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The Economics of Global Allocations of the Green Climate Fund: An Assessment from Four Scientific Traditions of Modeling Adaptation Strategies
by S. Niggol SeoThis book provides an incisive and economic assessment of the global warming adaptation policy and programs carved out by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), by relying on the four scientific traditions that have been advanced on the economics of adaptation to climate change in agricultural and natural resource enterprises. Substantially expanding and refocusing on the book Micro-behavioral Economics of Global Warming: Modeling Adaptation Strategies in Agricultural and Natural Resource Enterprises published by Springer in 2015, this book elucidates the theories and summarizes the empirical results and predictions from the four traditions of adaptation modelling: a microbehavioral economic model of adaptation, an agronomic-economic modelling, a statistical model of yield/productivity changes, and an ecosystem model of climate change impacts. The four modeling traditions are freshly analyzed and applied to the assessments of the 93+ GCF-funded projects and programs through the end of 2018.
The Economics of Human Systems Integration
by William B. RouseFundamental Economic Principles, Methods, and Tools for Addressing Human Systems Integration Issues and TradeoffsHuman Systems Integration (HSI) is a new and fundamental integrating discipline designed to help move business and engineering cultures toward more human-centered systems. Integrating consideration of human abilities, limitations, and preferences into engineering systems yields important cost and performance benefits that otherwise would not have been accomplished. In order for this new discipline to be effective, however, a cultural change--starting with organizational leadership--is often necessary.The Economics of Human Systems Integration explains the difficulties underlying valuation of investments in people's training and education, safety and health, and work productivity. It provides an overview of how the field of economics addresses these difficulties, focusing on human issues associated with design, development, production, operations, maintenance, and sustainment of complex systems.The set of thought leaders recruited as contributors to this volume collectively provides a compelling set of data and principles for assessing the economic value of investing in people, not just in general but in specific investment situations. The early chapters provide the contexts for HSI and investment analysis, illustrating the enormous difference context makes in how issues are best framed and analyzed. A host of practical methods and tools for investment valuation are then presented. Provided are:A variety of real-world applications of economic analysis ranging from military acquisition and automotive investment to healthcare and high-tech investments in general, in both the U.S. and abroadA range of economics-based methods and tools for cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and investment analysis, as well as sources of data for performing such analysesDiffering perspectives on economic decision-making, including a range of private sector points of view, as well as government and regulatory perspectivesIn addition, five real-world case studies illustrate how such valuations have been done and their major impacts on investment decisions. HSI professionals, systems engineers, and finance professionals who address investment analysis will appreciate the wide range of methods and real-life applications; senior undergraduates and masters-level graduate students will find this to be an excellent textbook that provides theory and supports practice.
The Economics of Integrated Pest Management of Insects
by Jeffrey Alwang Zachary S. Brown Adeney De Bueno Peter C Ellsworth Bruna Magda Favetti George B Frisvold Yara A. Halasa-Rappel Erin W. Hodgson Menale Kassie John Mumford Rangaswamy Muniappan Steven E. Naranjo George W Norton Roderick Rejesus Donald S. ShepherdMany biological studies on insect management do not consider economics or fundamental economic principles. This book brings together economists and entomologists to explain the principles, successes, and challenges of effective insect management. It highlights the importance of economic analyses for decision making and the feasibility of such approaches, and examines integrated pest management (IPM) practices from around the world with an emphasis on agriculture and public health. The book begins by establishing an economic framework upon which to apply the principles of IPM. It continues to examine the entomological applications of economics, specifically, economic analyses concerning chemical, biological, and genetic control tactics as well as host plant resistance and the cost of sampling and is illustrated with case studies of economic-based IPM programs from around the world.
