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Due to the increasing need for transportation and environmental concerns, there is a social and political will to transfer transportation services from roads to rail. The increasing demand for railway transportation services has a significant effect on important stakeholder requirements, such as safety, punctuality, dependability, sustainability and costs. This in turn affects railway practices concerning operation, maintenance and modification. Simultaneously, the ongoing deregulation of state-owned railways has caused new organizations to enter the railway sector. Hence, the punctuality of the railway is dependent on a combination of multiple required functions that are concurrently provided by different stakeholders, e.g. the infrastructure manager, infrastructure maintenance contractors and traffic operators. In Sweden, Banverket (the Swedish National Rail Administration) is the infrastructure manager and has the overall responsibility for railway punctuality. This means that Banverket has to coordinate and stimulate the stakeholders to provide the required functions in order to achieve the delivery of punctual transportation services. The purpose of this research is to explore and describe how information about the condition of technical systems can support stakeholders within the Swedish railway in improving punctuality by means of more effective and efficient maintenance. The focus is on delays that are caused by the absence of required infrastructure functions, even though the interaction with the rolling stock is considered through the study of critical interfaces. Condition monitoring technologies are focused on as the primary application for obtaining condition information on technical systems. Hence, the research is intended to provide knowledge about how condition information can be used in the quest to provide the quality required from the Swedish railway transportation service at an adequate cost for society. To fulfil the stated purpose, empirical data have been collected by document studies, interviews, work-shops, observations and field measurements. Examples of covered data are train delay statistics, failure statistics, No-Fault-Found events and wheel impact forces. The data have been analysed through statistical and analytical approaches (e.g. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, FMEA), as well as by applying theories related to principal agent problems, Scientific Management and international dependability standards. The thesis describes how the maintenance effort required by infrastructure maintenance contractors is affected by the maintenance effort conducted by traffic operators (and vice versa). The interaction between infrastructure and rolling stock has a significant effect on the systems' punctuality and the degradation of bound capital. Hence, effective punctuality improvements through maintenance efforts must be based on a holistic railway system perspective, i.e. a joint consideration of infrastructure and rolling stock. The thesis also presents how condition information can be used as a management tool to stimulate the fulfilment of performance requirements made on railway stakeholders. It is also shown that the same information can be used to predict and plan necessary preventive maintenance tasks, as well as to support continuous improvement of the technical systems. However, unless stakeholder needs are acknowledged and unless proper scientific investigations precede the formation of requirements and the applications of condition monitoring technologies, it is likely that the desired system performance improvements will not be realised. In summary, the thesis outlines a possible scenario in which condition information could support railway stakeholders in improving the punctuality of the railway system by means of more effective and efficient maintenance. ; Det ökande behovet av transporter samt en ökande miljömedvetenhet har ökat efterfrågan på och nyttjandet av järnvägstransporter. Det ökande behovet av järnvägstransporter har en signifikant påverkan på viktiga intressentkrav såsom säkerhet, punktlighet, tillförlitlighet, hållbarhet samt kostnader. Detta påverkar i sin tur järnvägens tillämpningar beträffande drift, underhåll och modifieringar. Samtidigt har den pågående avregleringen av järnvägen medfört att nya organisationer har kommit in på järnvägsmarknaden. Följaktligen är punktligheten på järnvägen beroende av en kombination av många krävda funktioner som för närvarande är tillhandahållna av olika