Abstract This chapter examines environmental sustainability and digital accountability in South Africa’s mining sector, a domain marked by the tension between economic development and enduring ecological and social harm. Through a conceptual and reflective approach, this chapter adopts a multi-theoretical lens, drawing on institutional theory, stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory, economic theory and ecological modernisation theory to explore how social and environmental accounting (SEA) practices are shaped by regulatory frameworks, power dynamics, corporate disclosure strategies and technological innovation. Further, by using illustrative case examples, the analysis reveals a persistent gap between South Africa’s progressive environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies and their uneven implementation. Also, it shows that institutional and legitimacy pressures often drive symbolic compliance, while stakeholder engagement processes remain exclusionary. At the same time, emerging digital ESG tools, such as artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring, blockchain traceability and renewable energy systems, offer new possibilities for reform, though access and uptake remain unequal across firms and communities. This chapter presents a critical synthesis of theory and practice, highlighting the risks of techno-performative sustainability and proposing a more inclusive, participatory and justice-oriented approach to SEA in the Global South. Recommendations are offered across short, medium and long-term horizons, and future research directions are outlined to support empirical validation, comparative learning and deeper engagement with marginalised voices. This chapter contributes to both SEA literature and the practical reimagining of sustainability governance in resource-intensive economies.
Lorenzo Ceragioli, Pierpaolo Degano, Letterio Galletta, Luca Viganò
People increasingly use digital platforms to exchange resources in accordance with some policies stating what resources users offer and what they require in return. In this paper, we propose a formal model of these environments, focussing on how users' policies are defined and enforced, so ensuring that malicious users cannot take advantage of honest ones. To that end, we introduce the declarative policy language MuAC and equip it with a formal semantics. To determine if a resource exchange is fair, i.e., if it respects the MuAC policies in force, we introduce the non-standard logic MuACL that combines non-linear, linear and contractual aspects, and prove it decidable. Notably, the operator for contractual implication of MuACL is not expressible in linear logic. We define a semantics preserving compilation of MuAC policies into MuACL, thus establishing that exchange fairness is reduced to finding a proof in MuACL. Finally, we show how this approach can be put to work on a blockchain to exchange non-fungible tokens.
Iraq is a compelling example of a state highly dependent on a singular source of rent, namely oil revenue. Since 2003, Iraq has also been characterized by a fractured, rivalrous elite without central control over organized violence. This formula represents a “rentier political marketplace” in which state funds for salaries and contracts are the essential lubricant of the political system. During 2014–2021, successive shocks to national oil revenues represented a partial and temporary, but traumatic, decarbonization of Iraq’s government and political finance. In turn, this triggered a series of governance and political reconfigurations including a nominal decentralization process and fracturing of sectarian power, followed by a nationwide civic movement demanding transformational change. This paper traces these changes and the abrupt return to business as usual when oil prices rebounded. In doing so, the paper further investigates the nexus between oil and democracy in Iraq and addresses the unanswered question of how Iraq can decarbonize and democratize in the future.
Technological advancements have significantly shaped global society, leading to widespread reliance on technology across various domains. This pervasive influence is particularly evident in the daily lives of individuals, who heavily depend on the digital world and internet connectivity. Crucial sectors such as finance, trade, and the creative industry have embraced the digital realm, with the emergence of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) representing a novel approach for creators to acquire recognition and value for their work. However, this technological progress has also presented opportunities for criminal exploitation, as illicit activities such as money laundering and terrorism funding have transitioned to the digital landscape. This study employs a secondary research methodology to investigate the vulnerabilities associated with the use of NFTs as a medium for money laundering and terrorism funding. The study aims to highlight the potential implications for national economic resilience if these issues are not adequately addressed and securitized. By combining the constructivism theory with the concept of securitization, this work explores how the adoption of NFTs can pose a national concern, affecting both economic stability and security. Furthermore, the research reveals that the anonymity feature inherent in NFT transactions facilitates easier execution of money laundering and terrorism funding activities, thereby posing risks to a country's national security and economic resilience.
Bitcoin and blockchain continue to fascinate the oil and gas industry. EnergyFunders on the ‘inevitable intersection between oil, gas and bitcoin. For MIT, jury is out on bitcoin and climate. Everline rolls-out S3 distributed ledger for pipeline ops. US DHS finances Neoflow’s energy blockchain for crude oil. Texas Bitcoin Foundation funds bitcoin mining education program.
After the oil price collapsed in 2014, debates in oil-producing nations emerged around the importance of doing away with commodity dependence. Modernization plans and developmental projects sprung up among large and small producers alike. Nevertheless, some countries remain dramatically committed to rentier practices, and many in Latin America and Africa have engaged in new forms of resource dependence by expanding their mining frontiers. Further, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, new forms of online payments entered the global political economy and generated discussion among policymakers about the legality and implications of these payment mechanisms. In this article, I explain the linkages of two apparently disconnected forms of mining. Drawing on the case of Venezuela, I argue that the spread of small-scale, irregular and artisanal gold extraction and cryptocurrency mining is the result of the decaying rentier state in crisis. These originally decentralized and irregular activities were later endorsed and transformed by the state with the Orinoco Mining Arc project and the launching of the commodity-backed cryptocurrency, the ‘petro’. The state’s endorsement of these forms of mining translate into the collateralization of primary commodities and the emergence of new forms of authority in a radicalized form of rentierism connected with global financial circuits.
