366 research outputs found

    Non-Market Food Practices Do Things Markets Cannot: Why Vermonters Produce and Distribute Food That\u27s Not For Sale

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    Researchers tend to portray food self-provisioning in high-income societies as a coping mechanism for the poor or a hobby for the well-off. They describe food charity as a regrettable band-aid. Vegetable gardens and neighborly sharing are considered remnants of precapitalist tradition. These are non-market food practices: producing food that is not for sale and distributing food in ways other than selling it. Recent scholarship challenges those standard understandings by showing (i) that non-market food practices remain prevalent in high-income countries, (ii) that people in diverse social groups engage in these practices, and (iii) that they articulate diverse reasons for doing so. In this dissertation, I investigate the persistent pervasiveness of non-market food practices in Vermont. To go beyond explanations that rely on individual motivation, I examine the roles these practices play in society. First, I investigate the prevalence of non-market food practices. Several surveys with large, representative samples reveal that more than half of Vermont households grow, hunt, fish, or gather some of their own food. Respondents estimate that they acquire 14% of the food they consume through non-market means, on average. For reference, commercial local food makes up about the same portion of total consumption. Then, drawing on the words of 94 non-market food practitioners I interviewed, I demonstrate that these practices serve functions that markets cannot. Interviewees attested that non-market distribution is special because it feeds the hungry, strengthens relationships, builds resilience, puts edible-but-unsellable food to use, and aligns with a desired future in which food is not for sale. Hunters, fishers, foragers, scavengers, and homesteaders said that these activities contribute to their long-run food security as a skills-based safety net. Self-provisioning allows them to eat from the landscape despite disruptions to their ability to access market food such as job loss, supply chain problems, or a global pandemic. Additional evidence from vegetable growers suggests that non-market settings liberate production from financial discipline, making space for work that is meaningful, playful, educational, and therapeutic. Non-market food practices mend holes in the social fabric torn by the commodification of everyday life. Finally, I synthesize scholarly critiques of markets as institutions for organizing the production and distribution of food. Markets send food toward money rather than hunger. Producing for market compels farmers to prioritize financial viability over other values such as stewardship. Historically, people rarely if ever sell each other food until external authorities coerce them to do so through taxation, indebtedness, cutting off access to the means of subsistence, or extinguishing non-market institutions. Today, more humans than ever suffer from chronic undernourishment even as the scale of commercial agriculture pushes environmental pressures past critical thresholds of planetary sustainability. This research substantiates that alternatives to markets exist and have the potential to address their shortcomings

    Persistence, size, trends and productivity in populations of two Critically Endangered Indonesian cockatoos

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    The aim of this thesis was to understand patterns of persistence, size, trends and productivity in populations of two Critically Endangered and heavily traded Indonesian cockatoos: the Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea and Citron-crested Cockatoo Cacatua citrinocristata. The Yellow-crested Cockatoo was formerly common and widespread on many islands of Wallacea. Its former subspecies on Sumba, the Citron-crested Cockatoo, was recently elevated to species level. After dramatic declines information on the remnant populations of both species is essential to guide future conservation management. A challenge with species that have disappeared from most of their range is to identify correlates of local persistence. The Yellowcrested Cockatoo and Citron-crested Cockatoo have undergone catastrophic declines due to habitat loss and especially trapping. The former is now extinct in much of its range across Indonesia while the latter has lost substantial numbers and some of its old sites on Sumba. Of 144 sites supporting cockatoos in 1950 only 76 did so in 2015. I compared socio-ecological conditions between the occupied and unoccupied sites, using 'random forests'. Tree cover, sparse human densities and low road densities promoted cockatoo survival but site-specific conditions (e.g. sacred groves, NGO activities) were also important. These local influences offer exciting possibilities for low-cost conservation prescriptions tailored to individual sites. One of the few Yellow-crested Cockatoo populations still numbering >100 individuals survives on Komodo Island. Distance sampling was combined with density surface modelling (DSM) to predict local densities and estimate total population size for this island. The population estimate of 1,113 (95% CI: 587–2,109) individuals on Komodo was considerably larger than previous conservative estimates. Coincidence between the DSM and a set of independent cockatoo observations was high (93%). Standardised annual counts by national park staff showed increases in cockatoo records from <400 in 2011 to ~650 in 2017. Taken together, the results indicate that Komodo National Park, alongside and indeed because of preserving its iconic Komodo Dragons Varanus komodoensis, is succeeding in protecting a significant population of Indonesia's rarest cockatoo species. This study's findings highlight the potential of DSM for locating abundance hotspots and estimating global population size in a range of threatened taxa. Although the importance of long-term monitoring is widely recognised, very few tropical bird species have been monitored over the span of 25 years. A multi-species distance sampling survey from 1992 was replicated in 2017, and present data on five parrot species and a hornbill, with three threatened island endemics, Citron-crested Cockatoo Cacatua citrinocristata (CR), Sumba Eclectus Eclectus cornelia (EN) and Sumba Hornbill Rhyticeros everetti (EN), two restricted-range species, Great-billed Parrot Tanygnathus megalorynchos and Marigold Lorikeet Trichoglossus capistratus, and one Wallacean-Papuan species, Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi. Densities of the three large parrots and the hornbill in 2017 were similar to 1992 but densities of the smaller Red-cheeked Parrot and Marigold Lorikeet declined significantly in the same time span. Quantity of forest on Sumba is assessed for both years, presence data and local density estimates to gauge island-wide population sizes. The Marigold Lorikeet may need a re-assessment of its global Red List status. The uncertainty in trends for the threatened cockatoo, eclectus and hornbill is of concern as they show no definite sign of sustainable recovery from the extensive trapping of past decades. Knowledge of breeding success and its limiting factors is crucial in assessing species' conservation needs. As hole-nesters, parrots are particularly influenced by the availability of suitable cavities and low breeding output. On Sumba, the Citron-crested Cockatoo has to compete with an unusually rich hole-nesting bird community affected by forest loss. Ninety-five nesting cavities of cockatoos were monitored including competitors and potential nest-predators, over one to four breeding seasons, using a combination of camera-traps, direct checks on nest contents, and observations from the ground. Competition for suitable cavities was intense among three large parrot species, two owls and a hornbill. The Endangered Sumba Hornbill dominated observed direct confrontations and was the most frequent visitor to active parrot nests, suggesting a further role as a potential nest-predator. Cockatoos prospected many cavities but rarely then attempted to nest. At the few cavities where cockatoos did breed, predation pressure was likely low, and observed success rate high (10 successful of 15 nests). Intense competition for cavities suggests a shortage of suitable nest-sites, the need to preserve old hole-bearing trees and a role for nestboxes. Both studied cockatoo species would benefit from targeted local awareness-raising and law enforcement, with the whole endeavour backed up by longer-term forest restoration. The recent split of the Citron-crested Cockatoo leaves the resultant two species at higher risk of extinction than when they were assessed combined. The population on Sumba remains under pressure from illegal trapping, habitat loss, nest site competition and appears to have low productivity. Only two of the six Yellow-crested Cockatoo subspecies retain wild populations > 300 individuals but for each subspecies recovery is still possible, if conservation management tailored to each location is implemented, including public awareness programmes, provision of nestboxes, logistical and capacity building support, habitat protection and law enforcement

