Vulnerability and the impact of climate change in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin:

"This paper uses farmers' responses to exogenous weather shocks in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin to gauge how farmers are apt to respond to future climate change-induced shocks, in particular drought. Droughts are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. This study examines the costs of drought today and who it affects the most, in an effort to guide policy adaptations in the future. A combination of descriptive statistics and econometric analysis is used to approximate the potential impact of droughts on rural South African households. This paper also estimates household vulnerability. After controlling for household heterogeneity using propensity score matching, it is noted that there is no statistically significant impact of droughts on income, thus suggesting households have already adapted to living in a drought-prone environment. The types of households that were more vulnerable to climate shocks are analyzed using two measures of vulnerability: the probability of falling below income of 7,800 South African Rand (R), and the probability of income falling below 16,000 R. Residents of the Limpopo province were the least vulnerable under both metrics. Setswana and SeSwati households were more vulnerable than other ethnic groups. Households that do not own livestock and households that rely on rainfed agriculture were also more vulnerable than other households." from authors' abstractVulnerability, Climate change, drought,

Can carpooling clean the air? The economics of HOV lanes, hybrid cars and the Clean Air Act.

Private vehicles are a significant source of air pollution in many areas of the United States. Areas with already high levels of air pollution are required by the Clean Air Act to take steps to reduce automobile use and the associated emissions. The behavioral implications of many travel demand management techniques are poorly understood. In this dissertation I focus on carpooling. Policy makers encourage commuters to carpool through High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes, free parking for carpoolers, attempts to connect carpoolers, and casual carpoolers (often called slugging). Despite these

Can carpooling clean the air? The economics of HOV lanes, hybrid cars and the Clean Air Act.

Private vehicles are a significant source of air pollution in many areas of the United States. Areas with already high levels of air pollution are required by the Clean Air Act to take steps to reduce automobile use and the associated emissions. The behavioral implications of many travel demand management techniques are poorly understood. In this dissertation I focus on carpooling. Policy makers encourage commuters to carpool through High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes, free parking for carpoolers, attempts to connect carpoolers, and casual carpoolers (often called slugging). Despite these

Vulnerability to Climate Change in South Africa’s Limpopo River Basin

This paper uses farmers\u27 responses to exogenous weather shocks in South Africa\u27s Limpopo River Basin to gauge how farmers are apt to respond to future climate change-induced shocks, in particular drought. Droughts are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. This study examines the costs of drought today and who it affects the most, in an effort to guide policy adaptations in the future. A combination of descriptive statistics and econometric analysis is used to approximate the potential impact of droughts on rural South African households. This paper also estimates household vulnerability. After controlling for household heterogeneity using propensity score matching, it is noted that there is no statistically significant impact of droughts on income, thus suggesting households have already adapted to living in a drought-prone environment. The types of households that were more vulnerable to climate shocks are analyzed using two measures of vulnerability: the probability of falling below income of 7,800 South African Rand (R), and the probability of income falling below 16,000 R. Residents of the Limpopo province were the least vulnerable under both metrics. Setswana and SeSwati households were more vulnerable than other ethnic groups. Households that do not own livestock and households that rely on rainfed agriculture were also more vulnerable than other households

Vulnerability and the impact of climate change in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin

This paper uses farmers' responses to exogenous weather shocks in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin to gauge how farmers are apt to respond to future climate change-induced shocks, in particular drought. Droughts are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. This study examines the costs of drought today and who it affects the most, in an effort to guide policy adaptations in the future. A combination of descriptive statistics and econometric analysis is used to approximate the potential impact of droughts on rural South African households. This paper also estimates household vulnerability. After controlling for household heterogeneity using propensity score matching, it is noted that there is no statistically significant impact of droughts on income, thus suggesting households have already adapted to living in a drought-prone environment. The types of households that were more vulnerable to climate shocks are analyzed using two measures of vulnerability: the probability of falling below income of 7,800 South African Rand (R), and the probability of income falling below 16,000 R. Residents of the Limpopo province were the least vulnerable under both metrics. Setswana and SeSwati households were more vulnerable than other ethnic groups. Households that do not own livestock and households that rely on rainfed agriculture were also more vulnerable than other households.Non-PRIFPRI2; Subtheme 1.1; GRP38EPT

How can African agriculture adapt to climate change: Vulnerability and the impact of climate change in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin

With likely long-term changes in rainfall patterns and shifting temperature zones, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of climate-related shocks, such as floods and droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa. For farm households, an increase in the frequency of climate-related income shocks could lead not only to lower expected income, but also to higher income variance, which in turn can cause them to pursue costly risk-coping strategies and to fall below poverty trap thresholds. For this reason, it is important to understand how a changing distribution of risk will lead to increased vulnerability, not just decreased expected income. This brief is based on a paper that uses farm households' responses to climate-related shocks in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin to gauge how farmers are likely to respond to future climate change shocks. The increased frequency and severity of droughts associated with global warming may induce farmers to change their behavior to reduce their risk of negative impacts from future climaterelated shocks. While it is difficult to predict farmers' behavior and how it will affect welfare, coping strategies used in response to shocks today can be used to predict whether and how rural South Africans will cope in the future. The study examines household responses to droughts in 2005 and household vulnerability to future climate change by assessing their probability of falling below an income threshold as a result of future climate-related shocks. Assessing household vulnerability is important because efficient social policy needs to go beyond poverty alleviation in the present to prevent poverty in the future. A poverty reduction strategy that doesnot distinguish between transient and structural poverty leads to inefficient use of resources, in that it focuses on those who are temporarily poor but may be able to escape poverty on their own, at the expense of those who have a high probability of becoming chronically poor.Non-PRIFPRI2; GRP38EPT

Vulnerability and the impact of climate change in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin:

"With likely long-term changes in rainfall patterns and shifting temperature zones, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of climate-related shocks, such as floods and droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa. For farm households, an increase in the frequency of climate-related income shocks could lead not only to lower expected income, but also to higher income variance, which in turn can cause them to pursue costly risk-coping strategies and to fall below poverty trap thresholds. For this reason, it is important to understand how a changing distribution of risk will lead to increased vulnerability, not just decreased expected income. This brief is based on a paper that uses farm households' responses to climate-related shocks in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin to gauge how farmers are likely to respond to future climate change shocks. The increased frequency and severity of droughts associated with global warming may induce farmers to change their behavior to reduce their risk of negative impacts from future climaterelated shocks. While it is difficult to predict farmers' behavior and how it will affect welfare, coping strategies used in response to shocks today can be used to predict whether and how rural South Africans will cope in the future. The study examines household responses to droughts in 2005 and household vulnerability to future climate change by assessing their probability of falling below an income threshold as a result of future climate-related shocks. Assessing household vulnerability is important because efficient social policy needs to go beyond poverty alleviation in the present to prevent poverty in the future. A poverty reduction strategy that does not distinguish between transient and structural poverty leads to inefficient use of resources, in that it focuses on those who are temporarily poor but may be able to escape poverty on their own, at the expense of those who have a high probability of becoming chronically poor." from textVulnerability, drought, Food and water security, Climate change,

Research programs, model-building and actor-network-theory: Reassessing the case of the Leontief Paradox

Methodology of scientific research programs (MSRP), model-building and actor-network-theory (ANT) are woven together to provide a layered study of the Leontief paradox. Neil De Marchi's Lakatosian account examined the paradox within an Ohlin-Samuelson research program. A model-building approach rather highlights the ability of Leontief's input-output model to mediate between international trade theory and the world by facilitating an empirical application of the Heckscher-Ohlin Theorem. The epistemological implications of this model-building approach provide an alternative explanation of why Samuelson and other prominent economists ignored the paradox. By focusing on the network in which input-output analysis evolved, Bruno Latour's ANT further explains the response of international trade theorists.Leontief paradox, Heckscher-Ohlin Theory, research programs, models as mediators, actor-network-theory,

Impact of Bus Rapid Transit and Metro Rail on Property Values in Guangzhou, China

An effective transport system can increase access and raise land values; thus, governments should be able to capture part of this price premium for transit access. These revenues could be used to fund further investments in public transit or other projects. Reliable measures of the price premium for transit access can help guide governments in setting policies to capture value. Guangzhou, China, has an extensive metro rail system and the highest-capacity bus rapid transit line in China. This study examines the effects of these two public transport systems on the prices of apartments in the city by using a unique set of data collected from a mainstream Chinese real estate website. Ordinary least squares, spatial regression models, and quantile hedonic regression were used to estimate the price premium for transit access. The findings suggest that proximity to the metro and the bus rapid transit line has a substantial and statistically significant effect on apartment prices that varies by district and the amenities provided