Zoekresultaten

Integrating ecological and socioeconomic criteria in a GIS-based multicriteria-multiobjective analysis to develop sustainable harvesting strategies for Mexican oregano Lippia graveolens Kunth, a non-timber forest product

Mexican oregano is a non-timber forest product harvested in natural vegetation and represents an important source of income for rural families. Recent reports have highlighted decreases in natural populations caused by increased harvest intensity. Oregano leaf harvesting is a complex problem, involving different components and views, and has a clear spatial dimension. We proposed an analytical framework based on multi-criteria-multi-objective analyses. GIS tools were used as the platform for managing, displaying and analyzing ecological and socioeconomic information from different sources in order to evaluate land suitability of three different management strategies for two competing land objectives: oregano Harvest and oregano Regeneration. The incorporation of environmental evaluation criteria in the analysis allowed the identification of new potential oregano harvesting areas which were neither reported by harvesters, nor registered during harvesting trips. Socio-economic criteria, such as land tenure, highlighted the fact that a substantial proportion of current oregano harvesting areas are located outside ejido limits resulting in potential conflicts for resource access. The proposed Balanced oregano management strategy, in which the same proportion of suitable area (50%) was assigned to both objectives, represents the most favorable management strategy. This option allows harvesters to continue earning an income from oregano leaf harvest; and at the same time helps in the selection of the best areas for oregano regeneration. It also represents a management strategy with a smaller impact on oregano populations and on the harvesters ́ income, as well as lower monitoring costs. The proposed analytical frame-work may contribute to advance the application of systematic approaches for solving decision-making problems in areas where oregano leaves and other NTFP are harvested.

Restaurant tipping in Europe : a comparative assessment

Tipping is a social norm in many countries and has important functions as a source of income, with significant social welfare effects. Tipping can also represent a form of lost tax revenue, as service workers and restaurants may not declare all cash tips. These interrelationships remain generally insufficiently understood. This paper presents the results of a comparative survey of resident tipping patterns in restaurants in Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands. ANOVA and ANCOVA analyses confirm significant variation in tipping norms between countries, for instance with regard to the frequency of tipping and the proportion of tips in relation to bill size. The paper discusses these findings in the context of employment conditions and social welfare effects, comparing the European Union minimum wage model to gratuity-depending income approaches in the USA. Results have importance for the hospitality sector and policymakers concerned with social welfare

Below the Market: On the Artist Pension Trust and the Future of Self-Organized Redistribution

Artists and other cultural workers have tried to create stable, long-term collective income systems for themselves forever. In 2004, an American tech entrepreneur launched one of the most ambitious redistribution schemes up to date, the Artist Pension Trust (APT). The idea was to give artists not just long-term income, but even a pension—a luxury highly uncommon among the professional group. Practically, the trust pools artworks of participating artists and sells them over time to provide the artists with a stable, long-term source of income. But in recent years, the APT has come to be known especially for a seemingly never-ending series of scandals.It became apparent that the APT was going south in 2018 when ArtForum reported that over 20 British participating artists were suing the organization for being utterly dysfunctional. In July 2021, a very similar story by the New York Times broke the news, showing that the APT did not learn from its mistakes. The fund's public image of a promising artists’ solidarity model disintegrated, laying bare the APT's tech and finance-driven, extractive business model.The APT model requires our critical attention because it can easily be misconceived as yet another failure of artist solidarity and proof that self-organization cannot resist platform extractivism. Forget about the redistribution of wealth. However, the opposite is true. We’re not dealing with the bankruptcy of artist self-organization and decentral redistribution here. We’re witnessing the urgency to create the real deal. We can’t wait for platform corporations to create the infrastructures and business models we need to fight precarity. Seeing the APT going down, we ask: What are the alternatives? How can art workers reclaim agency in the struggle for solidarity, against precarity?

Job guarantee as model for strengthening the welfare state: the case of the Netherlands

Job guarantee or income guarantee

Posterpresentatie voor Hanze Research Day