Economics of diet and health: Research challenges

This paper explores some past, present, and future research challenges within the economics of diet and health policy. The discussion promotes the deep-rooted theme that integrating basic economic principles into the core of the biomedical disciplines can improve society's understanding of our choices over diet and food, and consequently health and well-being. From studying the past, we better understand the economic factors which counter the idea that biology is destiny; in the present, we see why accounting for endogenous health risks and private skill matters even if it is hidden information; and for the future, we can imagine identifying the economic and biomedical under which the presumption of rational choice works and fails to guide policy.     

古田县林业现状及分类经营

本文通过分析古田县林业资源和经济的现状 ,提出分类经营的必要性和实施方法。     

The disappearing chain of responsibility: Legitimacy challenges in the political governance of Finnish Forest and Park Service

This article analyses the consequences of institutional and organisational arrangements for the legitimacy of the governance of Finnish public forests. It focuses on normative legitimacy, which comprises input legitimacy (accountability), throughput legitimacy (power relationships, transparency and inclusiveness) and output legitimacy (problem-solving capacity). These components, and the challenges involved in them, are analysed in relation to the governance of the Finnish Forest and Park Service. It is a hybrid agency which combines business economic tasks with broader societal duties related to public forests. The article draws on the relevant laws, parliamentary reports and comments, policy and planning documents, as well as interviews with MPs, government officials and agency staff. The discrepancy between written regulations and policies on the one hand, and the actual governance practices and rationalities that guide informants’ interpretations and implementation of the regulations on the other, constitutes (in addition to the regulatory vagueness) the key challenge to the system's legitimacy. The Finnish case shows that assigning to Parliament a central formal role in the governance of public forests may serve more as window-dressing than providing genuine legitimacy to the decisions being made, as its actual role is dependent on how – and by whom – such decisions are prepared. The results highlight the importance of inclusiveness and transparency in the governance process; and of concrete, measurable criteria and indicators for each policy goal, against which performance may be assessed on a regular basis.     

Traditional Management Systems, Poverty and Change in the Arid Zone Fisheries of Northern Nigeria

This paper, based on fieldwork results, explores traditional management systems (TMS) in the arid zone fisheries of north-eastern Nigeria with particular reference to their impact on rural poverty. The first section provides a historical background by tracing the evolution of the TMS since the nineteenth century, with reference to government policy on fisheries management and poverty alleviation. The second gives an overview of TMS, including definitions, distribution, principal objectives, regulatory mechanisms and the impact of TMS on the performance of the fisheries and on the livelihoods of rural people. The third considers the perceptions and attitudes of the fishing communities with regards to the fisheries and TMS. The paper concludes, paradoxically, that while TMS provide a basis for the sustainable livelihoods of many fishing people, they also reflect and enforce the social positions of the rich and powerful members of society who oversee them, at the expense of the poor. In the future, poverty alleviation in fisheries will need to incorporate both sectoral and non-sectoral strategies – dealing with the existing 'paradox of TMS' by encouraging appropriate institutional changes and community development, and recognizing the importance of employment creation in other sectors of the economy as a source of alternative income.     

21世纪南方四省(区)森林资源预测及管理政策

本文通过对广东、广西、湖南、湖北资源现状的分析 ,预测 2 1世纪南方四省 (区 )森林资源将不能实现可持续发展 ,不能满足社会的需求 ,分析森林资源存在的问题及制约资源发展的因素 ,提出提高林分生长量 ;提高林地利用率 ;提高造材率、出材率 ;节约使用资源 ;加强“三防”工作 ;进口木材等具体措施 ,并确实解决林业比较利益低、税费负担重的问题 ,走规模经营、产业化道路 ,森林资源才可能走上良性循环。     

我国土地利用和管理形势政策研判

目前土地利用和管理的政策重点为:调结构、调过剩产能、完善城乡统筹中土地制度,严格保护耕地.针对资源供应的刚性影响逐步扩大,全社会的发展理念发生着深刻的变化,为提高资源利用效率、走节约集约道路提供了良好的外部环境.应该供需双向调节,加速结构调整、统筹城乡发展,促进城市转型,加快宜居城市建设、实施建立差别化供地政策、强化耕地建设性保护专项工作.对2011年来讲,促进经济发展方式转变,节约集约用地是关键,严格保护耕地是硬任务,应推动土地利用方式根本转变.促进经济发展方式转变和经济社会又好又快发展.     

