Search Results (21)

The development and implementation of microbial consortium-based biofertilizers represent a promising direction in sustainable agriculture, particularly in the context of the ongoing global ecological and agricultural crisis. This article examines the agroecological and economic impacts of applying microbial consortiums and explores the mechanisms of technology transfer using the example of two countries with differing levels of scientific and technological advancement–China and Kazakhstan. The analysis of the Chinese experience reveals that the successful integration of microbial biofertilizers into agricultural practice is made possible by a well-established institutional framework that includes strong governmental support for R&D, a robust scientific infrastructure, and effective coordination with the private sector. In contrast, Kazakhstan, despite its favorable agroecological conditions and growing interest among farmers in environmentally friendly technologies, faces several challenges from limited funding to a fragmented technology transfer system. The comparative study demonstrates that adapting Chinese models requires consideration of local specificities and the strengthening of intergovernmental cooperation. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to establish a multi-level innovation ecosystem encompassing the entire cycle of development and deployment of microbial biofertilizers, as a prerequisite for improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food security in countries at different stages of economic development. Full article

This paper aims to test the hypothesis of the existence of significant tax competition between communes, which mainly concerns the share of value-added tax (VAT) proceeds, by exploring the system for allocating intergovernmental transfers in Morocco and analyzing the determinants of VAT transfers to local authorities. It contributes to fiscal federalism by assessing the design of the decentralized system and intergovernmental transfers. It aims to explore and understand the variables determining decentralization in Moroccan Municipalities over the period 2014–2018, based on institutional, budgetary, and political justifications, as well as their influence on local tax efficiency, highlighting the importance of intergovernmental transfers and their impacts on local government autonomy. We find that VAT revenue transfer antecedents include factors such as public expenditure, fiscal potential, tax effort, and political alignment. The results of this study can help better understand the relationship between VAT and economic variables and guide government tax policies in an emerging economy. This paper offers original perspectives on the importance of an informed vision for government decision-makers to develop effective tax policies considering stringent local budget constraints, the need for VAT revenue autonomy across levels of government, and the need for meeting the redistributive goals of the current VAT system. Full article

This paper investigates the intergovernmental transfer systems in South Africa, more specifically, the underlying determinants and formula of the unconditional grants of the education component of the Provincial Equitable Share (PES). The PES formula is a weighted shares formula that depends on the demographic shares of the provinces (population) to determine the equitable share outcomes to be transferred to individual provinces. We find that the variables used have two main weaknesses: Firstly, the enrolment variable, which could be contaminated with school repeats and dropouts, is too broad to be an effective measure for representing the real beneficiaries of the transfers. Secondly, infrequent updates about the school-age cohort population variables render the desired PES grant transfers for education outdated as well as serially inconsistent. The paper also provides an analysis of the PES formula’s mathematical construct, followed by a few suggested variables to improve the relevance and accuracy of the formula of the revenue transfer. One such improvement is demonstrated by the inclusion of the Enrolment Survival Measure (ESR). More research and data are required to extrapolate nuanced results and to understand the socio-economic impacts of adopting these new variables in the PES formula going forward. Full article

In recent years, the Sustainable Development Goals have introduced a “race to the top” mechanism to complement the “race to the bottom” in local governance and have an impact on pollution. This study utilizes the environmentally oriented accreditation of National Civilized Cities as a policy shock and applies the PSM-DID method to identify the pollution-relocation effects among cities triggered by the competition in local governance. The results indicate that environmentally oriented intergovernmental competition leads to the transfer of industrial enterprises to non-accredited cities, resulting in a significant increase in their pollution emissions and industrial pollution intensity. This indicates that the competition in asymmetric local governance will lead to the transfer of pollution to backward regions, which hampers the overall implementation efficiency of national environmental policies. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the impact is more significant for cities in the central and western regions. Being nominated for the National Civilized City accreditation helps to inhibit the influx of polluting enterprises. Cities that are not part of integrated environmental regulatory regions show a more pronounced increase in pollution emissions compared to other cities, indicating that symmetric local government environmental regulations and environmental collaborative governance contribute to restraining pollution transfer. Full article

The evolution of atmospheric and Earth surface physical properties over a period of 15 years (based on data from the longer period from 2004 to 2022) is analyzed through the radiance fluxes measured by the Meteosat second generation (MSG) satellite series. The results show significant changes in the solar (−2.6% to −1.2%) and infrared (+0.4% to +1.0%) domains, with −3.9% for the CO₂ absorption band (near 13.4 µm), all variations consistent with results from similar studies of radiation fluxes. Whereas the variation at 13.4 μm radiation is explained by the increase in the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere, the flux increase towards the satellite in the remainder of the infrared spectra measured by MSG corresponds to surface warming (as documented in external sources like the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The solar outgoing flux decrease exposes a recent reduction in the Earth’s cloud cover under the nominal field of view of Meteosat at 0 degrees longitude (MFOV). Radiance evolution at 6.2 µm and 7.3 µm, a spectral region of intense absorption by water vapor, is interpreted in terms of sensitivity to the humidity content in the middle and upper troposphere by means of a simple radiation transfer model. Full article

