This article explores the global impacts of a changing environment on the sustainability of resources. In a global context characterised by continued population growth and accelerated urbanisation in ...emerging economies and the least developed regions of the world, pressures on environmental resources are intensifying. Extreme effects on ecosystems in both urban and rural communities are of enduring concern, as evidenced in water and food insecurity, and poor air quality. The author compares varying approaches to the collection and use of evidence, and the ways in which researchers may influence policy decisions and their implementation. Drawing on large and small-scale studies conducted in different regions of the world from a range of disciplinary perspectives, the article seeks to unravel the triangular relationship between research evidence, policy and impact, while paying attention to the tools used to assess impact on, and of, policy. In conclusion, the author considers how co-ordinated efforts by academics, public, private and third-sector practitioners across disciplines and national borders might produce stronger evidence and knowledge with which to inform decision-makers, empower citizens and achieve sustainable development, thereby supporting the needs of present and future generations.
This paper presents a methodological framework for constructing a non-parametric index of corporate governance for banks. The index is constructed by aggregating six distinct dimensional indices ...capturing different dimensions of corporate governance, namely board effectiveness, audit function, risk management, remuneration, shareholder rights and information, and disclosure and transparency. For aggregation, a tailored version of data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach which is popularly known as constrained ‘Benefit-of-the-Doubt (BoD)’ model is employed. This approach is unique and distinctive in the sense that it requires no a priori knowledge of weights, and assigns endogenous weights obtained from actual data to individual dimensions of bank governance in order to construct a composite index of corporate governance. This methodological framework has illustrated by applying it for a data set of 40 Indian banks operating in the year 2017. The data set has been compiled using 58 governance regulations as defined by relevant jurisdictions.
•The paper presents the methodological framework to construct a corporate governance index for banks using DEA based ‘benefit-of-the-doubt’ approach.•This paper provides a comprehensive multi-dimensional framework for assessing the corporate governance of a bank.•An illustration is made using a data set of 40 Indian banks operating in the year 2017.•The constrained BoD model used assigns endogenous weights to individual dimensions of bank governance.
The tangible benefits of renewable energy technologies are a crucial parameter when determining the political feasibility of adopting a low-carbon development path, particularly for emerging ...economies. We present that these potential benefits consist of 'green jobs' and of a wider set of socio-economic and environmental 'co-benefits' that are generated simultaneously from renewable technologies in India. Based on case studies from the Indian state of Karnataka, we obtain estimates for jobs and describe co-benefits enabled by wind, off-grid solar and biomass technologies. Furthermore, we use these estimates to project the potential for future benefits that could be generated by further enhancing the use of renewable technologies towards sustainable energy policy and security. We show that enhancing green economy offers benefits that include the creation of jobs, but also delivers a much wider set of socio-economic and environmental welfare gains for emerging economies such as India. Our paper also provides valuable evidence-based analyses for policy-makers when assessing the benefits of low-carbon sustainable development.
This paper analyses the institutional framework and setting within which evidence has become linked to policy in India, and the role that multidisciplinary researchers play in the policy process. It ...draws on a number of empirical studies exploring sustainable and equitable development in India to illustrate the two-way relationship between researchers and policy-makers, and to demonstrate the value in policy-oriented research of combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The author assesses the potential impact and effectiveness of evidence-based policy-making within the institutionalised strategic planning framework of the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog. She considers whether the lessons learnt from one region could be transposed to other regions within India and elsewhere, and discusses how and why policies and forms of delivery may require adaptation if they are to be implemented in different socio-economic, political and cultural contexts.
