Search results for ""Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd""

Starting with the 13th century, this book explores how patents have been used as an economic protectionist tool, developing and evolving to the point where thousands of patents have been ultimately granted not over inventions, but over isolated or purified biological materials. DNA, invented by no man and once thought to be 'free to all men and reserved exclusively to none', has become cartelised in the hands of multinational corporations. The author questions whether the continuing grant of patents can be justified when they are now used to suppress, rather than promote, research and development in the life sciences.Luigi Palombi demonstrates that patents are about inventions and not isolated biological materials, which consequently have no bona fide purpose in the innovations of biotechnological science. This book will be important reading for anyone who has an interest in the role that patents have played in economic development - particularly historians, economists and scientists. It will also be of great interest to law academics, lawyers, judges and policymakers.

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In this book, which is the first of its kind, leading experts examine the civil and criminal forfeiture systems in Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the fight against organized crime and international money laundering, there is a global trend for countries to enact forfeiture and confiscation laws that are applied through the civil process rather than the traditional criminal justice system. The authors gathered here analyze the appeal these civil forfeiture laws have for governments for their potential to disrupt criminal organizations and for their quantifiable benefits to the state. But without the usual safeguards of the criminal process, civil forfeiture laws are controversial, attracting constitutional challenges, particularly on human rights grounds. This book will be of great interest to policy-makers in government, and law enforcement agencies who are thinking of reforming their own laws, as well as to law reform agencies or select parliamentary committees where the issue of reform is topical. It will also appeal to students in criminal law, criminology and human rights.

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In recent years, applied studies have shown widespread, profound and increasing heterogeneity across firms in terms of their strategy, organization arrangement and performance. This book investigates the diversity of business firms, offering a picture of the different organizational settings they adopt in their endeavour to cope with increasing competitive pressure. The book addresses critical theoretical issues surrounding corporate governance, organizational design and cooperative relations among firms. Moreover, it provides new evidence on the various forms of outsourcing that are playing an increasingly important role as a consequence of globalization. The contributions collected in this book stress the emergence of a trend towards a reorganization of production that can enhance the transmission, development and maintenance of knowledge in order to sustain long-run competitive advantage.Providing original and pertinent empirical evidence, this book will attract interest from scholars and postgraduate students studying the economics and organization of the firm. It will also be of value to managers who wish to understand new developments in the organizational settings of business firms with particular reference to corporate governance, organizational design, cooperative relations, outsourcing and de-localization.

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This book explores the links between globalization, agriculture and development in a number of contemporary Asia-Pacific nations. It highlights the complex and diversified nature of agricultural change in these contexts, and the ways in which this shapes patterns of economic and social development. Globalisation, Agriculture and Development shows that while agriculture continues to play an important role in local, regional and national development, both the industry and the communities it supports are facing an increasing number of economic, social and environmental challenges.This well-researched book will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students in development studies, development economics, geography and rural sociology, public policy, politics and agricultural science. Researchers working in development studies, development economics, human geography, rural sociology, agricultural economics and rural sociology will also find this book beneficial.

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Why do power prices seem to be correlated with the carbon price in some markets and not in others? This crucial question is at the centre of Francesco Gulli's enlightening book, through which the contributing authors investigate a number of related issues. In particular, they explore why power firms are not consistent in passing-through into power prices the opportunity cost of carbon. They also examine the relationship between the pass-through mechanism and the structure of the power market.This informative study brings together and interprets original contributions by leading experts from every EU country. Beginning with an overview of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) along with an in-depth analysis of the early results and the theoretical issues involved, the book then goes on to explore the main European power markets via a number of empirical case studies. Overall, this volume offers a genuinely comprehensive analysis on the relationship between carbon and power markets and, as such, will prove a valuable contribution to the debate on the EU ETS and to the literature on the interaction between environmental policy and the structure of environmentally regulated markets.Markets for Carbon and Power Pricing in Europe will be of great interest to researchers and academics within general economics, environmental and energy economics. It will also be warmly welcomed by policymakers, regulators and power sector operators.

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Achieving corporate sustainability (CS) is one of the most difficult challenges facing organizations in the twenty-first century. This comprehensive Handbook examines the current status and future direction of sustainability frameworks and applications in the corporate environment. Internationally reputed scholars portray the frameworks of CS practices in contemporary businesses. They explore in detail these frameworks and the associated computer-based modelling tools that companies are using, or can use, to aid their decision-making with regards to CS and corporate social responsibility practices. The contributors expertly investigate the future direction of model-based applications in CS as well as related planning processes.This innovative and informative Handbook will provide a timely reminder to scholars, government agencies, international bodies, academics and practitioners that appropriate decision-making and a correct understanding of these complex problems are essential to the success of CS planning.

