Livelihood status of small-scale fishermen and determinants of their income: Insights from north-eastern floodplains of Bangladesh

The small-scale fishermen in the north-eastern floodplains are one of the most vulnerable communities of Bangladesh due to their limited income.This study assessed their livelihood status using a sustainable livelihood framework and employed a multiple regression model to evaluate factors influencing their earnings.Primary data were collected from fishermen’s households in Tanguar Haor and Hakaluki Haor through direct interviews.Results revealed that these households lacked human capital,had poor sanitation facilities and suffered from frequent diseases.Their income is very limited as they lack training on other socioeconomic activities to comple-ment their livelihood grounded on fishing.Hence,their financial capital was very deficient and ranked lowest among other livelihood capitals.Fishermen’s major physical assets were the boats used for group and individual fishing.These small-scale fishermen had limited involvement with local administration,and around half of them were members of various NGOs.Women of these households had low participation in fishing or other income activities.The income of the fishermen was influenced by their age,fish catch per day,training and NGO mem-bership.To increase the earnings and improve the livelihood status of small-scale fishers in the floodplain,this study suggests providing training on complementary income generating activities,improving sanitation facilities and providing additional government and non-government support.

Articulating CO_(2)emissions limiting roles of nuclear energy and ICT under the EKC hypothesis:An application of non-parametric MMQR approach

Limiting toxic elements from being exposed to the world’s atmosphere has been the biggest challenge among environmental researchers and stakeholders.Climate change conferences have been counselling the global economies to take serious steps toward profound decarbonization to keep the universal temperature below 1.5C.In this context,the direction of environmental research has changed,and researchers are more focused on tracing how to limit pollution and keep it below the threshold level.In this milieu,nuclear energy can make a big difference along with other alternatives to fossil energy.Therefore,we extend the extant literature by exploring the dynamic effects of atomic energy and ICT on carbon emissions(CO_(2))for top nuclear energy countries using data from 1990 to 2017.To obtain robust findings,we deploy a novel non-parametric econometric approach(i.e.,method of moments quantile regression).The results suggest that nuclear energy is a sustainable alternative to historical fossil fuel as it curbs CO_(2)emissions in the lower,middle,and upper quantiles.Furthermore,our findings corroborate that ICT penetration through the internet,mobile and telephone plays a vital role in improving environmental quality.Moreover,we unveil that linear economic growth jeopardizes the environment by unleashing harmful gases.The findings also support the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve(EKC)hypothesis by confirming the negative association between the polynomial economic growth(squared-GDP)and CO_(2)emissions among the designated nations.Also,the Granger causality test reaffirms the causal nexus among selected series that runs from nuclear energy and technological innovation to CO_(2)emissions,indicating that any policy shock in both series leads to environmental degradation.We,therefore,advocate that the designated territories keep enriching their energy baskets with nuclear energy and boost ICT penetration to achieve a 100%decoupling of economic growth from pollution.

Social Business in Bangladesh: A Study on Grameen Danone Shokti+ Yogurt

Social business is becoming popular worldwide as a sustainable and innovative solution to tackling pressing social problems. The Grameen Danone Food Ltd. (GDFL) Shokti+ yogurt business was chosen as a social business case study. The study described GDFL Shokti+ yogurt production, pricing, and distribution process, elucidated consumers’ perception of the Shokti+ yogurt, identified the major problems faced by the consumers, and proposed probable solutions to popularize the yogurt among the consumers. The study’s objectives were achieved using descriptive statistics based on a quantitative survey of 60 consumers. The study found that Shokti+ yogurt is distributed primarily through four channels: modern model, urban trade, rural trade, and direct trade. The study revealed that non-poor households consume more Shokti+ yogurt than poor households. The findings showed that about 78% and 95% of respondents were satisfied with the yogurt quality and availability, respectively. About 17% of respondents perceived that Shokti+ yogurt is superior to regular yogurt. However, about 58% of respondents claimed that the price is higher than the amount and quality offered. Excessive liquidity, increased price, and lack of trust in the nutritional quality of yogurt were some major problems identified by the consumers. The study proposed certain recommendations such as maintaining the consistency of the yogurt, increasing the amount of yogurt sold, making the yogurt more affordable for poor consumers, and raising awareness about its nutritional benefits for popularizing Shokti+ yogurt in Bangladesh.

Energy Consumption and Economic Growth Nexus in Bangladesh

The empirical investigation that examines the dynamics including the interaction between consumption of energy and economic progress has long been assessed.However,the interaction of these two in developing countries in general and Bangladesh,in particular,is a less explored subject.Hence,with this notion,this study examined the causal relationship among economic growth and energy consumption in Bangladesh.For this purpose,the study used energy consumption,gross domestic product(GDP),labor force,and capital data from 1981 to 2017 from different sources and data is analyzed by augmented Dickey-Fuller(ADF)unit root test,Johansen co-integration test and Granger test of causality.Results determine that energy consumption and economic growth have long term bi-directional relationship.The econometric model is estimated using generalized least squares(GLS)model.It is concluded that,consumption of energy and economic growth positively correlated and economic development highly depend on energy consumption in Bangladesh.