Suchergebnisse

With the growing importance of logistic in a green and environmental friendly way, it is widely accepted that short sea shipping (SSS) is a mean to divert the freight traffic from congested corridor in local communities as well as to reduce environmental costs. It can also relieve the problem of traffic congestion and investment on road construction and maintenance. This paper considers a multimodal transportation model for domestic container cargos, in which the flow of container cargos moving between foreign seaports and domestic cities can be transported via domestic seaports using SSS and inland by truck. We propose a two-level strategy in evaluating the various government policies to encourage or regulate the usage of SSS. While the objective of the freight carriers is to minimize its transportation cost, the government could internalize the external cost and invest on the transportation network with considering the cost to the society. A case study with the Taiwan network is performed to illustrate the benefit and performance of the model. ; postprint ; The 12th World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR), Lisbon, Portugal, 11-15 July 2010.

In many developing countries, urban agriculture makes a significant contribution to the livelihoods of urban populations, in providing food security and income generation. In Hanoi, Vietnam's capital city, urban agriculture is a longstanding feature, but rapid urban growth is leading to greater competition over land use, such that this practice is being increasingly threatened by conversion to non-agricultural urban uses. The quality and safety of foodstuffs grown in urban areas is of growing concern to both consumers and producers in developing country cities such as Hanoi, where a large share of the city's food supply is grown within the urban area. Government support has encouraged urban producers to modernize and invest in safer growing practices. However, in Hanoi, as indeed elsewhere, there is an urgent need to recognise the significance of urban agriculture in future planning strategies. Drawing upon recent field-based research in Hanoi, which examined local actors' knowledge and perceptions of changes in urban agriculture within the city, the paper identifies key trends and underlying environmental and socio-economic factors, and considers the future sustainability of the practice.

The purpose of the study was to examine differences between documented and undocumented Latino immigrants in the prevalence of three immigration-related challenges (separation from family, traditionality, and language difficulties), which were made more severe after the passage of restrictive immigration legislation in 1996. Specifically, the study sought to determine the combined and unique associations of legal status, the three immigration-related challenges listed above, and fear of deportation to acculturative stress related to family and other social contexts. Participants in the study consisted of 416 documented and undocumented Mexican and Central American immigrants living in two major cities in Texas. The Hispanic Stress Inventory–Immigrant form was used to assess acculturative stress in the sample. Results indicated that although undocumented immigrants reported higher levels of the immigration challenges of separation from family, traditionality, and language difficulties than documented immigrants, both groups reported similar levels of fear of deportation. Results also indicated that the immigration challenges and undocumented status were uniquely associated with extrafamilial acculturative stress but not with intrafamilial acculturative stress. Only fear of deportation emerged as a unique predictor of both extrafamililal and intrafamilial acculturative stress.

We investigate the relationship between the time politicians stay in office and the functioning of public procurement. To this purpose, we collect a data set on the Italian municipal governments and all the procurement auctions they administered between 2000 and 2005. Identification is achieved through the introduction of a two-term limit for the mayor in March 1993: since elections were not coordinated across cities, and previous terms were not counted in the limit, mayors appointed right before the reform could be reelected for two additional terms, while the others for one only. Our primary finding is that one extra term in office deteriorates public spending. In fact, it decreases the number of bidders and, most importantly, the winning rebate. Interestingly, we also find that the probability that the same firm is awarded more auctions, or that the winning firm is local, increases with time in office. These results are compatible with the predictions of a model of favoritism in repeated procurement auctions, where time reveals collusive types, thus increasing the value of illegal connections at the expense of higher procurement costs.

In urban Philippines, the percentage of persons with disability (PWDs) participating in various government and nongovernment programs is low. In fact, the level of awareness among PWDs on the policies that intend to uplift their well-being is also low. These were some of the findings of a 2008 survey on persons with disability in selected cities in Metro Manila. This paper therefore aims to examine this problem by looking at the various factors that influence the PWD's participation specifically in the government-mandated discount on fare on bus and other land transportation vehicles and medical services. Interestingly, it focuses on the role of social networks among PWD, environmental constraints, and the type of disability the person has. Interestingly, because participation is conditional on awareness and eligibility, this paper likewise looks into variables that are associated with awareness and eligibility. The goal is to identify areas of potential gaps in terms of information dissemination, implementation, and enforcement so that PWDs can fully benefit from the policies and programs intended for them. This paper uses the dataset of a pioneering survey on 400 PWDs conducted in 2008 in Metro Manila.

Road transport represents one of the greatest areas of challenge for energy efficiency. A growing percentage of petrol usage is due to consumption in the transportation sector. However, in other sectors, petrol has been recently partially or totally substituted by other fuels. The need for worldwide action to achieve energy efficiency in the transportation sector has been recognized by the agencies of the United Nations and other international governmental and non‐governmental organizations. Transportation is one of the key factors for the growth and development of Malaysian economy. Currently, more than 80% of primary energy consumption based on fossil fuels and demand stays high and is supposed continually grow in the future. Even if technology developments eventually able to reduce specific consumption, world energy demand is likely to increase in line with its population. This sector also accounts for a substantial amount of air pollution in cities and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. This paper aims to analyze factors influencing the pattern and emission level of energy consumption in the transportation sector of Malaysia and extrapolates the total energy demand and vehicular emissions. First published online: 10 Feb 2011

Finding ways to increase trust may be one mechanism to overcome the alleged negative consequences of urban sprawl for neighborhoods. This study explores two relationships with community design and trust. First, is one benefit of some of the underlying concepts of New Urbanism design that they build trust? Second, can these design concepts overcome one undesirable feature of cities: the deleterious effect of income inequality on trust? This study uses survey data collected from 34 city of Boise neighborhoods and 2000 US census data aggregated to the neighborhood level to examine the effects of street design, sidewalks and open space on building trust and moderating the effect of income inequality on trust. The study finds that cul-de-sac designed streets, sidewalks and parks or open space increase trust. There is no evidence that design features actually moderate the effects of income inequality on trust. The findings suggest that local governments can influence the quality of life for residents in their communities through neighborhood design even if municipalities cannot use design to moderate the effects of income equality on trust.

