(Re)assessing Climate-Smart Agriculture practices for sustainable food systems outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa:The case of Bono East Region,Ghana

This research paper assesses the reality of Climate-Smart Agriculture(CSA)practices’potential to promote the outcomes of sustainable food systems(SFS)within Ghana’s smallholding agriculture context.The study demon-strates that rural farmers generally perceive CSA’s contribution to‘food and nutrition security’and‘economic performance’as more important than CSA’s contribution to‘social equity’and‘environmental stewardship’.From a narrow perspective,the study demonstrates that farmers perceive CSA’s potential to‘prevent pest and disease outbreaks’and‘increase human capital information’as the most important contribution of CSA to SFS outcomes.In contrast,CSA’s potential to promote environmental stewardship is perceived as the least important among Ghana’s rural farmers.This enormity of displacement of smallholders’perceptions at large is motivated by de-mographic,socioeconomic and ecological factors.Moreso,the CSA for SFS outcomes narratives is driven by farmers’self-apprise,social networks and other local information dissemination agents.Furthermore,research findings suggest farmers’awareness of CSA practices and interventions is deficient owing to unmet training and information needs for approximately 82%of the CSA practices and interventions.This situation elucidates the dichotomy of CSA practices’narratives as tools for attaining food,nutrition security and economic performance to the detriment of critical issues such as increasing awareness and building farmers’capacity to engage with CSA practices while also managing socio-ecological trade-offs that emerge over time due to engagement with CSA.Critical(re)orientation is needed across the scale to drive CSA practices and interventions that confine cli-mate adaptation and food production practices within safe planetary boundaries without undermining social,economic,food and nutrition security needs.

Misperception and pro-environmental behaviors of the Chinese public toward air pollution

This study analyzes the misperceptions of the Chinese public about air pollution levels and other potential predictors of participation in pro-environmental behaviors based on the 2013 Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS).In this paper,misperception is defined as the difference between subjective perceptions of air pollution and measurements through objective monitoring.We find that pessimistic respondents are more likely to participate in pro-environmental behaviors.The media use and evaluation of the environmental performance of the local government significantly stimulate pro-environmental participation.The results reveal that knowledge and concern about the environment can mitigate the negative effect of optimistic bias on pro-environmental behaviors.In regions where environmental information is widely available,environmental pessimists are especially more likely to participate in such activities.This finding suggests that the government should provide not only accurate information about environmental pollution but also relevant education to enhance the environmental awareness of the public and stimulate pro-environmental participation.

The impact analysis of policy events on China's carbon market

This paper interrogates the impact of policy events on the efficiency of carbon market in China.The analysis covers five piloting emission trading schemes(Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong,Shenzhen and Hubei), particularly focusing on Guangdong pilot for its weak form efficiency and the richness of policy events. Twenty-five policy events between 2014 and 2016 are categorized into seven groups. The efficiency test indicates that only Guangdong ETS has reached weak form efficiency. After exploring the policy events occurred in Guangdong ETS, it finds that although a clear long-term climate policy has been set up over the country, China's carbon market still has a conservative risk appetite and its governing institutions still needs further development. The policy makers need to be aware of and avoid the negative impacts of policy events to the market evolvement, by introducing effective consultancy process with the stakeholders and nurturing market expectations in the long run. We also find that events like allowance auctions have considerably less impacts than previously expected and argue that auction approach should be considered a preferable option over a free allocation system in the future policy design.

Increasing Access to Clean Cooking: The Practicality of Pay-Go in Promoting Adoption of Bottled Gas in Kinondoni, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

The majority of the population in developing countries have limited access to clean energy. To increase access to clean energy, the governments and other stakeholders have been working hard to create enabling environments for their adoption and utilization. For the household cooking sector, technological innovations such as improved biomass fuels, improved biomass cookstove, solar cooking, biogas and recently bottled gas service have been or are being deployed to scale up clean cooking. Nevertheless, a good number of the innovations intended for upscaling clean cooking in developing countries have failed to meet the desired goals due to limited support from the national governments or the international community. Pay-Go is among the recent innovations in the East African region intended for promoting the use of bottled gas (liquefied petroleum gas-LPG). This study evaluates the practicality of Pay-Go innovation on bottled gas, popularly known as Pay-as-you-Cook. Specifically, the article examines the evolution of Pay-as-you-Cook, its execution, usefulness and challenges;and its implications on household energy sector development. The study was conducted in Kinondoni Municipality, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania between 2018 and 2020. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Purposive and non-random sampling techniques were used in selecting respondents. Purposive sampling was used to identify key informants while snowball sampling was used to find household respondents. Information was gathered from KopaGas (Pay-as-you-Cook innovator) headquarter-Kinondoni Morocco;and from Pay-as-you-Cook clients in Kinondoni Moscow, Mkwajuni and Hananasif. Methods of data collection involved semi-structured interviews and observation. Instruments of data collection included interview guides and observation checklists. Data analysis was accomplished with Nvivo 12. Findings show that Pay-as-you-Cook innovation was intended for promoting bottled gas adoption mainly to low-income households. The innovation was discovered to be convenient to many low- income households as it enabled them to use bottled gas for cooking without necessarily climbing the economic ladder. Yet, the innovation presents several challenges which are doubtful to its practicality.

