Barriers to Work Place Advancement: the Experience of the White Female Work Force

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National strategies for technology adoption in the industrial sector: Lessons of recent experience in the developing regions

human development, technology

Spatialising the Melanesian Canarium industry: Understanding economic upgrading in an emerging industry among three Pacific small island states

AbstractThis paper examines economic upgrading in the Canarium indicum (Canarium) nut industry in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Canarium is a tree that is indigenous to Melanesia, and has been the subject of several commercialisation attempts since 1988. The paper assesses the outcomes to various actors in the Canarium supply chain from attempts to upgrade industry products and processes by: (1) increasing the available resource in suitable locations; (2) improving nut products and processing techniques; (3) increasing actors’ knowledge and supply chain coordination; and (4) establishing product standards. A two-phase data generation process was implemented. Document analysis and participant observations of industry workshops initiated a set of four economic upgrading interventions that were adaptively implemented. A second stage of workshops and 76 interviews enabled outcomes to be assessed at the project’s end. Findings suggest that a small number of urban-based entrepreneurs benefit and subsequently are lead actors in industry development, but at the expense of benefits being distributed to a larger, more spatially disparate group of smallholder and small commercial growers. These economic upgrading outcomes are circumscribed by core-periphery relations in Pacific small island states and the scale of industry in each country. Thus, spatial inequalities are reproduced through the emerging Canarium industries. We argue that different routes to industry development are required in each country. Development initiatives that capitalise on the benefits of micro-enterprise clusters, joint action and regional institutional arrangements are proposed to overcome the impediments imposed by the particular geographies of Pacific island states

Research on the Influencing Mechanism of Digital Transformation on the Synergistic Effect and Carbon Emission Performance of Enterprise Green Supply Chain

This paper studies the impact mechanism of digital transformation on the synergy effect and carbon emission performance of enterprises’ green supply chain, and reveals the key role of digital technology in improving enterprises’ environmental efficiency and reducing carbon emission through in-depth discussion of relevant theories and empirical analysis. Firstly, the paper summarizes the connotation of digital transformation and its application trend in modern enterprise operations, and expounds the importance of green supply chain synergies and the emission reduction needs of enterprises in pursuit of carbon neutrality.Through literature review and theoretical construction, this paper proposes a conceptual model that details how digital transformation can enhance the synergy of enterprises’ green supply chain by optimizing information transparency, improving decision-making efficiency, promoting resource conservation and technological innovation. Further, the model reveals how this synergistic effect can indirectly or directly lead to improved carbon performance by improving production processes, logistics management, and product lifecycle management.The empirical research part, based on rich sample data and advanced statistical methods, verifies the positive correlation between digital transformation and green supply chain synergies and the negative correlation between digital transformation and carbon emission performance. At the same time, structural equation model and case analysis are used to deeply analyze the concrete manifestation and implementation effect of these influencing mechanisms.Finally, based on the research findings, this paper puts forward specific suggestions for enterprises and policy makers, emphasizes the strategic significance of promoting digital transformation to enhance green supply chain synergies and optimize carbon emission performance, and also points out the issues that need to be paid attention to and the development direction of future research. This study provides important theoretical support and practical guidance for understanding and practicing how enterprises use digital means to promote green development

Identifying Gaps and Setting Priorities for Employment and Training Research

The report summarizes recent workforce and employment related research, to identify current gaps in employment and training research and makes recommendations for future research processes and priorities that could better inform policy makers, practitioners, job seekers and employers. The report reviews workforce and related research funded by several federal agencies, including the US Departments of Labor, Education, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, the National Science Foundation and other federal entities, as well as research undertaken by regional, state and local workforce agencies and philanthrophic organizations

Flourish an Innovation Tomorrowland: The Local Developmental State Model and China’s High-Tech Park

