Review Reports

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article is interesting and relevant to the present. However, there are a number of comments and discussion questions:

1. The study is based on cross-sectional data (2023) collected three years after resettlement. The lack of longitudinal data limits the ability to assess the dynamics of changes in the capacity of households to achieve sustainable development and to test the stability of the identified patterns over time.

2.The authors declare an intergenerational perspective through the indicator Y3 (willingness to invest in children’s education), but the empirical analysis does not include an assessment of children’s actual educational outcomes or their future prospects. The indicator remains at the level of intentions, not actual outcomes.

3. The study was conducted in a specific context (Meizhou Pumped-Storage Power Station), which limits the generalizability of the results to other regions and types of resettlement projects. The authors do not discuss the limitations of the generalizability of their findings.
4. There is no separate section “Discussion” where the authors could critically analyze the obtained results in the context of the existing literature, discuss the limitations of the study and suggest directions for further research.
5. Although the authors formulate policy recommendations in the “Conclusions” section, they remain quite general. It would be desirable to specify the mechanisms for implementing the proposed measures, assess their cost and discuss potential barriers to implementation.
6. The literature review in the introduction is somewhat fragmented. It would be advisable to structure the existing research more systematically, identify clear gaps in knowledge and show how this study fills these gaps.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.
The PDF attachment includes both the point-by-point response letter (pages 1–6) and the manuscript with revisions highlighted for review (pages 7–33) for the reviewer’s convenience.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is an interesting and policy-relevant study that integrates SLA and TPB to provide insights into sustainable livelihood development for reservoir resettlers. The framework has practical value; however, the manuscript requires several improvements before it can be published:

The introduction (lines 35–57) lacks sufficient scholarly support. It should include more comprehensive references within a global context on reservoir resettlers, and it should explicitly present around three focused research questions rather than general motivations. In addition, a dedicated Research Area section should be added, with lines 97–123 relocated there to provide a clearer description of the study area.

The manuscript would also benefit from a stronger discussion section. Beyond summarizing findings, the discussion should engage more directly with related studies, situate the results in broader academic debates, and propose pathways or mechanisms for practical application. The use of diagrams or schematics to illustrate policy or practice implications is encouraged.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.
The PDF attachment includes both the point-by-point response letter (pages 1–4) and the manuscript with revisions highlighted for review (pages 5–31) for the reviewer’s convenience.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This article addresses the highly interesting issue of assessing the impact of a large-scale state investment, a pumped-storage power plant, on the lives of displaced farmers. The aim of the article is to assess the sustainable development path of displaced farmers based on their available resources and their behavioral intentions.

The research methods used in the work appear appropriate and sufficient. Research methods included surveys of 195 households of displaced people in one province of China, the TOPSIS method, the k-means clustering method for hierarchical classification, and the obstacle level model for identifying key obstacles to various livelihood strategies. The results of the empirical section were properly analyzed, evaluated, and presented in figures and tables.

A discussion of the results, including a summary of the obtained research findings and references to research by other authors, is missing. It would be worthwhile to refer to international studies by other researchers, certainly studying a different region but with the same research focus. This would make the article more interesting for readers outside of China.

The work concludes with conclusions, including: that the capacity for sustainable development is influenced by capital, the environment, and readiness for development, with the latter and financial capital constituting the most significant obstacles. It was pointed out that economic policy should address these conclusions through targeted policy interventions based on diverse factors hindering development, for example, through small-scale microcredit programs, technical training in agriculture for farms, and, for those primarily engaged in paid work, expanding job placement services to reduce and increase subsidies for children's education. At the community level, local resources should be consolidated to develop the collective rural economy, promote the development of distinctive industries, and increase the resources of financial and physical capital. This demonstrates that displaced people cannot be left without adequate support.

The literature used is relevant. There are many recent publications. However, there is a lack of international publications, which could be included, for example, in the discussion of the results.

I have a few technical notes:

• Each graphic element, such as a table or chart, should be referenced, e.g., based on xxx data.
•  In Table 2, the Frequency of Interpersonal Interactions should be included. Over what time frame is this determined? Is it per week, per month, etc.?Best regards

Author Response

Please see the attachment.
The PDF attachment includes both the point-by-point response letter (pages 1–4) and the manuscript with revisions highlighted for review (pages 5–31) for the reviewer’s convenience.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf