Are maize marketers averse to quality loss in supplies? A case study from Ghana

To ensure sustainable post‐harvest loss reduction, markets that are averse to quality loss and provide incentives for farmers to supply high quality produce are crucial. Such markets will be averse to quality loss, offering distinct prices and substantial rewards to farmers for the supply of quality produce. Farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), where informal markets exist, have often assessed the rewards for the supply of quality produce as inadequate. Hence, this study investigates if intermediary buyers are actually indifferent to quality loss in supplies based on two scenarios—the informal market scenario and a hypothesized grade scenario. The analysis builds on survey data from marketers in two informal maize markets in Ghana. For the hypothesized grade scenario, random effect regression was used to examine the influence of marketer‐specific characteristics on premiums offered to farmers over different quality levels. The findings suggest that although informal markets seem not to adequately value loss reduction, investing in institutional infrastructures, such as grades and standards can change this. Furthermore, interaction among marketers and association participation positively influences the value marketers place on quality loss reduction. The result highlights the importance of standard grading systems and collaborating with market groups in minimizing quality loss.     

基于Voronoi图的农村居民点空间分布及整治潜力研究——以威宁县为例

研究借助Arc GIS空间分析技术和Voronoi图Cv值法对贵州省威宁县农村居民点的空间分布特征进行分析,结果显示威宁县农村居民点Voronoi图Cv值为105.49%,空间分布类型属于集群型。以乡镇尺度看,草海镇等7个乡镇空间分布类型属于随机型,其余28个乡镇为集群型。在此基础上采用人均建设用地标准法测算威宁县农村居民点整治潜力值,结合各乡镇的农村居民点空间分布类型和整理潜力,将全县35个乡镇划分为集群型优势区、随机型优势区、集群型劣势区、随机型劣势区四个不同等级的整治潜力区划,其中整治潜力集群型优势区主要分布在云贵乡、雪山镇等11个乡镇,随机型优势区主要分布在草海镇、麻乍乡等5个乡镇,集群型劣势区主要分布在黑土河乡、中水镇等17个乡镇,随机型劣势区分布在兔街乡、黑石镇,并据此分析和探索各区划内农村居民点整治的方案策略。     

城市人居环境宜居度评价——来自我国四大直辖市的对比与分析

在分析了城市人居环境宜居度内涵的基础上,从自然、人文、经济三个层面构建了二级评价指标体系,综合运用熵权法和多目标线性加权函数法,构架了城市人居环境宜居度的定量化评价思路和框架。并选取我国四大直辖市为例,采用2009年统计数据,对北京、天津、上海、重庆的城市人居环境宜居度进行了定量评价。结果显示,北京在城市人居环境总宜居度、人文环境宜居度、自然环境宜居度及环境宜居度协调性上得分均最高,上海的经济人居环境宜居度最高,重庆、天津均不具有比较优势;四大直辖市的城市人居环境宜居度的协调性均不高。这与所作的专门公众意识调查结论也基本一致,为城市人居环境宜居度评价提供了新视域。     

制度二元结构、组织间非正式关系与企业技术创新——基于电子设备行业上市公司的实证研究

着重研究了由计划经济和市场经济共同构成的制度二元结构对组织间非正式关系与企业技术创新的调节作用,并基于电子设备类上市公司的数据对研究假设进行了检验。研究结论是:不同类型的组织间非正式关系能够对企业技术创新产生不同影响,而制度二元结构能够对组织间非正式关系与企业技术创新产生显著的调节作用。     

村庄信任与标会

本文在对温州一个村庄的标会情况进行了比较详尽调查的基础上 ,将村庄共同体理论和信任理论与该村的非正式金融发展现实相结合 ,初步地建立了“村庄信任”这样一个全新的理论概念与分析框架。借助这一分析框架 ,文章认为 :(1 )标会将自由竞标过程与程序、竞争性利率决定、自愿性合作、大众参与、信任等因素实现了有机结合 ,是一种很有效率、活力与竞争力的非正式金融制度安排。 (2 )因为村庄共同体与区域性文化等因素对标会行为的嵌入 (embeddedness) ,小规模、社区性标会在现实运作过程中的风险很小。 (3 )政府在有针对性地加强监管的同时 ,应该允许各种非正式金融的存在与发展。     

制度距离与跨国合作创新绩效——文化严格程度的调节作用

国家间差异是影响跨国合作创新的关键因素,然而,已有文献较少涉及国家制度和文化差异影响研究。试图从国家制度和文化视角探讨国家间差异对跨国合作创新的影响。在区分正式制度距离与非正式制度距离的基础上,采用2005-2019年17个国家相互之间共同发明专利数据,实证分析两类制度距离对跨国合作创新绩效的影响,并进一步检验文化严格程度在这一影响过程中的调节作用。研究表明,正式制度距离和非正式制度距离均对跨国合作创新绩效具有显著负向影响;文化严格程度减弱了正式制度距离的影响,却增强了个人主义/集体主义和长期导向/短期导向两个维度上非正式制度距离的影响,但对其它维度和总体非正式制度距离影响的调节作用并不显著。结论不仅揭示了不同国家文化环境下制度距离对跨国合作创新绩效的影响机制,还可为各国制定跨国合作创新战略以及我国应对中美科技合作挑战提供理论指导和参考。     

Does ICTs decrease the spread of informal economy in Africa?

