Russia and East-Central Europe in the modern world-system: A structuralist perspective

Dissertação de mestrado em Gestão (Empreendedorismo), apresentada à Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra, sob a orientação Pedro Hespanha.Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar o sucesso de políticas de crédito orientadas para a criação de negócios por pessoas com dificuldades no acesso ao crédito, especificamente, microcrédito. Foi selecionada como exemplo dessa política de crédito a tipologia de operações de crédito Microinvest, por via do acesso ao crédito ao investimento bonificado e garantido, no âmbito do PAECPE, a promover e executar pelo IEFP, I.P., analisando o seu impacte no empreendedorismo e inovação. O modelo de investigação assenta na teoria da contingência e na teoria interpessoal, possibilitando avaliar não só o meio envolvente na decisão empreendedora, mas também o papel do indivíduo, suas competências pessoais e interpessoais, a fim de identificar fatores que afetam o empreendedorismo e as relações institucionais, e examinar como estes fatores se combinam, globalmente, para despoletar uma cultura empreendedora, de âmbito nacional, e analisar como se interrelacionam para melhorar a sua performance. Os resultados obtidos indiciam que o empreendedorismo é influenciado pela sua situação laboral, a sua motivação, o meio envolvente inserido, os fatores demográficos, os recursos disponíveis, nomeadamente, o capital psicológico, o capital relacional, destacando-se o contexto institucional como fator que pode causar impacte negativo no sucesso da criação de negócios. Conclui-se que o Microinvest, com quase cinco anos de implementação, conta com menos de 400 beneficiários, um valor muito modesto, pelo que os dados recolhidos e conclusões apresentadas serão um contributo para todas as instituições interessadas, em melhorar a eficácia desta tipologia de operação de crédito

Klimarisikomanagement (KRM) in Österreich: Bestandsaufnahme der Stakeholder-Landschaft und der Governance-Strukturen für die Klimarisiken Hochwasser & Trockenheit/Dürre. RESPECT Working Paper No.1

Klima- und wetterbedingte Schäden haben in den letzten Jahrzenten österreichweit zugenommen. Aufgrund des fortschreitenden Klimawandels und sozioökonomischer Entwicklungen ist mit einer weiteren Zunahme klimabezogener Risiken zu rechnen. Bereits heute wird im Naturgefahrenmanagement versucht, die durch die natürliche Klimavariabilität ausgelösten Ereignisse zu vermeiden, zu minimieren bzw. zu bewältigen. Die Klimawandelanpassungspraxis hingegen fokussiert darauf, die durch den voranschreitenden Klimawandel verstärkten Risiken zu managen. Um klimabezogenes Risikomanagement zukünftig effektiver zu gestalten erscheint es sinnvoll, die beiden derzeit eigenständigen Bereiche in einem gesamtheitlichen Ansatz – dem Klimarisikomanagement (KRM) – zu verknüpfen. Der vorliegende Bericht stellt eine erste Bestandsaufnahme der Stakeholder-Landschaft und der Governance-Strukturen im Bereich Klimarisikomanagement dar, mit den Schwerpunkten Hochwasser und Trockenheit/Dürre in Österreich. Mittels einer zweistufigen Stakeholder-Analyse, bestehend aus Stakeholder-Interviews und zwei anschließenden Stakeholder-Workshops, konnten die einzelnen Akteure und Institutionen dem, ebenfalls im Rahmen von RESPECT entwickelten, 4-Phasen KRM-Zyklus zugeordnet und Interaktionen zwischen den einzelnen Akteuren aufgezeigt werden. Aufgrund der Interviewergebnisse und der Stakeholder-Workshops wurde festgestellt, dass ein umfassendes proaktives KRM in der österreichischen Praxis noch kein relevantes Thema ist, obwohl bereits punktuell einzelne Maßnahmen gesetzt werden. Wir schlagen vor, durch die Gründung eines gesetzlich verankerten nationalen Klimarisikorats die noch fehlenden KRM-Entscheidungsstrukturen zu etablieren, bzw. eine Schnittstelle zur politischen Entscheidungsfindung herzustellen. Zur Identifikation von konkreten Rollen und Verantwortlichkeiten, welche derzeit unklar geregelt sind und somit zur KRM Umsetzungslücke beitragen, eignen sich partizipative Forschungsmethoden wie die RESPECT Rollenspiel Simulation Klimarisikomanagement. Weitere konkrete Vorschläge hin zu einer Operationalisierung eines umfassenden KRMs betreffen die Erweiterung des Katastrophenfondsgesetzes um eine vorbeugende Komponente im privaten Bereich, sowie die Kombination mit privaten Versicherungsmodellen. Da die Umsetzung einer klimarisikobewussten Politik auch von einer breiten gesellschaftlichen Unterstützung abhängt, sollte die Bevölkerung durch Informationskampagnen für Klimarisiken sensibilisiert werden

