Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moving toward sustainable agriculture through a better understanding of farmer perceptions and attitudes to cope with climate change

ABSTRACT Purpose: Small holder farmers are highly vulnerable to changes in climate, as they live on a marginal income, and the crops they depend upon are highly affected by climate. This paper seeks to investigate the impact of climate change on farmers’ productivity and their adaptive responses to these impacts. Methodology: One hundred and fifteen small-scale farmers were interviewed throughout Mauritius. A questionnaire was devised for this study and included both close-ended and open-ended questions. Findings: It was found that farmers have observed a net decrease in their crop yield over the past several years, mainly owing to changes in the quantum and pattern in precipitation, and resurgence of pests and diseases. Their only recourse to adapt to these was to increase the amount of pesticides and fertilizers in order to maintain their level of production. This survey finding was validated by a model. Practical implications: This study will enable extension officers to review the advice they normally give to farmers with a view to ensure that farmers respond to the climatic changes by adopting a more sustainable approach of using environmentally friendly measures such as application of organic amendments, non-chemical pest control, reduced fertilizers and pesticides, soil and water management. Theoretical implications: Promoting a shift toward an ecological way of farming will result in less reliance on chemicals and lowered GHG emissions. Originality/Value: The study depicted the weaknesses of the extension services to make farmers shift from their conventional practice toward a sustainable agriculture
Limited Investment Capital and Credit Spreads

Using proprietary data on all credit default swap (CDS) transactions in the U.S. from 2010 to 2014, I show that a firm’s CDS spreads are driven by capital fluctuations of that firm’s net protection sellers. Capital fluctuations of sellers account for 10 percent of the time-series variation in spread changes, a significant amount given that observable firm and macroeconomic factors account for less than 16 percent of variation during this span. Sellers of protection are also highly concentrated, with five sellers responsible for nearly half of net selling. This concentration leads to market fragility — losses at the largest sellers have an outsized impact on CDS pricing. These findings suggest a high degree of short-run market segmentation, and support theories where capital market frictions play a first-order role in determining market prices.
Baking desert, cold reception? Climate change driven migration and international legal protection: the case study of the Sahel region

The argument behind the thesis is that international measures taken to deal with irregular migration since the end of the Second World War have been generally considered as refugees only those who flee from persecution are the only ones who should be given sanctuary and the right to seek asylum. In fact, a closer examination demonstrates that there is a wide disconnection between the measures pursued and the resultant consequences which come as a result of climate change. This hiatus stems from the fact that the issue of refugees is crafted, understood and applied in a setting where the existing legal framework only offers protection and the right to seek asylum to those fleeing from political persecution. For this reason, the study aims to contribute to the conceptual understanding and application of refugee law within the larger goal of proposing a climate change refugee law under a legal framework in which those forced to migrate to new countries by climate change are given the opportunity to seek asylum much the same as those who flee their countries as a result of political persecution. The thesis inquiries into the diverse meanings attributed to a refugee in a bid to understand the concept in a milieu of climate change driven migration using the Sahel Region as a case study. How does the theoretical underpinning of the concept of climate change refugees correlate with the legal and institutional measures taken by the international community notably regional bodies such as the European Union in dealing with refugees coming into their regions in search of sanctuary? By taking this question into consideration, the study aims to address a range of issues such as what kind of state institutions are envisaged for the current refugee law reforms. It also aims to address the historical and theoretical imperatives which orient and drive the refugee law reform process in climate change situations. A question of fundamental importance is whether revisiting the refugee rights law to include ‘climate change refugees’ requires nothing less than the transformation of social norms pertaining migration particularly illegal migration by those fleeing their countries for whatever reasons. It also has something to do with whether international actors can succeed in ushering in a reconstructed, effective refugee law regime which recognises ‘climate change refugees. The research is also envisaged as a contribution to the debate on how to make the views of climate change refugees themselves heard in the needed reconfiguration of the current refugee law regimen. It is hoped that if practitioners and policy makers consider the findings of this study, their contribution the reforms will not only achieve their objectives of reforms but also significantly improve the human rights of the people in whose name these reforms are pursued.
The Living Lab as a Methodology for Public Administration Research: a Systematic Literature Review of its Applications in the Social Sciences

