1,720,975 research outputs found
Cost-benefit and equity analysis of nature-based solutions in Haiti, India, Indonesia and Uganda
No full textThis study performs an economic efficiency and equity analysis of four recent Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) interventions in Haiti, India, Indonesia, and Uganda. Our analysis aims at contributing to the development of methodological best practices for assessing both the economic-effectiveness and the distributional impacts of nature-based solutions, with a particular focus on marginalized or underserved communities. Nature-based solutions (NbS) are emerging as possible strategies to mitigate disaster risk while providing additional benefits to biodiversity and sustainable economic growth. However, there is limited scientific evidence about the cost-effectiveness and equity outcomes of NbS. For each ecosystem-based intervention examined we performed an economic efficiency assessment through a quantitative cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Our estimates show that at the 5th year since the project implementation, the interventions in Haiti and India generated positive net benefits, assuming hazard-related yearly losses in properties and GDP per capita in the project areas as low as 0.5 %. We observe the same outcomes in Indonesia and Uganda at the 10th year since the project implementation, assuming yearly losses equivalent to 1 % or higher and adopting a 3 % discount rate. When we include additional benefits from carbon capture and sequestration and pollution reduction the CBA net benefits estimates are positive at the 10th year mark for every discount rate adopted. Extensive qualitative interviews of local stakeholders corroborate the CBA results and provide insights on the numerous additional benefits experienced, which in the future could be measured and monetized if monitored over time. A qualitative analysis of the distributional effects of the interventions was performed to complement the economic efficiency assessment. This equity analysis indicates an enhancement in inclusivity, economic equality, participation, and capacity building among local stakeholders. In particular, the Eco-DRR interventions implemented resulted in significant education, health, safety and economic improvements for women, children, and economically vulnerable members of the local communities
Achieving Sustainable Development Through Post-crisis Integrated Strategic Environmental Assessments: Lessons Learned from Nepal’s Post-earthquake Response
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Framework for Assessment of Eco-Safe Rural Roads in Panchase Geographic Region in Central–Western Nepal Hills
No full textRural roads are important for the communities in the hilly areas of Nepal as they introduce livelihood opportunities at the local level, and provide better access to the healthcare, education, and resources. Yet, most of the rural roads in Nepal are unplanned and non-engineered, and these roads are often closed for many months during and after the monsoon. Such roads require huge investments, especially post-monsoon, to clear debris and to keep them operational. In parallel, there is evidence that such roads lead to a large number of slope failures and accelerated sedimentation, which degrade the environment and ecosystem services. To remedy such roadside slope failures, eco-engineering practices were tested and demonstrated in partnership with three communities in the Panchase Region of the Nepal’s Central–Western hills. Eco-engineering is a hybrid approach, combining civil engineering works for drainage and slope stability, with the plantation of deep-rooted vegetation. It is one activity contributing to nature-based solutions (NbS) for the sustainable and long-term operation of the rural roads in the Panchase geographic region. This paper describes the inter-disciplinary and community-based research, monitoring, and evaluation methods applied, including the establishment of onsite demonstration plots and rhizotrons in which key performance indicator (KPI) analysis of plant species was performed. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of eco-engineering for reducing risk, while creating ecological co-benefits along rural roads (or eco-safe roads) in hilly areas. Based on this research, an “eco-safe rural road assessment framework” was developed, outlining the systematic process to be followed for the design of eco-safe rural roads for more sustainable road construction and maintenance. The eco-engineering practices which are being promoted by this framework were accepted by communities and could be further implemented by local government bodies and upscaled in other similar hilly areas around the country
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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