The sociocultural contexts and meanings associated with livestock keeping in rural South Africa

This paper complements Vetter’s position paper, ‘Development and sustainable management of rangeland commons – aligning policy with the realities of South Africa’s rural landscape’ (Vetter in this issue). It seeks to advance the debate regarding the contemporary nature of livestock keeping in South Africa. It sheds some anthropological light on the role of ‘culture’ in accounting for people’s values and practices in relation to livestock and reflects on the implications of this for policy-making in this area.

Diversifying into technical clothing manufacture as entrepreneurial learning: a situated learning theory perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate analytically how entrepreneurial action as learning relating to diversifying into technical clothing – i.e. a high-value manufacturing sector – can take place. This is particularly relevant to recent discussion and debate in academic and policy-making circles concerning the survival of the clothing manufacture industry in developed industrialised countries. Design/methodology/approach – Using situated learning theory (SLT) as the major analytical lens, this case study examines an episode of entrepreneurial action relating to diversification into a high-value manufacturing sector. It is considered on instrumentality grounds, revealing wider tendencies in the management of knowledge and capabilities requisite for effective entrepreneurial action of this kind. Findings – Boundary events, brokers, boundary objects, membership structures and inclusive participation that addresses power asymmetries are found to be crucial organisational design elements, enabling the development of inter- and intracommunal capacities. These together constitute a dynamic learning capability, which underpins entrepreneurial action, such as diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors. Originality/value – Through a refinement of SLT in the context of entrepreneurial action, the paper contributes to an advancement of a substantive theory of managing technological knowledge and capabilities for effective diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors.

Rapid assessment of historic, current and future habitat quality for biodiversity around UK Natura 2000 sites

Changes in landscape composition and structure may impact the conservation and management of protected areas. Species that depend on specific habitats are at risk of extinction when these habitats are degraded or lost. Designing robust methods to evaluate landscape composition will assist decision- and policy-making in emerging landscapes. This paper describes a rapid assessment methodology aimed at evaluating landcover quality for birds, plants, butterflies and bees around seven UK Natura 2000 sites. An expert panel assigned quality values to standard Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) landcover classes for each taxonomic group. Quality was assessed based on historical (1950, 1990), current (2000) and future (2030) land-cover data, the last projected using three alternative scenarios: a growth applied strategy (GRAS), a business-as-might-beusual (BAMBU) scenario, and sustainable European development goal (SEDG) scenario. A quantitative quality index weighted the area of each land-cover parcel with a taxa-specific quality measure. Land parcels with high quality for all taxonomic groups were evaluated for temporal changes in area, size and adjacency. For all sites and taxonomic groups, the rate of deterioration of land-cover quality was greater between 1950 and 1990 than current rates or as modelled using the alternative future scenarios (2000– 2030). Model predictions indicated land-cover quality stabilized over time under the GRAS scenario, and was close to stable for the BAMBU scenario. The SEDG scenario suggested an ongoing loss of quality, though this was lower than the historical rate of c. 1% loss per decade. None of the future scenarios showed accelerated fragmentation, but rather increases in the area, adjacency and diversity of high quality land parcels in the landscape.

Evaluating the sustainable intensification of arable farms

Sustainable Intensification (SI) of agriculture has recently received widespread political attention, in both the UK and internationally. The concept recognises the need to simultaneously raise yields, increase input use efficiency and reduce the negative environmental impacts of farming systems to secure future food production and to sustainably use the limited resources for agriculture. The objective of this paper is to outline a policy-making tool to assess SI at a farm level. Based on the method introduced by Kuosmanen and Kortelainen (2005), we use an adapted Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to consider the substitution possibilities between economic value and environmental pressures generated by farming systems in an aggregated index of Eco-Efficiency. Farm level data, specifically General Cropping Farms (GCFs) from the East Anglian River Basin Catchment (EARBC), UK were used as the basis for this analysis. The assignment of weights to environmental pressures through linear programming techniques, when optimising the relative Eco-Efficiency score, allows the identification of appropriate production technologies and practices (integrating pest management, conservation farming, precision agriculture, etc.) for each farm and therefore indicates specific improvements that can be undertaken towards SI. Results are used to suggest strategies for the integration of farming practices and environmental policies in the framework of SI of agriculture. Paths for improving the index of Eco-Efficiency and therefore reducing environmental pressures are also outlined.

Financial viability appraisals for site-specific planning decisions in England

In England, appraisals of the financial viability of development schemes have become an integral part of planning policy-making, initially in determining the amount of planning obligations that might be obtained via legal agreements (known as Section 106 agreements) and latterly as a basis for establishing charging schedules for the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Local planning authorities set these policies on an area-wide basis but ultimately development proposals require consent on a site-by-site basis. It is at this site-specific level that issues of viability are hotly contested. This paper examines case documents, proofs of evidence and decisions from a sample of planning disputes in order to address major issues within development viability, the application of the models and the distribution of the development gain between the developer, landowner and community. The results have specific application to viability assessment in England and should impact on future policy and practice guidance in this field. They also have relevance to other countries that incorporate assessments of economic viability in their planning systems.

