The social & economic implications of alternative land uses involving pastoral farming and forestry in Northland : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Natural Resource and Environmental Economics at Massey University

This thesis is a scenario study which examines the social and economic impacts of different types of forestry being established in an area of pastoral farmland in Northland, New Zealand. Detailed production, income, expenditure, employment and demographic data was collected from 57 of the 59 farms in the study area. This included expenditure direction data. Those businesses and schools which supported, and were in turn supported by, the study area farms were interviewed to find out the importance of these farms to their continued operation. This pastoral farming scenario is then compared with four forestry scenarios - two conventional forestry scenarios, plus a woodlot and finally an agroforestry scenario. In the first conventional forestry scenario all the study area farms (15,000 hectares) are planted in exotics and in the second about 3,000 hectares are planted. With the two farm forestry scenarios about 1,000 hectares are planted. In the first conventional forestry scenario forestry replaces pastoral farming, while in the second and the farm forestry scenarios pastoral farming and forestry are integrated. Variable results resulted from the comparison, with expenditure comparisons very sensitive to the time harvesting commences, the amount cut and the time span of the scenarios. (Thirty-five years.) These comparisons were also sensitive to the locality in which farming and forestry expenditure were being compared. Forestry expenditure would be markedly higher than farming expenditure once harvesting commenced. But farming has higher backward linkage multipliers and unless forestry processing plants are established, the conventional forestry developments in the scenarios imply a relative decline in regional incomes and employment. If forestry processing plants are established, an increase in regional incomes and employment is implied. Woodlot and agroforestry generally imply an increase in expenditure and employment without the drop in agricultural spending associated with conventional forestry activities on former pastoral farmland. Conventional forestry would result in disruption to the existing social structure. It may result in a long term population decline, but it is likely many ex-farm houses would be re-occupied. Woodlot and agroforestry would strengthen the existing social and economic structure. It is concluded that the Northland United Council's interest and concern about the afforestation of pastoral farmland is justified. However, the rural decline, the corporatisation of government departments, plus the impacts of forestry harvesting and wood processing are considered to be of more importance in the establishment of regional planning priorities

Arbeitszeit und Beschäftigung im gesamtwirtschaftlichen Zusammenhang : Arbeitszeitfragen und ihre Behandlung in ökonomischen Modellen: Literaturüberblick und Forschungsperspektiven (Working time and employment in a macroeconomic context. Working time issues and their treatment in economic models: overview of literature and research prospects.)

"Die Vorschläge und Überlegungen dazu, wie Beschäftigung durch eine geeignete Arbeitszeitpolitik gesichert oder gefördert werden kann, sind heute sehr vielfältig. Der Ruf nach einer generellen Absenkung der Regelarbeitszeit ist leiser geworden. Dafür wird viel darüber nachgedacht, individuelle Arbeitszeitwünsche stärker zu berücksichtigen, die Arbeitszeit den gestiegenen Flexibilitätsbedürfnissen von Unternehmen anzupassen oder die Kosten der Überstundenarbeit durch andere Abgeltungsformen zu senken. Ausgehend von einer Darstellung der unterschiedlichen Arbeitszeitformen und -politiken wird untersucht, welchen Beitrag modelltheoretische und ökonometrische Untersuchungen auf Mikro- und Makroebene bisher dazu geleistet haben, Arbeitszeitentscheidungen zu erklären sowie Kosten und Nutzen verschiedener Arbeitszeitpolitiken abzuschätzen. Im Ergebnis wird festgehalten, dass das überwiegende Forschungsthema die Regelarbeitszeit und deren Verkürzung ist. Dies gilt für die theoretische als auch die empirische Literatur bei Betrachtung der einzel- oder gesamtwirtschaftlichen Ebene. So wurden z. B. einige Bedingungen für positive Beschäftigungswirkungen einer Arbeitszeitverkürzung theoretisch untersucht und empirisch überprüft. Weit größerer Forschungsbedarf besteht bei den anderen Arbeitszeitkomponenten und -politiken. Insbesondere müssen die modernen, flexiblen Arbeitszeitkomponenten wie etwa in Freizeit ausgeglichene Überstunden oder die Nutzung von Arbeitszeitkonten im gesamtwirtschaftlichen Zusammenhang theoretisch modelliert und empirisch untersucht werden. Hier wird im IAB mit einem eigenen Forschungsprojekt angesetzt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)Arbeitszeit - Theorie, Arbeitszeitmodell, Arbeitskräftenachfrage, Unternehmen, Arbeitskräfteangebot, Arbeitszeitflexibilität, Beschäftigung, Arbeitszeitpolitik, Forschungsansatz

