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Governing the Palm Oil Industry: Perspectives from Southeast Asia and Latin America (ISSN)
by Helena Varkkey Patrick O’ReillyThis book examines how different countries across Southeast Asia and Latin America respond to the emergence and expansion of the lucrative, yet controversial palm oil industry, paying attention to how national policy and governance regimes are shaping this global industry.With its historic roots in Southeast Asia, oil palm cultivation continues to expand beyond its historical centres. In Latin America, many countries are now developing their own policies to promote and govern oil palm cultivation. This book provides a unique examination of how different countries strive to strike a balance between developmental and environmental concerns, through case studies on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, and Mexico, and an outlook for the industry's prospects in Africa. This book applies an assemblage approach to draw out lessons on the global challenges posed by the industry and how differing national governance regimes and communities might respond to them. Rather than a single global industry, the book unveils a complex arrangement of national and even local palm oil assemblages, indicating that there is more than one way to do palm oil. In doing so, the book contributes to a better understanding of the drivers and processes that shape the governance of the industry, both in different nations and globally.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of the palm oil industry, as well as those interested in natural resource governance, sustainable agriculture, conservation, environmental justice, and environmental and development policy more broadly.
Governing the Uncertain
by Monica TennbergThe book provides a detailed analysis of the development of adaptive governance in Russia and Finland. It presents a case study from the Sakha Republic in Russia that focuses on community's participation in the process of governing of the flood events in the Tatta River area. Local adaptive practices are analyzed in relation to federal and regional responses that may mandate, encourage or collide with community's agency. A second case study is centered on the Finnish community of Kuttura, Ivalo. It explores the mounting challenges presented by changing environmental conditions to traditional reindeer herding, as well as the efforts made to cope with these new factors. Combining anthropological research and political science, this penetrating work offers revealing scrutiny of governmental responses to one of the most urgent issues facing both politicians and the citizens who live in their domains.
Governing the World Economy
by Willem MolleThe major problems the world faces have increased since the turn of the millennium. Recurrent storms on the financial markets have ravaged many countries, poverty is still widespread, notwithstanding decades of massive development aid, the environment remains in acute jeopardy and the major world institutions have often reached an impasse in attempting to combat these difficulties. The issues ask for rapid and consistent action by policy makers but the interests of international organizations, such as the WTO, World Bank and Kyoto protocol, have become too diversified to come to multilateral agreements setting uniform rules and asking for strict compliance with these rules. Alternative solutions are sought and development in the future is likely to be characterized by fuzzy and complex interactions between flexible groups of actors seeking agreements on the solutions for the most pressing new problems. Progress will become rather unpredictable and will depend on time, place and subject specific cases as well as convergence of interests. This need not be only negative. Flexible solutions have the advantage that they can be easily adapted in case the conditions change. In this new book, the follow up to his Global Economic Institutions, Willem Molle maps out the unfolding of this process.
Governing Urban Development in China: Critical Urban Studies
by Fulong Wu Fangzhu ZhangThe book investigates urban development and governance in China and introduces China perspectives to the understanding of governing urban development in the 21st century.Building upon a rich and burgeoning literature on China, the book explains major changes in governance, offers a well-synthesized account of state-centered governance, and provides in-depth discussions on urban governance, city and regional planning, financing and financialization, urban redevelopment, local economic development and innovation, and environmental governance. The book bridges theoretical concepts in critical urban studies and empirical research on China and thus depicts a fuller picture of changing and variegated urban governance in the contemporary world. The book theorizes Chinese urban governance from the ground up and derives a concept of state entrepreneurialism as a framework for narrating urban governance in China. Following this framework, each chapter begins with a brief introduction to key concepts in urban geography and then depicts the urban development process on the ground in China. Then, the chapters discuss these concepts and explanations because many are derived from a different context, often in Western economies. At the end of each chapter, the phenomenal urban changes are evaluated with their theoretical implications.This book offers contextualized insights into critical geographical studies of urban governance and is the first essential complementary reading for both urban scholars and those exploring the geography of China. It will be of interest to students and researchers in Urban Geography, Urban Studies, Urban Planning, Sociology, Political Science, and China Studies. The book can also be complementary reading in China Studies, especially in governance and politics.
