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Understanding the Current International Order: [Building a Sustainable International Order series]
by Andrew Radin Cevallos Astrid Stuth Michael J. Mazarr Miranda PriebeIn the first report of a series on the emerging international order, RAND researchers examine the liberal order in effect since World War II, including the mechanisms by which the order affects state behavior, the engines that drive states to participate, and the U.S. approach to the order since 1945.
Understanding the Demand for Illegal Drugs
by National Research Council of the National AcademiesDespite efforts to reduce drug consumption in the United States over the past 35 years, drugs are just as cheap and available as they have ever been. Cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines continue to cause great harm in the country, particularly in minority communities in the major cities. Marijuana use remains a part of adolescent development for about half of the country's young people, although there is controversy about the extent of its harm.Given the persistence of drug demand in the face of lengthy and expensive efforts to control the markets, the National Institute of Justice asked the National Research Council to undertake a study of current research on the demand for drugs in order to help better focus national efforts to reduce that demand. This study complements the 2003 book, Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs by giving more attention to the sources of demand and assessing the potential of demand-side interventions to make a substantial difference to the nation's drug problems. Understanding the Demand for Illegal Drugs therefore focuses tightly on demand models in the field of economics and evaluates the data needs for advancing this relatively undeveloped area of investigation.
Understanding the Impacts of Deregulation in Planning: Turning Offices into Homes?
by Ben Clifford Jessica Ferm Nicola Livingstone Patricia CanelasIn England, it has been possible since 2013 to convert an office building into residential use without needing planning permission (as has been required since 1948). This book explores the consequences of this central government driven deregulation on local communities. The policy decision was primarily about boosting the supply of housing, but reflects a broader neoliberal ideology which seeks to reform public planning in many countries to reduce perceived interference in free markets. Drawing on original research in the English local authorities of Camden, Croydon, Leeds, Leicester and Reading, the book provides a case study of the implementation of planning deregulation which demonstrates the lowering of standards in housing quality, the reduced ability of the local state to proactively steer development and plan for their places, and the transfer of wealth from the public to private spheres that has resulted. Comparative case studies from Glasgow and Rotterdam call into question the very need for the deregulation in the first place.
Understanding the Law of Assignment
by C. H. ThamThe practical importance of intangible personalty such as debt, bonds, equities, futures, derivatives and other financial instruments has never been greater than it is today. The same may be said of interests in intellectual property. Yet the assignment of these intangible assets from one to another remains difficult to understand. Assignments are often taken to operate as a form of transfer akin to conveyances of legal titles to tangible personalty. However, this conception does not accurately reflect the law of assignment as it has developed in the caselaw in England and Wales. This book sets out a different model of the workings of assignments as a matter of English law, one that provides an analytical, yet historically sensitive, framework which allows us to better understand how, and why, assignments work in the way the cases tell us they do.
Understanding the Lean Enterprise
by Andrea Chiarini Pauline Found Nicholas RichThis publication is in collaboration with the University of Buckingham and is the result of a combined research and review process carried out by the three Editors who belongs to the University of Ferrara, Italy, the University of Buckingham, UK and Swansea University, UK. The book deepens the debate about the lean enterprise from both an academic and a professional management perspective. It thus provides the reader with a sound understanding of the modern lean enterprise and its current evolution. A range of innovative topics are covered, with individual chapters addressing the combinations of lean with hoshin kanri, green management, IT, organizational learning, flow accounting, system thinking, problem solving, internationalization aspects, luxury industry, and product innovation. Since the term "lean" first entered contemporary operations management language in 1990 to describe a set of practices proven to deliver superior performance over mass production systems, the lean approach to waste reduction and value generation has moved from vehicle production to other manufacturing sectors. It has reshaped the support functions of manufacturing businesses and has evolved from private industry into the public sector. Lean thinking is now a dominant model of operations management and has brought with it a new language and toolbox.
