86,531 research outputs found
Drinking water demand determinants: Evidences from Vlora city
No full textIn Albania there are plenty of natural water resources, a fraction of these reserves cover the need of population for fresh, clean drinking water. But this sector presents several critical problems related with water suppliers. It seems they have not completed the decentralization process; they depend on state subsidies to cover losses from uncollectible bills. Literature shows traditional forms of financing of water supplier in different economies (developed or not). One of the classic financial forms is to increase the rate paid bills. The water should be seen as product that has its own market and an equilibrium price. But do the citizens of Vlora city perceive in adequate way this concept? Should be an economical problem for them if the water tariffs increase or are they using alternative resources of drinking water?
The article aims to give a descriptive overview of water industry and suppliers in Albania and especially empirically conclusions about of the situation in Vlora city, focusing on the perceptions of citizens. Are the accumulated financial losses of water supplier correlated with the citizens’ perception about water as a public good? It's been used data through a structured questionnaire (Zeneli F., WP-Questionnaire, 2015) about 160 families, were part of the survey; also data from General Directorate of Water in Albania; elaborated using statistical software IBM SPSS 21, to identify link between determinants of drinking water demand in the sector.
The main conclusion is that citizens see the water provider service a public good, while from water suppliers water distributed is their product that provides their market position and their economic sustainability.
Let this paper be one of the first in the topic to determine drinking water demand determinants in Vlora city
Water Privatization in Developing Countries: Case of Albania
No full textA safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation service for all individuals is a human right recognized explicitly from the United Nations General Assembly (Resolution 64/292, July 2010). Access to clean drinking water is so crucial for development that developed countries have made significant investments in water infrastructure (production, distribution investments in investments in piping, pumps, water purification systems and wastewater treatment plants etc.), managerial structures and capacities. The picture is very different in developing countries. One of the main problems is the lack of efficiency of the water systems, leading to a higher loss rate (from system leakage and illegal connections to the system) and cost-recovery failure because of the low revenues from tap water sales. In most of the cases governments fail to finance the financial loss of the water suppliers and in this way fail to fulfill the public need for drinking water and sanitation and water treatment services. So an alternative to solve the situation is seen the privatization of drinking water sector. The paper will give a summarized picture of the phenomenon in the world having as the case study the situation in Albania during years starting from the legislative frame, previous attempts to future tendencies related to the privatization of drinking water sector. The main objective is to explore the arguments pros and cons related to the privatization of “an economic good” such as water suggesting different alternatives in this context
Analysis of risks and investments’ opportunities in water sector
No full textWhile water demand is projected to grow by 41% by 2030, considering also the ultimate reserves of drinking water, it is believed that this element will attract the majority of investments in the coming decades.
Opportunities in drinking water sector are numerous, because its process of providing and delivery of drinking water includes many aspects: management of infrastructure, design of technological solutions, conservation and water’s quality.
These opportunities result from the difference between water supply and water demand; an increasingly difference that requires capital investments in production and water treatment technologies. Investments need to be combined with the knowledge on the legislation, regulatory framework and technological developments.
This article may serve to clarify type of investments in drinking water sector, known by literature, to identify opportunities of investment in this sector, indicating the theoretical framework of beta and alpha risk ratio coefficient calculation and to suggest how these types of investments can be allocated to the investment portfolios
On-Line Social Network Sites and Negative Social Capital: The Influences in Albanian Economy
No full textIn the terminology of political economy made a distinction between quantitative economic policy and structural economic policies. Quantitative policies are policies aimed at controlling short-term economic cycles through quantitative interventions: fiscal stimulus (decrease or increase taxes and / or government spending), the increase or decrease of the rate of interest, intervention by monetary policy; in other words, the policy aimed at orienting the economy in one or another direction through management macroeconomic parameters. These are policies which in most cases common concern to economists and state fiscal bureaucracy (such as ministries of finance or central bank), or even ideological opposite orientations politicians express the necessity of one or another kind. These groups often finds in dealing with economic problems dealing with the need for or the effects of this kind: for example, given arguments for the necessity of lowering taxes to businesses in order to encourage investment; need for to stimulate demand through increased public spending; debate on the reduction or increase of VAT or excise or tax rates etc.. Foundation is totally debate revolves around the use of the macroeconomic mechanisms in response to cyclical economic developments. In this paper we want to illustrate the facts that both means of supplying markets exporting and production in those markets. Moreover, there are two international business activities that we are studying in our paper research. The main hypothesis is: “Is there a negative “Social Capital”? The database includes 1000 questionnaire about 50 relevant variables (collected during April, May, and June 2011 in Vlore city). The statistical program SPSS is used for creating, testing econometric models which links economic, social and demographic attributes of Internet users with frequencies of accessing / using of the Internet. The paper aims to reach conclusions for the city of Vlore, Albania, to figures out the chances that youth spend hours in Internet contributing in a negative “Social Capital”
Between public - private partnerships and public finance in the public infrastructure sector: The water and sanitation sector in Albania
No full textIt’s known in the literature that public-private partnerships (PPPs) are one the main instruments
that permit private collaboration in projects that are public otherwise. It’s also clear that their
implementation is different depending on the rules of the countries, their market level of
acceptance etc.
