Papers by Prof Tapan Sarker
The European Journal of Development Research
The economic and social impact of covid-19 pandemic both on developing and developed countries ha... more The economic and social impact of covid-19 pandemic both on developing and developed countries has been significant. In addition to the impact of the pandemic, the current Ukraine war has also led to severe supply chain disruptions leading to a sharp increase in food and commodity prices globally. Due to a combination of external shocks and the impact of the pandemic global economic growth is expected to slow down from 6.1% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and further to 2.7% in 2023 (IMF in: World economic outlook, International Monetary Fund, 2022). The above factors have led to a sharp increase in government expenditure constraining both developed and developing countries' fiscal capacity. This has further implications for the achievement of SDGs especially for low-income countries. The challenge for developing countries in the current scenario is to mobilise adequate resources both from domestic and international sources, not just for the achievement of SDGs as such, but also to sustain the livelihoods, health, and welfare of people. This special issue aims to examine some of these issues in the context of developing countries.
The European Journal of Development Research
The research aims to prioritize the pandemic's impact on the financial markets of developed and d... more The research aims to prioritize the pandemic's impact on the financial markets of developed and developing economies using a multi-criteria decision-making approach. The results revealed that COVID-19's pandemic effects on financial markets differ between developed and developing nations. COVID-19 pandemic affects developed countries' financial markets more through supply reduction, demand reduction, and economic instability. Regarding developing nations, confidence and expectations, changes in consumption patterns, and the bandwagon effect are the three most significant impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on financial markets. The best decisions to lower the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on developed nations' financial markets are the declaration of the stimulus package and support of smalland-medium-sized enterprises. Contrastingly, in developing countries, support for vulnerable households and declaration of the stimulus package are the best decisions to combat COVID-19's negative impact on their financial markets. As practical policy implications for lowering COVID-19's negative impact on financial markets, the promotion of new financing instruments, reconstruction of the relationship between public and private sectors, and support of vulnerable households and enterprises are highly recommended.
De Gruyter Handbook of Sustainable Development and Finance
Finance is one of the central aspects necessary for combatting climate change and is covered by a... more Finance is one of the central aspects necessary for combatting climate change and is covered by a wide range of mechanisms, institutional arrangements and governing bodies with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), validating claims that the Convention is indeed both a regime complex and a complex regime. The chapter begins by outlining those arrangements historically and how they, and the responsibilities pertaining to them, have evolved over time. It continues with a summary of some of the main points of contention, not the least of which have been disputes over the provision of resources from developed to developing countries, which have served to reinforce the North/ South divide, notably in the context of climate finance. The remainder of the chapter summarises the key themes and findings of the contributing authors to this section of the Handbook, who discuss the strengths and weaknesses of some of the central mechanisms for financing climate action within the UNFCCC, and beyond. They provide recommendations as to how the integrity of finance can be safeguarded, both within the Convention and beyond, where the impacts of povertyand COVID-19make resilience in the face of the escalating climate emergency especially difficult.
De Gruyter Handbook of Sustainable Development and Finance
De Gruyter Handbook of Sustainable Development and Finance
World Scientific Encyclopedia of Business Sustainability, Ethics and Entrepreneurship, 2022
World Sustainability Series, 2016
This study stems from the hypothesis that there are gaps at local, national and regional levels c... more This study stems from the hypothesis that there are gaps at local, national and regional levels concerning policy making and project formulation, related to climate change, sustainable development and human security. This chapter focuses on the South Asia region, with particular emphasis on India and Bangladesh, as these are two countries faced with high vulnerability to climate change. It is clear that the increased level of projected growth in the region needs to tread down a path towards a low carbon economy, in order to face up to the challenges of climate change. Inadequate regional cooperation, energy insecurity and weak governance are identified as key impediments to achieving a low carbon economy in South Asia. However, some progress has been made through the formation of climate change specific policy, establishment of forums for regional cooperation, and private sector initiatives, promoting sustainable practices. The step from policy and ideas to action needs to be taken. Barriers such as, political instability, lack of economic integration and limited natural resources need to be acknowledged and surmounted before any real progress towards sustainable development in the region can be achieved. The promotion of a low carbon economy is touted as a key step in the right direction. Emerging from this literature review is a series of examples and mechanisms that may help in the formulation of coordinated and integrated policy and mechanisms that would be needed to see real progress towards low carbon economy and an effective response to the challenges derived from climate change in South Asia.
