Suchergebnisse

Sam Lovejoy and the campaign against the Montague Twin Nuclear Power Station : 1974 -- Massachusetts and the battle over the nuclear power station at Seabrook, New Hampshire : 1975-1988 -- The nuclear weapons freeze movement in Massachusetts : 1980-1985 -- Massachusetts and the national nuclear weapons freeze movement : 1980-1984 -- The Central American solidarity movement in Massachusetts : 1980-1990 -- Massachusetts politicians and Central America : 1979-1990

"On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Five months later, thousands of Muslims inundated the newspaper with outpourings of anger and grief by phone, email, and fax; from Asia to Europe Muslims took to the streets in protest. This book is the first comprehensive investigation of the conflict that aroused impassioned debates around the world on freedom of expression, blasphemy, and the nature of modern Islam". --Publisher

Les crises alimentaires de 2005 au Sahel et de 2008 sur les marchés internationaux ont remis la question de l'instabilité des prix alimentaires au coeur des débats. Les émeutes urbaines engendrées par la flambée des prix de 2008 dans une quarantaine de pays en développement (PED) rappellent que cette instabilité peut avoir de graves conséquences sur la sécurité alimentaire à la fois à court terme - accès des consommateurs à la nourriture - et à long terme - incitation des producteurs à investir et à accroître la production. Or, de l'avis de nombreux spécialistes, cette instabilité devrait être durable tant sur les marchés internationaux que dans les PED. Que faire ?