This study investigates the dynamic formation process of varieties of local developmental state models behind China's pursuit of emerging technological innovation at the global frontier. A local developmental state model is characterised by the development state's mobilisation and practice of the industrial policy pursuing economic and various development goals at the local level. The study is motivated by a simple puzzle, thus why do China's three most prominent innovation hubs, Beijing Zhongguancun High-Tech Park, Shanghai Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, and Shenzhen Nanshan High-Tech Park, choose different ways and focus on different technological innovations in the local development of artificial intelligence (AI) and Blockchain industries. This study proposes a new framework for understanding the varieties of local developmental state models by articulating the local state's distinctive industrial policy practice in building the local technological innovation industrial ecosystem. The study focuses on three aspects of the high-tech park's efforts to mobilise and practice industrial policies to foster local AI and Blockchain technological innovation clustering. The first one is the objective setting of industrial policy; the second one is the mechanism of the policymaking process; and the third one is the method of policy implementation. The high-tech park's different policy objective choices, policymaking mechanism, and policy implementation method provide an opportunity to articulate the local developmental state model's dynamic formation and evolution process in the context of China's technological innovation. The main proposition is that the local developmental state needs to balance a series of political and economic factors to form and implement different industrial policies to achieve diverse development goals. In the meantime, the different local development goals are based on a combined calculation of the local state's and central state's interests. Furthermore, this calculation-based development mechanism has shaped the dynamic mobilisation and formation process of the local developmental state's industrial policy. Then different local developmental state models will be observed and formed. The varieties of local developmental state models could be identified and categorised based on three aspects: 1). the prioritised development goals in the policy objective setting, in terms of the economic and political interests at both the local and central state levels; 2). the dynamic power-sharing method in the policymaking process and this aspect regards the dynamic power distribution, the centralisation or decentralisation of the power that the local state delegates to the participants in the process of decision-making; 3). and the level of dependency or autonomy that the local developmental state could exert in the policy implementation, and this point concerns intimately to the local state's reliance on the central or the local state's financial sponsorship, as well as the intervention from the central state's disciplinary inspection and political regulation that the local state faces and experiences. The study proposes three local developmental state models. The framework and theory explore case studies of the three local developmental state models from the lens of three high-tech parks' industrial policy practice in the distinctive local development of AI and Blockchain techno industries and industrial innovation. The first model is the bureaucratic local developmental state model by Zhongguancun High-Tech Park in Beijing. The political interests of the central state are prioritised in the setting of the local state's policy objective. Moreover, a highly centralised policymaking method is deployed by the local state under the central state's centralised policy order and political power influence. Meanwhile, a high level of dependency could be observed in the policy implementation by the local state, and the local state is dependent on the central state's financial sponsorship and under constant disciplinary inspection and heavy political regulation. In the empirical studies, Zhongguancun chooses the Digital Governance industry as the way to develop AI and Blockchain technologies, political interests in political stability and national security are prioritised by Zhongguancun under the order of the central state, and policymaking power is centralised by the participants trusted by the central state, the high-tech park's administration committee. Meanwhile, the policy implementation of Zhongguancun relies on the financial sponsorship of the central state's sovereign fund. It must endure constant party disciplinary inspection directly from the central state. The second mode is the hybrid local developmental state model that Zhangjiang High-Tech Park in Shanghai represents. A combination of political and economic interests of both the central and the local state are prioritised in the setting of policy objectives. And a method mixing centralisation with decentralisation is deployed in the policymaking by the local state under the power delegation by the central state. Meanwhile, a mixture of dependency and autonomy is reflected in the local state's policy implementation under a dynamic trade and negotiation with the central state. In the empirical