Governing Urban Economies
by Neil Bradford Allison BramwellToday more than ever, cities matter to the economic and social well-being of the vast majority of Canadians. Canada's urban centers are simultaneously the engines of the national economy and the places where the risks of social exclusion are most concentrated, making innovative and inclusive urban governance an urgent national priority.Governing Urban Economies is the first detailed scholarly examination of relations among governmental and community-based actors in Canadian city-regions. Comparing patterns of municipal-community relations and federal-provincial interactions across city-regions, this volume tracks the ways in which urban coalitions tackle complex economic and social challenges. Featuring an inter-disciplinary group of established and up-and-coming scholars, this collection breaks new ground in the Canadian urban politics literature and will appeal to urbanists working in a range of national contexts.
The Government and Misgovernment of London
by William A. RobsonThis book was first published in 1939.
Government and the Environment: The Role of the Modern State in the Face of Global Challenges (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Economics)
by Laura CastellucciIn the today’s global "commercial society" an inquiry into the economic role of government is gaining momentum. Many crucial goods for the wellbeing of a society are not "commercial", national security and clean air are great examples. This means that the economic role of government is not limited to cure the so called "market failures" but it has to provide for non-commercial goods. Unfortunately in the last few decades the decline of the political-economic culture of western post-industrial societies has left scope for people to blindly believe in a free, deregulated market. This book brings the culture of the state in from the cold, by confronting readers at the start with the necessity of recognizing the fundamental difference between private commercial interests, whose provision rests on the culture of profit, and public shared interests, whose provision rests on the culture of the state. This book also explores how much individual wellbeing does depend on both. The only chance for public shared interests, with their non-profit nature, to successfully keep their ground in the face of the overwhelming power of private commercial/financial interests, lies in regenerating a political-economic state culture whereby governments and policy makers/politicians understand their responsibility and social function to consist primarily in pursuing the satisfaction of the formers and not in acting on behalf of the latter.
Government Austerity and Socioeconomic Sustainability
by P. K. RaoThis short book integrates the imperatives of public debt sustainability with those of socioeconomic sustainability in the context of budget austerity measures. It is argued that poverty, inequality and unemployment problems should be integral aspects of policy frameworks for austerity and fiscal stability. The economics of austerity in much of economic analysis remains narrowly focused and lopsided, since the implications on the role of human capital and loss of prosperity base are usually ignored. This book argues that various misapplications of policies of government austerity can be avoided if greater attention is accorded to the imperatives of maintaining the win-win approaches for socioeconomic resilience and sustainability in conjunction with debt sustainability and/or fiscal stability.
Government-Linked Companies and Sustainable, Equitable Development (Routledge Malaysian Studies Series)
by François Bafoil Terence Gomez Kee-Cheok CheongThe debate over how far governments should intervene in economies in order to promote economic growth, a debate which from the 1980s seemed settled in favour of the neo-liberal, non-interventionist consensus, has taken on new vigour since the financial crisis of 2008 and after. Some countries, most of them in industrialised Asia, have survived the crisis, and secured equitable economic growth, by adopting a developmental state model, whereby governments have intervened in their economies, often through explicit support for individual companies. This book explores debates about government intervention, assesses interventionist policies, including industrial and innovation policies, and examines in particular the key institutions which play a crucial role in implementing government policies and in building the bridge between the state and the private sector. The countries covered include China, India, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan, together with representative countries from Europe and Latin America.
