An agent-based model as a tool of planning at a sub-regional scale

This paper describes an agent-based model developed to simulate the impact that different planning policies may have in enhancing the attractiveness of the industrial estates located in a network of four municipalities located in the North of Portugal. The policies were simulated using three scenarios that can be distinguished by the municipal level of coordination they are implemented and by the type of action performed. In the model, enterprises are agents looking for a suitable location and the estates attractiveness is based on their level of facilities, amenities, accessibility and in the cost of soil. The coordinated qualification of the industrial estates is the most effective policy to strengthen their attractiveness. It was in this scenario that more industrial estates become attractive and more enterprises relocated. Results also indicate that the promotion of diffused and unqualified industrial estates is an inefficient policy to attract enterprises.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/48567/2008 grant

Um modelo baseado em agentes para simular políticas de ordenamento de áreas de acolhimento empresarial: o caso da rede do Quadrilátero Urbano

Tese de doutoramento em Engenharia CivilA distribuição espacial das atividades económicas e, em particular das empresas, é um tema que tem estado no topo das preocupações do planeamento do território pelas suas fortes implicações económicas e sociais. Por isso, as entidades que gerem o território têm-se esforçado por atrair empresas através da disponibilização de espaços qualificados para o efeito - as áreas de acolhimento empresarial (AAE’s), que encerram objetivos de natureza económica, territorial e ambiental. Um planeamento adequado é uma condição fundamental para que um espaço empresarial registe uma elevada taxa de ocupação de empresas. Um mau planeamento, por seu lado, repele as empresas e obriga a esforços/custos adicionais para tornar estes espaços atrativos. Estas questões tornam-se ainda mais pertinentes quando estão em causa políticas públicas que têm contribuído para aumentar a oferta de AAE’s. Esse foi o caso do que aconteceu em Portugal ao longo das últimas décadas, o que torna esse contexto particularmente interessante para o estudo em questão. O objetivo da investigação foi o de desenvolver um modelo baseado em agentes para testar o impacto que diferentes políticas podem ter na melhoria da atratividade das AAE’s do Quadrilátero Urbano, designação dada a uma rede constituída pelos municípios de Barcelos, Braga, Guimarães e Vila Nova de Famalicão. O estudo identificou 79 AAE’s com condições de atratividade muito diversas, integrando-se a maior parte delas na tipologia de parques industriais. As políticas simuladas, através da plataforma NetLogo, diferem no nível de qualificação e de coordenação com que são aplicadas nas AAE’s. Os impactos das políticas foram avaliados através da simulação de cinco cenários: 1) contexto de baixa qualificação das AAE’s; 2) qualificação seletiva das AAE’s; 3) qualificação geral das AAE’s; 4) implementação das estratégias previstas pelos municípios; 5) simulação dinâmica com todas as empresas. Além disso, com o modelo procurou-se validar um conjunto de hipóteses sobre a implicação das políticas nas AAE’s. As hipóteses consideradas foram: 1) a coordenação supramunicipal das políticas provoca um aumento da atratividade de todas as AAE’s; 2) a coordenação supramunicipal das políticas conduz a um ritmo de ocupação igual das AAE’s nos municípios; 3) a coordenação supramunicipal das políticas gera uma diminuição da dispersão das empresas de igual forma nos quatro municípios; 4) as políticas de qualificação das AAE’s provocam um aumento da taxa de ocupação de todas as AAE’s; 5) as políticas de promoção de espaços empresariais desqualificados e dispersos são ineficazes na atração de empresas. Os resultados obtidos mostram que uma política de (re)qualificação se traduz num aumento do número de AAE’s atrativas, do número de empresas instaladas e do número de lotes/pavilhões ocupados pelas empresas. Estes benefícios aplicam-se tanto no caso da requalificação das AAE’s já instaladas, como no caso dos espaços previstos para o futuro. Além disso, se as políticas de (re)qualificação das AAE’s forem implementadas de uma forma coordenada, os impactos serão mais positivos do que se os municípios prosseguirem com políticas individuais. A coordenação é, portanto, fundamental para reforçar a competitividade dos territórios que pretendem afirmar-se em rede. No entanto, a conclusão mais importante revela que uma política integrada de qualificação poderá ter impactos diferenciados à escala local, pois nem todas as AAE’s se tornam atrativas para as empresas. A simulação demonstrou que os espaços com má localização e com baixos níveis de qualificação são repulsivos para as empresas, mesmo se forem sujeitos a um conjunto de melhorias ao nível das infraestruturas e das amenidades. Neste caso, os resultados mostram que a política de promoção de AAE’s dispersas e com baixos níveis de qualificação é ineficiente na atração de empresas. Estas ilações poderão, assim, ser um contributo importante para nortear as políticas de ordenamento preconizadas para as AAE’s, com o objetivo de reforçar a competitividade dos territórios e das empresas.The spatial distribution of economic activities and, in particular, of firms is a topic widely studied in territory planning for its strong economic and social implications. For that reason, the entities that manage the territory have made significant efforts to attract firms by offering specific areas for this purpose - the industrial estates, which encompass economic, territorial and environmental goals. Appropriate planning is an essential condition for the success of an industrial estate, towards assuring a high level of occupancy. On the other hand, inadequate planning can make these spaces unattractive to firms, requiring additional costs and efforts in order to improve its competitiveness. These issues are even more critical as public policies have contributed to increase the offer of industrial estates. This is the case of Portugal in recent decades, hence this issue is particularly interesting in the scope of the current study. The goal of this research is the development of an agent-based model to assess the impact of different policies in the attractiveness of the industrial estates located in the Quadrilátero Urbano, designation given to a network composed by the Portuguese municipalities of Barcelos, Braga, Guimarães and Vila Nova de Famalicão. The study identified 79 industrial estates with different attractiveness conditions, the majority of which are classified as industrial parks. The policies were simulated through the NetLogo toolkit and can be distinguished by the level of qualification and coordination implemented by the municipalities. The impact of these policies were evaluated through the simulation of the five following scenarios: 1) low level of qualification of the industrial estates; 2) selective qualification of the industrial estates; 3) general qualification of all industrial estates; 4) implementation of the strategies defined by the municipalities; 5) dynamic simulation with all the firms. Furthermore, the model was developed to validate a set of five hypotheses in the implication of the policies adopted in the industrial estates. The following hypotheses were considered: 1) the supramunicipal coordination of the policies increases the attractiveness of all industrial estates; 2) the supramunicipal coordination of the policies leads to a similar occupancy pattern of the estates in all municipalities; 3) the supramunicipal coordination of the policies generates an even reduction of the sprawl of firms in the four municipalities; 4) the qualification policies increase the occupancy rate in all estates; 5) the policies of promotion of diffused estates with low levels of qualification are inefficient tools to attract firms. Results show that the adoption of a qualification policy has a positive impact in the performance of the industrial estates, improving the number of attractive estates, the number of relocated firms and the number of plots occupied by firms. These benefits encompass both the existing estates, as well as the predicted new sites. In addition, the model demonstrated that if these policies are implemented in a coordinated manner, the impact will be greater than if municipalities individually pursue their initiatives. Thus, the coordination and the adoption of supramunicipal planning principles are essential to strengthen the competitiveness of territories that aim to grow as a network. However, the most important outcome shows that the adoption of a coordinated qualification policy can produce different impacts at a local/municipal scale, as some industrial estates remain unattractive to firms. The simulation demonstrated that the estates with worst location and with low coverage of facilities and amenities remain repulsive to firms even if subjected to an upgrade. In this case, the model clearly validated the hypothesis that the promotion of dispersed industrial estates with low levels of qualification is an inefficient policy to attract firms. These conclusions can provide an important contribution to guide planning policies directed to industrial estates with the aim of enhancing its territorial and entrepreneurial competitiveness

