Globalisation and Development Cooperation
A Cooperação Europeia para o Desenvolvimento em 2024: Desafios e perspectivas
Abstract:
In a year of European Parliament (EP) elections, and amid growing global uncertainty, the study “European Development Cooperation in 2024: Challenges and Perspectives” was created following the publication “The Future of International Development Cooperation: Fragmentation, Adaptation, and Innovation in a Changing World” (2021). In this study, we outline the latest developments in the European Union’s (EU) international development cooperation (IDC) at the institutional and policy levels, highlighting the role of the European Parliament. We also examine the relationship between Portuguese IDC and its European counterpart, emphasizing the centrality of partner countries in the Portuguese-Speaking African Countries and Timor-Leste (PALOP-TL) and the role of civil society. We conclude with reflections on the implications for European cooperation, Portuguese cooperation, and civil society given the increasing importance of geopolitics in the current global context, the political-institutional transformations observed in European IDC, and the likely configuration of the EP for the new legislature, where it is expected that political forces opposing development cooperation will be strengthened.
Cite this ebook:
Bernardo, Luís Pais, Luís Mah e Ana Luísa Silva (2024). A cooperação europeia para o desenvolvimento em 2024 : desafios e perspectivas. Lisboa: Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGD
A certificação de sustentabilidade na Indústria Têxtil Portuguesa: um estudo exploratório
Abstract:
This study analyzes sustainability certification in the Portuguese textile industry. The main objective is to map the current landscape of sustainable practices adopted by this crucial sector of the Portuguese economy, evaluating the implications, challenges, and benefits of certification in the contemporary economic and environmental context. We aim to understand how sustainability certifications can serve as a strategic tool to boost the competitiveness of Portuguese companies in the global market, responding to the growing demand for ethical and environmentally conscious products.
The methodology employed in this study involves a review of the existing literature on sustainability in the textile industry. Essentially, it is a hybrid and comparative analysis, utilizing the complete universe of certified Portuguese textile companies. While this focused approach does not answer all questions, it allows this study to take a small step towards research committed to supporting companies that, despite clear risks and costs, choose to invest in sustainability. It also addresses the societal pressure that can and should be exerted on legislators to implement stronger regulatory frameworks and on companies that decide not to invest in sustainability.
This is a small step we hope will lead to further research efforts. We offer a perspective on the role of sustainability certification as a competitive differentiator for the Portuguese textile industry. The study emphasizes the growing importance of sustainability as a selection criterion for consumers and international business partners, reinforcing the need for Portuguese companies to continue investing in sustainable practices and obtaining certifications that validate their efforts. The study also presents and discusses recommendations for future policies and strategies, aiming to strengthen Portugal’s position as a leader in sustainable textile production on the global stage.
Cite this ebook:
Bernardo, Luís Pais (2024). A certificação de sustentabilidade na Indústria Têxtil Portuguesa : um estudo exploratório. Lisboa: Oficina Global.
Primeiro Passo Repensar: Um olhar sobre o consumo de moda sustentável dos jovens universitários em Portugal
Abstract:
Sustainable fashion consumption involves conscious choices in purchasing, using/maintaining, and disposing of each clothing item. Therefore, it is important to Rethink, Reject, Reduce, Repair, Reuse, and Recycle. This study aimed to understand the behaviors and environmental awareness of university students living in Portugal during the three main phases of fashion consumption. An online questionnaire survey was conducted among 271 university students aged 18 to 26. The survey was open for responses from June 15 to July 24, 2023.
Cite this ebook:
Silva, Ana Luísa e Renata Assis (2024). Primeiro passo repensar: um olhar sobre o consumo de moda sustentável dos jovens universitários em Portugal. Lisboa: FEC | Fundação Fé e Cooperação e CEsA/ISEG-UL.