The status of climate risk management in Austria. Assessing the governance landscape and proposing ways forward for comprehensively managing flood and drought risk

Climate and weather-related damage have been increasing globally in recent decades. Due to climate change and socio-economic developments, a further increase in climate-related risks is expected. Numerous countries have a long and successful history in disaster risk management (DRM) to avoid, minimize and manage damage caused by extreme weather events. In addition, climate change adaptation (CCA) focuses on managing the risks resulting from climate change today and in the future. To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of managing climate-related risks, these two independent approaches need to be linked closer in a more holistic approach – a concept that has been termed climate risk management (CRM). In order to build stronger ties in practice, it is crucial to first understand current governance structures in specific countries or regions. This paper focuses on Austria, a country with experience in both DRM and CCA. In this paper, we present a comprehensive picture of the stakeholder landscape and governance structures in the context of managing climate-related risks. We focus on flooding and agricultural drought, two key risks in Austria. Building on a literature review and a two-stage stakeholder process, consisting of stakeholder interviews and stakeholder workshops, relevant institutions and actors were identified and assigned to a 4-phase CRM cycle. Moreover, specific activities of the identified actors and interactions between them were determined. Based on these insights, we conclude that a comprehensive CRM, which aligns DRM and CCA practice, does not yet exist in Austria. We propose to establish the missing CRM decision-making structures by e.g. instituting a legally-anchored national climate risk council, which can act as an interface between CRM practice and political decision-making

Responsibility & Risk: Operationalizing comprehensive climate risk layering in Austria among multiple actors (RESPECT)

Damages caused by climate and weather extremes, such as floods and droughts, have increased over the last few decades and will likely broaden with the progression of climate change and socioeconomic development. Such climate-related risks are already being governed within the framework of natural disaster risk management, as well as climate change adaptation. However, to manage these climate risks more effectively it is necessary to link these two domains under the umbrella of Climate Risk Management (CRM)

Integrating climate adaptation, water governance and conflict management policies in lake riparian zones: insights from African drylands

As river basin authorities and national governments develop policies to achieve sustainable development outcomes, conflicting signals between existing policies are undermining cross-thematic integrative modes of policy planning. This raises fundamental questions over how coherent portfolios of policy interventions across vital themes can best be advanced and managed. Taking the Lake Chad Basin (LCB) as an empirical example, we analyse transboundary policies and intervention documents relating to climate adaptation, water governance and conflict management to ascertain the interdependencies at the adaptation-water-peace nexus. Using a Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA) approach and a set of subjective integration scoring criteria, we assess whether and how integration is planned, setting out ways forward for mutually beneficial integration actions.Despite recent progress in addressing lake drying and recognising cross-thematic challenges, most LCB intervention plans continue to adopt standalone basin-scale agendas and seldom consider action plan preparedness based on local-level assessments. Analysis of a few (existing) cross-thematic, well-integrated initiatives indicates that the timings of societal challenges and funding arrangements appear to play a key role in shaping policy strategies, the manner in which climate adaptation, water or security are treated and the level of integration attained. Based on the notion that integration is inherently desirable, we suggest a new ‘policy integration thinking’ that embraces a development landscape logic and balances short-term and long-term development priorities