Forthcoming Special Issues
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting and accountability in the utilities sector: research paths and policy directions
In the last few years, many companies started to disclose their ESG information using new accountability tools. The need to disclose ESG information has been driven by the increasing pressures made by stakeholders. Within such phenomenon, utility companies cover a central position. The contribution provided by utilities to the contemporary grand challenges is higher than other companies because of the direct interlinkage between their business models and some of the main targets defined by the 2030 Agenda. According to this evidence, the articles in this issue will generate new knowledge about the relationship between ESG reporting and public value.
Guest editors:
Fabio Caputo, PhD
Department of economic sciences, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
Roberta Fasiello, PhD
Department of economic sciences, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
Manuscript submission information:
Guest Editor Invitation Only
Keywords:
ESG Reporting AND Corporate Governance OR Public Value OR Citizen Engagement OR Corporate Washing OR Emerging Technologies OR Decision Making OR Agenda 2030 OR Public Investments
Learn more about the benefits of publishing in a special issue: https://www.elsevier.com/authors/submit-your-paper/special-issues
Interested in becoming a guest editor? Discover the benefits of guest editing a special issue and the valuable contribution that you can make to your field: https://www.elsevier.com/editors/role-of-an-editor/guest-editors
Exploring Southern Urbanisms: Water supply development in low-income areas
With Sustainable Development Goal 6 calling for universal service coverage by 2030, water utilities in developing countries have been tasked to extend services to areas previously unserved by a formal water provider. In urban settings these unserved consumers mainly reside in low-income areas. At the same these water utilities are expected to operate on the basis of commercial principles, including recovering of the costs of providing services.
This special issue seeks to explore the practices of water utilities in servicing low-income areas and maneuvering the complex institutional environment in which they operate. In doing so, the articles in this issue will generate empirically-based understandings of how water service provision to urban low-income areas happens and what factors shape these practices.
Guest editors:
Klaas Schwartz, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Department of Water Governance
Tatiana Acevedo Guerrero, Utrecht University, Department of Geosciences
Emma Lesterhuis, VEI Dutch Water Operators
Manuscript submission information:
You are invited to submit your manuscript at any time before the submission deadline of Oct 1, 2022. For any inquiries about the appropriateness of contribution topics, please contact Managing Guest Editor Dr. Klaas Schwartz via [email protected]
The journal’s submission platform (Editorial Manager®) is now available for receiving submissions to this Special Issue. Please refer to the Guide for Authors to prepare your manuscript and select the article type “VSI: WASH in low-income area” when submitting your manuscript online on the submission platform.
Keywords:
Water supply and sanitation, low-income areas, por-poor services, appropriate technologies, informal water providers
Learn more about the benefits of publishing in a special issue: https://www.elsevier.com/authors/submit-your-paper/special-issues
Interested in becoming a guest editor? Discover the benefits of guest editing a special issue and the valuable contribution that you can make to your field: https://www.elsevier.com/editors/role-of-an-editor/guest-editors
Inclusivity, Resilience and Circular Economy of Water Services
Over the last decades, there has been a significant worldwide growth in population, economic and urban development, which with climate changes, stressed social inequalities at multiple levels. This is the case with Water Services. Those changes drove the focus of Water Services towards the ‘take, make, consume, and dispose’ concept. This linear economy approach put unbearable stress on both ends, as the increase in water demand also led to more wastewater and water pollution.
This issue will be intensified in the future, stressing natural resources and demanding a shift towards ‘reducing, reusing, and recycling’. This requires viewing waste(water) as a resource. To achieve a truly sustainable solution, there is a requirement to capture the full value of water leading to resilient and inclusive circular water systems. A resilient system - as a circular strategy, through persistence, adaptability, and transformability, should prepare cities for uncertain shocks and stressors. An inclusive system - as when water issues arise, vulnerable households suffer the most. This shift requires coherent practices/participation by all actors, from the national and local governments to utilities, customers, and regulators, or from a slightly different point of view, from academics to practitioners.
A transdisciplinary effort is required to guide the water sector to a more inclusive, resilient, and a circular economy.
Guest editors:
Rui Cunha Marquesa:
CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Francisco Silva Pinto:
EIGeS, Faculty of Engineering, Lusofona University, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal
João Miranda:
CIDP, School of Law, University of Lisbon, Alameda da Universidade 1649-014, Lisbon, Portugal
Special issue information:
There is a requirement to consider environmental, technological, economic, institutional, and cultural characteristics when developing new strategies and policies, or scientific methods and practical tools. These are the requirements to guide the water sector to a more inclusive, resilient, environmentally sustainable, and a circular economy.
This special issue intends to approach this complex subject matter and contribute positively to the research agenda. It will draw on an International Conference held under the same theme (www.waterwastelisbon.com). The issue will gather selected research papers from the conference and the emphasis will be on research covering all the topics mentioned below.
Subject Coverage
Topics of interest, due to their critical role to the inclusivity, resilience and circular economy of water services, include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
- Water cycle systems and services. Opportunities and constraints for service- and resource-based strategies (e.g., wastewater as a resource): Deliver resilient and inclusive services; Rethink waste and reduce pollution; Taking care of natural systems.
- Key constraints: Performance issues and key governance gasps.
- Integrated strategies across levels (e.g., global, national, regional, and local), and scales (e.g., urban areas, catchments, regions).
- Aligning policies, institutions, and regulation (PIR) to promote water sector strategies.
- The role of regulation to safeguard/promote inclusivity, resilience, and circular economy.
- Investment priorities in infrastructures and the overall cost matrix (e.g., capital charges, operation and maintenance, opportunity costs, and externalities).
- The role of tariffs, taxes, and transfers to achieve/finance inclusivity, resilience, and circular economy.
- The importance of promoting the participation of public and private partners. When and how?
- Capacity building to fulfill existing gaps in water supply, wastewater, drainage, and other infrastructure sectors.
Manuscript submission information:
You are invited to submit your manuscript at any time before the submission deadline of Oct 31, 2022. For any inquiries about the appropriateness of contribution topics, please contact Managing Guest Editor Rui Marques via [email protected]
The journal’s submission platform (Editorial Manager®) will be available for receiving submissions to this Special Issue from Aug 1, 2022 on. Please refer to the Guide for Authors to prepare your manuscript and select the article type “VSI: IRCE of Water Services” when submitting your manuscript online on the submission platform.
Keywords:
Inclusivity, Resilience, Circular Economy, Water Services
Learn more about the benefits of publishing in a special issue: https://www.elsevier.com/authors/submit-your-paper/special-issues
Interested in becoming a guest editor? Discover the benefits of guest editing a special issue and the valuable contribution that you can make to your field: https://www.elsevier.com/editors/role-of-an-editor/guest-editors