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Browsing Instituto de Estudos Políticos by Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) "08:Trabalho Digno e Crescimento Económico"
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- Assessing ecotourism opportunities in Macaronesian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): an adapted MEET indicator-based methodologyPublication . Casimiro, Daniela; Escudero, Marina Diaz; Guerreiro, José Ângelo; Ventura, Maria AnunciaçãoTourism significantly contributes to the economic growth of countries, especially in insular areas such as Small Islands Developing States (SIDSs) or the outmost regions of Europe. If managed properly, ecotourism offers a sustainable alternative by promoting nature conservation while benefiting local communities. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology to assess the existing conditions in marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Macaronesian archipelagos for the development of ecotourism activities. To achieve this, the methodology of the Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism (MEET) was adapted to the unique environmental, social, and economic context of the region. A set of indicators was developed and refined through expert evaluation and the results revealed a strong level of satisfaction with the indicators created. This approach contributes to the sustainable management of MPAs by providing a practical tool to evaluate their potential for ecotourism development. The refined indicators can assist policymakers, MPA managers, and stakeholders in designing sustainable ecotourism products that align with conservation goals, ensuring long-term ecological and economic benefits for the Macaronesian region.
- The ECB'S quest to balance discretion, independence and legitimacy : crises as a catalyst for increased powerPublication . Faria, Luís de Andrade Guerra Leal de; Alves, André AzevedoThe European sovereign debt crisis prompted the European Central Bank (ECB) to implement a series of unconventional monetary policy measures to restore confidence in the euro. This crisis also led the EU to establish a Single Supervisory Mechanism, overseen by the ECB. Moreover, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic further widened the ECB’s unconventional toolkit, not to mention the subsequent Transmission Protection Instrument to support an effective monetary policy transmission following Ukraine’s invasion. In addition, new objectives, such as the fight against climate change, are likely to further extend the ECB’s powers. While some of these changes could be seen as necessary to preserve financial and economic stability in the euro area, they have also led to an increasing accumulation of power that may go beyond the ECB’s supposedly technocratic nature. Against this background, our main objective is to examine whether the ECB’s increasing scope for action, most notably after the sovereign debt crisis, may threaten its democratic legitimacy. To conduct this analysis, we initially concentrate on the concept of discretion. We demonstrate how specific policies of the ECB have led the institution to move beyond its technocratic realm. Then, in the following part, we consider whether the institution’s growing discretion may be influenced by the level of political experience of those involved in the decision-making. In this part, we also have a look at the implications of our findings for the independence of the ECB. At last, in Part 3, based on the concept of legitimacy, we discuss the main implications of the conclusions reached in Parts 1 and 2. We stress that discretionary judgements make it more challenging to justify delegating powers to independent central banks. Ultimately, we conclude that the ECB’s legitimacy depends on its limited discretion in the future.