Analysing trade-offs and synergies between SDGs for urban development, food security and poverty alleviation in rapidly changing peri-urban areas: a tool to support inclusive urban planning

Transitional peri-urban contexts are frontiers for sustainable development where land-use change involves negotiation and contestation between diverse interest groups. Multiple, complex trade-offs between outcomes emerge which have both negative and positive impacts on progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These trade-offs are often overlooked in policy and planning processes which depend on top-down expert perspectives and rely on course grain aggregate data which does not reflect complex peri-urban dynamics or the rapid pace of change. Tools are required to address this gap, integrate data from diverse perspectives and inform more inclusive planning processes. In this paper, we draw on a reinterpretation of empirical data concerned with land-use change and multiple dimensions of food security from the city of Wuhan in China to illustrate some of the complex trade-offs between SDG goals that tend to be overlooked with current planning approaches. We then describe the development of an interactive web-based tool that implements deep learning methods for fine-grained land-use classification of high-resolution remote sensing imagery and integrates this with a flexible method for rapid trade-off analysis of land-use change scenarios. The development and potential use of the tool are illustrated using data from the Wuhan case study example. This tool has the potential to support participatory planning processes by providing a platform for multiple stakeholders to explore the implications of planning decisions and land-use policies. Used alongside other planning, engagement and ecosystem service mapping tools it can help to reveal invisible trade-offs and foreground the perspectives of diverse stakeholders. This is vital for building approaches which recognise how trade-offs between the achievement of SDGs can be influenced by development interventions

Extractive Industries and the Social Dimension of Sustainable Development: Reflection on the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline

With the elaboration and diffusion of the concept of sustainable development, various projects have been defined as ‘sustainable’, even though they do not necessarily differ from what they would have been otherwise. Even extractive industries' activities, traditionally considered as both environmentally and socially harmful, have endorsed the sustainable development idea. We discuss the reasons why the Chad–Cameroon pipeline project, which aimed at being a ‘model’ project, did not meet the expectations in terms of sustainable development, putting the emphasis on its social dimension. Focusing on the World Bank, which played a key role in the implementation of the project, we critically examine the adoption of preventive measures, the identification of vulnerable populations and the level of participation of local populations. We argue that economic objectives still prevail over other considerations, and we question the very nature of the project as a (sustainable) development project. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environmen

Some aspects of poverty in Sri Lanka : 1985-90

The authors characterize poverty in Sri Lanka, using data from two recent household surveys (for 1985-86 and1990-91). Poverty rates in 1990-91 were highest in the rural sector and lowest in the estate sector, with the urban sector in between. Between 1985-86 and 1990-91, national poverty declined modestly, almost entirely because of a fall in rural poverty (although poverty in the estate sector also declined). Agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounted for about 80 percent of the decline in national poverty. Favorable redistribution and growth in rural mean consumption accounted about equally for the decline in rural poverty. During the same period, urban poverty increased. But poverty in Sri Lanka is still largely a rural phenomenon. Nearly half the poor depend on agriculture for livelihood. Another 30 percent depend on other rural nonagricultural activities. Regional variations in poverty are fairly limited. Female-headed households are associated with greater poverty only in the urban sector. Poorer households tend to have higher dependency ratios, fewer years of schooling, lower rates of participation in the labor force, and significantly higher rates of unemployment. Direct transfer benefits from the Food Stamp Program are progressive and have a greater impact on poverty than uniform allocations from the same budget. Economic growth could reduce poverty considerably.Environmental Economics&Policies,Poverty Reduction Strategies,Public Health Promotion,Services&Transfers to Poor,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Poverty Assessment,Achieving Shared Growth,Environmental Economics&Policies,Poverty Reduction Strategies,Poverty Lines

Microfinancing Influence on Micro-Entrepreneurs Business Growth: Mediating Role of Psychological and Social Capital

This paper is set out to uncover the phenomena of micro-enterprises business growth by hypothesizing microfinancing, social and psychological capital as factors. This research is important due to the fact that the paucity of information on how microfinancing, social and psychological capital relate to micro-enterprises business growth would obscure the ways in which they survive. In Malaysia, microfinance is used as one of the tools to alleviate poverty, as well as to improve the livelihood and standards of living of the poor and those who are financially excluded.  However, almost three decades after the introduction of microfinancing programmes, the performance of microfinancing recipients’ i.e. micro-enterprises in Malaysia is not satisfactory. Besides providing loans to these micro-entrepreneurs, other aspects of facilitation, including the inculcation of the entrepreneur’s intangible resources, need to be addressed. Therefore, this research examines the mediating effect of micro-entrepreneurs’ psychological and social capital on the relationship between microfinance provisions and the business growth of micro-enterprises. The samples are identified from two microfinance providers, i.e., Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) and the National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (TEKUN) micro credit financing scheme recipients’ databases. A total of 250 useable survey questionnaires was collected and analysed to test the hypothesised relationship. The data was analysed using Partial Least Square-SEM and the structural model was examined to test the hypotheses. The findings show that micro-entrepreneurs’ psychological and social capital have a significant mediating effects on the relationship between provision of microfinance and the business growth of micro-enterprises in Kelantan. This research offers the practical implication that the effects of micro finance provision on the business growth of micro-enterprises are better exerted through micro-entrepreneurs’ psychological and social capital. This theoretically supports the applicability of the Resource-based View (RBV) theory to explain the mediating effect of psychological and social capital on the relationship between microfinance provisions and business growth. Research paper Keywords: Micro-enterprise, Business growth, Psychological capital, Social capital, Mediation, Microfinance institutions Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Nordin, N., Siti-Nabiha, A.K., & Kamalia, Z. (2019). Microfinancing Influence on Micro-Entrepreneurs Business Growth: Mediating Role of Psychological and Social Capital, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 7(2), 130–161

