Search results for ""Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd""

Recent developments in macroeconomic and monetary thinking have given a new impetus to the management of the economy. The use of monetary policy by way of manipulating the rate of interest to affect inflation is now well accepted by both academic economists and central bank practitioners. Beginning with an assessment of new thinking in macroeconomics and monetary theory, this book suggests that many countries have adopted the New Consensus Monetary Policy since the early 1990s in an attempt to reduce inflation to low levels. It goes on to illustrate that the explicit control of the money supply, which was fashionable in the 1970s and 1980s in the UK, US, Europe and elsewhere, was abandoned in favour of monetary rules that focus on interest rate manipulation by the central bank. The objective of these rules is to achieve specific, or a range of, inflation targets. Bringing together a distinguished cast of international contributors, this book presents a collection of papers, which discuss the following issues amongst others: the stability of the macroeconomic equilibrium monetary policy divergences in the Euro area stock market prices the US post-'new economy' bubble the information economy inflation targeting. This useful analysis of New Consensus Monetary Policy will be of great interest to financial economists and international monetary economists, as well as students and scholars of macroeconomics and finance.

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The pursuit of the financial proceeds of criminal activity has become a central theme of contemporary crime control. Initially conceived to tackle the global trade in illegal drugs, these methods have been more recently employed in the context of terrorism. This work offers a judicious account of the national and international strategies which seek to cope with crime by attacking its financial underpinnings. The book focuses on the increasingly civil legal orientation of these strategies - a sea change from criminal prosecutions to civil legal instruments. The author focuses on developments of the civil strategy in the US and the UK beginning with its historical origins. The work reveals the contradictions that animate the civil approach to criminal finance and discloses the failure of civil devices, as presently constituted, to comply with rights. It bridges the gap between two jurisdictions prominent in this area; the United States and the United Kingdom. This comparative element distinguishes the project from other work in the field that focuses on a single jurisdiction. Critical in its perspective, the work brings balance and reflection to an emergent area of national and international interest.Money Laundering and the Proceeds of Crime analyzes rather than merely describes the proceeds of crime laws, anti-money laundering regimes and the civil legal approach to criminal finance and as such will have a wide readership. The book will appeal to, amongst others, government actors involved in constructing instruments to confront criminal finance, scholars and researchers working in the area and banks, financial institutions, lawyers and other professional private actors charged with anti-money laundering functions.

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What role will the current evolution of banking systems play in the newly adopted EU countries during the historic challenges following enlargement? This book, a blend of economics and political economy, offers a systematic analysis of the current trends in financial intermediation in the countries of the newly enlarged Europe, with particular focus on those policies taken by foreign banks on the one hand, and by regulatory and supervisory authorities on the other.The authors argue that their research has led to one conclusion; in order to enter the EU, the accession countries needed to increase the efficiency of their economic systems rapidly through liberalization and privatization. The book assesses whether the presence of foreign banks will contribute to long term economic growth and financial stability, and how the architecture of banking regulations and supervision should be designed.As a multidisciplinary work, though principally economics, the book will appeal to scholars and academics of politics and law. It also has particular relevance for regulators and supervisory institutions, as well as professionals including bankers, financial operators and also legal compliance officers.

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Water issues in the American West share many similarities with those seen elsewhere in the world as population growth exacerbates longstanding problems of inappropriate water use and management. The contributors to this timely volume examine the universal challenge of sustainable water management to improve the use of water resources already developed and find ways to moderate our growing collective thirst.The volume begins with an exploration of the opportunities, arguments, and mechanisms for transferring lessons between the American West and foreign nations. Succeeding chapters cover individual issues such as: water allocation and the relationship between market mechanisms and government-based approaches, the challenge of environmental protection, the protection of cultural values with a focus on indigenous water rights, the significance of international and interstate rivers in promoting regional conflict and cooperation, and the role of water management in sustainable development. A comprehensive look at one of our most pressing issues, In Search of Sustainable Water Management will be of great interest to scholars and practitioners in the areas of water management, law, policy studies, economics, planning and public administration.

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This book contends that the East Asian financial constitution lacks an appropriate infrastructure, resulting in inefficient allocation of high savings and an over-inflated short-term debt market. It goes on to point out that despite high savings, East Asia's dependency on financial centers outside the region is also relatively high, and that there is no strong region-wide network to connect various financial centers in East Asia.Against this economic background, the contributors make recommendations for the establishment of effective and stable capital recycling in East Asia. The financial intermediary function of the regional financial centers - Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo - is evaluated. Discussion focusses on the issues of building an organic network between the financial markets of major economies in the region and enhancing the future role and function of those regional financial centres. The policy implications of the future development of regional financial markets - based on regional financial networks - that could potentially act as intermediaries between the high savings and productive sectors in East Asia are also examined.Concentrating on the major issues identified as central to building a new financial market structure in East Asia, this book will be appeal to those with a special interest in Asian studies and financial economics.

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The football industry has long been the subject of theoretical and empirical analysis by economists. A study of the economics of football throws up a range of intriguing questions - from what determines the level of attendance at football matches to how efficient football managers are in producing team performance, given the playing resources available. This important collection considers these and other questions - such as: What drives the transfer value of players? How has the changing structure of football's labour market affected sporting and financial outcomes? How effective have football leagues been in maintaining competitive balance? Do football clubs seek to maximise profits? How predictable are football matches? Is the football betting market efficient?This authoritative two volume collection pulls together the work of leading sports economists over the last five decades to answer these and other questions using consumer theory, labour economics, industrial organisation and a range of other theoretical insights combined with econometric analysis. These innovative volumes bring together a careful synthesis of applied economics that will be of interest to all those concerned with analysing the real world.

