Infrastructure for the Built Environment: Global Procurement Strategies

Book Description

Throughout the world there is a growing demand for high quality public services to support socio-economic development. Infrastructure is central to improving the level of public services and the quality of the built environment. But in key areas such as transport, energy, water, healthcare, education and communications, public resources are not sufficient to keep pace with this demand. As the public sector struggles to keep up, the private sector is increasingly involved in the procurement of economic and social infrastructure.

Until now procurement strategies have often concentrated on the mechanisms and the bricks and mortar without a thorough analysis of the processes and their implications for services. The result is that all too often infrastructure projects are implemented in an ad hoc and fragmented way. In this ground-breaking book, Rodney Howes and Herbert Robinson provide a holistic approach to infrastructure provision that facilitates infrastructure delivery aimed at continuously improving the level and quality of services. Critical issues of policy and strategy, implementation, and operational aspects are examined within the context of sustainability.

By emphasising the importance of procuring infrastructure within an overall national or regional development policy and strategy, the authors have demonstrated the importance of linking investment and resource decisions to local social, economic and environmental needs. With each chapter carefully written to reflect part of the infrastructure delivery chain and illustrated with practical examples and case studies from around the world, this book offers a new blueprint for infrastructure investment and resource management.

* Strategic look at infrastructure provision
* A global approach illustrated with international case studies
* Puts sustainability AND growth at the heart of investment strategy

China Shifts Gears: Automakers, Oil, Pollution, and Development (Urban and Industrial Environments)

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China Shifts Gears: Automakers, Oil, Pollution, and Development (Urban and Industrial Environments)
Kelly Sims Gallagher
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Industry | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry

ASIN: 026257232X

Book Description

Chinese production of automobiles rose from 42,000 cars per year in 1990 to 2.3 million in 2004; the number of passenger vehicles on the road doubled every two and a half years through the 1990s and continues to grow. In China Shifts Gears, Kelly Sims Gallagher identifies an unprecedented opportunity for China to "shift gears" and avoid the usual problems associated with the automobile industry--including urban air pollution caused by tailpipe emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, and high dependence on oil imports--while spurring economic development. This transformation will only take place if the Chinese government plays a leadership role in building domestic technological capacity and pushing foreign automakers to transfer cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies to China. If every new car sold in China had the cleanest and most energy-efficient of the automotive technologies already available, urban air pollution could be minimized, emissions of climate-altering greenhouse gases would be lower than projected, and the Chinese auto industry would continue to flourish and contribute to China's steady economic development. But so far, Gallagher finds, the opportunity to shift gears has been missed.

Gallagher looks in detail at three U.S.-Chinese joint ventures: Beijing Jeep, Shanghai GM, and Chang'An Ford. These case studies are based on original research, including interviews with 90 government officials, industry representatives, and experts in both countries. Drawing from the case studies, Gallagher explores the larger issues of the environmental and economic effects of technology transfer in the automobile industry and the policy implications of "leapfrogging" to more advanced technology.

Hard Choices, Soft Law: Voluntary Standards In Global Trade, Environment And Social Governance (Global Environmental Governance)

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Informative but dry

Hard Choices, Soft Law: Voluntary Standards In Global Trade, Environment And Social Governance (Global Environmental Governance)

Manufacturer: Ashgate Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0754609669

Customer Reviews:

Informative but dry.......2006-03-09

This book examines an important and interesting subject and does a good focused job. It is dry and some may have significant issues with the soft law versus treaty law approach but in terms of examining voluntary standards, this volume does well.

The New Politics of American Trade : Trade Labor and the Environment (Policy Analyses in International Economics)

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The New Politics of American Trade : Trade Labor and the Environment (Policy Analyses in International Economics)
I. M. Destler , Peter J. Balint , and Institute for International Economics (U. S.)
Manufacturer: Institute for International Economics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Politics of International Economic Relations
Global Political Economy
Terrorism And 9/11: A Reader
American Trade Politics, Fourth Edition
Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood (California Series on Social Choice & Political Economy)

ASIN: 0881322695

Book Description

"The New Politics of American Trade: Trade, Labor and the Environment", supplement to "American Trade Politics" by I.M. Destler and Peter J. Balint, shows how trade advocates and labor and environmental skeptics differ significantly in both their substantive views and their political and organizational cultures. The authors demonstrate how this new challenge differs from that of traditional trade protectionism, likening it instead to the debate a century ago over whether and how to regulate American capitalism for social purposes. The analysis leads to a set of recommendations aimed at constructive compromise and a new political foundation for US trade policy leadership.