The Economics of International Trade and the Environment
by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal Hamid BeladiIssues related to environmental protection and trade liberalization have moved to the forefront of international policy agendas. The Economics of International Trade and the Environment explores - from an economic standpoint - many of the questions that are germane in increasing our knowledge of environmental policy in the presence of international
The Economics of Microgrids
by Amin Khodaei Ali ArabnyaTHE ECONOMICS OF MICROGRIDS An incisive and practical exploration of the engineering economics of microgrids In The Economics of Microgrids, a pair of distinguished researchers delivers an expert discussion of the microeconomic perspectives on microgrids in the context of low-carbon, sustainable energy delivery. In the book, readers will explore an engineering economics framework on the investment decisions and capital expenditure analyses required for an assessment of microgrid projects. The authors also examine economic concepts and models for minimizing microgrid operation costs, including the cost of local generation resources and energy purchases from main grids to supply local loads. The book presents economic models for the expansion of microgrids under load and market price uncertainties, as well as discussions of the economics of resilience in microgrids for optimal operation during outages and power disturbances. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to the engineering and economics of microgrids Comprehensive explorations of microgrid planning under uncertainty Practical discussions of microgrid expansion planning, operations management, and renewable energy integration Fulsome treatments of asset management and resilience economics in microgrids Perfect for senior undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers studying power system design, The Economics of Microgrids will also benefit professionals working in the power system industry and government regulators and policymakers with an interest in microgrid technologies and infrastructure.
Economics of Nuclear Power
by Geoffrey RothwellThis book is a unique introduction to the economic costs of nuclear power. It examines the future of the nuclear power industry and unpacks the complicated relationships between its technical, economic and political variables. It does so by modelling the costs, risks and uncertainties of one of the world’s most opaque industries using micro-econometrics, econometrics, and cost engineering. Economics of Nuclear Power examines the very important costs of externalities (storing of nuclear waste and the impact of a Chernobyl or Fukushima event) and compares those to the externalities of alternative carbon based energies (oil, coal, natural gas). With over 100 tables and figures this book details nuclear power production around the world - present and planned, providing a completely global focus. It also includes an overview of the past 70 years of international nuclear power developments. This book is essential reading for students, scholars and professionals interested in energy economics, nuclear engineering and energy policy.
The Economics of Oil
by S. W. CarmaltThis book examines the ways that oil economics will impact the rapidly changing global economy, and the oil industry itself, over the coming decades. The predictions of peak oil were both right and wrong. Oil production has been constrained in relation to demand for the past decade, with a resulting four-fold increase in the oil price slowing the entire global economy. High oil prices have encouraged a small increase in oil production, and mostly from the short-lived "fracking revolution," but enough to be able to claim that "peak oil" was a false prophecy. The high oil price has also engendered massive exploration investments, but remaining hydrocarbon stocks generally offer poor returns in energy (the energy return on investment or EROI) and financial terms, and no longer replace the reserves being produced. As a result, the economically powerful oil companies are under great pressure, both financially and politically, as oil remains the backbone of the global economy. >Development scenarios and political pressure for growth as a means of solving economic woes both require more net energy, which is the amount of energy available after energy (and thus financial) inputs required for new sources to come on line are deducted. In today's economy, more energy usually means more oil. Although a barrel of oil from any source may look the same, "tight oil" and oil from tar sands require much higher prices to be profitable for the producer; these expensive sources have very different economic implications from the conventional oil supplies that underpinned economic growth for most of the 20th century. The role of oil in the global economy is not easily changed. Since currently installed infrastructure assumes oil, a change implies more than just substitution of an energy source. The speed with which such basic structural changes can be made is also constrained, and ultimately themselves dependent on fossil fuel inputs. It remains unclear how this scenario will evolve, and that uncertainty adds additional economic pressure to the investment decisions that must be made. "Drill baby drill" and new pipeline projects may be attractive politically, but projections of economic and associated oil production growth based on past performance are clearly untenable.
Economics of Power Systems: Fundamentals for Sustainable Energy (Springer Texts in Business and Economics)
by Christoph Weber Dominik Möst Wolf FichtnerIn order to manage the transition towards a sustainable future electricity system, an in-depth understanding of the key technological, economic, environmental and societal drivers for electricity markets is required. Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this textbook provides an overview of these drivers and introduces readers to major economic models and empirical evidence for the study of electricity markets and systems. Readers will learn about electricity generation, demand, transport, and storage, as well as the fundamentals of grid and electricity markets in Europe. By introducing them to state-of-the-art models from operations research and economics, the book provides a solid basis for analytical insights and numerical modeling. Furthermore, the book discusses the policy instruments and design choices for electricity market regulation and sustainable power system development, as well as the current challenges for smart energy systems.
