Resource and Environmental Issues in Transitional China: A Perspective from the Interaction Among Market,Government and Society

Abstract

Along with the rapid growth of economy in the postreform period after 1979, China has faced severe problems of resource overusing and environmental degradation which would threaten the sustainable development of economy and society. This article explores an effective mechanism of managing resource and environment in China. It examines some major resource and environmental issues, and constructs a framework of institution innovation to cover three sectors (government, market and society). In addition, the article analyzes their experience and evaluation in resource management and environmental conservation during the transitional period. We argue that the combination of market regulation, government intervention and public participation is an effective way of allocating resource and protecting environment. Some suggestions are put forward to balance the relationship between them, including coordinating role of government and market, building platform for market operation and creating an atmosphere of public participation.     

Threshold effects of tourism agglomeration on the green innovation efficiency of China’s tourism industry

ABSTRACT

Industrial agglomeration is an essential and effective way to integrate resources and elements. Its impact on the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry is a process of continuous development and dynamic change. This paper, based on the provincial panel data from 2006 to 2015, uses super SBM model to measure the green innovation efficiency of China’s tourism industry. The threshold regression model is employed to conduct empirical tests of the nonlinear threshold effect of agglomeration on the green innovation efficiency of tourism industry. The inter-provincial differences of various threshold effects and their possible causes are analyzed. Results indicate that the green innovation efficiency of China’s tourism industry is generally growing, while regional disparity is significant with a gradient decrease along the eastern-central-western regions. There is an obvious positive nonlinear relationship between tourism agglomeration and green innovation efficiency. It is also found that with the increase of agglomeration, its influence is at a high level. As the level of agglomeration crosses the first threshold, its impact is at a low level, and when it crosses the second threshold, the impact of tourism agglomeration is at an intermediate level. Finally, this paper proposes the basic path and some policy recommendations to promote the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry in China.     

Exploring the need for more radical sustainable innovation: what does it look like and why?

It has been argued in recent years that Western economies need to increase their resource productivity by 90% over the next 50 years. This is a radical aim. This paper draws on design for sustainability (DfS) thinking to scope interventions that encourage greater levels of resource productivity through reconfiguring concepts of growth and well‐being within organisational strategies, structures, systems, processes and outputs. Based on research from a UK EPSRC funded project Design Dialogues (2005–2008), this paper links together sustainable design and innovation literatures and dialogue‐based primary research that together inform the development of an approach to innovation for sustainability. The emphasis on sustainable innovation is to understand what is designed (the outputs of business) and why (the inputs: the values, beliefs, visions and objectives) within a context of ecological limits. The foundations of this approach are introduced here in order to demonstrate the potential to provoke a new way of thinking about longer‐term organisational innovation through making explicit the intrinsic connections between natural and human capitals. This paper explores the need to think differently in order to create sustainability and presents the outcome of this research: a methodology for innovation for sustainability.     

Putting consumers first in design for sustainable behaviour: a case study of reducing environmental impacts of cold appliance use

To slow down the increasing environmental degradation, design for sustainable behaviour (DfSB) has emerged in sustainable design aiming to promote behavioural change through design innovations to reduce environmental and social impacts from the demand side or consumer side. This paper presents a practice-based journey to investigate the process and results of the application of social-psychological theories into sustainable design. Focusing on the behaviour-related impacts of products and services during the use stage, a Design Behaviour Intervention Model (DBIM) is developed through the analysis and synthesis of the social-psychological theories and behaviour-changing strategies. The DBIM indicates that an in-depth study of consumer behaviour is the preliminary step in DfSB, which determines the application of design strategies and potentially the effectiveness of design interventions. A case study is presented to demonstrate the application of the model. The results show that consumer behaviour insights offer rich resources to assist designers in sustainable design innovation. Product-based design suggestions and a proposed solution highlight that the application of DBIM coupled with consumer involvement throughout the design process could produce desirable and sustainable patterns of household fridge use. Finally, the structured consideration of behavioural change and their possible application in DfSB are discussed.     

