Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science最新文献

Climate change disproportionately impacts different sections of a population depending on their inherent vulnerability characterized by access to basic facilities, assets and other entitlements, place of residence, and demographic characteristics. Indigenous communities are more vulnerable than other social groups in a population due to their natural resource dependent livelihood and isolation from the mainstream population. Madhya Pradesh, the tribal state of India, has a higher share of marginalized populations (Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST)) and is characterized by higher disparities among the social groups. By constructing indices for socioeconomic, infrastructural and agricultural vulnerability for social groups and climate indices at the district level, this study attempted to assess differences in the vulnerability of each social group to climate change in districts of Madhya Pradesh. The study showed that SC and ST possess significantly high vulnerability to climate change than Non SC/ST due to significant differences in socioeconomic, infrastructural and agricultural vulnerability. The districts where each social group was most vulnerable differed, but the reasons for higher vulnerability remained the same across the groups. The results contribute to vulnerability reduction efforts of the state by identifying the districts most vulnerable to climate change for each social group and most vulnerable social groups in the district as well as at the state level. This study also provides wide applications in climate change vulnerability assessment of other Indian states and developing countries with similar socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.

This study explored the relationship between community participation/community attachment and subjective well-being (SWB) among Japanese older adults. The study was conducted in Japanese urban (Tokyo and Osaka) and rural (Shikoku region) areas. Structural equation modelling was performed to assess the potential relationship between community participation, community attachment and SWB. Results showed that community participation and community attachment were positively associated in both areas. However, community attachment had a significant impact on SWB only in rural areas with little impact on increasing SWB in urban areas. We conclude that the role of community attachment varies according to regions with different socioeconomic properties. These findings contribute to the design of detailed region-specific initiatives to improve SWB of older adults.

The second most populous country in the world, India, is severely facing challenges in managing increased amounts of solid and bio-medical wastes leading to associated physical and health hazards. The Government of India (GoI) has launched and modified different policies regarding the handling and management of solid, bio-medical and plastic wastes since independence to deal with the changing waste scenario of the country. However, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country since early 2020, inadequacies of municipal solid waste management (MSWM), bio-medical waste management (BMWM), and plastic waste management policies have occurred with personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, such as facemasks, face shields, gloves, gowns, sanitizer bottles, and remnants of packaging goods from online shopping, putting the waste economy and ecology under further pressure. This article provides a systematic review of literature on the Indian SWM practices during COVID-19 within the larger context of the existing Indian MSWM, BMWM, and plastic waste management policies. Finally, we suggest ways by which the waste scenario can be tackled during cycles of crises including outbreaks of pandemics in the future. We advocate for involving multiple stakeholders like solid-waste management (SWM) officials, local community members, i.e., citizens, ragpickers, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) along with the deployment of different disposal methods, such as biomethanation, pyrolysis, etc. in designing effective and efficient policies and actions. We believe that these sets of recommendations have scalability, especially in managing COVID-19-Associated Waste (CAW) in the global South.

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Air pollution is a serious problem worldwide, and migration for environmental reasons has been emphasized. However, data deficiencies have limited research on the links between air quality and intercity migration. Based on Baidu migration big data of cross-city mobility information, an extended gravity model was built to examine the effects of air quality (PM2.5) on intercity migration. Results showed that air pollution significantly reduces immigration into cities but does not significantly encourage emigration. A 10% increase in air pollution leads to 3.78% and 11.08% decreases in the net and total inflows of the urban population, respectively. Specifically, air quality had a greater influence on the migration of central and northeastern cities and small- and medium-sized or middle-income cities. Influences of the Yangtze River and Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration, two very large and important urban clusters in China, were significantly higher than those of other areas. Air pollution did not significantly drive people to flee from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, which involves, in contrast to the expected situation, people choosing to stay in first-tier cities in China. Those findings are informative for environmental as well as migration policymakers to focus on the heterogeneous nexus between the impacts of policies that is depending on the characteristics of cities.

This study examined the impact of environmental sustainability on financial inclusion and financial stability in Asian countries over the period of 2009–2011. Composite variables representing environmental sustainability, financial inclusion and financial stability were constructed through principal component analysis using a variety of indicators. For conceptual foundation, stakeholder theory was applied, and the association between variables was analyzed using a generalized moment estimation method. Moreover, contrary to previous studies using limited indicators, this study used a wide range of vital indicators to measure environmental sustainability. The findings indicated that a sustainable environment fosters financial stability by reducing risks to financial institutions and increasing financial inclusion. Furthermore, financial inclusion partially mediated environmental sustainability and financial stability. The findings were robust according to different robust checks. Based on the results we conclude that if Asian governments are determined to improve financial stability and inclusion, they need to focus on environmental sustainability related to demand management. No prior study has shown that an enhanced sustainable environment increases financial inclusion and stability.

In India, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments as a share of total health expenditures remain disproportionally high across population groups. When combined with poverty, poor access to healthcare and inadequate health insurance coverage, OOP expenses can have catastrophic consequences for rural households. In this context, the present study explored the levels of catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) and their determinants among rural households of a hilly state in India. Primary data were collected from 300 households in Himachal Pradesh. The focus of the study was to provide information on the distribution of CHE. In addition, various characteristics associated with the incidence of CHE were further studied using multiple logistic regression models. The results showed that households across Himachal Pradesh spend a significant proportion of their budget on healthcare. Among the characteristics associated with the likelihood of facing CHE, seeking outpatient care, having a chronic illness and location of the hospital showed significant associations. In conclusion, the financial risks emanating from OOP payments can be significantly reduced by covering outpatient care needs under social health insurance. Furthermore, strengthening rural health infrastructure to screen and treat chronic diseases locally, and minimizing the need to travel to distant places for treatment can also significantly reduce OOP payments.

This study aimed to clarify the impact of National Agricultural Technology Program (phase I) through the approach of common interest group (CIG) on livelihood conditions of resource-poor farmers who have limited income earning opportunities with high dependency on agriculture in Bangladesh. To achieve the purpose of our research, we incorporated structural equation modeling (SEM) based on data collected from questionnaire surveys targeting members of CIG in Trishal Upazila (sub-district) of Mymensingh District. The findings of our study clearly showed that educational qualifications, farm size, farming experiences, group affiliation, effective use of credit, and subsidies received were crucial for the livelihood of CIG farmers in the study area. However, impacts of other livelihood strategies, such as organizational participation, extension media contact, training received, and credit received on farmer livelihoods, could not be determined. The implications of our study suggest a need to pay more attention to the effectiveness of policies. To increase agricultural productivity and farm income, priorities should be set to assess the needs, conditions, and risks associated with the adoption of improved cultivation techniques for the resource-poor farmers.