Rural people in India, particularly farmers, are exposed to climate variability and risk, which is likely to increase due to climate change. This study assessed current adaptation strategies adopted ...by rural households in two dryland villages of Bagepalli Block, Chikballapur district, Karnataka, in southern India. The adequacy of adaptation strategies was also assessed. The study showed that rural households, and farmers in particular, adopted several practices to cope with current climate risks which include irrigation provisioning (depending on groundwater), shifting cropping pattern (to more resilient but low economically valued crops and varieties), mixed cropping, agroforestry (as a long-term strategy), diversified livestock holdings, and reliance on government development programmes. The adaptation measures also included leaving croplands fallow, sale of assets such as livestock and trees, and migration. Current climate-related responses to agricultural distress are not adequate to cope with even existing climate risks. This further indicates that rural households may not be able to cope with increasing climate variability and climate change. Thus, there is an urgent need to better understand current adaptation strategies and to enhance resilience, and to develop structured adaptation strategies to cope with the risks associated with current and long-term climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) reports that the number of extreme precipitation and temperature events in India are projected to increase in the short term. The negative effects ...of this on rural populations in India may include crop and livestock loss, livelihood risk, health and sanitation disruptions and shelter risk. Overseas Development Assistance, in the form of aid, will help rural communities to counter these impacts; several development agencies already require that the adaptation to climate change risks be included as project activities in the aid programme. However, it is often difficult to accurately target development aid in developing countries due to uneven and cluster-like development of areas. To help counter this problem, we developed a poverty index intended to help prioritize development aid towards communities at risk, in order of need. The district-wise poverty index was created for seven states of northeast India, a region with highly uneven development, and has been developed from data available from the North-East Data Bank (DoNER). The indicators were selected to adequately represent the poverty of the people as well as to act as a prioritizing mechanism in a data scarce region. The inclusion of a Gini coefficient of land distribution is new to poverty indexes, and helps to capture the pattern of highly unequal land distribution in northeast India, which in turn affects the distribution of income. Although primarily developed for northeast India, the index can be used in other developing countries with imbalances in regional development. If the biophysical factors affecting vulnerability are known, this index can be used in a weighted combination with vulnerability.
This paper examines the impact of the coronavirus pandemic during its first and second waves for the USA, UK, Europe, and Japan. We explore the firm-level dynamics and exhibit the impact of ...coronavirus events on large and small firms and firms' idiosyncratic risk. We find that the intensity of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic events is not uniform for firms. The Blank Swan events in March 2020 exhibit stronger impact the second wave till April 2021. The second wave analysis reveals the sign of recovery and receding effect of the pandemic. The idiosyncratic analysis shows the positive impact of the coronavirus and stringency measures on the idiosyncratic risk.
•The firm-level dynamics cover the first and second waves of the coronavirus pandemic.•The idiosyncratic risk analysis is also considered.•The coronavirus cases and stringency measures exhibit a positive relationship with the idiosyncratic risk of firms.
Fintech, a fusion of finance and technology, is changing the global financial landscape. The fast-evolving industry is fostering financial inclusion, enabling cost-effective and efficient financial ...intermediation. The entrepreneurial ecosystem of an economy is pivotal in shaping the prospects of innovations in an economy. This study is an initiative in that direction, evaluating the Fintech entrepreneurial ecosystem in India using a novel firm-level dataset of Indian Fintech startups. The study builds upon a theoretical framework, investigating the influence and interconnectedness of social and founder capital signals on Fintech startup funding in India. Incubator and/or accelerator engagement is considered for social capital signaling. Ordinary least squares and propensity score matching methods are employed for this study. Findings suggest a significant signaling effect from social capital factors: incubator or accelerator support. Sources of founders' entrepreneurial signals, founder network, and experience, have also been evidenced to influence funding received by Indian Fintech startups.
This article addresses the environmental aspects of an unorganised textile sector with large-scale employment through a case study of the city of Solapur in the state of Maharashtra, India. Waste ...generated from the textile sector is causing serious problems such as changes to land and agricultural patterns, air quality, health and biodiversity. The methodology includes qualitative and quantitative data regarding the possible impact on climate, health, agriculture, biodiversity, water, air and soil. A detailed analysis was carried out through an extensive literature review. A possible solution in the form of a sustainable networking model for mitigating change is suggested. The sustainable model with integration of information and communication technology (ICT) will help achieve the desired development goals. The role of ICT is to channelise the supply chain, which can increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the sector.
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