The Dynamics of Justification in Policy Reform: Insights from Water Policy Debates in Ireland

Policy reform can be complex and fraught with contending arguments. Although much research has been conducted into the politics of coalition formation, less attention has been devoted to legitimating logics in policy reform. Drawing on the work of Boltanski and Thévenot, this exploratory study addresses this deficit by examining the influence of justifications deployed in policy debates. The paper analyses the role of shifting reasoning in contentious debates concerning attempts to reform water policy, including the introduction of domestic water charges in Ireland. Employing data from parliamentary deliberations, the paper traces the changing forms of justification used by those favouring and opposing the reforms. This examination suggests the importance of aligning an argument’s content with the shifting context into which it is introduced. The paper highlights the benefits of an investigative approach concerning policy justification for understanding policy reform dynamics at the intersection of politics and environmental communication.     

Community participation in cultural heritage and environmental policy formulation in Botswana

Cultural heritage does not have direct economic benefits. However, if properly managed it can stimulate social cohesions, improving the environment and have beneficial economic spin offs for the local communities. This paper discusses the role of communities in the formulation of the policies concerning their local environment. It argues that community engagement by policy makers is important in giving legitimacy and ownership of the policies. Furthermore, this paper discusses the potential of cultural heritage in diversifying the economy in Botswana. This paper recommends for the re-assessment of the relationship between the state and local communities which is critical in resuscitating the seemingly ailing community business organizations. In conclusion, it argues for the sustainable management of cultural heritage as a social and economic resource in the next 50 years of Botswana’s independence.     

A multi-objective design optimisation of eco-friendly aircraft: the impact of noise fees on airplanes sustainable development

The current work deals with multi-objective optimisations including financial merit factors in the multi-disciplinary conceptual design of a commercial aircraft with a specific focus on noise social cost. The results of optimisations using financial and performance-oriented objective functions have been analysed and combined in a multi-objective optimisation problem using a three-dimensional objective vector. The main novelty of the present work is the analysis of social cost noise fees effectiveness integrated in financial models embracing a wider group of stakeholders’ interests. The foundations of this research lie on the air traffic increase envisaged in the next decades and the contextual growth of the urban areas nearby airport facilities. This scenario requires the aeronautical industry to handle the environment challenge taking into account all the social and economic effects. Indeed, the consolidated technology has approached a saturation point, therefore breakthrough concepts and configurations are mandatory. This matter is addressed as a highly multi-disciplinary problem within conceptual design framework. The financial model proposed is shown to highlight the need of appropriate noise fees as instruments to push all stakeholders towards a technology radical renewal and encourage the aeronautical industry towards a shared strategy in the development of an eco-friendly commercial aviation system.     

环境监测技术服务社会化的政策文本研究

以部分省(市)颁布的29份环境监测技术服务社会化政策为研究样本,将市场准入、监测领域、运行管理和监督制裁作为政策文本的分析框架进行计量分析。部分省(市)相关规定具有一定的创新性,使以往混乱的社会环境监测技术服务市场进一步规范化;但多数省(市)的环境监测技术服务社会化政策存在市场准入条件苛刻、监测领域有待放开、运行管理模式僵化、监督制裁手段单一等难题。最后提出放宽市场准入条件、有序开放监测领域、构建多元管理模式、完善监督制裁体系等4项建议对上述难题予以回应。     

聚合物驱采出水中聚丙烯酰胺的微生物联合降解作用研究

通过对2株细菌的培养降解实验研究聚丙烯酰胺(hydrolyzed polyacrylamide,HPAM)降解菌对水环境下聚丙烯酰胺的降解作用,讨论协同降解机理。2株降解聚丙烯酰胺的菌株假单胞菌CJ419、枯草芽孢杆菌FA16在初始30℃废水样品上培养,定期测量细菌生物量和HPAM降解率。培养30 d后CJ419和FA16对聚合物的降解率最大值分别达到30.4%和25%,而以1∶1比例的混合菌降解率最大值达到80.3%。对2株菌胞外各组分研究表明:混合菌降解HPAM的机理主要由胞外降解酶系水解聚合物侧链基团导致HPAM降解为小分子物质,同时生长过程中降解菌还会释放非蛋白还原性物质引发氧化反应共同参与HPAM降解。     