The quality of slave trade investment in eighteenth century France

This paper studies the characteristics of investment in slave trade and associated trades in France during the eighteenth century. The study of the accounts of an investor from Nantes, Bertrand de Cœuvre, shows that his investment compared favourably with domestic alternatives. It was more liquid, shorter and more profitable than private notarized credit without being more risky. It was less risky and had a shorter duration than government debt, without being less liquid or less profitable. The study of investments in a total of 238 ventures from Nantes, Marseilles, Rouen, Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Saint-Malo confirms that superiority from the 1710s to the 1780s. The fact that domestic investors and their capital were attracted to the centres of intercontinental trade investment during the period corroborates this conclusion.Profits, Slave trade, France, 18th century, international trade

Master Plan Evaluation. A tool to enhance successful urban regeneration. Regent Quarter case study

Often in transitional periods between changing planning systems, “old” policy tools are abandoned and “innovative” tools are invented (in order to implement the new planning framework). In other cases, these “old” tools are adapting into tools used by the new planning regime, transforming their meaning, use and purpose. The design tool “Master Plan” is one of these cases. The study conducted is based on primary and secondary research. The report investigates the new meaning, use and purpose of “Master Plan” as a design tool. Also attempts the tool’s evaluation in order to assess its outcomes and therefore extract its importance. These issues will be examined through a thorough study of an urban regeneration project, in King’s Cross, in the edge of Central London. By way of the master plan’s process detailed analysis, the case study indicates that a “Master Plan” can encompass the new concepts of the changing planning system (such as the provision of flexibility and not strict limitation regarding developments process). Furthermore, through an evaluation, in terms of urban design and commercial performance, the case study shows how critical the “Master Plan” revealed for the success of urban regeneration. There is considerable emphasis on the role of the “Master Plan” as a tool to reconcile private and public interests

