Formal mining investments and artisanal mining in southern Madagascar: Effects of spontaneous reactions and adjustment policies on poverty alleviation

The main political concern in the southern areas of Madagascar is poverty alleviation. To alleviate poverty in the area, the government has chosen to enforce adjustment policies of the World Bank Group. According to the World Bank Group's argument, while artisanal mining is supposed to create significant economic, social and environmental problems, large-scale mining investment results in economic and social prosperity. This paper focuses principally on a re-analysis of the debates regarding the relationship between artisanal and large-scale mining and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Further, the paper offers an alternative viewpoint on these issues based on the example of Madagascar. In the last decade, Madagascar has experienced a significant increase in mining activity. Towards the end of the 90s, informal and artisanal mining emerged as one of the most important economic activities of the area with the development of the Ilakaka frontier. At the same time, foreign investments began to benefit from adjustment policies implemented by the government, and large-scale mining operations also commenced. As the local socio-economic system was deeply affected by these developments, it is wise to monitor the effects of each type of mining operation on poverty alleviation. On the one hand, it appears that governance insufficiency has hampered possibilities for broader economic prosperity through large-scale mining investments. On the other hand, while artisanal mining is frequently condemned by scholars, the negative comments seem to be overly pessimistic, as this activity can be demonstrated to provide considerable economic opportunities for both the native and migrant populations.     

村庄治理现代化进程中农民自组织公共参与逻辑与进路——基于3个典型案例的研究

本文选取3个农民自组织作为研究案例,这3个农民自组织分属于治理现代化处于不同阶段的3个村庄,具体分析其农民自组织公共参与的现实逻辑。基于理论逻辑与现实逻辑的分析指出,农民自组织公共参与逻辑沿着组织及其成员经济利益最大化、村庄治理权力和治理地位的获取、组织公共精神培育及村庄公共价值实现的路径推进。村庄应基于农民自组织公共参与逻辑及进路,采取选择性激励方法,激励农民自组织公共参与,推进村庄治理现代化。     

The global bio‐economy

Throughout history, agriculture and natural resources have been used for the production of food, feed, fibre, fuel, and environmental goods. Recent developments in demand both in terms of quantity and quality, technology, and traditional energy and chemistry markets have reinforced the demand for nonfood applications. These developments, in combination with increased consumer demands for various food characteristics, have led to a rapidly growing and globally integrated “bio‐economy.” This article introduces and summarizes the plenary papers on the opportunities and challenges for the bio‐economy that were presented at the 28th triennial conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) in Brazil. The following aspects of the bio‐economy are covered: finance, volatility, poverty, conflict, productivity, investment, resource constraints, and governance.     

我国银行衍生产品体系发展的问题与对策研究

我国银行衍生产品体系是银行业重要的体系之一。通过我国期货交易细则、期权市场交易额等相关信息及数据的搜集,并将数据进行趋势化分析,从而对我国银行衍生产品体系的发展特点和问题进行研究,研究发现:我国银行衍生产品体系具有法律规范体系初步完善、风险评估体系国际化、衍生品市场发展迅猛等发展特点,但存在衍生品市场缺乏市场竞争力、不适应政策变化、不能自主定价等问题,提出了建立信息明确有序的交易体系、增强竞争力争取定价权益等建议。     

Predictive performance of the World Bank's commodity price projections

The World Bank's commodity price projections are widely used for various planning purposes. Two aspects of the Bank's projections of relative prices are studied in this paper. The first is whether the forecasts make efficient use of the information available at the time the forecast is made. The second is whether the forecasts predict future prices with greater accuracy than alternative forecasting methods. These matters are studied by comparing the World Bank's past price projections with the actual prices that were subsequently observed. The results show that, overall, the World Bank forecasts do not pass either test. First, the World Bank forecasts are informationally inefficient. Prediction error (projection minus actual price) tends to be positively correlated with the projections themselves. Although the direction of future price movements tends to be correctly predicted, the magnitude of these movements tends to be overpredicted. Second, the World Bank forecasts do not perform well even compared with the simplest of alternative forecasting methods - the prediction of no change.     