活性炭吸附和脱附-等离子体氧化净化有机废气的研究

根据滑动弧放电等离子体适于降解高浓度有机物废气的特性,结合活性炭吸附法,提出了吸附器的吸附浓缩和热脱附-等离子体氧化净化有机废气的方法。在活性炭吸附过程中,最初2 h内甲苯净化率达到100%,随着时间的增加净化率下降;在热脱附滑动弧放电等离子体净化过程中,甲苯降解效率最高为97.3%。将滑动弧放电等离子体反应器出口气相产物收集进行FT-IR检测,发现放电后有CO2、CO、H2O和NO2产生,并分析了甲苯的降解机理。     

超声吹脱去除氨氮的机理和动力学研究

采用超声吹脱技术对某印染厂印染废水中的氨氮进行了处理实验,探索了其反应机理并进行了动力学研究。研究表明,叔丁醇的存在没有降低废水中氨氮的去除率,证明.OH不是超声吹脱去除氨氮反应中的主导氧化物种。通过对反应产物的分析发现,超声吹脱去除氨氮的机理主要是氨氮以游离态的方式在空化效应下高温高压热解成氮气和氢气排出,同时氨气在空化效应产生的超临界状态下传质速度加快,在吹脱条件下更易于从废水中散失。动力学分析表明,印染废水中氨氮的超声去除反应属于一级反应,符合一级反应动力学。     

中国城镇建设用地经济密度的区位差异及影响因素——基于273个地级及以上城市的分析

以全国地级及以上城市中的273个样本城市为研究对象,分别从全国、沿海地区、内陆地区三个层次考察了样本城市城镇建设用地经济密度的区位差异。根据柯布-道格拉斯生产函数的理论与分析方法建立模型,分析了资本、劳动力、土地三大投入要素和城市全要素生产率等对城镇建设用地的影响,并在控制以上变量的条件下侧重考察了城市区位差异的影响。发现我国城镇建设用地经济密度的区位差异明显,具有区位优势的城市土地效益平均高于缺乏区位优势的城市;沿海水陆口岸的区位优势十分显著,建设用地经济密度相对较高,而内陆地区水陆口岸的区位优势有待发掘;航空口岸对提高城镇建设用地经济密度未发挥积极作用。分析结果表明,生产要素投入、科技水平、市场环境和城市发展阶段是影响土地效益的主要因素,但不同区位条件下城镇建设用地经济密度的影响因素有所不同,为提高城镇建设用地经济密度,不同区位条件的城市着力点应各有侧重。     

1949年以来中国环境与发展关系的演变

从IPAT方程出发,发现了环境影响随着经济发展或时间的演变依次遵循三个"倒U型"曲线规律,即环境影响强度的倒U型曲线、人均环境影响的倒U型曲线和环境影响总量的倒U型曲线。根据此规律,可以将该演化过程划分为四个阶段即:环境影响强度高峰前阶段、环境影响强度高峰到人均环境影响量高峰阶段、人均环境影响量高峰到环境影响总量高峰阶段以及环境影响总量稳定下降阶段。在环境演变的不同阶段,主要驱动力存在着明显的差异。在环境影响强度高峰前阶段,资源消耗或污染物排放增长更多地由资源或污染密集型技术进步驱动;在资源消耗或污染物强度高峰到人均资源消耗或污染物排放高峰阶段,主要由经济增长驱动;而在人均资源消耗或污染物排放高峰到资源消耗或污染物排放总量高峰阶段以及总量高峰以后的发展阶段,则主要由节约高效技术或污染减排技术进步来驱动。实证分析表明,中国目前环境与发展关系基本上处于经济增长主要驱动的环境影响强度高峰向人均环境影响高峰过渡阶段,这同时意味着中国要在短期内实现人均环境影响和环境影响总量高峰的跨越是异常困难的。     

京津地区区域一体化程度分析

20世纪50年代以来,全球化背景下世界各国间经济依存度加强,与之相伴生的区域集团化趋势日益显著。北京和天津作为京津冀地区经济实力最强的两个城市,两市的一体化程度研究可以在一定程度反映京津冀一体化的程度,也能对规划京津冀发展提供依据。本文从对区域经济一体化的概念和发展过程的讨论出发,并以京津地区为研究对象,从市场一体化、产业一体化和空间一体化三个方面探讨其一体化整合程度。采用"价格法",利用两市的商品零售价格指数对相对平均价格方差进行分析,得出市场较早具备了一体化的优势条件,近年来发展却不大;分析工业和第三产业各行业的区位商,了解到产业互补潜力尚未充分发挥;同时以京津冀地区的城市分布情况为研究对象,根据费里德曼空间结构的演变阶段理论将其空间一体化程度划分为初级阶段。未来通过政策引导、合理布局和整体规划,京津一体化的发展将成为区域经济发展的主要推动力之一。