Protocolo para monitorear la gobernabilidad del agua con base en indica-dores para cuencas rurales

The use of quality indicators guarantees the accurate monitoring of sustainability processes around the world. This work proposes a protocol to detail the indicators that make up the rural basin management index (GWI) in order to assess the degree of water management in a predominantly rural basin or region. The methodology contemplates the development of indicators to evaluate performance and its monitoring over time as the basis for planning. This research is based on the in situ evaluation of four municipalities within the department of Boyacá, Colombia, where there is a lack of a culture regarding the long-term planning and management of water and environmental resources. Water availability is the most sensitive factor in this context. This study raises the need for the use of monitoring systems in sustainability processes at the level of rural basins, as a result of the findings of four study cases, where processes with a low level of sustainability were evidenced.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Labor Contracts, Incentives, and Food Security in Rural Myanmar

This paper develops an agency model of contract choice in the hiring of labor and then uses the model to estimate the determinants of contract choice in rural Myanmar. As a salient feature relevant for the agricultural sector in a low income country such as Myanmar, the agency model incorporates considerations of food security and incentive effects. It is shown that when, possibly due to poverty, food considerations are important for employees, employers will prefer a labor contract with wages paid in kind (food) to one with wages paid in cash. At the same time, when output is responsive to workers' effort and labor monitoring is costly, employers will prefer a contract with piecerate wages to one with hourly wages. The case of sharecropping can be understood as a combination of the two: a labor contract with piecerate wages paid in kind. The predictions of the theoretical model are tested using a crosssection dataset collected in rural Myanmar through a sample household survey which was conducted in 2001 and covers diverse agroecological environments. The estimation results are consistent with the theoretical predictions: wages are more likely to be paid in kind when the share of staple food in workers' budget is higher and the farmland on which they produce food themselves is smaller; piecerate wages are more likely to be adopted when work effort is more difficult to monitor and the farming operation requires quick completion.contract, incentive, selection, food security, Myanmar

Land institutions and land markets

In agrarian societies land serves as the main means not only for generating a livelihood but often also for accumulating wealth and transferring it between generations. How land rights are assigned therefore determines households'ability to generate subsistence and income, their social and economic status (and in many cases their collective identity), their incentive to exert nonobservable effort and make investments, and often their ability to access financial markets or to make arrangements for smoothing consumption and income. With imperfections in other markets, the institutions governing the allocation of land rights and the functioning of land markets will have implications for overall efficiency as well as equity. The authors examine how property rights in land evolve from a situation of land abundance. They discuss factors affecting the costs and benefits of individual land rights and highlight the implications of tenure security for investment incentives. They also review factors affecting participation in land sales and rental markets, particularly the characteristics of the agricultural production process, labor supervision cost, credit access, the risk characteristics of an individual's asset portfolio, and the transaction costs associated with market participation. These factors will affect land sales and rental markets differently. Removing obstacles to the smooth functioning of land rental markets and taking measures to enhance potential tenants'endowments and bargaining power can significantly increase both the welfare of the poor and the overall efficiency of resource allocation. Drawing on their conceptual discussion, the authors draw policy conclusions about the transition from communal to individual and more formal land rights, steps that might be taken to improve the functioning of land sales and rental markets, and the scope for redistributive land reform.Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Municipal Housing and Land,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Housing and Land,Economic Theory&Research,Real Estate Development

Building brand reputation through third party endorsement : Fair Trade in British Chocolate

This article looks at the evolution of the British chocolate industry from the 1860s to the 1960s, a period during which it was dominated by Quaker businesses: Cadbury, Rowntree, and their predecessor, Fry. It provides evidence of early forms of fair trade by these Quaker businesses, showing that, before the fair trade movement took off in the 1970s, they contributed to social change and to improvement in living standards and long-term sustainable economic growth in developing countries. This article argues that when the mechanisms for enforcing food standards were weak and certification bodies did not exist, the Religious Society of Friends acted as an indirect independent endorser, reinforcing the imagery and reputation of the Quaker-owned brands and associating them both with purity and quality and with honest and fair trading

Land-Use Transport Interaction: State of the Art

This paper investigates innovative approaches to the integration of land-use and transport planning in urban regions. Engineering, economic and social-science based theories and empirical studies are analyzed regarding their ability to explain the interaction between land use and transport - that land use determines traffic flows and that transport infrastructure changes land-use patterns. In addition, this paper provides an overview of the state of the art of computer models for the simulation of land use and transport. Based on these theories and models the effectiveness of policies to influence land use and transport in urban regions is assessed.Urban location theory, transportation research, land use- transport interaction, urban simulation modeling, location choice