Healthy targets? World Bank projects and targeted health programmes and policies in Costa Rica,Argentina, and Peru, 1980–2005

Despite its central role in diffusing neoliberal policies and its status as an important external funder of health, the World Bank’s effect on health policies in developing countries has been little explored. I examine how the World Bank framed and funded targeting in healthcare in Costa Rica, Argentina, and Peru. Results indicate that the World Bank and national governments pursue targeting and justify its implementation differently across countries. While both national government and the World Bank cite efficiency and equity concerns as a rationale for targeting, the World Bank is more likely to invoke efficiency and cost-cutting measures. Targeting also happens against the backdrop of very different policies across these countries: coexisting with universalism in Costa Rica, growing public insurance in Peru, and a federally managed health system in Argentina. Domestic factors associated with countries’ existing health systems, in particular coverage and segmentation in the health sector, helps account for variation in both the groups/areas targeted and the discourse and rationale in national and World Bank documents. I conclude by discussing the implications of these results for our understanding of the World Bank’s influence on health policies in developing countries.     

Using a Delphi approach to identify the most efficacious interventions to improve Indonesia’s forest and land governance

Improvements to forest and land governance are key to addressing deforestation and degradation of peatlands in Indonesia. While this is a priority area, the steps to achieving good forest and land governance have been under-researched. There is a need for better links between theoretically informed academic analysis and work in the field. This study drew together a panel of experts on forest and land governance using a Delphi method to discuss the underlying drivers of deforestation and peatland degradation, and correspondingly, to identify interventions to improve land and forest governance in Indonesia. Seventeen panelists with an average of more than 12 years’ experience reached agreement over four governance interventions: increasing the capacity of local communities to manage and monitor forests and natural resources (65% of panelist’s votes); identify strengths and weaknesses of community organisations and institutions, and develop strategies to improve their performance (65% of panelist’s votes); gazetting forests to clarify land boundaries and determine which areas should be village, community and state forest zone (59% of panelist’s votes); and, integrating participatory community maps into spatial plans to protect local communities and indigenous peoples’ development needs (53% of panelist’s votes). They also supported action research involving the government, private sector and communities, and political economy approaches to researching forest and land governance issues. Panelists indicated that community level approaches such as securing community forest tenure through clarifying land claims and integrating local land tenure into spatial planning had an important role in sustainable forest management.     

自治、法治、德治相结合的两委选举保障体系建设的对策研究

党的十九大报告中提出"三治结合"的乡村治理体系,即"加强农村基层基础工作,健全自治、法治、德治相结合的乡村治理体系。"为了有效建设这种治理体系,解决农村"两委"选举中的问题,仅仅关注选举制度本身是不够的,有必要根据制度工程学这一新的视角,重视和加强为"两委"选举制度提供环境支撑的制度接口和文化接口的建设。提出了制度接口建设可以从信息化为基础的农村管理政府化入手,大力压缩不法分子的寻租空间和消除其得逞预期;文化接口建设应当重点消除不良示范,促使村民形成良性认知等对策。     

加强我国证券投资基金外部治理的必要性分析

基金治理,就是通过所有基金当事人之间权利、义务和责任的合理配置,寻求基金存续中达到相互制衡的状态。对我国契约型基金而言,缺乏利益相关者参与基金外部治理,仅仅强调优化基金内部治理并无法真正保护基金持有人的利益。因此,完善基金治理结构需要强化和改善基金外部治理,有必要充分发挥托管行、基金评级等中介机构、基金监管部门这些基金业核心利益相关者的外部监督和约束作用,从而实现保护基金投资者利益之目的。     

民生银行不良贷款问题探讨

不良贷款率的增长加大了商业银行的经营风险。以在A股上市的中国股份制商业银行中不良贷款情况比较典型的中国民生银行为研究对象,分析其不良贷款现状及成因,提出了加大处置力度,强化队伍建设;业务重点管理,质量实时监控;完善地区评级系统,合理调整信贷投入等改进建议。     

Power relationships: Their effect on the governance of community forestry in the Philippines