The Government of Beans: Regulating Life in the Age of Monocrops
by Kregg HetheringtonThe Government of Beans is about the rough edges of environmental regulation, where tenuous state power and blunt governmental instruments encounter ecological destruction and social injustice. At the turn of the twenty-first century, Paraguay was undergoing dramatic economic, political, and environmental change due to a boom in the global demand for soybeans. Although the country's massive new soy monocrop brought wealth, it also brought deforestation, biodiversity loss, rising inequality, and violence. Kregg Hetherington traces well-meaning attempts by bureaucrats and activists to regulate the destructive force of monocrops that resulted in the discovery that the tools of modern government are at best inadequate to deal with the complex harms of modern agriculture and at worst exacerbate them. The book simultaneously tells a local story of people, plants, and government; a regional story of the rise and fall of Latin America's new left; and a story of the Anthropocene writ large, about the long-term, paradoxical consequences of destroying ecosystems in the name of human welfare.
Governments' Responses to Climate Change: Selected Examples From Asia Pacific
by Nur Azha Putra Eulalia HanThis multidisciplinary volume articulates the current and potential public policy discourse between energy security and climate change in the Asia-Pacific region, and the efforts taken to address global warming. This volume is unique as it analyses two important issues climate change and energy security through the lens of geopolitics at the intersection of energy security. It elaborates on the current and potential steps taken by state and non-state actors, as well as the policy innovations and diplomatic efforts (bilateral and multilateral, including regional) that states are pursuing. This Brief stems from the assumption that its audience is aware of the consequences of climate change, and will therefore, only look at the issues identified. It provides a useful read and reference for a wide-range of scholars, policymakers, researchers and post-graduate students.
Gowanus: Brooklyn’s Curious Canal
by Joseph AlexiouThe surprising history of the Gowanus Canal and its role in the building of BrooklynFor more than 150 years, Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal has been called a cesspool, an industrial dumping ground, and a blemish on the face of the populous borough—as well as one of the most important waterways in the history of New York harbor. Yet its true origins, man-made character, and importance to the city have been largely forgotten. Now, New York writer and guide Joseph Alexiou explores how the Gowanus creek—a naturally-occurring tidal estuary that served as a conduit for transport and industry during the colonial era—came to play an outsized role in the story of America’s greatest city. From the earliest Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam, to nearby Revolutionary War skirmishes, or the opulence of the Gilded Age mansions that sprung up in its wake, historical changes to the Canal and the neighborhood that surround it have functioned as a microcosm of the story of Brooklyn’s rapid nineteenth-century growth. Highlighting the biographies of nineteenth-century real estate moguls like Daniel Richards and Edwin C. Litchfield, Alexiou recalls the forgotten movers and shakers that laid the foundation of modern-day Brooklyn. As he details, the pollution, crime, and industry associated with the Gowanus stretch back far earlier than the twentieth century, and helped define the culture and unique character of this celebrated borough. The story of the Gowanus, like Brooklyn itself, is a tale of ambition and neglect, bursts of creative energy, and an inimitable character that has captured the imaginations of city-lovers around the world.
GPR Remote Sensing in Archaeology
by Dean Goodman Salvatore PiroGPR Remote Sensing in Archaeology provides a complete description of the processes needed to take raw GPR data all the way to the construction of subsurface images. The book provides an introduction to the "theory" of GPR by using a simulator that shows how radar profiles across simple model structures look and provides many examples so that the complexity of radar signatures can be understood. It continues with a review of the necessary radargram signal processes needed along with examples. The most comprehensive methodology to construct subsurface images from either coarsely spaced data using interpolation or from dense data from multi-channel equipment and 3D volume generation is presented, advanced imaging solutions such as overlay analysis are introduced, and numerous worldwide site case histories are shown. The authors present their studies in a way that most technical and non-technical users of the equipment will find essentials for implementing in their own subsurface investigations.