Understanding the Metaverse: A Business and Ethical Guide
by Nicola RosaAn expansive discussion of the mechanics, framework, and implications of the metaverse In Understanding the Metaverse: A Business and Ethical Guide, expert product and customer experience strategist Nick Rosa delivers a timely exploration of what is bound to be one of the most important technologies of our time. The author explains the technology that underpins the metaverse as it exists today and that will form the basis for its rapid evolution in the future. He also describes the commercial, ethical, and sociological implications of this technology, showing you the threats and opportunities that individuals and businesses are likely to encounter as they approach the metaverse for the first time. In the book, you'll discover: How the technology is shaping the human evolution and society How game mechanics and experience design are key to unlock the full potential of the Metaverse unlocking a new frontier for social interaction How Blockchain, digital currencies, and tokenomics are opening a new financial landscape for brands, creators and communities How Artificial intelligence and deep learning will shape the way businesses will conduct commerce in the Metaverse The ethical implications of designing highly emotionally impactful immersive experiences The potential dangers derived by the misuse of biometric and personal data to exploit consumer behaviour and for mass manipulation A thoroughly insightful discussion of a fascinating intersection of technology and humanity, Understanding the Metaverse belongs on the bookshelves of business leaders, technology enthusiasts, marketers, entrepreneurs, and anyone else with an interest in the next frontier of human achievement.
Understanding the NEC4 ECC Contract: A Practical Handbook (Understanding Construction)
by Kelvin HughesAs usage of the NEC family of contracts continues to grow worldwide, so does the importance of understanding its clauses and nuances to everyone working in the built environment. This second edition of Understanding the NEC4 ECC Contract uses plain English to lead the reader through the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract’s key features. Chapters cover: Contractor’s main responsibilities The use of early warnings Contractor’s design Tendering Quality management Payment Liabilities and insurance Termination Avoiding and resolving disputes and much more.Common problems experienced when using the Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) are signalled to the reader throughout, and the correct way of reading each clause explained. The way the contract effects procurement processes, dispute resolution, project management and risk management are all addressed in order to direct the user to best practice. This second edition takes into account the updates to the contract released in 2019, 2020 and 2023, and brings the book up to date with the most current practice.Written for construction professionals, by a practicing international construction contract consultant, this handbook is the most straightforward, balanced and practical guide to the NEC4 ECC available. An ideal companion for employers, contractors, project managers, supervisors, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, subcontractors and anyone else interested in working successfully with the NEC4 ECC.
Understanding the NEC4 ECC Contract: A Practical Handbook (Understanding Construction)
by Kelvin HughesAs usage of the NEC family of contracts continues to grow worldwide, so does the importance of understanding its clauses and nuances to everyone working in the built environment. This second edition of Understanding the NEC4 ECC Contract uses plain English to lead the reader through the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract’s key features. Chapters cover: Contractor’s main responsibilities The use of early warnings Contractor’s design Quality management Payment Liabilities and insurance Termination Avoiding and resolving disputes Tendering Common problems experienced when using the Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) are signalled to the reader throughout, and the correct way of reading each clause explained. The way the contract effects procurement processes, dispute resolution, project management and risk management are all addressed in order to direct the user to best practice. This second edition takes into account the updates to the contract released in 2019, 2020 and 2023, and brings the book up to date with the most current practice.Written for construction professionals, by a practising international construction contract consultant, this handbook is the most straightforward, balanced and practical guide to the NEC4 ECC available. An ideal companion for employers, contractors, project managers, supervisors, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, subcontractors and anyone else interested in working successfully with the NEC4 ECC.
Understanding the NEC4 Professional Service Contract: A Practical Handbook (Understanding Construction)
by Kelvin HughesAs usage of the NEC (formerly the New Engineering Contract) family of contracts continues to grow worldwide, so does the importance of understanding its clauses and nuances to everyone working in the built environment. Currently in its fourth edition (NEC4), this set of contracts is different to others in concept as well as format, so users may well find themselves needing a helping hand along the way. Understanding the NEC4 Professional Service Contract uses plain English to lead the reader through the NEC4 Professional Service Contract’s key features and differences from its predecessor, the NEC3 Professional Services Contract, including: Main and Secondary Options the use of early warnings programme provisions payment compensation events preparing tender documents Common problems experienced when using the Professional Service Contract are signalled to the reader throughout, and the correct way of interpreting each clause explained. The way the contract affects procurement processes, dispute resolution, project management and risk management are all addressed in order to direct the user to best practice. Written for construction professionals, by a practising international construction contract consultant, this handbook is the most straightforward, balanced and practical guide to the NEC4 Professional Service Contract available. It is an ideal companion for Clients, Contractors, Service Managers, Project Managers, Supervisors, Engineers, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Subcontractors and anyone else interested in working successfully with the NEC4 Professional Service Contract.