The objectives of this study are to: 1. Give an overview of the current discussion concerning competition distortion in relation to climate policy, 2. Describe results from some studies estimating the actual competition situation for selected activities, 3. Describe what sector agreement models are suggested/ discussed by EU, 4. Describe what sectors are most interesting to target with a sector agreement from a Swedish point of view, 5. Analyse what parameters are important for reducing competition distortion for Swedish Industry. Two studies, for the United Kingdom (Hourcade et al 2008) and Germany (Graichen et al 2008), have recently assessed the potential cost impact for different industrial sectors of CO2-prices due to the EU ETS. Maximum value at stake was used as metrics. The sectors with high potential impact, with a maximum value at stake larger than 10%, are in the United Kingdom Lime and cement, Basic iron and steel, Starches, Refined petroleum, Fertilizers and Nitrogen compounds and Aluminium. In Germany, the sectors with a maximum value at stake larger than 10% are: Cement and lime, Fertilizers and nitrogen compounds, Basic iron and steel, Aluminium, Paper and board, Other basic inorganic compounds and Coke, refined petroleum and nuclear fuels. Ex-ante studies of the impacts of competitiveness and carbon leakage due to the EU ETS fail to find actual impacts. However, that does not mean that there will be no impact in the future, which hold changes both in the EU ETS (method for allowance allocation, allowance prices etc) and possibly also other important circumstances (global demand for certain products and global product prices). In this study, based on official Swedish statistics, the maximum value a stake has been calculated for 52 Swedish sectors. Seven sectors have a maximum value a stake of more than 4%: Coke and refined petroleum (21%), Pulp and paper (11%), Basic metals (10%), Non-metallic mineral (9%), Metal ore mines (6%), Air transport (5%) and Electricity, gas and heat (4%). If Air transport and Electricity, gas and heat are omitted, the five remaining sectors account for 22% of Sweden's carbon emissions. In the Swedish Non-metallic mineral sector (including Cement and lime) the maximum value at stake is considerably lower than for Cement and lime in the UK and Germany. This is most likely due differences in system boundaries. In the Swedish statistics, the Cement and lime industry is a minor part (in terms of value added) of the Non-metallic mineral sector, a sector that also includes Stone, sand and soil industry. The calculated maximum value at stake for Non-metallic mineral is therefore a poor proxy for the Cement and lime sector since other sub sectors may 'dilute' the maximum value at stake. Differences in system boundaries may also explain the significant difference in maximum value at stake between the Swedish steel industry and UK and German steel industries. Other possible explanations may be a higher value added per unit, differences in how value added is calculated, different years applied for the analysis and lower CO2-intensity for Swedish products. In late 2008, the EU proposed three types of sector approaches to be discussed under the Ad-hoc Working Group on future commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP): i) Sector CDM - a CDM crediting mechanism with a previously established baseline ii) Sectoral no-lose mechanism - Sectoral crediting against a previously established no-lose target iii) Sectoral emission trading based on a sector emissions cap Based on these three sectoral models, we have analysed what parameters are important for reducing competition distortion for Swedish industry. We have assumed that these sector agreements are implemented in a developing country (DC). We conclude that if sector agreements are to reduce distortions on competition, it is important that the sector agreements create a real carbon price in the DC, i.e. that emissions of carbon dioxide are associated with a cost for the emitter. All three sector agreement-models suggested by the EU can potentially create a carbon price. The driver for emission reductions are in all three cases the international demand for offsets. As a potentially large buyer of off-sets, the EU demand for off-sets is likely to increase the carbon price in the DC sector. The choice of EU policy with respect to imports of off-set will therefore have great importance. Other buyers, such as other countries, emission trading systems or the voluntary credit market will of course also be important. Moreover, imports of off-sets may reduce the price on EU ETS allowances, thus further narrowing the carbon price gap between the two markets. If an important objective of a sectoral agreement is to reduce competition distortion it should be implemented in sectors where the corresponding Swedish industry has significant carbon related costs and where there is significant trade intensity between Sweden and regions outside the EU. Our preliminary analysis indicates that Swedish sectors with potentially high maximum value at stake (direct carbon and indirect electricity cost) are Refineries; Pulp and Paper; Iron and Steel;Cement and Lime; and Metal ore mining. The sectors Aluminium and Fertilizers may be important, but have not been assessed explicitly in this study. In addition, electricity production can be important to include in a sectoral agreement since the electricity price may be a significant cost for certain sectors exposed to international competition. Pass-through of costs - consumer incentives. If a sectoral agreement is to reduce competition distortion it is important that the sector participating in the sectoral agreement can pass through the additional carbon costs on the commodity so the carbon intensive products become more expensive for the consumer. A full pass through of the carbon cost could be compromised in countries with centrally regulated prices on carbon intensive commodities or other measures that shield the true price of carbon from the consumer. Target setting - producer incentives. The rules for setting the targets in the DC sector are crucial from a producer incentive point of view. There are two main options here: 1) absolute targets and 2) intensity targets. Absolute targets create high incentives for carbon reductions as long as the targets are not re-negotiated. The disadvantage is that they might be difficult to negotiate due to difficulties in finding an appropriate emission level, risk for hot air and the inflexibility to future adjustments. Intensity targets are based on output times an intensity factor (called benchmarking). But benchmarking leads to reduced incentives: i) as a production subsidy it encourages overproduction and ii) dis-incentivises the substitution to carbon efficient products. A third, theoretical, option would be absolute targets that are updated according to historic emissions. This model would, however, seriously undermine the incentives for emission reductions. In this study, we have argued that from a competition point of view, it's important to create a carbon price in the developing country. A different issue relates to how different sector agreement models influence the compliance costs of participating firms. We describe a situation where a DC industry sector is linked to the EU ETS, and where the EU industry pays for allowances (no free allocation). For a Sector emission trading system where the DC industry has to pay for allowances, the compliance costs could be compatible in the two regions. For Sector CDM and Sector no-lose mechanism, if the government implements a domestic carbon tax, the compliance costs may also be compatible in the two regions. However, if allowances are allocated freely to the DC industry and no tax is implemented, the DC industry would have no costs associated with the carbon emissions below the compliance level. There could here be a significant difference in compliance costs between the industries in the two regions. We have, however, not analysed if significant asymmetries in compliance costs can lead to competitive distortions between regions. ; The