Multi-scale integrated analysis of rural Laos: Studying metabolic patterns of land uses across different levels and scales

This paper presents an application of the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach to the analysis of rural land uses. Using secondary data on farming systems in Laos, we illustrate how the concept of metabolic pattern can be used to establish links between the various indicators of performance of rural systems. To this purpose, we characterize the socioeconomic activities in rural Laos by a series of quantitative indicators defined across: (i) different hierarchical levels of organization described at different scales (i.e. households, rural villages, administrative regions and the whole country) and (ii) different dimensions of analysis, including economic, agronomic, social, biophysical, and ecological analysis. The MuSIASEM approach simultaneously employs two non-equivalent criteria for quantification. The observed rural system is described in terms of an integrated set of flow elements (money, food, energy, water, fertilizer and other materials), which are mapped against two distinct fund elements: (i) a multi-level matrix of human activity (flows being expressed in terms of intensity per hour) and (ii) a multi-level matrix of land uses (flows being expressed as density per hectare). Our case study shows that in this way it is possible to move across different hierarchical levels, scales and dimensions, to arrive at an integrated representation of the metabolic pattern of farming systems.     

How road improvement reduces poverty: the case of Laos

A general equilibrium modeling approach is used to study the effect that rural road improvement has on poverty incidence in Laos. Household survey data are used to distinguish three categories of rural villages according to their road access: (i) no vehicular access; (ii) dry season only access; and (iii) all weather access. A general equilibrium model of the Lao economy is then used to simulate, first, the effect of upgrading category (i) to category (ii) roads, and second, category (ii) to category (iii) roads. The former has a larger poverty‐reducing effect but is also more costly.     

A Case Study: Enhancing Laos' Tourism Sector Performance Through Destination Human Resource Development

Tourism in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) is a relatively new phenomenon that commenced in earnest in the late 1990s. A decade later, the country's tourism portfolio is dominated by regional visitors originating from neighbouring China, Thailand and Vietnam who generally tend to come in large numbers, are relatively low spenders and register short average length of stays. In order to reap the fiscal benefits of tourism and sustain the nation's fragile cultural and ecological makeup, the Government of Laos is being challenged to establish ways to shift the balance of its tourism demand to more profitable and lower impact market segments. A human resource development strategy published by the Lao National Tourism Administration in collaboration with Luxembourg Development Cooperation suggests that a sustained investment in people will improve tourism sector service quality, which in turn will result in increased industry profitability. This paper explores the existing human resource environment in Laos' tourism sector and outlines the required actions by various stakeholders to achieve improved sector performance and stewardship of the country's fragile culture and environment.     

老挝南奔矿区水文地质条件分析和矿坑涌水量预测

以南奔矿区详查阶段勘查资料为基础,通过对含水层(带)特征、结构面、矿床充水条件分析研究,划分出矿床水文地质类型和确定了水文地质条件复杂程度,并用大井法预测了矿坑涌水量为687.7m3/d,为后续的地质勘查工作及矿床开采提供依据。     

Road traffic injury among child motorcyclists in Vientiane Capital,Laos: a cross-sectional study using a hospital-based injury surveillance database

This study investigated the distribution of motorcyclists, including drivers and passengers, who were involved in road traffic crashes and admitted to hospital in Vientiane Capital, Laos. The focus was on child motorcycle drivers and passengers under 15 years. A hospital-based injury surveillance database in Vientiane Capital was used. The surveillance was performed in two hospitals. From 1 September to 31 December 2009, 3968 patients were admitted to the participating hospitals with road traffic injuries. Patients under 15 years accounted for 10.8% (427/3968). The majority of patients under 15 years were motorcycle drivers or passengers (71.7%, 306/427). Child motorcyclists including drivers and passengers were less likely to wear a helmet than adults (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.3, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2–0.5, for children 10–14 years; adjusted OR: 0.1, 95% CI, 0.05–0.4, for children under 10 years). It is suggested that stricter regulation enforcement for child motorcycle drivers and passengers may be needed. In addition, barriers against wearing helmets for motorcycle drivers and passengers in Laos should also be examined in further studies.     

Industrial relations in Asian socialist-transition economies: China,Vietnam and Laos

This article compares developments in industrial relations in three Asian socialist-transition countries: China, Vietnam and Laos. Previous comparative studies of China and Vietnam have identified major commonalities between these two labour regimes both before and after the economic reforms undertaken since the 1980s. Some studies have also identified key differences between the two, to the extent that it is said that the two labour regimes are ‘on the road to divergence’. Others have suggested that the reform paths undertaken by China and Vietnam are fundamentally similar. This article argues that Laos shares many of the similarities of China and Vietnam, but that to the extent that China and Vietnam are taking different paths Laos is tending to follow the more conservative Chinese path with some unique characteristics of its own.     

Currency Substitution in Laos

This study investigates the determinants of currency substitution in Laos based on the function of money demand. The empirical model is estimated using the autoregressive distributed lag approach to cointegration for the period 1993–2012. Our estimation results indicate that the interest rate differential is a significant currency substitution determinant in the Laos economy. Moreover, there is evidence supporting the existence of a ratchet effect in the currency allocation of deposits, implying that particularly strong policies should be pursued over an extended period of time in order to convince depositors to switch back to kip‐denominated assets.     

Development of land valuation approach based on hedonic model--A case study of Vientiane capital city Laos

The aim of this study is to identify the variables affecting land value. Examined land was selected from the village in Vientiane capital city Laos. Data was collected from 100 villages in center of Vientiane capital city by using survey methods. A hedonic price analysis was conducted to determine the marginal return to different land characteristics using an econometric model corrected for correlation. Parcel characteristics such as distance to public park, village income, distance of population, number of the school within 500 meters buffer, distance to the temple, distance to the major market and distance to the business center （CBD）. Arc GIS 9.2 was applied to calculate the distance of the factors, after that SPSS 15.0 was used to calculate the land price characteristic based on hedonic price model. The results showed that the distance to the center of population was the main factor influencing to the land price, and followed by school and village income. Map of the land price before and after hedonic price analysis were produced. The land price valuation approaches based on hedonic price model for Vientiane capital city were developed and land price map were predicted. Hedonic price model and GIS were very useful for this research, and finally the policy of the land valuation based on GIS was developed.