    Intersections 9.

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    Risk Aversion and Self Insurance Utilisation: Evidence from Small and Medium Scale Business Owners in Lagos State

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    This study is to examined the influence of risk aversion on the adoption and utilisation of self-insurance among Small Medium Enterprises (SME) owners in Lagos State. This study employed cross sectional class of survey research design. Three hundred and fifty SME owners were selected using Taro Yamane formula and the data obtained was analyzed using correlation and t-test inferential statistics. Questionnaires were administered through convenience sampling method. The result of the study revealed a significant relationship between risk aversion and self-insurance utilisation among SME owners in Lagos State. Additionally, the result of this study also revealed that there is no significant difference between preference for conventional insurance and self-insurance among Lagos State SME owners. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that conventional insurers should endeavour to develop products that address the actual needs of SMEs. It is also recommended that SME owners should be highly disposed to risk improvement measures as this would help to reduce the cost of market insurance and self-insurance even if both are taken up contemporaneously

    Essays in Banking Competition

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    Essay 1. Since the GFC, banking regulators are increasing regulations to lower the risk of banking crises occurring in the future. These have focused on liquidity, asset composition, and capital requirements. This paper focuses on the loan rate effects of raising bank capital requirements. Previous calculations of loan rate effects predominately use the WACC formula, which implicitly assumes perfect competition. Banking is an industry where firms have market power. This paper develops a tractable model of an imperfectly competitive banking market, where the implicit cost of capital is naturally included in the optimization problem of the bank. I find that the magnitude of loan rate changes depends on the market structure and provide estimates for a calibrated Australian market. %This provides some validation of studies that use a blended MM approach. Essay 2. Using a tractable two-loan type banking model I analyse recent changes in capital regulation in Australia and NZ. My modelling shows, IRB banks were significantly advantaged by Basel II in generating ROE, but that subsequent changes in capital settings have slowly moved towards competitive neutrality. In addition, I analyse the minimum average risk weight policy for IRB banks (2016) and find that IRB banks are motivated to hold a higher proportion of risky loans and undoing composition efficiency. Moving back to risk-sensitive risk weights is desirable, but using a scalar multiple or correlation adjustment, reinstates the large advantage IRB banks have in low-risk loans. Lastly, I analyse RBNZ's proposed large increase in capital requirements using a two-country banking model. Due to NZ's dependence on IRB Australian banks, I find the loan rate impact of these changes depends on APRA's approach, with the loan rate effect much smaller than documented by the RBNZ. Essay 3. In Australia, mortgage brokers (MB) are paid by banks an upfront commission and a trail commission, rewarding the length of time a borrower stays with a bank. Both Hayne (2019) and PC (2018) recommend banning the trail commission but differ regarding who should pay the upfront commission, banks or customers. This paper uses a 2-period IO model of a mortgage market to analyse different MB remuneration options. I find if aggregator/MB firms are efficient, borrowers will benefit from banks' paying an upfront commission, with aggregator/MB firms no worse off and bank profits lower. In contrast, customers paying an upfront commission can be better for borrowers but will be worse for both aggregator/MB and banks. If a proportion of borrowers balk at paying MBs the commission, borrower gains are diminished, aggregator/MB firms are worse off, and some bank profits recouped