The New Politics of American Trade: Trade, Labor, and the Environment ISBN 0881322695

American Trade Politics, 3rd Edition ISBN: 0881322156

Book Description

This collection of essays provides the definitive survey of the importance of agricultural reform to the future of the world's trading system. There is growing consensus concerning the need to reduce the level of subsidies in agriculture and to open up the markets of the developed world more to the farmers of the developing world. However, while non-governmental organizations such as Oxfam may agree on this point with free trade economists, governments in Europe and the U.S. seem reluctant to give up their protectionist habits.

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Trade, Environment, and the Millennium

Manufacturer: United Nations University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Sustainable Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 9280810642

Book Description

In January 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) became the successor to GATT-the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The new organization was the result of years of negotiations on improving the rules-based trading system that oversees international trade. While most trade officials and others who have a direct interest in multilateral trade policy consider this multilateral system to be a major contributor to the enormous growth of world trade and income over the past half century, the WTO is viewed with suspicion and even animosity by many environmentalists. The criticisms focus on many aspects of the WTO. Some maintain that trade liberalization under WTO auspices has led to an environmentally harmful exploitation of natural and other resources, and others argue that the WTO hampers governments in pursuing environmentally friendly policies. The WTO is seen as increasingly extending its reach into areas-particularly through its dispute settlement process-that go beyond what is normally thought to be trade policy with important implications for the environment. Dealing with the principal issues in the trade and environment debate will preoccupy negotiators well into the next century. They will be a focus of attention, for example, in the Meeting of Trade Ministers in Seattle just prior to the start of the next millennium. The outcome of these negotiations will be important for all WTO members. This book provides an overview of the key issues for negotiation in the period after the December 1999 WTO Ministerial Meeting in Seattle. As developing countries have a great deal at stake in the outcome of many topics in this complex debate, the authors have specifically addressed their special interests in these negotiations.

Pollution Control in East Asia: Lessons from Newly Industrializing Economies (RFF Press)

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Pollution Control in East Asia: Lessons from Newly Industrializing Economies (RFF Press)
Michael T. Rock
Manufacturer: RFF Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Sustainable Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Why do some economies seem to excel at effective pollution management while others seem to miss the mark when responding to deteriorating urban environments?

These studies of pollution management in East Asia's newly industrialized economies (NIEs) include successful government responses in Singapore and Taiwan, qualified results in China and Indonesia, and much more limited success in Thailand and Malaysia. In each example, Michael Rock considers the starting point of the economy as it began its path toward industrialization in the post World War II period. He discusses the relevant historical and political context, the pressures placed on the political system from domestic and international sources, and the influence of ongoing trends in East Asia for democratization and economic liberalization.

Rock's text makes it clear that each economy found unique, innovative ways to link environmental protection to its own political and economic institutions. Thus, while public pressure from both home and abroad gave strong impetus to successful programs in Taiwan, the development of policy in Singapore involved limited public review and a centralized, government-led process. The result of Rock's research is a book that provides important lessons without being reductionist. The book offers insights to apply to pollution management in a diverse range of developing nations, but it avoids attempts for precise prescriptions, or universally appealing, normative answers.

"The best, most up-to-date discussion of what happened with respect to pollution control in the East Asian NIEs over the past three decades." -- David P. Angel, Clark University

"A rigorous assessment of policy regimes; a significant contribution to scholarship on governance and the environment"-- Ooi Giok Ling, The Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore

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Ecotourism
Stephen Wearing , and John Neil
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Hospitality, Travel & Tourism | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0750641371

Book Description

'Ecotourism' outlines the phenomenon of Ecotourism; its sources and its development as a concept.
Conservation issues are now at the forefront of public opinion - Nature is calling us to its wilds and we are responding in droves. The decline of natural rainforests, loss of endangered species, global warming and land degradation have galvanised public support for conservation. The interest in Ecotourism and nature-orientated tourism has coincided with this worldwide concern

