Sustainable Economics

Geographic location and Geo-morphological conditions of Bangladesh have made the country one of the most weather vulnerable ones to wetlands in context of climate induced changes. Bangladesh is a land of wetland which occupies around 50% of the country. Wetlands play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance of ecosystems and cultural figures as well, but wetland habitats of Bangladesh is under constant threats due to climate induced changes and anthropogenic activities. Climate change, however, is causing acceleration in the rise of sea level, which would seemingly put wetlands at risk of excessive calamities. Drought, excessive temperature, mountain snowfields and glaciers melting, riverbank erosion, salinity intrusion, flash-flood, storm surges, higher water temperature, magnitude of precipitation change, coastal cyclones. Seasonal anomalies and extremes are main threats to the wetland ecosystem. As a result biodiversity is reducing, many species of flora and fauna are threatened, wetlands-based ecosystem is degenerating, and the living conditions of local people are deteriorating as livelihoods, socioeconomic institutions, and extensive cultural values as well. Technology, legislation, educational knowledge, action plan strategy, conservation practices are required to manage wetlands. Therefore, Bangladesh now needs a comprehensive approaches, strategy and integrated system combining political, economic, social, technological and institutional supports to address sustainable wetland conservation and the newly added crisis, climate change.

The main objective of this paper is to examine the nature of relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP). In doing so we have summarized the findings of the empirical studies, drawn the conceptual framework, measured CSR by developing a measure of corporate social performance (CSP) and finally made an investigation on the banking sector of Bangladesh. The results of the study revealed that the average return on asset ratios of the banks having high CSP is higher compared to that of the banks having low CSP, though this could not be proved statistically. However, we should not write off the possibility of this linkage and continue the study. In this respect, the CSR status measured in this study would serve as an important benchmark for further studies.

The main objective of this paper is to examine the nature of relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP). In doing so we have summarized the findings of the empirical studies, drawn the conceptual framework, measured CSR by developing a measure of corporate social performance (CSP) and finally made an investigation on the banking sector of Bangladesh. The results of the study revealed that the average return on asset ratios of the banks having high CSP is higher compared to that of the banks having low CSP, though this could not be proved statistically. However, we should not write off the possibility of this linkage and continue the study. In this respect, the CSR status measured in this study would serve as an important benchmark for further studies.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has the potential to make positive contributions to the development of society and businesses. Organisations are beginning to see the benefits from setting up strategic CSR agendas. The increasing attention to CSR is based on its capability to influence firms' performance. The CSR movement is spreading over the world and in recent years a large number of methods and frameworks have been developed, the majority being developed in the West. This study focuses on developing economies and on Nigeria specifically. Using a sample of forty audited financial statements of quoted companies in Nigeria, this study examines the impact of CSR activities on financial performance measured with Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA). The results show that CSR has a positive and significant relationship with the financial performance measures. These results reinforce the accumulating body of empirical support for the positive impact of CSR on financial performance.

Marketing of agricultural products especially tomato has been a vocation for most women in Ghana, but little attention has been given to the marketing efficiency of tomato. The study analysed the efficiency of marketing system of tomatoes in Pwalugu in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study depended mainly on primary data collected through a semi-structured interview with sixty-four respondents involved in the tomato marketing chain. Deconstructed Marketing Margins, Gini Coefficient, Returns on Capital Employed and the ...

The objective of our study is to establish the relationship between Employee's Performance and HR practices in the developing countries like Pakistan. Few studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between employee's performance and HR practices in the developing countries. The core aim of our study is to investigate relationship between employee's performance and three Human Resource practices (Performance Evaluation, Promotion and Compensation) among hospital employees in Pakistan. The outcomes of this paper shows the positive association between promotion practices and compensation practices with employee performance but employee performance are not significantly associated with performance evaluation. Pakistani hospitals need to change some compensation practices for the improvement of hospital employee's performance.

This study used the Ricardian approach that captures farmer adaptations to varying environmental factors to analyze the impact of climate change (CC) on plantation agriculture in Nigeria. By collecting data from 280 farm households in seven different agro-ecological zones of Nigeria (Cross River, Abia, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo and Ogun States), the quantity of crops produced over time and land value proxied by net revenue per hectares (NR), were regressed on climate, household and soil variables. The results suggest that these variables have a significant impact on the net crop revenue per hectare of farmlands under Nigerian conditions. Specifically, seasonal marginal impact analysis indicates that increasing temperature during summer and winter would significantly reduce crop net revenue per hectare whereas marginally increasing precipitation during spring would significantly increase net crop revenue per hectare. Furthermore, the net crop revenue impact of predicted climate scenarios from three models (CGM2, HaDCM3 and PCM) for the years 2020, 2060 and 2100 suggest drastic decline in future net revenue per hectare for plantation crops in Nigeria. However, these marginal impacts are not uniformly distributed across the different agro-ecological zones in Nigeria.

