Motives as Predictors of the Public's Attitudes Toward Solid Waste Issues

/ Surveys focusing on solid-waste-related issues, conducted over a period of several years, provided data from independent samples of residents of a Midwestern, USA, community. The collection of these data yielded useful information about the relationship between residents' recycling motives and their attitudes toward solid waste management in light of several changes in the solid waste infrastructure of the community over that time. The initial survey assessed baseline beliefs and attitudes, while later surveys were conducted after the implementation of a community educational program and a curbside recycling program. The findings indicated that for recyclers and nonrecyclers, different motives predicted endorsement of solid waste programs and policies. Although a similar percentage of recyclers and nonrecyclers were in support of various proposed programs and policies, concern for the environment was found to be positively related to nonrecyclers' support of proposed programs, particularly before these programs were implemented. Prior to program implementation, motives other than environmental altruism were found to be related to recyclers' support of the programs. Additional findings support the idea that educational programs and increased accessibility to recycling opportunities affect the relationship between people's attitudes toward solid waste management and their recycling motives.     

Matching response to context in complex political emergencies: 'relief', 'development', 'peace-building' or something in-between?

There is an ongoing debate over the value and pitfalls of the policy and practice of 'linking relief and development' or 'developmental relief' in aid responses to complex political emergencies (CPEs). Driven by concerns about relief creating dependence, sometimes doing harm and failing to address root causes of emergencies despite its high cost, pursuit of both relief and development has become a dominant paradigm among international aid agencies in CPEs as in 'natural' disasters. In CPEs a third objective of 'peace-building' has emerged, along with the logic that development can itself help prevent or resolve conflict and sustain peace. However, this broadening of relief objectives in ongoing CPEs has recently been criticised on a number of counts, central concerns being that it leads to a dilution of commitment to core humanitarian principles and is overly optimistic. This paper addresses these issues in the light of two of the CPEs studied by the COPE project: Eritrea and Somalia/Somaliland. It is argued that the debate has so far suffered from lack of clarity about what we mean by 'relief', 'development' and, for that matter, 'rehabilitation' and 'peace-building'. The wide spectrum of possible aid outcomes does not divide neatly into these categories. The relief-development divide is not always as clear-cut, technically or politically, as the critics claim. Moreover such distinctions, constructed from the point of view of aid programmers, are often of little relevance to the concerns of intended beneficiaries. Second, there has been insufficient attention to context: rather than attempting to generalise within and across CPE cases, a more productive approach would be to examine more closely the conditions under which forms of aid other than basic life support can fruitfully be pursued. This leads to consideration of collective agency capacity to respond effectively to diverse needs in different and changing circumstances.     

What happens to the state in conflict?: political analysis as a tool for planning humanitarian assistance

It is now part of received wisdom that humanitarian assistance in conflict and post-conflict situations may be ineffective or even counterproductive in the absence of an informed understanding of the broader political context in which so-called 'complex political emergencies' (CPEs) occur. Though recognising that specific cases have to be understood in their own terms, this article offers a framework for incorporating political analysis in policy design. It is based on a programme of research on a number of countries in Africa and Asia over the last four years. It argues that the starting-point should be an analysis of crises of authority within contemporary nation-states which convert conflict (a feature of all political systems) into violent conflict; of how such conflict may in turn generate more problems for, or even destroy, the state; of the deep-rooted political, institutional and developmental legacies of political violence; and of the difficulties that complicate the restoration of legitimate and effective systems of governance after the 'termination' of conflict. It then lists a series of questions which such an analysis would need to ask--less in order to provide a comprehensive check-list than to uncover underlying political processes and links. It is hoped these may be used not only to understand the political dynamics of emergencies, but also to identify what kinds of policy action should and should not be given priority by practitioners.     

我国水资源可持续利用中的经济刺激制度

本文在对完善我国水资源可持续利用中的经济刺激制度的必要性进行分析的基础上，从建立明确、可交易的水权和水市场制度，制定合理的水资源价格税费制度以及建立水资源可持续利用责任保险制度等几方面提出完善我国水资源可持续利用中的经济刺激法律制度的具体措施，为我国水资源法制建设进行了有益探索。     

区域相对资源承载力与可持续发展问题探讨——以济南长清区为例

以相对资源承载力的研究思路和方法，分别选取山东省和济南市作为参照区域，计算了1996-2003年长清区相对土地资源承载力、相对经济资源承载力和综合资源承载力及其动态变化过程。结果表明，该地区对自然资源的利用不够合理，经济发展缓慢；相对土地资源承载力和相对经济资源承载力不协调发展是其实现可持续发展面临的主要问题之一。     

金沙江水电资源梯级开发及其经济发展研究

金沙江流域是我国13大水电基地中水能资源蕴涵量最大的地区，但开发率相对较低。在介绍金沙江流域丰富的水电资源及其开发现状的基础上，分析了加快金沙江水电开发的可能条件和重要意义；针对开发中存在的主要问题，根据市场经济原则和具体情况提出了对策和建议。     

浅析我国城市土地的储备问题

通过对城市土地储备制度的运作过程与运转机理的简要阐述，形成了一个较为完整的理论框架，侧重分析了我国现行的城市土地储备制度尚存的一些问题，提出了相应解决对策，以求进一步完善我国城市土地储备制度。     

广州市地面塌陷的形成原因与时空分布

地面塌陷是珠江三角洲城市地质灾害的主要类型之一。广州市地面塌陷灾害频繁发生,近10年来呈波动式上升趋势。其塌陷类型分为岩溶塌陷和工程地面塌陷两种,岩溶塌陷主要分布在广花盆地的花都区、白云区,工程地面塌陷主要分布在中心城区。地面塌陷灾害孕灾环境复杂、致灾因子多样,承灾体脆弱,灾害后果严重。人为因素是地面塌陷的主要诱发因素。岩溶塌陷主要是由于过量抽取地下水或矿山疏干排水、地下采空、暴雨触发所致;工程塌陷主要是人类工程行为所致,其主要致灾因子包括排水疏干与突水(突泥)作用、人工加载、人工振动、人工开挖桩基、地表渗水、地铁等地下工程盾构掘进等。     

安全投入与事故直接经济损失的问题研究

通过对安全投入及事故直接经济损失的分析研究,利用最小二乘法对安全投入比例(安全投入占GDP的比例)与事故直接经济损失之间的关系进行了回归分析,确定了其对应的函数关系.结果表明,安全投入比例与事故直接经济损失之间呈较明显的负指数关系.探讨了安全投入存在的主要问题,提出了几点关于加强安全投入的建议及措施.     

区域地震间接经济损失评估

对区域地震间接经济损失的研究现状进行了总结和回顾，目前主要有基于国内生产总值、基于地震震级和基于地震直接损失的3种评估计方法，对这些评估方法进行了讨论，结合地震现场的工作性质和特点，给出了现场评估的一般步骤和建议。