Using relevant case studies, 'Ecotourism' examines the potential positive social and environmental benefits of Ecotourism and is ideal for both students of tourism and practitioners within the tourism industry.
'Ecotourism' will also be of interest to environmental groups, land managers, academics and planners. Indeed anyone interested in examining what Ecotourism is and how it may hold the potential to solve or at least mitigate several of the great problems of our age. An example being arguably the greatest of these dilemmas: to satisfy human needs for employment, income and economic development, while at the same time protecting the environment.
Stephen Wearing and John Neil are both lecturers at the School of Tourism Studies, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.

International examples
Contains mix of academic and practitioner writing

Environmental Strategies for Industry: International Perspectives On Research Needs And Policy Implications (The Greening of Industry Network Series)

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Environmental Strategies for Industry: International Perspectives On Research Needs And Policy Implications (The Greening of Industry Network Series)

Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1559631945

Book Description

Book Description

The West is popularly perceived as America's last outpost of unfettered opportunity, but twentieth-century corporate tourism has transformed it into America's "land of opportunism." From Sun Valley to Santa Fe, towns throughout the West have been turned over to outsiders--and not just to those who visit and move on, but to those who stay and control.

Although tourism has been a blessing for many, bringing economic and cultural prosperity to communities without obvious means of support or allowing towns on the brink of extinction to renew themselves; the costs on more intangible levels may be said to outweigh the benefits and be a devil's bargain in the making.

Hal Rothman examines the effect of twentieth-century tourism on the West and exposes that industry's darker side. He tells how tourism evolved from Grand Canyon rail trips to Sun Valley ski weekends and Disneyland vacations, and how the post-World War II boom in air travel and luxury hotels capitalized on a surge in discretionary income for many Americans, combined with newfound leisure time.

From major destinations like Las Vegas to revitalized towns like Aspen and Moab, Rothman reveals how the introduction of tourism into a community may seem innocuous, but residents gradually realize, as they seek to preserve the authenticity of their communities, that decision-making power has subtly shifted from the community itself to the newly arrived corporate financiers. And because tourism often results in a redistribution of wealth and power to "outsiders," observes Rothman, it represents a new form of colonialism for the region.

By depicting the nature of tourism in the American West through true stories of places and individuals that have felt its grasp, Rothman doesn't just document the effects of tourism but provides us with an enlightened explanation of the shape these changes take. Deftly balancing historical perspective with an eye for what's happening in the region right now, his book sets new standards for the study of tourism and is one that no citizen of the West whose life is touched by that industry can afford to ignore.

This book is part of the Development of Western Resources series.

Customer Reviews:

Too Long.......2005-12-28

I read the book as part of a course I took, and I found the book to be too long, and somewhat dry. However, Dr. Rothman, a UNLV history professor, does make a very clear point: that tourists towns or places are dealt a "devil's bargain" in which they lose the authenticity of the place for the funds or profit that is brought in by tourists.

Overall, Dr. ROthman does drive his point home. But the same point is made in 20 different ways.

Informative, fascinating, entertaining.......2003-01-13

I was born into the park service and lived the tourist experience. This book really helped me form a perspective about my early years growing up in western tourist and resort environments. Western history is fascinating, but this angle on western history really gives another intriguing dimension to america's perception of the mythic frontier.

why there's no there there..........2001-03-01

At once extremely learned and passionately engaged, DEVIL'S BARGAINS puts forward a startling analysis of Western tourism. From Rothman we learn about skiing and much else: the economic and historical forces shaping our sense of place, our connections to nature, and our troubled relationships to one another. A travel book of another sort, it takes the reader to a vantage point from which our Western landscapes can be seen most clearly.

a richly detailed assessment and critique.......1999-06-18

For discerning travelers planning a western vacation this summer, or for that matter, for anyone curious about the popular allure of the West, Hal K. Rothman's "Devil's Bargains" is a must read. Rothman, a professor of western and environmental history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provides a richly detailed assessment and critique of the development of tourism as it has evolved from the late nineteenth century to the present in the inter-mountain West. Synthesizing the existing scholarship on tourism, enhanced by wide ranging primary research, Rothman reveals a fascinating, yet disturbing, underside to the glitz and glamour of the tourist economies firmly established in western resort towns from Santa Fe to Las Vegas.