高职院校创新问题探讨

创新应包括相对创新和绝对创新两个层次。科技创新包括知识创新和技术创新两个层次与环节,高职院校应侧重于技术创新。技术创新需要不同层次的技术人才去实现。故高职院校技术应用型人才的培养也应有相应的层次,在此认识的基础上,从我校特殊性出发,就我院创新问题进行了初步探讨。     

关于大学生创新理论与实践的探讨

本文着重从心理学和系统论的角度阐述了大学生创新的现状、创新的条件、创新的心理动机及我们的对策,并对大学生创新评价提出了个人观点。同时对创新提出了新的解释,并对创新行为与相关因子的关系进行了深入的研究,推导出有价值的数学公式:M=VC××RP。在研究了大学生创新现状后,指出了当前大学生创新状况不佳的根本原因,并提出了大学生创新具有的十个条件。     

可再生能源发电配额制政策(RPS)研究

本文首先解释了可再生能源发电配额制政策的基本含义。然后 ,通过比较英国、美国、荷兰、丹麦和澳大利亚五国的可再生能源发电配额制政策 ,总结了实施RPS的国际经验 ,包括成功的经验和失败的教训 ,提出了以及对中国实施RPS的政策建议     

关于委托社会检测机构试行情况的调查与研究

环境监测服务社会化是环保体制机制改革创新的重要内容,余杭区通过严把检测机构准入关,严审监测方案可行性,严查监测过程规范性,严格检测机构监督考核等多项政策,对社会检测机构进行监督规范,从而为政府决策提供参考、为监督考核提供依据、为社会检测机构提供技术指导,满足了社会对检测的现实需求.为了进一步完善建设项目竣验委托社会检测机构政策,建议建立诚信制度,切实提高建设项目竣验委托社会检测机构政策的公正性;完善监管机制,保证建设项目竣验委托社会检测机构政策有效实施;加强人员培训,逐步完善建设项目竣验委托社会检测机构政策;规范收费制度,保证建设项目竣验委托社会检测机构政策稳定实施.     

环境监测综合业务平台建设的启示 ——以南通市为例

从南通市环境监测综合业务平台建设的系统管理员的视角入手,对平台建设中的经验进行了总结,主要有明确了清晰的工作流程、具备了较高的自动化程度、监测数据的直观展示、保证平台项目的实施人员、多层次的全员培训、完善硬件配套和保障等;同时也对平台建设中存在的问题进行了剖析,主要有平台建设合同过于宏大、平台建设应寻求合适的系统开发方合作、平台建设应形成共识统一思想、平台建设需求应适当"固化"等;全面总结平台建设相关经验教训,南通市环境监测综合业务平台的建设必然会继续前行.     

Differential implications of team member promotive and prohibitive voice on innovation performance in research and development project teams: A dialectic perspective

How and when does team member voice facilitate team innovation? Integrating research on member voice and a dialectic perspective of innovation, we advance a model in which team member promotive voice enhances team innovation through team knowledge utilization, whereas team member prohibitive voice enhances team innovation through team reflexivity in a nonlinear fashion. We further propose that the differential effects of team member promotive and prohibitive voice will be stronger at different stages (idea generation vs. idea implementation) of the innovation cycle. Survey data from 78 research and development project teams showed a positive indirect effect between team member promotive voice and team innovation through team knowledge utilization, although this relationship was also mediated through team reflexivity. Moreover, the indirect effect of team member promotive voice on team innovation via team knowledge utilization was stronger for teams in the idea generation stage of team innovation. Results also confirmed a nonlinear indirect relationship between team member prohibitive voice and team innovation via team reflexivity such that the positive effects of team member prohibitive voice tapered off at high levels. Contrary to our expectations, the effects of prohibitive voice held regardless of stage. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.