Targeting and distribution in complex emergencies: Participatory management of humanitarian food assistance

The extensive literature on community participation in the targeting and management of humanitarian food assistance suggests that participatory approaches work best in slow-onset emergencies with no conflict or displacement. Yet the policies of many agencies—and compliance with Sphere minimum standards—require that the recipient community participate in decisions about the assistance they receive including targeting, regardless of the causes of the emergency. This paper analyzes current practice in the targeting and management of humanitarian food assistance in complex emergencies, the constraints to recipient communities’ participation, and the possibilities for participatory approaches to improve targeting.     

Roadmapping for technology push and partnership: A contribution for open innovation environments

There are several tools in the literature that support innovation in organizations. Some of the most cited are the so-called technology roadmapping methods, also known as TRM. However, these methods are designed primarily for organizations that adopt the market pull strategy of technology-product integration. Organizations that adopt the technology push integration strategy are neglected in the literature. Furthermore, with the advent of open innovation, it is possible to note the need to consider the adoption of partnerships in the innovation process. Thus, this study proposes a method of technology roadmapping, identified as method for technology push (MTP), applicable to organizations that adopt the technology push integration strategy, such as SMEs and independent research centers in an open-innovation environment. The method was developed through action-research and was assessed from two analytical standpoints: externally, via a specific literature review on its theoretical contributions, and internally, through the analysis of potential users' perceptions on the feasibility of applying MTP. The results indicate both the unique character of the method and its perceived implementation feasibility. Future research is suggested in order to validate the method in different types of organizations     

Deforestation dynamics and policy changes in Bolivia's post-neoliberal era

This work compares the effects of neoliberal and post-neoliberal land-use policies on forest cover along the Corredor Bioceánico of southeastern Bolivia to determine if rates of agriculturally driven forest clearance have changed since the Morales’ administration came to office in 2005. Satellite image analysis, supported by semi-structured interviews with farmers and representatives of key institutions, shows that deforestation for commercial agriculture in Santa Cruz continues and has increased in certain “hotspots”. Previous research has shown that the environmental effects of neoliberalism on forest cover are varied, but more broadly, reduced state intervention has meant less environmental regulation and greater deforestation, while strong government is better able to curtail deforestation. Although neoliberal policies triggered an unprecedented level of forest clearing in Bolivia, rates have generally continued to increase and can be indirectly linked to the administration's new agrarian reform and pro-environmental regulations. This trend is counterintuitive and stems from unanticipated responses such as deforestation through fire to prove productive use under the reform's socio-economic function requirements. Given increased regulation and enforcement of forest clearing and burning under Morales, in contrast to the neoliberal era, our analyses suggest that rates will continue to increase under the current political climate, which has further polarized the opposition in Santa Cruz.     

The Economic Impact of Marena’s Investments on Sustainable Agricultural Systems in Honduras

This study examines the economic impact of sustainable agricultural production systems in Central America. In particular, we investigate the impact of investments promoted by the MARENA Programme in Honduras on the total value of agricultural production (TVAP) of its beneficiaries. Propensity Score Matching techniques along with the Difference‐in‐Differences framework are used to mitigate biases stemming from differences in observed as well as unobserved (time‐invariant) characteristics between beneficiaries and a control group. The econometric estimates suggest that MARENA has had a positive and significant effect on the TVAP of beneficiaries. In addition, the analysis shows that, under alternative scenarios, MARENA yielded higher than expected internal rates of return. The results of this study shed light on the response of small‐scale hillside farmers to economic incentives and lend support to the role of natural resource management projects in Central America as a tool to increase household income while also promoting the conservation of natural resources.     

Institutionalist Labor Market Theory and the Veblenian Dichotomy

This paper contributes to an institutional theory of crime. More specifically, it focuses on the problem of the mafia and the infiltration of legitimate businesses. In legal markets, the mafia resorts to artificial scarcity as a functioning principle. Although scarcity and its consequences for market economies are key aspects of mainstream economics, they have been insufficiently analyzed because the emphasis is only on "natural" scarcity. The mafia phenomenon reveals that scarcity can also be institutionally created. This type of scarcity encourages the process of market collectivization and empowers those generating it. The mafia's legal activities establish a system of "waiting lines" and monitored access to goods. Instead of being merely coercive and openly violent, the mafia builds a new lasting order, producing its own rules, and even breeding social legitimacy.     

Analysis of non-stationary dynamics in the financial system

Novel data-driven analyses, appropriate for detecting economic instability in non-stationary time series, are developed using functional principal component analysis (fPCA) and Synchrosqueezing. fPCA is applied in a new way, aggregating multiple financial time series to identify periods of macroeconomic instability. Synchrosqueezing, a technique which generates a time-series’ time-dependent spectral decomposition, is modified to develop a new quantitative measure of local dynamical changes and structural breaks. The merit of this integrated technique is demonstrated by analyzing financial data from 1986 to 2012 that includes equity indices, securities and commodities, and foreign exchange. Both procedures successfully detect key historic periods of instability. Moreover, the results reveal distinctions between periods of long-term gradual change in addition to structural breaks. These tools offer new insights into the analysis of financial instability.     

Assessing the losses in euro area potential productivity due to the financial crisis

In this article, we show that the recent financial crisis has significantly affected the potential total factor productivity (TFP) of the four largest euro area economies, as well as that of the rest of the euro area. We used a reduced-form equation of TFP, based on an approach recently developed by Cahn and Saint-Guilhem (2010). Our empirical findings show that the permanent impact on potential TFP varies across countries from –3.9 points to –1.3 points in Q2 2012. When these losses are incorporated, TFP gaps develop closely in line with capacity utilization rates (CUR). Moreover, in the case of France, including CUR in our TFP model improves the quasi-real-time reliability of TFP gap estimates.     

Global trends in length of stay: implications for destination management and climate change

Abstract

Length-of-stay (LOS) is a key parameter in destination management that determines the number of guest nights relative to arrival numbers, with concomitant repercussions for revenue generation and other performance indicators. This article investigates the development of LOS for 32 destinations in developed and emerging economies as well as Small Islands and Developing States (SIDS). The analysis is based on UNWTO data for 478.5 million international tourist arrivals, or about 40% of the global total in 2015, for the years 1995–2015. Results show considerable differences in LOS between destinations, with a global trend of falling LOS, by 14.8% over the study period. However, in individual destination countries, LOS was found to be increasing. Analyses of LOS trends reveal that these can neither be explained by distance–decay relationships nor business to leisure arrival ratios. Results are discussed with regard for destination management and revenue optimisation, transport infrastructure needs, as well as sector greenhouse gas emissions.     

The sustainability of ISO 9001 in a legal service organisation

This paper examines the sustainability and the changes experienced by a legal service organisation in the implementation of ISO 9001 in terms of reasons, benefits, and key success factors over an 8-year time interval. This exploratory study employs qualitative methods using a single case study approach. Data were collected through two phases of interviews, 1996 and 2004, with the same quality manager in the legal service organisation. Both interviews were based on a similar set of structured questions derived from the previous studies. Pattern matching was used to analyse and compare the 1996 and the 2004 findings. Three major findings are identified in this study. First, the internal reasons for implementing ISO 9001 are sustained, whereas the external reasons are diminished. Second, the benefits are mainly internal rather than external, and these are sustainable over time. Third, top management commitment and staff involvement are shown to be the critical factors of both the implementation and the maintenance of ISO 9001. The results contribute to a better understanding of the benefits of ISO 9001 as well as the level of commitment required to sustain these benefits. The results also show the learning process taken up by firms in better understanding the value of ISO 9001 implementation over time.