Economics of Property Management: The Building As A Means Of Production
by Herman Tempelmans Plat Frank HeynickThe economic analysis of a building is a complex subject and traditionally it has focused on a single aspect of the structure or a single part of the construction process. Dr Tempelmans Plat is a leading proponent of a new methodology which focuses on the building as a stock of services to be supplied over a long lifespan. This method is more realistic since it takes into account the changes in use and the adaptation of the building over its life. This book will be the first to make this method comprehensible to a wide audience of postgraduate students and professionals in the field of construction economics.
Economics of Regulation in Agriculture
by Consuelo Varela-Ortega Roel Jongeneel Floor Brouwer Alfons Weersink Jon Winsten Glenn Fox Anton Meister Irina Bezlepkina Vicki Swales Silvia De Miranda Kaley Hart Kees De RoestThis work debates and investigates the cross-compliance system - whereby farmers comply with certain standards relating to the environment, food safety and animal and plant health. It discusses cross-compliance in the context of existing standards, on-farm costs and the competitiveness of farm businesses. Analysing the economics of regulation both within the internal market of the EU and the broader world market by examining a broad range of agricultural products. This resource will be of value to agriculture and resource economists, policy makers, researchers and students in environmental and agricultural policy and modelling.
The Economics of Salmon Aquaculture (Fishing News Books #10)
by Frank Asche Trond BjorndalFirst published in 1990, The Economics of Salmon Aquaculture was the first book to systematically analyse the salmon aquaculture industry, from both a market and production perspective. Since publication of the first edition of this book, the salmon aquaculture industry has grown at a phenomenal rate, with salmon now being consumed in more than 100 countries worldwide. This second edition of a very popular and successful book brings the reader right up to date with all the major current issues pertaining to salmon aquaculture. Commencing with an overview of the production process in aquaculture, the following chapters provide in-depth coverage of the sources of the world’s supply of salmon, the growth in productivity, technological changes, environmental issues, markets, market structure and competitiveness, lessons that can be learnt from the culture of other species, optimal harvesting techniques, production planning, and investment in salmon farms. Written by Frank Ashe and Trond Bjørndal, two of the world's leading experts in the economics of aquaculture, this second edition of The Economics of Salmon Aquaculture provides the salmon aquaculture industry with an essential reference work, including a wealth of commercially important information. This book is also a valuable resource for upper level students and professionals in aquaculture and economics, and libraries in all universities and research establishments where these subjects are studied and taught should have copies of this important book on their shelves.
The Economics of Soybean Disease Control
by Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes James Kaufman Kenneth ZahringerWorldwide soybean crop yields can achieve USD$130 billion per year in farm-level sales, but around 13% of these yields are lost to disease. Effective disease management could generate significant economic benefits, and while disease management strategies do exist, their application remains limited among producers, often due to an incomplete understanding of disease incidence and severity, as well as perceived complexities of these strategies and a lack of information regarding success rates. This book presents an economic perspective on disease control, with an emphasis on producer choice among alternative technologies and potential changes in cropping systems. It provides an overview of global soybean diseases, their economic significance and management, and covers farm-level decision making, economic payoffs of alternative disease practices and key uncertainties. The book also outlines a global economic model that evaluates disease distribution and management implications. Key features include: - Extensive empirical case studies of soybean disease control, offering strategies for economically optimal management of diseases such as soybean seedling disease and root rot. - Analysis of economic factors to guide farm-level decision making. - Consideration of new technologies in disease management and their potential market-level impacts. This text is recommended for students and researchers in plant pathology and agricultural economics, as well as professionals in the soybean production industry.