A residential ground-source heat pump system often requires a long payback time to recover the capital cost. Long-term uncertainty in such a system’s performance increases as the climate changes. This study compares 20-years hourly heating/cooling demands of a typical residence in the present (2000–2020) and in the future (2076–2095) for two locations in Japan. This study also calculated soil temperatures as heat sources through 1D heat-transfer simulation based on the A1B climate scenario in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report. System performance and simple payback times were compared in one cold and one warm city in Japan (Sapporo and Tokyo, respectively). Soil temperatures at a middle depth of a borehole heat exchanger were predicted to increase in the future by ~1 °C, with insignificant effects on a borehole heat exchanger. Seasonal performance factors increased in Sapporo because thermal demands would be kept even in the future, but decreased in Tokyo, which has a higher ratio of the energy used in operating the system in cooling mode compared with its small heating demand. The simple payback time was estimated at 16.2 and >20 years in Sapporo and Tokyo, respectively, both in the present and future, with the constant energy prices. If oil and gas prices doubled, the payback time would be halved in Sapporo to 8.4 years but remain around 20 years or more in Tokyo. Full article

In developing countries, anti-poverty programs are often implemented by local governments. However, due to the limitation of fiscal resources, the amount of anti-poor expenditure by the local government is generally less than what is needed for the poor. In this paper, we investigate whether an increase in the fiscal resources of local government will lead to an increase in anti-poor fiscal expenditure using county-level Chinese data. Using the fixed effect model, we show that local governments will put more fiscal resources into the minimum living standard guarantee (MLSG) system if they receive more intergovernmental transfers from high-level governments, but this effect only exists in urban areas. Moreover, the off-budget fiscal revenue does not affect the anti-poverty expenditure, both in rural and urban areas. Full article

China has committed to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and has set a goal of working towards carbon neutrality by 2060. Hunan province is a vital undertaking place for national industrial transfer. It is of great significance for promoting energy conservation and emission reduction to investigate the influencing factors and spatial effects of carbon emissions in Hunan province. Firstly, based on the energy consumption data of Hunan province from 2005 to 2017, this paper uses the method recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to measure the carbon emissions of Hunan province and its economic zones. Secondly, the five-factor Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model is constructed to analyze the influence degree of population size, economic development, industrial structure, energy intensity, and energy structure on carbon emissions. Finally, the spatial differences of the influencing factors in the four economic zones of Hunan province are analyzed. The research shows that: (1) An overall carbon emission reduction has been achieved in Hunan province since 2011. (2) Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Economic Zone is the key area to achieve carbon emission reduction, while there is still the phenomenon of emission increase in the other three economic zones. (3) For all economic zones, economic development contributes the most to the increase in carbon emissions, while energy intensity shows the strongest inhibitory effect. Other factors have various effects on the four economic zones. Full article

This perspective paper explores the rising impacts of the COVID-19 and the Russia–Ukraine war from different perspectives, with an emphasis on the role of climate financing in achieving equitable and just transition mechanisms and that of peace in expediting this pursuit and sustaining this drive. It is motivated by the realization that there is an urgent need for accelerating the decarbonisation agenda, as highlighted in pre-COP26 debates and in the resulting Glasgow Climate Pact, through the mitigation measures that can be unpacked at both cost and scale. This is further reiterated in the third instalment of Assessment Report 6 (AR6) the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, dwelling on Mitigation of Climate Change, underlining the required policy shifts and technology developmental needs. Green technology, however, comes at a green premium, being more expensive to implement in geographies that cannot absorb its cost in the immediate short term. This engenders an inequitable and unjust landscape, as those that require green technology are unable to have access to it but are most often on the frontlines of the impacts of climate change. While it is urgent to review this issue and to encourage more cooperation for technology development and transfer, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine war are posing mounting challenges for achieving these objectives. These two crises are causing an unprecedented rise in commodities and labour pricing, with further knock-on impacts on global supply chains for technology. This is in turn rendering green technology unattainable for developing and less developed countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Full article

Government financial investment has been increasingly adopted as a policy support to stimulate university–enterprise cooperation, however, empirical research from the perspective of knowledge flow remains limited. We reason that school–enterprise knowledge flow can be divided into dual stages, namely, knowledge creation and knowledge transfer, and this dual efficiency can be measured with the super-efficiency DEA model. The results show that the average value of knowledge creation efficiency (KCE) is higher than knowledge transfer efficiency (KTE). We adopt the Dynamic Generalized Spatial Model method to study the effect of government support on knowledge flow dual efficiency, and the regression results show that government support has a nonlinear effect on KCE while having a positive impact on KTE. We find that intergovernmental competition has a moderating influence on the relationship between government support and dual efficiency. Fiscal transparency can enhance the moderating effect of intergovernmental competition. Full article