Understanding the Rohingya Displacement: Security, Media, and Humanitarian Perspectives (International Perspectives on Migration)
by Kawser Ahmed Md. Rafiqul IslamThis book provides a focused and comprehensive understanding of the conflict surrounding the Rohingya displacement, using a unique peace and conflict transformation viewpoint. Divided into four sections and nineteen chapters, it covers significant themes related to the conflict. It provides an in-depth examination of its security implications, media impact, and the need for a long-term transformation strategy. The authors offer a sharp perspective on the crisis, covering a wide range of topics, including human rights abuses, geopolitics, media influence, and repatriation of the Rohingya. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the conflict, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the Rohingya displacement-related conflict. The authors advocate for a peaceful end to the conflict through repatriation, offering valuable conflict transformation tools for decision-makers in Bangladesh and around the world. This book is essential for anyone seeking a deeper understandingof the conflict's security implications and highlights original research from academics on the role of the media. It is relevant for scholars, politicians, decision-makers in the security and refugee management fields, academics studying the media, and humanitarian actors.
Understanding the Social Dimension of Sustainability (Routledge Studies in Development and Society)
by Jesse Dillard Veronica Dujon Mary C. KingThe imperative of the twenty-first century is sustainability: to raise the living standards of the world's poor and to achieve and maintain high levels of social health among the affluent nations while simultaneously reducing and reversing the environmental damage wrought by human activity. Scholars and practitioners are making progress toward environmental and economic sustainability, but we have very little understanding of the social dimension of sustainability. This volume is an ambitious, multi-disciplinary effort to identify the key elements of social sustainability through an examination of what motivates its pursuit and the conditions that promote or detract from its achievement. Included are theoretical and empirical pieces; examination of international and local efforts; discussions highlighting experiences in both the developing and industrialized nations; and a substantial focus on business practices. Contributors are grounded in sociology, economics, business administration, public administration, public health, geography, education and natural resource management.
Understanding the U.S. Illicit Tobacco Market: Characteristics, Policy Context, and Lessons from International Experiences
by Peter ReuterTobacco use has declined because of measures such as high taxes on tobacco products and bans on advertising, but worldwide there are still more than one billion people who regularly use tobacco, including many who purchase products illicitly. By contrast to many other commodities, taxes comprise a substantial portion of the retail price of cigarettes in the United States and most other nations. Large tax differentials between jurisdictions increase incentives for participation in existing illicit tobacco markets. In the United States, the illicit tobacco market consists mostly of bootlegging from low-tax states to high-tax states and is less affected by large-scale smuggling or illegal production as in other countries. In the future, nonprice regulation of cigarettes - such as product design, formulation, and packaging - could in principle, contribute to the development of new types of illicit tobacco markets. "Understanding the U. S. Illicit Tobacco Market" reviews the nature of illicit tobacco markets, evidence for policy effects, and variations among different countries with a focus on implications for the United States. This report estimates the portion of the total U. S. tobacco market represented by illicit sales has grown in recent years and is now between 8. 5 percent and 21 percent. This represents between 1. 24 to 2. 91 billion packs of cigarettes annually and between $2. 95 billion and $6. 92 billion in lost gross state and local tax revenues. "Understanding the U. S. Illicit Tobacco Market" describes the complex system associated with illicit tobacco use by exploring some of the key features of that market - the cigarette supply chain, illicit procurement schemes, the major actors in the illicit trade, and the characteristics of users of illicit tobacco. This report draws on domestic and international experiences with the illicit tobacco trade to identify a range of possible policy and enforcement interventions by the U. S. federal government and/or states and localities.