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This comprehensive collection presents organization theory in its historical context. It includes an authoritative selection of seminal articles published since the 1960s, which exercise continuing influence on contemporary thinking about organizations. Volume one addresses classical themes, which predate and inform modern organization theory. The second volume examines current trends, and concludes with reflections on method and on theory writing. An excellent resource for those wishing to deepen their knowledge of organization theory. This collection will have particular appeal to people working in the fields of management studies, psychology, sociology, economics and political science.

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This book provides a uniform and coherent approach to the analysis of distribution systems in general and retail systems in particular. It develops the fundamentals of retail demand and supply, and demonstrates how the provision of distribution services is a principal determinant of economic outcomes in retail exchanges for both retailers and their customers, as well as for other agents such as suppliers and franchisors. The author integrates the existing literature with new applications to provide novel insights into the multi-product nature of retailing, the service aspects of packaging, and the evolution of retail formats such as supermarkets, non-store retailers (including the Internet) and shopping centers. He illustrates how the complementarity that underlies retail activities leads to lower average prices for customers. This integrative process also brings out the role of distribution services as mechanisms to exercise economic power. This is evident not only in channels of distribution but in the evolution of Wal-Mart and the development of franchise contracts. The author also identifies the crucial differences between the retailing of goods and the retailing of services.This impressive volume skilfully integrates conceptual, theoretical and empirical research to analyse critical issues in the economics of retailing and distribution. It will be required reading for academics and professional economists interested in industrial organization, marketing, applied microeconomics and business.

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Sustainable development and global climate change have figured prominently in scientific analysis and international policymaking since the early 1990s. This book formulates technology strategies that will lead to environmentally sustainable energy systems, based on an analysis of global climate change issues using the concept of sustainable development. The authors focus on environmentally compatible, long-term technology developments within the global energy system, while also considering aspects of economic and social sustainability. The authors analyze a large number of alternative scenarios and illustrate the differences between those that meet the criteria for sustainable development and those that do not. As a result of their analysis, they identify a variety of promising socio-economic and environmental development paths that are consistent with sustainable development. One sustainable-development scenario and its policy implications are then presented in detail from a technology change perspective. The authors propose ambitious targets for technology adoption that are judged to achieve the desired socio-economic and environmental goals. Although the optimal policy mix to pursue these targets is clearly country-specific, the authors suggest that energy-related R&D that leads to technology performance improvements and the promotion of technology adoption in niche markets are the policy options which will yield the most significant long-term benefits.Policymakers, economists and researchers working on sustainability, energy economics, and technology change and innovation will welcome this topical and highly readable book.

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This unique and original Dictionary presents a fully inclusive compilation of foundational concepts, models, methodologies, and applications in the field of industrial organization. It encompasses myriad facets of the topics, from its early days of conception through to modern theoretical and empirical methodologies.The Dictionary balances concise explanation with comprehensive coverage, incorporating concepts such as the structure-conduct-performance paradigm, the development of the theory of the firm, the foundational contributions of game theory and models of strategic interaction. More recent advances in organization theory and managerial economics are also included, as well as current advances in econometrics as applied to industrial organization, and applications to regulation and antitrust analysis.The Dictionary of Industrial Organization will prove an indispensable reference tool for anyone involved with industrial economics at any level, including academics, researchers, students, consultants and practitioners.

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Economic science has extensively studied the creative power of individuals and social groups, but it has largely ignored the destructive power of economic agents. This highly original book redresses the balance and, for the first time, looks at how much an agent can destroy. Destructive power is conceptualised in a unique way, covering all types of deliberate (violent and non-violent) social conflict behaviour. The theoretical arguments in the book are skilfully linked to burning political issues of our time such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Second Gulf War.The author embraces destructive power in its two different functions, namely appropriative and rule-producing, the latter having been entirely neglected in classical and neo-classical approaches. The focus of the book is to integrate both these functions of destructive power into the political economy discourse. In doing so, the author offers an original interpretation of social development in terms of a combination of three different types of power: creative (economic), destructive and moral. Destructive power is therefore studied within the scope of collective action and not just as an irrational, abnormal or critical reaction. Throughout the book, the author illustrates many relevant and thought-provoking examples of man's destructive nature including civil war, military confrontation, guerrilla warfare, terrorism, revolution, strikes, sovereignty, public security and suicide. This fascinating book offers a challenging new agenda for understanding conflict theory and measuring the 'value' of destructive power. It will appeal to a broad and varied readership from a range of disciplines across the social sciences including economics, politics, sociology, history and psychology.

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Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is the best technique for analyzing proposed or previously enacted projects to determine whether undertaking them is in the public interest, or for choosing between two or more mutually exclusive projects. An introduction to BCA for students as well as practitioners, this accessible volume describes the underlying economic theory and legal and philosophical foundations of BCA. BCA provides an objective framework around which discussion, correction and amendment can take place. Stated simply, it is the calculation of values for all the inputs and outputs from a project and then the subtraction of the first from the second. The authors' goal here is to take the mystery out of the process. They discuss practical issues of market-based valuation and aggregation, non-market valuation, practical applications of general equilibrium models, issues in discounting, and the impacts of risk and uncertainty in BCA. They also provide a list of resources and case studies looking at ethanol and the use of cellular phones by drivers. Straightforward in style and cutting-edge in coverage, this volume will be highly usable both as a text and a reference. Advanced undergraduates and masters students in public policy, public administration, economics and health care administration programs will find this a valuable resource. It will also be of great use to agencies that perform benefit-cost analyses.