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This is a timely and comparative assessment of initiatives to promote renewable electricity sources (RES-E) in eight European countries. Carried out by the ProSus research programme at the University of Oslo in cooperation with leading research institutions in each country, the book focuses on the promotional schemes used to foster RES-E in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden. The book is unique in that it monitors progress on implementing the EU RES-E Directive in relation to the impact of the 'dominant energy systems' in each country. Employing notions of 'path dependency/path creation', the analysis demonstrates that crucial lessons for promoting RES-E are to be found in the contextual conditions of national and regional settings; conditions that qualify the effects of more general, market-oriented schemes. The conclusions reached are of direct relevance for the ongoing debate as to the most effective policy instruments for achieving sustainable energy and climate policies in Europe.Promoting Sustainable Electricity in Europe will be of interest to academics and researchers involved in environmental management, energy studies, technology and sustainable development. Furthermore, it will be of interest to policymakers and bureaucrats both at the EU level and among EU/EEA member states concerned with climate change, renewable energy and sustainable development at large. The book should also be of relevance for business organizations and NGOs concerned with the promotion of sustainable electricity.

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Over the last few decades, there has been a great deal of management literature recommending the removal of firms' hierarchies and the empowerment of employees. Ivan Pongracic, Jr. examines these themes through the lenses of the economic theory of the firm. Balancing the tendency for management literature to overlook basic costs and trade-offs of decentralization, and the rigidity of economics that hinders an appreciation for the real world phenomenon of decentralization, this book arrives at a realistic middle ground between the two extremes. The dance between hierarchy and employee empowerment exists in even the most hierarchical firms, and this book explores this often overlooked dynamic.The decentralization of decision-making and flattening of managerial hierarchies within business firms can best be understood as a response to situations where employees hold knowledge that is superior to that held by firms' owners and managers. Decentralizing decision-making in those circumstances allows firms to utilize their employees' superior personal knowledge, often by encouraging them to act in creative, entrepreneurial ways, while requiring some reliance on intra-firm spontaneous order processes to co-ordinate the activities of the employees. This book adds an important component to the standard economic theory of the firm by exploring the implications of intra-firm knowledge dispersion. It also explains how firms engage in a process of continuing experimentation to create an organizational structure that fosters employee creativity and entrepreneurship.Scholars in economics, entrepreneurship, organizational studies and management will find this book a fascinating exploration of firm behavior.

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The contributors to this original volume of theoretically grounded case studies of the entrepreneurial phenomenon look at the process of entrepreneurship in the emerging regions of India, China, Ireland, Eastern Europe, North and South America, and North and South-East Asia. The book's organization is designed to take the reader from a general framework for understanding the relationship between economic development and entrepreneurship to more specific examples of how entrepreneurs and their firms respond to the opportunity and threats that are dynamically evolving in such places. The case studies provide scholars with the opportunity to develop theoretically grounded research questions that will advance the field beyond what we already know from previous work in the contexts of the US and developed economies. The book represents the first serious attempt to suggest new theoretical frameworks for understanding the emergence of entrepreneurship in regions that do not have all of the classical prerequisites (such as financial and human capital, favorable geography, institutional infrastructures, and so on) predicted in extant development models. This book takes an important step forward in our knowledge of entrepreneurship and will be of great interest to scholars and graduate students in business, economic development, and regional studies; policymakers in economic development, technology transfer, and financial markets; and journalists following business and development issues in emerging regions.

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In recent times, research on trust has become a major field in the domain of management and in the social sciences as a whole.The Handbook of Trust Research presents a timely and comprehensive account of the most important work undertaken in this lively and emerging field over the past ten to fifteen years. Presenting a broad range of approaches to issues on trust, the Handbook features 22 articles from a variety of disciplines on the study of trust in both organizational and societal contexts. With contributions from some of the most eminent names in the field of trust research, this international collaboration is an imaginative and informative reference tool to aid research in this engaging area for years to come. The Handbook contributes to an area of key importance to almost every aspect of business and society and, in particular, it will appeal to students and scholars of organization theory, strategy and organizational psychology.

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This highly accessible book brings together the insights of leading academics and researchers to promote a better understanding of the role of private equity providers in the development of growth-oriented start-ups and the management of growth processes. The book explores the domain of start-up and business venturing, and within this realm, the perspectives of the entrepreneur, the venture capitalist, the financial community and the role of government in private equity are considered. Specifically, topics discussed include: the venture capital industry investment in venture capital funds in Europe the Equity Gap European private equity funds the role of private equity in the creation of university spin-out companies motivation of entrepreneurs towards private equity operations. Providing theoretical frameworks together with practical conclusions and implications, this book will be warmly welcomed by academics and practitioners alike. It will be of particular value to scholars with an interest in business, management and entrepreneurship, to investment professionals and policy advisors involved in stimulating entrepreneurship, and, of course, to entrepreneurs themselves.

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The biotechnology industry across the globe is growing dramatically in line with rapidly emerging scientific and technological developments. This book explores both the theoretical and practical aspects of entrepreneurship in the biotechnology industry, focusing on the innovation processes underpinning success for new biotechnology firms (NBFs). It argues that biotechnology is at a crossroads: to date the science has been solid, yet commercial success remains elusive, and that it will be the commercial success of NBFs which will dictate the long term viability of this crucial industry.The authors go on to examine the roles played by both entrepreneurship and innovation in the competitiveness of biotechnology companies through a focus on: intellectual property strategies, product development, valuing biotechnology ventures, funding innovation and R&D, alliances and networking, changing industry structures evidenced through the shifting value chain and the impact of globalization on the changing industry and organizational life cycles. International case studies with a focus on human biosciences support the important theoretical developments at the heart of this book.Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology offers original and valuable insights to researchers, academics and students as well as to practitioners involved with innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of biotechnology.