On the Productive Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Handicrafts and Its Human Values——A Case Study of the“Wuhan Model”

Among the three methods of intangible cultural heritage （ICH） protection--salvage, integrity and productivity^--productive protection is the most complex and controversial one. Through a comprehensive analysis of legal relations, coordination mecha- nisms and modes of operation by the Wuhan Tourism Investment Group in the course of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in handicrafts, this paper discusses the sustainable ＂Wuhan Model＂ and its human values.

气候变化对中国水资源影响的适应性评估与管理框架

通过论述气候变化对中国水资源影响的适应性评估与管理框架,提出一个气候变化影响决策评估工具,它包括:未来气候变化对中国水资源潜在影响的定性描述分析、半定量与定量分析以及适应性对策评估。由于不同气候区域所面临的水资源问题不同,选择中国4个典型案例区域,并确定不同的目标进行气候变化适应性管理综合研究,提出了甄别气候变化影响和适应性管理的新的思路、框架与方法论。该项研究为应对未来气候变化影响的水资源规划与风险管理提供了途径与方法。

家庭结构、重大疾病和农村劳动力迁移

在四川省大样本农户调查数据基础上,利用Probit模型分析了家庭结构特征对农村年轻劳动力迁移的影响。研究发现在控制个人特征的前提下:三代同堂家庭显著支持了年轻劳动力外出,而核心家庭对劳动力的外出有显著负面影响;家庭中有未成年人会限制年轻劳动力的外出;年轻配偶的重大疾病显著地影响了年轻人的外出老年人的严重疾病反而促使年轻劳动力外出,但如果家庭中存在未成年人,则老年人的严重疾病会对年轻劳动力迁移产生显著负面影响。研究结果突出体现了当前中国农村劳动力迁移在很大程度上是一种家庭内部的分工行为,在制定社会保障政策时应该予以重视。

乡级基本生育健康服务成本及效果的测量方法

本文借鉴国内外相关研究,结合云南省一个典型农业县双柏县的大庄乡、鄂嘉乡实际,就乡级基本生育健康的成本及效果的测量方法进行了较为深入的讨论。

乡级基本生育健康服务资金来源及使用

作为一个较深入的案例研究,本文对云南省双柏县2个乡1985～1995年基本生育健康服务资金的来源及使用进行了较深入、系统的分析。

乡级基本生育健康服务成本效果分析的研究背景及框架

近年中国卫生经济学界在宏观层次上对农村卫生服务的成本等问题围绕着经济体制改革及社会主义市场经济进行了大量研究并取得了重大成果。作为一个案例研究,本课题组对云南省双柏县2个乡基本生育健康服务进行了成本—效果分析。本文阐述了这一微观层次上案例研究的研究背景及框架。

中国贫困农村生育健康服务的经费、服务提供与利用——云南省案例研究的方法及现场概貌

简述国际合作项目“中国贫困农村生育健康服务的经费、服务提供与利用”在云南省所做案例研究的方法，并介绍了调研县、乡的概况。

成本—效果分析在基本生育健康服务研究中的应用

成本—效果分析已广泛应用于政策研究的诸多领域。本文简述了国外在国家及社区层次基本生育健康研究中成本—效果分析的应用,最后,分析了生育健康概念的出现对成本—效果分析方法学的影响。

Biodiversity Conservation and the Poor: Practical Issues beyond Global Conferences

The paper focuses on biodiversity—an issue that easily?gets left out of consideration because it is hard to measure. While efforts to reduce over-fishing or conservation of water resources are relatively easy to discuss in quantitative terms, biodiversity in terms of plant species is usually covered by crude and even invalid figures. The paper begins by providing a brief historical overview of attempts to define biodiversity, going back to the early efforts in Africa to deal with conservation and showing how definitions have evolved overtime and how they have shaped conservation efforts. While the main focus of the paper is biodiversity conservation and the poor, the paper makes references to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and other important global conferences including the World Conference on Environment and Development and Convention on Biological Diversity. The paper finds that international conferences by and large do not adequately address the issue of biodiversity and the poor. The limited commitment shown by political leaders at the conferences should be a reason for global and local authorities to create an environment that enables communities to meet their daily needs, foster development and conserve biodiversity.

