Broadening the definition of environmental equity: A framework for states and local governments

We propose a framework for evaluating environmental inequity that includes desirable and undesirable characteristics. We also propose that state governments conduct the evaluations and that the local government scale (boroughs, cities, and townships) be the first scale analyzed. This framework recognizes the critical role of the state and local governments in the American federalist system. The 567 local governments of the State of New Jersey are used to illustrate the framework. Results of these analyses should be used to make initial decisions about local governments that warrant investigation at the neighborhood scale and preliminary, though not necessarily, final decisions about local governments and neighborhoods that deserve relief. We identify three important issues that each state will need to confront: selecting and weighting characteristics for analysis; choosing the most appropriate geographical units to use as a basis for decisions; and developing a process that will not be misused by groups seeking to avoid responsibility for their actions.     

Providing maternity care for disadvantaged women in Aotearoa New Zealand: The impact on midwives

BackgroundHealth inequities and socio-economic disadvantage are causes for concern in Aotearoa New Zealand. Becoming pregnant can increase a woman’s vulnerability to poverty, with the potential for an increase in multiple stressful life events. Providing midwifery care to women living in socio-economic deprivation has been found to add additional strains for midwives. Exploring the perspectives of the midwives providing care to women living with socio-economic deprivation can illuminate the complexities of maternity care.AimTo explore the impact on midwives when providing care for socio-economically disadvantaged women in Aotearoa New Zealand.MethodInductive thematic analysis was used to analyse an open-ended question from a survey that asked midwives to share a story around maternal disadvantage and midwifery care.FindingsA total of 214 stories were received from midwives who responded to the survey. Providing care to disadvantaged women had an impact on midwives by incurring increased personal costs (time, financial and emotional), requiring them to navigate threats and uncertainty and to feel the need to remedy structural inequities for women and their wider families. These three themes were moderated by the relationships midwives held with women and affected the way midwives worked across the different maternity settings.ConclusionMidwives carry a greater load when providing care to socio-economically deprived women. Enabling midwives to continue to provide the necessary support for women living in socio-economic deprivation is imperative and requires additional resources and funding.     

Efficient or Fair? Operationalizing Ethical Principles in Flood Risk Management: A Case Study on the Dutch-German Rhine

Flood risk management decisions in many countries are based on decision-support frameworks which rely on cost-benefit analyses. Such frameworks are seldom informative about the geographical distribution of risk, raising questions on the fairness of the proposed policies. In the present work, we propose a new decision criterion that accounts for the distribution of risk reduction and apply it to support flood risk management decisions on a transboundary stretch of the Rhine River. Three types of interventions are considered: embankment heightening, making Room for the River, and changing the discharge distribution of the river branches. The analysis involves solving a flood risk management problem according to four alternative formulations, based on different ethical principles. Formulations based on cost optimization lead to very poor performances in some areas for the sake of reducing the overall aggregated costs. Formulations that also include equity criteria have different results depending on how these are defined. When risk reduction is distributed equally, very poor economic performance is achieved. When risk is distributed equally, results are in line with formulations based on cost optimization, while a fairer risk distribution is achieved. Risk reduction measures also differ, with the cost optimization approach strongly favoring the leverage of changing the discharge distribution and the alternative formulations spending more on embankment heightening and Room for the River, to rebalance inequalities in risk levels. The proposed method advances risk-based decision-making by allowing to consider risk distribution aspects and their impacts on the choice of risk reduction measures.     

公平与补偿:环境政治与环境伦理的结合点

“环境政治学”的提出,把环境问题提高到政治高度;“环境伦理学”的提出,把环境问题上升到伦理(哲学)高度。环境问题成为政治和伦理问题,是20世纪中叶一场伟大的社会运动——环境运动的结果,它导致政治学和伦理学的现代化。环境公平与补偿是环境政治与环境伦理的结合点,而合理有效的生态补偿原则与机制的确立是其中的关键。     

上市公司初始股权结构分析

上市公司发起人对初始股权结构的设计是筹资者与投资者之间的第一次也是非常重要的一次“契约安排”。在价格管制与额度发行背景下,发起人必须在发股收入最大化与持股比例最大化之间有所取舍,不能两者兼得。本文建立了指导发起人在实现自身利益最大化目标下壬响设计初始股权结构的模型,并以此模型计算结果为最优初始股权结构。对上市公司初始股权结构设计现状进行的实证研究,发现实际发起人持股比例远高于最优持股比例,并对“65％现象”进行了新的解释。     

制度变迁、国家控股与股权激励

本文在代理理论的框架下,基于中国国有企业与制度变迁背景,就经理人股权激励与公司价值关系进行分析,并以2001-2006年宣告实施股权激励国有上市公司为样本,实证检验了股权激励对公司价值的改善作用。结果发现,对国有企业的经理人实行股权激励能提高公司价值,受地方政府控制的公司,股权激励更能明显增加公司价值。并且,股权分置改革这种制度变迁进一步改进了原有的激励效果。上述研究发现为理解国有企业治理机制的改善、资本市场改革提供了一个有益的视角。