Journal of Contemporary Administration

The Impact of Payments for Environmental Services in the Atlantic Forest: A Geospatial Study

Ricardo Cerveira — 2024-06-26

Objective: this study aimed at understanding the impact of payment for environmental services (PES) programs in relation to environmental indicators in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. Theoretical approach: the literary framework included three topics of discussion: payment for environmental services, program evaluation, and theory of change. In a broader way, the theme of evaluating programs in the agricultural area was articulated, considering the precepts of the theory of change. Method: geospatial data on land use, between 2016 and 2021, and amounts paid under the PES program with rural producers were collected to evaluate the impact on the increase or decrease in degraded and recovered areas. Data analysis included multivariate statistics, more specifically the comparison between groups and the relationship between variables through multiple linear regression. Results: the empirical results highlight that there is a significant difference in the increase in areas under recovery between producers who received PES values and producers not participating in this program. As for the types of PES, the one that pays for improvements in land use contributed most to the increase in the area under recovery. Conclusions: the study shows that evaluation methods for PES must be increasingly complex and measurable, as there are several possibilities for impacts depending on the objective of the program. The results are relevant to the theoretical, practical, and social spheres, in addition to helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Network as A Strategy to Break Silos and Promote Open Innovation

Aurélio Martins Favarin — 2024-07-01

Objectives: The central objective of this paper is to propose and test a model for the development of network governance structures to respond to the silo effect in the innovation management process in a large research organization. Method: A case study was used with the objective of building a governance model that could address the problems derived from the silo effect. To achieve the objective, validation workshops were held, with teams being challenged to reflect on the mechanisms and basic rules used to assemble the model. Results: The efforts made to inhibit the silo effect in the organization investigated were successful. Internal events were held to exchange knowledge between research centers, which resulted in greater stimulation of connections between these and other actors throughout the innovation ecosystem. Conclusions: The governance model adopted to mitigate the problems derived from the silo effect proved to be effective in promoting interaction between research centers on issues related to open innovation. The model, supported by mechanisms and basic rules inserted in the key actions, proved to be efficient in promoting a more intense relationship between the research units of the institution studied, resulting in new network actions.

Frugal Innovation and Sustainability in the Footwear Sector

Ismael Rodrigo Specht — 2024-05-27

Objective: this article aims to analyze how footwear companies can innovate frugally in convergence with the principles of sustainability. This objective was achieved based on studies that observe the relationship between sustainability and frugal innovation, with an emphasis on bricolage strategies, from a perspective of applicability in the footwear industry, as it is a sector with high environmental impact. Method: the research uses design science research, and made use of a field diary, for greater depth of understanding of the footwear environment, as well as secondary analysis of documents on the internet and transcribed interviews with the seven experts. Results: the study managed to propose two action artifacts, one of them a frugal and sustainable sneaker artifact, and, as a second action artifact, it realized the need for collaborative and constant action between universities and companies in the search for frugal and sustainable solutions, which can benefit both companies, through profitable results, and the university, through longitudinal research and production of articles. Conclusions: the footwear industry yearns for low-cost (frugal) innovations that are at the same time sustainable, and demonstrates capacity and interest in meeting social and political demands for sustainable actions; in order to achieve this, greater proximity to the university presents itself as a collaboration that can produce benefits for both, with side effects of positive impact on environmental initiatives, society, and government policies.