The Brazilian Amazon Timber Industry and the International Mechanisms of Timber Trade Control – Combating Illegal Logging and Associated Trade

Illegal logging and its associated trade are one of the main causes of degradation of the Amazonian Rainforest in Brazil. They spring from several deficiencies in the regulatory and monitoring systems. The purpose of this work is to recommend mechanisms to overcome these deficiencies to eliminate illegal logging and its associated trade in the long-term and to enhance the appreciation of the standing forests and the sustainable use of their natural resources. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the Brazilian tropical timber market’s trends, and briefly describes the main stages of timber supply chain to build familiarity with the activities surrounding it. Chapter 2 presents the aspects of the Brazilian federal environmental regulatory system of timber supply chain that are essential for further analysis of illegal undertakings. Chapter 3 provides information on the factual aspects of illegal logging and associated trade in the Amazon. It analyzes the sector’s features and deficiencies and examines how effective the enforcement of the Brazilian environmental law has been to date. Chapter 4 describes the international mechanisms of timber trade control in use worldwide. It focuses on those systems that are the most effective and have beneficial impact – or potential beneficial impact if better promoted – on the Brazilian timber industry. Finally, chapter 5 recommends a multi-faceted approach to be implemented by the Brazilian Government with the cooperation of the international community, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. It suggests strategies to promote effective international timber trade control mechanisms within the Brazilian Amazon timber industry, and to adapt effective tools provided by those mechanisms to the Brazilian environmental regulatory system. These strategies include instruments from the United States Lacey Act and the European Union Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade Action Plan, forest certification schemes, and the International Forest Regime. This work also provides recommendations to improve the efficiency of control mechanisms that are currently but poorly implemented in Brazil

The Impact of e-Democracy in Political Stability of Nigeria

The history of the Nigerian electoral process has been hitherto characterized by violence stemming from disputes in election outcomes. For instance, violence erupted across some states in Northern Nigeria when results indicated that a candidate who was popular in that part of the country was losing the election leading to avoidable loss of lives. Beside, this dispute in election outcome lingers for a long time in litigation at the electoral tribunals which distracts effective governance. However, the increasing penetrating use of ICTs in Nigeria is evident in the electoral processes with consequent shift in the behavior of actors in the democratic processes, thus changing the ways Nigerians react to election outcomes. This paper examines the trend in the use ICT in the Nigerian political system and its impact on the stability of the polity. It assesses the role of ICT in recent electoral processes and compares its impact on the outcome of the process in lieu of previous experiences in the Nigeria. Furthermore, the paper also examines the challenges and risks of implementing e-Democracy in Nigeria and its relationship to the economy in the light of the socio-economic situation of the country. The paper adopted qualitative approach in data gathering and analysis. From the findings, the paper observed that e-democracy is largely dependent on the level of ICT adoption, which is still at its lowest ebb in the country. It recognizes the challenges in the provision of ICT infrastructure and argues that appropriate low-cost infrastructure applicable to the Nigerian condition can be made available to implement e-democracy and thus arouse the interest of the populace in governance, increase the number of voters, and enhance transparency, probity and accountability, and participation in governance as well as help stabilize the nascent democrac

Legal Aspects of Urban Water and Sanitation Regulatory Services: An Analysis of How the Spanish Experience Positively Would Contribute to the Brazilian New Regulation

This paper focuses on the legal and institutional framework of urban water services in Spain, emphasizing water sanitation by using proposals that would positively contribute to wastewater management in Brazil. The recent Brazilian Federal Law No. 14,026/20 aims to encourage investment in water sanitation, promoting public-private collaboration formulas so that service management is viable even in economically less-favored regions. In Spain, sanitation policies are aimed at fulfilling the set of obligations and objectives imposed by European Union Directives within the environmental policies of the Union. From an economic point of view, supply and sanitation water services are classified at European legal framework as “services of general economic interest” (SGEI), not subject to harmonized regulation and open to a natural monopoly provision regime, which they admit various types of management formulas, public and private, based on the ownership and public intervention of the service, both at national and European level. We believe that the Spanish experience in this field, beyond its singularities, can serve as a useful reference for Brazilian’s urban wastewater new regulation for several reasons: (1) Because of the decentralized political scheme that both countries share and the need to articulate an adequate system of competencies in consequence; (2) Because of the international experience that Spanish companies have at the sector’s technological forefront, they are very competitive; (3) Due to the adequate functioning of the Spanish legal and organizational framework since, despite its shortcomings, as we later will comment, it has managed to develop successful financing formulas and management models that, in general terms, have allowed to ensure with reasonable efficiency, continuity, stability and sustainability in the provision of urban water services.CampusHabitat5U network of excellence of Valencian public universitiesCátedra del Agua of the University of Alicante, the Diputación Provincial de AlicanteSpanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (DER2017-87789-R)Ministry of Economy and Knowledge of the Junta de Andalucía and the FEDER Andalusia Operational Program 2014-2020 (B-SEJ-444-UGR18

Automated compliance checking in healthcare building design

Regulatory frameworks associated to building design are usually complex, representing extensive sets of requirements. For healthcare projects in the UK, this includes statutory and guidance documents. Existing research indicates that they contain subjective requirements, which challenge the practical adoption of automated compliance checking, leading to limited outcomes. This paper aims to propose recommendations for the adoption of automated compliance checking in the design of healthcare buildings. Design Science Research was used to gain a detailed understanding of how information from existing regulatory requirements affects automation, through an empirical study in the design of a primary healthcare facility. In this study, a previously proposed taxonomy was implemented and refined, resulting in the identification of different types of subjective requirements. Based on empirical data emerging from the research, a set of recommendations was proposed focusing on the revision of regulatory documents, as well as to aid designers implementing automated compliance in practice

Private Sector Defense Contractor Management Strategies for Contract Fulfillment

Private sector U.S. defense contractors failing to meet contract objectives experience lower profitability, pay costly penalties, and risk survivability. Using the theory of contracts, the purpose of this multiple case study was to the explore strategies that some leaders of U.S. defense contracting businesses use to meet all the contract terms with the U.S. Department of Defense. Data were collected from 5 leaders of private sector defense contracting companies in northwest Florida through face-to-face, semistructured interviews and through a review of operations manuals, quality assurance policy manuals, and archived U.S. Department of Defense contracts. During data analysis using Yin\u27s 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding the data, 4 themes on strategies emerged: (a) communication strategy for successful completion of contracts, (b) technology strategy to monitor contract compliance, (c) training strategy for program managers, and (d) subcontractor selection strategy. The findings indicated that communication among all contract parties was an essential component of each of the 4 themes. Computerizing the contracting workflow to monitor compliance efforts, training program managers for effective oversight of contract compliance, and selecting subcontractors were vital elements of the strategies private sector defense contractors used to meet all the terms and conditions of U.S. Department of Defense contracts. The implications for positive social change include the potential for private sector defense contractors to improve the strength of the defense of the northwest Florida community, lower unemployment, and provide a safer environment for humanity