Does Improved Environmental Policy Enhance Economic Growth?

The environmental impacts on an economy is studied over time using endogenous growth theory. Externalities from the environment on production are central in the analysis, and we examine whether an optimal path realizes more rapid economic growth. The paper focuses mainly on developing countries, where production is largely influenced by the environmental quality. The result of the analysis indicates that the economic growth rate may not depend on the internalization of the environmental externality, but rather on the internalization of the human capital externality. The level of economic activity, however, generally seems to depend on the internalization of both externalities.     

巴塞尔新资本协议对发展中国家潜在影响评述

巴塞尔新资本协议自1999年6月提出征求意见稿,到2004年6月26日正式公布最终稿,并于2006年底在10国集团开始实施。新资本协议从出现就成为众人关注和研究的焦点,围绕它的争论也一直没有停息过。人们纷纷对新资本协议的复杂性、风险敏感性以及在不同市场环境中的适应性,尤其对发展中国家的影响等方面进行了广泛的研究。本文将对此方面的研究成果、最新进展和现实意义进行总结和概括,并且指出存在的分歧和问题,以便更深入地研究。     

The ‘demographic timebomb’ and how some hospitality employers are responding to the challenge

The phrase ‘demographic timebomb’ has taken on the aura of a shibbholeth and that everyone knows they ought to be fearful about. But is it really understood and what needs to be done? This article seeks to answer these questions and to shed some light on the employment strategies being developed by some British hospitality employers to counteract the demographic changes of the 1990s. As a result, some of the myth that the hospitality industry is lagging behind other industries can be dispelled but other findings support popular testimony that the industry faces special problems.     

Does ecotourism contribute to sustainable destination development,or is it just a marketing hoax? Analyzing twenty-five years contested journey of ecotourism through a meta-analysis of tourism journal publications

ABSTRACT

Conducting a periodical systematic review on a given field of study enables to comprehend the conceptual development of a discipline. A decade has passed since the last in-depth systematic review on contemporary ecotourism research has been published. This study is, therefore, executed to systematically analyze ecotourism research articles published in the previous twenty-five years and thereby to reassess the past, understand the present and envisage the future of ecotourism development. 470 articles published in nine top-tier tourism journals are screened and analyzed. Thematic and summative content analyses are employed to examine the contents of each publication. The findings highlight that over the years, researchers have examined myriads of ecotourism research themes. Despite fluctuations over the years, the overall publication trend shows growth. Most ecotourism studies are conducted in developing countries, with Asia taking the lead followed by Africa and Latin America. However, in terms of researchers’ domicile, the USA becomes the first followed by Australia, the UK, and Canada. Despite modest successes, overall, the contribution of ecotourism towards sustainable destination development remains indiscernible. The current study provides up-to-date insight into the ecotourism literature by highlighting the main themes and trends of ecotourism research over the last twenty-five years. Research findings also enhance our understanding of the evolution of ecotourism research and ignite further study in ecotourism by suggesting issues that merit rigorous investigation.     

Negotiating leisure constraints: the case of an amateur musician with epilepsy

The purpose of this case study was to identify the negotiation strategies employed by an epileptic amateur musician engaged in serious leisure to overcome leisure constraints. Data were collected by semi-structured interview, observation and informal interaction. Results revealed that the subject employed various cognitive (i.e. anticipating benefits, weighing pros and cons, immediate resolving, accepting costs and pragmatism about performance) and behavioural (i.e. planning/event management, scaling back participation and communication and cooperation) negotiation strategies. While strategies were employed to overcome constraints, participation was also facilitated by individual beliefs and interpersonal relationships. Results also suggested that negotiation strategies are interconnected, and that perceived stigma did not influence participation in serious leisure.     

Issues in measuring success in community-based Indigenous tourism: elites,kin groups,social capital,gender dynamics and income flows

Tourism development is a key feature of the neoliberal economic development model. Through a mix of state and private investment, Indigenous communities in Mexico are encouraged to transform local cultural and environmental resources into tourist consumption sites. The process results in a shift toward reliance on tourism, in place of farming, leaving households with few alternative earning strategies amidst fluctuating tourist arrivals and income, confounding the relationship between tourism and sustainability and questioning the utility of tourism as a sustainable tool for development. This article analyses a community-based Indigenous tourism project in a rural Maya village in Mexico's Yucatan, and discusses strategies employed at household level to navigate the arrival of tourism. Funding agencies assessed this project based on a triple bottom line metric that accounts for ecological health, financial sustainability, and its relationship to local social capital; however, these fail to account for differences between local and non-local conceptions of authenticity, indigeneity, and success. From a social perspective, the project has exacerbated existing tensions and has arguably widened the gap between the politically and economically powerful and less powerful, marginalized families in the community. Questions about policy, governance systems, and elite domination and kin group control are raised.     

农民工融入城市过程中的文化适应

在农民工融入城市的过程中,相对于经济方面的适应,其文化适应更具本质意义和决定作用。因此,政府与社会各界对农民工适应城市文化的过程应给以格外关注,应采取各种措施帮助农民工尽快适应城市文化,以使农民工尽快完成其城市化的过程。     

我国新型农村金融机构存在的问题及对策分析

我国的新型农村金融机构自成立和运行以来,取得了一定的成绩,但也存在着若干问题亟待解决。本文分析了新型农村金融机构运行中存在的问题,并提出改进现状的相关建议,以更好地发挥新型农村金融机构在新农村建设中的作用。     

淮安市旅游资源的开发定位分析

淮安市是江淮流域人类文明的发源地之一,是国家级历史文化名城熏人文荟萃,旅游资源十分丰富,但分布不均,地区差异大。文章指出,在旅游开发定位时应以文化遗迹和名人故居为基础,发展爱国主义教育旅游;打造文化品牌,发展文化旅游熏利用交通过境优势,发展过境旅游。     

Exploring the effect of gender diversity in MFIs during turbulent periods

Abstract

Gender diversity is generally recognized as relevant in microfinance, and the relationship between gender diversity and firms’ performance has received attention in academic literature. The above-mentioned relationship has not been addressed until now in the microfinance industry specifically. This study seeks to explain the role played by gender diversity in the workforce of microfinance institutions (MFIs) during turbulent periods in the firms’ performance. The study analyses data from 555 ratings of 185 MFIs from MicroFinanza Rating, a leading microfinance rating agency. The analysis shows that the number of women on the staff of MFIs is significantly and positively associated with both the Return on Equity and Operational Self-Sufficiency of MFIs, indicating a positive impact of gender diversity on firms’ performance.