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In Firms, Strategies and Economic Change, Fu-Lai Tony Yu acknowledges the shortcomings of contemporary research on industrial organisation and strategy, while proposing a novel subjectivist approach to economic and management problems. Based largely on the works of Max Weber, Alfred Schutz, Ludwig von Mises and Frank H. Knight, this book develops the subjective interpretation framework to promote better understanding of entrepreneurship, industrial organisation and strategy, vertical integration, innovation, consumer behaviour, business cycles and institutional change more fully. The author also presents a new interpretation on the economics of Frank H. Knight and sheds light on the history of subjectivist economics. Adding new insights not only to economics but also to business, entrepreneurship and industrial organisation issues, this book will have a wide appeal to scholars of these areas as well as Austrian economists.

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This fully updated new edition continues in the vein of its predecessor by viewing cost-benefit analysis as applied welfare economics, while at the same time building on the earlier framework by extending the theory and providing further applications in each chapter. New for this edition are analyses of theory related applications in mental health, condom social marketing programs, female primary education as a means of preventing HIV/AIDS and the pricing of natural gas. Presented in an integrated manner, the theoretical concepts are constructed around the main building blocks of CBA, such as shadow pricing, distribution weights, the social discount rate and the marginal cost of public funds. This edition will cement the book's place as a major and accessible text in the field and will be of great interest to graduate and undergraduate students of welfare economics and microeconomic theory, as well as government economists involved with any area of public policy.

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Agricultural Policy Reform and the WTO provides insights into the effects of the Uruguay Round WTO agreement on agricultural policy and global markets, and considers what is at stake in the Doha Development Agenda Round. The contributors to the book deal with a broad range of topics, including the evolution of domestic and trade policies in the last ten years across developed and developing countries and proposals made in the agricultural negotiation regarding market access, export subsidies and domestic support; new issues emergent in agricultural trade negotiations are also explored, including: interaction between national regulatory systems and the deepening integration of the international trade regime intellectual property rights protection food safety• quality regulations antidumping trade protection. Finally, the future of international trade relations is discussed, in particular the implications of enforcing domestic regulations to comply with international rules.This rich collection of research and analysis will be invaluable to researchers, academics and policymakers with an interest in agricultural policy analysis and international economics.

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In a shrinking and increasingly globalised world, it is vital for any entrepreneur to carefully select the location at which production or other economic activities will occur. This book provides a theoretical and empirical analysis of entrepreneurial behaviour in a spatial context, and links it to important new fields in economics such as endogenous growth theory, the new economic geography and evolutionary theory. Although most of the literature to date has failed to study the geographic element of entrepreneurship, this book redresses the balance by examining the spatial variation in entrepreneurial activity and the implications of this for regional policy. The authors provide an in-depth analysis of the role of the entrepreneur in fostering economic development, document the most important recent theoretical and empirical developments, and explain the reasons why some regions grow whereas others stagnate. They also present a number of empirical analyses including case studies from the manufacturing and ICT sectors, as well as an examination of the role of university-based knowledge transfer and entrepreneurial behaviour. Throughout the book, the role of knowledge, knowledge transmission and knowledge spillovers are considered as they relate to entrepreneurial activity and location decisions. This book presents many important new findings on the relationship between entrepreneurship, agglomeration and economic growth. It will make a substantial addition to the literature and will be essential reading for regional economists, geographers, business and management analysts, and development practitioners and policymakers.

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There is a long-standing tradition of research that highlights the importance of differences in the organizational and technological capabilities of firms and their effect on economic performance. This book expands on this theme by exploring the role of knowledge and innovation in firm strategy and industrial change. Underlying the volume is the belief that firms have distinctive methods of operation and that these processes have a strong element of continuity. The authors examine the role played by firms in developing, linking and utilizing the knowledge produced in many different social institutions in order to advance their organizational and technological skills. They demonstrate how understanding the manner in which firms enhance their capabilities is essential for recognizing how the economy operates and changes as a whole. To help illuminate the crucial role of knowledge and innovation, the authors use international data and insightful case studies of firms from throughout the world. These include biotechnology in Portugal, oil in Scotland, telephone/internet banking in France and Sweden, and fuel cell development in the US and Europe.This broad-ranging book will be of immense worth to scholars and students in the fields of innovation, R&D management, technology management, organization studies and industrial innovation.

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Despite a wealth of efforts that examine separately the role entrepreneurs and universities play in economic development, no systematic effort has been made to examine the role universities play in promoting economic development through entrepreneurship. This book fills that gap, focusing on policy aspects of government-university partnerships with a discussion both of best practices and problematic strategies. The book begins by tracing the history of American government-university-industry partnerships that have promoted economic development. In succeeding chapters, well-known scholars focus on linkages in different domains such as: technology transfer, innovation networks, brain drain, cluster-based planning, and manufacturing. Practitioner commentaries follow many of the chapters in order to present an evaluation of the arguments from the perspective of someone directly involved in the fostering of these relationships.Non-technical and accessible in nature, the chapters summarize existing knowledge and research in order to help policymakers, foundations, university officials, business leaders and other stakeholders create and enhance partnerships between universities and governments that encourage economic development through entrepreneurship.