The business model has received growing attention in the recent decade , but the business model as a concept remains under--estimated (Teece 2010). The growing public recognition of the usefulness of the business model seems to fly against an academic reluctance to acknowledge the term, its uses and its consequences (Baden--Fuller and Morgan 2010).

As the UK teeters on the edge of a triple-dip recession, Mike Townsend explores the evolving variants of capitalism, and puts forward a systemic manifesto for change, that encourages the emergence of resourcefulness and adaptability of the human being, in meeting the current challenges.

The question of religion’s impact in society and the economy is undeniable, however, the topic is typically addressed in a qualitative and individual fashion. While important, this type of comparative analysis is narrow.  Approaching the same subject, but applying a more inclusive lens of quantitative analysis which compares all countries and all religions equally, it is interesting to consider how the varying rates of economic development coupled with social and political variables change in respect to incremental changes in the importance a particular society places on religion.  Most religions espouse similar notions of moral values that equate to dignity, freedom, and respect for all living things.  Therefore, this research leaves the level of religious importance as the variable and measures how fluctuations in this variable impact various social and economic metrics.  The goal of this paper is to offer a review of some of the literature that discusses the ways in which religion has served as an economic driver and to present some quantitative regressions that outline the relationship between the level of importance of religion in society and various economic and social metrics.

The US has customarily conveyed an image of Mexico using blatant lies or manipulated facts that can only elicit disdain or hatred among US citizens. In this narrative, succinctly, Mexico is a perennially poor country with lots of violence and corruption that puts it on the brink of becoming a failed state, which is having a negative social and economic impact on the US. Yet the US has deliberately plundered Mexican socioeconomic structures and destroyed Mexico’s social fabric. This has been performed through a closely-concerted connivance with Mexico’s corrupt elites as part of the US so-called national interest: global imperialism. Through this evidently perverse and corrupt partnership the US has unambiguously and unrelentingly played a major role in the Machiavellian crafting of the root causes explaining Mexico’s disastrous situation. This has resulted in an increase of inequality, corruption and violence. However, the US narrative plays it as if Mexico’s northern neighbour has had nothing to do with this. Now Trump has vitriolically defamed Mexico by trying to exponentially exploit the worst and least sustainable stereotypes of Mexico and its people. This paper will debunk all the deliberately malicious myths advanced by the US’ equally-corrupt elites with a vested interest in denigrating its southern neighbour and present the true facts behind the lies.

Marketing of agricultural products especially tomato has been a vocation for most women in Ghana, but little attention has been given to the marketing efficiency of tomato. The study analysed the efficiency of marketing system of tomatoes in Pwalugu in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Th collected through a semi-structured interview with sixty chain. Deconstructed Marketing Margins, Gini Coefficient, Returns on Capital Employed and the marketing efficiency criterion were used in assessing the efficiency of the marketing system of tomatoes. An average profit margin of Gh₵21,888.68, Gh₵110,060.70 and Gh₵1,169.03 for farmers, wholesalers and retailers per year respectively was realized. Also, farmers real wholesalers and 66.0% for retailers. Our finding of a highly profitable tomato marketing industry in Pwalugu is contradictory to the views portrayed in the Ghanaian media. We advocate for a module t tomato marketing and processing under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).

Contemporary economies must undergo a transformation to sustainability if we are to avoid a descent into ecological and socio-political crises of ever escalating severity. In order to achieve such a major reform, principles consistent with sustainable ecosystems and social systems need to be identified and applied systematically. What are these principles in their most fundamental form, how can they become widely accepted, and how can they be applied? To answer these three questions, this article draws on the cumulative insights of anthropology, a bridging science dedicated to the holistic study of humanity across the entire span of our evolutionary development (physical anthropology) and across the full breadth of its cross-cultural diversity (cultural anthropology). * This broad and longitudinal anthropological understanding of human societies will be compared with what we now understand about the characteristics of ecosystem, primarily to show that they are fundamentally similar. An alternative cultural outlook and political procedure is then proposed that-if adopted-would deliver a shared global vision for a socially and ecologically sustainable future and lay firm pathways toward that future in the now.

