and low output through the market mechanism. In order to investigate whether the urban land market reform can reduce industrial emissions and promote the transformation of socioeconomic, this paper constructs industrial land transactions and socioeconomic panel data of 257 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2020. The research results show that (1) The urban land market reform has reduced industrial emissions through changing the behavior of local governments in fiscal decentralization and the behavior of industrial enterprises. (2) The regional competition and cooperation brought by urban land market reform have regional heterogeneity in the emission reduction effect of industrial emissions. (3) The emission reduction effect of urban land market reform has a spatial spillover effect, which not only affects the local area, but also affects neighboring cities. We suggest that Chinese government needs to continue to carry out ULMR and increase scientific investment and technological innovation, promote the transformation of the industrial economy, and promote healthy competition among local governments. The findings not only provide valuable insights for the future reform of China's market economy, but also provide practical reference for social changes for other countries in the transition period of the world.

The relevance of smart cities’ features in exploring urban labour market resilience: the specificity of post-transition economies

ABSTRACT This paper assesses the relationship between the urban labour market’s resilience and urban smartness for the European Union’s metropolitan areas in Central and Eastern Europe. The urban labour market’s resilience is evaluated by building an aggregate indicator using five variables that measure the specific characteristics of a labour market for post-transition economies, while 32 relevant characteristics of smart cities are used in assessing urban smartness for these economies. The results show that the characteristics considered to define a smart city are associated with resilient urban labour markets, particularly for metropolitan regions that surround capital cities.

신장의 도시와 농촌의 상업 유통 시장 통합에 관한 연구

신장의 도시와 농촌의 상업 유통 시장 통합에 관한 연구

Quality and safety of pork sold in the informal urban street markets of the Cape Metropole, South Africa

Pork in the informal market significantly contributes to food, nutrition and income security in low-income countries' urban areas but is a safety concern to value chain actors and public authorities due to potential contamination by pathogens. To evaluate the physicochemical quality, microbial and oxidative profiles of pork sold from the informal urban street market, 50 samples were collected from 40 street vendors and 10 supermarkets in five different low-income, high-density suburbs in the Cape Metropole District, South Africa. Results showed no differences (P > 0.05) in pH, colour, proximate attributes (except for lipid content), antioxidant activity, lipid oxidation, and Escherichia coli counts in pork collected from the formal and informal markets, and open-air and enclosed market stalls. Lipid content, Enterobacteriaceae, and total bacterial counts of pork collected from the informal market were higher (P ≤ 0.05) than those from the formal market. Positive cases of Listeria monocytogenes (6–8%) and Salmonella spp. (4%) were reported for pork sampled in the informal market, especially in open-air stalls. It was concluded that higher levels of microbial contamination in the informal market, particularly in open-air stalls compared to the formal market require constant monitoring, provision of appropriate market infrastructure, and hygiene behaviour change of vendors to ensure pork safety.

DECODING THE CHALLENGES OF PROMOTING DECENT WORK IN RURAL AND URBAN LABOR MARKETS

The current study explores that the quality of life is intensely influenced by our living environment, including access to education, healthcare, employment, and culture. Living in rural or urban areas has distinct effects on the local labor market, including the sector and occupation composition, working arrangements, and education requirements. However, 56% of the total population of the world resides in urban and 44% in rural areas, it is essential to consider the distinct conditions and labor market characteristics of both settings when analyzing socioeconomic development. Research shows significant differences in labor force participation, labor underutilization, and employment quality between rural and urban areas. Sustainable development and decent work present different challenges in each setting, emphasizing the need for directed policies and more research sought at progressing workers' conditions universally. The COVID-19 pandemic has also affected both rural and urban areas, making it necessary to monitor and address the evolving situation in both settings for an inclusive recovery. Overall, recognizing the conditions of all labor force and the differences between rural and urban labor markets this research has produced policies recommendations for both urban and rural market employments opportunities for achieving decent work for all.

Employment Characteristics of Regular Salaried Employees in Urban Maharashtra

Studies on the labour market in India are increasingly debating the issue of caste-based discrimination in employment. However, there are few studies addressing the issue of regular salaried employees in urban labour market, except in the context of reservation policy. Due to the reservation policy, the issue of the representation of the schedule caste, scheduled tribes and other backward class has been addressed to a particular extent. In this context, this article attempts to analyse the status of schedule caste in employment and unemployment, participation in different occupations and industries groups, job security and social security benefits in urban labour market Maharashtra. The descriptive analysis clearly shows that a significant employment difference exists between regular salaried employees belonging to Hindu High Caste (HHC) and Schedule Caste (SC). One of the reasons that comes out for the substantial gap is the higher level of unemployment rate among educated SCs as compared to HHCs. The SCs have less representation in the high earning occupations, but contrary to this, they have high representation in the low wage-earning occupations. The share of informal SCs is high as compared to HHCs in the private sector in the state and NSS regions during 2004–2005 to 2018–2019.