The Delusion of Knowledge Transfer

With the rise of the ‘knowledge for development’ paradigm, expert advice has become a prime instrument of foreign aid. At the same time, it has been object of repeated criticism: the chronic failure of ‘technical assistance’ – a notion under which advice is commonly subsumed – has been documented in a host of studies. Nonetheless, international organisations continue to send advisors, promising to increase the ‘effectiveness’ of expert support if their technocratic recommendations are taken up. This book reveals fundamental problems of expert advice in the context of aid that concern issues of power and legitimacy rather than merely flaws of implementation. Based on empirical evidence from South Africa and Tanzania, the authors show that aid-related advisory processes are inevitably obstructed by colliding interests, political pressures and hierarchical relations that impede knowledge transfer and mutual learning. As a result, recipient governments find themselves caught in a perpetual cycle of dependency, continuously advised by experts who convey the shifting paradigms and agendas of their respective donor governments. For young democracies, the persistent presence of external actors is hazardous: ultimately, it poses a threat to the legitimacy of their governments if their policy-making becomes more responsive to foreign demands than to the preferences and needs of their citizens

Mehr Beschäftigung durch geringere Transferleistungen?

Mitte April hat die Arbeitsgruppe „Arbeitslosenhilfe/Sozialhilfe“ der Kommission zur Reform der Gemeindefinanzen ihren Bericht zur Zusammenlegung von Arbeitslosenhilfe und Sozialhilfe vorgelegt. Kann die Beschäftigung durch die Zusammenlegung erhöht werden? Welche finanziellen Folgen ergeben sich? --

Hinzuverdienstregelung im SGB II: Quo vadis?

Die Wirkungen der Hartz-IV-Reform von Arbeitslosen- und Sozialhilfe werden derzeit in Politik und Wissenschaft diskutiert. Ist es durch die Ausgestaltung des Sozialgesetzbuches II zu einer Kostenexplosion gekommen? Führte das Gesetz zu einem Lohnrutsch nach unten? Ist Hartz IV ein Kombilohnmodell? Sind weitere Reformen erforderlich und welche Optionen gibt es dabei? --

Hartz IV: Geht die Reform zu weit oder noch nicht weit genug?

Ein halbes Jahr nach Einführung der Hartz IV-Reformen werden angesichts von Umsetzungsproblemen und nicht erfüllten Beschäftigungserwartungen erste Änderungen diskutiert. Wie sollte Hartz IV reformiert werden? Ist eine grundlegend andere Arbeitsmarktpolitik zum Abbau der Arbeitslosigkeit notwendig? --

