Social capital networks for achieving sustainable development

There have been few empirical studies investigating whether and how social capital (SC) relates to better achievement of sustainability goals and, if so, how. This research investigates the roles three types of SC, namely, bonding, bridging, and bracing SC, play in achieving sustainable development (SD), using a case study of the Japanese region to explore the process of SC accumulation leading to collective action. The research question as to whether SC accumulation makes a difference in the progress towards sustainability is addressed qualitatively and quantitatively using a case study, and network and regression analysis; in particular the impact and functions of bracing SC are closely investigated. The study concludes that SC accumulation can indeed make a difference in achieving sustainability and that bracing SC plays an essential role in expediting the processes of goal sharing and resource flow by connecting various networks across sectors and scales, thereby making collective action possible. These findings suggest that creating an environment in which the generation of all three types of SC is encouraged may help local governments to achieve their desired policy goals for SD.     

Mapping civil society: the ecology of actors in the Toronto region greenbelt

ABSTRACT

Civil society’s potential as a force for solving complex societal problems – particularly those that require a challenge to the status quo – has provoked practical and theoretical interest, with its potential largely reliant on the perception that it is a ready if variable source of social capital resources. However, there are no guarantees that civil society will use its social capital for the greater good. Civil society encompasses a range of groups, some more inward-looking and oriented to private interests, and others more outward-looking and oriented to public interests. This divergent character of civil society was evident in the three campaigns for greenspace protection that eventually led to the creation of the Toronto region greenbelt, where civil society organisations (CSOs) from both growth and conservation camps contended for influence, each succeeding at different times. But over time (a time when state actors were increasingly in need of non-state partners to help solve complex governance problems), coalitions of environmental CSOs in the three campaigns – to protect the Niagara Escarpment, Oak Ridges Moraine and surrounding countryside – became more effective at influencing government to protect greenspace. A comparison of the coalitions using a framework based on key attributes of CSOs – missions and memberships – suggests that the environmental coalitions were more effective when they recruited more members with a diverse set of resources arising from both bonding and bridging social capital. In general, the more inclusive and public-interested the CSOs, the more effective the challenge to the status quo.     

The conservationists’ concerns: on national administration response to integrated use and protection planning

This paper examines the Norwegian national authorities’ responses to combined use and protection planning for huge protected areas and their buffer zone in northern Norway. The processes were chaired by county delegates and included a wide range of stakeholders. In-depth semi-structured interviews, participatory observation and document analyses have been conducted to investigate the potential of these processes and response from national environmental authorities. The paper suggests that national environmental authorities partly ignored the potential strengths associated with combined use and protection plans and over-emphasised the potential environmental threats stemming from local management. Moreover, these trade-offs seemed to be guided on a rather vague scientific basis. In conclusion, the paper argues that central environmental administration needs to (i) engage actively in participatory processes, (ii) present clear rationales, if rejecting local initiatives, (iii) acknowledge the potential for man–nature relationships as beneficial for environmental assets, and (iv) relate interpretation of law to integrative policies.     

Environmental Capital,Negative Externality and Carbon Finance Innovation

Abstract

In the context of global climate change, the internalization of negative externality, which is brought about by the traditional mode of economic growth, has become an inevitable choice. In order to achieve the internalization, it is necessary to make innovations on the market mechanism and system, find the value of environmental capital, establish a new mode of economic growth based on environmental capital, and then transform the environmental capital, an exogenous factor of economic growth, into an endogenous factor. Of this, the key of market mechanism and system innovation is the financial innovation that is based on environmental capital and negative externality; the government defines the initial property right of environmental resources and establishes environment energy trading market, so as to guide enterprises to trade environmental resources (represented by carbon emission permit trading) based on the Clean Development Mechanism, and to vigorously develop environmental finance and carbon finance.     

