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In the context of changing cannabis and other drug policy and regulation, concerns may arise regarding drug treatment access and use. We assessed cannabis/cocaine-related dependence and treatment in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.Nationally representative cross-sectional household surveys of people ages 15-64 in Argentina (4 surveys, 2006-2017), Chile (7 surveys, 2006-2018), and Uruguay (4 surveys, 2006-2018) were harmonized. We estimated weighted prevalences of cannabis or cocaine-related (cocaine or cocaine paste) dependence, based on meeting 3+ past-year ICD-10 dependence criteria. We estimated weighted prevalences of past-year alcohol/drug treatment use (Argentina, Chile) or use/seeking (Uruguay) among people with past-year cannabis/cocaine-related dependence. We tested model-based prevalence trends over time and described individual-level treatment correlates by country.Cannabis/cocaine dependence prevalence increased in the region starting in 2010-2011, driven by cannabis dependence. Adjusted cannabis dependence prevalence increased from 0.7% in 2010 to 1.5% in 2017 in Argentina (aPD=0.8, 95% CI= 0.3, 1.2), from 0.8% in 2010 to 2.8% in 2018 in Chile (aPD=2.0, 95% CI= 1.4, 2.6), and from 1.4% in 2011 to 2.4% in 2018 in Uruguay (aPD=0.9, 95% CI= 0.2, 1.6). Cocaine-related dependence increased in Uruguay, decreased in Argentina, and remained stable in Chile. Among people with past-year cannabis/cocaine dependence, average alcohol/drug treatment use prevalence was 15.3% in Argentina and 6.0% in Chile, while treatment use/seeking was 14.7% in Uruguay. Alcohol/drug treatment prevalence was lower among people with cannabis dependence than cocaine-related dependence. Treatment correlates included older ages in all countries and male sex in Argentina only.Alcohol/drug treatment use among people with cannabis/cocaine-related dependence remained low, signaling an ongoing treatment gap in the context of growing cannabis dependence prevalence in the region. Additional resources may be needed to increase treatment access and uptake. Future studies should assess contributors of low treatment use, including perceived need, stigma, and service availability.

This study investigates how the structural mix of USA regional economies affects their volatility of economic growth. Four exogenous sectors are chosen for this investigation: Federal Government, construction, manufacturing, and tourism. Perhaps unsurprisingly, evidence suggests that a larger share of Federal Government employment in an economy reduces the variability of overall employment growth, while a larger share of construction activity elevates it. More telling is a finding that, recently, manufacturing has not contributed as much to such variability, and that a larger tourism presence increases it. The increasing integration of technology in tourism offers significant opportunities for a network approach and innovation in regional development.

The objective of this presentation is to promote the development of a book to help development agents in developing (and developed) countries to better understand what is involved in the management of complex adaptive systems. The problem relates to linked rural poverty and environmental sustainability, though this can be solved through adaptive management for small holder innovation by providing development agents with knowledge and understanding to assist small holder innovation for adaptive management of complex adaptive systems (CAS). The objective is to encourage policy makers and donors to support local innovation and adaptive management. ME (Management Entity)

The capstone project aims to modify and finalize an existing hydroponic crop cultivation (HCC) system, called the "Fold-out-Farm," to operate on a floating platform in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that are susceptible to food insecurity due to natural and economic factors. Specifically, when SIDS are hit by natural disasters, crops and agricultural infrastructure can be severely damaged, causing many people to suffer from a lack of both food access and job opportunity. The Fold-out-Farm is completely self-sufficient – it has its own water collection system, solar-based power generation, and on-board growing pods. The unit can float to combat disaster consequences from incidents such as hurricanes. Specifically, the project is working to add a rainwater harvesting system and validate the structural integrity of the unit during a flood. The farm is designed to use off-the-shelf nutrient solutions to grow a variety of crops and the team will find the most suitable option. The team will also expand the market niche for the HCC system by determining the optimal use for the product in urban food deserts, refugee camps, and rooftop gardens. The approach taken has involved communication and research to understand the needs of those who could benefit from a Fold-out-Farm, as well as various testing methods for crops and structure of the unit. Testing has been done through expert surveys, estimation of structural performance, simulation software analysis, and evaluation of crop yield from the unit relative to a control crop grown in soil. Results will be continuously measured, first in testing the system’s ability to deliver water, sun and nutrients to growing modules, its crop yield, and stability in an open water test in the Rivanna river, and finally when presenting the design to sponsors and potential users. Future researchers may build upon these findings to further improve the unit and its potential use to ensure that it is understandable and acceptable to the communities who will be using it. The project will have a market-ready product capable of reducing food insecurity in SIDS and potentially in urban food deserts, refugee camps and rooftop gardens in land scarce areas. The Science, Technology, and Society (STS) report details how the development of an aquaculture industry in the Great Lakes basin of North America can diversify food production and increase food security in the Midwest region of the United States. The report answers how aquaculture can be economically viable in the Midwest and why creating a thriving aquaculture industry in the Midwest would be advantageous for the region by increasing economic activity and food security. An analysis of a Midwest aquaculture industry through the lenses of actor network theory and technological momentum, two sociological frameworks, will be included. An outline of steps that can be taken by federal and state governments by creating an “open for business” posture, reducing regulations, and passing several tax exemptions that would incentivize investment in a Midwest aquaculture industry is discussed in addition to an analysis of general economic feasibility. The common theme of economic development, resiliency and sustainability ties these two projects together. Agriculture and aquaculture are both essential components of food production systems and play a vital role in ensuring food security and economic development in developing countries. Moreover, both fields are subject to socio-technical influences, and their success is heavily dependent on factors such as government policies, technological advancements, and social and cultural factors. Therefore, the technical work in agriculture and the STS research in aquaculture complement each other, providing a holistic approach to understanding and addressing the complex socio-economic challenges faced concerning economic well-being.