New peripheries in the making? Analysing German cities from the lens of a suburbanisation of poverty

In this paper we discuss evidence on new socio-spatial patterns in the relation between urban and suburban areas due to the involuntary outward residential mobility of low-income households from central urban areas. Our findings build upon research in three German cities from a comparative perspective, with interviews with local experts providing the main source of information. For analysing decentralisation or suburbanisation of poverty processes we focus on the role of the urban housing market, residential settlement changes, and the role of social security systems. We cannot confirm the displacement of low-income households beyond city limits as a general trend. Instead, our findings reveal a local and context-dependent variation of socio-spatial shifts in the three investigated cities, related to city-specific housing market and urban development factors. As a general factor, existing social security systems continue to work towards keeping low-income households inside cities, seemingly preventing a large-scale suburbanisation of poverty. There is, however, a worrying trend in the concentration of low-income households in ever-decreasing segments of affordable housing, alongside increasing burdens on low-income households coping with the current challenges of a housing affordability crisis. City-regional monitoring and further research are needed.

Surveying the Landscape of Labor Market Threat Perceptions from Migration: Evidence from Attitudes toward Sub-Saharan African Migrants in Morocco

Morocco, once primarily known as a country of emigration and transit to Europe, has become a destination country for migrants, the majority of whom are from sub-Saharan Africa. Using an original nationally representative survey of 2,700 respondents, together with data from two census waves and one migrant regularization wave, the authors examine Moroccan citizens’ labor market threat perceptions from this new migrant group. Consistent with findings from studies conducted in developed countries, less educated, poorer respondents express higher labor market threat perceptions. The authors also find evidence, however, that city dwellers and employed female Moroccans are the most likely to report threat perceptions, even after controlling for greater “exposure” to migrants. The article contributes to literatures on migration exposure and how rural–urban dynamics shape labor market threat perceptions in a developing country.

Is psychologically vulnerable rural-to-urban migrants' mental health further at stake under China's tightened COVID-19 measures: how should the government respond?

There is a well-documented scholarly discourse on how the COVID-19 outbreak adversely affects the mental health of Chinese nationals. However, there is little evidence revealing how the public health crisis negatively influenced the mental health of rural-to-urban migrants in China. The relevant literature argues that rural-to-urban migrant workers and their dependents have been experiencing discrimination, exclusion, and stigmatization in the urban labor market and social space, thereby jeopardizing their mental health to a large extent. However, whether the COVID-19 outbreak and its associated consequences further compounded rural-to-urban migrant workers' mental health has rarely been discussed. Since 2010, the Chinese government has emphasized the importance of promoting positive mental health. Without identifying how COVID-19 specifically imposed mental health challenges on rural-to-urban migrant cohorts, Chinese policymakers cannot effectively and efficiently address the dilemmas faced by such vulnerable groups. The significant rural-to-urban migrant population (i.e. 291 million), alongside their disposition to encounter social and psychological challenges, prompts the urgency to develop this narrative essay to examine whether their mental health burdens worsened during the pandemic. The author also discusses remedies for the worsened mental issues faced by migrant cohorts, and recommends policies that local Chinese governments should adopt to mitigate the mental health burdens encountered by rural-to-urban migrants.

A consumer surplus, welfare and profit enhancing strategy for improving urban public transport networks

