OECD Economic Surveys: Austria 2009

OECD Economic Surveys: Austria 2009
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2009-07-02
Genre:
ISBN: 9264054405

This 2009 edition of OECD's periodic survey of Austria's economy includes chapters on the financial crisis, product and labour market reforms, and fiscal policy challenges. The special feature examines re-inventing the education system.

Global Uncertainity and the Volatility of Agricultural Commodities Prices

Global Uncertainity and the Volatility of Agricultural Commodities Prices
Author: Bertrand Munier
Publisher: IOS Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2012
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1614990360

"The recent global financial crisis exposed the serious limitations of existing economic and financial models. Not only did macro models fail to predict the crisis, they seemed incapable of explaining what was happening to the economy. Policymakers felt abandoned by the conventional tools of the now obsolete Washington consensus and the World Trade Organization's oversimplified faith in free markets. The traditional models for agricultural commodities have so far failed to take into account the uncertain character of the global agricultural economy and its ferocious consequences in food price volatility, the worst in 300 years, yielding hunger riots throughout the world. This book explores the elements which could help to close this fundamental modeling gap. To what extent should traditional models be questioned regarding agricultural commodities? Are prices on these markets foreseeable? Can their evolution be either predicted or convincingly simulated, and if so, by which methods and models? Presenting contributions from acknowledged experts from several countries and backgrounds - professors at major international universities or researchers within specialized international organizations - the book concentrates on four issues: the role of expectations and capacity of prediction; policy issues related to development strategies and food security; the role of hoarding and speculation and finally, global modeling methods. The book offers a renewed wisdom on some of the core issues in the world economy today and puts forward important innovations in analyzing these core issues, among which the modular modeling design, the Momagri model being a seminal example of it. Reading this book should inspire fruitful revisions in policy-making to improve the welfare of populations worldwide."--Publisher's website.

Cities and Climate Change

Cities and Climate Change
Author: Daniel Hoornweg
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2011-06-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0821386670

This book provides the latest knowledge and practice in responding to the challenge of climate change in cities. Case studies focus on topics such as New Orleans in the context of a fragile environment, a framework to include poverty in the cities and climate change discussion, and measuring the impact of GHG emissions.

Driving and the Built Environment

Driving and the Built Environment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2010-01-25
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 030915054X

TRB Special Report 298: Driving and the Built Environment: Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions examines the relationship between land development patterns and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States to assess whether petroleum use, and by extension greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, could be reduced by changes in the design of development patterns. The report estimates the contributions that changes in residential and mixed-use development patterns and transit investments could make in reducing VMT by 2030 and 2050, and the impact this could have in meeting future transportation-related GHG reduction goals.

Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility

Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility
Author: Jamali, Dima
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2016-08-12
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1522507213

In the modern era, businesses have developed a complex relationship with the society surrounding them. While the effects of business activity are clearly seen, their direct impact varies from country to country. Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly research on the accountability contemporary businesses face for the environmental, social, and economic impacts that they create. Highlighting the variant expressions between developed and developing countries, this book is ideally designed for graduate students, professionals, practitioners, and academicians interested in furthering their knowledge on corporate social responsibility.

Diffusion Dynamics of Energy-Efficient Renovations

Diffusion Dynamics of Energy-Efficient Renovations
Author: Matthias otto Müller
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2013-11-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3642371752

Th Accelerating the diffusion of energy-efficient renovations is a key policy lever in order to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. This book provides a broad, systemic perspective on the causes of the diffusion of energy-efficient renovations in Switzerland and policy recommendations for accelerating the diffusion process. Specifically, the book provides a description of the societal problem situation within which the diffusion process takes place and an analysis of the actors involved. It provides a detailed explanation of the causes of the diffusion process that synthesizes insights from the engineering, economics, marketing, sociology, communication studies and political science literature. It employs the System Dynamics methodology to simulate the diffusion process and analyze policy levers. The book proposes two regulations and a sketch of a business model as particularly promising public policy interventions. It concludes with an outline of a generic theory of the diffusion of sustainable technologies.