The Economics of Soybean Disease Control
by Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes James Kaufman Kenneth ZahringerWorldwide soybean crop yields can achieve USD$130 billion per year in farm-level sales, but around 13% of these yields are lost to disease. Effective disease management could generate significant economic benefits, and while disease management strategies do exist, their application remains limited among producers, often due to an incomplete understanding of disease incidence and severity, as well as perceived complexities of these strategies and a lack of information regarding success rates. This book presents an economic perspective on disease control, with an emphasis on producer choice among alternative technologies and potential changes in cropping systems. It provides an overview of global soybean diseases, their economic significance and management, and covers farm-level decision making, economic payoffs of alternative disease practices and key uncertainties. The book also outlines a global economic model that evaluates disease distribution and management implications. Key features include: - Extensive empirical case studies of soybean disease control, offering strategies for economically optimal management of diseases such as soybean seedling disease and root rot. - Analysis of economic factors to guide farm-level decision making. - Consideration of new technologies in disease management and their potential market-level impacts. This text is recommended for students and researchers in plant pathology and agricultural economics, as well as professionals in the soybean production industry.
The Economics of Speed: Machine Speed as the Key Factor in Productivity (Lecture Notes in Production Engineering)
by Bernard C. BeaudreauThis is the first book to examine the “nuts and bolts” of production processes. It proposes a truly consilient approach to modeling production processes – one that goes beyond the vague principles found in standard economics – and provides details that are consistent with the applied mechanics and engineering literature. Providing a credible analysis of some of the most pressing questions of our era, such as the productivity slowdown and the information paradox, and bridging the gap between engineering, applied physics, economics, and management science, this book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in industry, the modern economy, and how physical factors constrain productivity growth.
The Economics of Sustainable Development
by Shunsuke Managi Surender KumarThis book provides a look at the current status and future potential of sustainable development in India. Macroeconomic developments, regional disparity and poverty situation, the trend in natural resource depletion and environmental degradation, trajectory of economic development, and conventional wealth are discussed. A history of environmental regulations and the current state of the environment in India are provided along with the possible reasons for non-compliance of environmental standards in the country. This book studies many different aspects of industries in India from supply and demand sides and efficiency and productivity analyses are provided in detail. Before the liberalization of its economy began in 1991, India had been one of the most over-regulated and closed economies in the world. Market productivity is examined and tests whether the post-reform period shows any improvement in productivity and efficiency in comparison to the pre-reform period. Other subjects are discussed, including the economic value that the urban population of India places on improving the air quality, the cost of sustainable industrial development, industrial water use and analysis of the relationship between the price of oil and the macro economy as it applies to India.
The Economics of Telecommunication Services: An Engineering Perspective (Textbooks in Telecommunication Engineering)
by Pramode Verma Fan ZhangThis textbook characterizes the economics of telecommunication services from an engineering perspective. The authors bring out the fundamental drivers of the industry and characterize networks from a graph theoretic perspective, including random, small world, and scale free networks. The authors relate the topology of a telecommunication network using circuit and packet switched architectures to throughput and other performance parameters. The pricing model proposed in this book is based on the cost of displaced opportunity as opposed to the cost of the elements of the network engaged in delivering a service. The displaced opportunity is characterized by the revenue associated with the service that the network could have alternatively delivered most efficiently using an identical level of resources. The book addresses other topics such as regulation in legacy networks, and net neutrality. Finally, the book introduces the application of game theory in a multi-vendor, multi-services competitive marketplace. The book aims to bridge the gap between the science of economics as practiced by economists and practice of pricing from a telecommunication engineer’s perspective. This book is suitable for use by senior undergraduate or graduate students of telecommunication engineering or researchers and practitioners in telecommunication engineering.