GPS For Dummies
by Joel McnamaraNeed directions? Are you good at getting lost? Then GPS is just the technology you've dreamed of, and GPS For Dummies is what you need to help you make the most of it.If you have a GPS unit or plan to buy one, GPS For Dummies, 2nd Edition helps you compare GPS technologies, units, and uses. You'll find out how to create and use digital maps and learn about waypoints, tracks, coordinate systems, and other key point to using GPS technology.Get more from your GPS device by learning to use Web-hosted mapping services and even how to turn your cell phone or PDA into a GPS receiver. You'll also discover:Up-to-date information on the capabilities of popular handheld and automotive Global Positioning SystemsHow to read a map and how to get more from the free maps available onlineThe capabilities and limitations of GPS technology, and how satellites and radio systems make GPS workHow to interface your GPS receiver with your computer and what digital mapping software can offerWhy a cell phone with GPS capability isn't the same as a GPS unitWhat can affect your GPS reading and how accurate it will beHow to use Street Atlas USA, TopoFusion, Google Earth, and other toolsFun things to do with GPS, such as exploring topographical maps, aerial imagery, and the sport of geocachingMost GPS receivers do much more than their owners realize. With GPS For Dummies, 2nd Edition in hand, you'll venture forth with confidence!
GPU Solutions to Multi-scale Problems in Science and Engineering
by David A. Yuen Lennart Johnsson Long Wang Wei Ge Xuebin Chi Yaolin ShiThis book covers the new topic of GPU computing with many applications involved, taken from diverse fields such as networking, seismology, fluid mechanics, nano-materials, data-mining , earthquakes ,mantle convection, visualization. It will show the public why GPU computing is important and easy to use. It will offer a reason why GPU computing is useful and how to implement codes in an everyday situation.
Grabbing Back
by Vandana Shiva Alexander Reid Ross Noam Chomsky"Land grabs are a global phenomenon of our times, driven by the ever increasing demands of both global corporations and the governments with which they are allied. But as this powerful and timely book demonstrates, ordinary citizens, small farmers and ordinary citizens around the world are standing up to defend their own with passion and ingenuity, and they are recording successes that are both extraordinary and inspiring." -Oliver Tickell, Editor, The Ecologist.Climate change ravages the earth, while wealthy elites try to grab as much of the world's diminishing resources as possible. As Vandana Shiva writes, land is life. But land, and the struggle to possess it, is also power-colonial and corporate power, to be sure, but also the power of the dispossessed to rise up and call for an end to the global land grab.Grabbing Back maps this struggle, bringing together analyses that uncover the politics of cultivation and control. In this unprecedented collection, on-the-ground activists join forces with critically acclaimed scholars to document the commodification and consumption of space, from foreclosed homes to annihilated rainforests, from ecotourism in Sri Lanka to the tar sands of Montana, and to outline the strategies and tactics that might the destruction.With contributions by Vandana Shiva, Noam Chomsky, Max Rameau, Grace Lee Boggs, Michael Hardt, Ahjamu Umi, Ben Dangl, and many others.More Praise for Grabbing Back:"Part of the reason that knowledge about the current global land grab is so uncertain is the paucity of perspectives and analysis in defining the problem. This book fills the gap admirably." -Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved"The acquisition, control, and exploitation of land, as well as the simultaneous dispossession of land-based and peasant communities, is central to the processes of both colonialism and capitalism. As Fanon reminds us, egalitarian governance and stewardship of land is fundamental to the struggle for liberation and self-determination for all oppressed peoples. This makes Grabbing Back a necessary study for anticapitalist and anticolonial movements." -Harsha Walia, author of Undoing Border Imperialism"Grab back this sparkling mosaic of essays as a treasure of our new-old knowledge commons. Together these pieces replace dichotomies with dialectics, making explicit the inseparability of land and collective life. Together they restore the vital concept of social ecology in resistance to relentless and increasingly apocalyptic capitalism, with emphasis on its second contradiction: its impossibility on a finite resource base." -Maia Ramnath, author of Decolonizing Anarchism"As the forces of thanatos leave no stone unturned in their quest to dominate the entire planet, this anthology provides a much needed antidote. Weaving together accounts from around the world, the authors advocate building grassroots movements aimed at subverting capital's incessant assault on our lives and land."