studies, Zhangjiang chooses the Digital Currency industry as the path to progress in AI and Blockchain technologies, a combination of the central state's political interests (political stability and national security) and the local state's economic interests (economic growth and profit generation) are highlighted by Zhangjiang. Regarding the political interests of the central state, the Zhangjiang high-tech park's administration committee, as the delegate of the central state, uses centralised control in the policymaking process. When it comes to the economic interests of the local state, Zhangjiang's administration committee shares power with the managing group of the high-tech park in the policymaking process. However, when a combination of political and economic interests co-exists, cooperation and competition would coincide regarding power-sharing and distribution in the policymaking process. Meanwhile, the policy implementation of Zhangjiang relies on the financial sponsorship of both the central state's sovereign fund and the local state's industrial innovation fund. Moreover, the central-level party disciplinary inspection team will come to Zhangjiang when the policy implementation concerns the core political interests of the central state, and when it comes to the common economic interests pursued by the local state, Zhangjiang and Shanghai's local-level party disciplinary inspection team will take charge of the policy implementation. The third model is the entrepreneurial local developmental state model represented by Nanshan High-Tech Park in Shenzhen. The economic interests of the local state are prioritised in the setting of the local state's policy objective. The local state conducts a highly decentralised policymaking method under the authorisation and empowerment of the central state. Meanwhile, a high level of autonomy could be characterised by the policy implementation by the local state. And the local state relies on its financial resources and does not receive constant interruption from the heavy disciplinary inspection and political regulation by the central state. In the empirical studies, Nanshan chooses the Internet of Things (IoT) related intelligent manufacturing industry as the channel to foster AI and Blockchain technologies, economic interests in economic growth, profit generation, market efficiency, innovation capability, market competition and open innovation are prioritised by Nanshan. A decentralisation and inclusive participation method could be noticed in Nanshan's policymaking process. It aims to bring more participants and stakeholders with diverse backgrounds into the collective efforts incubating an entrepreneurship-friendly, market-confronting, innovation-inclusive, and technology-encouraging ecosystem. Meanwhile, the policy implementation of Nanshan relies on its profound financial resources coming from both the local state and the open domestic market in Shenzhen and China. The local Nanshan and Shenzhen party disciplinary inspection team take charge of Nanshan's daily development rather than the central state's inspection team. Furthermore, the local inspection team usually shows up to implement significant economic or technological innovation projects related to core political interests, especially national security. While at the same time, it is also the time when Beijing sends down the central inspection team to Nanshan; for example, the central state's inspection team will come to Nanshan and order the local Nanshan and Shenzhen's team to investigate the policy implementation of the IoT intelligent manufacturing related to semiconductor chips, when face with the stringent tech sanctions and blockade against China by the U.S. As well as when the development of Nanshan and Shenzhen's Blockchain-based cryptocurrency industry threatened financial, social, and political stability.The study also sheds light on China's Blockchain start-up clustering in Zhongguancun, Zhangjiang, and Nanshan to examine the formation and future evolution of the local developmental state model from a perspective of entrepreneurial development. The analysis discusses a growing trend in China's technological innovation ecosystem pursuing political stability and national security through achieving breakthroughs in emerging technologies and cutting-edge innovation. Moreover, the research also analyses whether China's local developmental state model, in the context of technological innovation, will increasingly tend to converge with a model pursuing political stability and national security. This study contributes to discussing the developmental state and developmental state models. By articulating the dynamic formation process of the local developmental state models in the context of China's emerging technological innovation, the study offers an alternative view and new exploration to understand the varieties of local developmental state models through the lens of the local state's industrial policy practice. This study speaks with the developmental state's transformation towards tech innovation industrialisation, an open global market and an international environment, as they are essential in the contemporary developmental state context. Meanwhile, the study also engages with the debate on the diffusion and transferability of the local developmental state model