AbstractChina's diplomacy has become increasingly multi-layered, as provinces and cities step up efforts to expand their networks and involvement in foreign affairs. This article aims to provide a general picture about how Chinese provinces feature in the overall Chinese foreign policy system. Specifically, the article uses two cases to illustrate how such a multi-layered diplomatic system functions to meet the interests of the national and local governments. The first case discusses the role of Yunnan province in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Economic Cooperation. Yunnan's involvement in GMS as a local actor demonstrates how cross-border cooperation has served local developmental interest as well as China's national foreign policy goals. It also gave rise to a new form in China's multi-layered diplomacy, namely multi-layered multilateral diplomacy. The second case is the engagement of China's provinces in Africa. The article identifies Chinese provinces' roles in Africa as traders, investors, aid providers and intergovernmental actors. The article also discusses how foreign countries and China itself should cope with China's new multi-layered engagement in international affairs.

Tools of direct democracy, such as the citizen initiative, are available at both the state and local levels in the United States, yet models of the process typically do not consider these institutions in tandem. In this article, I develop a model of local fiscal policy that incorporates the impact of a statewide as well as a local initiative process. I posit that the statewide initiative process leads to lower levels of state spending, additional spending mandates on the local level, and reduced deadweight costs of taxation, with these three factors leading to an increase in local spending. I then show that the ability of interest groups to secure particularistic spending through the local initiative has a similarly pro-spending impact. Subsequently, I explore data from the year 2000 in over 600 cities with a population greater than 25,000 and find that the spending-enhancing effects of the local initiative are strong when signature requirements are low, leading to a 12—14 percent increase in spending compared to local governments without such an initiative process in place.

This article suggests the importance of studying local peace movements in postwar America, as civil rights historians have been doing for two decades. The article also argues that peace and civil rights often reflected the same progressive impulse for social justice—thus the importance of exploring the relationships and interconnections between the two movements. This case study of peace and civil rights in postwar Miami documents the role of politically progressive Jews, especially Jewish women, in forging a social justice movement focused on peace, civil liberties, and civil rights. Mostly newcomers from northern cities, a small group of activist Jews played a major organizational role in local branches of such civil rights and peace groups as the Civil Rights Congress, the Congress of Racial Equality, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, and Women Strike for Peace. For those who chose the activist path, peace and civil rights became inseparable components of a local social justice crusade challenging racial segregation and national Cold War policies.

China's diplomacy has become increasingly multi-layered, as provinces and cities step up efforts to expand their networks and involvement in foreign affairs. This article aims to provide a general picture about how Chinese provinces feature in the overall Chinese foreign policy system. Specifically, the article uses two cases to illustrate how such a multi-layered diplomatic system functions to meet the interests of the national and local governments. The first case discusses the role of Yunnan province in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Economic Cooperation. Yunnan's involvement in GMS as a local actor demonstrates how cross-border cooperation has served local developmental interest as well as China's national foreign policy goals. It also gave rise to a new form in China's multi-layered diplomacy, namely multi-layered multilateral diplomacy. The second case is the engagement of China's provinces in Africa. The article identifies Chinese provinces' roles in Africa as traders, investors, aid providers and intergovernmental actors. The article also discusses how foreign countries and China itself should cope with China's new multi-layered engagement in international affairs. Adapted from the source document.

Road transport represents one of the greatest areas of challenge for energy efficiency. A growing percentage of petrol usage is due to consumption in the transportation sector. However, in other sectors, petrol has been recently partially or totally substituted by other fuels. The need for worldwide action to achieve energy efficiency in the transportation sector has been recognized by the agencies of the United Nations and other international governmental and non‐governmental organizations. Transportation is one of the key factors for the growth and development of Malaysian economy. Currently, more than 80% of primary energy consumption based on fossil fuels and demand stays high and is supposed continually grow in the future. Even if technology developments eventually able to reduce specific consumption, world energy demand is likely to increase in line with its population. This sector also accounts for a substantial amount of air pollution in cities and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. This paper aims to analyze factors influencing the pattern and emission level of energy consumption in the transportation sector of Malaysia and extrapolates the total energy demand and vehicular emissions. First published online: 10 Feb 2011

This paper examines the relationship between state-funded secondary school
performance and local residential property values in seven major English
cities. When choosing which secondary school they wish their children to
attend, parents will be aware of the school?s performance in Key Stage 3,
GCSE and A- level examinations. We suggest that GCSE examination results will
be the measure of school performance that parental choice will be most
closely correlated with. Therefore, secondary schools with good GCSE
examination results will be ?oversubscribed? in that more students will wish
to attend these schools than there are places available. Schools will then
have to develop mechanisms for rationing the available places - central to
rationing strategies in English schools at the moment is geographical
proximity of the family home to the school of choice. Parents will thus have
a strong incentive to purchase houses in the ?catchment? area of high
performing schools. Our results suggest that this is the case, with high
performing schools stimulating a price premium in local residential property
markets of between 1% and 3% for each additional 10% point improvement in the
pass rate in GCSE examinations.