ABSTRACT Living labs have become a promising methodology for public administration research to design and study public innovations. Surprisingly, public administration research has paid scant attention to living labs to date. An obvious obstacle to the application of a living lab approach in public administration is unclarities about the value, validity and application of this methodology. This study systematically reviews current applications of living labs in social sciences and links this to opportunities for public administration research. It presents a set of guidelines for the use of living labs in public administration research and reflects upon the value of this specific methodology.
Returns to Option Strategies Following Class Action Lawsuits

Turmoil and uncertainty confront firms when they are named as defendants in class action lawsuits. In this article, we consider whether option markets interpret the implications of these dramatic corporate events for mid- to long-term performance. In particular, we consider relatively simple, long, volatility-based combined option positions. We find consistent, positive, and frequently significant returns to option straddle and strangle positions held from 6 months to 1.5 years after a firm is targeted in a class action. This may be indicative of underappreciation, in the option markets, for the dichotomous nature of firm stock price performance as the class action proceeds toward a resolution. TOPICS: Legal/regulatory/public policy, performance measurement, volatility measures, derivatives, options Key Findings • Long volatility-based straddle and strangle option positions are a potentially profitable strategy if stock markets fail to appreciate the dichotomous nature of price movements after class action lawsuits begin. • Straddles and strangles are consistently profitable for holding periods between 6 months and 1.5 years if created after the initial filing of a class action lawsuit. • The median time from the initial filing of a class action lawsuit until resolution is 717 days.
Diversity in Party Leadership in State Legislatures

Members of historically underrepresented groups—women, African Americans, Latinos, and workers—are serving in American legislatures in increasing numbers. However, legislators wield substantially greater power in the lawmaking process when they hold leadership positions. Incorporation of these groups into leadership positions could indicate fuller political representation, but scholars to date have not assessed how well these groups are represented in leadership. We analyze original data describing the backgrounds of approximately 2,200 leaders in 30 states between 2003 and 2014. The data show that, on average across states, members of these groups are as well represented in state legislative leadership positions as they are in rank-and-file membership, but there is substantial variation across states and across parties. We then ask what factors might explain this variation and explore institutional characteristics, like the number of leadership positions or leader selection methods. The results show that legislative chambers with a higher number of leadership posts tend to have more women in leadership, and that selection through elections is associated with decreased African American presence in leadership. The findings have implications for minority incorporation and influence in American politics.
Buyer and Supplier Collaboration Strategy for Development and Production in the Korean Auto Industry

Purpose - This paper aims to articulate determinants of inter-organizational cooperation based on to the extent to which inter-organizational tasks are related to product development and production processes. <br><br>Design/Methodology - This research conducted OLS regression analysis based on the data acquired from questionnaire survey in Korean auto industry. <br><br>Findings - Our analysis has verified that complementary and compatible resources, as well as physical and human asset specificities, positively affect inter-organizational product development cooperation. Conversely, in the production process, only complementary resources positively affect interorganizational cooperation, whereas compatible resources and physical asset specificity have a negative influence. The changing characteristics of compatible resources (with IT innovations and AI), and physical asset specificity (influenced by a rising need to reduce production costs), cause interorganizational cooperation in production to decrease. <br><br>Originality/value - This research attempts to expound upon these determining factors of interorganizational cooperation by considering both complementary-compatible resources and asset specificity in product development and production simultaneously. The reason why the impact of complementary-compatible resources and asset specificity on inter-organizational cooperation is critical in understanding the determinants of inter-organizational cooperation is that the attributes of complementary-compatible resources and asset specificity in production have changed drastically due to the continuing diffusion of IT innovations and AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Challenged by Great Expectations? Examining Cross-Level Moderations and Curvilinearity in the Public Sector Job Demands–Resources Model

This article extends the job demands–resources model in the public sector by including (a) cross-level (moderation) effects of job demands and resources, (b) positive and nonlinear effects of job demands, and (c) vitality as a key work engagement concept. Data on expected contributions and developmental rewards in public university colleges (n = 65 teams and n = 219 employees) reveals that individual-level higher expected contributions are associated with higher performance, mediated by vitality. This mediation is stronger in the presence of more team-level developmental rewards, suggesting a cross-level moderated mediation. We find indications for curvilinear effects of expected contributions. Contrary to expectations, these effects do not show inverted U shapes, but rather exponential relations. Our results contribute to “bringing in a psychological perspective” in public administration and suggest that public leaders could apply the job demands–resources model as a practical tool and vitality as a metric to create healthy and effective work environments.
The state in the transformation to a sustainable postgrowth economy