Understanding Transitional Justice
by Giada GirelliThe book is an accurate and accessible introduction to the complex and dynamic field of transitional and post-conflict justice, providing an overview of its recurring concepts and debated issues. Particular attention is reserved to how these concepts and issues have been addressed, both theoretically and literally, by lawyers, policy-makers, international bodies, and other actors informing the practice. By presenting significant, if undeniably disputable, alternatives to mainstream theories and past methods of addressing past injustice and (re)building a democratic state, the work aims to illustrate some foundational themes of transitional justice that have emerged from a diverse set of discussions. The author's position thus arrives from a careful analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of answers to the question: how, after a traumatic social experience, is justice restored?
Understanding Urban Politics: Institutions, Participation, and Policies
by Timothy B. Krebs Arnold FleischmannIn Understanding Urban Politics: Institutions, Representation, and Policies, Timothy B. Krebs and Arnold Fleischmann introduce a framework that focuses on the role of institutions in establishing the political “rules of the game,” the representativeness of city government, the influence of participation in local democracy, and how each of these features influences the adoption and implementation of public policies. Part 1 lays the groundwork for the rest of the book by exploring the many meanings of “urban,” analyzing what local governments do, and providing a history of American urban development. <p><p> Part 2 examines the organizations and procedures that are central to urban politics and policy making: intergovernmental relations, local legislatures, and the local executive branch. Part 3 looks at elections and voting, local campaigns, and non-voting forms of participation. The four chapters in Part 4 focus on the policy process and the delivery of local services, local government finances, “Building the City” (economic development, land use, and housing), and policies affecting the quality of life (public safety, the environment, “morality” issues, and urban amenities).
Understanding Victimology: An Active-Learning Approach
by Shelly Clevenger Jordana N. Navarro Catherine D. Marcum George E. HigginsUnderstanding Victimology: An Active Learning Approach is the only textbook with extensive discussion of both online and offline victimization reinforced by group and individual learning activities. Our textbook offers instructors a variety of active learning exercises – in the book itself and in the authors’ ancillaries – that engage students in the material and shed light on the experiences of marginalized social groups. Through these activities, students become engaged with the material at a higher level of learning. They learn how victimization happens and the challenges people who experience crime face in acquiring assistance from the criminal-legal system at a more intimate level instead of simply reading about it. Students also build their abilities to work with others in a collaborative learning environment, encouraging professional socialization for the future. The chapters in this second edition address gaps in information typically presented in victimology that ignore prevention or intervention, even though these topics are currently at the forefront of the national conversation going on about sexual violence in higher education. New to this edition are added coverage of immigrants and minorities and new chapters on the media and victimization and on victimization across the gender spectrum, as well as an online instructor resource covering UK case studies, legal framework, and social context that broadens the book’s global appeal. Suitable for undergraduate courses in victimology, this book also serves the needs of sociology and women’s studies courses and can be taught university-wide as part of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Understanding Victims of Interpersonal Violence: A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors
by Veronique N. ValliereUnderstanding Victims of Interpersonal Violence: A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors provides accessible information for criminal justice personnel "in the trenches" with victims of violence to aid in understanding and explaining their behavior. This guide sheds light on interpersonal violence victims’ decisions and actions by providing context and naming factors that commonly impact victim responses. These include internal factors such as culture, religion, shame, and personality, as well as external factors like access to services, support systems, and resources. These factors inhibit or facilitate responses like disclosure, resistance, and participation (or lack thereof) in the prosecution of the offenders. This book also explores the influence of the perpetrator, as well as more deeply examining victim responses that typically offer challenges to investigators and prosecutors; for example, continued contact with the offender, lack of resistance, and issues in disclosure. Finally, the guide provides concrete tools to assist investigators in interviewing and for prosecutors to use during the prosecutorial process. This book is designed for investigators, prosecutors, advocates, criminal justice practitioners, and students of these subjects.