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In most industrialized countries the tax burden of poor people has increased dramatically over the last few decades. This book analyses both the political origins of this increase and its consequences for the labour market. Achim Kemmerling illustrates that tax-based redistribution and employment are not incompatible, and that the shift away from redistribution has not occurred on grounds of economic efficiency. He goes on to show that a long-term shift from capital to labour taxation has provoked conflicts of interests between workers that have weakened the political cause of tax-based redistribution.This interdisciplinary account of the political economy of taxing low wages explains the historical and structural origins of political tensions between different types of workers and their effects on the performance of labour markets. As such, it will strongly appeal to a wide-ranging audience, including academics, students and researchers with a special interest in political science, political economy, labour markets and the economics of taxation. Practitioners in the field of labour market, social and tax policies interested in the normative consequences of taxation for the labour market will also find the book to be of great interest.

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The Austrian School forms a concise but comprehensive exposition of the main tenets of the modern Austrian School of Economics while also providing a detailed explanation of the differences between the Austrian and the neoclassical (including the Chicago School) approaches to economics. The book also includes: reviews of the contributions of the main Austrian economists, critical analysis of the major objections to Austrian economics and an evaluation of its likely future development complete exposition on the concepts and implications of entrepreneurship and dynamic competition a new concept of dynamic efficiency (as an alternative to the standard Paretian criterion) and a generalised definition of socialism (as a systematic aggression against entrepreneurship) evaluation of the role of Spanish Scholastics of the 16th century as forerunners of the Austrian School, as well as the influence and contributions of the main Austrian Scholars of the 19th and 20th centuries. This book will most notably appeal to Austrian economists but also to other free market economists as well as researchers and academics of economic methodology, the history of economic thought, institutional economics and comparative economic systems.

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The stock market globalization process has produced historic changes in the structure of stock markets, the effects of which are evident throughout the world. Despite these transformations, there are relatively few sources examining the connections between the globalization process currently under way and previous periods of stock market globalization. This seminal volume fills that gap. The chapters in the first section examine previous globalization periods through the lens of the corporate economy, valuing equities and managed funds. Further chapters address current issues such as the social closure of the exchange, demutualization and mergers and acquisitions as well as cross-listing and liquidity. The final chapters consider the regulatory challenges posed by stock market globalization. These include the pressures on regulators from rent-seeking stock market participants, the demise of exchange trading floors and Latin America's stock market. Timely, multi-disciplinary and practical, this informative Handbook will be an essential reference for students and scholars of economics, finance and accounting, finance professionals and security market regulators. Contributors include: Y. Cassis, A. de la Torre, M. Geranio, I. Hasan, D.J. Harty, E. Hutson, J. Markham, R. Michie, G. Poitras, A. Preda, J. Rutterford, S. Schmukler, H. Schmiedel, L. Song, G. Zanotti

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This book considers the ways in which transboundary environmental pollution can be remedied through a variety of legal instruments. Particular attention is paid to the pollution of the Songhua river in China, but legal remedies to transboundary pollution are also discussed in a broader context. The focus of the book is on international environmental law and international conventions as well as the application of national environmental law in a transboundary legal context. Thus contributions also concentrate on voluntary approaches, the importance of transboundary environmental impact assessment and the application of national criminal law to transboundary pollution.Not only is transboundary pollution discussed from the perspective of international law, but also from that of the application of national law to transboundary pollution, thus centering on private law, administrative law and criminal law. As such, this book will be of great interest to academics, practitioners and students.

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Industrial ecology provides a rigorous and comprehensive description of human production and consumption processes in the larger context of environmental and socioeconomic change. This volume offers methodologies for such descriptions, with contributions covering both basic and advanced analytical concepts and tools to explore the dynamics of industrial ecosystems, concentrating specifically on regions and networks.Each of the book's three parts contains an introduction by a leader in the field, as well as chapters ranging from conceptual models to case study applications. The first part offers an introduction to the main themes and issues surrounding regional and networked industrial ecosystems. The subsequent two parts broaden and deepen the discussion with emphasis on the regional and network characters relevant for analysis and management. The scale of issues ranges from buildings to regions to entire nations, with methods that range from input-output analysis to computer-assisted simulation games.Researchers in the fields of industrial ecology, ecological economics, environmental and energy policy, environmental engineering, and resource and environmental economics will find this comprehensive book of great interest.

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This comprehensive book provides an extensive overview of the major topics of antitrust law from an economic perspective. Its in-depth treatment and analysis of both the law and economics of antitrust is presented via a collection of interconnected original essays. The contributing authors are among the most influential scholars in antitrust, with a rich diversity of backgrounds. Their entries cover, amongst other issues, predatory pricing, essential facilities, tying, vertical restraints, enforcement, mergers, market power, monopolization standards, and facilitating practices.This well-organized and substantial work will be invaluable to professors of American antitrust law and European competition law, as well as students specializing in competition law. It will also be an important reference for professors and graduate students of economics and business.