This paper examines the impact of unequal power relationships on the governance of community forestry groups (CFGs) in the Philippines. Devolution of power has long been considered to be a ‘magic bullet’ in the governance of CFGs. However, poor governance which involves unequal power relationships between state agencies, forest user groups and rural people, produces unequal access in decision-making, sharing of authority and responsibility. This engenders local resistance from those who feel excluded and marginalised in the process. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notion of ‘symbolic violence’, we examine how unequal power relationships between State and local agencies have facilitated destruction of mature and newly planted timber plantations. Studies of a harvesting and a reforestation project found that the adverse effects of poor governance occurred at two tiers, first at an upper level between the government and CFGs, and second, at a lower level between CFG’s and local people. Poor governance at upper levels has triggered both symbolic and physical violence on and from people who remained marginal to the benefits of harvesting and reforestation. We conclude that a key requirement for sustainable community-managed forests is to expand benefit sharing to non-CFG local people. Our findings highlight the importance of lower-tier levels of governance within CFGs and between CFGs and local people.     

整体性视角下新时代水治理体制创新研究

新时代人民追求美好生态环境的愿望,对我国水治理现代化提出了更高要求。水治理体制亦需不断完善与创新,以保障水治理的全面共建与平衡发展。基于整体性治理理论,针对我国水治理体制发展面临的"棘手性"挑战与碎片化问题,对我国水治理的党政群共商共治体系、和谐治水文化体系、内部协调机制、外部协同机制和信息互通机制的完善进行探索,建立目标与手段双维发力的整体性水治理运行模式。     

Monitoring land governance: Understanding roots and shoots

Despite a growing interest among land use policymakers to identify the indicators that measure changes in land tenure systems, little consensus exists about what framework can functionally analyze land tenure systems, and how it should be developed. The existing indicators have mainly focused on measuring the “effects” of land tenure (in)security and often neglected the “causes”. Hence, comprehensive monitoring of land tenure systems has been poorly understood and practiced. Given their multifaceted meanings, land and its related concepts have been a challenging issue for policymakers. Accordingly, the overall objective of this paper was to propose a functional and analytical framework on how to study monitoring land governance from roots to shoots through five main studies: i) understanding the historical trajectories of land, ii) recognizing institutional arrangements on land, iii) identifying land governance grammar, iv) defining land governance typology, and v) assessing land use changes. In line with this objective, the general research question of this study is how and by whom a monitoring system should be developed. Overall, this study can be considered as a conceptual framework that has been designed to conceptualize, develop, build, and apply a functional and analytical framework for formulating land governance grammar to explain how access to land is governed. Unlike previous studies, this study focuses on both causes and effects of strong land governance (SLG) and weak land governance (WLG). The paper discusses that land governance allows various stakeholders to participate in government decisions and ensures the security of their livelihoods. However, land governance could be either poor or strong depending on the government decision-making process. The paper also concluded that SLG is a precondition for economic growth and poverty alleviation in rural areas of developing countries.     

习近平关于社区治理重要论述的理论定位与实践向度

习近平关于社区治理的一系列重要论述是改革开放以来我国社区建设实践的理论升华,是国家治理视域下基层社会治理与社会建设的理论总结,是"以人民为中心"导向下"民生为本"的社区治理范式创新,为新时代社区治理提供了理论引领与行动指南。习近平关于社区治理的重要论述包含:坚持党建引领的治理原则,激发共建共治共享的内生动力,夯实群众性自治制度的治理基础,协同自治、德治与法治的治理策略等多维实践向度。习近平总书记对社区疫情风险治理做出的重要指示进一步丰富和发展了城乡社区治理的理论与实践。     

类体制身份:作为基层政府建构自主性的意外后果——以上海市奉城镇政府为例

本文认为出现在基层政府内部的多种“身份”,不同于传统的“社会性身份”和“体制性身份”,是一种新的“身份”现象,本文称之为“类体制身份”。以上海市奉城镇政府为例,本文梳理了奉城镇政府内部多种“身份”的形成过程。本文认为,“类体制身份”在基层政府内部的产生,逻辑上可以分为两个阶段:一是多层级上级政府约束下的基层政府人员扩张,导致具有多种身份的人员集聚在基层政府内部这一特定场域;二是基层政府混编混岗导致人员身份意识强化。本文认为,“类体制身份”本质上是基层政府在多层级上级政府的压力型体制及社会治理转型所导致的治理任务增多的背景下,建构基层自主性的意外后果。在中国多层级的政府组织中,保障乡镇一级基层政府的自主性,对于完善国家治理体系、实现有效治理具有重要意义。     

