Browsing by Author "Barata, Eduardo"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Affect and the adoption of pro-environmental behaviour: A structural modelPublication . Coelho, Filipe; Pereira, Maria C.; Cruz, Luís; Simões, Paula; Barata, EduardoPro-environmental behaviour (PEB) is an essential part of changing societies towards a more sustainable future. The literature on PEB has provided significant insights into how the anticipated emotions arising from specific ecological actions contribute to environmentally friendly conduct. Our research departs from these studies by focusing on general affect as a determinant of PEB. Moreover, we specify mechanisms for the transmission effects of trait (rather than state) affect into PEB. We use structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses, with a sample of 925 individuals. The results show that the influence of positive affect on (reported) PEB is partially mediated by environmental concern and perceived consumer effectiveness. As to negative affect, the findings suggest only a direct effect on PEB. We also found differences between males and females. These are novel results that help to illuminate the complex issue of what shapes PEB, thereby supporting relevant theoretical and practical implications.
- Assessing an agri-food development strategy : a bi-regional input–output model with resource-constrained sectorsPublication . Cruz, Luís; Ramos, Pedro N.; Barata, Eduardo; Sargento, AnaUneven regional development is widely recognised. This paper explores the effectiveness of a regional development strategy based on the agri-food sector expansion in a laggard agriculture dependent region. We use a bi-regional rectangular Input– Output model, explicitly taking into account the methodological and policy implications of resource-constrained products. Results confirm that local transformation of agricultural products has a positive but limited effect, due to land restrictions and impact leaks to the more complex and developed region. The regional development strategy would be more effective if it focuses instead on non-tradable products or not so dependent on natural resources.
- Non-market Valuation of Environmental Goods in PortugalPublication . Barata, Eduardo; Simões, Paula; Cruz, LuísThis paper reviews the empirical research of the non-market environmental valuation methodologies in Portugal and identifies opportunities for linking results to policy. Four research questions are addressed: what has been done; what common features can be observed; what do we know about the validity of the values; and which trends have been found in the recent research. We conclude that environmental valuation in Portugal has a noticeable regional application, e.g., natural parks and traditional landscapes. Contingent valuation is the leading method. Price, income and the use of the resource for recreational purposes are among the most important explanatory variables. The results confirm the theoretical validity of the methods and their potential for local/regional policy purposes.
- Regional planning insights from a portuguese bi-regional input-output model – the potential impact of agri food industryPublication . Sargento, Ana; Ramos, Pedro; Barata, Eduardo; Cruz, LuísIn Portugal, the public debate at regional level is typically engaged in the discussion of asymmetries amongst the ‘interior’ and the ‘coast’. What is often discussed, with political and social relevance, is the extent of the interior’s delay (in terms of development) comparatively to the coastal region, and into what extent the dynamics of the economy, or eventually the ‘bias’ introduced by public policies, contributes to this drawback. Interestingly, however, the Portuguese regional science has miscarried this debate, largely on the grounds that the official statistics do not include this cleavage. Indeed, the design of the NUTS II in Portugal splits the country horizontally, forgetting the vertical gap that splits the interior regions from the coastal ones. The first objective of this paper is therefore to refocus the debate - in scientific terms – on the actual territorial disparity in Portugal: the contrast Coast-Interior. Accordingly, this paper starts by presenting the structure of a bi-regional Input-Output (IO) model for the Portuguese Economy. We consider a rectangular IO model (431 products by 125 industries), decomposing the Portuguese economy into two regions with comparable territorial sizes (the Coastal Region, comprising 44% of the Portuguese continental area, and the Interior Region). the model is ‘closed’ for the private consumption of households below 65 (which is supposed to be endogenous, as it depends on regional employment and therefore on households’ earnings. Multi-regional IO models describe the inter-sectoral dependencies both within the region and between the regions. The main aim is then to assess how the effects of a shock that hits only one of the regions are ‘distributed’ among the two regions. In particular, we intend to analyse at a greater detail the role of the agri-food sector in the Interior Region. Overall results illustrate the dependence of the Interior on the Coastal region, and that the (positive or negative) effects of a shock that hits the Interior Region tend to leak significantly to the Coastal Region, while an exogenous event in the Coastal Region tends to see its effects relatively more contained within the region.Thus, this analysis can be particularly relevant to policy-makers in dealing with regional and territorial planning, as they are better informed about the root causes of some outcomes. Accordingly, a summary of the key lessons learned and a discussion of their policy relevance, both at regional and national levels, will be offered.