Cash transfers' effect on government support: the case of Fiji

While some scholars have found that government post-disaster assistance supports the incumbent, others have shown that incumbent effects among beneficiaries are imperceptible or negative. This article contributes to this debate by using a regression discontinuity design of households affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston in Fiji to show that the type of assistance provided is an important variable in understanding the effects of aid on perceptions of the government. Residents of Fiji who received a post-disaster cash transfer are up to 20 per cent more likely to be very satisfied with the government than are those who did not. The probability further increases if the cash transfer was provided along with in-kind benefits or vouchers, but it is not affected if beneficiaries were also encouraged to use their own pension savings. This paper provides evidence in favour of the ‘attentive citizen’ theory by demonstrating that beneficiaries actively appraise government responses; it also reveals possible effects of elite capture on the relationship between the government and beneficiaries.     

TEACHING WATER RESOURCES POLICY TO UNWERSITY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING STUDENTS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES1

ABSTRACT: Effectively teaching water resources policy to university science and engineering students is both important and difficult. Most careers in the water resources field require an understanding of the comprehensive governmental regulatory structure affecting water use. Also, few science and engineering curricula encourage their students to take policy courses. Successful approaches to teaching water resources policy might include epistemological comparisons, case studies, issue maps, and interactive simulations. Obstacles to the effective teaching of this subject include students' insufficient preparation and student disdain and cynicism. These obstacles may be mitigated by requiring a prerequisite, developing a glossary of policy-related terms, and introducing the course through lectures emphasizing realistic views of the water resources management field and the nature of the American political system.     

Regional economic disparities in Belgium and regional,national and supra‐national policies: an analysis of collective failure

Two kinds of regional disparities can be distinguished in Belgium. First there is the internationally well‐known dispute between Flanders and Wallonia. Secondly, there are large disparities within the regions. Three policy levels deal with these disparities: the (Flemish) regional level, the national government level and the EEC level. The purpose of this paper is to sketch the regional problems in Belgium, to analyse the policies that deal with them, to consider the co‐ordination problems between them and to shed some light on the public choice aspects of government interventions. It is concluded that regional policy in Belgium is a highly politicised affair. Furthermore public attention paid to regional policies has outgrown the importance of our regional disparities. Even other forms of micro‐economic policy are jeopardised by regional disparities and the resulting pressure.     

AGRICULTURAL WATER MODELING AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION NEEDS UNDER THE MODEL WATER CODE1

ABSTRACT: Economic information for efficient water allocation is difficult and costly to acquire under administrative water systems evolving under the Model Water Code. One approach to obtaining more information is to use a simulator like the Florida AGWATER model. The advantage of AGWATER is the potential for realistic prediction, because it operates at the field and day levels, using detailed information for each crop and tract. Unfortunately, such simulators are complex and require large amounts of costly input data. A better solution to the information problem may be to use markets for the marketable goods associated with water, because information is inherent in such a process. This approach will allow limited modeling and management resources to be put into using water models to generate information for the goods dependent on water that are difficult to market, like wildlife services.     

武汉市大旅游网络建设研究

从地理位置、对外经济联系、国内和省内经济地位、旅游资源丰度等方面分析了武汉市发展旅游事业的有利条件；论证了建设以武汉市为中心，向郊区（县）、省内和邻省延伸的旅游网络的必要性和可行性及发展国际旅游的潜力；提出了大力加强景点和基础设施建设，改善周边交通条件，壮大地方航空公司等加快旅游业发展的对策和措施。     

电子废弃物的再循环利用：企业、政府与公众的角色和责任

电子废弃物不仅种类繁多，而且成分复杂，含有多种有毒、有害物质，已成为固体废物中最大的重金属污染源。长期以来，由于对电子废弃物问题缺乏足够认识和有效管理，电子废弃物对人体健床及生活环境可能构成的危害常常被忽视。实现电子废弃物的再循环利用，关键是明确企业、政府和公众在电子产品设计、生产、消费、回收、处置和再利用整个过程中的相关责任。因此，解决电子废弃物的问题，首先要对相关行为主体的角色进行准确定位。     

新排污收费条例对燃煤电厂的影响探析

《排污费征收和管理条例》(简称新《条例》)的实施是我国排污收费制度的重大变革，对相关行业将产生不同程度的影响。着重分析了新《条例》的实施对燃煤电厂的不利影响，以及对企业增加环保投入治理污染的推动作用。     

榆林地区能源基地建设水资源保证程度及供水措施

榆林地区是我国重要的能源基地，水资源贫乏是影响该地区工业发展的重要因素。本文通过对区内水资源及其开发利用条件、供需平衡分析后认为，只要兴建水库，调节径流及加强污水处理，增加区域供水能力，区内水资源可以基本满足近阶段经济发展的用水需求。     

我国电子废弃物现状研究

依据我国家电生产消费数据,对我国电子垃圾产生量进行了预测,认为中国目前正处于电子垃圾高速增长期。通过对电子废弃物处理技术现状的介绍和对我国电子废弃物处理现状的分析,认为我国电子废弃物处理仍处于很低的水平,目前我国符合环保和市场要求的电子废弃物处理企业不能满足我国目前电子废弃物快速增长的需要,迫切需要开发符合我国国情、有市场竞争力的电子废弃物处理工艺。贵稀金属作为国民经济发展不可缺少的资源,随着资源的开采,矿床的贫乏,开采成本的提高,从电子废弃物中回收贵稀金属将具有长远的战略意义。     

论新时期中国共产党在经济发展中的执行力

执行力对执政的中国共产党来说至关重要，关乎其执政地位的巩固。中国目前是党领导一切。要认识到政党政府在宏观调控、微观参与、经济发展配套设施提供方面对经济发展不可或缺的作用，接下来的问题就是如何提升政府执行力，使政党政府通过宏观调控、微观参与行为在经济领域达到更好的效果。本文在分析我党在执行力方面存在的问题的基础上，提出了提高我党执行力的若干建议。