ABSTRACT The limits of the environmental state in the context of the provision of economic growth are addressed by applying materialist state theory, state-rescaling approaches and the degrowth/postgrowth literature. I compare state roles in a capitalist growth economy and in a postgrowth economy geared towards bio-physical parameters such as matter and energy throughput and the provision of ‘sustainable welfare’. In both cases state roles are analysed in relation to the economy, welfare, and the environment, as well as state spatiality. Finally, I address the state in a transition from a growth economy to a sustainable postgrowth economy. I argue that materialist state and sustainable welfare theories are capable of informing state-led ‘eco-social’ policies that, if integrated in a comprehensive policy strategy, have the potential to overcome the growth imperative in the economy and policymaking and break the growth-related glass ceiling of the environmental state.
Endogenous Infrastructure Development and Spatial Takeoff in the First Industrial Revolution

This paper develops a model in which the evolution of the transport sector occurs alongside the growth in trade and output of agricultural and manufacturing firms. Simulation output captures aspects of the historical record of England and Wales over 1710–1881. A number of counterfactuals demonstrate the role that the timing and spatial distribution of infrastructure development play in determining the timing of takeoff. There can be a role for policy in accelerating takeoff through improving infrastructure, but the spatial distribution of that improvement matters. (JEL H54, N53, N63, N73, N93, R12, R42)
Does Forecasted Operating Synergy Explain Merger-Induced Capital Structure?

We estimate operating synergies from a unique hand-collected dataset on management’s forecasts of merger incremental cash flows. We find that forecasted synergies induce acquirers to make leverage-increasing acquisitions. Institutional investors and bidders’ credit rating enhance that relation and certify synergy forecasts. We find that forecasted synergies also enhance post-merger debt capacity. Synergies encourage acquirers to make acquisitions leading to larger overleverage too. Conversely, overpaying acquirers engage in leverage-reducing acquisitions. The larger the forecasted synergies, the more positive the market response to the announcement of leverage-increasing and over-levered deals, supporting the view that such bidders will have better payment ability and may put the leverage into good use in the future. Results support dynamic trade-off theory indicating that firms proactively alter their leverage towards a value-maximizing target. Results are confirmed using Propensity Score Matching technique.
Tourist experience of slow tourism: from authenticity to place attachment – a mixed-method study based on the case of slow city in China

ABSTRACT This study connected slow tourism with the concept of authenticity and place attachment using a mixed-method approach. Different factors were seen as likely to influence the behavioral intention. Yaxi town (the first international slow city in China) was chosen as the research site. Results show that authenticity in the context of slow tourism include objective authenticity, constructivism authenticity and existential authenticity. Authenticity partly influence place attachment and behavioral intention; two dimensions of place attachment have significant effect on behavioral intention. Findings of this study can be applied to slow tourism marketing and slow destination management.
Archaeology and Residential Activism: Reclaiming Philopappou Hill and Plato’s Academy, Athens

The Athens 2004 Olympic Games was seen as an opportunity to “Europeanise” and modernise the Greek capital. However, the works materialised for their preparation significantly altered the urban geography of the city, whilst also enabling for the gradual imposition of neoliberal governance and schemes that still affect Athens today. The reconfigurations enforced upon the urban landscape and its population saw the rise of residential activism and the persistent reclamation of public spaces, significantly increase with the eruption of the economic crisis in 2008 and the 2011 Syntagma Square Occupation. The archaeological sites of Philopappou Hill and Plato’s Academy have featured prominently in these reclamations by residential movements, as the ripples of neoliberal policies continue to threaten residents’ uses of and engagements with these spaces. The particular archaeological sites maintain a dual function; they are considered spaces of archaeological significance whilst also operating as parks for recreational uses. They thus present unique cases of open, public spaces within the Athenian urban environment containing archaeological remnants, fully integrated into the daily lives of local communities. An additional issue affecting the communities’ interaction with the archaeological sites are the efforts to monumentalise spaces and limit their use by local communities—such as in the case of Philopappou—or the lack of attention due to the location of sites in ‘degraded’ areas, as in the case of Plato’s Academy. As such, residential activists most prominently fight for the protection of these spaces from capitalist endeavours as well as the archaeological practices still catalysed by colonialist modes of operation. Through the use of archaeological ethnography, this research explores the modern cultural biographies of the spaces of interest through the extra-official activities of the local residents, their ‘unofficial’ heritage discourses, and their residential activism in their efforts to claim their right to be a part of the decision-making processes which affect the protection and future of the spaces. It reveals the modern significations and meanings attributed to archaeological sites by the people experiencing them in their daily lives, the ways in which they have redefined the spaces in the present, and the need to decolonise and re-evaluate archaeological practices.
REDD+ Implementation in Community-Based Muyong Forest Management in Ifugao, Philippines