We show that a novel pricing system can help resolve a series of perennial problems evident in the deregulated British urban public transport market that have impeded urban growth, access equality and environmental ambitions. A two-stage pricing system, with operators setting their multi-operator service ticket prices collusively in one stage and their single-operator ticket prices independently in the other, offers potential consumer surplus, profit and welfare gains over, what we characterise as, the free-market ‘Status Quo’. The proposed win–win pricing system can also support a larger number of operators and services with potential additional welfare gains. We also compare the proposed system against a multi-operator ticketing card (MTC) scheme, permitted in the UK under the Block Exemption. The Block Exemption allows collusive pricing on a limited basis but is due to expire and is under statutory review, making this is a timely contribution. We show, whilst the MTC offers higher welfare when all regimes provide the same number of services, the proposed system can support a larger number of operators in the presence of fixed costs, which can reverse the welfare ranking in its favour. A calibration exercise indicates the market may be operating in the region where the proposed system can dominate the ‘Status Quo’ in profit, consumer surplus and welfare terms and support a larger network than the ‘Status Quo’ or MTC with further welfare gains. The resulting higher public transport patronage may also offer further indirect benefits via reduced pollution, congestion and accidents. Improved transport efficiency may have urban density advantages, especially in Britain’s second-tier cities which do not tend to benefit from extensive public transit rail and underground networks, with associated agglomeration effects contributing to the current levelling-up priority. Given the salience amongst developed countries of the private aspect of urban public transport in Britain, along with an unresolved private vs public debate, this issue is of potential interest to urban planners and policymakers beyond the UK.

Analysis of rural–urban vegetable market dynamics in Central Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

BackgroundVegetable crops are among most perishable agricultural products which require efficient marketing system to reach them fresh to consumers. Weak market integration and sluggish price transmission of such perishable products can lead to suboptimal allocation of resources. This study was aimed to identify the degree of vegetable price integration and speed of price transmission between urban and rural vegetable markets.MethodsTwo rural markets (Maksegnit and Koladiba) and one central urban market (Gondar) were selected for the purpose of the analysis based on their strong relationship as supply and destination market for vegetable crops. Price data of vegetable crops were collected from September 2013 to December 2018 from each market areas trade and revenue department offices. Augmented Dickey-Fuller test, Granger causality test and error correction model were utilized in the process of the analysis.ResultsThe result shows that both rural markets were integrated with urban market for garlic crop. In addition, the rural markets caused the urban market to change not in the reverse direction. Moreover, urban market is adjusted by about 30% per month when there were a 1% price shock in rural markets for garlic crop. This speed of price transmission is sluggish for perishable crops and seasonally flexible prices.ConclusionThis study concluded that vegetable prices are determined from demand side and it should be the target for any planned policy modification.

The Lure of the City

This article questions the impact of urbanization on crime rates by studying Amsterdam migrants in front of the correctional court between 1850 and 1905 and connecting the historiography on crime and migration. The data shows no clear link between urbanization and a rise in crime, but it does reveal the role of external factors in the prosecution of specific crimes. The crisis experienced by the urban labour market in the late 1870 and 1880s had a direct impact on Amsterdam crime rates: although Amsterdam could initially integrate low-skilled workers in its labour market, the situation became unsustainable after a few years. It led to an increase in the prosecution of vagrancy and begging offences, which were committed first and foremost by Dutch unemployed or unskilled migrant workers. This article thus shows the importance of considering migrants in crime history not as a homogenous group but as different groups, each with its own support networks, and influenced differently by the micro- and macro-economic developments of the nineteenth century.

Demonstrating the Feasibility of an Economic Empowerment and Health Promotion Intervention among Low-Income Women Affected by HIV in New York City

Women of color in the U.S. face systematic exclusion from the labor market, work protections, and employer-based benefits. Women's economic vulnerability increases their susceptibility to health-related issues, including HIV transmission and substance use, which are work-restricting disabilities, by constraining their capacity to effectively reduce risk. The Women's Economic Empowerment pilot examined the feasibility of a structural intervention, implemented at a neighborhood agency, combining both health promotion and economic empowerment components as a pathway to accessing an urban job market for low-income women with work-restricting disabilities, including living with HIV. Ten women clients from a partner agency in New York completed four health promotion sessions, six financial literacy sessions, and a concurrent opportunity to match savings; some also followed with up to 24 vocational rehabilitation sessions. Interviews captured self-reported data on health promotion and financial outcomes at pre-/post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Qualitative analysis of recorded group sessions and field notes demonstrate that women express improved HVI/STI knowledge and problem-solving strategies for risk reduction, a shared optimism for the future due to group participation, enhanced social support through relationship-building, a heightened sense of empowerment regarding financial decision making, and a desire to re-engage in the labor force. Findings suggest an empowering approach to re-engage women impacted by poverty, unemployment, and disabilities, including living with HIV, into the workforce may be implemented in a community setting.