The first objective of this paper is to revise PPPs projects in the water sector in Albania, seen in
the context of alternative financing ways for joint-stock companies of Albanian water sector,
due to the nature of the market (a developing emerging market), in the context of bad fi nancial
times after 2008 (the start of the international financial crisis). The second objective is to describe
the development of the Albanian legislation for management contracts introduced for the first
time in the waters and sanitation sector in 2004 and privatization practices in public sector.
The main conclusion is that in the developing markets creating possibilities for private
sector participation in the infrastructure public services (especially in the drinking water
and sanitation sector) will be seen with skepticism because of failed previous privatization
practices or the sensitivity degree of the water sector related to the penetration level of private
factor in the sector. Public finance will be explored as a convenient alternative
Energy and Grains Prices Cointegration and Causality Linkage
No full textEnergy and grain markets are historically connected since oil, natural gas, and/or coal are used as inputs for fertilizers’ production or transportation costs. The recent rising prices in the energy market following important events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have again brought attention to researchers. The focus of this paper is to assess any changes in the relationships between crude oil, natural gas, and grain prices contributing to the review of the fuel-food relationship using time series models. Several techniques that account for structural breaks and regime shifts (Zivot-Andrews and Clemente, Montañés, Reyes unit root tests, Johansen’s cointegration test, and Toda-Yamamoto time domain causality test with time dummy variables for structural breaks, and Hatemi-J asymmetric causality test) are applied for monthly data covering the period from January 1982 to September 2022. The main result is that the neutrality hypothesis is still valid in light of recent developments in the respective markets (no significant linear causality and asymmetric causality were detected among the series)
Building Sustainable Urban Futures: The Crucial Role of Urban Food Policy = Construire un avenir urbain durable : le rôle crucial de la politique alimentaire urbaine = Aufbau einer nachhaltigen urbanen Zukunft: Die entscheidende Rolle der städtischen Ernährungspolitik
No full textUrban Food Policies are valuable instruments that cities use to address the multidimensional challenges of food security, food safety and sustainability in urban contexts. As urbanisation continues, these policies offer targeted solutions, involving coordinated efforts by city governments, civil society and stakeholders, and promoting local sustainability and resilience. They are implemented in four types, including substantive (e.g. schools' canteens and food hubs), regulative (e.g. food safety and hygiene standards on street vendors), fiscal (e.g. tax on sugary beverages), and informative interventions (e.g. campaigns promoting sustainable food practices). As cities expand, they face important issues, such as food access disparities, rising malnutrition, environmental degradation and food waste accumulation. Urban Food Policies can go beyond traditional national policies, incorporating targeted interventions that address and account for the specific issues of urban life. The main key objectives are: ensuring food security and safety, preserving biodiversity and reducing pollution in urban and peri-urban food systems, food waste management, healthy and sustainable diets, safeguarding cultural identity. However, their effectiveness depends on robust multi-level governance, collaboration and political will, targeting the local objectives in line with Sustainable Development Goals. Urban Food Policies' contribution can enable cities to address current and future food-related challenges in a holistic way
Financing the Urban Food Transition: Lessons and Innovations
No full textContext. Urban food policies (UFPs) have become important for modern cities as a strategic tool to enhance public health, promote social inclusion, advance sustainability, and strengthen resilience. Yet, despite their growing importance, and their wide adoption by many cities worldwide, many urban food initiatives rely heavily on short-term or project-based funding. This explicit dependence raises critical concerns since it undermines their contribution to urban sustainability and equity transformations and their institutional existence. Recognising financing as a critical, yet underexplored, dimension of urban food governance, this study examines how cities can secure sustainable, resilient funding for UFPs over time exploring works of literature on urban governance, public finance, and food systems transformation to investigate sustainable funding approaches for UFPs.
