World Development Perspectives最新文献

{"title":"Impact of environmental practices on productive efficiency of industrial firms in Cameroon","authors":"Evrard Arnaud Ekani Bidzanga ,&nbsp;Sophie Michelle Eke Balla","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assesses the impact of the adoption of environmental practices on the productive efficiency of industrial firms in Cameroon. It uses the stochastic frontier model and propensity score matching to analyze data from 169 Cameroonian industrial firms from the 2015 Research Center for International Development (RCID) survey.</div><div>Our results analysis shows that; the level of productive efficiency of industrial firms is low. In addition, the adoption of environmental practices has a negative and significant impact on the productive efficiency of firms. Given these insights, our analysis suggests that the government must put in place informational, technical, and financial support mechanisms to reduce the costs facing businesses and redefine the «Win-Win» logic of these practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100680"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143896161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards an ‘Ethics of Evidence’: Unsettling knowledge inequalities in urban development practice","authors":"Stephanie Butcher ,&nbsp;Kazi Nazrul Fattah ,&nbsp;Jennifer Dam ,&nbsp;Rewa Marathe","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Globally, ‘evidence-based’ approaches within urban development policy and planning are on the rise. However, terms such as data, evidence, research, information, and knowledge are often used interchangeably, which can obscure epistemological differences on the understandings of <em>knowledge.</em> Taking cues from Southern scholars, this article unpacks the epistemological underpinnings which shape how knowledge—and therefore evidence—are understood. To do so, this article focuses on three concepts which have a strong influence on global evidence discourse: objectivity, rigour, and value for money, unsettling their rationalities and manifestations in contemporary urban development practice. This paper argues that the turn towards evidence—while fundamental to addressing global challenges—also embodies many of the characteristics of a ‘boundary concept’, with sufficient interpretive flexibility to foster collaboration across a range of diverse stakeholders, but with risks attached to its conceptual fuzziness. This article concludes by calling for an ‘ethics of evidence’, which challenges the uneven geographies of knowledge, and draws out the implications for an approach to evidence which engages with how urban developmental challenges are understood, measured, and managed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100689"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144240942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘Please don’t kill us; this is our ancestral land, we are not foreigners’: Green grabbing, (in)voluntary resettlement and Maasai ethnic minority’s land rights in Tanzania","authors":"Gabriel Kanuti Ndimbo ,&nbsp;Evaristo Haulle","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Maasai ethnic minority has lived in the Loliondo Game Controlled Area (NGCA) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) for over six decades. They were evicted to these areas in 1959 from the area currently known as Serengeti National Park by the British colonial power, which claimed that the Maasai population overburdened the Serengeti ecosystem. Nevertheless, in the newly resettled areas of LGCA and NCA, the Maasai ethnic minority has been facing continuous eviction by the state using degradation and conservation narratives. In 2017, for example, the government issued eviction notices for villages in Loliondo, saying it wanted to protect 1,500 sq km from human activity, and the official demarcation of this land was carried out in 2022. Efforts by the Maasai people to protect their land ended in confrontation with the police officers, with one police officer killed and some wounded. In contrast, many of the Maasai people were injured, and several of them were arrested. In August 2024, the government issued a decree to delist several villages in Loliondo. The Maasai ethnic minority uses the ‘nature guardianship’ narrative as a way for them to assert their land rights and align their struggle with powerful international allies. The study advocates for more participatory approaches that include the voices of the Maasai people, government, and other stakeholders, ensuring that conservation strategies do not undermine their rights and livelihoods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100688"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Road connectivity and contraceptive choices: Empirical evidence from rural India","authors":"Reshmi Sengupta ,&nbsp;Debasis Rooj","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100690","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100690","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we examine the role of rural roads construction in India in influencing women’s use of modern contraceptives. We show that improved road access at the district level leads to increased use of modern contraceptive methods among women living in rural areas. Furthermore, the study reveals a shift in family planning practices from short-acting reversible methods to long-acting reversible methods following infrastructure improvements. Additionally, the results indicate a significant increase in female sterilization due to enhanced accessibility. We observe distinct variations in the use of modern contraceptives among women with higher education, those in high-wealth households, and across different religious and caste groups. Moreover, our study identifies several channels through which rural roads influence these family planning practices. We show that local road improvements enhance women’s year-round employment opportunities, financial autonomy, and decision-making power within households, enabling more informed contraceptive choices. Moreover, last-mile road connectivity reduces the concern about distance as a barrier to accessing healthcare. Additionally, improved local roads increase access to modern contraceptives through private health facilities. Our findings suggest that rural road infrastructure can significantly influence family planning practices among women, shaping their reproductive health choices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100690"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond growth? Understanding the grassroots entrepreneurship of women fish processors in Ghana","authors":"Antonio Allegretti ,&nbsp;Raymond K. Ayilu ,&nbsp;Ifesinachi M. Okafor-Yarwood ,&nbsp;Sophie Standen ,&nbsp;Christina C. Hicks","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fish processing is crucial for women and households for its economic and food-related benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, entrepreneurial women involved in fish processing operate at the intersection of different growth agendas and interventions that will directly or indirectly determine the future of the sector. Blue Economy investments in Ghana are disconnected from the small-scale fisheries sector, focusing on large-scale development projects. Concurrently, interest in the post-harvest, women-led, fish processing sector is growing on the side of NGOs and international agencies that invest on the premise of an untapped potential of the sector. This paper aims to problematize what growth is for small-scale women fish processing entrepreneurs within this diverse and rapidly changing landscape of investments and priorities for the growth of the broad ocean-based sector. Drawing on insights from anthropology of entrepreneurship, innovation, skill and learning, we look at organization of space, management and utilization of resources, and application of skills and technology needed for the enterprises to operate; we show entrepreneurship as an assemblage of practices, visions and aspirations (for growth) that hinge on spatial, relational, and temporal contextual dimensions, between smaller fishing communities and larger urban centres along the coast. Accounting for the complex and diverse nature of post-harvest relations in the fish processing sector is critical for policies and interventions that are tailored to the needs and aspirations of women in different contexts. As growth takes centre stage in all dominant development agendas in Africa, this paper responds to the necessity for new tools to apprehend how African players position themselves on the global stage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100687"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144071756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When closure fails: Uncovering the environmental impact of gold rewashing on abandoned mine sites in Southwestern Nigeria","authors":"Olushola Daniel Eniowo","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gold “Rewashers” are groups of illegal miners who infiltrate closed alluvial gold mine sites to scoop out and wash chunks of mud with the hope of extracting any residual gold deposits in the site. This paper examines the implications of the rewashing operations by these miners on the environment. To achieve this, soil and water samples were collected from selected sites where the operations were being conducted. Physicochemical analyses were then conducted on the samples to determine the level of contamination from the operations. For the soil samples, ordinary (control) samples were collected about 50 m away from the washing sites while samples of the washed soil were also collected to examine the impact of the operations on the soil samples. There is a significant increase of the presence of cyanide and some heavy metals (Cr and Pb) in the washed soils compared with the ordinary soils across all sites investigated. The concentrations of cyanide (mg/kg) in washed soils are significantly higher than in ordinary soils across all sites: site 1 (from 0.7533 to 1.1160), site 2 (from 0.7033 to 1.5188), site 3 (from 1.0363 to 2.0000). The difference in concentration levels between washed and ordinary soils for the two soil samples collected in each site for Cr (mg/kg) are Site 1 (+0.29/+0.1305); Site 2 (+1.321/+0.891); Site 3 (+1.617/+1.541) and for Pb (mg/kg) Site 1 (+0.229/+0.1645); Site 2 (+0.7505/+0.7065); Site 3 (+0.7315/+0.696). There was a general drop in the average pH values of the washed soils as compared with the ordinary soils across all sites: site 1 (from 6.150 to 5.885); site 2 (from 6.455 to 5.518); and at site 3 (from 5.890 soil to 5.010). Such reductions suggest increased soil acidity, potentially due to the leaching of alkaline minerals during the washing process. The findings of the water tests also revealed elevated turbidity in the water samples from the sites with potential health risks and ecological stress. Similarly, the water samples show low level of dissolved oxygen (DO) with potential stress on aquatic life. Qualitative data were also collected from the sites through interviews conducted with the miners and direct observation of the mining methods to identify how the operations pose danger to the environment. Lessons were drawn from these occurrences to examine how mine planners can better protect the environment by efficiently planning for mine closure and reclamation. The paper also justifies the need for effective formalisation effort that capture the needs of the impoverished locals who take succor in this occupation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100682"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Households’ resilience capacity in the Cameroon fishing communities: case of the internally displaced and Immigrants fishermen","authors":"Muhamadu Awal Kindzeka Wirajing ,&nbsp;Roger Tsafack Nanfosso","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The fishery sector in Cameroon serves as a vital economic pillar, providing livelihoods for thousands, including immigrants and displaced populations seeking refuge and economic stability. This study investigates the resilience capacity of fishing households across eight of Cameroon’s ten regions, examining how the sector influences their ability to withstand and adapt to shocks. Drawing on a sample of 511 fishermen and fish farmers from 25 localities, the analysis employs the Household Resilience Index (HRI) and the Resilience Measurement Technical Working Group (RMTWG) framework to assess adaptive, absorptive, and transformative capacities, offering a comprehensive understanding of resilience within fishing-dependent communities. Key findings reveal that income from fish sales significantly strengthens household resilience, particularly in marine environments, where fishing serves as the primary source of livelihood. However, in inland areas, while fishing income enhances adaptive and transformative capacities, it weakens absorptive capacity, as fishing is often a secondary economic activity for many households. Additionally, education, fishing permits, mobile money adoption, and network access play a crucial role in reinforcing resilience. The study highlights a negative relationship between fishing experience and resilience, noting the decline in resilience with age unless supplemented by alternative investments. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for sustainable fishery management, including enforcing fishing laws, regulating gear, and encouraging income diversification for inland households during off-seasons. These measures aim to enhance resilience while ensuring the sector’s long-term sustainability. The findings underscore the fishery sector’s critical role in improving household livelihoods and resilience, particularly in Cameroon’s maritime zones, and call for strategic interventions to address existing disparities and challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100678"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring health insurance as a financial buffer in Maternal and Child Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo","authors":"Alexis Nyamugira Biringanine ,&nbsp;Steffen Flessa","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100677","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100677","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the low health insurance coverage among pregnant women and new mothers in selected health zones of DRC, aiming to identify underlying factors and associated implications. The results from the sociodemographic analysis show that only 3% of our respondents reported having insurance coverage. This low coverage is primarily attributed to financial constraints, lack of information, and perceived low value relative to premium costs. The study revealed significant barriers to health insurance uptake, including inadequate health and insurance literacy. Without insurance, households often resort to coping strategies such as family support, informal borrowing, and reduced investment in children’s education. The study also highlights that enhanced health insurance literacy is positively associated with health insurance adoption and better health outcomes. Addressing low health insurance coverage requires targeted interventions to improve financial access and health literacy, and disseminate transparent information about insurance benefits. Implementing health insurance schemes could alleviate financial burdens, minimize reliance on informal networks, and improve health outcomes. Enhanced health insurance coverage, through effective communication and education, could substantially benefit socioeconomic conditions, particularly for mothers and children in the DRC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100677"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community perceptions of potable water quality and public health implications in flood-affected areas of Nowshera District, Pakistan","authors":"Muhammad Tufail ,&nbsp;Muhammad Jamal Nasir ,&nbsp;Atta-ur Rahman ,&nbsp;Syed Ihtisham Kakakhel ,&nbsp;Mehreen Ashraf ,&nbsp;Aqil Tariq","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Access to safe and affordable water is indispensable for human health. However, the challenges posed by climate change and its impacts seriously threaten water supply systems. Therefore, it is crucial to understand public perceptions of water quality and its impact on human health. The current research study aims to investigate community perceptions about the status of potable water quality and its effects on human health in flood-affected neighborhood councils (NCs) of the Nowshera district. Public perceptions were assessed via household surveys, community interviews, and focus group discussions with relevant officials and community members. Eleven NCs, representing 2% of households, were surveyed. Respondents were queried about their perception of water quality, satisfaction with municipal water services, climate change, changes in water quality after floods, and the impact of polluted water on human health. Data was meticulously recorded using the Kobo Collect tool for subsequent analysis. The results highlight that 97% of respondents in NC Mana Khel and 63% in Dagi Khel were not satisfied with the water quality after the flood. Similarly, in Khalil Abad, Mana Khel, and Allah-yar Khel, 100% of respondents, 96% in Behram Khan Khel, and 93% in Nawa Kalli reported significant changes in water quality after floods. The findings of this study can empower public health professionals and policymakers to effectively target public awareness initiatives and formulate policies related to potable water.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100679"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Managing two locations: Relocation, resettlement and negotiated immobility of climate-displaced communities in Zimbabwe","authors":"Tomy Ncube ,&nbsp;Una Murray","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are often forgotten, with their views rarely sought or considered in discussions and decisions that directly impact their lives. This study adopts a mixed method approach to document lived experiences of IDPs in Zimbabwe. Using a case study methodology, and combining qualitative and quantitative methods, we contribute to the understanding of the socio-economic, cultural and institutional dynamics that shape the lives of Cyclone survivors in Tshino and Sawudweni villages-Tsholotsho, with findings offering insights into the challenges and resilience strategies of IDPs. Data was collected from sixty-seven household heads and six key informants; and thematically analysed. We find that there are gaps in achieving durable solutions for those relocated by the Government of Zimbabwe. These gaps are evidenced in the lack of sustainable livelihoods, restricted access to land use, and limited access to basic services and amenities associated with displacement. Our results demonstrate that the difficulties in securing long-term solutions arise from the lack of specific policies addressing the management of displacements and relocations. In response to post-relocation gaps, households demonstrate agency through managing two locations: their original marooned homes from 2017 where they keep their livestock and grow their crops, and the government relocated houses. Contrary to literature that paints immobility as ‘helpless’, our study challenges the notion of immobility as being ‘trapped’, instead presenting (im)mobility as an act of agency. Our findings present the underrepresented perspectives of IDPs in Zimbabwe, providing insights to inform both policy and practice in displacement contexts, noting the importance of promoting strategies to enhance livelihoods; and the need for participatory approaches and civic infrastructure to ensure accountability to affected populations. Implementing sector-specific policies for planned relocations and climate-induced displacement would benefit from prioritising livelihood or livelihood diversification approaches to help IDPs cope and thrive in their new circumstances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100676"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}