The institutional fit of peatland governance in Indonesia

The Government of Indonesia has published a number of policies and regulations to better manage its vast amount of tropical peatland, yet the degradation and conversion of Indonesian peatlands still continues. This paper analyses the institutional fit between Indonesian regulations related to peatland use and the characteristics of peatland users. We reviewed Indonesian legal policies and regulations on peatland use and management and conducted questionnaires and interviews with peatland users and policy makers in order to understand their practices and incentives in relation to the implementation of the four main peatland regulations. We focus on two provinces with large peatland areas: Jambi and Central Kalimantan. Using a framework for assessing the degrees of fit between the rule creators and adopters for peatland management, this paper shows that the degree of technical, political, and cultural fit of Indonesian peatland regulations can be classified as low to moderate. The paper shows that many peatland users are insufficiently aware of peatland regulations. The lack of socialisation on the contents of the regulations and the alternatives for peatland best practices, together with the lack of field monitoring and law enforcement are the important causes of non-compliance with peatland regulations. However, there are ongoing processes of fitting visible that are largely driven by the local government and NGOs. We discuss the degrees of fit and present some lessons for increasing the degree of fit for peatland regulations.     

Presumptions of linearity and faith in the power of centralised decision‐making: two challenges to the efficient management of environmental water in Australia

Water policy in the Murray‐Darling Basin continues to be dominated by the trade‐offs between agricultural and environmental interests. This has recently been played out with the acrimonious debate that circumscribed the release of the Guide to the Murray‐Darling Basin Plan. In this paper, we argue that too much emphasis has been placed on the volume of held water as an indicator of environmental benefit. We also contend that there is an attendant presumption of linearity in the relationship between volumes of held water and environmental benefit which could lead to perverse outcomes. A second problem is that there is too much enthusiasm for contemplating the solutions to water management problems as residing primarily at the federal level of government. These factors stand to ultimately limit the efficient delivery of environmental objectives.     

我国蓄滞洪区管理制度与政策创新研究

行蓄洪水的特定功能与区域经济发展之间的矛盾导致蓄滞洪区管理中尚存在许多亟待解决的问题。针对这些问题,结合蓄滞洪区目前管理现状,分析蓄滞洪区制度变迁的诱导因素,阐述蓄滞洪区管理制度变迁的必要性。借鉴公共政策中的政策工具,对我国蓄滞洪区管理政策工具进行划分。从社会、经济、生态、防洪4个方面构建了我国蓄滞洪区管理制度与政策框架,并结合不同类型政策工具提出具体的建议与对策。     

改革开放以来土地管理政策的历史性转变

近年来有关改革开放以来中国土地管理政策发展演变的研究日见升温。为进一步推动这一工作 ,本文从城乡分管、扭转多头管理、城乡统一管理、体制转轨等几个阶段 ,对 1 978年以来的中国土地管理政策的发展进行了介绍、分析与探讨     

Characteristics and land use of contaminated brownfield properties in voluntary cleanup agreement programs

This paper reports exploratory empirical research on the property characteristics and land use of contaminated brownfield properties. This research investigated 1415 contaminated brownfield properties in environmental cleanup programs in the states of New York and Texas in the US. This research attempts to clarify some confusion about contaminated brownfield sites, provide detailed information on the diverse land uses that caused the contamination on these properties, and to provide a better base of knowledge about brownfield sites that may be used in developing and implementing policy to remediate and redevelop contaminated brownfields properties in both older industrial regions and in more recently industrialized regions. This research analyzed land use data for these properties at the time they became contaminated and at the time they entered the environmental cleanup program. It also attempts to identify similarities and differences in the characteristics of the properties in these two states with strikingly different histories of industrialization. Several common assumptions about brownfield properties are extracted from the literature review and tested using the data. Some of our results are surprising, including the variety of past land uses of these contaminated brownfield properties and the differences in the history of land use and the characteristics of the properties in the older versus newer industrial region.     