Algodão, uma fibra global
Abstract:
Cotton doesn’t lie. This well-known idiom in Portugal highlights how the most important natural fiber — both historically and commercially — has woven itself into our lives. Yet, while cotton doesn’t deceive, it does conceal. It’s more than just a fiber; it’s an entire global industry. It shapes production and consumption patterns, directly impacting the lives of millions worldwide. Cotton influences the fate of soils and water sources and significantly affects the environment. It encompasses agriculture, fashion, and high technology. Cotton has a complex and often troubling history: it can be sweet, but it’s also bitter. Its soft touch belies the complexity of its life cycle, which spans from cotton fields in Burkina Faso to garment factories in Bangladesh, fashion runways in Milan, and algorithms in New York. This distribution isn’t arbitrary: the value gap —evident in the income disparity between a field worker in Burkina Faso, a factory manager in Bangladesh, and a top designer in Milan — illustrates global inequalities. Cotton connects these diverse landscapes and activities. This briefing is for anyone who wants to understand the fashion they wear and the fibers they choose. It’s also for decision-makers regulating cotton production and consumption. Responsible consumption is a key step in altering economic structures, but it’s rarely enough on its own. Our aim is clear: meaningful action requires clarity, knowledge, and information.
Cite this ebook:
Bernardo, Luís Pais (2023). Algodão, uma fibra global. Lisboa: FEC | Fundação Fé e Cooperação.
Book of Papers Presented at the In Progress 3 Seminar
Abstract:
This third edition of In Progress, Seminar on Social Sciences and Development in Africa brings together works by researchers and postgraduate students whose study and research theme is contemporary Africa and its development, supported by scientific currents that stimulate new approaches beyond the “development”, exploring the notions of “well-being” or “good living” and remaining close to currents of thought and debates between Africa, Asia and Latin America. The texts include themes such as: fieldwork: practical, theoretical and methodological issues; politics, civil society dynamics, development; culture, thought and change; strategies for cooperation and development; and populations, mobility and well-being. The second part of this work contains the reflections of the speakers invited to the In Progress 3 seminar, which include both a critical perspective on the dominant discourses and methodologies in the field of development policies linked to mobilities, economy and identities, as well as the contribution of financial growth for economic growth and several of the issues to be taken into account in discussions on economic sustainability, taking the example of SADC member countries. The final conference refers to the times and questions that are important to retain and what is important to reflect on in the context of social and human sciences, in particular, when the debate is about the (neo)colonial perspective and contemporary global challenges for African Studies.
Cite this e-book:
Évora, Iolanda e Sónia Frias (coord). 2024. Livro das Comunicações Apresentadas no In Progress 3 com Revisão por Pares : 15 a 16 de Novembro de 2018 no ISEG/ULisboa. Lisboa: ISEG – CEsA
The Values of Portuguese International Development Cooperation: Review and update after 2013
Abstract:
In recent years, International Development Cooperation has assumed particular importance in scientific research and there are currently several studies of general scope or limited to a smaller geographical or thematic space, such as those that focus on national cooperation policies. In general, these works have sought not only to explain its historical, institutional and strategic evolution, but also to constitute a basis for reflection on a long journey of ideas, values and practices that it has been following and its results with partner countries. Portuguese Cooperation is no exception and, in general, all the publications that contextualize it refer directly or indirectly to the general values by which it is governed. However, there aren´t studies that identify the individual reference values of the action of the Cooperation actors in their practice of identifying, managing, and evaluating projects. In this article, we intend to identify the values considered as guiding principles of the action that the actors of the Portuguese Cooperation individually consider in the practices they develop. Such an intention constitutes a real innovation, since the only values identified so far are those that governments include in the strategies presented, more or less inspired by the documents of the European Union (EU) and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Cite this paper:
Sangreman, Carlos e Raquel Faria (2024). ” The values of Portuguese International Development Cooperation: Review and Update after 2013″. In Recent Research Advances in Arts and Social Studies (Vol. 4), M. Camino Escolar-Llamazares (ed), 148-167. London: B P International
Working Paper 196/2023: The Primacy for the Accommodation of the Brazilian Economy: A Theoretical-Methodological Analysis
Abstract:
The capitalist economy is immersed in generalized inertia. A movement of slow accumulation, low investment, limited growth rates, but with a high level of profit, and which is due to intense pressure on the levels of existing inequalities, combining worldwide restructuring of the generation of wealth and income to a pattern of reproduction of the labor force at the level of its limited maintenance. This inertia occurs, above all, from the financial-productive crisis of the first decade of the 2000s. Brazil is no stranger to this inertia and its developments. Therefore, this paper intends, from a conceptual reflection, to analyze the national economic conjuncture, from what I call the structure and primacy for the accommodation of the Brazilian economy.