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Economics of Knowledge explores the theory and empirical facts needed for rational decisions on knowledge investments, creative processes and management of knowledge based industries and institutions. The accumulation of knowledge through higher education, scientific research and industrial R&D is a key factor in economic and social development. This timely and valuable book focuses on the micro- and macroeconomics of knowledge production, and on the analysis of technical constraints, possibilities of collaboration and incentives for scientists, academic teachers and students. The authors move on to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of centrally controlled and competitive university systems, before concluding with a set of decision-making rules for government, university administrations and industry.This book on a hotly contested subject will be widely sought after by those with an interest in economics, management, operations research, regional science and planning as well as consultants to knowledge based industries. R&D managers of industrial firms will learn a great deal from this book as will managers of universities and research institutes.

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Why is competition between institutions usually viewed in a negative light, when competition is considered positive in most other economic contexts? The contributors to this volume introduce new perspectives on this issue, analytically and empirically exploring reasons for this perception. Negative assessments of institutional competition emphasize that such competition may lead to a race to the bottom in terms of eroding government revenues, redistributing wealth from workers to capitalists, and limiting democracy by forcing politicians to prioritize international investment capital rather than working for their voters. In this volume, however, many of the essays draw attention to the positive learning and information effects. The contributors conclude that competition may actually lead to institutions becoming more efficient in allocating resources.Students and scholars of economics, political economy, international relations and political science will find the book's non-traditional take on institutional competition a must-read, as will policy analysts and those with an interest in taxation and welfare states.

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Public choice theory sheds light on many aspects of legislation, regulation, and constitutional law and is critical to a sophisticated understanding of public policy. The editors of this landmark addition to the law and economics literature have organized the Handbook into four main areas of inquiry: foundations, constitutional law and democracy, administrative design and action, and specific statutory schemes. The original contributions, authored by top scholars in the field, provide helpful introductions to important topics in public choice and public law while also exploring the institutional complexity of American democracy. Beginning with a critical introduction to the core tenets of public choice theory and concluding with comprehensive analyses of drug safety, energy regulation, and environmental law, the Handbook provides differing points of view on the foundations of these and a range of related subjects, including: direct democracy and its financial implications, the functioning of electoral processes, judicial behavior, and the structural differences between presidential and parliamentary systems. The Handbook's knowledgeable contributors offer a rich, realistic view of how public policy is made that is accessible to a broad range of readers. Summarizing much of the key literature in a range of major topics and framing that literature for open debates and further research, the Handbook is ideal for students and scholars of law, political science, and economics. Contributors: D. Carpenter, S. Croley, D.A. Farber, E. Garrett, J.E. Gersen, T. Ginsburg, R.M. Hills, Jr, S. Issacharoff, T. Jacobi, J. Mashaw, L. Miller, A.J. O'Connell, B.D. Richman, J. Rossi, C.H. Schroeder, M.L. Stearns, M.C. Stephenson, J.B. Wiener

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This book takes an in-depth look at Japan's long-festering territorial and maritime disputes with its three neighbors - China, South Korea and the Russian Federation. Japan has established friendly relations with all three former adversaries since the end of World War II, but these sovereignty issues remain. All three disagreements have recently flared into potentially violent incidents that could erupt again at any time. The book explores each situation and proposes concrete compromise solutions to each of the outstanding disputes. The key recommendation the book sets forth is that the disputes in question be resolved through the conclusion of separate negotiated agreements between Japan and each of its neighbors, whereby separate Zones of Cooperation and Environmental Protection are established in northeast Asia. These three agreements would be international treaties with the purpose of establishing ongoing permanent cooperation in the three disputed areas. The book concludes with a discussion of the need for broader multilateral institutions of cooperation.International relations specialists, government officials, international lawyers and scholars of Asian politics will find great value in the knowledgeable discussions of these complex issues.

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This book examines and critiques the WTO's Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), asking whether it strikes an appropriate balance between conflicting domestic health protection and trade liberalization objectives. It pays particular attention to situations likely to occur but not yet fully examined either in the literature or in WTO law; most importantly, where public opinion demands regulation in the face of scientific uncertainty as to the existence or otherwise of a health risk. Tracey Epps concludes that the SPS Agreement's science-based framework is capable of dealing with the differing objectives of health and trade, and that it provides countries with more flexibility to respond to scientific uncertainties and public sentiment than many critics contend. This conclusion is strongly influenced by a positive analysis of domestic regulatory decision-making, which finds potential for regulatory capture by domestic protectionist interests and thus emphasizes the importance of ensuring that decisions are made on a sound and principled basis. Including a historical overview of disputes over trade and health since the 1800s, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of and new perspective on an important area of intersection between international trade law and domestic policy. It will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience including legal and non-legal academics, policy makers and analysts in the field of risk regulation, trade law practitioners in governments, and lawyers and analysts in international institutions.