The current global financial crisis is among the greatest challenges to the world economy since the end of World War II. Unlike previous financial crises, which were confined to particular regions, the current crisis is quickly spreading across continents. The ongoing crisis in the financial system has an enormous impact on the construction industry. Private developers and owners are rethinking their spending priorities. A significant number of ongoing projects are suffering from financial distress. In the worst cases, developers will be forced to put projects on hold or default on their payment obligations. Lack of credit could render a contractor or key subcontractor insolvent, which could put a project in jeopardy. Necessary actions are required to be implemented to restore confidence in the global economy and overcome the difficulties in the construction sector. This paper aims to investigate the impact of the global financial crisis on the construction industry in developing countries with particular emphasis on Egypt. To achieve this aim, a research methodology is designed to accomplish three objectives. Firstly, reviewing the classiifcation of developed and developing countires, the concept of globalization, international construction and identify the root causes of the current financial crisis. Secondly, studying the impacts of the crisis on the construction industry in developing countries and evaluating the actions taken to overcome its implications. Thirdly, investigating the impacts of the crisis on the Egyptian market and procedures adopted to overcome its consequences. Finally, proposing a number of solutions towards sustainable economy through overcoming this crisis and avoiding its occurrence in the future.

Two important problems in models for a sustainable economy are (1) how to connect environmental models with
societal models and (2) how to model the impact of societal changes upon an environment.For the first challenge,
the Leontief economic model has been transformed from a vector to a tensor equation, as a model for integrating
regional descriptions of an economy and its local environment. However, this is a static model of a steady-state
(stasis) economy during a given period; and here we address the second challenge of modeling the impact of
societal change upon an economy and its environment.We apply the modeling of societal change in the historical
case of Australia’s Mining Rent Tax of 2012-2014.

All the factors of production are not uniformly distributed among all the countries of the world. Some countries have more of some factors relative to other countries. Natural resources are free gift of nature and these resources are also not equally distributed among all countries of the world. For some countries water is scarce than other and some commodity relatively less water is required for production. Due to this difference in production technique and relative abundance of water resources international trade can take place. Studies in virtual water trade are of recent origin. Water has dual role in international agricultural trade. It is responsible for huge export earnings but at the same time is a loss of scarce water through trade. This is relevant for adopting appropriate policies for sustainable agricultural growth.

This article reports on a recent study that applies bivariate GARCH methodology to investigate the existence of a tradeoff between output growth and inflation variability in Nigeria and to ascertain the impact of monetary policy regime changes (from direct control regime to indirect or market based regime) on the nature of the volatility tradeoffs. Investigations reveal the existence of a short run tradeoff relationship between output growth and inflation within and across both regimes. However, no strong evidence of long run volatility relationship could be established. Our results further reveal that regime changes affected the magnitude of policy effects on output and inflation. Monetary policy had a stronger effect on output growth than on price stability during the period of direct control while it has a much larger impact on inflation during the current period of market-based regime. Also volatility of output and inflation became more persistent during the period of indirect control.

This work was written for a conference of Leftwing economists IIPPE in Crete 2010 and first published on their site. It is about the relation of official income as measured by the fake capitalist instruments of GDP and GNP to actual well-being (cf. Daly-Cobb and Kapp). It continues with a discussion of the entropy calculus, inspired by Georgescu-Roegen, as a basis for any future program of human survival. It concludes that our aim should be a maximum stock of life quality. This would mean a radical economic reorientation for more affluent countries, including the reduction by two thirds of consumption in key materials such as fossil fuels in order to protect us from even bigger future problems, such as health hazards, environmental degradation, a further increase in global poverty, armed conflicts, and mass refugee movements: Its gradual implementation, beginning, say, with the Tobin Tax, would need constant care for large majority support, which brings us to the threshold of democratic politics.

This article reports on a recent study that applies bivariate GARCH methodology to investigate the existence of a tradeoff between output growth and inflation variability in Nigeria and to ascertain the impact of monetary policy regime changes (from direct control regime to indirect or market based regime) on the nature of the volatility tradeoffs. Investigations reveal the existence of a short run tradeoff relationship between output growth and inflation within and across both regimes. However, no strong evidence of long run volatility relationship could be established. Our results further reveal that regime changes affected the magnitude of policy effects on output and inflation. Monetary policy had a stronger effect on output growth than on price stability during the period of direct control while it has a much larger impact on inflation during the current period of market-based regime. Also volatility of output and inflation became more persistent during the period of indirect control.

Our aim is to share our journey with people around the world, to help generate greater awareness of the issues and possibilities, to promote debate, to provide a sense of hope for what might be, and how we could all make the transition towards a more sustainable economy.

We achieve this by reviewing the key problems inherent within our current system and then, by building on the great works going on around the world, we synthesise a range of design principles for a better system, before exploring the worthy range of solutions, and how we might all work towards bringing about a better, more sustainable future.