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Just as society has realised the value of entrepreneurs, so entrepreneurs are gradually realising the value of strategic marketing. In this book, the authors explain the substantial role of marketing in the success of small firms which have emerged in the new business environment of the past 10 to 15 years. Entrepreneurial marketing is especially important for small, developing firms which have to consider emerging business and market trends, and so a model is presented specifically tailored to the needs of expanding entrepreneurial ventures. The authors also critically analyse the extent to which mainstream marketing and entrepreneurship theory are useful in entrepreneurial marketing. They argue that to be fully effective, marketing must be viewed from a broad perspective and as a value-creating process.In order to understand the dynamic pattern of growth of small entrepreneurial ventures, they emphasise the importance of making a clear distinction between: managerial growth and entrepreneurial growth entrepreneurship, management and leadership transactional marketing, relationship marketing and complex combinations focal organisations and virtual organisations explorative learning and exploitative learning value configurations and value chains. This book will be of immense worth to students, scholars and practitioners of marketing and entrepreneurship, and will contribute to a new dialogue between the two disciplines. It will also be of considerable value to the wider business and management community learning to operate and succeed in the new economic era.

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Because space is not homogenous, economic activities occur in different locations. Understanding the reasons behind this and understanding exactly how industries are spatially organized is the central theme of this book. Industrial Location Economics discusses different aspects of industrial location behaviour from a variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives. Each of the analytical traditions provides insights into the nature of industrial location behaviour and the factors which can influence it. The authors, internationally renowned scholars from around the world, detail the issues and characteristics surrounding spatial economic behaviour. Classical approaches to location analysis are compared and contrasted with more recent approaches in order to highlight common analytical themes and the strengths and limitations of each approach. The arguments are extended to cover questions of industrial clustering and the growth and development of cities. Finally the organization, technology and location inter-relationships associated with multinational firms are discussed, in order to provide insights into the relationship between investment patterns and geography. The theoretical approaches are discussed empirically using a range of case studies drawn from many different industries throughout the world. The general theme which runs throughout the book is that successful industrial location analysis depends on both the nature of the location questions to be addressed and on the appropriate choice of analytical methodology.A uniquely broad range of different analytical approaches are integrated in this book, ensuring it will be accessible and highly valuable to academics interested in economics, management and geography, as well as students and scholars of economic geography, urban and regional economics, and regional planning.

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This book re-examines the rationale for public policy, concluding that the prevailing 'public knowledge' model is evolving towards a networked or distributed model of knowledge production and use in which public and private institutions play complementary roles. It provides a set of tools and models to assess the impact of the new network model of funding and governance, and argues that governments need to adapt their funding and administrative priorities and procedures to support the emergence and healthy growth of research networks. The book goes on to explain that interdependencies and complementarities in the production and distribution of knowledge require a new and more contextual, flexible and complex approach to government funding, monitoring and assessment. The chapters in this book issue a series of challenges to the next generation of science and technology policy. The need for new systems of governance in science and innovation make a single, all encompassing rationale for public funding unnecessary and irrelevant. The new policy questions that matter concern the means and mechanisms for intervention - the use of policy to harness, support and expand the interaction and dynamism of research networks composed of public and private actors.

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This collection of original essays has been commissioned especially for this volume in honour of the ideas and work of the late Richard M. Cyert who made a seminal contribution to the fields of industrial organization and change. In keeping with the range and significance of his work, the essays in this book examine the economics of decision making, uncertainty, information processing, learning, evolution and organizational structure.The distinguished set of contributors discusses the following topics: behavioural and evolutionary theories of the firm cognitive factors in organization and economic action the place of rules in organizations learning from experience and from the knowledge of others selection in economic change the impact of information technology and the evolution of organizational forms. This coherent and worthy collection emphasizes the adaptive nature of economic action and the links between economies and studies of human information processing and action. It will be essential reading for scholars with an interest in behavioural and adaptive economics, along with industrial organization.

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The Economics of an Ageing Population studies the effects of demographic transition on the economies of industrialised countries. The authors demonstrate that an ageing population does not necessarily lead to a reduction in growth, providing that the working population are more productive and save a greater percentage of their income. They look in detail at the examples of Italy and Japan, two countries which have the fastest ageing populations in Europe and the world respectively.The book begins by studying the past decade of stagflation in Japan. The authors argue that a reduction in innovation, shorter working hours and saturation of demand are to blame for the slow-down in growth, rather than demographic transition. They move on to investigate pension reforms in different countries and their macroeconomic effects on the redistribution of consumption between workers and retirees. They provide tools to compare different pension types (public pay-as-you-go versus privately funded) and argue that alternative pension systems should be evaluated according to their ability to increase potential output growth. Finally, the authors present an empirical model to simulate the impact on the world economy of interactions between countries in different phases of demographic transition.A rapidly ageing population is a problem which, before too long, will face most industrialised countries in the world. This book provides some of the answers to the difficult decisions governments and citizens will have to make. It will be required reading for academics and researchers with an interest in macroeconomics, demographics and public finance, and professional economists working in insurance houses, commercial banks and financial institutions.