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This important book offers valuable insights into the way in which social policies and welfare state arrangements interact with family and gender models. It presents the most up-to-date research in the field, based on a variety of national and comparative sources and using different theoretical and methodological approaches. The authors address different forms of support (care, financial, emotional) and employ a bi-directional perspective, exploring both giving and receiving across generations. They illustrate that understanding how generations interact in families helps to reformulate the way issues of intergenerational equity are discussed when addressing the redistributive impact of the welfare state through pensions and health services.Encompassing a wide number of European countries as well as migrant groups, this book will greatly appeal to graduate students interested in sociology, social policy and social psychology. Researchers and policy makers in the fields of demography and sociology will also find the book an invaluable resource.

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Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development highlights the opportunities and risks of nature-based tourism for economic development and explores selected strategies for sustainability. The prospect of tourism growth is a potential source of major challenges and considerable threats on a number of levels. The concept of sustainable tourism development has thus become the focus of the debate on this subject. This invaluable book aims to provide useful analytical and empirical tools in support of the idea that sustainability is not just about regulating and controlling the negative impacts of tourism. It is also about policies and actions that aim to reinforce the benefits and reduce the costs of tourism, in order to make it more profitable now and in the future.The chapters focused on economic modelling offer a valuable overview of the main issues currently debated at the academic level. The book also illustrates a number of empirical instruments that will provide a useful reference for academics and policymakers interested in how to put theory into practice. This study will be of great value to economists, geographers and to those who have a direct or indirect interest in tourism economics.

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This timely Companion examines the unique codes and processes of managing gender diversity, equality and inclusion in Asia. Managing Gender Diversity in Asia covers the whole geography of Asia through chapters authored by eminent scholars in the field and thus provides an authoritative tool for a critical and evidence based understanding of gender diversity management in Asia. The distinctive nature of Asian institutional structures, approaches and processes are examined in order to account for variations in representation and inclusion at work for women and men. This comprehensive Companion will make ideal reading for researchers, postgraduate students and practitioners who wish to understand the methodological and thematic idiosyncrasies of researching gender diversity management in organisational settings.

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R. Quentin Grafton brings together more than 90 previously published articles in this two volume collection on the economics of water resources. The articles featured cover a vast range of subjects, locations and methodologies and are divided into nine broad theme areas including environmental valuation, water pollution, irrigation, residential and non-residential water use and water pricing and management.During a period of increased international environmental awareness and change, this collection identifies the most important and influential pieces and will be an invaluable resource for students and water professionals alike.

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With global finance reshaping the world economy, this insightful new book provides a full account of the EU's financial integration strategy, together with a critical assessment arguing the case for social control over global finance.Written by acknowledged experts in European finance, this book discusses key issues from finance to general social developments, encompassing social security systems, employment relations, household saving and borrowing, and the question of economic stability. Thus far, America has been pre-eminent both in global financial markets and international banking - so how should the European Union meet this challenge? Global Finance and Social Europe constructively argues that an active response is required and highlights the importance of an integrated European financial system.Aimed at an international audience, this book will strongly appeal to researchers, academics and readers who share an interest in European integration and global economic issues.

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Very few studies have ventured to explore the shift in economic ideas that were such a critical factor in shaping and understanding the East European transition process. Paul Dragos Aligica and Anthony J. Evans have seized upon the potential that this crucial case has to illuminate the larger phenomenon of diffusion and adoption of economic ideas. Two different but related research agendas are developed: the study of the spread of 'neoliberalism' as seen from the perspective of Eastern European post-communist evolutions and the study of Eastern European transition as seen from an ideas-centered perspective.Combining a distinctive synthesis of the existing data about the spread of neoliberal economic ideas in Central and Eastern Europe with an analysis of the processes at work, the authors challenge a series of misunderstandings and myths about the spread of neoliberal economic ideas. The disputed topics include: the myth of an Eastern European rush to embrace the theories and ideas that may be considered the mark of 'market fundamentalism'; the notion that a harsh 'neoliberal dogmatism' was somehow imposed on the region from outside; the idea that the standardization and regimentation of economic thinking was a result of the spread of the Western way of doing economics; and the belief that the Eastern Europeans passively embraced this uniformity and standardization due to pressure from the Westerners.This unusual synthesis will appeal to scholars in economics, political science, communist/post-communist studies and new institutionalism, as well as policymakers.

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This book - the third in the Movements in Entrepreneurship series - examines entrepreneurship as a societal phenomenon. It provides an in-depth study of the social aspects of entrepreneurship, illustrating how entrepreneurship affects society. The need to move beyond economy to disclose entrepreneurship in its societal forms is demonstrated, as is the relevance of our understanding of entrepreneurship as a societal phenomenon. The contributors show that entrepreneurship is a society-creating force and as such, it evokes new questions for entrepreneurship research and attempts to engage with new theoretical formulations. They begin with discussions on early Schumpeter and a rhetorical analysis of the current academic literature on social entrepreneurship. They go on to present myriad contextual examples of how entrepreneurship can shape social change, and indicate how this is initiated through various social settings, relationships and communities.Through rich empirical work this book explores the social of 'social entrepreneurship' and in doing so shows us how entrepreneurship is at home where society is created. As such, it will prove a fascinating read for academics, researchers and students with an interest in entrepreneurship, sociology and economic sociology.