Scenarios of technology adoption towards low-carbon cities

Technological change has often been presented as a readily accepted means by which long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions can be achieved. Cities are the future centers of economic growth, with the global population becoming predominantly urban; hence, increases or reductions of GHG emissions are tied to their energy strategies. This research examines the likelihood of a developed world city (the Greater Toronto Area) achieving an 80% reduction in GHG emissions through policy-enabled technological change. Emissions are examined from 3 major sources: light duty passenger vehicles, residential buildings and commercial/institutional buildings. Logistic diffusion curves are applied for the adoption of alternative vehicle technologies, building retrofits and high performance new building construction. This research devises high, low and business-as-usual estimates of future technological adoption and finds that even aggressive scenarios are not sufficient to achieve an 80% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050. This further highlights the challenges faced in maintaining a relatively stable climate. Urban policy makers must consider that the longer the lag before this transition occurs, the greater the share of GHG emissions mitigation that must addressed through behavioural change in order to meet the 2050 target, which likely poses greater political challenges.

Biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity as key drivers of ecosystem services provided by soils

Soils play a pivotal role in major global biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nutrient, and water), while hosting the largest diversity of organisms on land. Because of this, soils deliver fundamental ecosystem services, and management to change a soil process in support of one ecosystem service can either provide co-benefits to other services or result in trade-offs. In this critical review, we report the state-of-the-art understanding concerning the biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity in soil, and relate these to the provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services which they underpin. We then outline key knowledge gaps and research challenges, before providing recommendations for management activities to support the continued delivery of ecosystem services from soils. We conclude that, although soils are complex, there are still knowledge gaps, and fundamental research is still needed to better understand the relationships between different facets of soils and the array of ecosystem services they underpin, enough is known to implement best practices now. There is a tendency among soil scientists to dwell on the complexity and knowledge gaps rather than to focus on what we do know and how this knowledge can be put to use to improve the delivery of ecosystem services. A significant challenge is to find effective ways to share knowledge with soil managers and policy makers so that best management can be implemented. A key element of this knowledge exchange must be to raise awareness of the ecosystems services underpinned by soils and thus the natural capital they provide. We know enough to start moving in the right direction while we conduct research to fill in our knowledge gaps. The lasting legacy of the International Year of Soils in 2015 should be for soil scientists to work together with policy makers and land managers to put soils at the centre of environmental policy making and land management decisions.

Green infrastructure and ecosystem services - is the devil in the detail?

Background - Green infrastructure is a strategic network of green spaces designed to deliver ecosystem services to human communities. Green infrastructure is a convenient concept for urban policy makers, but the term is used too-generically and with limited understanding of the relative values or benefits of different types of green space and how these complement one another. At a finer scale/more practical level– little consideration is given to the composition of the plant-communities, yet this is what ultimately defines extent of service provision. This paper calls for greater attention to be paid to urban plantings with respect to ecosystem service delivery and for plant science to engage more-fully in identifying those plants that promote various services. Scope - Many urban plantings are designed based on aesthetics alone, with limited thought on how plant choice/composition provides other ecosystem services. Research is beginning to demonstrate, however, that landscape plants provide a range of important services, such as helping mitigate floods and alleviating heat islands, but that not all species are equally effective. The paper reviews a number of important services and demonstrates how genotype choice radically affects service delivery. Conclusions – Although research is in its infancy, data is being generated that relates plant traits to specific services; thereby helping identify genotypes that optimise service delivery. The urban environment, however, will become exceedingly bland if future planting is simply restricted to monocultures of a few ‘functional’ genotypes. Therefore, further information is required on how to design plant communities where the plants identified:- a/ provide more than a single benefit (multi-functionality) b/ complement each other in maximising the range of benefits that can be delivered in one location and c/ continue to maintain public acceptance through diversity. The identification/development of functional landscape plants is an exciting and potentially high impact arena for plant science.

Wolves in sheeps' clothing: Creationist manipulation of Kansas science standards

So the question that animates this paper is this: what happens when a state's education policy seeks to make popular social and religious values a central part of its education standards in direct confrontation with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution? I will try to answer that question in three ways. First, I will examine the tactics used in the manipulation of curricula to reflect social and religious values, with special focus on the Kansas case. Second, I will try to ascertain the determinants of success in these efforts; under what conditions are movements to impose creation science on public school curricula likely to succeed, and when to fail? Third, I will try to place these struggles over educational curricula, and between religion and science, in broader context, focusing on what they tell us about the nature of public policy making in the contemporary United States.