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This book is the latest annual review of utility regulation and deregulation, published in association with the Institute of Economic Affairs and the London Business School. It contains a series of chapters from leading practitioners in the field which comment on the most significant and up-to-date developments. Topics include US telecoms deregulation, road network regulation, UK competition policy, Ofcom and light touch regulation, railway regulation, the liberalisation of European utility markets, postal regulation, investment and regulation, and energy regulation in the UK. Two papers are presented on each issue: the first by a distinguished academic or industry expert and the second, a shorter comment, usually by the relevant regulator. Together they show how regulation and deregulation are evolving, and highlight the successes which have been achieved and the failures which must be overcome. This book will be of considerable value to practitioners, policymakers and academics involved in regulatory reform and regulatory economics. It will also be of interest to anyone wishing to gain an overview of international regulatory policies.

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Worker Displacement in the US/Mexico Border Region provides a comprehensive analysis of the social and economic impact of worker displacement in border communities. The contributors - experts from a variety of fields - evaluate the consequences of displacement on individuals, families and communities from various interdisciplinary perspectives. Issues that arise as a result of job displacement, such as health, training and education, are explored in-depth.The US/Mexico border region is one of the poorest areas of the United States. As such, it is of great interest to those looking for approaches that can be adopted to help this and similar populations reduce their poverty. The book provides a rich picture of the policy challenges involved in addressing the needs of border communities. Also examined is the role of, and effects on, the US economy.This volume will be of particular interest to students, researchers and policymakers concerned with gaining a better understanding of the health, training and education needs of the US/Mexico border population. Anyone interested in international trade, economics, labor or migration will find the interdisciplinary nature of the book appealing.

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Taiwan, once one of the world's leading manufacturing economies, is now transforming into a service economy, with an emphasis on knowledge-based services. This metamorphosis has not been easy. As well as major changes in the industrial sector, human resource and policy development have been required, the experiences and implications of which are addressed in this book. Although Taiwan is only in the initial stage of transition from a material- or capital-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, the process has already provided valuable lessons to be learnt. The ramification of transformations in manufacturing, agriculture, finance, services, and the information technology industry are examined and discussed.Tain-Jy Chen and Joseph S. Lee go on to reveal the problems and difficulties that Taiwan has encountered in creating itself a new knowledge based economy, including its outmoded service sector, the inability of businesses to pursue global production and services, and the lack of capacity to create knowledge and to innovate. Providing a discernible insight into the transformation of one of the most prominent newly industrialized countries into a knowledge-based economy, this book will greatly appeal to academics, researchers, and those with a specific interest in knowledge management or Asian economies, as well as to economic analysts.

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Discounting is a perennial problem for economists; it is an essential component of assessing economic comparisons over time, but a number of practical and theoretical difficulties continue to confront its use. This is especially so for economists concerned with long time horizons, such as climate change or the management of the environment and natural resources. Discounting is perhaps the area of economics that generates the most disquiet and confusion from outside the discipline. Economics and the Future tackles the discounting issue from a number of angles, ranging from relatively short-term private financial decisions, to very long-term public issues spanning generations. The authors present differing perspectives and original ideas in a style that remains accessible while addressing some of the more difficult questions about discounting in theory and practice. It reveals that the economic issues regarding time are embedded in a broader social, ethical and philosophical context.This book explores practical and theoretical concerns in making economic comparisons over time, and presents innovative proposals for resolving some of the problems raised. As such, it will be of great interest to a wide-ranging audience including: academics and students focusing on economics, economic consultants, analysts and policy advisors and environmental organizations.

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Using a multidisciplinary approach that draws on their in-depth experience in the fields of energy, environment, and economics, the authors develop a comprehensive analytical framework. They apply their methodology to four detailed studies of Sri Lanka's energy sector, illustrating how to address key energy and environmental policy issues found in many developing countries today. Supplementary case examples are presented which also draw on many other countries in Asia and Africa. The main energy-related areas discussed include electric power, new and renewable energy sources, transport and oil-based fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions. The methodological tools of energy and environmental economics provide a rational basis for identifying policy priorities, evaluating them, and developing more sustainable energy options. The results of the studies are presented in an integrated manner, and contribute to the practical resolution of many important public policy issues. How to deal with risk and uncertainty, and how to identify robust policy options, are major themes that run throughout the volume. Energy and environmental economists, and graduate students interested in an introduction to the analytical methods used in recent World Bank projects on renewable energy and sustainable development will find this book of great value, as will decision makers and policy analysts in developing countries.

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This book investigates how individual firms in developing countries undertake technological learning and capability building (TCB) efforts and explains why some developing country firms are world-class and others struggle with these important processes.The study concludes that it is internal competencies, such as the ability to manage strategic change and develop coherent systems that enable firms in developing countries to effectively navigate technological frontiers, the network of global suppliers and weak national innovation systems. In particular, the ability to strike a strategic balance between developing a diverse range of internal learning routines and managing boundary assets over which they have only partial control is found to be of importance. The conceptual framework developed for this study - the TCB system approach - draws on a number of intellectual traditions, including organizational development, strategic management, innovation studies, development studies and evolutionary theory of the firm. Conclusions are drawn using this approach to perform a detailed cross-sectional analysis of technological learning in a sample of 26 telecommunication operating companies in Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa. By focusing on firms in the services sector, rather than in manufacturing, the study covers an area that is under researched and identifies many distinctive features of the capability building process. It is also able to offer insights on how the majority of firms in developing countries should cope with the challenges of speed and complexity of technological change even when they are not aiming to generate radical innovations at the frontier.Technological Learning will be of great interest to a wide-ranging audience, including science and technology academics, scholars and policy makers in developing countries, telecommunications managers and executives, and organisational management scholars focusing on developing country issues.

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Environmental taxes differ from each other according to the functions they serve and the manner in which they are implemented. This study highlights the appropriateness of different kinds of environmental taxes against a rigorous framework of theory and case study evidence.The purpose of this book is to analyse the way in which environmental taxes are categorized and which factors affect the effectiveness and efficiency of the different kinds of environmental taxes in practice. This pragmatic approach is emphasized along with the multiplicity of regulatory problems such as: At what level should the environmental tax rate be set? What is the proper time schedule for introducing an environmental tax? What are the most appropriate taxable characteristics and how should they be determined? What activities should be exempt from environmental taxation? How can tax relief be implemented? These are only some of the regulatory problems explored in this study, which also encompasses an examination of the theory of regulation.The author argues that economists have often paid too little attention to the administrative and legal issues concerning the implementation of legislation, such as environmental tax laws, which are of course vital to the success of any potential policy. Lawyers too have in turn neglected the theory of regulation, which would assist in analysing problems in a future-oriented way.Environmental Taxes will therefore be of great interest to a wide audience of environmental economists, law and economics scholars as well as policymakers.

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This text provides a comprehensive introduction to the many different issues related to the Sisyphean task of building science and technology capabilities in developing countries. It attempts to answer crucial questions including: how can knowledge be utilized to improve the human condition, and how can we bridge the growing knowledge divide between those who produce and use modern science and technology - and those who do not?Francisco Sagasti examines the complex interactions between science, technology and development through history, explores how capabilities in these areas are created in different countries and places the role of international co-operation in perspective. The book then introduces a 'science and technology capability index' to rank countries, analyses the policy implications of the place they occupy, and summarizes the experience of developing countries in formulating science and technology policies. It concludes with a review of important lessons for the future. This highly innovative and original work will strongly appeal to academics, policymakers, development practitioners and students interested in the role of knowledge and innovation in contemporary society, and in the disparities between developed and developing countries.

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This is a unique, comprehensive and international history of the post Keynesian approach to economics since 1936. The author locates the origins of post Keynesian economics in the conflicting initial interpretations of Keynes's General Theory and in the complementary work of Michal Kalecki. The book begins by focusing on Cambridge Growth, Distribution and Capital theory and early post Keynesian thought in the US. The failure of post Keynesian theory to supplant the neo-classical paradigm in the 1970s is also discussed, along with an overview of post Keynesian thinking in other countries. The book then deals with the search for coherence between various strands of post Keynesian thought and other schools of economic thought. The author concludes by assessing the progress made by post Keynesian economics since 1936 and considers several possible alternative futures for the post Keynesians.Historians of economic thought as well as post Keynesian and other heterodox economists will warmly welcome A History of Post Keynesian Economics.

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Economic crime is, by definition, crime committed to gain profit within an otherwise legitimate business. Examples are illegal pollution, brand name infringement and tax evasion. The victims of such crimes may be private citizens, businesses and the state. The leading authors in this vital new book survey recent advances in the study of economic crime from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.The key areas examined are: the economics of corporate crime enforcing regulation law and economics of environmental crime corporate fraud and tax evasion the history of economic crime This important volume will be of interest to scholars and policymakers involved in examining and regulating economic crime in both developed and developing countries.

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Recent research on the economics of innovation has acknowledged the importance of path dependence and networks in the evolution of economies and the diffusion of new techniques, products, and processes. These are topics pioneered by Paul A. David, one of the world's leading scholars in the economics of innovation. This outstanding collection provides a fitting tribute to the diversity and depth of Paul David's contributions. The papers included range from simulation models of the evolution of market structure in the presence of innovation, through historical investigations of knowledge networks and empirical analysis of contemporary networks, to the analysis of the diffusion of innovations using simulation and analytic models and of the diffusion of knowledge using patent data.With an emphasis on simulation models, data analysis, and historical evidence, this book will be required reading for researchers in innovation economics and regional development as well as economists, sociologists, and historians of innovation and intellectual property.

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Wallace Oates is one of the most important scholars in both environmental economics and public finance and this new volume of his essays brings together his recent research in both these areas, covering theory, research and policy. The first half of the book includes papers on the political economy of environmental policy, the analysis of environmental regulation and environmental federalism. The second half deals with fiscal and regulatory competition, state and local government finance and fiscal federalism.This new collection will be essential reading for scholars and students in both environmental economics and public finance.

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In this collection of autobiographical essays, 26 prominent scholars detail their profes sional development, while offering insight into their lives and philosophies. With candor and humor they relate how they came to the field of economics, as well as how their views have evolved over the years.Highlights of the collection include discussions by: Irma Adelman on how World War II shaped her life; Mark Blaug on how Marxism, involvement with the Communist Party, and McCarthyism influenced his scholarship; Victor Fuchs on economic perspective and its applicability to many disciplines; Allan Meltzer on his development as a researcher; and Julian Simon on his eclectic career and untraditional path to economics. Examining the essayists' reflections affords us the opportunity to explore the question of what makes distinctive and exciting scholarship while allowing us to probe the criteria for excellence. These thoughtful essays will be of great value to students of economics and to all those interested in personal recollections of wise and accomplished scholars.