"Devil's Bargains" presents a series of provocative histories recounting the development of resort towns and tourist sites across the inter-mountain West including the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Carlsbad Caverns, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Vail, Sun Valley, and Las Vegas, among others. The book also codifies the history of tourism under a new interpretative framework which divides the development of tourism into three phases: cultural and heritage tourism, recreational tourism, and entertainment tourism. Beginning at the turn of the century with cultural and heritage tourism spawned by the transcontinental railroads seeking to expand passenger traffic, tourism evolved into recreational tourism made possible by the automobile and a growing fascination with exercise and the outdoors in the aftermath of World War I, and culminated after World War II with entertainment tourism dependent on the Jet airplane and the dramatic expansion of widespread prosperity, a leisure ethic, and a pervasive consumer culture. Rothman focuses on the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe to illustrate cultural and heritage tourism; various western ski resorts define recreational tourism; and Las Vegas embodies entertainment tourism. These three phases of tourist development reflect the historical transformation of tourism from an elite pastime to a more individualized, democratic experience, to a mass culture phenomena. They also reveal a process of economic development, reflecting the evolving strategies adopted by western communities to replace tapped out extractive economies.

Defining tourism as the quintessential service economy, the pinnacle of post-industrial capitalism, Rothman argues that the promises of tourist industries have been embraced as a panacea for economic decline in towns throughout the West. However, as his research reveals, locals and even "neonatives" have found tourism to be a bitter pill to swallow. Although the advent of tourist economies in places such as Jackson Hole, Steamboat Springs, and Sun Valley has resulted in phenomenal economic growth, prosperity has come with a price. As the book's title suggests, in the process of reviving the economy, tourism displaces locals with outside capital and corporate control, sapping a place of its soul, and leaving in its stead a facade of hollow images and a service economy manipulated by distant corporations whose only interest is the bottom line. What has emerged in places like Vail and Santa Fe is a two-tiered class system where workers who are predominantly people of color (Hispanic, African, or Filipino) hold low-paying, menial jobs providing for the comfort and amusement of wealthy second home owners and visitors. There is little room for an established community of year-round residents when the bottom line centers on the paying visitor. Las Vegas is the exception. In defining itself as the ultimate themed destination resort constantly reinventing itself to satisfy visitors' desires, Las Vegas remains one of the last places where unskilled workers can earn a middle-class income replete with benefits and job security. Las Vegas alone, according to Rothman, has succeeded at perfecting the service economy, becoming a model of sorts for the rest of the country. "The colony became the colonizer," he writes, exporting a model of entertainment tourism for a nation entranced by the spectacles of multi-media consumer culture.

In detailing the ways in which western communities reinvented themselves as tourist resorts, marketing an idealized western ambiance and a scripted history, and in the process losing control of the very community they sought to promote and preserve, Rothman provides a rich assessment of the social and political impact of tourist-based economies as they evolved from local ventures to corporate productions. But more than that, he presents a thoughtful and disturbing critique of the promises and realities of post-industrial, post modern capitalism as manifested in the twentieth-century tourist's West.

Marguerite S. Shaffer, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Outstanding! a book for anyone who deals with tourism.......1999-01-13

For those of us who live in tourist towns and see how the incredible number of visitors changes them, this is the book! It looks at a large number of places -- from Santa Fe to Maui, from Las Vegas to Aspen -- and shows in great detail how they change. It reads well too, on a par with better known authors like Robert D. Kaplan and Tim Egan. I heard the author speak here in town--I guess he lives here-- and it made me buy the book. I came away extremely impressed. This is not my usual reading. I'm more a John Grisham type. But this one rang bells for me. After I read this book, I was in Thailand on business and I found myself using Devil's Bargains as a lens for what I was seeing. The comparisons were striking and I wondered if this book might apply to more than the West. Well written and snappy, showing a lot of research, this one is a real winner, especially for anyone in city planning or tourist development.

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