Institutional context for local economic development in Mexico, 1990-2015. A need for change?

People?s quality of life in specific places is affected by their territories? characteristics and local agents? actions and interactions, as well as their responses to external influences. Formal and informal institutions contribute to shape those actions, interactions and responses. Following North (1990) and Storper (1995), the economic performance of places is influenced by their particular institutional setting; and, therefore, by the way a particular society is organised. Hence, the political and social dimensions acquire special importance. Relating those ideas to the bottom-up approach towards development, and its positive effect on the development of Mexican municipalities found by Rodriguez-Pose and Palavicini-Corona (2013), it is relevant and interesting to analyse if, in the Mexican context, formal and informal institutions have facilitated or not economic development at the local level. As the basis of the development from below approach stems from its proximity to local characteristics and agents, the lowest level of government jurisdiction is the focus of analysis. Two municipalities located in a Mexican state with a long presence of institutions and resulting mechanisms closer to citizens were selected in order to further assess the role of institutions. The hypothesis tested is that the general formal institutional context in Mexico has a relevant propitious role in LED. In relation to the case studies, the hypothesis is that a more favourable effect in one of the studied municipalities than the other is due to differences in the functioning of their formal institutions and the particularities of their informal ones. It was found that the national and sub-national formal institutional setting has allowed and, at some degree, stimulated municipalities to plan and execute local economic development actions during the period of analysis (1990-2015). However, abiding to the law and enforcing it are the main aspects to be addressed in this Latin American country. As far as the case studies are concerned, significant differences in their informal institutions affected the presence of the LED approach and their development performance from 1990 to 2010. Finally, in light of the concrete findings, I present a set of proposals to both introduce some adjustments to the legal framework and make the best of current formal and informal institutions prevailing in Mexico, in general, and the studied municipalities, in particular

Local economic development agencies and place-based development: Evidence from South Africa

Local economic development agencies (LEDAs) are increasingly important actors in place-based local economic development particularly in the global South. In South Africa there has been an expanded role for LEDAs in terms of the policy significance of local economic development. Although considerable research has been undertaken concerning the merits, challenges and contributions of LED in South Africa only limited material is available concerning the institutional and organisational arrangements to support the implementation of LED. Using policy documents, close engagement with the key national policy-making government departments and a national survey of the activities, operational challenges, and institutional constraints facing LEDAs, the findings from this investigation provide new insight into their role in place-based development. From the unfolding South African experience the strategic establishment of LEDAs potentially can contribute to maximizing the efficiency of place-based strategies. Arguably, key findings confirm the important contribution that LEDAs can make to locality development in the global South albeit that contribution is influenced by context realities

Evaluating factors of government investment in new industrial parks

Abstract: There are factors to consider in investment decisions that include the potential Return on Investment (ROI) and value creation. Government authorities have a responsibility to create an investment friendly climate and attract new business into their countries. In South Africa government has taken a step to build industrial parks to attract new investment. In order to achieve sustainable industrial development the government and other actors need to increase their investment in building of accessible and equipped industrial parks. On this paper, we use a multiple objective criterion to evaluate the factors of government’s investment in new industrial parks. The problem investigated on this paper is that conflicting political preferences which dominate economic advances regarding industrialisation. This paper identifies key factors essential for consideration in government decisions when investing in industrial park developments. The implications of industrial development for the developing world include improvement of livelihoods for citizens and the youth that is actively seeking job opportunities. However, it is not a straightforward path and it is for this reason on the paper we use MOCDM to understand the issues that require attention in order to achieve economic development that is sustainable

¿Los peruanos votamos con los pies?: el impacto de las acciones de desarrollo en la migración entre los municipios peruanos

El presente estudio se centra en medir el impacto que tienen las acciones de desarrollo económico local (LED, por sus siglas en inglés) en la migración interna de los peruanos. Se toma como base teórica la idea de Tiebout, “que los peruanos votamos con los pies”, es decir, que los consumidores-votantes eligen la comunidad que mejor satisface sus patrones de preferencias. Las variables LED que se usan son las recomendadas por Palavicini-Corona (2012): Plan de desarrollo, Sostenibilidad, Emprendimiento, Creación de capacidades, Mecanismos de participación, Vínculos de desarrollo y Autonomía. Además, se usan variables de control utilizadas en estudios empíricos anteriores: IDH (Índice de Desarrollo Humano), Empleo, Servicios básicos, Idioma y Gasto público per cápita. La hipótesis es que la decisión de migrar se ve afectada por el desarrollo adecuado de las políticas LED por parte de los Gobiernos Locales, atrayendo a más personas a las provincias con mejores prácticas. El estudio obtiene información de los años 2002 a 2017 y utiliza un modelo de Panel de Datos a nivel provincial. Como resultado principal se corrobora la propuesta de Tiebout en el Perú, “los peruanos elegimos migrar de acuerdo a nuestras preferencias”, entre ellas: el empleo, el IDH y la cobertura de los servicios públicos. Los Gobiernos Locales, atraen migrantes a través de, principalmente, dos variables LED: el Emprendimiento (acciones de emprendimiento para las MYPES), debido a que es congruente con los deseos de progreso de las personas; y, la Autonomía (recursos directamente recaudados), que les permite realizar políticas públicas de largo plazo. Diseñar políticas públicas considerando estos resultados puede ayudar a mejorar la efectividad de las estratégicas de desarrollo económico en las provincias del país.Tesi