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This significant new book highlights a little acknowledged but potentially catastrophic crisis of innovation in the global water sector, which institutions and industries are frighteningly ill-equipped to tackle or even accept. It suggests potential new technology and policy approaches to overcome both current and future problems. The book explores how technological innovation is vital to help provide sustainable water in both the UK and developing countries. However, innovation is being overlooked in the face of global trends to privatize and regulate water utilities. The authors highlight how the global water sector is failing to respond to increasingly complex world needs and continues to build largely unsustainable centralized infrastructures, opposing more appropriate, distributed and local modern technologies. The book also includes suggestions for potentially innovative technology and policy solutions to meet escalating global water and wastewater demands. Importantly, the authors adopt a long-term perspective that crosses both disciplinary and institutional boundaries, and include an international comparative perspective, covering a diverse range of examples and countries. This comprehensive book will have a broad appeal amongst researchers and academics with an interest in technology management, innovation studies, geography and development studies. It will also be a valuable asset for water regulators and governmental and non-governmental organisations working in this field.

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In the face of an increasing threat from separate bilateral trade negotiations the World Trade Organization (WTO), more than any other international institution, is set to have a significant impact on the trade in technology in the decade ahead. Alert to this potential, Rohan Kariyawasam brings together articles on international economic law and policy that touch on issues as diverse as telecommunications, e-commerce, information technology and technology transfer. This two-volume set navigates an innovative discussion of these sectors, their effect on international trade and the role of the WTO in promoting the worldwide trade of electronic goods and services. The papers will have relevance for regulators, lawyers advising both in private practice and in-house, academics, students and those in the NGO sector with an interest in trade and technology.

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Organisations and the nature of work have undergone fundamental changes in recent decades. At the same time, the traditional family pattern in Europe is being challenged by the growing number of dual-income families, and by the rise of women's employment. The central aim of this book is to consider to what extent changes in organisations and in the nature of jobs are compatible with the need, increasingly expressed by employees, for greater integration between work and family life. The book questions what sort of dilemmas modern and future employees face, in terms of shaping their careers and organising their lives at home. The authors formulate answers to these problematic questions by shedding light on relevant developments in the European labour markets, the European workplaces, in (flexible) working patterns, changing preferences for working hours and in gender relations at work.With a focus on future developments, this book will be of interest to labour market researchers and social policymakers in Europe, and also students in the social sciences, management (HRM) and social policy.

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This book brings together ten original studies on the transition and growth experience and the foundations for long-term growth of the newly independent states created by the dissolution of the Soviet Union.Beginning with an overview of the common pre-1992 background and comparative information on the post-1992 performance of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, the authors continue by reviewing the Soviet background and post-independence experience. They then emphasise both the uniformity and diversity of the twelve CIS countries' recent history. The problem of explaining economic growth in transition economies is also explored, and individual in-depth country studies are presented.The contributors to the book are a combination of in-country researchers with in-depth local knowledge and access to data, and international economists with technical expertise and experience of long-term growth in other countries. This approach ensures the book's appeal to academics and researchers of economic growth, transition and comparative economics. Economists assigned to the region or any individual CIS country will find the analysis invaluable.

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This fully updated and comprehensively revised edition of a classic text concentrates on the economics of conserving the living environment. It begins by covering the ethical foundations and basic economic paradigms' essential for understanding and assessing ecological economics. General strategies for global environmental conservation, policies for government intervention, developing countries, preserving wildlife and biodiversity, open-access to and common property in natural resources, conservation of natural areas, forestry, agriculture and the environment, tourism, sustainable development and demographic change are also all covered.This second edition deals with contemporary environmental policy issues that can be expected to be of lasting concern and importance - each chapter benefiting from either the addition of substantial sections of new material, valuable explanations or updates and revisions in light of developments in theory or world events and conditions. Updated techniques of economic analysis are also introduced, explained simply, and applied as appropriate.Economics of Environmental Conservation, Second Edition is written in an engaging and accessible manner and as such will be warmly received by both specialists and non-specialists in economics. It will find a wide readership amongst academics and policymakers in the fields of ecological, environmental and natural resource economics as well as those involved in development studies, environmental management and science, and conservation ecology and biology. Particular chapters will be of interest to those in tourism studies, agriculture, wildlife management and forestry.

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In this book, Robert Boyer follows the origins, course and collapse of the 'new economy' and proposes a new interpretation of US dynamism during the 1990s. He argues that the diffusion of information and communication technologies is only part of a story that also requires understanding of the transformation of the financial system, the reorganization of the management of firms and the emergence of a new policy mix. The book includes a long-term retrospective analysis of technological innovation, and an international comparison of OECD countries delivers an unconventional and critical assessment of the hope and the hype of the 'new economy'. The book proposes that the US way is not necessarily the only efficient one, as demonstrated by the experience of the Nordic countries, which manage to combine economic efficiency with social justice. The author argues that European economies would do well to take note and to explore a promising growth regime for the twenty-first century, one built upon health, education, training and leisure, this comprising the 'anthropogenetic model'.The Future of Economic Growth is a challenging and thought-provoking book, and as such will be of interest to many academics, researchers and students within the field of economics. It will be particularly relevant to those with an interest in macroeconomics, industrial organisation and the theory of the firm, and growth theory.

