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There is a strand of the economics literature that considers the regionalized economic effects of natural resource endowments. The so-called Natural Resource Curse suggests that natural resource endowments are associated with lower longterm growth rates in the areas in which the resources are located. Lower growth arises because these areas tend to specialize in the development and exploitation of the natural resources at the expense of other dynamic economic activities that offer higher long-term growth potential. Empirical evidence has, however, not reached consistent conclusions. In this paper, we take advantage of the rapid growth in oil and gas development and production in Texas over the course of a decade to consider the localized effects on inter-industry county-level employment at the NAICS-2, county-level mean and median income, and key public finance measures at both the county and school district levels. Considering the effects within a single, large and economically diverse state enables us to control for important state-level variables that influence local public finances. We find little evidence of short term effects necessary to generate the circumstance of a resource curse over the longer term.

Despite the commitment of the United Nations (UN) to provide everyone with equal access to basic services, the construction sector still fails to reach the production capacity and quality standards which are needed to meet the fast-growing demand for affordable homes. Whilst innovation measures are urgently needed to address the existing inefficiencies, the identification and development of the most appropriate solutions require a comprehensive understanding of the barriers obstructing the design and construction phase of affordable housing. To identify such barriers, an exploratory data mining analysis was conducted in which agglomerative hierarchical clustering made it possible to gather latent knowledge from 3566 text-based research outputs sourced from the Web of Science and Scopus. The analysis captured 83 supply-side barriers which impact the efficiency of the value chain for affordable housing provision. Of these barriers, 18 affected the design and construction phase, and after grouping them by thematic area, seven key matters of concern were identified: (1) design (not) for all, (2) homogeneity of provision, (3) unhealthy living environment, (4) inadequate construction project management, (5) environmental unsustainability, (6) placemaking, and (7) inadequate technical knowledge and skillsets. The insights which resulted from the analysis were seen to support evidence-informed decision making across the affordable housing sector. The findings suggest that fixing the inefficiencies of the affordable housing provision system will require UN Member States to accelerate the transition towards a fully sustainable design and construction process. This transition should prioritize a more inclusive and socially sensitive approach to the design and construction of affordable homes, capitalizing on the benefits of greater user involvement. In addition, transformative actions which seek to deliver more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly homes should be promoted, as well as new investments in the training and upskilling of construction professionals.

Abstract Different assumptions and methodologies prompt divergent policy recommendationgs for combatting climate change. Although climate scientists would like to be as precise as possible, policymakers with different attitudes towards climate change will always choose the result that matches their own value judgments. This paper discusses the impact of climate change attitudes on optimal mitigation in 15 regions. The climate change attitude is refined by a meta-analysis of 27 climate damage estimations and distilled into five damage functions. The optimal mitigation is calculated using the non-cooperative scenario of the regional integrated model of climate economy (RICE). The results show that the optimal mitigation paths in developing countries are more sensitive to climate change attitudes than they are in developed countries. In 2100, the range of optimal emissions represents 20% of the average optimal emissions by developing countries, which is twice the value of average optimal emissions by developed countries. The average social carbon cost in developing countries is 20 times higher than that in developed countries. This large uncertainty may be the combined result of high shadow prices of capital and large quantities of future emissions in these developing countries.

Global supply chains power 80% of world trade, but also host widespread environmental, labor, and human rights abuses in developing countries. Most scholarship focuses on some form of sanction to motivate supply chain members, but we propose that the fundamental problem is not insufficient punishment, but a lack of trust. Fickle tastes, incessant demands for lower prices, and spot market indifference force suppliers into a constant struggle for economic survival. No trust can grow in such an environment, and few sustainability practices can take meaningful root. Responding to multiple calls for scholarship in the supply chain literature, we propose a trust-building process by which supply chains can evolve from indifference and hostility to a relational partnership that produces joint investments in sustainable practices. The result is a supply chain that is more efficient, more humane, and embeds sustainability in the supply chain for the long-term.

Climate change and urbanization have been identified as major challenges that will have an increasingly significant impact on the well-being of children in coming decades, particularly on the poorest and most vulnerable children (UNICEF 2016). This is nowhere more so than in Uganda, which is already frequently affected by droughts and where the rate of urbanization is high. Uganda has made great strides in reducing poverty in recent decades. However, child poverty remains high with more than 50 per cent of children aged under five living in poverty. Children represent more than half of the population and, as such, the country’s vision of becoming a middle-income country by 2040 remains highly contingent on government’s ability to safeguard the rights of its children.

Circular economy (CE) is a sustainable substitute for the current linear model of economy, and its adoption within the Omani built environment is increasing due to resource depletion and increased waste generation. The construction industry in Oman is one of the first among countries in the Arab states to pursue sustainable development. However, understanding the implementation challenges associated with CE is important to this region, as it attempts to diversify its economies beyond oil and gas, which is vital to the success of the country. The main challenges identified within the literature in relation to CE include a lack of knowledge of the concept, unclear financial implications, misaligned regulations and a lack of transparent technical data. The aim of this study was to explore such challenges within the context of Oman, and an exploratory study consisting of ten interviews and 80 survey responses was undertaken. Factor analysis results revealed that the critical challenges of CE ultimately begin with government barriers such as the absence of a clear vision and legislation supporting CE. This was followed by a lack of government funding for research, innovation and investment, as well as technical barriers such as a lack of qualified professionals in the field.

This paper examines the success of small-scale farming livelihoods in adapting to climate variability and change. We represent adaptation actions as choices within a response space that includes coping but also longer-term adaptation actions, and define success as those actions which promote system resilience, promote legitimate institutional change, and hence generate and sustain collective action. We explore data on social responses from four regions across South Africa and Mozambique facing a variety of climate risks. The analysis suggests that some collective adaptation actions enhance livelihood resilience to climate change and variability but others have negative spillover effects to other scales. Any assessment of successful adaptation is, however, constrained by the scale of analysis in terms of the temporal and spatial boundaries on the system being investigated. In addition, the diversity of mechanisms by which rural communities in southern Africa adapt to risks suggests that external interventions to assist adaptation will need to be sensitive to the location-specific nature of adaptation.

Abstract This paper has two key objectives. Firstly, using the findings from case study research undertaken in Colombo (Sri Lanka), Faisalabad (Pakistan) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), the paper seeks to demonstrate the importance of an appropriate regulatory framework and effective mechanisms of enforcement for sustainable urban transport systems in developing countries. Secondly, the paper highlights the critical importance of communication and co-ordination between stakeholders (defined here as transport users, providers and regulators) if regulation is to be effective. The views of poor and disadvantaged passenger groups—women, children, the elderly and disabled—are used in the paper to illustrate the importance of transport systems to their livelihoods, such as work, education, health and social pursuits. The case studies suggest that in the context of the failure of both the fully regulated public transport sector and the completely deregulated sector self regulation is a potentially useful alternative. In practice, self regulation has been achieved in the case study locations through the formation of cooperatives or associations of stakeholders such as users and operators. In the conclusion, the paper makes two key points. Firstly, that regulation must be open, honest and effective, but not so detailed or ‘heavy’ that it incites the potential for corrupt practices. Secondly, communication and co-ordination between stakeholders is critical if any form of regulation is to be effective—owners', employees' and passengers' associations have a vital role in this regard, as do Transport Forums consisting of all stakeholders. The participation of stakeholders and real and effective consultation are more important in the case of self regulation of public transport service provision than in other regulatory regimes.