Economics of the Food Processing Industry: Lessons from Bihar, India (Themes in Economics)
by Debdatta SahaThis book presents a wealth of perspectives on studying the manufacturing end of food processing industries, with a special focus on regions with a low industrial base and multiple missing markets, institutional finance being the most prominent example. Positioning food processing within the industrial ecosystem, which includes entrepreneurs, policymakers, business consultants and associations, the study first considers three different trajectories: for developed economies, for national territories like India, and for sub-national regions like Bihar. In turn, it shows how these trajectories intertwine in two dimensions: the region and the sub-sector. Successfully completing food-processing projects in any of these trajectories requires the identification and development of appropriate product networks that link basic processed items with advanced ones through a chain of value addition. Moreover, the supply-side narrative presented here identifies two types of costs: physical and non-physical costs of operation. For trajectories with skewed firm sizes (“missing middle”) and missing markets, which can be found in Bihar, the latter costs matter just as much as the former in terms of entrepreneurship. While efficiency in operations is studied for selected sub-sectors in Bihar’s food processing to assess the main sources of inefficiency in minimizing the physical costs of operations, non-physical costs are studied using the construct of region-based counterfactual thinking (rCFT) and its relationship with the perception of risk for entrepreneurs. rCFT offers a new concept for understanding the mindset of the entrepreneur, in which the regional identity plays a significant role. The empirical content is based on a primary survey of food processing in Bihar. Additional policy questions, such as the choice between spatial collocation of food parks or cluster-based development of unique sub-sectors, are explored through an analysis of the policy network that supports entrepreneurship. Issues arising from the government’s policy choices, particularly vertically targeted industrial policies, can influence industrial outcomes and are particularly relevant for regions like Bihar. While policy evaluation for Bihar’s processed food industry yields insights on policy targeting for decision-makers in the government, examples of parallel narratives from global experiences in comparable regions shed new light on industrial development in processed food, which should be of interest to business practitioners, academic researchers and policymakers alike.
Economics of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry: Supply Chain, Trade and Innovation (Routledge Studies in the Economics of Innovation)
by Ramesh BhardwajThis book provides a comprehensive examination of the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, including analysis of its current trade and innovation strategies.Opening with a survey of the global pharmaceutical and medical device industry, Bhardwaj outlines the growing trade and trade interdependence among countries in the global supply chain. He adopts a trade competitiveness approach to analyze patterns of product specialization and examines the drug discovery process and its challenges in translating bioscientific knowledge into lifesaving products. Bhardwaj argues that further economic integration, collaborative R&D, and digital technologies may help accelerate productivity and address global challenges of escalating drug costs, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and pandemic risks. The book also considers how the industry may further green its supply chain, and thus contribute to SDG Goals 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), before closing on a review of China and India, major players who have the potential to become drivers of low-cost medical products and innovations.With its evidence-based analysis, this book will be of great interest to researchers in pharmaceutical studies, supply chain management, global health, and health economics, as well as policymakers and professionals interested in the global issues facing the industry.
Economics of Unconventional Shale Gas Development
by William E. Hefley Yongsheng WangThis book examines the economics and related impacts of unconventional shale gas development. While focusing on the Marcellus and Utica Shales in the Mid-Atlantic region, additional insights from other regions are included to provide a broader view of these issues. Shale gas development in recent years has changed the energy discussion in the US, as existing reserves of natural gas coupled with horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing make exploitation of these reserves economically feasible. The importance of natural gas is seen as likely to continue to expand over the coming years, and is expected to increase even further with environmental considerations, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing producing natural gas from deposits such as the Marcellus Shale is making the US a net producer of natural gas. Previous studies have examined the economic impact of exploration and production in the region. Other studies have addressed legal, environmental, biodiversity, and public health impacts of unconventional shale development. This is the first volume to focus solely on the economics and related financial impacts of this development. This book not only fills the research gap, but also provides information that policy makers and the public need to better understand this pressing issue.
The Economics of Waste (Rff Press Ser.)
by Richard C. PorterIn this concise, engaging, and provocative work, Richard Porter introduces readers to the economic tools that can be applied to problems involved in handling a diverse range of waste products from business and households. Emphasizing the impossibility of achieving a zero-risk environment, Porter focuses on the choices that apply in real world decisions about waste. Acknowledging that effective waste policy integrates knowledge from several disciplines, Porter focuses on the use of economic analysis to reveal the costs of different policies and therefore how much can be done to meet goals to protect human health and the environment. With abundant examples, he considers subjects such as landfills, incineration, and illegal disposal. He discusses the international trade in waste, the costs and benefits of recycling, and special topics such as hazardous materials, Superfund, and nuclear waste. While making clear his belief that not every form of waste presents the same amount of risk, Porter stresses the need for open-minded approaches to developing new policies. For students, policymakers, and general readers, he provides insight and accessibility to a subject that others might leave out-of-sight, out-of-mind, or buried under an impenetrable prose of statistics and jargon.