intressenter, till exempel infrastrukturhållare, underhållsentreprenörer för infrastruktur och trafikoperatörer. I Sverige är Banverket infrastrukturhållaren.Syftet med denna forskning är att utforska och beskriva hur information beträffande tekniska systems hälsa kan stödja intressenter inom den Svenska järnvägen till att förbättra punktligheten genom ett effektivare underhåll. Fokus ligger på förseningar som är orsakade av frånvaro av krävda infrastrukturfunktioner, även om interaktion med rullande materiel beaktas genom studier av kritiska gränsytor. Tillståndsövervakningsteknologier är fokuserade som den primära applikationen för erhållandet av information om de tekniska systemens hälsa. Därmed är forskningen avsedd att bidra med kunskap om hur tillståndsinformation kan användas för att tillhandahålla krävd transportservice på den svenska järnvägen till en adekvat kostnad för samhället. För att tillfredställa syftet med forskningen har data inhämtats genom dokumentstudier, intervjuer, seminarier, observationer och fältmätningar. Exempel på avhandlad data är; tågförseningsstatistik, felrapportstatistik, inget-fel-funnet-händelser (No-Fault-Found, NFF) samt hjulkrafter. Data har analyserats genom statistiska och analytiska ansatser, till exempel felmod- och effektanalys (FMEA), men även genom teorier relaterade till principal-agent-problemet, Scientific Management och internationella tillförlitlighetsstandarder.Avhandlingen beskriver hur den av en underhållsentreprenör krävda underhållsinsatsen påverkas av det underhåll som trafikoperatörer utför (och vice versa). Detta har en signifikant påverkan på systemets punktlighet samt degraderingen av bundet kapital. Följaktligen så måste effektiva punktlighetsförbättringar genom underhållsinsatser baseras på ett holistiskt järnvägssystemperspektiv, till exempel ett gemensamt beaktande av infrastruktur och rullande materiel. Avhandlingen visar också hur tillståndsinformation kan användas som ett ledningsverktyg för att stimulera uppfyllandet av prestationskrav lagda på järnvägsintressenter. Det är också illustrerat att samma information kan användas för att prediktera och planera nödvändiga förebyggande underhållsåtgärder likväl som att stödja kontinuerlig utveckling av det tekniska systemet. Emellertid, om intressenternas behov inte tillkännages och om inte vederbörliga vetenskapliga utredningar föregår utformandet av krav samt tillståndsövervakningsapplikationerna, är det troligt att de eftersträvansvärda systemprestandaförbättringarna uteblir. Sammanfattningsvis så bidrar avhandlingen med ett möjligt scenario för hur tillståndsinformation kan stödja järnvägsintressenterna till att förbättra punktligheten hos järnvägssystemet genom effektivare underhåll. ; Godkänd; 2008; 20080825 (ysko)

This paper provides perspectives on patterns of public-private partnerships in infrastructure across time and space. Public-private partnerships are a new term for old concepts. Much infrastructure started under private auspices. Then many governments nationalized the ventures. Governments often push infrastructure providers to keep prices low. In emerging markets, the price of water covers maybe 30 percent of costs on average, that of electricity some 80 percent of costs. This renders public infrastructure ventures dependent on subsidies. When governments run into fiscal troubles, they often look again for public-private partnerships, and price increases. As a result, public-private partnerships keep making a comeback in most countries, but are not always loved. Waves of interest in public-private partnerships sweep different countries at different times. Overall, in emerging markets today, public-private partnerships account for some 20 percent of infrastructure investments, with wide variations across countries and from year to year. There is no "killer" rationale for public-private partnerships. They can help raise financing when governments face borrowing constraints. They can be more efficient when sound incentives are applied. Existing evaluations suggest public-private partnerships tend to perform often a bit better than public provision. Yet, well-run governments can do as well. Public-private partnerships provide mechanisms to improve the governance of infrastructure ventures where governments are flawed. Once the fiscal troubles are over, the politics of pricing assert themselves again. Tight pricing erodes the profitability of public-private partnerships and the wheel of privatization and nationalization keeps turning, as it has since modern infrastructure services were invented.

