Mining and Social Movements: Struggles Over Livelihood and Rural Territorial Development in the Andes

Social movements have been viewed as vehicles through which the concerns of poor and marginalized groups are given greater visibility within civil society, lauded for being the means to achieve local empowerment and citizen activism, and seen as essential in holding the state to account and constituting a grassroots mechanism for promoting democracy. However, within development studies little attention has been paid to understanding how social movements can affect trajectories of development and rural livelihood in given spaces, and how these effects are related to movements’ internal dynamics and their interaction with the broader environment within which they operate. This paper addresses this theme for the case of social movements protesting contemporary forms of mining investment in Latin America. On the basis of cases from Peru and Ecuador, the paper argues that the presence and nature of social movements has significant influences both on forms taken by extractive industries (in this case mining) and on the effects of this extraction on rural livelihoods. In this sense, one can usefully talk about rural development as being co-produced by movements, mining companies, and other actors, in particular the state. The terms of this co-production, however, vary greatly among different locations, reflecting the distinct geographies of social mobilization and of mineral investment, as well as the varying power relationships among the different actors involved.     

A theory of innovation for process-based innovations such as nanotechnology

Many see Nanotechnology as the technology that will underlie the next Schumpeterian wave creating new opportunities for wealth and job creation. Further it is a process based or materials technology. Yet all currently used models of innovation are based on assembled products or service products and these simply do not recognize the differences in materials products nor the “enabling” nature of Nanotechnologies. If nanotechnology is poised to become the economic engine of this millennium and if current models of innovation, which are utilized, by policy makers and firm based strategist alike are based on technology product paradigms that are dissimilar to the realities of nanotechnology and other process-based technologies then there is cause for concern.Here the authors provide a model and supporting cases demonstrating a new process or materials based innovation model that is based on the tight coupling between product and process innovation of not only Nanotechnology-based products but other process-based products. This is an important finding, because it identifies and remedies a gap in the literature associated with earlier process and product innovation models. For process-based products like materials, food, chemicals and nanotechnologies any change to the manufacturing processes results in significant changes in end product features. The implications of this model to practice are considered.     

Disclosure of reserve quantum in the extractive industries

We explore why some firms in the extractive industries disclose mineral reserve quantum in their annual reports and others do not. We propose that the firms' reserve disclosure policies are a function of the extent of information asymmetries, as well as information production, litigation and proprietary costs. More specifically, we propose that a firm's decisions to disclose reserves in the annual report are a function of the stage of the firm's operations, use of project financing, and the cost of measuring reserves. Empirical tests are confirmatory.     

旅游成为桂林主导产业的战略思考与战术研究

以桂林的现状为背景,从长远的战略角度与具体的战术运作上讨论了桂林的旅游业如何从工业型旅游经济向知识型的旅游经济转化,以及从知识兴旅、创新工程、人才的战略储备与深度培养、生态型旅游企业集群的培育、旅游管理重点与生产方式的转移、区域IAS6P竞争要素的有效整合等方面论述了如何开展知识化区域营销,提升桂林旅游的区域营销力,从而加速旅游这个主导产业在桂林的进一步发展。     

关于提高党的领导干部能力建设问题几点思考

提高党的执政能力,重点在于加强党的各级领导干部的能力建设,从宏观与微观两个层面认识提高领导紧迫性,处理好干部能力建设中的整体与个体、德与才、内因与外因、书本知识与实践经验,党的建设与经济建设的辩证关系,才能把握方向,突出重点,取得实效。     

温州龙湾区传统产业集聚发展路径研究

温州龙湾区历来是温州的工业大区和经济强区,其产业集聚的形成和发展,是温州整个工业经济发展的缩影,因而具有普遍性和代表性。本文以产业集聚形成和发展的内生机制为切入点,在分析温州龙湾区产业集聚发展的历史和现状基础上,提出本区产业集聚发展的路径选择。     

河南省战略性新兴产业发展的现状分析与策略选择

近年来,河南省以高新技术产业为主体的战略性新兴产业发展较快,成效显著,但同时也存在着总量规模小,产业集中度低,创新能力弱,体制、机制不完善等问题。十二五时期,河南省战略性新兴产业的发展面临着国内外激烈竞争的格局,存在着巨大的挑战和前所未有的机遇。从产业基础、资源禀赋、发展实践等多方面来看,河南省发展战略性新兴产业的策略选择,应定位于依托传统优势产业发展战略性新兴产业,并通过制定差异化的产业政策、推动传统优势产业的链式发展、发挥老工业基地的示范带动作用等措施来实施这一策略。     

关于基层商业银行领导班子建设的思考

加强银行基层机构领导班子建设,培养德才兼备的领导干部是金融事业发展的关键。作为基层行的领导班子,如何把党和国家的各项方针、政策、规章制度以及上级行的决策部署不折不扣地落到实处,是一项重要的任务。     

从以专家为主导到以农民为主导的实地研究

参与式理念已经成功地应用于许多农业发展项目,在农业研究项目中我们尝试应用以农民为主导的实地研究方法。在外来者的参与下,由农民讨论和制定研究计划,由农民实施和管理研究项目。实践证明,以农民为主导的实地研究,完全符合当地的自然和社会条件,产生了良好的社会经济效益。     

领导干部离任环保审计探析

改革开放以来,我国经济济总量和人均GDP实现了质的飞跃.在看到可喜成绩的同时,也应看到不少地区的领导干部存在以环境污染、资源浪费和唯GDP是从的政绩观.在环境保护问题日益突出和领导干部离任审计广泛开展的今天,应与时俱进地推行领导干部离任环保审计,从审计主体、审计原则、审计要素、审计证据和审计信息披露机制等着手,通过领导干部离任环保审计制度的创新来遏制领导干部的短期行为.