云南省洱海流域农业生态补偿机制研究

围绕洱海流域种植业产业结构调整、畜禽废弃物资源化利用问题,依托项目示范对农业生态补偿机制进行研究。以大理州政府为补偿主体,示范区内农户为补偿对象,结合资金补贴、技物补偿、智力扶持等补偿途径,开展测土配方施肥、发酵床生态养猪、稻田养鱼、牛粪秸秆混种双孢菇等典型农业生态补偿模式研究,提出了1套农业生态补偿办法。针对补贴力度不足、补贴涵盖领域窄、缺少科学评估方法等问题,分别从政策立法、项目实施、理论研究、试点示范4个层面提出逐步构建洱海流域农业生态补偿机制的建议。     

生态资本运营理论在西部地区的应用

在介绍生态资本运营的基本理论基础上,结合我国西部地区特点分析了该地区进行生态资本运营的可行性与重要意义,并对该地区生态资本运营进行了经验实证,提出了相关的保障机制.创新之处在于,把生态资本运营理论与西部地区的具体实践结合起来提出相关措施,对西部地区生态资本运营具有一定的借鉴意义.     

人力和物质资本对农业经济增长的空间差异

为探索人力、物质两大资本对我国农业经济增长的作用差异,采用我国31个省份2001—2019年的数据实证分析了我国农业经济增长对两大资本的产出弹性。结果表明:人力、物质两大资本对农业经济的增长均具有显著促进作用,且人力资本作用更大。在差异性方面,东部地区、农业经济发展中等水平的地区受物质资本影响显著;中部地区、农业经济高水平的地区两大资本对农业经济均有显著促进作用,且人力资本作用更强;西部地区、农业发展低水平的地区两大资本对农业经济作用不显著,农业经济增长由物质资本驱动向人力资本驱动转变。     

员工-组织社会交换与安全绩效的关系:基于广东企业的实证研究

为了探索员工-组织社会交换与安全绩效的作用关系,以广东省5家制造业企业员工为调查对象,基于社会交换理论,运用Mplus建立结构方程模型对74个团队468份有效问卷进行实证研究。研究结果表明:员工-组织社会交换对安全促进心理所有权和安全绩效均具有显著正向影响,员工-组织社会交换可以通过安全促进心理所有权的中介效应最终影响安全绩效。服务型领导跨层调节员工-组织社会交换与安全促进心理所有权之间的关系,并可进一步调节安全促进心理所有权的中介作用。     

环境与生态系统资本价值评估的若干问题

近年来,环境与生态系统资本价值评估中的概念界定、系统价值认定及评价模式选择等之类的问题成为相关研究中有争议的议题.鉴于此,对环境与生态系统资本价值评估中的一些问题进行了探讨.①在肯定环境与生态系统资本价值评估意义的基础上,指出对于环境与生态系统的整体价值要予以充分估价;②针对目前评价模式单一的现状,提出了整合类型与区域评估的新模式;③在分析了环境与生态系统的资本价值在空间上流动之后,认为应对价值的积累和流动过程给予充分关注;最后,提出了几条具体的建议.     

Assessment of the Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) approach: Case studies from Malawi and Uganda

This paper presents lessons from applying an innovative action research approach for linking smallholder farmers to markets, in eastern and southern Africa. The Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) approach aims to strengthen social organization and entrepreneurial capacity in rural communities. It focuses on fostering community‐based capacity for the inclusion of rural women and the poor in analyzing and accessing market opportunities. Using case studies from Malawi and Uganda the paper assesses the outcomes of ERI on rural communities with a focus on human capital, gender issues and investment in natural resource management. Results show that households are benefiting significantly from linkages to markets in terms of increasing household incomes, and accumulating assets. Skills in analyzing markets and in negotiating with traders have increased among smallholder farmers. The integration of gender in the approach has led to changes in gender decision making patterns at household and community level towards a more shared decision‐making process. The results however show a difference in skills between men and women, with women showing lower levels of skills acquisition. Farmer participatory research has increased investments in improved technologies such as fertilizer applications for soil fertility management.