Financial depth or breadth:What really matters for fighting air pollution in China?

China's rapid economic development leads to a series of environmental problems in the long run,such as air pollution.Environmental pollution has become a bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of China's economy.As such,pollution has become a key issue for China as让tries to continuously improve environmental quality and establish a harmonious coexistence between man and nature.This paper uses spatial econometric analysis to empirically test the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve(EKC)in China while also examining the impact of financial development on its inflection point by applying Air Quality Index and PM_(2.5) data of 283 prefecture-level cities in China from 2015 to 2017.Findings from this study indicate that the EKC of air pollution in the whole country presents an inverted U-shape based on both the traditional and new EKC models.After testing the sub-sample in different areas,the EKC still presents an inverted U-shape based on the new EKC model in the eastern and central areas,though not in the western area.In considering the moderating role of financial development based on the new EKC model,we find that the increase of financial depth will cause the EKC inflection point to shift to the left on the national scale and in the eastern region,while the effect of the financial breadth will be largely insignificant.With regard to the central area,both the breadth and the depth of financial development will significantly shift the inflection point to the right,delaying the arrival of the EKC inflection point.Therefore,the local authority of each area should formulate differentiated financial development policies to promote the early arrival of the EKC inflection point.

Willingness to pay for environmental protection in China:Air pollution,perception,and government involvement

The deteriorating environment has become an urgent global problem.As developing country,China is no exception.Demand for clean air is increasing in response to health and social problems.We use China's micro household survey data to explore individual residents'willingness to pay for environmental protection(WTP).Results show that air pollution improves WTP.A 100​μg/m^(³)increase in PM_(2.5)leads to approximately 84.1%WTP on a given day,but local residents are habituated to local pollution.We further study air pollution affects individual perceptions.We discuss the belief that local governments take pollution seriously can promote WTP.In addition,respondents who own smartphones,demonstrate environmental awareness,are happier,and enjoy higher household assets and income are willing to pay more.

Production and Innovation in Supply Platforms:Insights from the Innovation Systems and Value Chain Approaches

This paper introduces the term ＇supply platform＇ as a tentative and open-ended concept that captures characteristics of central importance for the study of export-oriented producers. As regional concentrations of export-oriented suppliers in China and India are maturing, many firms are now striving to build up innovation capabilities. How do we study the transition from production capabilities to innovation capabilities in supply platforms？ This paper reviews the insights from the innovation systems and global value chain literatures and discusses how we may build on these approaches for empirical studies of transition. It is found that these literatures provide important hypotheses for empirical research but more conceptual work is needed in order to address adequately the question of interest.

Liquid metal compartmented by polyphenol-mediated nanointerfaces enables high-performance thermal management on electronic devices

The exponentially increasing heat generation in electronic devices,induced by high power density and miniaturization,has become a dominant issue that affects carbon footprint,cost,performance,reliability,and lifespan.Liquid metals(LMs)with high thermal conductivity are promising candidates for effective thermal management yet are facing pump-out and surface-spreading issues.Confinement in the form of metallic particles can address these problems,but apparent alloying processes elevate the LM melting point,leading to severely deteriorated stability.Here,we propose a facile and sustainable approach to address these challenges by using a biogenic supramolecular network as an effective diffusion barrier at copper particle-LM(EGaIn/Cu@TA)interfaces to achieve superior thermal conduction.The supramolecular network promotes LM stability by reducing unfavorable alloying and fluidity transition.The EGaIn/Cu@TA exhibits a record-high metallic-mediated thermal conductivity(66.1 W m^(-1) K^(-1))and fluidic stability.Moreover,mechanistic studies suggest the enhanced heat flow path after the incorporation of copper particles,generating heat dissipation suitable for computer central processing units,exceeding that of commercial silicone.Our results highlight the prospects of renewable macromolecules isolated from biomass for the rational design of nanointerfaces based on metallic particles and LM,paving a new and sustainable avenue for high-performance thermal management.