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The past decade has seen a quickening of the pace and extent of privatisation reforms in developing countries. An associated set of post-privatisation policies has seen the introduction of new and changed regulatory institutions. This book critically reviews regulatory reforms in developing countries, with a particulalr focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the 'best practice' model of reform, the significance of institutions of regulatory governance, and the impact of post-privatisation governance on development and poverty reduction agendas. The contributors argue that while regulatory governance is regarded as highly significant in the literature on economic and social regulation in developed economies, in relation to regulatory reforms in developing countries, it is a neglected and under researched field. This book redresses the balance. Regulatory Governance in Developing Countries proposes that existing policy models of regulatory reform are inappropriate, ineffectual, and too narrowly conceived; they need to be evaluated and reshaped within the broader context of poverty reduction and developmental programmes. Drawn from diverse backgrounds, including law, political science, economics, and development policy and management, the contributors are well placed to judge issues of policy transfer between developed and developing systems of governance. Postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students in governance, public policy, public sector development studies and economics will find this book to be of great interest as will practitioners in development agencies and aid institutions.

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Economics in the Shadows of Darwin and Marx examines the legacies of these two giants of thought for the social sciences in the twenty-first century.Darwin and Marx stand out as the supreme theorists of structural change in complex living systems. Yet their analytical approaches are very different, and the idea that Darwinism has application to the social sciences is not widely appreciated. This collection of essays establishes the importance of Darwinism for economics and other social sciences, and compares the Darwinian legacy with that of Marx. Critical realism is just one of the tendencies within economics influenced by Marxism that is dissected here. The final part of the book adopts a Darwinian evolutionary approach to the analysis of institutions and routines. Geoffrey Hodgson's book will be warmly welcomed and received by evolutionary and institutional economists, methodologists of economics and other social sciences, heterodox economists as well as other social scientists including economic sociologists, organisation scientists and political scientists.

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The Persian Gulf is arguably the most militarized region in the world. The authors of this insightful book examine military expenditures, arms imports and military deployment to analyze how and why this came to be. Muslim teachings have much to say about peace, war and economics, and this book explores the ways in which Islamic thought affects military and economic developments.The authors find that heavy militarization is the result of a combination of factors, including oil wealth disparities among the countries in the region, high oil revenues, corruption and foreign interference. The authors detail and discuss these factors, and follow this analysis with an assessment of the effects of high military expenditures - wars, conflicts, regional instability - and their heavy economic toll in retarding development and growth. The book concludes by suggesting ways that military expenditures may be reduced to benefit regional peace, stability and economic prosperity.Scholars and students in economics, political science and international affairs as well as anyone interested in the Middle East will find this book timely and illuminating.

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The innovation systems (IS) approach emerged as a theoretical framework in the industrialized world in the mid-1990s to explain innovation and growth in the developed world. This Handbook is the first attempt to adapt the IS approach to developing countries from a theoretical and empirical viewpoint. The Handbook brings eminent scholars in economics, innovation and development studies together with promising young researchers to review the literature and push theoretical boundaries. They critically review the IS approach and its adequacy for developing countries, discuss the relationship between IS and development, and address the question of how it should be adapted to the realities of developing nations.Spanning national, sectoral and regional innovation systems across Asia, Latin America and Africa, and written by the world's leading scholars within the field, this comprehensive Handbook will strongly appeal to academics, researchers and students with an interest in innovation and technology in developing countries.

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This unique and timely book offers an up-to-date, clear and comprehensive review of the economic literature on contract law. The topical chapters written by leading international scholars include: pre-contractual liability, misrepresentation, duress, gratuitous promises, gifts, standard form contracts, interpretation, contract remedies, penalty clauses, impracticability and foreseeability. Option contracts, warranties, long-term contracts, marriage contracts, franchise contracts, quasi-contracts, behavioral approaches, and civil contract law are also discussed.This excellent resource on contract law and economics will be particularly suited to contract law scholars, law teachers, policy makers, and judges. For experts in and practitioners of contract law this will be a key book to buy.

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Secured transactions reform, also known as collateral or pledge law reform, is increasingly seen as an important building block for economic development. The commonly held view is that the availability and cost of credit, as well as the efficiency of the market for secured credit, are directly influenced by the laws affecting secured transactions and their implementation. However, there is still a lot of confusion about this relatively complex and technical area of the law and its role in promoting access to credit and economic growth. The chapters presented here provide, for the first time, a comprehensive and cutting-edge view of the subject - from both a legal and economic perspective. They start at the macro level of financial systems, moving towards the behaviours of lenders (commercial banks and micro-lenders), policy options for government and the mechanisms of collateral law reform. By approaching the subject from different angles and experiences, the work advocates an inclusive approach to the subject where all stakeholders' interests can be taken into account. It addresses the question of what role laws and institutions can play to encourage access to credit. This book will be of primary interest to those involved in economic development and the interaction between law and economics, either for practical reasons (for example, working on reform or providing advice on investment in transition economies) or for research purposes.