Was muten sich Arbeitslose zu? : Lohnkonzessionen von ALG-II-Empfängern

"The paper examines wage requirements of recipients of Unemployment Benefit II (ALG II), taking up former evaluations by Christensen on wage demands of the unemployed in Germany. Unlike Christensen, we did not base our analyses on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Instead, we used the cross-sectional data provided by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in a survey focused on the living conditions and social security aspects ('Lebenssituation und soziale Sicherung') of recipients of ALG II, carried out at an early stage after the reform of unemployment benefit and social assistance in Germany. We were especially interested in finding out whether the unemployed have become more prepared to reduce their wage demands since the introduction of the German Social Code II (SGB II) compared to the period up to 2000 (cf. Christensen). To do so, we particularly investigated the ratio between wages paid before unemployment and reservation wages, the dependency of this ratio on the duration of unemployment as well as the factors determining the reservation wage level. Analyses of the most recent IAB survey of ALG II recipients demonstrate that the preparedness to accept lower wages has not (yet) increased significantly since the introduction of SGB II. Descriptive results show that the reservation wage level tends to be independent of the recipient's current employment status. Instead, the wage level demanded is rather determined by whether the recipient lives on his or her own or in a multiparty household. The indicated reservation wage level increases with the number of children in the household. Taking the Reservation Wage Ratio (RWR) as a basis as in Christensen's study, it emerges that respondents state they are prepared to accept employment only on provision of a net hourly wage rate increase of 13% on average compared to that previous to unemployment. Another outcome is that the RWR does not decrease in line with the duration of unemployment. Recipients' personal circumstances are also fundamental to the reservation wage level in the multivariate estimations, the wage received before unemployment being the most significant indicator. The present results must be considered preliminary for two reasons: firstly, there is still potential for more detail in the multivariate analyses. Secondly, due to initial difficulties in implementing the new SGB II-based legislation on the part of the responsible bodies, it is unlikely that the available data as yet fully reflect the impacts of the reform, in particular with respect to indications on reservation wages. Ultimately, we will only be in a position to learn more about the preparedness of ALG II recipients to reduce wage requirements when we have access to data on the issues in focus over a sequence of several years, which is planned by the IAB." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)Arbeitslosengeld II-Empfänger, Einkommenserwartung - Determinanten, Arbeitsanreiz

The Delusion of Knowledge Transfer

With the rise of the ‘knowledge for development’ paradigm, expert advice has become a prime instrument of foreign aid. At the same time, it has been object of repeated criticism: the chronic failure of ‘technical assistance’ – a notion under which advice is commonly subsumed – has been documented in a host of studies. Nonetheless, international organisations continue to send advisors, promising to increase the ‘effectiveness’ of expert support if their technocratic recommendations are taken up. This book reveals fundamental problems of expert advice in the context of aid that concern issues of power and legitimacy rather than merely flaws of implementation. Based on empirical evidence from South Africa and Tanzania, the authors show that aid-related advisory processes are inevitably obstructed by colliding interests, political pressures and hierarchical relations that impede knowledge transfer and mutual learning. As a result, recipient governments find themselves caught in a perpetual cycle of dependency, continuously advised by experts who convey the shifting paradigms and agendas of their respective donor governments. For young democracies, the persistent presence of external actors is hazardous: ultimately, it poses a threat to the legitimacy of their governments if their policy-making becomes more responsive to foreign demands than to the preferences and needs of their citizens

Participatory design as an approach for work-integrated learning of digital competences: putting theory into practice

Technology is radically changing the healthcare sector. Introduction of technology demands new ways of providing healthcare services and the professionals will need new knowledge and competence to be able to do their job and to contribute to the continuous development of the sector. There is limited focus on digital competence and change-processes in the educations related to healthcare as well as in the workplaces. Applying work-integrated learning makes it possible for healthcare professionals to learn and develop their competence through practical work with examples from their own workplaces and empower them to maneuver the digitalization of the workplaces. Similar participatory design started as a movement to empower industrial workers to have a stronger voice during the introduction of new technologies at their workplace. As such participatory design is a design approach which promotes involvement of all stakeholders in the design of technologies that affects them. It provides a set of tools and techniques to enable active involvement in the design process. We use these tools and techniques to teach healthcare professionals digital competences needed in their workplaces, and we discuss opportunities of participatory design for work-integrated learning. Based on a set of three participatory design workshops, we present an approach that can empower healthcare professionals to maneuver the digital change at their workplace. We recommend continued investment in the development of work-integrated learning practices with a participatory mindset.publishedVersio