Data and methodology. This study implements a comparative qualitative case study methodology, focusing on five diverse cities with established urban food strategies: Milan, Toronto, Paris, Barcelona, and Belo Horizonte. Each city is unique (i.e., in political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts) in the typology of the problematics that it faces, offering different insights into the challenges and solutions associated with financing UFPs over time. Data sources include city policy documents, budget reports, and secondary literature. The analysis follows a qualitative comparative case study approach. Each case was systematically reviewed to identify the sources of funding, financial mechanisms used, and strategies for integrating food policy initiatives into durable urban budgets. A typology of financing models was developed inductively through thematic analysis across cases. The study further extracted enabling factors and strategic principles that appear consistently across successful long-term funding examples. The main research question, the article aims to answer is: RQ1:” How can cities finance urban food policies sustainably over the long term?” followed by RQ1a: “How are urban food policies currently financed across different global cities?” and RQ1b: “What mechanisms and strategies enable the transition from short-term, project-based funding to sustainable, institutionalised financial models?”
Results. The research identifies four main types of financing models: (i) integration into existing municipal departmental budgets (e.g., health, environment, education departments), (ii) creation of dedicated food policy offices with their line-item funding, (iii) leveraging external partnerships and co-funding with philanthropy, private actors, or higher levels of government, (iv) innovative fiscal tools, such as earmarked taxes or community wealth-building initiatives. The key strategic principles for durable financing observed are: (i) early integration of food goals into broader municipal strategies (e.g., climate, health, social inclusion); (ii) building strong cross-sectoral coalitions to advocate for budgetary commitments, (iii) demonstrating the multi-dimensional benefits (economic, social, environmental) of food policy to justify continued public investment, (iv) developing adaptive governance mechanisms that align food policy goals with evolving political and economic contexts.
The findings emphasise that financial sustainability is not only a technical issue but deeply political, requiring persistent coalition-building, strategic framing, and institutional innovation.
Policy implications. The study offers practical insights for cities aiming to insert food policies into permanent governance structures from early budgetary planning for food initiatives to cross-sectoral alliances between food, health, and sustainability departments, and innovative fiscal tools, considering a food justice framing. By securing stable and predictable funding streams, cities can move from pilot programs toward transformative, systemic interventions that advance both urban sustainability and food justice
Financing SMEs in Vlora City, Albania: between Game Theory and Lack of Information
No full textAbstractThe SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) play a crucial economical role, especially in transition economies. However, the financing problem affects the SMEs’ development. Information asymmetry between banks and enterprises is the main reason for the SMEs’ gaining funds so hard; the banks do not know the operating conditions and credit situation of SMEs. The study focuses on the analyses of the game of (in) complete information and financing growth strategies of SMEs in the city of Vlora to face with challenges of a sustainable development and a competitive market
Enhancing Sustainability and Cost Efficiency in Albania’s Water Supply Sector: A Path Toward Responsible Water Resource Management
No full textThe Albanian water supply sector is facing important challenges despite the country’s abundant natural water resources. In terms of coverage, only 71% of the population has access to safe drinking water. There are significant interruptions in supply, and many Water Utilities (WUs) underperform financially and technically.
This study aims to explore the cost structure of Albania’s WUs, assess their operational sustainability (exploring their cost structure), and identify cost-saving opportunities.
Individual data for each WU (57 in total) for the period from 2008 to 2015 is used and a translog cost function to estimate economies of output, customer density, and economies of scale is applied. By
employing a hedonic approach, the analysis incorporates technical variables such as network length, number of customers, water losses, and load factors along with output and input prices.
The results highlight the presence of diseconomies of output density, customer density, and scale, indicating that increasing water production or the customer base disproportionately raises operational
costs. These findings reflect Albania’s water supply inefficient infrastructure, a consequence of major network losses, poor network conditions, and limited capacity to manage increasing demand efficiently.
Several policy implications derive from this study. There is an urgent call for investment in infrastructure upgrades, and a strong sectorial reform to improve the financial and operational sustainability of WUs. Policymakers should also consider strategic tariff adjustments and potential regionalisation of services to mitigate rising costs along with regulators and national authorities to guide interventions in enhancing water service delivery, ensuring equitable access, and promoting long-term sustainability
- …