Ifugao province of the Philippines has a traditional muyong forest system that supplies water and prevents soil erosion of the world-famous Ifugao rice terraces. The socio-political structure of Ifugao has been the key to the maintenance and communal use of land, as well as the muyong forest, without causing excessive damage to the land. Recently, the Ifugao is facing various challenges viz. deforestation, slash-and-burn, introduction of commercial rice, and climate change. The aim of the study is to qualitatively assess the forest management practices in the muyong forest and the way forward to implement the United Nations—Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism. Community forestry can be an interesting option to reduce CO2 emissions from deforestation in Ifugao. This study qualitatively explores the societal problems in the area using focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII). The results show that the terracing lifestyle is at risk, due to mounting economic pressures from the domestic economy. Societal changes are altering the perceptions of the youth in terms of muyong sustainable management. They are threatening the sustainability of the terraces in the long-term because of outward migration and less value given to traditional practices. Furthermore, integration of commercial rice is changing the traditional agricultural system and placing less focus on forest maintenance. This study also discusses potential challenges and opportunities of REDD+ intervention and the role of REDD+ to foster sustainable muyong forest management as well as to find new innovative ways to maintain the Ifugao traditional system while coping with the modernization of the Ifugao economy.
Exposure to Daily Price Changes and Inflation Expectations

We show that, to form aggregate inflation expectations, consumers rely on the price changes they face in their daily lives while grocery shopping. Specifically, the frequency and size of price changes, rather than their expenditure share, matter for individuals’ inflation expectations. To document these facts, we collect novel micro data for a representative US sample that uniquely match individual expectations, detailed information about consumption bundles, and item-level prices. Our results suggest that the frequency and size of grocery-price changes to which consumers are personally exposed should be incorporated in models of expectations formation. Central banks' focus on core inflation - which excludes grocery prices - to design expectations-based policies might lead to systematic mistakes.
A comparative study of the accounting research trends (1994–2014) between Spain and Italy

Consistent with the social and institutional paradigm, countries with similar cultures, such as Italy and Spain, may show similar trends in the development of accounting research. This article develops a Comparative International Accounting History perspective, which is aimed at comparing accounting history subjects and themes in different countries. This research analyses publication patterns in accounting, understanding emerging topics and fields. It compares the last 20 years of Italian and Spanish accounting journals, developing a content analysis of each issue in the 20-year time frame from 1994 to 2014. Highlighting common trends and insights, this article adds to previous literature that examines publishing patterns of research in accounting journals from a historical point of view. It demonstrates that accounting research is developing beyond the institutional paradigm, showing an internationalisation process and trends consistent with Anglo-Saxon Journals.
Attitudes toward Unauthorized Immigration in the Post-9/11 Era

ABSTRACT This research investigates the relationship between concern over terrorism and negative attitudes toward unauthorized immigration before and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A hierarchical age-period-cohort analysis was conducted using nationally representative cross-sectional data to take into account macro-level influences on individual attitudes. Results suggest that concern over terrorism is positively related to negative attitudes toward immigration. Further, the relationship between concern over terrorism and negative attitudes toward unauthorized immigration became stronger in the decade following the 9/11 attacks. However, the findings do not support the hypothesis that 9/11 directly increased negative attitudes toward immigration.
A Study of the Economic Valuation of the Sarye oni Fore st Path Utilizing the Contingent Valuation Method

Countries throughout the world are developing a wide variety of tourism resources, including pristine natural resources, to enhance local brands and attract tourists. Walking tourism has become increasingly prominent with the recent popularity of healing and relaxation. To estimate the non-market value of walking tourism, this study evaluates the economic value of the Saryeoni forest path on Jeju Island using the contingent valuation method (CVM). Payment, gender, age, visit experience, education level, visitor composition, income level, and purpose of visit are used as demographic and control variables. The value is estimated using the double-bounded dichotomous choice method and by assuming a logit distribution, which is known to be stable, for tourists’ willingness to pay (WTP). The WTP truncated mean per capita is estimated to be KRW 2,294. This indicates that the recreational value of the Saryeoni forest in Jeju is roughly KRW 1.05 billion per year.