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2021
The current research explores the contingencies behind the acceptance or rejection of digitized b... more The current research explores the contingencies behind the acceptance or rejection of digitized business model innovation at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP). Building on the existing literature on business model innovation and using the lens of stakeholder theory, we explore the contingencies that decide the success or failure of digitized business models at the BoP. We conducted an inductive case study of eKutir, an Indian social enterprise that uses a digital platform to deliver value for farmers in Orissa. Our analysis reveals that stakeholder's stability and stakeholder's incentives are the critical contingencies deciding the conditional acceptance of the digitized business model innovation. Our results also confirm that accessibility, availability, affordability, awarness and acceptability are the most important factors contributing to the stakeholder's adoption of digitized business model innovation. Further, we infer that age, respect, power and authority are key differentiating factors contributing to stakeholder's stability which can significantly influence the acceptance of digitized business model innovation. We conclude with a framework that can guide the successful implementation of digitized business model innovation at the BoP.
Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 2021
In this study, we examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economic activity, the st... more In this study, we examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economic activity, the stock market, and the energy sector considering the sizable damaging impacts in these crucial aspects. Our results, based on the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model for the data from 21 January 2020, to 26 February 2021, indicate that the COVID-19 cases significantly and negatively impact all the endogenous variables such as Baltic dry index (BDI), MSCI world index (MSCI), and MSCI world energy index (MSCIE). Our results also reveal that of the three variables, the stock markets indices (MSCI and MSCIE) are comparatively more affected by COVID-19 cases. The findings imply that the stock markets are more sensitive to the COVID-19 pandemic than the real economy. The results further indicate that of the three variables, the MSCIE index is the most affected by COVID-19 due to two factors: one is the dwindling power consumption caused by COVID-19 and the other is the decline in oil pr...
International Review of Economics & Finance, 2020
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
The Political Economy of Sustainable Development
Protection of the atmosphere-CDM and REDD+ HISTORY AND DESCRIPTIVE BACKGROUND OF THE CLIMATE CONV... more Protection of the atmosphere-CDM and REDD+ HISTORY AND DESCRIPTIVE BACKGROUND OF THE CLIMATE CONVENTION Agenda 21 did not specifically refer to climate change, other than to acknowledge 'the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other international, including regional, instruments' (UN 1993: 76). While the need for a convention to address climate change was acknowledged at Rio, the UNFCCC was negotiated largely outside UNCED. The primary objective of UNFCCC is to 'prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system' (UNFCCC 1992: 9). It entered into force in 1994, and was principally determined by the need to develop a technical solution to climate change, as well as the market ideology of neo-liberalism, which led to the creation of the 'flexible mechanisms' of the 1997 KP: the CDM, joint implementation (JI) and International Emissions Trading (IET). The first (and only) supra-national emissions trading scheme (ETS) was established in 2005. The first phase of the ETS until 2007 was based on reducing emissions through a focus on internal EU sources in the power and heat sectors, oil refineries, etc. Starting in 2008, ETS participants were also able to purchase carbon credits from JI and CDM projects (Bäckstrand and Lövbrand 2007: 130). This linkage allowed for the 'offsetting' of emissions via the creation of investment projects in developing countries, which could then sell their 'carbon credits' into the compliance-based market established under KP, and be bought by greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting industries within the EU (Cadman 2013b: 1-2). The Convention and the policy responses to climate change it develops through the annual Conference of Parties (COP) are informed by the advice provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body that reviews the state of the science of climate change. It was established in 1991, before the Earth Summit, and made a considerable contribution to the climate discussions at UNCED. The IPCC
International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 2019
Governments worldwide have launched various schemes to promote recycling by individuals, from leg... more Governments worldwide have launched various schemes to promote recycling by individuals, from legislation to voluntary and mandatory policies, waste charging, kerbside collection, waste separation bins, and promotional campaigns. Much remains to be done, however, in terms of understanding the psychological relationships among consumers' attitudes, intentions, and behaviours when it comes to recycling. This study was designed to examine recycling intention through the lens of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Using online survey, participants (n=827) were recruited through an online survey platform (mturk.com). The results show that TPB can predict consumers' intention to recycle. It was further found, however, that attitude towards recycling did not predict intention to recycle. The findings presented here have significant implications for policymakers and practitioners who are interested in inculcating recycling intention and behaviours in members of the public. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior in the context of recycling. There is a need to examine the theories' explanatory power in different research settings and context. Moreover, Regulations and policies on recycling continue to evolve. For example, recently in 2018, Australia is banning plastic bag. Consequently, the new policy will affect people's perception toward recycling. Hence, continues research on recycling are needed.