Filmografía

Angulo, J. (1996). Filmografía. Nosferatu. Revista de cine. (22):110-119. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/40995.Importación Masiva1101192

Reframing place-based economic development in South Africa: the example of local economic development

Local Economic Development (LED) planning is a place-based approach to development planning and increasingly significant across much of the global South. One of the key challenges facing LED planning is the necessity to adjust planning in relation to the dynamic nature of both international and national framework conditions. The purpose of this article is to show this challenge by examining the dynamic nature of the national policy environment impacting upon LED planning in South Africa, a country which has a relatively long history of LED planning. Five dimensions of the changing landscape of national economic development planning in South Africa are identified. These relate to (a) LED within the context of new national economic and development plans; (b) initiatives for reindustrialising the South African economy, the associated importance of localisation and promotion of the green economy; (c) changing programmes around small business development; (d) shifts in rural development interventions; and (e) the fluid spatial context within which LED planning as a form of placebased economic development is embedded

Una nueva especie de <i>Loricaria</i> (Siluriformes, loricariidae) para la cuenca del río San Francisco, Jujuy, Argentina

Loricaria holmbergi es una nueva especie del arroyo Aguas Calientes, en el noroeste de la Argentina. Difiere de todas las especies conocidas del género por la siguiente combinación de caracteres: complejo abdominal anterior desnudo en la región correspondiente a la cintura pectoral; longitud torácica 12,5-17,4 % de LE; longitud del hocico 36,6-55,6 % de LC; número de placas de la serie lateral 31-34; placas fusionadas de la serie lateral 12-15; radio caudal superior no ramificado prolongado en un filamento; espina pectoral engrosada; muesca postorbital moderadamente desarrollada y un patrón de coloración distintivo: pequeñas manchas redondeadas y vermiculaciones oscuras principalmente sobre los lados y región dorsal de la cabeza. Aguas Calientes es un complejo de aguas termales, que debido a su continuidad con otros cursos de agua, tiene 1a más alta diversidad de peces entre los ambientes termales del mundo.Loricaria holmbergi, new species, from Aguas Calientes creek, northwestern highlands of Argentina, differs from all known species of the genus by the following combination of characters: anterior abdominal complex naked in the pectoral girdle region, thoracic length 12,5-17,4 % of SL; snout length 36,6-55,6 % of HL; number of plates in. the lateral series 31-34; fused plates of the lateral series 12-15; upper unbranched caudal ray extended in a filament; pectoral spine thickened; postorbital notch moderately developed; and distinctive color pattern with small rounded and vermiculatod dark spots, mainly over the sides and dorsal region of the head. Aguas Calientes is a complex of thermal waters, that because of its connection with other streams is the most diverse among the worlds thermal environments.Trabajo presentado con motivo de la entrega del Premio "Eduardo L. Holmberg" en Ictiología a la Dra. Amalia M. Miquelarena, el 22 de noviembre de 2002.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Carbon credit restoration projects in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa: considerations for sustainable local economic development