objectives of this study are to: 1. Give an overview of the current discussion concerning competition distortion in relation to climate policy, 2. Describe results from some studies estimating the actual competition situation for selected activities, 3. Describe what sector agreement models are suggested/ discussed by EU, 4. Describe what sectors are most interesting to target with a sector agreement from a Swedish point of view, 5. Analyse what parameters are important for reducing competition distortion for Swedish Industry. Two studies, for the United Kingdom (Hourcade et al 2008) and Germany (Graichen et al 2008), have recently assessed the potential cost impact for different industrial sectors of CO2-prices due to the EU ETS. Maximum value at stake was used as metrics. The sectors with high potential impact, with a maximum value at stake larger than 10%, are in the United Kingdom Lime and cement, Basic iron and steel, Starches, Refined petroleum, Fertilizers and Nitrogen compounds and Aluminium. In Germany, the sectors with a maximum value at stake larger than 10% are: Cement and lime, Fertilizers and nitrogen compounds, Basic iron and steel, Aluminium, Paper and board, Other basic inorganic compounds and Coke, refined petroleum and nuclear fuels. Ex-ante studies of the impacts of competitiveness and carbon leakage due to the EU ETS fail to find actual impacts. However, that does not mean that there will be no impact in the future, which hold changes both in the EU ETS (method for allowance allocation, allowance prices etc) and possibly also other important circumstances (global demand for certain products and global product prices). In this study, based on official Swedish statistics, the maximum value a stake has been calculated for 52 Swedish sectors. Seven sectors have a maximum value a stake of more than 4%: Coke and refined petroleum (21%), Pulp and paper (11%), Basic metals (10%), Non-metallic mineral (9%), Metal ore mines (6%), Air transport (5%) and Electricity, gas and heat (4%). If Air transport and Electricity, gas and heat are omitted, the five remaining sectors account for 22% of Sweden's carbon emissions. In the Swedish Non-metallic mineral sector (including Cement and lime) the maximum value at stake is considerably lower than for Cement and lime in the UK and Germany. This is most likely due differences in system boundaries. In the Swedish statistics, the Cement and lime industry is a minor part (in terms of value added) of the Non-metallic mineral sector, a sector that also includes Stone, sand and soil industry. The calculated maximum value at stake for Non-metallic mineral is therefore a poor proxy for the Cement and lime sector since other sub sectors may 'dilute' the maximum value at stake. Differences in system boundaries may also explain the significant difference in maximum value at stake between the Swedish steel industry and UK and German steel industries. Other possible explanations may be a higher value added per unit, differences in how value added is calculated, different years applied for the analysis and lower CO2-intensity for Swedish products. In late 2008, the EU proposed three types of sector approaches to be discussed under the Ad-hoc Working Group on future commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP): i) Sector CDM - a CDM crediting mechanism with a previously established baseline ii) Sectoral no-lose mechanism - Sectoral crediting against a previously established no-lose target iii) Sectoral emission trading based on a sector emissions cap Based on these three sectoral models, we have analysed what parameters are important for reducing competition distortion for Swedish industry. We have assumed that these sector agreements are implemented in a developing country (DC). We conclude that if sector agreements are to reduce distortions on competition, it is important that the sector agreements create a real carbon price in the DC, i.e. that emissions of carbon dioxide are associated with a cost for the emitter. All three sector agreement-models suggested by the EU can potentially create a carbon price. The driver for emission reductions are in all three cases the international demand for offsets. As a potentially large buyer of off-sets, the EU demand for off-sets is likely to increase the carbon price in the DC sector. The choice of EU policy with respect to imports of off-set will therefore have great importance. Other buyers, such as other countries, emission trading systems or the voluntary credit market will of course also be important. Moreover, imports of off-sets may reduce the price on EU ETS allowances, thus further narrowing the carbon price gap between the two markets. If an important objective of a sectoral agreement is to reduce competition distortion it should be implemented in sectors where the corresponding Swedish industry has significant carbon related costs and where there is significant trade intensity between Sweden and regions outside the EU. Our preliminary analysis indicates that Swedish sectors with potentially high maximum value at stake (direct carbon and indirect electricity cost) are Refineries; Pulp and Paper; Iron and Steel;Cement and Lime; and Metal ore mining. The sectors Aluminium and Fertilizers may be important, but have not been assessed explicitly in this study. In addition, electricity production can be important to include in a sectoral agreement since the electricity price may be a significant cost for certain sectors exposed to international competition. Pass-through of costs - consumer incentives. If a sectoral agreement is to reduce competition distortion it is important that the sector participating in the sectoral agreement can pass through the additional carbon costs on the commodity so the carbon intensive products become more expensive for the consumer. A full pass through of the carbon cost could be compromised in countries with centrally regulated prices on carbon intensive commodities or other measures that shield the true price of carbon from the consumer. Target setting - producer incentives. The rules for setting the targets in the DC sector are crucial from a producer incentive point of view. There are two main options here: 1) absolute targets and 2) intensity targets. Absolute targets create high incentives for carbon reductions as long as the targets are not re-negotiated. The disadvantage is that they might be difficult to negotiate due to difficulties in finding an appropriate emission level, risk for hot air and the inflexibility to future adjustments. Intensity targets are based on output times an intensity factor (called benchmarking). But benchmarking leads to reduced incentives: i) as a production subsidy it encourages overproduction and ii) dis-incentivises the substitution to carbon efficient products. A third, theoretical, option would be absolute targets that are updated according to historic emissions. This model would, however, seriously undermine the incentives for emission reductions. In this study, we have argued that from a competition point of view, it's important to create a carbon price in the developing country. A different issue relates to how different sector agreement models influence the compliance costs of participating firms. We describe a situation where a DC industry sector is linked to the EU ETS, and where the EU industry pays for allowances (no free allocation). For a Sector emission trading system where the DC industry has to pay for allowances, the compliance costs could be compatible in the two regions. For Sector CDM and Sector no-lose mechanism, if the government implements a domestic carbon tax, the compliance costs may also be compatible in the two regions. However, if allowances are allocated freely to the DC industry and no tax is implemented, the DC industry would have no costs associated with the carbon emissions below the compliance level. There could here be a significant difference in compliance costs between the industries in the two regions. We have, however, not analysed if significant asymmetries in compliance costs can lead to competitive distortions between regions.

