Search results for ""author timothy m. swanson""
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd The Economics of Environmental Degradation: Tragedy for the Commons?
The Economics of Environmental Degradation provides an institutional economics approach to analyse the underlying causes of continuing environmental degradation: poverty, population, poor policies and trade.After a critical, up-to-date survey of the most recent literature, the authors consider whether there is some common or deeper explanation of environmental degradation. They conclude that a problem results whenever human exploitation of the environment outruns the capacity of human institutions to adapt and to evolve methods for managing exploitation. Environmental degradation will persist because it is the static result of the ongoing dynamic contest between opportunistic individuals and institutional adaptation. The book assumes no prior knowledge of economics or the environment and will appeal to a wide readership of policymakers and students with a background in economics, geography, conservation biology, environmental studies and development studies.
£102.00
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd Biotechnology, Agriculture and the Developing World: The Distributional Implications of Technological Change
How will the industrial changes implicit within new biotechnologies affect modern agriculture? This book investigates these changes and provides an economic analysis of the industrial and distributional impacts of new biotechnologies, addressing in detail the significant consequences for developing countries.One of the most important facets of biotechnological change is the development of new technologies for appropriating the value of innovations in related industries. In agriculture these new appropriation technologies are known as 'genetic use restriction technologies', which enable the innovator to capture the value of innovative plant varieties by preventing their reproduction after purchase. This book analyses the implications of such technologies in terms of global agricultural production, the rate of innovation at the technological frontier and, in particular, the diffusion of these innovations across the globe. The authors set forth the economic and institutional framework within which innovations are occurring, focusing on the impacts on the least technologically advanced nations and their incentives to conserve genetic resources for use in future research and development.This stimulating book should be widely read by agricultural and resource economists, development economists, and scholars and researchers of environmental economics. Policymakers in developing countries will also gain valuable insights into the distribution of the potential benefits from biotechnology.
£111.00
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd Global Environmental Problems and International Environmental Agreements: The Economics of International Institution Building
The ozone layer is threatened by chemical emissions, the climate is endangered from fossil fuels and deforestation, and global biodiversity is being lost by reason of thousands of years of habitat conversions. Global environmental problems arise out of the accumulated impacts from many years' and many countries' economic development. In order to address these problems the states of the world must cooperate to manage their development processes together - this is what international environmental agreements are designed to do. But can the world's countries cooperate successfully to manage global development? How should they manage it? Who should pay for the process, as well as for the underlying problems? This book presents an examination of both the problems and the processes underlying international environmental lawmaking: the recognition of international interdependence, the negotiation of international agreements and the evolution of international resource management. It examines the general problem of global resource management by means of general principles and case studies and by looking at how and why specific negotiations and agreements have failed to achieve their targets. The book, commissioned by UNCTAD to assist policymakers, especially in developing countries. It will also be of interest to practitioners in the areas of environmental economics and law and to scholars studying global environmental policy making and institution building.
£28.95
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd The Economics of Water Management in Developing Countries: Problems, Principles and Policies
The increasing scarcity of water resources (in terms of quantity and quality) is one of the most pervasive natural resource allocation issues facing development planners throughout the world. This problem is especially prevalent in less developed countries where the management of this valuable resource has become a critical policy concern. This authoritative new volume outlines the fundamental principles and difficulties that characterise this challenging task.The authors begin by detailing the significant problems of water management which are specific to developing countries. In particular, they highlight the political economy of water management in the context of both pricing and institutional reform. Five case studies from a variety of developing countries extend these themes and examine other important issues such as water markets, irrigation and the measurement of groundwater scarcity. Finally, using Cyprus as an example, the authors demonstrate the manner in which improved water management policies can be implemented in a developing country. This final part serves to illustrate the policy solutions to the problems laid out in earlier chapters.Government agencies, private consulting firms and NGOs working in the fields of water resource allocation and economic development will find this volume to be an enlightening read. Academics, practitioners and those who wish to be better informed about the role and value of water management in developing countries will also find this to be an invaluable source of reference.
£111.00
