Impact of soil conservation on crop production in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands:

"Land degradation, in the form of soil erosion and nutrient depletion, threatens food security and the sustainability of agricultural production in many developing countries. Governments and development agencies have invested substantial resources in promoting soil conservation practices, in an effort to improve environmental conditions and reduce poverty. However, very limited rigorous empirical work has examined the economics of adopting soil conservation technology. This paper investigates the impact of stone bunds on crop production value per hectare in low and high rainfall areas of the Ethiopian highlands using cross-sectional data from more than 900 households having multiple plots per household. We use modified random effects models, stochastic dominance analysis (SDA) and matching methods to ensure robustness. The parametric regression and SDA estimates are based on matched observations obtained from nearest neighbor matching using propensity score estimates. This is important because conventional regression and SDA estimates are obtained without ensuring the existence of comparable conserved and non-conserved plots within the distribution of covariates. Here, we use matching methods, random effects and Mundlak's approach to control for selection and endogeneity biases that may arise due to correlation of unobserved heterogeneity and observed explanatory variables. The three methods used herein consistently show that plots with stone bunds are more productive than those without such technologies in semi-arid areas but not in higher rainfall areas, apparently because the moisture-conserving benefits of this technology are more beneficial in drier areas. This implies that the performance of stone bunds varies by agro-ecological type, suggesting a need for the design and implementation of appropriate site-specific technologies." from Authors' AbstractSoil conservation, Crop production, Agro-ecology, Matching method, Stochastic dominance, Modified random effects model, Land management,

Energy, gender and development: what are the linkages ? where is the evidence ?

This report reviews the literature on the links between energy access, welfare, and gender in order to provide evidence on where gender considerations in the energy sector matter and how they might be addressed. Prepared as a background document for the 2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development, and part of the Social Development Department's ongoing work on gender and infrastructure, the report describes and evaluates the evidence on the links between gender and energy focusing on: increased access to woodfuel through planting of trees and forest management; improved cooking technologies; and access to electricity and motive energy. The report's main finding is that energy interventions can have significant gender benefits, which can be realized via careful design and targeting of interventions based on a context-specific understanding of energy scarcity and household decision-making, in particular how women's preferences, opportunity cost of time, and welfare are reflected in household energy decisions. The report focuses on the academic peer-reviewed literature and, although it applies fairly inclusive screening criteria when selecting the evidence to consider, finds that the evidence on many of the energy-gender linkages is often limited. There is thus a clear need for studies to evaluate interventions and identify key design elements for gender-sensitive project design.

Policy design for the Anthropocene

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Research via the DOI in this recordToday, more than ever, ‘Spaceship Earth’ is an apt metaphor as we chart the boundaries for a safe planet1. Social scientists both analyse why society courts disaster by approaching or even overstepping these boundaries and try to design suitable policies to avoid these perils. Because the threats of transgressing planetary boundaries are global, long-run, uncertain and interconnected, they must be analysed together to avoid conflicts and take advantage of synergies. To obtain policies that are effective at both international and local levels requires careful analysis of the underlying mechanisms across scientific disciplines and approaches, and must take politics into account. In this Perspective, we examine the complexities of designing policies that can keep Earth within the biophysical limits favourable to human life.Stockholm Resilience CentreBECC - Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing ClimateMistra Carbon Exi

Meta-analysis of nature conservation values in Asia & Oceania: Data heterogeneity and benefit transfer issues

We conduct a meta-analysis (MA) of around 100 studies valuing nature conservation in Asia and Oceania. Dividing our dataset into two levels of heterogeneity in terms of good characteristics (endangered species vs. nature conservation more generally) and valuation methods, we show that the degree of regularity and conformity with theory and empirical expectations is higher for the more homogenous dataset of contingent valuation of endangered species. For example, we find that willingness to pay (WTP) for preservation of mammals tends to be higher than other species and that WTP for species preservation increases with income. Increasing the degree of heterogeneity in the valuation data, however, preserves much of the regularity, and the explanatory power of some of our models is in the range of other MA studies of goods typically assumed to be more homogenous (such as water quality). Subjecting our best MA models to a simple test forecasting values for out-of-sample observations, shows median (mean) forecasting errors of 24 (46) percent for endangered species and 46 (89) percent for nature conservation more generally, approaching levels that may be acceptable in benefit transfer for policy use. We recommend that the most prudent MA practice is to control for heterogeneity in regressions and sensitivity analysis, rather than to limit datasets by non-transparent criteria to a level of heterogeneity deemed acceptable to the individual analyst. However, the trade-off will always be present and the issue of acceptable level of heterogeneity in MA is far from settle