Ex-ante impact evaluation: case studies from Malawi, Bangladesh and Ghana

This document presents ex-ante impact evaluations of research for development projects related to aquaculture in Bangladesh, Malawi and Ghana. The Ghana chapter also includes an ex-ante evaluation of a fisheries project. The case studies utilized preliminary versions of guidelines developed specifically for ex-ante evaluations of aquaculture and fisheries projects. The guidelines, found in A Practical Guide for Ex-Ante Impact Evaluations in Fisheries and Aquaculture, are designed to provide an approach for a qualitative examination of the potential for a project to deliver impacts. Using a conceptual framework based on the outcome focus of results-based management, the guidelines stress careful examination of the setting, internal consistency, a sound theory of change, and an examination of stakeholders’ interests and potential partnerships. The case study reports illustrate the variability with which the guidelines may be interpreted and applied. The different teams, operating with limited time and budget that constrained the collection of new data, were forced to utilize existing secondary data and information and consult with key stakeholders to complete their analyses. The varying levels of reporting reflect the differences among the cases in the amounts of existing information and variety of stakeholders potentially involved in the projects being examined

Evaluation of marine economic development demonstration zone policy on marine industrial structure optimization: a case study of Zhejiang, China

The marine economic development demonstration zone (MEDDZ) is the regional marine functional policy that assumes the significant tasks of innovation in the system and mechanism of the marine economy, optimization of the marine industrial structures, and the construction of marine ecological civilization. This paper constructs a panel database of 11 coastal provinces in China from 2006 to 2019, takes the Zhejiang Marine Economy Development Demonstration Zone Plan officially approved by the State Council of China in 2011 as a quasi-natural experiment, applies the synthetic control method (SCM) to evaluate the effect of implementation of the MEDDZ policy on marine industrial structure optimization in Zhejiang. The results show that: (1) The MEDDZ policy significantly promotes the structure optimization of the marine industry in Zhejiang and the existence of the policy lag phenomenon. (2) Based on the results of the robustness tests, we find that the fitted path of policy effects is better when the time of MEDDZ implementation is adjusted to 2012. (3) Government financial support and marine cargo capacity play a role in implementing the MEDDZ policy, positively affecting and optimizing the coastal marine industry’s structure. Therefore, we make some suggestions from the perspectives of strengthening the policy implementation process, focusing on the policy lag phenomenon, and broadening funding sources, thus enriching theoretical research on policies in the field of the marine industry and providing practical references for the development of other coastal demonstration zones

Resource dependence of China’s economic growth and its challenges

Since reform and opening up, China economy grows rapidly and industrialization process boosts gradually. The fluctuation of China economic growth and high consumption of resources aggravate the contradiction between resource demand and supply, and make environmental pollution more seriously. Therefore, how to improve the protection ability of resource and coordinate resource consumption and economic growth has become a hot issue and catches the attention of government and academia. Considering the resource constraints faced by economic growth, this essay studies the dependence of China economic growth on resource consumption, examines the relationship between economic growth and resource consumption empirically. And this essay suggests the government alleviates the contradiction of China economic development by improving resource support capabilities, economic growth transformation and other measures, and makes China economy into a virtuous cycle and sustainable development way.Desde o início da reforma económica e da abertura ao mundo, a República Popular da China tem crescido rapidamente bem como os processos de industrialização têm avançado gradualmente. A flutuação do crescimento económico da China e o elevado consumo de recursos minerais têm agravado os efeitos da procura e oferta destes recursos e fez com que a poluição ambiental se transformasse numa questão séria. Deste modo, como melhorar a capacidade de protecção dos recursos naturais em coordenação com o consumo destes e promover o crescimento económico tornou-se uma questão importante e está na agenda tanto do governo como da academia. Tendo em conta os constrangimentos existentes nos recursos minerais em face às necessidades geradas pelo desenvolvimento económico, este projecto investiga a dependência do crescimento económico da China em face ao consumo de recursos minerais, examinando empiricamente a relação entre crescimento económico e o consumo de minérios. Este estudo sugere ainda que o governo deva reduzir a pressão sentida no binómio de procura de recursos minerais e crescimento económico através de melhoria de capacidade de apoio à extracção ou, mudança de modelo de crescimento da indústria transformadora ou, adopção de outras medidas adequadas e tornar a economia da China um circulo virtuoso e sustentável