Abstract Blockchain technology has been considered a vehicle to foster development in poor countries by promoting applications such as secure delivery of humanitarian aid, digital identity services, and proof of provenance. This article examines whether (and if so, how) blockchain technology can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of foreign aid governance, thereby moving beyond completely anonymous contexts. Foreign aid governance is plagued by lack of credible commitments among states, which are further exacerbated by information asymmetries and which often undermine aid effectiveness. In this context, blockchain technology holds two promises. First, through the guaranteed execution of smart contracts, it can strengthen the credibility of state commitments, for example collective burden-sharing rules among a group of donors or recipient country compliance with policy conditionality in return for aid. Second, through leveraging prediction markets, blockchain technology can allay information problems related to the verification of real-world events along the entire aid delivery chain.
Considers two significant (2014–17) reforms in Papua New Guinea and their potential combined significance in strengthening Public Financial Management for Service Delivery. Public Financial Management (PFM)/Budget execution, including an Integrated Financial Information System (IFMS), involves reforms driven principally by the Department of Finance (DoF)); and Public Sector and Institutional (PSI) reform, including decentralization and local service delivery, involves reforms driven by the Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs (DPLGA). Papua New Guinea’s budget execution reforms emerged from a combination of political and executive leadership, benchmarked against international standards via a robust Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) review process. While current decentralization remains at an early stage, provincial government, subject to irregular, inadequate resourcing and limited political and executive accountability, has undergone reforms but failed to remedy the difficult three-tier governance arrangements. The new approach to decentralization and service delivery has constituted District Development Authorities (DDAs) as the primary vehicle through which to pursue local development goals.
s - This study investigated the causal relationship between quantity of fish sold and marketing costs in Adamawa State. Specifically, the profitability was determined and distribution channels identified. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 80 fish marketers using purposive and simple random sampling technique from Jimeta, Yola, Gurin and Labondo markets. Analytical tools used were descriptive statistics, market margin and multiple regression analysis. The result showed a margin of 39.8% which could be attributed to the marketing functions. The study identified a decentralized distribution channel in the area. Regression analysis revealed an R2 of 63.8%, F-value of 8.93 and a very low standard error of 0.38889. The result further revealed that initial capital, cost of fish, processing cost and handling charges were positive and significant at different levels indicating that they were the major determinants of selling prices of processed fish in the area. The study concluded that processed fish marketing in the study area was profitable. It recommended that marketers should form a strong co-operative society. There is also a need for government intervention by reducing tax and providing licence to increase the number of micro-credit finance institutions.
Biodiversity conservation outcomes are closely related to the rules and institutions governing resource use. Creating local incentives for conservation through more secure resource tenure is central to conservation outcomes on private and communal lands, where the preponderance of biodiversity occurs. Conservation efforts in sub-Saharan Africa are therefore centrally concerned with governance dynamics and institutional reform processes, such as the decentralization of property rights, and how best to achieve such reforms. Traditional mechanisms for financing conservation efforts in Africa rely heavily on funds channeled through multilateral and bilateral aid agencies. The history of development aid highlights a range of constraints these aid agencies face in terms of working toward more effective resource governance arrangements and promoting reforms. Government aid agencies possess incentives for promoting large-scale and short-term projects that maximize expenditure volumes and tend to define issues in technical rather than political terms. The history of development aid suggests that these and other characteristics of aid agencies impedes their ability to influence governance reform processes and that aid funding may discourage the adoption of reforms. Greater emphasis in African conservation financing needs to be placed on flexible, small-scale investments aligned to local interests and constituencies that prioritize innovation, learning, and experimentation. Additionally, more research is required that explores the linkages between conservation funding, donor decision-making processes, and governance reforms.
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
Abstract Mongolia is the second oldest communist regime after Russia, and its reforms have been under way since 1986. It is a land‐locked state and is characterized by its large physical size relative to a small population, an almost total historical dependence on the former‐USSR and a limited range of agricultural and mineral resources. Despite the profound effects that the collapse of the USSR and Comecon have caused, Mongolia has adopted a ‘shock therapy’ approach to reform, embarking simultaneously on a bold programme of both political and economic change. This article traces the genesis of the reform strategy, highlighting the interplay between external events and internal debate and sometimes outlining the major areas of the reform programme: the introduction of macroeconomic management to replace central planning, the improvement of incentives and an ambitious programme of privatization. The undertaking of such a programme in the Mongolia points to the importance of a social safety net and popular support for the reforms. The article then describes the complementary reforms of public administration that have been more recently introduced in the wake of a new constitution, with their emphasis on professionalization of government administration, transfer of responsibilities to provincial and local government and improved policies and institutions for national training. International technical assistance has and continues to play a significant role in supporting the above. A number of lessons are drawn with regard to strategy, particularly the need at programme level for an integrated or systems approach that can ensure linkages between different elements and at the level of training the need for imaginative approaches to design and delivery. The article draws conclusions on the prospects for success in each area of the reform programme. Critical for public administration restructuring and professionalization is the issue of institutional capacity for implementation. While the legal framework has now been laid down for decentralized government, for example, there is little prior experience in local government of many areas of functional management, finance and budgeting, investment planning and social services administration. On the economic front, the shock therapy stragegy has been adopted despite some earlier advice on the preconditions for successful privatization—with regard for example to market structure, the development of the financial sector and most crucially the continued role of the state in fostering entrepre‐neurship in a society devoid of any recent history of such.