Compensation valuation for the resettlement of the indigenous communities in Bakun Hydroelectric Dam, Sarawak, Malaysia

Compensation for indigenous communities as a result of development projects has been a controversial subject. The elements of rights, entitlements, freedom and justice are often difficult to value and left out in the compensation processes. Most of the compensation packages given to the indigenous communities are in-use values and non-use values are often ignored. The non-use values which include environmental, social and cultural values are very difficult to determine and often not compensated by government. These non-use values are more important compared with use values to the indigenous communities. In this study, a sample of 379 settlers in Sungai Asap Resettlement Scheme relocated as a result of the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam Project in Malaysia is surveyed to estimate the satisfaction with compensation as perceived by the settlers. The data was collected from September 2012 to December 2012. Logistic regressions models were used to identify the components of valuation of displacement cost that affect the settlers' satisfaction with compensation. The study of compensation valuation can result in better policies for compensating people affected by large projects. These policies will incorporate aspects of welfare more effectively thus increasing legitimacy for agencies involved in the relocation of communities. The findings showed that gaps in land compensation (differences in expected compensation and actual compensation paid out by state authorities) can result in dissatisfaction towards compensation. Besides that, environmental value (non-use value) perceived by the settlers is found to be significant in affecting probability of dissatisfaction towards compensation. The most important finding is that the lack of freedom and rights of settlers to participate in resettlement processesbring about dissatisfaction towards compensation. This has policy implication for government initiatives on compensation. An institutional avenue to consult and discuss the compensation figures with the settlers should be present to ensure agreeable compensatio

Subsidies in the Fisheries Sector of Malaysia: Impact on Resource Sustainability

Subsidies are a form of support provided to consumers and producers by government to enhance the welfare.  Fishers in Malaysia receive various type of subsidies. Fisheries subsidies however are a challenge because it can work against fishers’ welfare if the fisheries subsidies lead to over fishing and resource depletion.  In this paper, we explore the impacts of fisheries subsidies on small-scale fishers in Malaysia and suggest ways to improve the subsidies scheme so that the twin roles of improving fishers’ welfare and fisheries sustainability are achieved. Data on fisheries subsidies and fisheries production in Peninsular Malaysia is used in this study

Assessing compensation values from resettlement projects: The need to incorporate elements of freedom and justice

The compensation for communities who are relocated to make way for development projects is often underestimated. As a consequence, the displaced communities often find their welfare to be worse off after resettlement and hence, the compensations do not provide justice to them.This paper reviews the issue of compensation and the approach for making compensation.In particular, it reviews the classical compensation theory by Kaldor-Hicks and also the modern theories of compensation. This paper argues that the Kaldor-Hicks compensation criteria are limited to explain the changes in the welfare of the displaced communities after resettlement.Thus, there is a need to consider the elements in Amartya Sen’s conception of freedom, capability and liberty as well as Rawlsian theory of justice in modern compensation theories in order to capture the real changes in the welfare.A broader conceptual framework for the economics of compensation employing the role of freedom is constructed to provide a comprehensive understanding on the role of freedom and rights in compensation valuation for future development projects

An Evaluation of Socioeconomic Status and Handling Practices Used by Small-Scale Fishermen Along Coastal Areas of Ondo State, Nigeria

The purpose of this paper is to examine the socio-economic status and handling practices used by small-scale fishermen along coastal areas of Ondo State, Nigeria with respect to reduction of post-harvest fish losses. The study was carried out in twenty (20) fishing communities along the coastal areas of Ondo State, Nigeria. Primary data were used through administration of 21 questionnaires to active fishermen from each fishing communities as instrument for data collection. Most (44%) of the fishermen spent 12 hours for their fishing cycle. Result shows that fishermen do not have access to ice for preservation of fish and as a result of this they ensure to come back on time to maintain good quality fish prior to checking. Despite limiting the duration of fishing cycle, losses do occur due to handling practices used. Fish are placed on the floor of the boat after hauling of the nets at the fishing ground and covering materials are not made available for the fishermen. Significant association exist between demographic factors and duration of fishing cycle while there is no significant relationship between demographic factors and where fresh fish are placed. It is suggested that provision of infrastructural facilities such as good road network, storage facilities, covering materials and constant supply of electricity will reduce post-harvest fish losses. This will help fishermen to make more income as a result of good quality fish, improve their livelihood, rural development and ensure food security in the state and country at large. Keywords: Handling practices, small-scale fishermen, rural development, post-harvest losses, food securit

Managing Fisheries Conflicts in Southeast Asia

Objective: This paper focuses on fisheries conflicts in Southeast Asia (ASEAN).Methodology: This paper draws on few cases in ASEAN and explores ways for reducing conflicts and managing fisheries sustainability in the region.Results: The community-based management approach is seen as a promising approach for reducing fisheries conflicts and improving fisheries as a whole. Implication: The institutional and technical requirements for implementing the approach is discussed in the paper