Cite this Working Paper:
Moreira, Marcelo Jose (2023). “The Primacy for the Accommodation of the Brazilian Economy: A Theoretical-Methodological Analysis”. CEsA/CGS – Documentos de trabalho nº 196/2023
The primacy of accommodation in the Brazilian economy
Abstract:
The capitalist world-economy is immersed in a generalized inertia. A movement of slow accumulation, low investment, limited growth rates, but with a high level of profit, and which takes place through intense pressure on existing levels of inequality, combining a global restructuring of wealth and income generation with a reproduction of the workforce in terms of its limited maintenance. Inertia that can be seen, mainly, from the productive-financial crisis of the first decade of the 2000s. Brazil is not oblivious to this inertia and its consequences. This article intends, from a conceptual reflection, to discuss the elements that characterize what I call the accommodation structure of the Brazilian economy.
Quotation:
Moreira, Marcelo José (2021). “A primazia pela acomodação da economia brasileira”. Revista de Economia da UEG. 17(2), p. 44-65
Who Benefits from the Procurement Financed by Multilateral Development Banks?
Abstract:
We use a gravity model to inquire about the factors that influence the amount of public procurement awarded by developing countries with funding from Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), based on 169 000 contracts. We reach four main conclusions. First, procurement disproportionately benefits firms of low- and middle-income countries and not those of MDBs’ larger shareholders. Second, firms of uppermiddle- income countries can compete successfully with those of developed countries. These two conclusions are in line with MDBs’ development mandate. However, we also find that certain MDBs favour domestic firms and that having good diplomatic relations matters when awarding contracts.
Quotation:
Martínez-Galán, E., e Proença, I. (2023). Who benefits from the procurement financed by multilateral development banks? Journal of International Development, 1– 27. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3803
Working Paper 194/2023: A Qualidade do Serviço e a Satisfação do Cliente: Estudo dos Clientes do Banco de Poupança e Crédito – Luanda (Angola)
Abstract:
Nowadays, a correct and profitable way of managing the issue of service quality is to listen to customers, both satisfied and dissatisfied, to improve the information obtained, improve experiences with them and thus achieve greater levels of loyalty and, naturally, results. In this context, A Qualidade do Serviço e a Satisfação do Cliente: Estudo dos Clientes do Banco de Poupança e Crédito – Luanda (Angola) sought to assess the degree of customer satisfaction regarding the provision of the quality of services offered by Banco de Poupança e Crédito, located in Luanda (Angola) in order to identify the level of customer satisfaction according to the variables demographic and socioeconomic factors inherent to the SERVQUAL model and determine the correct methods and techniques for satisfaction, taking into account the elements of quality, in order to make the institution profitable. During this study, a structured interview was carried out for the Marketing and Communication Department and a questionnaire of 15 questions was applied, resulting in only 80 valid questionnaires out of 150. The same were applied during working hours to assess the quality of the service provided by the bank. From a modern company, as with the Bank, it is expected that its main objective is to provide customer satisfaction, indiscriminately needing all the company’s employees and for this it is necessary that they are satisfied to adopt attitudes consistent with this objective. However, managing these factors well to achieve positive results is an essential condition for the company to overcome the challenges.
Quotation:
Sarmento, E. M. e Azevedo, S. C. (2023). “A Qualidade do Serviço e a Satisfação do Cliente: Estudo dos Clientes do Banco de Poupança e Crédito – Luanda (Angola)”. Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão – CEsA/CGS – Documentos de trabalho nº 194/2023