Spatial correlation and influencing factors of the urban land transaction market in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration

PurposeLand transactions are a key indicator of urban sustainable development and urban space expansion. Therefore, this paper aims to study the spatial correlation of different types of land transactions.Design/methodology/approachBased on the big data of land micro transactions in Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, this paper uses the generalized forecast error variance decomposition (GFEVD) method to measure the correlation level of urban land markets. Also, social network analysis (SNA) is used to describe spatial correlation network characteristics of an urban agglomeration land market. In the meantime, the factors that influence the spatial correlation of urban land markets are investigated through a quadratic assignment procedure (QAP).FindingsThe price growth rate of urban residential land was higher than that of industrial land and commercial land. The spatial relevance of urban residential land is the highest, while the spatial relevance of the urban commercial land market is the lowest. The urban industrial land market, commercial land market and residential land market all present a typical network structure. Population distance (POD) and Engel coefficient distance (EGD) are negatively correlated with the correlation degree of the urban residential land network; traffic distance (TRD) and economic distance (ECD) are negatively correlated with the correlation degree of the urban industrial land network and commercial land network.Originality/valueThis paper uses a systematically-integrated series of problem-solving models to better explain the development path of urban land markets and to realize the integration of the interdisciplinary methods of geography, statistics and big data analysis.

Multi‐stakeholder involvement in urban market infrastructure renewals in the Aboabo and Central markets of the Tamale Metropolitan District in Ghana: An application of the stakeholder theory

AbstractThe renewal of Ghana's urban markets is complicated by sociocultural, economic, and political factors, as in many other sub‐Saharan African nations. In Ghana, in particular, the nature of urban market infrastructure renewal (UMIR) projects have been attributed to top‐down management and delivery in most developing countries. This study adopts the stakeholder theory as a lens to understand the multi‐stakeholder involvement in the urban market's renewal process and the implications for sustainable urban market development in Ghana, using Tamale Metropolis as a case study. Interview guides were used, and data were collected from 23 market operators and representatives of relevant stakeholders responsible for urban market infrastructure renewals. According to the article, most traders claimed that the market renewal process did not accept input from identifiable groups and that, where information was requested, it was primarily led by experts. The study recommends that metropolitan/municipal/district assemblies or local governments in developing nations provide their physical planning departments with the necessary financial resources throughout the urban market infrastructure renewal process to guarantee the outputs (i.e., engagement of stakeholders). Additionally, urban market infrastructure renewal interventions and policies should positively influence the development of state institutions. This is due to the co‐evolution of society and the economy, which should not be seen in isolation. The bottom‐up policy should consider the normative codes and the setting in which people live and work. The top‐down policy should assist evolving institutions, but it should also be a continuous process.

Growth in High-Skilled Mexican Migration Northward: American and Canadian Destinations

As migration of university-educated Mexicans to both the United States and Canada has begun to increase, the greater opportunities Canada’s expanding points-based selection system offers for the highly skilled to become permanent residents highlights a question: which factors may induce high-skilled Mexicans to prefer Canadian destinations versus American? Using traditional migration theories to frame interviews with a volunteer sample of 40 young university-educated Mexicans, this study confirms that reasons of proximity, climate, and culture often favor American destinations, while reasons of social acceptance, social welfare, and personal security favor Canadian. Importantly, urban-specific preferences matter. Those factors favoring U.S. destinations in general lead many to prefer southern-tier U.S. cities traditional for less-skilled Mexican migration. Those considering northern U.S. cities often prefer a Canadian choice. Canadian competitiveness in the northern urban market suggests that increased awareness of Canadian immigration opportunities could significantly boost skilled Mexican migration to Canada.

Gender Gap in Urban Job Market During the Pandemic: The Case of Ukraine.

Remarkable resistance of Ukraine has become in the world focus starting from the dawn of February 24th, 2022. While policymakers draft plans to address the consequences of the war, it is crucial to understand the pre-war labor market context, risks of joblessness, inequalities, and sources of resilience. In this paper, we study inequality in job market outcomes in 2020-2021 during another global disaster-the COVID-19 epidemic. While there is a growing literature on worsening gender gap for developed countries, not much is known about the situation in transition countries. We fill in this gap in the literature by using novel panel data from Ukraine, which enacted strict quarantine policies early on. Our pooled and random effects models consistently indicate no gender gap in the probability of not working, fearing to lose job or having savings for less than one month. This interesting result of non-deteriorating gender gap can potentially be explained by higher chances of urban Ukrainian women to switch to telecommuting compared to men. Although our findings are limited to urban households only, they provide important early evidence on the effects of gender on job market outcomes, expectations, and financial security.