-George Katsiaficas, author of Asia's Unknown Uprisings"Never perhaps has the land question been so crucial for anti-capitalist movements, as we are witnessing a global process of enclosure that privatizes lands, waters, forests, displacing millions from their homes, and placing monetary gates to what we rightly considered our commonwealth. It is essential then that we understand what motivates this drive and its effects in all their social and spatial dimensions. Grabbing Back takes us through this process, identifying the "reasons" and actors behind this global land-grab and, most important, introducing us to the struggles that people are making across the world to resist being evicted from their lands and to reclaim the earth. " -George Caffentzis, Committee for Academic Freedom in Africa
The Grail Bird: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
by Tim Gallagher&“The Grail Bird is an enjoyable read . . . A powerful call for conservation, and an exciting bird adventure&” (The Boston Globe). What is it about the ivory-billed woodpecker? Why does this ghost of the southern swamps arouse such an obsessive level of passion in its devotees, who range from respected researchers to the flakiest Loch Ness monster fanatics and Elvis chasers? Since the early twentieth century, scientists have been trying their best to prove that the ivory-bill is extinct. But every time they think they&’ve finally closed the door, the bird makes an unexpected appearance. To unravel the mystery, author Tim Gallagher heads south, deep into the eerie swamps and bayous of the vast Mississippi Delta, searching for people who claim to have seen this rarest of birds and following up—sometimes more than thirty years after the fact—on their sightings. What follows is his own Eureka moment with his buddy Bobby Harrison, a true son of the South from Alabama. A huge woodpecker flies in front of their canoe, and they both cry out, &“Ivory-bill!&” This sighting—the first time since 1944 that two qualified observers positively identify an ivory-billed woodpecker in the United States—quickly leads to the largest search ever launched to find a rare bird, as researchers fan out across the bayou, hoping to document the existence of this most iconic of birds. &“The Grail Bird is less an ecological study than a portrait of human obsession.&” —The New York Times
Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food
by Bob Quinn Elizabeth Waterton Carlisle"A compelling agricultural story skillfully told; environmentalists will eat it up." - Kirkus Reviews When Bob Quinn was a kid, a stranger at a county fair gave him a few kernels of an unusual grain. Years later, it would become the centerpiece of his multimillion dollar heirloom grain company, Kamut International. How Bob went from being a true believer in better farming through chemistry to a leading proponent of organics is the unlikely story of Grain by Grain. Along the way, readers will learn how ancient wheat can lower inflammation, how regenerative agriculture can bring back rural jobs, and how combining time-tested farming practices with modern science can point the way for the future of food.
Grand Canyon
by Jason ChinRivers wind through earth, cutting down and eroding the soil for millions of years, creating a cavity in the ground 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and more than a mile deep known as the Grand Canyon. <p><p> Home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that have lived and evolved within its walls for millennia, the Grand Canyon is much more than just a hole in the ground. Follow a father and daughter as they make their way through the cavernous wonder, discovering life both present and past. <p> Weave in and out of time as perfectly placed die cuts show you that a fossil today was a creature much long ago, perhaps in a completely different environment. Complete with a spectacular double gatefold, an intricate map and extensive back matter.
