Producción local de perfiles de aluminio y su impacto en la construcción de viviendas

Dentro de los acabados de viviendas, los materiales más empleados son los perfiles de aluminio que en la localidad se dedica a la comercialización de este insumo que en general son importados. Por ello, la presente investigación tiene como objetivo analizar el impacto que tendría la sustitución de las importaciones por producción local de perfiles de aluminio en los costos y el desempeño en general de la industria de la construcción en la provincia. Para ello se empleó la metodología de evaluación de impacto de la Unión Europea 2006 compuesta por ocho pasos, además se utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo de carácter no experimental, que permitió evaluar el efecto económico de forma objetiva mediante la aplicación de técnicas como encuestas y entrevistas, las mismas que al ser analizadas permitieron sostener la hipótesis siguiente: la producción local de perfiles de aluminio reduce significativamente los costos de construcción de una vivienda. Palabras clave: Productividad; extrusión; importaciones; inversión; efecto económico. ABSTRACT Within the finishes of housing, the most used material are the aluminium profiles themselves that in the locality is dedicated to the commercialization of this input that are usually imported. Therefore, this investigation aims to analyze the impact of replacing imports with local production of aluminium profiles on the costs and overall performance of the construction industry in the province. To this end, the European Union’s eight-step impact assessment methodology was used, and a non-experimental quantitative approach was also used, since it allowed the economic effect to be assessed objectively through the application of techniques such as surveys and interviews themselves that when analyzed made it possible to sustain the hypothesis following: local production of aluminium profiles significantly reduces the costs of building a home. Keywords: Productivity; extrusion; imports; investment; economic effect.

Impact assessment methodology for connected and automated vehicles

Connected and automated vehicles have become more common in recent years, increasing the need to assess their societal level impacts. In this paper a methodology is presented to explore and define these impacts as a starting point for quantitative impact assessment. The many interrelations between impacts increases the complexity of obtaining a complete overview. Therefore, a structured approach is used, which shows many similarities with the modelling of causal-loop-diagrams. Feedback loops between impacts are taken into account at an early stage and both literature review and expert interviews are used to produce a holistic overview of impacts. The methodology was developed and applied in the European H2020 project LEVITATE. Results from the qualitative assessments in this project are presented and further steps needed to perform a quantitative evaluation of the impacts are discussed.

Road environmental impact assessment in the conceptual design stage - example of the Kragujevac - Mrčajevci motorway

The construction of new motorway routes leaves lasting consequences on the nature and the living world along the corridor through which the adopted motorway alignment extends. Therefore, it is necessary that in the initial stage of the project (Conceptual design) the analysis of all potential impacts of the motorway on the environment be done very rigorously. The subject of this paper is the road environmental impact assessment methodology implemented in conceptual design of Kragujevac - Mrčajevci motorway. Within the motorway environmental assessment for different variants of motorway corridor, traffic noise, air pollution, rainwater and groundwater pollution, soil pollution, climate change, occupation of surfaces for expropriation and other relevant impacts were investigated. In the paper the methodology used to assess the initial ("zero") state of the environment in the studied area was briefly described. In addition, the methodology based on which the project alternatives were compared regarding environmental requirements was also presented, and finally, what was the conclusion of such a comparison.

Environmental aspects of insect mass production

Mass production of insects is calling for environmentally optimised and economically efficient insect value chains. It is a complex task considering a great variety in insect species, production scales, feed formulations, etc. Taking a challenge of environmental impact clarification, a few studies highlight on life cycle assessment (LCA) of insect production. The current study is aimed to systemise 24 selected previous studies to establish a modular framework for the determination of contribution of sustainability assessment factors of insect production chains. Reviewing published studies according to the elements of LCA, the study identified a feasible approach for the modelling of insect production chains, which can be used for the facilitation of comparability of further LCA studies. The approach is based on a modular analysis of insect production through a graphical mapping of value chains (allowed identification of precise system boundaries) supplemented with table analysis considering scale of production, reference (functional) unit, impact assessment methodology and type of LCA. Such an approach allows for consistency in LCA setting and further comparability of results.

Transformation Opportunities Toward Knowledge-Based Urban Development and Its Challenges

The current research discusses opportunities and challenges of knowledge-based urban development in Egypt, aims to monitor the actual opportunities provided by Egyptian policies for knowledge-based urban development, and highlights their most important challenges. The research relied on the impact assessment methodology, the opinion of some experts, analyzing secondary data, literature review, and statistical reports to track the paths of changes in knowledge-based development policies and their applications during the third millennium to reveal the most important challenges and constraints facing the experiences of knowledge cities and its precincts in the Egyptian society. The research concluded some recommendations to confront these challenges and push forward toward strengthening knowledge-based urban development in Egypt, based on what came from critical review f literature, theoretical perspectives, and policies and experiences of many countries of the world in this field.

Geological and Bioregional Assessments: assessing direct and indirect impacts using causal networks

The Geological and Bioregional Assessment (GBA) Program assesses the potential impacts of shale, tight and deep coal gas development on water and the environment. The cause-and-effect relationships that allow unconventional gas resource development activities to lead to an impact on environmental values are often interrelated, leading to both direct and indirect impacts. The GBA Program developed an impact assessment methodology based on causal networks that explicitly map out these cause-and-effect relationships, including all direct and indirect impacts. This network approach is coupled with a spatially explicit, systematic evaluation of the likelihood, consequence, control and mitigation strategy for each cause-and-effect relationship. Combining these evaluations based on the network structures identifies which activities could lead to potential impacts. The assessment identifies where more detailed local-scale assessments, management and monitoring should focus, as well as where impacts are unlikely to occur.

External Private Financing and Domestic Revenue Mobilization

Domestic revenue mobilization (DRM) is essential for low-income and emerging economies to sustainably finance their development needs and has received increasing attention in recent years. Studies have centered on structural factors such as the size and the structure of the economy, and the quality of institutions, notably to account for weaknesses in revenue administrations. Nevertheless, DRM can take time and carry political costs. Raising more financing through donors or private investors may be an easier and more politically palatable way for countries to meet spending needs. Using an impact assessment methodology and panel regressions over a sample of 72 developing countries, we found no evidence that access to bond markets or external commercial loans undermines the countries’ efforts to collect tax revenue. On the contrary, we found that access to markets has a positive impact on domestic revenue mobilization. Plausible explanations are that private financing must be repaid, and strong macroeconomic fundamentals are key for maintaining market access. We have also found that macroeconomic stability and the strength of institutions do matter for domestic revenue mobilization.