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Water, Energy, Food, Waste Nexus: Between Synergy and Trade-Offs in Romania Based on Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance

Author

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  • Radu Petrariu

    (Faculty of International Business and Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Marius Constantin

    (Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Mihai Dinu

    (Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Simona Roxana Pătărlăgeanu

    (Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Mădălina Elena Deaconu

    (Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

Boosting the externalities across the water, energy, food, and waste (WEFW) sectors is challenging, especially considering tightening constraints such as population growth, climate change, resource-intensive lifestyles, increased waste production, sanitary crises and many others. The nexus approach supports the transition to a more sustainable future because intersectoral trade-offs can be reduced and externalities exploited, making imperative for decision makers, entrepreneurs, and civil society to simultaneously engage, with respect to all the components of the nexus. This research addressed intersectoral synergies and trade-offs in the case of the WEFW nexus in Romania, judging from the perspectives of entrepreneurial activity and economic results. The objective of this research was to explore the nexus in-depth by statistically analyzing the financial and economic indicators reported by active enterprises at county-level, based on the Romanian Ministry of Public Finance data. Research results describe the effects of the policies implemented in the fields of WEFW sectors. At the same time, attention was paid to the quality of the entrepreneurial activity, analyzed from the perspective of economic performance. This paper fills a research gap regarding the WEFW nexus by resorting to an economic and entrepreneurial performance assessment in order to find sectoral pathways toward policy cohesion in Romania. Findings suggested the existence of major trade-offs among sectors, owing to the fact that each county has a different development degree.

Suggested Citation

  • Radu Petrariu & Marius Constantin & Mihai Dinu & Simona Roxana Pătărlăgeanu & Mădălina Elena Deaconu, 2021. "Water, Energy, Food, Waste Nexus: Between Synergy and Trade-Offs in Romania Based on Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-23, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:16:p:5172-:d:618938
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    2. Wuliyasu Bai & Liang Yan & Jingbo Liang & Long Zhang, 2022. "Mapping Knowledge Domain on Economic Growth and Water Sustainability: A Scientometric Analysis," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(11), pages 4137-4159, September.
    3. Tomasz Ingram & Monika Wieczorek-Kosmala & Karel Hlaváček, 2023. "Organizational Resilience as a Response to the Energy Crisis: Systematic Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-35, January.
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    5. Somayeh Rezaei Kalvani & Fulvio Celico, 2023. "The Water–Energy–Food Nexus in European Countries: A Review and Future Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.

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