Holistic well-being and sustainable organisations – A review and argumentative propositions

Abstract

This article discusses holistic well-being in a balanced work system theory framework. Holistic well-being is a combination of well-being in both work and non-work domains. Theories of balanced work systems and balanced organisations are retold in light of holistic well-being to show how different individuals in organisations can contribute to achieving desired outcomes at different process levels. Further, this article provides new insights and research challenges to the balanced organisation theory by including a sustainability aspect and by proposing a new concept of balanced value networks.     

黄河流域地级城市土地集约利用效率与生态福利绩效的耦合性分析

通过构建包含时间趋势变量的超越对数生产函数形式的随机前沿分析模型,对黄河流域2008—2017年57个城市的土地集约利用效率与生态福利绩效进行了测度,借助偏离系数的耦合度模型、马尔科夫链以及地理探测器等方法从市域和省域层面探究了两者耦合度的动态演进规律,并阐明了耦合机理与驱动机制。研究发现：（1）各城市的土地集约利用效率稳中有进,而生态福利绩效却呈波动下降的态势,两者的耦合度经历了“先降后升”的阶段性演变过程。（2）大部分省份耦合度的变异系数表现出扩大的倾向,尚有近1/5的城市属于低发展度低协调度的耦合类型;耦合度在空间上呈现出“东北—西南”走向的分异格局,重心整体向西南方向移动,其类型演变以大概率保持原有类型和向相邻的类型转化为主。（3）在驱动因子探测中,经济发展解释力>自然条件解释力>社会文明解释力;因子交互作用以双因子增强效应为主,非线性增强效应为辅,且社会因子是最主要的交互对象。     

Evaluating outcomes of conservation with multidimensional indicators of well-being

Many conservation interventions are hypothesized to be beneficial for both the environment and people's well-being, but this has rarely been tested rigorously. We examined the effects of adoption or nonadoption of a conservation intervention on 3 dimensions of people's well-being (material, relational, and subjective) over time. We focused on a fisheries bycatch management initiative intended to reduce environmental externalities associated with resource extraction. We collected panel data from fishers (n = 250) in villages with (adopters and nonadopters) and without (control) the conservation intervention 3 times over 2 years. We found no evidence that adoption reduced any of the 3 dimensions of well-being in the local populations affected by the intervention. There were modest improvements in material (t = –1.58) and subjective livelihood well-being (p = 0.04) for adopters relative to nonadopters over time. The variations in well-being experiences (in terms of magnitude of change) among adopters, nonadopters, and controls across the different domains over time affirmed the dynamic and social nature of well-being.     

The distribution of environmentally related well-being: a conceptual framework

Environmental economists have long concerned themselves with the ways in which natural resources and pollution can contribute to (or detract from) human well-being. However, the distribution of economic benefits and costs from environmentally related goods and services has been often overlooked. This article derives a conceptual framework that brings together the literature from the environmental justice movement, work on the so-called resource curse, and institutional environmental economics into a comprehensive whole. The conceptual framework gives rise to several interesting questions that can be used in studying the distribution of environmentally related well-being.     

Stretching “smart”: advancing health and well-being through the smart city agenda

ABSTRACT

Contemporary smart cities have largely mirrored the sustainable development agenda by embracing an ecological modernisation approach to urban development. There is a strong focus on stimulating economic activity and environmental protection with little emphasis on social equity and the human experience. The health and well-being agenda has potential to shift the focus of smart cities to centre on social aims. Through the systematic and widespread application of technologies such as wearable health monitors, the creation of open data platforms for health parameters, and the development of virtual communication between patients and health professionals, the smart city can serve as a means to improve the lives of urban residents. In this article, we present a case study of smart health in Kashiwanoha Smart City in Japan. We explore how the pursuit of greater health and well-being has stretched smart city activities beyond technological innovation to directly impact resident lifestyles and become more socially relevant. Smart health strategies examined include a combination of experiments in monitoring and visualisation, education through information provision, and enticement for behavioural change. Findings suggest that smart cities have great potential to be designed and executed to tackle social problems and realise more sustainable, equitable and liveable cities.     

An assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of alien rabbits and hares

Directly comparable data on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of alien species informs the effective prioritisation of their management. We used two frameworks, the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) and Socio-Economic Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (SEICAT), to create a unified dataset on the severity and type of impacts caused by alien leporids (rabbits and hares). Literature was reviewed to collate impact data, which was categorised following EICAT and SEICAT guidelines. We aimed to use these data to identify: (1) alien leporid species with severe impacts, (2) their impact mechanisms, (3) the native species and local communities vulnerable to impacts and (4) knowledge gaps. Native species from a range of taxonomic groups were affected by environmental impacts which tended to be more damaging than socio-economic impacts. Indirect environmental impacts were particularly damaging and underreported. No impact data were found for several alien leporid species.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01642-7.     

Three Critical Issues in Sustainable Development Studies and the Transition Development of China

The core issue for China transition development in the next 30 years is to shift from the quantity growth model to the quality improvement model. The paper introduces the research progress in three key areas of sustainable development studies since the 1990s. It is pointed out that there is a well-being thresh-old at which the margin utility of economic growth for human well-being will decline, that there is an ecological limit beyond which more economic growth in terms of physical scale will be impossible, and that the creation of human well-being is related not only to the amount but also to the structure and efficiency of public expenditure from government. After an in-depth discussion on facts, origins and policy implications of each issue, some theory and policy thinking with long-lasting significance are raised for the transition development of China.     

可持续发展研究的3个关键课题与中国转型发展

从数量扩张的增长模式转向质量提升的发展模式,是中国未来30年转型发展的核心问题.本文介绍了20世纪90年代以来可持续发展在3个关键课题上的研究进展.在经济增长与社会富祉的关系上,指出经济增长对于社会富祉的贡献存在着门槛,跨过这个门槛经济增长对福利贡献的边际效用开始递减;在经济增长与资源环境的关系上,指出经济增长没有导致资源环境消耗的倒U型曲线,在自然资本存在限制的情况下无限的经济增长是不可能的;在政府支出与民生发展的关系上,指出公共支出增大并不必然导致社会福利的提高,而公共支出的结构与方式对民生发展却是极其重要的.在对每个问题分析事实依据、原因解释、政策意义的基础上,针对中国转型发展提出了一些具有长期意义的理论思考与政策思考.     

Connecting with Country in Mungo National Park,Australia: a case study to measure the emotional dimension of experience and place attachment

Connecting people with nature improves well-being, but how people connect with natural places is not well documented. We asked 43 people (19 Aboriginal Australians, 24 non-Aboriginal people) about the messages they received from Country during an interactive experience in the remote Mungo National Park, Australia, and analysed the physical senses, emotions and cognitive processes they mentioned. The physical senses mentioned by most respondents were sight, hearing and motion (particularly walking). These senses helped people receive messages from Country and connect with place. We used the primary-process emotional systems of Panksepp [2010. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 12 (4), 533–545] as a framework to capture the emotional dimension of experience. Most people reported positive emotions; they spoke about being nurtured by the group and the land (CARE), and the intense joy (PLAY) of being part of the community, being on Country and being accompanied by Aboriginal people. However, our results indicate the framework does not capture the breadth of positive emotions, particularly those associated with connection to place and spiritual experiences. Both groups mentioned cognitive processes reflecting their beliefs, existing knowledge, or sharing and acquiring new knowledge. Our results indicate that the emotional dimension of experience has the potential to measure connection to place, and provide a subjective measure of well-being. More research is needed to document this dimension of experience, and how it changes with context. Our case study provides further insight for those who manage protected areas and seek to enrich the experience of visitors.     

行政等级与城市规模对生态福利绩效的影响研究

基于广义数据包络分析法（DEA）和随机抽样Bootstrap法,使用2015—2018年全国288个地级及以上城市的面板数据,研究行政等级、城市规模对生态福利绩效的影响,分析城市规模在行政等级影响生态福利绩效中的路径作用。结果表明：我国288个地级及以上城市的生态福利绩效水平整体均值不高,但随时间推移呈上升趋势且近年来增速逐渐加快;行政等级和城市规模均对生态福利绩效起显著正向影响,技术进步显著提升城市的生态福利绩效,外资依存度显著降低城市的生态福利绩效;城市规模是城市行政等级影响生态福利绩效的重要路径,行政等级越高,城市规模越大,生态福利绩效水平越高。基于以上结论,为协调经济、环境、社会实现可持续发展提出政策建议。