A large number of governance interventions are being developed in order to reduce deforestation and enhance the sustainability of commodity supply chains across the tropics. The extent to which individual agricultural commodity supply chain interventions can achieve scale, and environmental or social objectives, depends in part on the ways in which those interventions interact with other interventions. We use a case-study of the new Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) cattle certification program in Brazil to explore the different ways in which governance interventions interact. We examine the broad landscape of policies and programs that affect sustainability in the cattle supply chain in Brazil, and assess whether such interventions support or constrain the scaling up of the SAN cattle program. We conducted semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from government, private sector, and civil society organizations. We found that multiple interventions are acting in a complementary manner to enhance sustainability and therefore enable the scaling up of the SAN program, by aiding compliance with environmental laws, adoption of good production practices, and improved monitoring. At the same time, limited development, implementation, and complementarity of some interventions could be antagonistic to the SAN program's expansion because they maintain a context in which many actors operate far below the sustainability criteria required by the program. Our holistic approach enables us to identify specific gaps in the complex landscape of governance interventions in Brazil. Greater strategic complementarity and coordination between interventions may catalyze a more coherent and effective pathway to reduced deforestation and enhanced sustainability.

India has witnessed substantial reforms in indirect taxes over the past two decades with the replacement of state sales taxes by Value Added Tax (VAT) in 2005 marking a watershed in this regard. Prior to VAT implementation, the tax structure was considered problematic primarily due to the “cascading effect of taxes”whereby an item is taxed more than once from the production to the final retail sales stage.To avoid this irrational tax structure, VAT was introduced so that that taxes are paid on the “value added portion” by each producer and the hurdles of the cascading effect are done away with. But shortcomings were also noticed in the VAT structure and efforts were made to further rationalise the system.The government has therefore recognised the need for harmonisation of goods and services tax so that both can be levied in a comprehensive and rational manner in a new taxation regime – Goods and Services Tax (GST).While presenting the Union Budget 2007-08, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced that GST would be introduced from April 1, 20102, in order to supplement the existing VAT system in India with a tax structure where goods and services tax can be unified in a comprehensive manner. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers would work with the Central government to prepare a road map for its roll out.

Urban infrastructure investment needs in the developing world are immense, particularly when the additional costs associated with lower carbon, more climate-resilient options are considered. These cannot possibly be financed from fiscal sources and ODA flows alone; private financing will need to be accessed. Focusing on the ability of city governments and subnational urban utilities to mobilize private finance, this paper makes two core arguments. First, private investment in municipal infrastructure requires robust institutional, fiscal and regulatory systems that are often absent in developing countries. Establishing such systems often requires policy and institutional reform, much of which lies beyond the competence and control of city governments themselves. Second, while the marginal investment needs related to climate mitigation and adaptation complicate and aggravate the picture, they do not alter the fundamental requirements of private investors. Put simply, municipalities and utilities will need to satisfy the requirements of regular private finance before they can attract green private finance. This paper looks across the main avenues for city governments to mobilize private finance – municipal borrowing, public–private partnerships, and land value capture instruments – and identifies four broad factors that determine the potential size and scope of city leveraging activity. It then offers a new framework to understand where the most pressing constraints to private investment readiness lie and proposes priority measures that local and national governments, together with development partners and other stakeholders, can take to address them.

In 2015, an estimated 429,000 deaths and 212 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide, while 70% of the deaths occurred in children under five years old. Changes in climatic exposure such as temperature and precipitation makes malaria one of the most climate sensitive outcomes. Using a global malaria mortality dataset for 105 countries between 1980 and 2010, we estimate that the global optimal temperature maximizing all-age malaria mortality is 20.6, lower than previously predicted in the literature. While in the case of child mortality, a significantly lower optimum temperature of 19.3° is estimated. Our results also suggest that in Africa and Asia, the continents where malaria is most prevalent malaria, mortality is maximized at 28.4 and 26.3, respectively. Furthermore, we estimate that child mortality (ages 0-4) is likely to increase by up to 20 percent in some areas due to climate change by the end of the 21st century.