The expanded public works programme as a poverty alleviation strategy in Tshwane

In the context of South African poverty and unemployment, the government implemented various poverty alleviation programmes with the aim of lifting the poorest people out of their worst situation. This research evaluated the EPWP infrastructure sector in Tshwane in trying to understand its effectiveness, sustainability and relevance as a poverty alleviation tool. The study applied a quantitative approach with interspersed with that of qualitative research for statistical information as well as in-depth insight from experts in the field. Data collection was done through document analysis of reports, published papers and structured interviews with experts within the EPWP. The findings revealed that the EPWP is managing to partially meet its objectives; however, it has also shown that the question of its sustainability is still a concern as it only serves limited long term needs. It has shown that its policies replicate that of international practices; however, the implementation part is still a challenge that needs to be addressed. The recommendations were also made to contribute towards the improvement of the infrastructure

Analysis the Impact of Microfinance on Poverty Reduction

Purpose: Living  standard  in  low  income  developing  countries  always  remain  crucial  issue to  be addressed.   In many developing countries, like Pakistan, microfinance has been used as a tool to gear up the living standard of poor people. The main aim of this  study  is  to  analyze  the contribution of microfinance  in raising  the  living standard of  low  income people and poverty reduction. This paper is about reducing the poverty level through micro financing. Design/methodology/approach: The researcher developed a questionnaire to examine the impact of microfinance for the development of poor people in Pakistan. In this study Content analysis is used to investigate the impact of micro finance on poverty reduction. Findings: The micro finance has the positive impact on poverty reduction and increase income level, education and develops the living standard of poor. The loan size will have the positive or negative effect on the people. There are many issues which are faces by the people for getting loan from financial institutions. Research limitations/implications: This research focuses upon a relatively small sample of poor people in the Pakistan. Although the results could be relevant to poor people in other developing countries, caution should be exercised when attempting to generalize these finding to other contexts. Originality/value: The analysis shows that the micro finance is important for poverty reduction. In Pakistan being a nation, approximate 70 percent of people live in rural areas and micro finance for rural being a powerful, and the only, tool for rural people in providing a means of livelihood, its importance and potential should be known to each individual. Keywords: Pakistan, Education, Microfinance, Family health, Household income, Poverty reduction

Public administration processes towards self-determination : a case of Ndwedwe rural women and the Zibambele project.

Master of Public Administration in Management Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2017.The Zibambele programme is a KwaZulu-Natal poverty alleviation project initiated by the Department of Transport (DoT) with its recruitment pool dominated by rural women who are female-heads of households. The project creates job opportunities for people living in poverty, and encourages rural women who participate as contractors to strive to conquer their circumstances by empowering themselves. The purpose of the study is to ascertain the contribution of this project towards self-determination of rural women. The study assesses the public administration processes applied by the DoT for the successful implementation of the project to meet the needs of the society. Ndwedwe Local Municipality was identified as the place to conduct the research since it forms part of the deep rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal province affected by poverty where more than fifty per cent of households are female-headed. Most contractors are aged 51 years and above with no formal education. A case study research design was used in the study as it allows for multiple research methods for data collection. A mixed research method was conducive for the study as it is composed of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A focus group discussion of nine contractors was conducted as part of the qualitative method at the DoT Depot. Through the quantitative research method seven hundred survey questionnaires were sent to 700 contractors and 473 surveys were returned to the researcher. Data collected through the qualitative method were analysed using thematic analysis, while data collected through quantitative research method were analysed using SPSS and descriptive analysis producing tables and graphs. Findings demonstrate the public administration processes used to implement the Zibambele project. Findings further show that contractors can now receive monthly salary although this is not enough to meet their basic needs. Therefore, they are encouraged to form savings clubs to save money for accumulating for their future needs. Recommendations from the study include, amongst others, a decentralization of the Zibambele officers from a district level to allow local municipalities to exercise full control and monitoring towards supervisors

Targeting the poor and smallholder farmers: empirical evidence from Malawi

This paper develops low cost, reasonably accurate, and simple models for improving the targeting efficiency of development policies in Malawi. Using a stepwise logistic regression (weighted) along with other techniques applied in credit scoring, the research identifies a set of easily observable and verifiable indicators for correctly predicting whether a household is poor or not, based on the 2004-05 Malawi Integrated Household Survey data. The predictive power of the models is assessed using out-of-sample validation tests and receiver operating characteristic curves, whereas the model’s robustness is evaluated by bootstrap simulation methods. Finally, sensitivity analyses are performed using the international and extreme poverty lines. The models developed have proven their validity in an independent sample derived from the same population. Findings suggest that the rural model calibrated to the national poverty line correctly predicts the status of about 69% of poor households when applied to an independent subset of surveyed households, whereas the urban model correctly identifies 64% of poor households. Increasing the poverty line improves the model’s targeting performances, while reducing the poverty line does the opposite. In terms of robustness, the rural model yields a more robust result with a prediction margin ±10% points compared to the urban model. While the best indicator sets can potentially yield a sizable impact on poverty if used in combination with a direct transfer program, some non-poor households would also be targeted as the result of model’s leakage. One major feature of the models is that household score can be easily and quickly computed in the field. Overall, the models developed can be potential policy tools for Malawi.Malawi, poverty targeting, proxy means tests, out-of-sample tests, bootstrap, Food Security and Poverty, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, I32, C15,