The 1980s and first half of the 1990s were a very active period in the field of political economy of agricultural protection. While the past decade has witnessed a slowdown in this area, there have been very important developments on political economy in other parts of the economics profession. This paper reviews key new insights and developments in the general political economy literature and draws implications for the study of the political economy of distortions to agricultural incentives.

This paper keeps an eye on the big picture and follows the long‐lived virtuous circle that, beginning in the mid‐1990s, led to the very successful setting up of a modern macroeconomic policy framework in Brazil, after a decade‐long effort involving four presidential terms. It is an eventful and far from linear history that calls attention to the role of leadership and the complex learning processes that may be involved in the improvement of the quality of economic policy.

This paper provides an overview of the major current debates on infrastructure policy. It reviews the evidence on the macroeconomic significance of the sector in terms of growth and poverty alleviation. It also discusses the major institutional debates, including the relative comparative advantage of the public and the private sector in the various stages of infrastructure service delivery as well as the main options for changes in the role of government (i.e. regulation and decentralization).

This paper offers a personal review of the current state of knowledge on monetary policy. In a nutshell, what Friedman knew-have survived, but that modern monetary policy departs in some important ways from older principles? The older wisdom that monetary policy determines inflation in the long run but can have systematic shorter run effects has survived a major challenge. Most of the new ideas stem from the recognition of the crucial role of expectations. In today's world, this observation lies behind the spectacular trend toward ever greater central bank transparency. Then it is more than likely that ideas will change in the wake of the global financial crisis. Early debates challenge the old wisdom that central banks ought to be mainly concerned with price stability. In particular, financial stability has always been part of a central bank's mission, but it has occupied limited space in theoretical and empirical studies.

Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze e tecnologie per la gestione forestale e ambientale ; Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life and with a great economic value in all its competing uses and interactions with natural ecosystems as they strictly depend on water above all. Population and economies under rising growing lead to an increase in water demand while its availability remains constant in time. So that drought is actually an insidious hazard of nature for countries experiencing medium to high water stress due to its scarcity and to changed climate conditions showing a decreased amount of precipitation and higher temperature values. Drought is a severe problem in the Mediterranean basin: international conventions and Institutions such as the World Bank and the International Water Forum all consider the area in need of special attention due to problems resulting from its vulnerability to drought and its requirements for better water management. Moreover the European Community policy is directly involved in water scarcity issues, encouraging project development and actions to mitigate the effects of drought and to investigate measures to avoid or reduce drought risk in Mediterranean regions. The project MEDDMAN is a transnational approach in the field of drought and water management involving competent national authorities, leading research institutes and regional authorities and financed by European Union according to its Interreg III B MEDOCC policy. The DAF Department, Department of Environment and Forestry, Agrarian Faculty, University of Tuscia in Viterbo, has been involved in this project with a study area on Marta River Basin, located in the northern part of Latium region. The project's target is to develop an integrated system, capable of evaluating the state of surface water and groundwater resources in the MEDOCC regions preserving and improving the economic growth, developing efficient tools for sustainable water resources exploitation. Special attention is given to the environmental impacts of extreme meteorological and hydrological events, which affect the means of development and best interest of the locals. The focus is on the understanding of the 'water system' dynamics and functioning, enhancing the capability to predict its behavior in view of changes (including climate change), and underpinning its sustainable management and development. A simulation model at catchment scale, has been implemented for Marta river basin using SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) code, developed in 90's by Dr. Jeff Arnold for USDA-ARS, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Swat is a comprehensive model that requires a diversity of information and produce reliable results with a rich dataset at disposal (morphological, soil, climatic, hydrologic data). It enables water balance estimation and models the loading of water, sediments and nutrients from land areas in a watershed or to the stream network from sources not associated with a land area and referred to as point sources, such as treatment plants. i The simulation period covers the years 1999-2006. The model was calibrated for the period 1999-2002 and then validated for the period 2003-2006. The implemented model shows a substantial reliability and accuracy in providing the watershed response in terms of discharge flowing and timing pointing out a rapid rebound on it as a consequence of heavy rainfall events. Statistical tests confirmed the truthfulness of its results. A good correspondence between observed and simulated values can be obtained also regarding nutrients movement and processes even if the available data were not so complete and comparable in terms of nitrogen and phosphorous, and their compounds, concentrations. Surely, the nitrate concentrations found in the monitoring campaigns carried out by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA Lazio) are quite well represented by model results. Such a hydrological and nutrient transport simulation model, can be certainly a powerful and reliable tool for water and natural resources planning in order to achieve a rational and prudent management of them taking into account anthropic needs (water demand, agricultural activities, wastewater treatment plants, hydroelectric power production and so on) but also ecosystems preservation (ichthyic life requirements, river Minimum Flow Requirement, biological communities and so on) and economic aspects allowing to evaluate and compare benefits, disadvantages and consequences for each suggested or hypothesized technical solution on watershed. For the particular characteristics and past of Marta basin, the implemented SWAT model can provides an overview of its multifaceted response to climatic and human pressures and also an estimation of the future available water resources quantity and quality. To have a general overview of the whole basin hydrologic behavior, a seawater wedge simulation model has been implemented for the coastal alluvial aquifer of Maremma Laziale applying Sharp_sar code (Santini, 2008) modified version of SHARP (Essaid, 1990). When the width of the transition zone is small relative to the thickness of the aquifer, saltwater and freshwater can be assumed as immiscible fluids separated by a sharp interface and this approach reproduces the general position, shape and behavior of the interface. SHARP model couples the freshwater and saltwater domains through the interfacial boundary condition of continuity for flux and pressure. With a simulation period of 10 years, Sharp_sar model was implemented on Maremma Laziale coastal aquifer and the results show that after of a pumping period of 10 years, saltwater intrusion might occur in the area between Fiora river and Arrone stream. The initial condition was set using the Badon-Ghyben (1889) e Herzberg (1901) laws to place the initial interface between fresh and salt water so that to ensure the model results after 10 years of simulation. ii The interface appears located along the coastline without showing clear signs of intrusive phenomena taking place in the middle and southern part of the coastal aquifer, while a retreat of the fresh water is clear in the northern part of it up to 1.2 km inland, in the area between Fiora river and Arrone stream and then confirming what emerged from the study for the establishment of coastal environmental state "(Chiocchini et al., 2005). Even with several uncertainties on number of existing wells, since it's not mandatory to declare a private well, on pumping amounts and periods the model results point out a supposed critical area with a particular vulnerability to saltwater intrusion phenomena. Other smallest areas in southern part of the coastal aquifer seem to be interested by saltwater intrusion phenomena falling in Tarquinia municipality. Coupling a SWAT model for hydrologic and nutrients transport simulation and investigation with a saltwater interface simulation model, such as SHARP_sar, for the coastal area of this basin, give the opportunity to take into account the several and different aspects and issues connected with the whole watershed behavior and evolution. A correct planning and management of the available natural resources involve a conscientious water bodies exploitation, with respect to habitats and local animal and plants requirements, avoiding saltwater intrusion phenomena and environmental damage, accomplishing people needs, economic, agricultural and tourist development and income, but, above all, ensuring citizens and buildings safety. In the local and actual context, regarding past and present events in the study area, an incisive and suddenly action from government is hoped in order to restore equilibrium conditions and environmental health for watershed. Going on in making information and investigation results available to all the stakeholders and people involved, directly or indirectly, in Marta river basin management, could allow an increase in awareness and consciousness and lead to quickening planning actions and works in a shared and advantageous way for all. Especially with regards to Minimum Flow Requirement, in relation with the water amount deviated for hydroelectric power generation, a rational regulation of the sluice-gates located on Marta river at the exit of lake Bolsena, is needed to ensure ichthyic life and ecosystem preservation together with simple turbines volumes required to correctly working. A multifaceted and integrated approach could certainly be applied in such a complex problem- solving, with the help of hydrologic and nutrients transport simulation models, saltwater intrusion position and movement simulation models and building all the data and results in a GIS platform as to provide a real and concrete Decision System Support.

