Journal of International Development最新文献

The effort to reduce carbon emissions and combat global warming has resulted in a significant increase in global demand for copper, cobalt, nickel and manganese, which are crucial components of electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines. The extraction of terrestrial mines is becoming increasingly problematic due to environmental challenges and human rights violations. Consequently, there is a growing interest in exploring deep sea mining (DSM) as a viable alternative source. The majority of literature on DSM originates from the disciplines of engineering, environmental science, earth and planetary sciences and agricultural and biological sciences. However, recent years have witnessed a greater focus on DSM in social science research. The objective of the present study is to perform a systematic review of social science articles on DSM. To accomplish this purpose, the screening of articles on DSM published between 1 January 2018 and 27 December 2024 was carried out using the SCOPUS database. Subsequent filters were applied to narrow down the results to include only social science articles. A total of 45 articles met the eligibility criteria. This study provides critical insights into the current landscape of social science research on DSM, shedding light on key aspects of the field. Although various studies address the political, legal, environmental and socio-economic dimensions of DSM, there is a notable absence of perspective from the international relations (IR) discipline. With the increasing relevance of DSM in global trade, politics and security, IR scholars have the unique opportunity to explore new dimensions of power dynamics related to the oceanic realm. This study identifies potential research trajectories in the context of regime theory, norm diffusion processes, spatial theorizing and interdisciplinary approaches that could be explored by IR scholars in the future.

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) poses significant challenges regarding copyright risk and governance. This research seeks to examine the copyright risks and governance challenges associated with AI development in China. This research employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, integrating structured surveys (n = 461) and semistructured interviews (n = 78) targeting AI developers, legal experts, regulators and copyright holders in China. China was selected as the focus of this study due to its rapid advancements in AI development, evolving regulatory landscape and growing global influence in shaping digital governance norms. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software for descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis using NVivo software. The findings showed that AI-powered copyright detection systems play an important role in ensuring fair compensation and protecting intellectual property rights. This study of copyright risk and governance challenges inherent in AI creation contributes novel insight by analysing collaborative governance (CG) in AI accessibility, AI copyright detection to ensure fair compensation for content creators, integrating copyright in responsible AI development and blockchain-based copyright management. The study recommends that clear copyright regulations and CG mechanisms address the issues of AI creation and emphasize proactive measures to reduce risks, promote innovation and uphold ethical and responsible development in the evolving landscape of AI.

Women empowerment has gained increasing recognition as one of the pivotal strategies for addressing many development challenges within the purview of policymakers. The United Nations has also endorsed gender equality and women's empowerment as sustainable development goals. However, the issue regarding the effect of women's empowerment on violence against women remains unresolved. The existing literature argues that women with enhanced economic opportunities can yield greater influence within their familial structures, potentially affording them greater protection against intimate partner violence (IPV). Conversely, the improved economic status of women may disrupt the established power dynamics within male-dominated societies, potentially heightening the IPV. In India, about 29.3% of ever-married women have experienced various forms of violence by their partners, highlighting the severity of the issue. Importantly, IPV not only inflicts physical and psychological harm but also hampers the economic capacity of women to work, earn, and make decisions regarding the health and education of their children, obstructing overall development. This study explores the impact of women's economic empowerment on IPV in India. Utilizing data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted in 2019–2021, our results show that working women are more likely to experience IPV than their counterparts. However, it has been found that a woman's decision-making power in spending her own and her husband's money is a significant factor in decreasing the incidence of IPV. Among working women, if a woman earns more than her husband, then there is less probability of experiencing IPV than a woman earning less than her husband. Further, women working in high-paying jobs are less susceptible to IPV. Simply providing an opportunity to work may not be helpful in reducing the vulnerability of women; rather, holistic empowerment through empowering the decision-making power and employment in a high-paid job may be the right way.

Agriculture and tourism integration serves as a pivotal strategy for transforming resource advantages into industrial strengths in ethnic minority regions, thereby advancing comprehensive poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. This study focuses on the eight ethnic provinces and regions in China, utilizing data collected from 2010 to 2019 to evaluate the development levels of both sectors. The coupling coordination degree between agriculture and tourism is assessed, serving as a threshold variable in the analysis. A panel data model is constructed to investigate the non-linear characteristics and threshold effects of agriculture and tourism integration on poverty alleviation. The results reveal that the coupling coordination degree and coupling level of agriculture and tourism in the eight ethnic provinces and regions have progressed from states of moderate or severe disorder to a primary stage of coordination. This indicates a positive trend in the agriculture and tourism integration. However, the overall development level remains suboptimal, underscoring the need for high-quality growth and deeper integration. The analysis identifies a threshold effect in the poverty alleviation impact of agriculture and tourism integration, characterized by distinct non-linear dynamics and a single threshold value of 0.421. The poverty reduction effect is significant both below and above this threshold. However, beyond the threshold, the marginal returns on poverty reduction diminish, suggesting a deceleration in the effectiveness of growth-driven poverty alleviation. This underscores the insufficiency of relying solely on existing methods to enhance the quality of poverty reduction. To address these challenges, innovative models and pathways must be explored to optimize the agriculture and tourism integration, fostering comprehensive poverty eradication and sustainable development in ethnic minority areas.

A large proportion of adults in the developing world remain without access to formal banking. We assess the effectiveness of a network-based information delivery strategy in fostering interest to learn about and subscribe to mobile money services in rural and peri-urban communities in Peru. We posit that lack of information about mobile money technology is a barrier to financial inclusion, which can be mitigated through social proximity. We designed a randomized controlled trial where workshops were led by individuals personally known to participants (local ambassadors–treatment) or by external agents (control). We find that attendance and BiM subscription rates were twice as high in the local ambassadors' group, especially among low-trust individuals.