The development agenda for WIPO: another stillbirth?: A batttle between access to knowledge and enclousure

This paper has been produced as part of the examination in order to obtain a Master degree in Law (LLM), in Intellectual Property, at Queen Mary & Westfield College, University of London.

Regulação e defesa da concorrência: bases conceituais e aplicações do sistema de competências compartilhadas

Esta pesquisa discute configurações institucionais ótimas e sugere, nas atuais circunstâncias brasileiras, mecanismos de cooperação inter-institucional, de sorte a maximizar a eficiência de ações conjuntas entre agências regulatórias e de defesa da concorrência, minimizando os custos de coordenação. A pesquisa contém três partes. A primeira discute aspectos teóricos de um sistema de competências complementares entre a autoridade de defesa da concorrência e a agência regulatória, destacando suas eventuais vantagens comparativamente às possíveis configurações institucionais alternativas. A segunda contém breve sumário da experiência histórico-concreta nos planos mundial e nacional, procurando situar, na medida do possível, diferentes países e setores em tipologia sugerida na primeira parte. A terceira apresenta algumas recomendações de política.

Crédito PRONAF: conquista, afirmação e reconhecimento: o processo de formulação de uma política pública

Brazil is a huge country full of peculiar significant issues for those who want to make academic contributions for public policy making and implementation. Therefore, this work aims to contribute to the public policy making debate from the family farmers perspective. Starting with historical issues about Brazilian rural policy, this text highlights the National Program for Familiar Agriculture (PRONAF) credit policy and several relevant elements for the public administration on this specific field such as the Sistema Nacional de Crédito Rural (60¿s), the sector crisis on the 80¿s and the implementation of the PRONAF itself. The theoretical reference is based on several works related to policy making, especially under authors as Lindblom and Kingdon, based on the model build by Barzelay and Velarde which focus on the public policy processes. For the conclusion, some nuances are mentioned as developing needs such as policy appropriation, social actor movements and policy rebuilding itself

Questões contemporâneas referentes à educação e ao ensino à luz de pesquisas recentes em dissertações de mestrado em administração e gestão educacional

Este trabalho tem como principal objetivo de estudo as questões contemporâneas sobre educação e ensino à luz das dissertações de mestrado apresentadas à Escola Brasileira de Administração Pública. O tema educação vem sendo, ultimamente, uma das principais estratégias de formuladores de políticas públicas, visto o "gargalo educacional" em que se encontra o Brasil para seu crescimento. Constatada a relevância do tema na atualidade, iniciamos o trabalho situando as questões da educação em contexto histórico no qual diferentes forças políticas se confrontam, configurando um duelo de diretrizes educacionais. A partir deste contexto histórico, apresentamos as questões contemporâneas sobre educação. Finalmente, na última parte deste trabalho, analisamos as propostas apresentadas sobre educação, verificando a eficácia de implementação e o tipo de abordagem realizada pelos autores.

Variações de presidencialismos na Federação Brasileira: processo político e reforma no estados, 1995-2006

Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar os impactos das variações institucionais nas relações Executivo-Legislativo nos estados sobre as políticas públicas neles implementadas. Para isso, analisa as instituições, com foco no Poder Legislativo, a agenda do governador, sua liderança política e as coalizões de apoio. Inicialmente é feita uma discussão sobre os instrumentos analíticos disponíveis para os estudos legislativos e sua utilização para a compreensão de processos políticos no contexto brasileiro. Em seguida, com base em estudos sobre a Câmara dos Deputados brasileira e sobre os legislativos estaduais norte-americanos, são selecionados os recortes mais aplicáveis para se captar a diversidade institucional nos estados brasileiros, especialmente no que se refere à sua capacidade legislativa e fiscalizadora. Posteriormente, são elaborados estudos de caso com os estados de Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul e São Paulo na implantação de programas de Reforma do Estado, o principal item da agenda no período estudado. Conclui-se que as instituições, embora importantes, são insuficientes para explicar como se dão os processos políticos para a implementação de políticas públicas nos estados brasileiros.

Mercado de crédito no Brasil: características e respostas a choques

Verifica-se a existência de forte componente auto-regressivo ao se decompor o impacto dos principais componentes na determinação do volume de crédito no Brasil. Tal fato é indicativo de que a política bancária é muito relevante para determinação do volume de crédito no Brasil. Variáveis controladas pelo governo - como taxa básica de juros e depósitos compulsórios - não mostraram grande impacto no total de crédito. A grande proporção de créditos direcionados na economia brasileira, com a contrapartida de ser positiva na formulação de políticas públicas, traz conseqüências negativas como: (i) maior taxa de juros nos empréstimos livre; (ii) dificuldade de construir mercado de empréstimos para prazos mais longos, especialmente para empresas; e (iii) maior inércia à política monetária.