Although global climate change has been identified as a serious global economic, social, and environmental threat to society, national governments have been slow to respond on a global scale. Environmental economic theory offers market-based solutions to address climate change efficiently through carbon control regimes, such as carbon taxation and cap-and-trade policy. A major political milestone was reached when an international agreement entered into force in 2008, known the Kyoto Protocol, which incorporated a market-based solution to address climate change on a global scale. This allowed a global market for emissions to form through the Clean Development Mechanism. Although the Kyoto Protocol aimed to address a global issue on a global scale through a single global market for emissions, fragmented sovereign cap-and-trade schemes have since emerged in the form of national and regional emission markets, commonly referred to as carbon markets. The Clean Development Mechanism offered the opportunity to generate carbon credits through carbon offset projects, such as carbon restoration projects. Although the Kyoto Protocol did not achieve the objective of forming an internationally accepted global carbon control regime, it seems to have set a trend of including offset programs in newly emerging carbon control regimes, such as South Africa’s proposed carbon tax. This study set out to assess the extent to which carbon control regimes are enabling sustainable local economic development, based on carbon restoration projects in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa using Portulacaria afra, commonly known as spekboom. As a starting point, this study assessed the current state of the international carbon markets using significant international cap-and-trade based markets as examples. Based on Newell et al.’s (2013) selection of significant carbon markets and data availability, the United States’ Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme were selected. Historical, current and forecasted supply and demand data were gathered from Thomson Reuters’ Point Carbon research division. Further, historical futures and spot market price and volume data were gathered from the markets to compare how prices have fared over time. The Clean Development Mechanism’s market for Certified Emission Reduction credits was used for comparative purposes. The markets were found to be systemically oversupplied, leading to systemically low prices. The systemic oversupply in credits provides a limited incentive to initiate carbon offset projects, however, South Africa’s proposed carbon tax may be able to stimulate demand for domestic offset projects. Key success factors established through a comparative literature review on local economic development theory were incorporated into key informant interviews. The results were then analysed through the lens of Connelly’s (2007) model for sustainable development to provide recommendations for sustainable local economic development, regarding carbon restoration projects in the Eastern Cape using P. afra. The following opportunities were identified: the planting of P. afra on degraded land has the potential to mitigate climate change, offer water benefits to the surrounding communities, and promote biodiversity regeneration. There is potential for economic growth through job creation and the economic multiplier effect. Government funding is available and voluntary offset agreements do exist, eliminating a large portion of the cumbersome accreditation requirements. These projects also offer potential for social justice through the government funding requirements which stipulate that youth and women should be given preference for employment, potentially helping to alleviate inequality. The funding further stipulates that employees should be trained in transferable skills, offering potential for capacity building and social capital accumulation through education. These transferable skills include skills geared towards encouraging entrepreneurialism. Corresponding challenges were also found: excessive overgrazing through pastoralism has rendered some land degraded beyond restoration. Opportunists may resort to planting P. afra outside of the subtropical Albany Thicket biome to which it is endemic, leading to potential biodiversity loss rather than gains. Sufficient buy-in is required from private landowners for these projects to be sustainable, however, the projects entail a large opportunity cost to farmers as returns take at least 5 to 6 years. This may render these projects undesirable to most landowners and provides scope for free-riding, should pastoralists not have to bear the full costs of the project and property rights not be enforced through land user agreements. The projects require an exorbitant amount of upfront funding. Cash flow received from the projects does not extend in perpetuity. Requirements for social justice pertain only to government funded projects. A working model, generating and selling carbon credits through land restoration using P. afra, has not yet been established. As it stands, these carbon restoration projects are still highly speculative and carry a significant amount of investment risk, given the high mortality and low growth rates associated with the current planting method. The current systemic oversupply of carbon. credits in the international markets signal that returns from carbon credits are set to be low, at least until the oversupply issues are resolved. Should these challenges be overcome, carbon restoration projects using P. afra may have the potential to bolster sustainable local economic development in the impoverished regions of province as well as provide a locally-driven adaptation and mitigation strategy to address global climate change

Una nueva especie de <i>Loricaria</i> (Siluriformes, loricariidae) para la cuenca del río San Francisco, Jujuy, Argentina

Loricaria holmbergi es una nueva especie del arroyo Aguas Calientes, en el noroeste de la Argentina. Difiere de todas las especies conocidas del género por la siguiente combinación de caracteres: complejo abdominal anterior desnudo en la región correspondiente a la cintura pectoral; longitud torácica 12,5-17,4 % de LE; longitud del hocico 36,6-55,6 % de LC; número de placas de la serie lateral 31-34; placas fusionadas de la serie lateral 12-15; radio caudal superior no ramificado prolongado en un filamento; espina pectoral engrosada; muesca postorbital moderadamente desarrollada y un patrón de coloración distintivo: pequeñas manchas redondeadas y vermiculaciones oscuras principalmente sobre los lados y región dorsal de la cabeza. Aguas Calientes es un complejo de aguas termales, que debido a su continuidad con otros cursos de agua, tiene 1a más alta diversidad de peces entre los ambientes termales del mundo.Loricaria holmbergi, new species, from Aguas Calientes creek, northwestern highlands of Argentina, differs from all known species of the genus by the following combination of characters: anterior abdominal complex naked in the pectoral girdle region, thoracic length 12,5-17,4 % of SL; snout length 36,6-55,6 % of HL; number of plates in. the lateral series 31-34; fused plates of the lateral series 12-15; upper unbranched caudal ray extended in a filament; pectoral spine thickened; postorbital notch moderately developed; and distinctive color pattern with small rounded and vermiculatod dark spots, mainly over the sides and dorsal region of the head. Aguas Calientes is a complex of thermal waters, that because of its connection with other streams is the most diverse among the worlds thermal environments.Trabajo presentado con motivo de la entrega del Premio "Eduardo L. Holmberg" en Ictiología a la Dra. Amalia M. Miquelarena, el 22 de noviembre de 2002.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse