Van Afval Af

__Abstract__ Er is in de gemeentelijke afvalwereld consensus dat de toekomst ligt in gesloten materiaalkringlopen. Ook het Verpakkingenakkoord spreekt de ambitie uit dat in de komende tien jaar een versnelling nodig is richting grootschalig hergebruik, sluiten van kringlopen en de ontwikkeling van een goed functionerende circulaire grondstoffenmarkt. Vergelijkbare ambities zijn ook door veel gemeenten individueel en de Rijksoverheid in haar ‘afval is grondstof’ beleid uitgesproken. Die gemeentelijke ambitie – en dan specifiek op het gebied van verpakkingen - is de directe aanleiding voor deze transitie-studie. Het beoogt overzicht en suggesties te bieden aan gemeenten (en andere partijen) over hun rol in de circulaire economie vanuit hun positie in de afvalketen. Veel gemeenten hebben de beleidsvoorbereiding en/of uitvoering bij samenwerkingsverbanden of overheidsgedomineerde bedrijven gelegd. In dit document bedoelen we met gemeenten, tenzij anders vermeld, dus ook de lokale overheid inclusief deze partijen. Tijdens de interviews en sessies bleken de meningen soms verdeeld of het Verpakkingenakkoord op alle punten een stap in de goede richting is. In deze studie gaan we uit er vanuit dat het nu gesloten Verpakkingenakkoord een gegeven is, maar we besteden wel aandacht aan hoe gemeenten de invulling en uitvoering van het Verpakkingenakkoord (en de organisatie van afvalbeheer in het algemeen) de komende jaren kunnen vormgeven en strategisch positie kunnen kiezen

In-depth analysis of N2O fluxes in tropical forest soils of the Congo Basin combining isotope and functional gene analysis

Primary tropical forests generally exhibit large gaseous nitrogen (N) losses, occurring as nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O) or elemental nitrogen (N2). The release of N2O is of particular concern due to its high global warming potential and destruction of stratospheric ozone. Tropical forest soils are predicted to be among the largest natural sources of N2O; however, despite being the world’s second-largest rainforest, measurements of gaseous N-losses from forest soils of the Congo Basin are scarce. In addition, long-term studies investigating N2O fluxes from different forest ecosystem types (lowland and montane forests) are scarce. In this study we show that fluxes measured in the Congo Basin were lower than fluxes measured in the Neotropics, and in the tropical forests of Australia and South East Asia. In addition, we show that despite different climatic conditions, average annual N2O fluxes in the Congo Basin’s lowland forests (0.97 ± 0.53 kg N ha−1 year−1) were comparable to those in its montane forest (0.88 ± 0.97 kg N ha−1 year−1). Measurements of soil pore air N2O isotope data at multiple depths suggests that a microbial reduction of N2O to N2 within the soil may account for the observed low surface N2O fluxes and low soil pore N2O concentrations. The potential for microbial reduction is corroborated by a significant abundance and expression of the gene nosZ in soil samples from both study sites. Although isotopic and functional gene analyses indicate an enzymatic potential for complete denitrification, combined gaseous N-losses (N2O, N2) are unlikely to account for the missing N-sink in these forests. Other N-losses such as NO, N2 via Feammox or hydrological particulate organic nitrogen export could play an important role in soils of the Congo Basin and should be the focus of future research

Gasto público en América Latina: tendencias y aspectos clave de política

Incluye Bibliografí

Public expenditure in Latin America: trends and key policy issues

Includes bibliograph

Does Higher Government Spending Buy Better Results in Education and Health Care?

There is little empirical evidence to support the claim that public spending improves education and health indicators. This paper uses cross-sectional data for 50 developing and transition countries to show that expenditure allocations within the two social sectors improve both access to and attainment in schools and reduce mortality rates for infants and children. The size and efficiency of these allocations are important for promoting equity and furthering second-generation reforms.

Aid Scaling Up

This paper assesses whether the scaling up of aid and the resulting increase in government spending that is needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) would be hampered by wage bill ceilings that are often part of government programs supported by the IMF''s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Based on country case studies for 2003-05, the paper suggests that, in the past, wage bill ceilings have not restricted the use of available donor funds. Yet the paper offers a number of suggestions for further enhancing the flexibility of wage bill conditionality in PRGF-supported programs to respond to higher aid flows that may result in the future.Wage restraint;Millennium Development Goals;Government expenditures;Labor costs;Labor markets;Fund role;Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility;wage, wages, salaries, civil service, government wages, benefits, civil service reform, payroll, civil servants, government wage, wage increases, government spending, government wage bill, salary, personnel emoluments, severance payments, public sector wages, government employees, financial incentives, wage scale, central government employees, ministries of finance, payroll system, civil service roster, service delivery, government employment, budget allocations, decentralization process, government budget, wage policy, civil service census, teacher salaries, government agencies, government workers, salary increases, civil service employment, government pay, management of government, wage adjustments, administrative decentralization, employment policies, civil service payroll, nonwage compensation, retirement benefits, retirement fund, civil servant, compensation system, government policy, ministry of finance, service employment, personnel expenditures, public sector wage, national government, wage scales, minimum wage, public service delivery

Public Spendingon Health Care and Poor

This paper estimates the impact of public spending on the poor''s health status in over 70 countries. It provides evidence that the poor have significantly worse health status than the rich and that they are more favorably affected by public spending on health care. An important new result is that the relationship between public spending and the health status of the poor is stronger in low-income countries than in higher-income countries. However, the results suggest that increased public spending alone will not be sufficient to meet international commitments for improvements in health status.Poverty;child mortality, mortality rate, mortality rates, health status, births, health care, infant mortality, public health, live births, infant mortality rates, school enrollment, infant mortality rate, rural population, living standards, hiv, health inequality, mortality ? rates, health services, child survival, child health, number of deaths, health policy, ethnic groups, risk of death, infant mortality ? rates, urban population, lower mortality rates, health inequalities, health service, lower mortality, population council, demography, access to health care, service use, mortality decline, access to health facilities

The Efficiency of Government Expenditure

This paper assesses the efficiency of government expenditure on education and health in 38 countries in Africa in 1984-95, both in relation to each other and compared with countries in Asia and the Western Hemisphere. The results show that, on average, countries in Africa are less efficient than countries in Asia and the Western Hemisphere; however, education and health spending in Africa became more efficient during that period. The assessment further suggests that improvements in educational attainment and health output in African countries require more than just higher budgetary allocations.