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Profound transformations have taken place both in the US and the global economy, especially in the realm of finance. Financial markets and transactions have been growing continuously in size and in importance while finance in general has acquired an increasingly prominent position in the economy. ozgur Orhangazi brings together a comprehensive analysis of financialization in the US economy that encompasses the historical, theoretical, and empirical sides of the issues. He explores the origins and consequences of the dramatic rise of financial markets in the US economy and focuses on the impacts of this process of 'financialization' on the operations of the non-financial corporate sector.The book starts with a brief review of the meaning of financialization, then documents its factual context, before moving on to provide a historical perspective on its evolution and proximate causes. Next, the book compares various theoretical and empirical perspectives in an attempt to clarify the limits of our knowledge and outline what we know about the phenomenon and what we do not. In the second part, the author further explores the relationship between the financial and nonfinancial sectors of the economy and focuses on the effects of financialization on capital accumulation. The author provides a framework for analyzing this relationship and offers evidence that the increase in nonfinancial corporations' (NFCs) financial investment rates and payments to financial markets have had negative effects on the real investment rates of NFCs.Scholars and students working on the issues of financialization or interested in financial markets, investment, and capital accumulation will find this a valuable addition to their collection, as will the serious general reader who wants to learn more about the causes and effects of the transformation of financial markets.

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Here the example of the Russian oil industry in the context of transition from a planned to a market economy is used to develop a three-stage framework for organisational transformation.Four longitudinal case studies of Russian oil companies are drawn upon to explain the process of organisational transformation. The book highlights how and why this process differs between companies within the same industry, explores the complexity of the change process and discusses the importance of the top management team. The links between organisational learning, dynamic capabilities and the implementation of change are analysed. An interesting insight into the constraints and enablers of organisational change is also provided. The framework developed from this study can be successfully applied to other organisations wishing to bring about organisational change.Integrating several perspectives, including a resource-based view, organisational learning, dynamic capabilities and top management team theory, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of business and management, international business and organisational behaviour.

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The genesis and diffusion of innovation depends upon the density of the cognitive and market relationships among individuals, organisations and institutions at both the micro- and macro-economic level. By addressing the nature of these relationships, which include cooperation, competition and power, this book presents an important and progressive enquiry into the economic and social origins of innovation.The authors in the book stress the importance of cognitive and economic linkages in the assessment and analysis of innovation within the enterprise, within local and national economies and at the international level. They present a series of interesting studies of research labs, enterprises and networks, systems of innovation and innovative milieux to present emerging ideas from different theoretical traditions. They also demonstrate how specific actors, such as the State or certain individual enterprises, are able to determine the process of diffusion, coordination and standardisation of knowledge and technologies. Thus, economic and political power is a key notion that permeates the book. Taking the renewal of technologies and markets as a starting point, the book also clearly shows that military programmes and industries constitute one of the engines of capitalist economies.This book will interest and inform a broad readership of scholars and students working on the economics and management of innovation, the economics of technology policy and business studies.

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This book provides a complete picture of the development of competitive balance in the major European football countries over an extended period of time, along with some policy prescriptions for the governance of the European football market. It presents three new indices which show that European football competitions become less exciting over time. It is also shown that the lower the average number of goals per match, the more imperfect the referee and the stronger the home and away (dis)advantage, the higher the level of competitive balance will be. In the final chapter it is argued that to safeguard the competitive balance and the longstanding traditions of European football, a decommercialization of football is required. Using standard welfare economic theory, the author shows that free-of-charge public broadcasting is the preferred policy. This book is highly relevant for sports economists, higher vocational and academic students in sports studies and for policymakers in football governing bodies and competition policy agencies.

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The practical value of intuitive insights provided by innovative scholars in the past drives much of the current development in applied welfare economics. This single volume presents the key works that serve as a basis for applied welfare economic practices, the major papers that develop the methodology of applied economic welfare measurement and some of the most exemplary applications in the fields of welfare work. This indispensable book is designed to provide students and scholars with a convenient single source of the essential foundations in applied welfare economics.

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The increasing role that NGOs play at different levels of legal relevance - from treaty-making to rule implementation, and from support to judges to aid delivery - calls for reconsideration of the international legal status of those organizations. This book shows that the degree of flexibility currently enjoyed by NGOs in fields as varied as human rights, the environment and the European Union development cooperation policy constitutes the best arena for all actors involved, with the consequences that the instances where more strict regulation of NGOs' participation is desirable are very limited.With each chapter focusing on a different modality of NGO participation in international affairs (from formalised legal statuses to informal ways of dealing with issues of international relevance), this book will be of great interest to academics specialised in international law, political scientists, international officials working for both international organisations and non-governmental organisations, and legal practitioners (legal counsels of international organisations, lawyers and judges).