Narrowing the development gap has long been and continues to be a key element of government aspiration worldwide. Since 2015, the Government of Indonesia has implemented the village fund (VF) transfer to enhance its rural economy, especially in remote areas. The impact of the VF on village development may vary greatly depending on the village’s location. This study examines the causal effects of VF transfer on the rural economic growth of underdeveloped villages in Indonesia. Using a nighttime light dataset at the village level as a proxy for rural economic growth and a regression discontinuity design in time, we found a significant improvement in rural economic growth in underdeveloped villages after the implementation of VF transfer. Our study confirms that the underdeveloped villages in East Indonesia are growing faster than those in West and Central Indonesia. The average growth of nightlight after the implementation of VF is approximately 156% in East Indonesia, 141% in Central Indonesia, and 98% in West Indonesia compared to the growth of pre-VF. Therefore, there is a strong argument to review the current formula of the VF to narrow the rural development gap in Indonesia. Full article

Palm oil is considered a key commodity in supporting the Indonesian economy, generating both domestic revenue and foreign exchange. Such revenue needs to be distributed equally for the benefit of the government and society. This paper discusses the opportunities and challenges of the proposed revenue-sharing scheme, DBH Sawit, sourcing from palm oil, particularly between central and local governments. It examines how the proposed scheme can be implemented and what strategies can reward regions for moving toward environmental sustainability practices. Research methods used in this paper include a literature study, stakeholder interviews, the SWOT method and analytical hierarchy processes. Results indicate that DBH Sawit is one of several fiscal instruments that could potentially incentivize sustainability. It has both strengths and anticipated opportunities, such as increased CPO production and global demand for palm oil. It faces, however, serious weaknesses, such as unauthorized oil palm plantations and the absence of traceability systems. It is also threatened by unfair market and global policies. This paper recommends diverse strategies to increase palm oil productivity, accelerate sustainability certification and develop a tracing system. To accelerate the adoption of environmental sustainability, the paper advocates an ecological-based fiscal transfer system. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has put immense pressure on the fiscal situation. Central revenues have decelerated while expenditures had to be increased to facilitate economic recovery. Local governments faced even harder challenges as intergovernmental transfers were reduced and room for mobilizing alternative finances was limited. This paper employs qualitative and secondary data analysis on local budget and fiscal capacities at the subnational level in Indonesia to find insights into the implications and responses of the provincial government in a decentralized economy during the pandemic. Provinces with a high dependence on intergovernmental transfer are struggling to adopt a countercyclical mitigative fiscal policy. However, provinces with high local own-source revenue have suffered the most during the crisis as low economic activity reduced tax revenues and indirectly lead to lower fiscal space. As fiscal policy is critical to containing the pandemic and facilitating recovery, this paper proposes several strategies toward a more sustainable fiscal policy for rebuilding local government capacity in the medium-to-long term in the aftermath of the crisis. Full article

Lakes Azuei (LA) and Enriquillo (LE) on Hispaniola Island started expanding in 2005 and continued to do so until 2016. After inundating large swaths of arable land, submerging a small community, and threatening to swallow a significant trade route between the Dominican Republic and Haiti; worries persisted at how far this seemingly unstoppable expansion would go. The paper outlines the approach to a look forward to answer this question vis-à-vis climate change scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It uses numerical representations of the two lakes, and it examines how the lakes might evolve, deploying three different forcing mechanisms: that of weather and drift due to climate change, that of extreme events, such as hurricanes, and that of anthropogenic impacts, such as unintended water transfers between adjacent watersheds. Runs are executed Monte Carlo style using 11 different forcing combinations, each with a thousand instances of results generated by varying the numerous parameters that define the numerical models. The results are necessarily not precise and vary significantly as the forecast horizon expands, creating expanding envelopes of outcomes. Although some outcomes suggest a continued rise of the lake levels, most scenarios yield a reduction and recession of the lake waters. Full article

Draft commercial exploitation regulations have been on the agenda of the ISA since several 15-year exploration contracts expired a few years ago. Given the ineffective implementation in practice and the ignored chapter in several mining regulations on the transfer of mining technology, the future Enterprise and developing countries may take a more positive approach to the transfer of mining technology by striking a delicate balance between the provisions on the protection of intellectual property and those on capacity building under the framework of UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement, through reciprocal and mutual beneficial means such as direct technology purchasing and investment cooperation. The International Seabed Authority, as the competent inter-governmental organization, has the duty to foster favorable conditions for such transfer. Full article