Vi kanske borde gifta oss? - en rättsvetenskaplig uppsats om skillnaden mellan sambors och makars rätt till arv samt de normativa grundmönstrens påverkan

“The Swedish family law regulation mirrors fundamental values in the society in many ways, regardless of if they have been there for a long period of time or if they are a result of the legislation. This is a matter of an intercommunion between laws and values of society. Our legislation is a product of our society – we are moulded by the legislation and we are moulding it.” Professor Anna Singer presented the quote above ten years ago, and it is a good quote to summarize this essay. In this composition the right for married and unmarried partners to inherit the other is discussed. The differences between the legal rights of the two different forms of cohabitation have been justified in the preparatory materials of the laws in question. These justifications are presented, discussed and analysed in the different chapters of this essay. I have, by using the method of sociology of law, studied the relationship between society and law, especially family law. I have studied the effects society has on the legislation, and how the legislation is affecting the society. Anna Christensen’s theory of patterns of fundamental values has been used to study what values are evident in the legislation and in the justifications presented of the differences in the legislation. In the analytical part of the essay, my conclusion is that the most prominent fundamental values are individuality and solidarity. The legislation describes unmarried partners as two separated individuals with a sparse solidarity, as opposed to married partners who are presented as a unit where the two individuals are not to be separated to the point where it can damage their solidarity, which is a fundamental value of marriage.”Den svenska familjerättsliga regleringen speglar i många avseende grundläggande värderingar i samhället, oavsett om de funnits där under en lång tid eller om de framkallats av lagstiftningen. Det är här fråga om en växelverkan mellan lagar och samhällsvärderingar. Vår reglering är en produkt av vårt samhälle – vi präglas av regleringen och präglar den.” Professor Anna Singer presenterade citatet ovan för tio år sedan, och det passar ypperlig bra för att sammanfatta detta arbete. I uppsatsen diskuteras gifta och ogifta sammanboendes rätt till arv efter varandra. Skillnaderna mellan dessa samlevnadsformers lagliga rätt har motiverats i förarbetena till sambolagen, äktenskapsbalken och ärvdabalken. Motiveringarna presenteras, diskuteras och analyseras i uppsatsens olika delar. Genom att använda mig av en rättssociologisk metod har jag undersökt relationen mellan rätt och samhälle, i synnerhet på arvsrättens område. På detta vis har jag studerat hur samhället har präglat lagstiftningen, och hur lagstiftningen präglat samhället. Anna Christensens teori om normativa grundmönster har använts för att studera vilka normativa grundmönster som är framträdande i lagstiftningen samt i motiven till skillnaderna i lagstiftningen. I analysen kommer jag fram till att de två tydligast framträdande normativa grundmönstren i sambors och makars rätt till arv är individualitet och gemenskap. I lagstiftningen framträder en syn på sambor som två ifrån varandra skilda individer vilka tillsammans bildar en inskränkt gemenskap, i jämförelse med en syn på makar som en enhet där önskan om individualitet inte får tillgodoses på bekostnad av äktenskapets starka och grundläggande gemenskapstanke

Lärares planering av Religionskunskap 1 : Utmaningar och svårigheter i gymnasieskolan

Denna uppsats ämnar söka svar på två frågeställningar, nämligen: Hur planerar lärare sin undervisning i religionskunskap 1 för att hinna med alla punkter i det centrala innehållet för kursens angivna tid, samt hur kan kristendomens status i Religionskunskap 1 bemötas. De metoder som används i uppsatsen är dels en intervjumetod med två ämneslärare i gymnasieskolan i religionskunskap 1 men även en litteraturstudie. En jämförelse mellan två olika läroplaner har också använts för att ge en djupare förståelse för hur lärarens tid används. Uppsatsen finner svar på hur lärare planerar undervisningen genom att de två intervjuade lärarnas planering redovisas och analyseras där det framkommer att lärarna behöver mer tid till att genomföra sina lektioner alternativt att en förändring av läroplanen behöver göras. Kristendomen har idag en särställning i läroplanen eftersom det är den enda religion som nämns vid namn, detta var något som sågs som negativt av de intervjuade lärarna som helst skulle dra ner på kristendomen för att kunna fokusera på de fördjupande delarna. De slutsatser som kan dras av uppsatsen är att en reviderad läroplan samt ett eventuellt ämnesövergripande upplägg skulle underlätta för läraren i dennes planering, samtidigt som denna uppsats ger förslag på hur läraren kan involvera eleverna mer i sin undervisning. Det har även framkommit i uppsatsen att de intervjuade lärarnas önskan är att minska ner på kristendomens särställning i läroplanen