David Kilcullen is one of the world's most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare. A Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus in Iraq, his vision of war dramatically influenced America's decision to rethink its military strategy in Iraq and implement "the surge." - Prologue: West Java, December 1996 -- The accidental guerrilla -- "The crazies will kill them" : Afghanistan, 2006-2008 -- "The twenty-first day" : Iraq during the "surge," 2007 -- "Terrain, tribes, and terrorists" : conflicts from Indonesia to Europe -- "Turning an elephant into a mouse" : beyond the War on Terrorism

Was colonization very costly for the metropole? This view has been widely accepted among French historians even though little empirical evidence has been provided. Using original data from the colonial budgets of French West Africa (AOF) this paper provides new insights into the actual colonial public funding in this part of the French empire. Comparing the financial transfers from the metropole to AOF to total metropolitan expenses reveals that the cost of colonization of the AOF for French taxpayers was extremely low: French subsidies to the AOF represented on average 0.007 percent of total metropolitan expenses. From the AOF side financial transfers from the metropole were not that beneficiary since French subsidies represented on average 0.4 percent of total local revenue. Including the public loans and cash advances from the metropole does not change this general pattern. West Africans therefore funded most colonial public investments which reveal to be very small. One reason for the scarcity of public investments is the cost of French civil servants serving in the colonies which turned out to be a considerable burden for Africans: French government officials alone represented 20 percent of total local public expenses. ; La colonisation française a-t-elle coûté cher à la métropole ? Cette idée a été largement diffusée par certains historiens français, malgré les défaillances des données disponibles sur la question. En utilisant les données des budgets coloniaux de l'Afrique occidentale française, ce papier apporte de nouveaux éléments sur le financement public de la colonisation française dans cette partie de l'empire. En comparant les transferts financiers de la métropole vers l'AOF aux dépenses totales de l'Etat français, il s'avère que le coût de la colonisation pour les contribuables métropolitains a été extrêmement faible : les aides publiques ont représenté en moyenne 0.007 pourcent du total des dépenses métropolitaines. Pour l'AOF, les aides publiques de la France n'ont pas non plus été si avantageuses, ne représentant en moyenne que 0.4 pourcent du total des recettes du territoire. Le fait d'inclure les prêts et les avances ne changent pas fondamentalement le diagnostic. Les habitants de l'AOF ont donc financé eux-mêmes la quasi-totalité des investissements publics effectués sur le territoire, qui sont restés très peu importants. Une des raisons de la rareté des investissements publics était le coût de ces investissements : le poids budgétaire des fonctionnaires français a été un fardeau considérable pour les contribuables africains, le personnel de commandement absorbant à lui seul 20 pourcent du total des dépenses du territoire.

As an important issue of the debate on industrial property in nineteenth century France, the non examination of patents is considered as one of the singularities of the French patent system. It is the counterpart of the right of the inventor considered, despite the controversy, as a natural one. However, still in the early twentieth century, many patent applications are subject to a review conducted by the Comité consultatif des arts et manufactures. Analysis of these reports makes it possible to highlight the contradictions between the legal framework and practices of actors in industrial property. It shows the patent as a textual resource, object of multiple and contradictory interpretations, but also and especially as the index of practices and actors that a history of inventors must take into account. ; Enjeu récurrent des débats sur la propriété industrielle au XIXe siècle, l'absence d'examen préalable des brevets d'invention est considérée comme l'une des singularités de la législation française en la matière. Elle est la contrepartie d'un droit de l'inventeur considéré, en dépit des controverses, comme un droit naturel. Pourtant, au début du XXe siècle, une partie des demandes de brevets sont l'objet d'un examen mené en partie par le Comité consultatif des arts et manufactures. L'analyse des rapports de cette instance d'expertise permet à la fois de souligner les contradictions entre le cadre juridique et les pratiques des acteurs de la propriété industrielle. Elle fait apparaître le brevet comme un texte susceptible d'une pluralité d'interprétations antithétiques, mais aussi et surtout comme l'indice de pratiques et d'acteurs auxquels une histoire des inventeurs doit s'intéresser.