Understanding White-Collar Crime: An Opportunity Perspective
by Michael L. Benson Sally S. SimpsonUnlike other books of its kind, Understanding White-Collar Crime: An Opportunity Perspective uses a coherent theoretical perspective in its coverage of white-collar crime. Using opportunity perspective, or the assumption that all crimes depend on offenders having some sort of opportunity to commit an offense, allows the authors to uncover the processes leading up to white-collar crimes and offer potential solutions to this rampant issue, without being reductive in their treatment of the topic. With this second edition, Benson and Simpson have greatly expanded their coverage to include new case studies, substantive materials, and an annotated appendix of online resources to make this a core book for courses on white-collar crime.
Understanding White-Collar Crime: A Convenience Perspective
by Petter GottschalkUnderstanding White-Collar Crime develops the concept of convenience as the main explanation for crime occurrence. Examining all three dimensions of crime—economic, organizational, and behavioral—the book argues that when white-collar crime becomes less convenient, crime rates will go down. By applying convenience theory to an empirical sample of convicted white-collar criminals, the text teaches criminal justice students and ethics and compliance practitioners to identify and understand how opportunity affects real-world criminal situations. Internal investigations of white-collar crime are discussed, and corporate social responsibility against white-collar crime is emphasized. Understanding White-Collar Crime: A Convenience Perspective examines not only the theories behind white-collar crime, but also explores methods used in criminal justice investigations into corporate fraud, and emphasizes the importance of corporate social responsibility in reducing crimes of this nature. Criminal justice students and practitioners should not miss this close look into the world of white-collar crime.
Understanding Your Living Will: What You Need to Know Before a Medical Emergency
by Fred MirarchiIs Your Living Will Compromising Your Safety? If you have a living will, you probably had it prepared so your wishes could be carried out if you became incapable of making your own medical decisions. But, did you realize there is a risk of your living will being misinterpreted? Patients who are not terminally ill die in hospitals every year because of medical staff misinterpretations of living wills. These are patients who would have otherwise lived if treated. But, too often, patients with living wills are treated as DNR—a code status understood by physicians and staff to mean "do not resuscitate." However, in many cases their status should have been "Full Code," which tells those in authority to use aggressive efforts to save patients' lives. Unfortunately, living wills do not contain patient code status designations and therein lies the problem. As an emergency room physician, Ferdinando L. Mirarchi, D.O. understands how these misinterpretations happen. In Understanding Your Living Will, Dr. Mirarchi explains how to include lifesaving patient code status information in your living will and in the living wills of your loved ones. Among the questions he answers: · How can you be sure your living will makes your wishes clear?· What are the hidden dangers in living wills?· How can you avoid the misinterpretation of a DNR code status?· When does a living will become active?· Why is it important to have a health care power of attorney?· What is a health care proxy? A Book to Help You Ensure Your Living Will Follows Your Wishes
Understandings of Social Investment in the Oil and Gas Sector (Approaches to Global Sustainability, Markets, and Governance)
by Rafaela Costa Camões RabelloThis book explores research that contributes to the current literature on the Oil and Gas Sector by analysing the multiple discourses that experts use to examine social investment. This book explains how these discourses influence social investment practices and host communities in the O&G sector. This book serves as a starting point from which companies, social investment experts, communities, host country governments, and international banks can build more participatory and community-centred social investment programmes to promote positive futures. The book suggests an alternative approach to O&G social investment, where social investment represents one of the main tools of social engagement, rather than its substitute; and where care instead of profit, becomes the driver of O&G social investment.