中国林业企业开展森林经营认证的动力与经济效益分析

林业企业开展森林认证的动力和效益对于森林认证持续健康发展非常关键。在对中国森林认证现状进行分析的基础上,结合问卷调查和实地调研,分析了中国林业企业开展森林认证的动力与经济效益。结果表明:满足国际市场需求,获取市场利益,是林业企业开展森林认证的主要动力,而提升企业形象,保护环境等非市场利益以及非政府组织、金融组织以及政府等各方的支持也起到了重要的推动作用。森林认证已得到林业企业的初步认可,但目前的经济效益仍不稳定和显著。     

2018年土地科学研究重点进展评述及2019年展望——土地管理领域分报告

研究目的：归纳分析2018年国内外土地管理领域的研究进展,展望研究趋势。研究方法：文献统计法。研究结果：2018年国内外在土地管理体制改革、土地制度改革与政策创新、土地立法修法创新、女性土地权益保障等方面具有共同的研究焦点。国内研究继续关注耕地保护,国外研究则较多关注城市土地利用与管理。研究结论：2018年,随着土地管理体制变革、农村土地制度改革、农村新产业新业态用地等新问题不断出现,土地管理领域研究在土地空间资源管理、土地管理体制、土地管理法律修订等方面有所发展。2019年将重点关注自然资源管理体制下土地资源管理的理论与方法创新、农村土地政策创新、空间规划管理与国土空间管制、数量—质量—生态“三位一体”耕地保护等问题。     

长三角水环境政策效力及耦合协调关系演化

筛选长三角三省一市2005—2020年期间的水环境政策文本,从政策力度、目标和措施3个维度建立政策效力量化框架,并运用耦合协调模型分析水环境政策在空间和工具维度上的耦合协调演化特征。研究结果表明:三省一市水环境政策效力均逐年提高,政策工具使用结构以权威型为主导但单位效力有待提高,而系统变革和象征劝诫型工具使用最少但单位效力较高;省市间水环境政策协调关系经历了失调发展、转向协调和协调发展3个阶段,其中安徽省与苏浙沪间的协调发展明显滞后,国家层面的规划政策显著促进了长三角地区水环境政策协调关系的良性转变;政策工具间的耦合协调关系从失调发展阶段到转向协调阶段,各省市政策工具间的协调关系呈现差异性,整体而言尚有较大提升空间。     

Rapid land use change by coastal wind farm development: Australian policies,politics and planning

The siting of both onshore and offshore wind farms has caused controversy in a number of countries, particularly in Europe, which currently has the world’s largest array of offshore wind turbines. Like the rest of the world there has been a dramatic increase in wind farm development In Australia over the last two decades but none of this has occurred in the offshore environment. Australian wind farms are predominantly located onshore around the southern part of the continent where wind energy is high. This has specifically affected rural coasts where it has created planning and land use policy issues along with environmental impacts and associated public and political reaction. This paper examines the geographic spread, timing and concentration of Australian wind farms around the coast. It also examines the extent to which scientific knowledge on wind farm impacts is incorporated into different state and federal land use and environmental policy and legislative frameworks. The paper concludes that the rapidity in the expansion of the Australian wind energy sector has outpaced strategic land use planning resulting in a piece-meal and cumulative wind farm development on rural coasts.     

Attitudes of farmers in China's northern Shaanxi Province towards the land-use changes required under the Grain for Green Project, and implications for the project's success