Capability Approach is very interesting among the researchers, policy makers and political philosophers. It can be used for evaluating several aspects of people's well-being such as inequality, poverty and so on. It is highly interdisciplinary in nature. It can also be used as an alternative tool for social cost-benefit analysis. Thus CA is not a theory that can only explain poverty, inequality or well-being, rather it provides a tool and a framework within which to conceptualize and estimate these phenomena. The capabilities are the freedom that a person enjoys in terms of functioning. A person is multidimensional poor if he/she has failed to attain the threshold limit of functioning. The CA gives a philosophical and theoretical platform for measuring poverty or deprivation in a multidimensional space. Our paper concentrates much on this.

Sustainability is a continuous process that takes into consideration human needs and environmental limitations. Whereas it requires committed citizens capable of developing a constant awareness of complex scenarios and changes. The current generation cannot keep waiting for general agreements without making a stand. Under such time restriction, what kind of science do we need for a sustainable future? The academic debate is full of alternative arguments and positions. From social change to process-oriented approaches, many scholars seem to converge to the so-called Mode 2 paradigm of knowledge creation. In the following paper, in order to have a sustainable future, the author thinks science must also encompass an economic-oriented approach, so that it becomes guided by pragmatic efforts that would allow behavioral changes without compromising life quality and the possibility of social mobility for impoverished peoples.

This article reports on a recent study that applies bivariate GARCH methodology to investigate the existence of a tradeoff between output growth and inflation variability in Nigeria and to ascertain the impact of monetary policy regime changes (from direct control regime to indirect or market based regime) on the nature of the volatility tradeoffs. Investigations reveal the existence of a short run tradeoff relationship between output growth and inflation within and across both regimes. However, no strong evidence of long run volatility relationship could be established. Our results further reveal that regime changes affected the magnitude of policy effects on output and inflation. Monetary policy had a stronger effect on output growth than on price stability during the period of direct control while it has a much larger impact on inflation during the current period of market-based regime. Also volatility of output and inflation became more persistent during the period of indirect control.

Contemporary economies must undergo a transformation to sustainability if we are to avoid a descent into ecological and socio-political crises of ever escalating severity. In order to achieve such a major reform, principles consistent with sustainable ecosystems and social systems need to be identified and applied systematically. What are these principles in their most fundamental form, how can they become widely accepted, and how can they be applied? To answer these three questions, this article draws on the cumulative insights of anthropology, a bridging science dedicated to the holistic study of humanity across the entire span of our evolutionary development (physical anthropology) and across the full breadth of its crosscultural diversity (cultural anthropology). This broad and longitudinal anthropological understanding of human societies will be compared with what we now understand about the characteristics of ecosystem, primarily to show that they are fundamentally similar. An...

Marketing of agricultural products especially tomato has been a vocation for most women in Ghana, but little attention has been given to the marketing efficiency of tomato. The study analysed the efficiency of marketing system of tomatoes in Pwalugu in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study depended mainly on primary data collected through a semi-structured interview with sixty-four respondents involved in the tomato marketing chain. Deconstructed Marketing Margins, Gini Coefficient, Returns on Capital Employed and the ...

Contemporary economies must undergo a transformation to sustainability if we are to avoid a descent into ecological and socio-political crises of ever escalating severity. In order to achieve such a major reform, principles consistent with sustainable ecosystems and social systems need to be identified and applied systematically. What are these principles in their most fundamental form, how can they become widely accepted, and how can they be applied? To answer these three questions, this article draws on the cumulative insights of anthropology, a bridging science dedicated to the holistic study of humanity across the entire span of our evolutionary development (physical anthropology) and across the full breadth of its cross-cultural diversity (cultural anthropology). * This broad and longitudinal anthropological understanding of human societies will be compared with what we now understand about the characteristics of ecosystem, primarily to show that they are fundamentally similar....

This study investigates the agricultural land allocation pattern and the level of land use intensification among farming household heads in Uruan local government area of Akwa Ibom state in the southern Nigeria. Two-stage random sampling technique was used to select 240 farming household heads. Structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from sample farming household heads in the study area. Combination of analytical tools including descriptive Statistics, Herfindahl index, Crop Diversification index, and Ordinary Least Squares technique were used to analyze the specific objectives. Analysis of socio economic characteristics reveal that majority of farming household heads were males, learned and have moderate family size as well as small farm land. The result also reveals that agricultural land in the area was mostly acquired through inheritance and outright purchase. Analysis of crop combination shows that pumpkin, maize cassava and white yam was the most prefer crop combination in the study area. An average Herfindal index of 0.641 and land intensification index of 0.8654 were obtained among respondents. Also, a negative relationship was discovered between land intensification index and farm size in the study area. The study therefore suggests for provisions of improved seed varieties and other inputs to farming household heads by the Akwa Ibom state government. Also, state government should intensify effort to reclaimed less productive land and developed Fadama projects in the state to reduce the menace of land use intensification among farming household heads in the area.