Underwater Forensic Investigation
by Ronald F. Becker Stuart H. Nordby Jon J.The evidence discovered at underwater crime scenes must be handled with the same attention to proper chain of custody procedures as with any other type of investigation. Improper handling of these scenes can lead to evidence being lost, unrecognizable, destroyed, contaminated, or rendered inadmissible at the time of trial. Updated and expanded, Und
Undesirable Immigrants: Why Racism Persists in International Migration (Princeton Studies in International History and Politics #200)
by Andrew S. RosenbergHow the racist legacy of colonialism shapes global migrationThe Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 officially ended the explicit prejudice in American immigration policy that began with the 1790 restriction on naturalization to free White persons of “good character.” By the 1980s, the rest of the Anglo-European world had followed suit, purging discriminatory language from their immigration laws and achieving what many believe to be a colorblind international system. Undesirable Immigrants challenges this notion, revealing how racial inequality persists in global migration despite the end of formally racist laws.In this eye-opening book, Andrew Rosenberg argues that while today’s leaders claim that their policies are objective and seek only to restrict obviously dangerous migrants, these policies are still correlated with race. He traces how colonialism and White supremacy catalyzed violence and sabotaged institutions around the world, and how this historical legacy has produced migrants that the former imperial powers and their allies now deem unfit to enter. Rosenberg shows how postcolonial states remain embedded in a Western culture that requires them to continuously perform their statehood, and how the closing and policing of international borders has become an important symbol of sovereignty, one that imposes harsher restrictions on non-White migrants.Drawing on a wealth of original quantitative evidence, Undesirable Immigrants demonstrates that we cannot address the challenges of international migration without coming to terms with the brutal history of colonialism.
The Undesirables: The Law that Locked Away a Generation
by Sarah WiseThrough the early twentieth century, the British Government locked away over 50,000 innocent people. Their &‘crimes&’? Being poor and unyielding. This is their story. 'The heartrending stories Sarah Wise has unearthed beggar belief… beautifully researched and truly compelling.' Catherine Bailey, author of Black Diamonds By 1950, an estimated 50,000 people had been deemed &‘defective&’ by the British government and detained indefinitely under the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act. Their &‘crimes&’ were various: women with children born out of wedlock; rebellious teenagers caught shoplifting; those with epilepsy, hearing impairments and chronic illnesses who had struggled in school; and many who were simply &‘different&’. Forcibly removed from their families and confined to a shadow world of specialist facilities in the countryside, they were hidden away and forgotten – out of sight, out of mind. Through painstaking archival research, award-winning historian Sarah Wise shines a light on this shameful chapter. Piecing together the lives irrevocably changed by this devastating legislation, The Undesirables provides a compelling study of how early twentieth-century attitudes to class, gender and disability resulted in a nationwide scandal – and how they continue to shape social policy to this day.
The Undiscovered Dewey: Religion, Morality, and the Ethos of Democracy
by Melvin RogersThe Undiscovered Dewey explores the profound influence of evolution and its corresponding ideas of contingency and uncertainty on John Dewey's philosophy of action, particularly its argument that inquiry proceeds from the uncertainty of human activity. Dewey separated the meaningfulness of inquiry from a larger metaphysical story concerning the certainty of human progress. He then connected this thread to the way in which our reflective capacities aid us in improving our lives. Dewey therefore launched a new understanding of the modern self that encouraged intervention in social and natural environments but which nonetheless demanded courage and humility because of the intimate relationship between action and uncertainty. Melvin L. Rogers explicitly connects Dewey's theory of inquiry to his religious, moral, and political philosophy. He argues that, contrary to common belief, Dewey sought a place for religious commitment within a democratic society sensitive to modern pluralism. Against those who regard Dewey as indifferent to moral conflict, Rogers points to Dewey's appreciation for the incommensurability of our ethical commitments. His deep respect for modern pluralism, argues Rogers, led Dewey to articulate a negotiation between experts and the public so that power did not lapse into domination. Exhibiting an abiding faith in the reflective and contestable character of inquiry, Dewey strongly engaged with the complexity of our religious, moral, and political lives.
Undocumented
by Aviva ChomskyExplores what it means to be undocumented in a legal, social, economic and historical context In this illuminating work, immigrant rights activist Aviva Chomsky shows how "illegality" and "undocumentedness" are concepts that were created to exclude and exploit. With a focus on US policy, she probes how people, especially Mexican and Central Americans, have been assigned this status--and to what ends. Blending history with human drama, Chomsky explores what it means to be undocumented in a legal, social, economic, and historical context. The result is a powerful testament of the complex, contradictory, and ever-shifting nature of status in America.From the Trade Paperback edition.