Limits to Ecological Modernisation as a framework for sustainable fresh water governance

An important point of debate in contemporary environmental governance literature is the design of institutional arrangements for natural resource governance in Western democracies in the face of long-term ecological challenges. Informed by this debate, we ask in this paper to what extent does Ecological Modernisation precepts provide a governance framework for resolving freshwater management conflicts in the context of New Zealand's political economy? The paper draws on the region of Canterbury whose water resources have become the site of intense political conflict due to the rapid growth of dairy farming. We firstly argue how the precepts of Ecological Modernisation are promoted in natural resource governance through the discourses of a variety of stakeholders at both the national and regional level and secondly, demonstrate how the adoption of these precepts in institutional design reflect a broadly techno-corporatist interpretation of Ecological Modernisation theory which struggles to sustain ecological carrying capacity of freshwater resources.     

From goodwill to good deals: FELDA land resettlement scheme and the ascendancy of the landless poor in Malaysia

Land resettlement schemes are commonly used in the developing countries to leverage poor people’s access to land for shelter, food production, or boosting rural development. Unfortunately, not many resettlement schemes have effectively solved the problems they were designed to tackle. For researchers and policymakers in particular, part of the problem has been the lack of enabling analytical tools for holistic and an in-depth analysis of the trajectories of the few successful models of land resettlement schemes. The current study examines the features of one of the most successful land resettlement initiatives, namely the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) scheme in Malaysia. Established in 1956, the scheme comprises over 400 settler communities that cover about 16% of Malaysia’s total land area. The FELDA scheme has tremendously transformed the lives of the landless population through provision of shelter, jobs, income from agribusiness shareholding, and ownership of highly valorised land titles. This study combined the path dependency approach and Earth system governance analytic tools to examine the trajectories and multidimensional features that make the FELDA scheme a good example to reckon with. Thus, broadening researchers and policymakers appreciation of the role of analytical dimensions is a major contribution of this study to the current debates on the pro-poor land governance strategies in the Global South. Finally, the study shines some light at the role of land governance in streamlining land development and goals of sustainable national planning.     

世界银行贷款造林项目资金成本管理浅析

本文在论述了世行贷款资金对于我国林业生产重要作用的基础上,明确了对世行项目资金进行成本分析的重要意义,并指出了影响世行贷款造林项目资金成本大小的主要因素,最后,重点论证了降低我国世行贷款造林项目资金成本的主要措施。     

Will digital technologies transform agriculture in developing countries?

Mobile phones and the internet have significantly affected practically all sectors of the economy and agriculture is no exception. Building on a recent World Bank flagship report, this article introduces a concise framework for describing the main benefits from new information and communication technologies. They promote greater inclusion in the broader economy, raise efficiency by complementing other production factors, and foster innovation by dramatically reducing transaction costs. The article reviews the recent literature on corresponding technology impacts in the rural sector in developing countries. Digital technologies overcome information problems that hinder market access for many small‐scale farmers, increase knowledge through new ways of providing extension services, and they provide novel ways for improving agricultural supply chain management. While there are many promising examples of positive impacts on rural livelihoods—or “digital dividends”—these have often not scaled up to the extent expected. The main reason is that technology can always only address some, but not all of the barriers faced by farmers in poorer countries.     

The role of government in land registry and cadastre service in Turkey: Towards a government 3.0 perspective

Within the scope of the developments in public administration after the 1990s, “Good Governance” approach has been preferred instead of the traditional public management approach. Good Governance is a fair, impartial and egalitarian management model that is based on co-management and envisages the participation of all actors (e.g. public and private sector, civil society) in decision-making processes. With this new management model, public institutions in Turkey began to realise good governance based reforms, especially in areas where they establish a close relationship with citizens. In this article, changes in the public administration in Turkey together with good governance and the effects. The effects change on the land registry and cadastre processes are discussed. In this regard, a situation is evaluated in the context of the future Government 3.0 process by discussing the successful and incomplete aspects of good governance in land registry and cadastre practice in Turkey.