مطالب

Purpose- Environmental issues such as the ecological footprint, are the product of intellectual, cultural, and economic factors. Therefore, it is necessary to know the variables effective on the amount of the footprint. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the factors affecting the ecological footprints of the rural settlements in Eslamabad-e Gharb County with a holistic and spatial approach. Design/methodology/approach- The present study is an applied one regarding the objective and descriptive-correlational regarding the methodology. In terms of the data collection method, it is a field survey. The statistical population includes 25% of the villages in Eslamabad-e Gharb County (40 villages). The sample size was determined as 500 households based on the latent and observable variables. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Also, the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) was used to investigate the effects of the locative-spatial factors on the research variables.Findings: The results of the Bootstrap test based on the T values indicated that the variables “ownership”, “environmental awareness”, and “consumerism” had the highest t-value and thus, were most correlated. The variable “ownership” in the economic structure is more correlated with the ecological footprint of the researched villages than other independent variables with a statistic of 26.053. overall, the analysis of the direct and inverse correlations in the SEM indicated that the variables “ownership” and “employment” were the most effective factors on the ecological footprint with coefficients of 0.874 and 0.575, while the “conspicuous consumption” was the least effective variable. Also, the results of spatial regression showed that the villages in the northwest of the county were more effective while moving towards the southeast and getting distant from the center reduces the effectiveness of the research variables on the ecological footprint.Research limitations/implications- The high rate of employment in the agricultural sector, the weakness in environmental issues training, and the high rate of livestock and agricultural ownership among a limited number of people have created obstacles on the road to the ecological sustainability of the region.Practical Solutions: Directing the residents of the researched villages towards non-agricultural employment by providing appropriate facilities and support, promoting an environment-friendly lifestyle, and training the residents to increase their environmental awareness by holding workshops in this field.Originality / Value: The present study is the first to use the SEM and spatial approach to investigate the factors effective on the ecological footprints of rural settlements. The results obtained can aid the planners and decision-makers in the field of rural settlements to advance the goals of sustainable development.

Considering the intermediary role of banks in the economy and their critical function in the propagation of economic shocks to the real sector, this study aims to investigate the role of bank capital in analyzing the relationship between banks' balance sheet characteristics and economic fluctuations using a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model. The results demonstrate that, in the model with a bank capital channel, positive shocks lead to more robust economic growth. This is attributed to the banks' ability to invest, enhancing the positive effects of shocks. Taking bank capital into account, variables such as consumption, and inflation exhibit better performance, with reduced fluctuations or quicker adjustments, leading to economic stability. Conversely, in an economic scenario without a bank capital channel, positive shocks have a lesser impact on economic variables. Consequently, the results can effectively inform decision-making regarding the necessity of adhering to bank capital adequacy ratios.

The human life is always influenced by events, circumstances, that are, in turn, the result of one's point of view and vision of the world. For a long time, literature has been the polisher of the human soul and spirit. One of the points in the intellectual evolution of man was the period of the Renaissance. Like an earthquake whose the greatest impact that took place in the 19th century with the Industrial Revolution. The basis for such mutations is clearly visible in the works of the post-Renaissance era. Where the structures of the stories change under the influence of the author's thoughts, another new novel is made in human poetics with names such as Balzac, Flaubert, Maupassant, etc. In the shadow of these mutations, we are witnessing the reversal of philosophies accepted for a long time. What Charles Perrault, according to the philosophy of "transcendence", said in the 17th century, Maupassant repeats with a different look from Kant's "transcendental" thought. La Parure is a new outfit dressed by Maupassant in Cinderella; in other words, it is hypertext on the hypotext. The study of levels and narrative patterns proves the similarity of structures and the difference in meaning in these stories. Maupassant, aware of the changes in his transitional time, conveys a new concept from a new philosophy, to the people of the time but with a frame accustomed to that time so that readers can easily comprehend and understand it.