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Frank Tipton's book is a comparative study of the management structures of Asian firms. As Asian economies continue to expand, the management of Asian firms becomes ever more important, whether they are suppliers, customers, partners, or rivals. As the author argues, Asian firms are very different from their Western counterparts, and these differences reflect the variations in national history and institutions within which they operate.Asian Firms compares Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian management structures and sets them in their historical and institutional context. Based on a wide range of interviews and material drawn from a variety of disciplines, the argument is framed by the sayings of the legendary strategist Sun Tzu and the renowned businessman Tao Zhu-gong. A series of case studies illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches of managers in each of the national traditions. Asian Firms asks in each case what Western managers can learn from Asian firms, and what Asian firms can learn from each other.With a multidisciplinary approach and emphasis on practical lessons and tools, the book will be of great use and interest for managers. It will also appeal to students and researchers of international business, postgraduate management students in courses with a comparative or Asian emphasis as well as academics and researchers of Asian studies.

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Worldwide, postal and delivery economics has attracted considerable interest. Numerous questions have arisen, including the role of regulation, funding the Universal Service Obligation, postal reform in Europe, Asia and North America, the future of national postal operators, demand and pricing strategies, and the principles that should govern the introduction of competition. Collected here are responses to these questions in the form of 24 essays written by researchers, practitioners, and senior managers from throughout the world. This volume will have a broad appeal, with an audience ranging from practitioners in the express and delivery industry, national Postal Operators and managers, to economists, regulators, competition lawyers, marketers, scholars in economic regulation, and institutional libraries.

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Frequent references are made to the 'Asian economic miracle' as a means of describing the wave of GDP growth experienced across the Asia-Pacific region over the past twenty years. Implicit in this description is the assumption that the Asia-Pacific region has progressed at the same rate that GDP has risen over the same period. But is this truly the case? Employing a Genuine Progress Indicator as an alternative measure of sustainable welfare, the contributors to this book aim to answer this question by presenting case studies of seven Asia-Pacific nations. The results reveal that all is not as positive as conventional indicators might suggest. The book shows that the three wealthy nations - Australia, New Zealand, and Japan - have long reached a level of GDP beyond which further growth is detrimental to their sustainable welfare while the four poorer nations - China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam - are fast approaching a similar situation, but at much lower per capita levels of sustainable welfare. In view of these results, it is argued that genuine progress in the Asia-Pacific region requires the wealthy nations to focus on qualitative improvement (development) rather than GDP growth. As for the poorer nations, it is argued that population stabilisation demands urgent attention while the GDP growth required over the next two to three decades must be as clean, efficient, and equitable as possible.Sustainable Welfare in the Asia-Pacific will appeal to a wide audience of academics and researchers in the areas of ecological, environmental and natural resource economics, development, green national accounting, and environmental management. It will also find a readership in policymakers, environmental managers and NGOs, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Regulating Development examines the impact that regulation - good or bad - can have on the development of poorer societies. It opens with a succinct review of critical issues, including the implications of the spread of intellectual property rights legislation and the role of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).The volume examines the regulatory experiences of three important developing economies: Brazil, Ghana and South Africa. Key regulatory themes are analysed, most notably capital markets and corporate governance regulation, the regulation of the telecommunications sector and the use of regulatory reforms to promote the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises. Within each chapter policy lessons are drawn, the relevance of which extend well beyond national or even regional boundaries. The principal aim of the book is to show the extent to which regulation is moving increasingly to centre stage as a driver of development in Africa and Latin America. The book also demonstrates how thoughtful, well-planned regulation can make a real contribution to the emergence of supply-side competitiveness.This book will be invaluable reading for academics, researchers and students with an interest in economics and development studies, as well as for regulators and policymakers in developing countries.

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This path-breaking book provides unique insights into the organisational realities of strategic reconfigurations in uncertain markets, thus advancing the dynamic capability perspective.Dynamic capabilities continue to excite academics. It is a perspective that promises explanations of competitive advantage, but its full potential remains somewhat hidden behind abstract notions. This eloquent volume seeks to overcome the challenge by combining the theory and practice of organisational resource configurations. Joint contributions by expert academics and business executives demystify, but also confirm, elements of the theory. Thus, the book integrates dynamic capabilities with organisational realities as well as with adjacent theories of strategic innovation and entrepreneurship. Strategic Reconfigurations provides a guide to strategic management in turbulent times, for students, researchers, and professionals alike. Business executives in high-velocity markets will find the book invaluable.

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This book seeks to gain a better understanding of the paradoxical relationship between the alleged need of European labour markets to become more flexible and the way in which national policies pursue this aim without jeopardising existing high standards of income and employment security. Special interest is devoted to the way in which countries opt for different policy routes to cope with the aim of balancing flexibility and security goals in their respective labour market and social protection policies. The contributions in this book all try to unveil the particular changes or transitions occurring in the various labour markets, to learn about their medium and longer term effects and the role of institutions and policies to cushion the adverse consequences of these changes. By studying some 'best practices' in Denmark, Canada and Australia they also draw some important lessons about the reasons why national policies might either fail or better cope with the challenges Europe face today. Flexibility and Employment Security in Europe is a study rich in data that will appeal to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in economics, sociology and political science and in particular students of the labour market, social policy and European studies. It will also prove invaluable to policymakers at regional, national and European level seeking a greater understanding of the complex issues surrounding, and the relationship between labour market flexibility and standards of income and employment security.

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