    Ecocene Politics

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    Anchored in the diverse ecological practices of communities in southern Italy and Aotearoa/New Zealand, this book devises a unique and considered theoretical response to the shortcomings of global politics in the Ecocene—a new temporal epoch characterised by the increasingly frequent intrusion of ecological processes into political life. Dismantling the use of the term ‘Anthropocene’ as a descriptor for our current ecological and political paradigm, this bold and resolutely original contribution proposes a restorative ethics of mutualism. An emancipatory theory intended to re-invigorate human agency in the face of contemporary ecological challenges, it posits an effective means to combat the environmental destruction engendered by modernity. Using ecology alongside European moral and Māori philosophies to re-conceptualise the ecological remit of politics, this book’s granular approach questions the role played by contemporary political ontologies in the separation of humans and environments, offering an in-depth view of their renewed interrelation under mutualism. Ecocene Politics will be essential to researchers and students in the fields of politics, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and geography. It will be of further interest to those working in the fields of political ecology, environmental humanities, and Anthropocene studies, as well as to general readers seeking a theoretical approach to the political issues posed by current ecological crises

    Investigation of Game-Theoretic Mechanisms for the Valuation of Energy Resources

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    Electricity systems are facing the pressure to change in response to the effects of new technology, particularly the proliferation of renewable technologies (such as solar PV systems and wind generation) leading to the retirement of traditional generation technologies that provide stabilising inertia. These changes create an imperative to consider potential future market structures to facilitate the participation of distributed energy resources (DERs; such as EVs and batteries) in grid operation. However, this gives rise to general questions surrounding the ethics of market structures and how they could be fairly applied in future electricity systems. Particularly the most basic question "how should electricity be valued and traded" is fundamentally a moral question without any easy answer. We give a survey of philosophical attitudes around such a question, before presenting a series of ways that these intuitions have been cast into mathematics, including: the Vickrey-Clarke-Groves mechanism, Locational Marginal Pricing, the Shapley Value, and Nash bargaining solution concepts. We compared these different methods, and attempted a new synthesis that brought together the best features of each of them; called the 'Generalised Neyman and Kohlberg Value' or the GNK-value for short. The GNK value was developed as a novel bargaining solution concept for many player non-cooperative transferable utility generalised games, and thus it was intrinsically flexible in its application to various aspects of powersystems. We demonstrated the features of the GNK-value against the other mathematical solutions in the context of trading the immediate consumption/generation of power on small sized networks under linear-DC approximation, before extending the computation to larger networks. The GNK value proved to be difficult to compute for large networks but was shown to be approximable for larger networks with a series of sampling techniques and a proxy method. The GNK value was ethically compared to other mechanisms with the unfortunate discovery that it allowed for participants to be left worse-off for participating, violating the ethical notion of 'euvoluntary exchange' and 'individual rationality'; but was offered as an interesting innovation in the space of transferable utility generalised games notwithstanding. For sampling the GNK value, there was a range of new and different techniques developed for stratified random sampling which iteratively minimise newly derived concentration inequalities on the error of the sampling. These techniques were developed to assist in the computation of the GNK value to larger networks, and they were evaluated in the context of sampling synthetic data, and in computation of the Shapley Value of cooperative game theory. These new sampling techniques were demonstrated to be comparable to the more orthodox Neyman sampling method despite not having access to stratum variances

    Evolutionary Ecology of Lizards

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    Except for latitudinal and elevational extremes, lizards range across a vast variety of biotopes worldwide, including environments as disparate as deserts, prairies, temperate woodlands, rainforests, or anthropic habitats. Although most species thrive on the ground, numerous lizards are fossorial, arboreal, and even aquatic, found in either fresh- or seawater. With lizards being ectotherms, accurate thermoregulation and other physiological adaptations are in most cases fundamental for their survival in such a variety of habitats. Moreover, lizard coloration may mediate thermoregulation, reproduction, and social status, among others. Lizards have also evolved some unusual antipredator adaptations, such as tail autotomy. Consequently, the astonishing morphological, ecological, and functional diversity of lizards results from extremely intense selective pressures, oftentimes opposing, many of whose interrelationships have yet to be disentangled. This Special Issue provides the international scientific community with an integrative meeting point to discuss and synthesize the current knowledge on the evolutionary pathways and mechanisms that led to today’s lizards

    EU Competition Law and Sustainability: key aspects from the Dutch ACM Draft Guidelines towards a unified EU approach

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