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The value of a park in crises: quantifying the health and wellbeing benefits of green spaces using exogenous variations in use values
Get PDFMost people consider parks important for their quality of life, yet systematic causal evidence is missing. We exploit exogenous variations in their use values to estimate causal effects. Using a representative household panel with precise geographical coordinates of households linked to satellite images of green spaces with a nationwide coverage, we employ a spatial difference-in-differences design, comparing within-individual changes between residents living close to a green space with those living further away. We exploit Covid-19 as an exogenous shock. We find that green spaces raised overall life satisfaction while reducing symptoms of anxiety (feelings of nervousness and worry) and depression. There is also suggestive evidence for reduced loneliness. Given the number of people in their surroundings, a compensating-surplus calculation suggests that parks added substantial benefits during the period studied
Opportunistic bacteria enhancing inorganic phosphorus level in post-wildfire tropical forest peatlands
Get PDFWildfires significantly impact on soil phosphorus (P) dynamics in forest ecosystems, yet the role of bacteria with different life-history strategies in mediating post-fire P cycling is not well understood. To investigate this, soil samples were collected from wildfire-affected tropical peat forests and oil palm agroforests, which were subjected to physicochemical analysis, high throughput sequencing and bacterial quantification. Results revealed that wildfire led to an overall decline in bacterial diversity and absolute abundance. Yet, soil inorganic phosphorus (Pi) content increased significantly. This increase may be related to the shifts in bacterial life-history strategies. Wildfire boosts soil moisture levels, which in turn increase the relative abundance of opportunistic species that are r-strategists. These r-strategists exhibited higher speciation rates, greater dormancy potential, stronger dispersal limitation, and more keystone species in networks. The traits gave them a competitive edge, leading to rapid proliferation after wildfire. Moreover, they increased the relative abundance of organic P-mineralization genes, particularly phnA , phnW , and phoN , accelerating Pi release and accumulation. This study first reveals how bacteria with different life-history strategies regulate P cycling and highlights the role of opportunistic taxa. Our findings enhance the understanding of how shifts in bacterial life-history strategies influence soil P cycling and long-term fertility maintenance in tropical forests and peatlands
Anti-trafficking or anti-migrant: rethinking the Philippine state’s role in global bordering architecture
No full textThe Philippines is simultaneously identified as a source country for trafficking and a leader in anti-trafficking. It imposes stringent pre-departure restrictions on its citizens travelling overseas, ostensibly to protect them from exploitation. This paper treats the Philippines as a generative location for theorising how global south states are recruited into and reproduce global bordering regimes. First, it argues that the Philippines’ emigration restrictions reinforce longstanding social hierarchies and help maintain the global order of labour extraction. Second, it analyses how contradictions of postcolonial statehood, marked by the United States’ influence on Philippine policies such as anti-trafficking, the Philippines’ reliance on labour export and limited regulatory leverage over destination states, and domestic demands for the protection of Overseas Filipino Workers, shape how the Philippine state articulates and enacts migrant protection. It examines how exit controls function as a performance of state capacity and responsibility, staged for domestic and international audiences. Third, the paper attends to gendered, racialised, and classed rationalisations of support for emigration restrictions among Filipinos seeking to disassociate from negative global perceptions of Filipino travellers. The article concludes by proposing a global south-led divestment from the prevailing anti-trafficking paradigm and a reorientation toward a global movement for migrant rights and anti-bordering
Anatomy of a run: the Terra Luna Crash
No full textWe examine the dramatic collapse of the Terra blockchain in May 2022. Using granular blockchain data, we analyze the mechanisms underlying the run and draw parallels to the traditional financial system. We show that the early success of Terra’s algorithmic stablecoin, UST, was fueled by highly subsidized deposit rates, which attracted many investors but created a fragile system prone to runs. The blockchain allowed investors to observe Terra’s worsening fundamentals and monitor each other’s exits. The presence of large investors, whose actions were observable and could impact prices, alleviated the need for coordination typical in canonical models of runs. Larger and sophisticated investors reacted faster to adverse signals and served as catalysts for the run. These findings challenge the idea that blockchain transparency levels the playing field and highlight how greater observability and concentration can amplify financial fragility. Our results contribute to the understanding of the limits of private money and the dynamics of runs in fully digital financial systems
Why we cannot separate evidence from values in public policy
Get PDFWhether or not any particular policy is adequate by EBP's own standard—being evidence‐based—cannot be decided without appeal to value‐based considerations. We support this claim in two steps. First, we argue that which evidence gets used in policy‐making depends on our value commitments, which are rarely made explicit, let alone being the subject of critical and transparent reflection. In other words, value commitments are not just important at the point of spelling out specific policy details and choosing between policy options but they are absolutely essential right from the very beginning of the policy‐making process: all the way from deciding which problem should be addressed by policy or regulation to determining which evidence to use and where to look for it. Second, in order to determine when we have enough evidence, we need to take into account relevant value‐based considerations
Introducing sociopolitical peripheries: power, relationality, and transformation in the margins of Europe
No full textThis chapter introduces “sociopolitical peripheries” as marginalized communities or groups defined by their co-constitutive relationships with centers of power. Adopting a relational perspective, it explores how these peripheries are shaped through dynamic cultural interactions and lived experiences. It explains how sociopolitical space is socially produced and linked to negotiations of identity and power. The chapter also considers the transformative potential of liminal spaces, such as borderlands and urban peripheries, where hybrid solidarities and innovations emerge. By examining local, regional, and transnational processes, it sets the stage for deeper explorations of "sociopolitical peripheries" in subsequent chapters