To restore China's degraded environment, the government launched an environmental restoration project named the “Grain for Green” Project (GGP) in 1999. From 1999 to 2010, the government will spend US$ 40 billion to convert 147 million ha of farmland into forest and grassland and 173 million ha of wasteland (including abandoned farmland) into forest in 25 provinces. A primary focus is to replace farming and livestock grazing in fragile areas with reforestation and planting of forage crops. Given the project's tremendous size and number of participants, the attitudes of the affected farmers will strongly influence the GGP's success. To learn their attitudes, we surveyed 2000 farmers in 2005 to quantify their opinions of the GGP and how it has affected their livelihoods, and we discuss the concerns raised by these attitudes. Farmers appreciated the grain and financial compensation offered by the GGP, but few considered planting of trees (8.9%) or forage species (2.2%) to be a priority. Although only 19.1% felt that their livelihoods had been adversely affected by the GGP and 63.8% supported the project, a large proportion (37.2%) planned to return to cultivating forested areas and grassland once the project's subsidies end in 2018. Therefore, much of the restored vegetation risks being converted into farmland and rangeland again, compromising the sustainability of the environmental achievements. To succeed, strategies such as the GGP must compensate farmers fairly for their costs, create new agricultural products and techniques for use on more suitable land, and create job and training programs that account for the needs and desires of farmers and give them alternatives to returning to old land-use practices.     

Relevance of sustainable remediation to contaminated sites manage in developed and developing countries: Case of Brazil

The sustainable remediation emerged as a paradigm shift within contaminated sites management. However, this approach still has difficulties and therefore its application is quite limited. Thus, this paper aims to present and analyze the characteristics and trends of sustainable remediation approach in developed and developing countries, with an emphasis on Brazil case. Firstly, the background to sustainable remediation approach is presented. The discussion is carried out through a contextualization of the main barriers and challenges in sustainable remediation consideration and application in worldwide. The main perspectives and recommendations about the sustainable remediation were contextualized. Finally, approaches of sustainable remediation in developed and developing countries context was presented and analyzed, with emphasis on Brazilian situation. It is concluded that sustainable remediation is of great importance and that many advances have been made; however, the use of the term is still in adaptation process, especially in developing countries. In Brazil, at the same time as it is verified that has the regulatory structure focused on the management of contaminated sites is fairly recent, the sustainability considerations in this context are almost nonexistent.     

Zionism and agricultural land: National narratives,environmental objectives,and land policy in Israel

The 1990s saw two different and even contradictory trends in Israel. On the one hand, there was a substantial increase in environmental awareness, on the part of both the general public and decision-makers, that led to a change in the land use planning policy at the national level. On the other hand, the Israel Lands Council (ILC), the body empowered by law to shape the national land policy, made a series of decisions that severely violated the principle of preserving agricultural land and led to massive conversion of agricultural land and open space for commercial, industrial, and residential development. Thus the national land policy became incompatible with the land use planning policy and the rise in environmental awareness it reflected.     

易门县十街乡公益林管护现状及建议

从基层公益林管护的角度分析易门县十街乡公益林管护中存在的问题,提出了加大宣传力度,提高群众管护公益林的积极性;公开、公平、公正选聘公益林管护人员,提高公益林管护人员的素质;加大公益林管护员人的监管力度,实行公益林管护人员交流上岗;大力倡导以电代柴、推广旋耕机等农业机械等方面保护公益林的建议。     

尼日利亚翁多州和奥贡州小农油用棕榈生产改良技术采用的限制因素分析

虽然尼日利亚在油用棕榈的生产上具有许多有利条件，但是产量仍然呈下降的趋势。本文重点要考察的是，尼日利亚西部农民采用新技术来提高油用棕榈产量的限制因素。研究的数据来源于对翁多州和奥贡州的115户油用棕榈生产者的随机抽样。预调查和可信的问卷保证了分析的可信性。在调查的农民当中，大约有88％的农民年龄在30-59岁之间；男性所占比例为87％；有53％农民的耕地面积不足2公顷，81.7％的农民耕地面积不足4公顷。数据还显示，有70．5％的农民受过一种正规或其他种类形式的教育，只有13．9％的农民是没有受过正规教育的文盲。但是他们仍然因缺乏资金、生产成本高、收入水平低和获取土地困难等因素而难以提高产量和采用新技术。从结果的显著程度来看，只有教育水平的影响最显著，其他如农民年龄、性别和农场规模都不显著。基于以上分析，政府应该恢复对农业投入的补贴，尤其是在油用棕榈的生产上。要为生产油用棕榈的农民提供短期无息贷款或长期贷款。最后，政府还要把在油用棕榈生产带上大量的未被充分利用的土地，分配到有能力和有兴趣种植油用棕榈的农民手中。