World Development Perspectives最新文献

{"title":"Bridging the rural–urban energy transition divide: Place-specific challenges in renewable energy transitions for vulnerable communities in the Philippines","authors":"Laurence L. Delina ,&nbsp;Sanny D. Afable ,&nbsp;Chloe Chan","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100712","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100712","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Significant gaps remain in understanding the place-specific barriers to renewable energy transitions faced by vulnerable communities across the Philippines, particularly in relation to the rural–urban divide. This study examines the dynamics of energy transition in rural Eastern Samar and Zamboanga Sibugay, as well as in urban Metro Manila, using survey data that capture residents’ perceptions. Findings show that challenges reflect their unique vulnerabilities, resource limitations, and local contexts. Residents of Eastern Samar are concerned about the costs and reliability of renewable energy, but are generally open to the transition. In contrast, Zamboanga Sibugay residents, who are reliant on coal, show scepticism, fearing impacts on their livelihoods and traditional lifestyles. Cultural factors, like traditional cooking methods, influence perceptions in Eastern Samar. Urban respondents in Metro Manila mainly worry about the financial capital needed for adoption, with less concern about resource availability. These insights underscore the importance of viewing renewable technologies as integrated systems—encompassing hardware, software, and “orgware”—that impact community life. They emphasise the need for place-specific policies addressing rural and urban challenges. An energy justice approach, tailored to local conditions, is essential for distributing equitable benefits, fostering an inclusive energy transition that considers community vulnerabilities, cultural factors, and local resources. Such strategies can promote a just transition that benefits all societal segments, ensuring energy transformation aligns with community needs and capacities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100712"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144711921","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":"Impacts of livelihood empowerment programs on refugee wellbeing and economic inclusion: Evidence from Dollo Ado refugee camps in Ethiopia","authors":"Silas Amo-Agyei ,&nbsp;Florence Nana Pokuaah Nimoh ,&nbsp;Ibrahima Sarr ,&nbsp;Maryada Vallet","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100720","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100720","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ongoing insecurity and environmental shocks in Somalia have led to a substantial refugee influx into Ethiopia since 2006, particularly affecting Dollo Ado sub-region, where five camps now shelter 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers as of March 2024. Addressing the protracted needs of these camps, UNHCR, in collaboration with the IKEA Foundation, has implemented livelihood empowerment projects aimed at economic inclusion. This paper evaluates the impact of the third phase of the IKEA Foundation’s Livelihoods and Energy and Environment Projects (2019–2021), focusing on cooperative and business groups involved in agriculture, livestock, firewood, and solar energy. Despite the lack of a control group, our econometric approach allows us to explore significant temporal changes attributed to the intervention. Our findings demonstrate significant improvements in mental health, life satisfaction, financial inclusion, and social integration among participants. While the interventions successfully enhanced income and savings opportunities, particularly for women, they did not significantly improve food security, indicating external influences such as regional instability, humanitarian shortfalls, and climate issues. This study underscores the necessity of multi-stakeholder collaboration to improve refugee welfare in protracted crises and highlights the importance of livelihood empowerment investments to optimize wellbeing and economic inclusion outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100720"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893180","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":"The effect of fiscal decentralization on urbanization: Evidence from Cameroon","authors":"Justin Romuald Amougou Manga,&nbsp;Constant Djiogap Fouopi","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100709","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100709","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We examine the effect of fiscal decentralization on urbanization in 213 Cameroonian municipalities between 2010 and 2020. Since 1990, developing countries including Cameroon have turned to decentralization as it promotes economic development. Using the generalized least square method for estimation we find that; fiscal decentralization has a positive and significant effect on urbanization. Using the 2SLS and the Lewbel-2SLS to treat the endogeneity issue, the results provide further confirmation of earlier studies, suggesting that fiscal decentralization positively affects urbanization. The findings are consistent with additional variables. To our results, central governments should transfer powers to local authorities for the provision of social infrastructures and services as this will develop rural regions and hence, reduce inequalities among municipalities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100709"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750773","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":"Shifting paradigm in water resources management: Public willingness to participate in watershed management of Batu Kurau, Perak, Malaysia","authors":"Khalid Sayed ,&nbsp;Ridzwan Nazimuddin ,&nbsp;M.I. Syakir ,&nbsp;Shaiful Yusuff ,&nbsp;Rahmah Johar ,&nbsp;Zaher Mundher Yaseen","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water resources management (WRM) in Malaysia is currently undergoing a period of transformation. A central tenet of integrated water resources management (IWRM) is the active involvement of the public in decision-making processes. The successful implementation of this participatory approach hinges on the public’s willingness to participate (WTP). The present study investigates the levels of WTP among residents in three agriculturally-based villages located within the Batu Kurau watershed, a region where local communities depend on the watershed for their water needs. WTP was assessed through a structured questionnaire survey administered to 302 respondents across the three villages. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate various factors potentially influencing WTP, including socioeconomic characteristics, awareness and knowledge of watershed issues, values related to water resource use, satisfaction with both water and watershed management, and perceptions regarding involvement in watershed governance. The findings indicated a high level of WTP, with approximately 80% of respondents expressing support for the involvement in watershed management initiatives. Key determinants of WTP included respondents’ perceived knowledge of watershed-related issues, satisfaction with existing water and watershed management practices, personal water consumption behaviours, and a favourable attitude towards participatory governance in watershed management. In contrast, socioeconomic factors such as income, education, and occupation did not exhibit a statistically significant influence on WTP. Among the critical environmental concerns identified by the respondents, drought and flooding were highlighted as the most pressing issues within the watershed, whereas other concerns were perceived as less significant. All influential variables excluding socioeconomic factors demonstrated a positive correlation with WTP, underscoring the critical role of public awareness and satisfaction in the successful adoption of IWRM. These results affirm the potential for community engagement in the implementation of watershed management programmes, thereby reinforcing the viability of people-centred approaches to IWRM in the Malaysian context. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers seeking to develop watershed management frameworks that are responsive to local environmental challenges, such as drought and flooding, while also enhancing public satisfaction and participation. The integration of such participatory and locally grounded strategies may contribute to more effective and sustainable IWRM outcomes in Malaysia and comparable settings globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100694"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572872","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":"(Re)making landscapes into resources: the role of Hass avocado plantations in Salamina, Colombia","authors":"Andres Suarez","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100695","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100695","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The landscape of Salamina (Caldas, Colombia) has historically fulfilled multiple functions and undergone diverse transformations. The expansion of Hass avocado plantations (HAP) has marked a significant shift, redefining the landscape from a space of peasant self-sufficiency and social reproduction—characterized by landscape use-values—to a market-driven asset centered on the extraction of ecological surplus, represented as landscape exchange-values. This transition has been propelled by market compulsions, reinforced in recent years by the Hass avocado boom. This article applies a critical resource geography perspective to examine how land is reconfigured through the process of resource-making. It identifies the socio-historical, political, economic, and material factors that converge to facilitate HAP expansion, emphasizing the role of the state-capital nexus in enabling the commodification and exploitation of Salamina’s landscape.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100695"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144470612","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":"The dynamics of crop diversity and seed use in the context of recurrent climate shocks and poverty: Seasonal panel data evidence from rural Uganda","authors":"Clifton Makate ,&nbsp;Arild Angelsen ,&nbsp;Teshome Hunduma Mulesa ,&nbsp;Ola Tveitereid Westengen","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100698","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change and variability impact smallholders’ use of seeds from different sources. Empirical studies of smallholders’ use of crop diversity and seed provide essential evidence for the continued adaptation of seed policies to changing climatic conditions. We address two key questions: (i) How do smallholders in Uganda use off-farm seed sourcing and crop diversity in response to climate shocks and variability? and (ii) How do differences in socioeconomic status influence smallholders’ crop diversity and seed use? We analyze household seasonal panel data from the Uganda National Panel Survey, complemented by high-resolution climate data. Smallholder farmers maintain high crop diversity. About half of the farmers purchase part of the seeds used, and more farmers buy local than improved varieties. Fewer than 5% of farmers buy certified seed, and the purchase of Quality Declared Seed is at about the same level. Exposure to less-than-normal rainfall over the previous five years is associated with higher crop diversification, more seed purchases, and more farm-saving of seeds. Farmers experiencing long-term rainfall variability increase seed purchasing, particularly of improved varieties, and reduce seed saving. These findings suggest that crop diversity, variety type, and seed source are integral to farmers’ strategies for coping with and adapting to climate shocks. Wealthier farmers are more likely to diversify and increase off-farm seed purchases in response to drought shocks, highlighting unequal access to these adaptation strategies. Realizing the adaptation potential in crop diversity and seeds will require policy coherence and concomitant implementation of social protection programs with seed system interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100698"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314305","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":"Global mining and the production of inequality: a case for continued inquiry","authors":"Deanna Kemp ,&nbsp;John R. Owen","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100708","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100708","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100708"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144711922","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":"Agricultural cooperatives boost food security through input subsidies in rural Zambia","authors":"Cornelius Zemba ,&nbsp;Stephen Prah ,&nbsp;John