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A Grammar of Organizing provides a new, innovative perspective on the organizational challenges now facing companies in complex and dynamic business situations.This book represents a much needed departure from static theories of organizations to incorporate the dynamic and ever-changing nature of today's companies. The authors assert that management and organization theory is increasingly turning its attention to the perpetual practice of organizing and strategizing rather than just focusing on formal structures and strategies. This new paradigm is thoroughly analyzed, and the consequent management implications discussed. The book then goes on to build a much needed, coherent and fully developed theoretical framework to further expand upon this new emerging perspective. The 'activity-community' model is built around fundamental principles, and numerous case studies are used to illustrate and support this unique theoretical framework.Offering an up-to-date overview of the latest developments within organization theory, and posing a number of important questions on this changing realm, this book will prove a fascinating read for academics, students, researchers and practitioners with an interest in management and organization studies and practices.

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Now in its third incarnation, this widely acclaimed and popular text has again been fully updated and revised by the author. There is a bewildering array of models to explain the volatility of exchange rates since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in the early 1970s. It is therefore invaluable that Hans Visser is able to bring method to this 'model madness' by grouping the various theories according to the time period for which their explanation is relevant, and further subdividing them according to their assumptions as to price flexibility and international financial asset substitutability.A Guide to International Monetary Economics is a systematic overview of exchange rate theories, an analysis of exchange rate systems and a discussion of exchange rate policies including discussion of the obstacles that may confront policymakers while running any particular system. This third edition emphasises recent developments such as the creation and expansion of the euro and the radical solution of dollarisation. The book is a concise treatment of this complex field and does not encumber the reader with a surfeit of potentially distracting institutional details.As with previous editions, the emphasis is on the economic reasoning behind the formulae while introducing students to the mathematics that will enable them to pursue further reading. This book is aimed at postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students in general and international economics and international finance, as well as business management scholars and researchers specialising in finance. Professional economists wishing to bring up to date their knowledge of the subject will also find much within this book of value to them.

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Lourdes BenerIa, Ann Mari May and Diana Strassmann have combined to produce a major new three-volume research collection that demonstrates the breadth and significance of feminist scholarship in economics. This important selection of articles shows how feminist economics has illuminated our understanding of topics such as household decision-making, the care economy, globalization, the feminization of the labour force, macroeconomics, trade, development, and international migration. Many of the essays provide a feminist perspective on policy and social transformation. The editors have provided an original introduction to the literature, ensuring that these volumes will be an essential source of reference for both students and scholars.

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The first book in this important new series, under the general editorship of Nobel Laureate Robert Solow, Institutions, Innovation and Growth assembles a stellar cast of international contributors. Leading economists join the debate on innovation and economic growth, focussing on a broad spectrum of issues ranging from labour markets to corporate governance. Growth paths within the OECD are also assessed, with particular emphasis on contrasts between US and European models. The book seeks to identify those institutional factors, taking into account different national trajectories, which might serve to promote economic growth in Europe.As with all books in this series, Institutions, Innovation and Growth offers cutting edge research that is relevant to the world in which we live. It will be essential reading for scholars, policymakers and interested readers concerned with the economic challenges facing Europe in the twenty-first century.

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Examining the reform and restructuring of the electricity industry in China, India and Russia, this book explores the way that local conditions and institutions shape the commitment, direction and speed of public utility reform in the three countries. It questions the validity of the argument that one model for electricity reforms will work in all countries, on the grounds that the industry is the same everywhere, by examining the World Bank's involvement in economic reforms in developing and transition economies.The author asks how the template developed by the World Bank has affected the three countries and seeks to explain why changes took place, how effectively they have been proceeding, and what the consequences are for these countries. In so doing, Electricity Reform in China, India and Russia challenges both the assumption behind the new reform paradigm - that market competition is the panacea for all the ills of the electricity industry - and the oft-cited belief that a single template can work in different environments.China, India and Russia have different political and economic systems and at different development stages. Xu Yi-chong uses the experience of the three countries to illustrate the complications created by the use of a single template, a policy encouraged by the World Bank, to direct reform and the need to appreciate the different problems that each had to overcome.Academics and students who are interested in comparative politics, comparative economics, public policy and particularly the reform of public utilities will find this work of great interest, as will practitioners and those who are involved in restructuring the electricity industry worldwide.

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This compelling book focuses on the global formation of the Internet system. It contests the common belief that the Internet's adoption was inevitable and instead examines the social and economic processes that allowed to it to prevail over competing standards and methods for achieving a global information infrastructure. The author demonstrates how the current Internet system was not the only possible choice, nor the best data network in terms of technological and economic performance. It is therefore vital, he argues, to understand the way in which different political and economic interests have helped shaped the Internet and allowed it to overcome rival technologies. Issues of particular importance include the role of negotiations among different social groups in the design of the Internet as well as the influence of US promotion. The author also examines patterns of growth and pervasiveness of the Internet between different regions and countries, providing new evidence on the factors influencing the extent of the 'digital divide'. Using econometric models, he goes on to identify the features of the co-evolution of the Internet and other sub-systems within countries, and highlights the most interesting features of their local and global interplay. Researchers and academics involved with science and technology policy, industrial and corporate change, and the information society will welcome this insightful, original and highly pertinent book. It will also be of value for anyone with an interest in how the backbone of the digital economy was formed.

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