Trade and Sustainability of ASEAN Fisheries Resources

Fisheries trade is crucial to a country as it provides employment and income for the fishers and person indirectly involved in fisheries. The objective of fisheries trade is to provide opportunities to fishers to reach wider markets and obtain greater value for their produce. Extensive catch of fisheries stocks is carried out to increase the trade in fisheries products especially in ASEAN countries where there is a high demand for fish with trade liberalisation. The large harvesting of fisheries resources may result in the depletion of fisheries resources. ASEAN will face the problem of sustainability of fisheries resources in the long run if the large harvesting of fisheries resources is not managed with sustainability as an important goal. One way of reducing the depletion of fisheries resources and ensuring adequate fish for future consumption is to develop sustainability standards for fisheries and fisheries products. This paper focuses on fisheries standards for managing fisheries in ASEAN countries and addresses the problems faced by small-scale fishers and governments in implementing the standards. Moreover, this paper suggests ways to ensure the sustainability of fisheries resources in the future

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in ASEAN

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing brings great losses to the economies.Understanding the reasons contributing to IUU fishing is crucial in reducing it.The factors are economic, institutional and social factors.This paper shows that economic factor is the main factor contributing to IUU fishing.This paper also highlights the two possible ways to curb the IUU fishing.One way is to reduce the revenue from IUU fishing and another way is to increase the cost of IUU fishing. There are three costs incurred in IUU fishing that can be reduced namely the operating, capital and risk costs.A framework of reducing the economic rent or profit of IUU fishing is developed and guidelines for reducing IUU fishing are also suggested.The guidelines are improved registration of fishing vessels, preventing entry of illegal fish products and most importantly, developing co-management of fisheries.All governments in ASEAN must work together with the stakeholders involved such as fishers, fishermen agencies or associations to exchange information to reduce transaction cost of IUU fishing

Managing Fisheries Conflicts in Southeast Asia

The fisheries sector is a vital sector for Southeast Asian (ASEAN) nations as it provides a source of protein and employment to the people. However, the ASEAN fisheries sector also encounters severalconflict issues. Fisheries conflicts are common in Southeast Asian nations and are dangerous if left unaddressed. Such conflicts can destroy the livelihoods of fishers and negatively affect food security and the fishing environment. In this paper, fisheries conflicts cases in ASEAN are used to examineconflicts faced by fishers. The objective is to understand the sources of conflicts and recommend approaches for reducing or eliminating the conflicts to ensure the sustainability of fisheries resources in the ASEAN region. The main findings of this paper show that the principal sources of conflicts in ASEAN are disagreement of fishers with the allocation of resources by the government and competition among fishers for the limited fisheries resources. Community-based management or co-managed fisheries have the potential to empower communities in decision making to solve the conflicts and ensure fisheries rights are allocated equitably

Role of technology adoption, labor force and capital formation on the rice production in Malaysia

Rice production is getting global attention due to its significant role in economic growth (gross domestic product), and this aspect shows its importance and needs. Thus, the current article examines the impact of technology adoption, labor force, human capital and capital formation on rice production in Malaysia. The current article extracted the secondary data from World Development Indicators (WDI) and Statista databases and extracted data from 1991 to 2020. The current study examines the unit root using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and investigates the association among constructs using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The results indicated that technology adoption, labor force, human capital, and capital formation have a positive and significant linkage with rice production in Malaysia. This study helps the upcoming researchers in investigating this topic in the future and also guides the policymakers in establishing the policies related to rice production using technology adoption, labor force, human capital and capital formation factors.Irwan Shah Zainal Abidin (School of Economics, Finance and Banking, Universiti Utara Malaysia) Muhammad Haseeb (Taylors Business School (TBS), Taylors University Malaysia), Rabiul Islam (School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia), Lee Wen Chiat (Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM))Includes bibliographical references

The role of rural infrastructure, labour and capital investment on the rice production in Malaysia

Recently, rice production has gained significant attention due to increasing requirements and rural infrastructure, labour, and capital investment have been considered the significant factors for rice production that need researchers' attention. Hence, the present article examines the impact of rural infrastructure, labour and capital investment on rice production in Malaysia. The current study has extracted secondary data related to crop production from the Department of Agriculture, extension census of agriculture state series, yearly report ministry of Malaysia and department of statistics at state levels. In addition, data for rural infrastructure, labour and capital investment has been collected from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) and the World Bank. The current study has applied the Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test (ADF) to examine the unit root and autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) to test the association among the variables. The findings indicated a positive correlation between rural infrastructure, labour, capital investment and rice output in Malaysia.Irwan Shah Zainal Abidin (School of Economics, Finance and Banking, Universiti Utara Malaysia), Muhammad Haseeb (Taylors Business School (TBS), Taylors University Malaysia), Rabiul Islam (School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia), Lee Wen Chiat (Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak Branch)Includes bibliographical references