N. Ng’ombe","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100710","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100710","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While much has been learned on the impacts of cooperative membership and input subsidies in developing countries, the interplay between these two mechanisms in enhancing household food security remains unexplored. We address this gap by investigating the combined role of agricultural cooperatives and input subsidy programs at improving food security in Zambia—a context where cooperatives serve as key channels for delivering input subsidies to farmers. Using a random sample of 436 farmers from a Zambian typical rural area and instrumental variable-based causal mediation approach, we determine the impacts of cooperative membership on dietary diversity and food insecurity through input subsidy participation. The findings reveal that cooperative members benefit significantly from improved access to agricultural inputs, facilitated by input subsidies. Cooperative membership indirectly increases household dietary diversity by 11.26% and reduces food insecurity by 20.39%, demonstrating the critical role of social protection programs in amplifying the benefits of cooperatives. Although direct effects of cooperative membership also indicate improvements in dietary diversity and reductions in food insecurity, these effects are less pronounced without the mediating influence of input subsidies. The results demonstrate the necessity of aligning input subsidy programs with cooperative models to achieve meaningful food security outcomes. To maximize these benefits, the study recommends strengthening the integration of social protection programs with cooperatives, implementing targeted training for cooperative members, and promoting inclusive practices to ensure equitable access to program benefits. These insights provide valuable guidance for policymakers seeking to enhance rural development and contribute to achieving global food security goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100710"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144713047","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":"Committeefication of African urban development:The case of Ghana’s Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project (GARID)","authors":"Rosina Sheburah Essien ,&nbsp;George Owusu ,&nbsp;Kofi Kekeli Amedzro ,&nbsp;Musah Aziba Issah","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100724","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100724","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The World Bank and other international development organizations are increasingly gravitating towards the idea of resilience. The inherent idea of inclusivity as part of urban development processes requires a bottom-up, participatory, and community-based approach to achieving resilience which encourages what Caroline Archambault and David Ehrhardt call ‘committeefication’– a process through which committees are set to oversee community-based interventions – as an institutional vehicle for managing projects, particularly those in African cities. The World Bank-funded GARID project is no exception because it acknowledges multiple producers of resilience, which has led to the creation of several committees on the project to oversee its implementation. Using the qualitative approach, this paper interrogates the context within which committeefication occurs in this Ghanaian/World Bank case, who occupies this space, what they negotiate and what challenges arise working with/or in committees. To do this, we distinguish State Development Committees (SDCs) from Community Development Committees (CDCs) in order to argue that CDCs, unlike SDCs, may not necessarily be able to fulfil their roles because of the nature of state-community committee relations, which is often characterized by micro/macro politics and unequal patterns of participation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100724"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095297","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":"Agricultural stakeholder panels and lead farmer visits: Evidence from Malawi","authors":"Festus O. Amadu ,&nbsp;Paul E. McNamara","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100716","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100716","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agricultural extension is critical to economic transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yet, local extension services remain weak, despite several decades of international aid aimed at improving extension services in the region. Agricultural Stakeholder Panels (ASPs) are a demand-side extension approach designed to improve rural extension services by enhancing farmer interaction with local extension agents. In Malawi, the ASP approach has been in rural communities as part of the national extension policy for more than two decades. Yet, most ASPs were either completely dysfunctional, partially operational, or somewhat ineffective in reaching their clientele communities. Thus, in 2015, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the <em>Strengthening Agricultural and Nutrition Extension</em> (SANE) program to support the government of Malawi in implementing ASPs more carefully and rigorously, and thereby improve agricultural extension services in the country. However, empirical evidence of the impacts of functional ASPs in terms of improving extension services remains unexplored. We respond to this gap by estimating the impacts of the ASP approach on agricultural extension services using lead farmer visits as a proxy. We apply an endogenous treatment effect regression to original survey data from a sample of 2134 households across 22 districts in Malawi. We found positive and statistically significant impacts of functional ASPs on lead farmer visits in 2018: Farmers associated with such ASPs received eight extension visits from lead farmers compared to other farmers per year, a significant result with crucial implications for improving extension services in Malawi. The result implies that effective ASPs can improve the performance of extension agents, and thereby demonstrates the importance of such policies in improving agricultural extension systems in Malawi, similar contexts elsewhere in SSA, and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100716"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144827000","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}