The Economics of Water: Rules and Institutions (Springer Water)
by Georg Meran Markus Siehlow Christian von HirschhausenThis open access textbook provides a concise introduction to economic approaches and mathematical methods for the study of water allocation and distribution problems. Written in an accessible and straightforward style, it discusses and analyzes central issues in integrated water resource management, water tariffs, water markets, and transboundary water management. By illustrating the interplay between the hydrological cycle and the rules and institutions that govern today’s water allocation policies, the authors develop a modern perspective on water management. Moreover, the book presents an in-depth assessment of the political and ethical dimensions of water management and its institutional embeddedness, by discussing distribution issues and issues of the enforceability of human rights in managing water resources. Given its scope, the book will appeal to advanced undergraduate and graduate students of economics and engineering, as well as practitioners in the water sector, seeking a deeper understanding of economic approaches to the study of water management.
Economy, Business and Uncertainty: New Ideas for a Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Policy (Studies in Systems, Decision and Control #180)
by Jaime Gil-Lafuente Domenico Marino Francesco Carlo MorabitoThis book presents original research articles addressing various aspects of economics, management and optimization. The topics discussed include economics, finance, marketing, resource allocation strategies, fuzzy logic, and network-based techniques for the analysis of economics, management and mathematical optimization.Combining the input of contributing professors and researchers from various Spanish, Italian and Latin American universities, the book will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners, as well as members of the general public interested in the world of Economics and Management.
The Economy of Algorithms: AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions
by Marek Kowalkiewicz&‘A damn well-written book . . . a thrilling, entertaining whirlwind tour of different AI algorithms and their industry applications.&’ —Tobias Lange, Senior Vice President, Siemens Digital Industries Software Welcome to the economy of algorithms. It&’s here and it&’s growing. In the past few years, we have been flooded with examples of impressive technology. Algorithms have been around for hundreds of years, but they have only recently begun to &‘escape&’ our understanding. We are so impressed by what they can do that we give them a lot of agency. But because they are so hard to comprehend, this leads to all kinds of unintended consequences. In the twentieth century, we had the economy of corporations. In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, we saw the emergence of the economy of people, otherwise known as the digital economy, enabled by the internet. Now we&’re seeing a new economy take shape: the economy of algorithms. – How can we use algorithms to automate the boring parts of our jobs, enhance decision-making and drive innovation? – Where is the line between algorithmic &‘help&’ and surveillance? – Can an algorithm take your job? – How do you advertise to a fridge? – Do algorithms dream of electric sheep? – Why is it so hard to predict where technology will go next? These questions and more are answered by this exciting and ground-breaking book, which includes nine rules for flourishing in the new economy of algorithms.
The Economy of Algorithms: AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions
by Marek KowalkiewiczAn informed general readership, including students and interested non-specialists. Academics from business, sociology, politics, management, science and technology studies and emerging fields such as critical algorithm studies will find it a stimulating and entertaining read. Reflective practitioners who are beginning to question the potential social impacts of their work (see current explosion of tech worker activism).
Economy-Wide Modeling of Water at Regional and Global Scales (Advances in Applied General Equilibrium Modeling)
by Glyn WittwerThis book deals with the economic modelling of water at the global, national and sub-national levels. It presents a multi-faceted analysis and, while it outlines the theories behind various models, its main purpose is to analyse policy issues and present insights arising from modelling, including a chapter analysing the macroeconomic implications of climate change. Arguably the most compelling reason for publishing a book on the economic modelling of water arises from the fact that agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of water used for economic purposes, while only contributing 4% of global income. Given that water is an essential commodity, this discrepancy may in part be symptomatic of an undervaluation of water due to immature and incomplete markets. In turn, this undervaluation has led to an ongoing misallocation of water. When economic models include water accounts that feed into production functions, they model impacts on the marginal product of water. Policies that improve the link between the marginal product and price of water will improve water allocation, while advanced economic models such as those presented here can enhance our ability to explore the possible impacts of improved policy.