Carbon dioxide intensity of GDP and environmental degradation in an emerging country.

This paper investigates whether the carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity of GDP matters for environmental degradation in an emerging country, namely, Turkey, over the period of 1990-2018 while controlling economic growth, foreign direct investment, and renewable energy consumption. The present study uses both linear and nonlinear time series estimators, namely, the Gregory and Hansen cointegration test, bounds test, nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model, fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and canonical cointegrating regressions (CCR), to encapsulate the possible effect of CO2 intensity of GDP, economic growth, foreign direct investment, and renewable energy consumption on environmental degradation in Turkey. The empirical finding of the present study reveals that the CO2 intensity of GDP is an important factor to determine environmental degradation in Turkey and the declining CO2 intensity of GDP reduces environmental degradation. Moreover, economic growth is the primary environmental sustainability factor in Turkey. The result is vital for policymaking and can perhaps be applied to take decisive policy actions to mitigate environmental issues.

Threshold effects of capital investments on carbon emissions in G20 economies.

Investment in capitals is sacrosanct to launch a country to a greater path of sustainable development. Notwithstanding, its deleterious impacts on environment are equally incontestable. In light of this stark reality, this paper examines the threshold effects of capital investments on carbon emissions in G20 economies over the period, 1992-2014, for which data are available. The study uses both exogenously determined and endogenously determined thresholds to uncover the relationship. While the former relies on median approach to determining the threshold on the one hand, the latter uses both the fixed effects panel threshold model proposed by (Hansen J Econ 93:345-368, 1999) and the bootstrap method by (Hansen Econometrica 68:575-603, 2000) to assess the statistical relevance of the threshold effects on the other hand. The results of the exogenously determined thresholds show higher statistical significant environmental impacts of capital investments at a median threshold of above 3.068 than when it is lesser. The findings of the latter approach indicate the relationship between capital investments and carbon emissions to be non-linear for the G20 countries. More specifically, this study establishes a single-threshold level of capital investment on carbon emissions for the group of countries. The threshold estimator of 3.434 is established at the 95% confidence interval. Beyond this point, the environmental impacts of capital investments are imaginable. On the policy front, keeping to the limit set by threshold effects would go a long way to stemming environmental pollution and mitigating climatic change impacts.

Have FDI quantity and quality promoted the low-carbon development of science and technology parks (STPs)? The threshold effect of knowledge accumulation.

In recent times, China has emphasized five major development concepts to promote high-quality development: coordination, green, innovation, openness, and sharing. As a metamorphosis of these ideas, Chinese science and technology parks (STPs) are gathering areas of high-tech industries and represent advanced productive forces. Their greenness, openness, and innovative developments herald the future development trends of China. Based on the data of 52 STPs in China from 2011 to 2018, this study analyzes the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) quantity and quality on the low-carbon development of the STPs. We use Hansen's nonlinear panel threshold regression model with knowledge accumulation as the threshold variable. The results show the following: First, there are complex nonlinear relationships between FDI quantity, FDI quality, and the low-carbon development of the STPs. Second, FDI quantity has a significant positive impact on the low-carbon development of the STPs only when the level of knowledge accumulation is below a certain threshold. Beyond this threshold the effect is no longer significant. Third, FDI quality has a significant positive impact on the low-carbon development of STPs only when the level of knowledge accumulation is lower than a certain threshold; beyond which, the impact is no longer significant. These results can serve as a reference for China to effectively promote economic low-carbon growth of STPs and achieve green, open, and innovative development.

Environmental pollution of China to foreign investors: detrimental or beneficial?

This study investigates the dynamic linkage among foreign direct investment, energy consumption, and environmental pollution of China spanning from 1990 to 2014. Despite the extant literature on the FDI-energy-growth-environmental pollution nexus, most of the conclusion seems inconsistent. Hence, this study utilized recent econometric techniques such as the dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS), autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test approach, Gregory and Hansen structural cointegration, and the bootstrap Granger causality. The study also disaggregated energy consumption into various sources to identify their respective distinct impact on the environment. Our study confirmed the presence of the EKC curve for China in a quadratic equation applying the DOLS. The result of the bootstrapped Granger causality confirmed the presence of a unidirectional Granger causality running from CO2 emission to economic growth and export; non-renewable energy to economic growth, export to economic growth, and renewable energy; and urbanization to economic growth. Moreover, our study recognized the presence of a bi-directional connection between FDI and economic growth. Our study highly recommends that China modify its energy mix by incorporating more renewable energy resources such as hydro, wind, geothermal. Additionally, the regulatory bodies should strictly implement improved energy efficiency in the various sectors that complement total proper urban land usage as the urban population to total population significantly impelled an upsurge in environmental deterioration in China.

Vinculação das metas institucionais ao controle social na rede pública: o plano de investimentos do Grupo Hospitalar Conceição

A idéia de descentralização da gestão em saúde pública no Brasil surge a partir da VIII Conferência Nacional de Saúde, que incluiu a participação da sociedade civil e o controle pelos usuários, na Constituição Federal de 1988. O surgimento de um modelo universal de assistência à saúde, que pressupõe a inclusão representativa da população e de trabalhadores de saúde no processo decisório e no controle dos serviços, resulta em transformações no GHC, um grupo hospitalar ligado ao MS, com atendimento 100% pelo SUS. O processo de democratização da gestão na instituição tem início em 2003, quando foram criados ou reformulados seus mecanismos de controle social , entre eles o Plano de Investimentos. A partir do ano de 2007, foi criada uma Agenda Estratégica, que estabelece as metas a serem atingidas pela instituição anualmente, em cada uma das unidades do grupo. Este trabalho tem como objetivo geral investigar a vinculação entre a aquisição de equipamentos e materiais, pelo PI, às metas institucionais estabelecidas por esta agenda, a partir da visão dos atores envolvidos, considerando seu conhecimento acerca destas metas e as prováveis dificuldades e/ou conflitos resultantes desta tentativa de vinculação, bem como o contexto de democratização da gestão no qual se insere. Assim, ao investigar o conhecimento dos indivíduos acerca destes processos, estaremos também refletindo sobre seu estágio de consciência sócio-moral e, por conseguinte, sobre a forma como eles enxergam o processo do qual participam, a empresa onde trabalham e os usuários deste sistema. O exercício da cidadania, através da gestão participativa, é um processo que se desenvolve e transforma aqueles que dele participam, em diferentes níveis de consciência moral, refletindo diretamente em suas escolhas. Neste sentido, trata-se de trazer à tona, não apenas as escolhas que os sujeitos fazem em relação ao orçamento da instituição, mas, essencialmente, o significado destas escolhas.

Market work, wages, and men's health.

In this paper, we investigate the complex interrelations among work-time, wages, and health identified in the Grossman model of the demand for health. Hansen's generalized method of moments techniques are employed to estimate a 3-equation simultaneous model designed to capture the time dependent character of these interrelationships. We then estimate simpler models with more restrictive assumptions commonly found in the literature and find substantial differences between these estimates and those from our simultaneous model. For example, the positive relationship between work-time and health found in other studies disappears when the relevant simultaneities are taken into account.