Bridging international relations and disaster studies: the case of disaster–conflict scholarship

International relations and disaster studies have much to gain by thinking critically about their respective theoretical and epistemological assumptions. Yet, few studies to date have sought to assess the potential value of linking these two disciplines. This paper begins to address this shortfall by examining the relationship between disasters and conflict as a research sphere that intersects international relations and disaster studies. Through an analysis of whether or not disasters contribute to intra‐national and international conflict, this paper not only provides a review of the state of the art, but also serves to invite scholars to reflect on related concepts from other fields to strengthen their own approaches to the study of disasters in an international setting. An evaluation of the conceptual and theoretical contributions of each subject area provides useful heuristics for the development of disaster–conflict scholarship and encourages alternative modes of knowledge production through interdisciplinarity.     

The role of economic invisibility in development: veiling women's work in rural Pakistan

The thesis in this article is that both women's work and its invisibility are essential to development, and at two levels: to the economy of rural households and to the wider development process. For rural households, the case of Pakistan suggests that the veils that conceal women's work shield a portion of household production from the risks and extractions inherent in their involvement with development. This shielded production depends on off-farm natural resources of which the use is also veiled. For States and other development interests, the author suggests that women's work constitutes a subsidy which is intentionally invisible. The subsidy of women's labour is linked to a forest-to-farm subsidy. Women's invisible work, in other words, is not invisible because it is not seen, but because the process of economic development—for both rural households and States and other development actors—requires that it be hidden.     

Corporate Ethics in the Era of Globalization: The Promise and Peril of International Environmental Standards

The growing assumption thattransnational corporations (TNCs) will apply``best practice' and ``international standards'in their operations in developing countries hasseldom been checked against close observationof corporate behavior. In this article, Ipresent a case study, based on field research,of one voluntary initiative to useinternational standards and best practice forenvironmental protection in the AmazonRainforest, by a US-based oil company,Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) in Ecuador. The moststriking finding is that the company refuses todisclose the precise standards that apply toits operations. This, and the refusal todisclose other important environmentalinformation, make it impossible to verifyindependently Oxy's claims of environmentalexcellence, or assess the effectiveness of theinitiative. At the same time, Oxy uses theinvocation of international standards to wrapitself in a veneer of corporate responsibility;reassure government officials and localresidents; cultivate confusion about standardsand practices that apply to the operations;deflect meaningful oversight and transparency;and arbitrarily legitimize norms that have beendefined by special interests. In short,international standards offer great promise forneeded environmental improvements; but can alsobe used to impede, rather than advance,corporate responsibility and the development ofeffective environmental law at the nationallevel. These findings suggest that for theapplication of international standards to bemeaningful, the international community needsto move beyond statements of principle anddevelop mechanisms that can be used toevaluate, verify, and monitor independentlyenvironmental claims by TNCs.     

探索信息化装备一体化保障发展之路

信息化武器装备的保障能力是现代战争中装备能否发挥最大效能的关键。加快信息化装备军民一体化保障的发展,加强军民一体化保障体系建设,增强装备保障实力,才能提高装备的战斗效能。对信息化装备一体化保障进行阐述,并针对特种飞机特有的保障模式进行阐述,努力探索信息化装备一体化保障的发展之路。     

环境监管法律关系理论解析与立法完善

环境监管不同于环境管理。环境监管强调的是监督和管理的结合,二者不可偏废。而相应的对环境监管法律关系的理解也不能仅仅局限于管理的角度。要厘清我国环境监管法律关系,就要从主体、主体的权利与义务和客体等构成要素入手深入剖析,进而对我国环境监管立法完善进行有益的拓展。     

矿业环境相邻关系立法初探

矿业环境相邻关系的界定是相应环境产权私人化的途径。由矿业环境相邻权与矿业成员环境权双向对接组成的环境相邻关系,通过法律来约束矿山企业的环境相邻权和激励相邻对方的成员环境权而共同保护矿业环境。矿山企业一方给相邻对方合理施加容忍义务,相邻对方应当容忍非实质性的或当地通行的影响。成员环境权的保护,是基于物权而行使消除危险、排除妨害和恢复原状的请求权,基于债权而行使侵害赔偿请求权。     

What makes for good and bad neighbours? An emerging research agenda in the study of Chinese environmental politics

Tackling China’s grave environmental problems increasingly turns on questions of sub-national interjurisdictional relations. What are the conditions under which neighbouring localities cooperate in stewardship of the natural environment? What factors give rise to interjurisdictional conflict such as pollution spillovers? Through a combination of empirical and theoretical reflections, a research agenda to better understand these issues is outlined. First, China’s recent innovative approaches to the promotion of interjurisdictional cooperation are examined. An in-depth case study of interjurisdictional ecological protection ‘redline’ zones underscores the difficulties of inculcating environmental neighbourliness between local governments. Yet, a precise diagnosis of the problem remains elusive because too little is known about the underlying drivers of interjurisdictional relations in China. An analytical framework that draws insight from contemporary China studies and comparative environmental governance scholarship is offered for the study of interjurisdictional environmental relations in China.     

A Missed Opportunity?: NOAA’s Use of Social Media to Communicate Climate Science

In the current media landscape, organizations often communicate about science directly with publics through online channels rather than relying on journalist gatekeepers. Online platforms present organizations with the opportunity to participate in two-way communication in order to increase engagement with science. The present study examined how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) utilizes social media to interact with publics. Results suggest that NOAA does not fully utilize the dialogic potential of social media, which could enhance both the public’s science literacy and trust in science regarding climate change specifically. This study informs how public relations theory may complement science communication theory and practice as deficit model-thinking transitions to contemporary approaches for public engagement with science.     

基于环境库兹涅茨模型的经济与环境关系分析

环境与经济协调关系的研究可以定性地反映区域环境与经济发展的综合实力水平。以河南省为例,运用环境库兹涅茨曲线法分别对河南省"十五"十一五"环境与经济协调发展水平进行定性评价,得出河南省"十一五"较"十五"期间更为协调。并通过比较衡量河南省2个时期总体环境与经济的发展状况,分析目前环境与经济发展之间存在的问题,借以明确环境与经济协调发展走向和持续协调的对策。     

关于人与环境价值关系的思考

人与环境的相互关系,本质上是一种价值关系的反映。在人类历史发展的不同时期,这种价值关系各有不同的内容和特征。从哲学、经济学的角度对价值本质作了探讨,并阐述了人与环境之间价值关系的演变。指出可持续发展的目标是建立相互协调的环境,经济和社会系统,其中,环境系统的利用是前提,经济系统的发展是保障,社会系统的有序是目的。正是在这一综合系统中,人与环境的价值关系将得到全面的回归。