Forest Policy and Economics, 2019
While developing countries around the world are preparing to implement REDD+, there is a debate o... more While developing countries around the world are preparing to implement REDD+, there is a debate on the possible role of fiscal instruments in encouraging the private sector and smallholder stakeholders in reducing emissions. Drawing on a case of Indonesia, an early leader on REDD+, this paper investigates the role of fiscal instruments in encouraging the private sector to reduce forest-based emissions and the implications for improving the forest sector governance. In particular the study highlights the perspectives of a range of forest sector stakeholders on the role of fiscal instruments that contribute either positively or negatively to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in Indonesia. The study comprised a review of the existing instruments in Indonesia, as well as surveys and interviews. An online survey and structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with a range of forest sector stakeholders, including government, civil society, academia, and palm oil concession holders. Findings indicate that there is a range of formal and informal fiscal instruments at the various jurisdictional levels, and a variety of incentives and disincentives. More emphasis on cross-sectoral coordination , alternatives to commodities such as palm oil, and continued land reform, is required.
The APPEA Journal, 2005
This study presents a detailed description of greenhouse gas emissions and reduction strategies a... more This study presents a detailed description of greenhouse gas emissions and reduction strategies adopted by the Australian petroleum industry from 1996–2002. An empirical analysis has been undertaken to examine the impact of such strategies in improving overall industry environmental performance and has ranked them to establish their relative importance in improving corporate ecological-efficiency ratios, a relative measure of environmental performance that compares the production of oil and gas and their environmental impact added. Two major classes of environmental self-regulatory activities identified are greenhouse gas management strategies and greenhouse gas influence strategies; where the latter was found highly inconsistent throughout the study period. We found that investment in emissions abatement activities, environmental collaboration and staff training, implementation of greenhouse policies and environmental reporting act as better greenhouse gas management strategies. In...
International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 2012
Nepal has established 22 protected areas (PAs) with the primary aim of conserving wildlife biodiv... more Nepal has established 22 protected areas (PAs) with the primary aim of conserving wildlife biodiversity. The protected area system of Nepal has gone through various stages of trial and learning. Various problems relating to management of protected areas have emerged during such trials and processes. In the course of this process, the Integrated Conservation and Development Program (ICDP) approach in protected area management has emerged as an important tool to link conservation and development, with the aim of resolving various problems associated with existing protected area management regimes in the country. We investigated the success of the ICDP approach from the perspective of wildlife conservation. The perceived success of the ICDP approach to conserving wildlife in protected area management systems was examined in the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), Nepal. An extensive field study was carried out with selected Village Development Committees (VDCs) within the ACA. We employed a social survey method using tools such as, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), structured and semi-structured interviews, and a questionnaire survey conducted in two VDCs. Participatory tools such as matrices were also used to gain further insights into impact of the ICDP approach. We found that a significant positive impact resulted from the ICDP approach in study sites when compared with the pre-ICDP scenario. This study suggests that the Snow Leopard (Uncia uncial), Blue Sheep (Psedois nayaur) and Musk Deer (Moschus moischiferous) populations have increased since implementing the ICDP approach. Participatory tools, such as, interactive matrices, involving local people were used to obtain insights and identify changes in wildlife populations. Based on these findings, we argue that the ICDP approach is significantly enhancing wildlife conservation efforts throughout the ACA and it can also be stated that the ICDP approach could be a better alternative to the conventional approach of the protected area management systems in Nepal.
Climate Change and Growth in Asia
Climate Change and Growth in Asia is a comprehensive analysis of the major issues of climate chan... more Climate Change and Growth in Asia is a comprehensive analysis of the major issues of climate change and global warming and their possible impacts on the growth of major Asian economies. The book addresses the climate change crisis in Asia within the context of three major challenges to growth: population, poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Papers by Prof Tapan Sarker
All submissions are peer-reviewed, and unless otherwise stated, all written material is the copyright of the contributing author/s, who retain the right to republish material elsewhere. Any comments or requests regarding written material should be directed to the corresponding author.
Submission enquiries should be directed to the General Editor, Dr Tapan Sarker, by email ([email protected]) or phone +61 (0)7 3735 3249."
doi:10.1017/S2047102516000261
BOOK REVIEWS
The Political Economy of Sustainable Development: Policy Instruments and Market Mechanisms,
by Timothy Cadman, Lauren Eastwood, Federico Lopez-Casero Michaelis, Tek Narayan Maraseni,
Jamie Pittock & Tapan Sarker
Edward Elgar, 2015, 272 pp, £80 hb. ISBN 9781783474837