This paper assesses the effect of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the informal economy. We applied the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) on a sample of 45 African countries from 2000 to 2017. According to the findings, the use of ICTs (mobile phone and internet) decreases the spread of the informal economy in Africa. These results are robust to a battery of robustness checks. Furthermore, the results of the mediation analysis show that the effect of ICTs on the informal economy is mediated by financial development, human capital and control of corruption. From a policy perspective, we suggest a quantitative and qualitative consolidation of technological infrastructures, for a sustainable mitigation of the rise of informal sector in Africa.     

HOUSING INFORMALITY IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH: Insights from a Policy Comparison between Accra and Buenos Aires

Informal settlement growth in various countries has led to distinctive actions that enhance low-income populations’ accessibility to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services. This trend indicates the need for comparative studies between countries and cities to understand the factors that lead to policy learning opportunities. We conducted an experimental comparison between Accra, Ghana, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, to understand, first, how policies on informal settlements have been formed, and secondly, what inquiries should be made to address housing informality in the global South. A comparison shows that these cities/countries have shared moments of neoliberalization and that their poor residents have experienced similar struggles regarding housing availability and the pursuit of extensive governmental interventions. Therefore, their experiences are worth examining. Our comparison indicates that first, Buenos Aires/Argentina has adopted more inclusive policies regarding informal dwellers than Accra/Ghana, and secondly, that diversifying housing solutions are an inevitable dynamic in cities/countries experiencing a surge in housing pressure across classes, races and geographies. In this article we articulate how the governments of these countries have dealt with these challenges and conceptualize the coproduction needs of housing informality in developing countries. We encourage policymakers facing informality in the South to respond to the questions we raise about facilitating policy learning.     

ZEIS maps: Comparing areas to be earmarked exclusively for social housing in São Paulo city

The Special Zones of Social Interest (Zonas Especiais de Interesse Social – ZEIS) are urban areas specifically earmarked under municipal law for social housing purposes. ZEIS maps demarcated under São Paulo city’s Master Plans – 2002 and 2014 – were examined to quantify the changes over the years and to provide starting point data to evaluate of the limits and the possibilities for further socioeconomic and legal analysis. The zoning impacts were assessed by numeric and cartographic comparison using the available socioeconomic maps and reports produced by the municipality. A post-occupation (a posteriori) zoning (ZEIS type 1 representing 9.4% of municipal area) followed the expansion of the informal settlements, thus providing a first step for assessing the land tenure, while a pre-occupation (a priori) zoning (ZEIS types 2, 3, 4 and 5 representing 2.3% of municipal area) is an important measure for designating land for social housing purposes, even if they do maintain the segregated occupation pattern on the periphery. Upgrading programs have been disappointing, considering the amount of informally occupied land; similarly, property regularization in the land registry offices reveals a lack of political priority and rare provision of public goods and amenities. For vacant land, determining the social function of property remains a challenge because less than 10% of land use intended for social housing projects was implemented as planned. Housing deficit and inequality remain as complex problems. Obviously ZEIS as a zoning tool is still unable to make the fairest occupation processes possible, not being an isolated solution, but if it is used correctly with other innovative measures and housing solutions, satisfactory results can be achieved.     

Planning for social inclusion: The impact of socioeconomic inequities on the informal development of farmland in suburban Beijing

Informal development on farmland is not only a major problem facing thousands of people, but also a major challenge to land use planning. In the rapidly growing literature on informal land development in China, most authors claim that ambiguous property rights and the dual land tenure system are the primary factors involved. As a result, existing state-led land use planning responses to informal development are solely focused on strengthening the legal regulation of land development. This paper challenges this approach, on the basis of the theory of urban informality. By examining many illegal gated communities in suburban Beijing, the paper argues that the informal development of farmland on the urban fringe is the result of local grassroots groups spontaneously responding to socioeconomic inequities in the context of transition to a market economy. These inequities mainly concern distributive inequity, procedural inequity and contextual inequity in relation to land use. It appears that the ongoing market-oriented initiatives of the state government could worsen informal land development unless these socioeconomic inequalities at the local level are tackled. The growing civil society is another change to the state's control of informal land development in China's cities. A new land use planning system which has more concern for social inclusion rather than focusing on centralized control is imperative in China.