The Grand Canyon Expedition: The Exploration Of The Colorado River And Its Canyons
by John Wesley PowellThe geologist and explorer’s own account of his perilous venture into one of the last unmapped portions of the continental United States.Join John Wesley Powell’s expedition to explore one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, and one of the last unmapped portions of the continental United States. Powell’s detailed descriptions of the rocks, plants, and animals seen in the canyon; the geography of the area; his team’s interactions with native groups; and dangers and mishaps along the trail allow readers to feel the thrill, the awe, and the humility of standing on the canyon’s edge.After losing an arm in the Civil War, the young Powell took on an extraordinary challenge as he led a small team into this remarkable landscape. He would go on to become the director of the US Geological Survey and the Smithsonian, and is acknowledged today for his foresight on the importance of conserving natural resources—particularly water—as the nation rapidly expanded westward.“Powell’s ideas powerfully shaped development of the West’s water supply.” —Scientific American “He had entered the Grand Canyon as a pioneer, hoping that it could be exploited and settled, but the experience changed him. He realized that the presence of indigenous peoples, the landscape, water and ecosystems meant that it could not and should not be settled as the Eastern states had been. Now, as the Western states are threatened with a catastrophic water shortage, it is possible that he should be remembered not just as an explorer, but also as a prophet.” —BBC News Magazine
Grand Canyon National Park
by Thomas Alan RatzArizona is proud to have one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World--the Grand Canyon. With the arrival of the Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroad in the early 20th century, the development of the canyon began in earnest. The railroads, along with the Santa Fe's business partner, the Fred Harvey Company, greatly promoted the Grand Canyon as a tourist destination through books, pamphlets, and magazine advertisements. On February 26, 1919, Congress established the Grand Canyon National Park, and the federal government became a promoter of the Grand Canyon, too. But perhaps the best promoters of the Grand Canyon were the people who wrote home on picture postcards telling their friends and families about the amazing canyon. A number of the postcards published about the park can be found within the pages of this book.
Grand Canyon, The: Native People and Early Visitors
by Kenneth Shields Jr.Unlike appreciating America's other natural wonders such as waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, or prairies, one must struggle to absorb, assimilate, and comprehend the Grand Canyon's tremendous scale. Captured here in over 250 vintage images is the human drama of survival and coexistence in the canyon, from the native tribes who struggled with life on the rim, to the pioneers who came to foster and manipulate the early tourist industry in America's oldest natural resource. Covering the tribes that called the canyon home and the seekers who flocked to the area to find their fortune in gold and tourism, author Kenneth Shields exposes the human layers so often overlooked. Seen here are the native tribes who survived the harshest conditions of the canyon, including the Hopi, Havasupai, Navajo, and Paiute. Readers will recognize the images of popular tourist spots like the El Tovar Hotel and the Navajo Bridge, as well as the early conservationist faces of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.
Grand Challenges in Earthquake Engineering Research: A Community Workshop Report
by The National Academy of SciencesThe workshop had been planned for a long time, but convened three days after the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, lending a sense of urgency to establishing a research agency to help communities become earthquake resilient. After setting out the research challenges, participants identified experimental and cyberinfrastructure networked facilities needed to address the challenges. Among these are a community resilience observatory, a rapid monitoring facility, a large-scale shaking table, and a mobile facility for in-situ structural testing. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile (Springer Geography)
by Wossenu Abtew Shimelis Behailu DessuThis book is about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam newly being built on the Blue Nile, a transboundary river. Due to rising population and increasing water demand in the Nile basin, major projects raise interest and concern by millions with potential for water conflict. The dam design, reservoir filling policy, operation of the dam, riparian countries response, dam site importance and social impact and economy of the dam are presented in the book.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Versus Aswan High Dam: A View from Egypt (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry #79)
by Abdelazim M. Negm Sommer Abdel-FattahThis unique volume discusses various aspects of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Aswan High Dam (AHD) including their positive and negative impacts. It presents up-to-date research findings by Egyptian scientists and researchers covering several interesting hot topics under the following main themes: · Major impacts of GERD compared with the AHD · Environmental impacts of the AHD · Modeling scenarios investigating the impacts of GERD on the AHD and downstream · Environmental and social impacts of GERD on Egypt · Status and assessment of the sediment of the AHD reservoir and modeling the impacts of GERD on Lake Nubia sediment accumulation · Proposed scenarios for maximizing the benefits of the AHD reservoir · International aspects of GERD and the AHD The volume also offers a set of conclusions and recommendations to optimize the cooperation between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. It appeals to postgraduate students, researchers, scientists, professionals and policy planners.