Изучается влияние спекуляции на социально-экономические процессы Канского уезда Енисейской губернии в годы Первой мировой войны. Показано, что Сибирь обеспечивала внутренний рынок лишь продукцией сельского хозяйства, производственная сфера была неразвита, многие товары первой необходимости завозились в регион из европейской части страны. В условиях сокращения отечественного производства, нарушения железнодорожного сообщения началась спекуляция. Неконтролируемая спекулятивная деятельность в регионе привела к резким и необоснованным колебаниям цен, инфляции. Автор приходит к выводу, что городские и губернские власти обладали слабыми возможностями для сохранения политической и экономической стабильности общества. Увеличивающееся социальное неравенство воспринималось основной массой населения как проявление несправедливости, росли беспокойство, неуверенность, страх перед будущим, снижался авторитет власти. ; Saving the principle of free trade in the Russian Empire during the First World War led to rampant speculation. Siberia was a major supplier of food and raw materials for the active army, in 1915 she began to experience serious food difficulties. The article shows that in the agricultural Kansk County of rear Siberian province speculation became one of the major reasons for the increase in agricultural prices and food shortages. With the outbreak of hostilities supply of goods from the occupied territories had ceased. Russian producers lost foreign raw materials, their production decreased significantly. Factories and plants reoriented their work primarily on the needs of the army. The purchases of food for the army on the domestic market were carried out without the consent of the interests of the local population. All this was accompanied by a disorder of the credit system, the depreciation of the ruble, rising taxes. The war affected the rail system: boxcars were used for troop transport. For the Siberian region it had disastrous consequences, since there was no industrial production of consumer goods. Due to the lack and high cost of many products on the market, as well as a ban on sales of alcoholic beverages increased consumption of grain. Given the overall economic situation in the country, military defeats, the peasants held back grain in anticipation of higher prices for it, supplies of grain to the city markets declined. Buying grain from farmers, dealers compete with each other and increased purchase prices. Following the increase in the price of grain, the prices of other products rose as well. The situation in 1916 was very hard everywhere. Many products completely disappeared from the market, on the others the prices were kept high. On speculation someone made a fortune, it took a variety of forms. Local authorities within their powers were not able to restrain or prevent numerous facts of buying and reselling products for profit. System of fixing the prices, municipal wholesale procurement of essential commodities and selling them to the public at reduced prices, cooperation with consumer cooperatives, police and administrative measures did not give results. Extraordinary nation-wide measures were required. Speculation led to the paradoxical situation: despite the large stocks of products in the region, lack of food crisis in the country, there was an artificial shortage of products in the Siberian cities. The largest increase of the price was for essential products bread, meat, potatoes, butter. This increase was taken seriously by the poorest people of towns and villages. Rumors about oncoming hunger and the introduction of cards were spreading. The increasing social inequality during the war was perceived negatively, embittered the people, and turned into a conflict factor. Difficult economic situation, loss of authority of political power, violation of the principles of social justice, inefficient work of local authorities these and other factors shaped the social tensions in Kansk County. In the county there were no signs of hunger, no food riots. But in 1916 and 1917 in Kansk took place the soldiers' disturbances. They were a spontaneous form of social protest and took place at the time when the population has felt the weakening of state power in the country.

The main hypothesis of this research is that civil society's participation is able to improve the planning results in the Chinese city of Qingdao in the contemporary age. Qingdao is a young city developed from a German colony in eastern China. Apart from the powers of the government and the market, the 'third power', including mainly the power of volunteer citizens and the citizens' organisations, also positively promoted the spatial development in Qingdao's history. Since 1978's reform, Qingdao's great progress in urban housing, historic preservation, public space and urban traffic results mainly from the increasing strength of both the government and the market, while the government has always been the dominant promoter for urban construction. The actual planning mechanism – the government formulates 'what to do' itself and decides 'how to do it' with the market – has much limit in reacting to the rapidly changing situation, serving diversified social interests, and raising sufficient funds for the city's urgent demands in Qingdao. Searching for new development strategies based on the understanding of civil society in the Chinese context can provide a promising perspective on the urban studies of Qingdao. Chinese civil society can be understood as the intermediate sphere of individuals, families, citizen's organisations, social movements, public communication, and of the non-governmental body's non-for-profit involvement for the provision of public services between the state and the market. China has its own cultural tradition of civil society, and the modern civil society in China is showing its great potential in improving social integration and urban life. The Chinese government has started to advocate for civil society's participation in urban construction, and encouraging the 'bottom-up' mechanism in the planning-related issues through political statements and legislative approaches since the last two decades. The existing planning practice in China is able to demonstrate that civil society's participation helps improve the quality of Chinese urban planning realistically under present conditions, and that moderation of planning experts and the push of the authority are the key factors for successfully integrating the strength of civil society in planning. However, the power of civil society is not yet sufficiently discovered in Qingdao's planning. For better planning results, the city of Qingdao needs more initiatives to mobilize civil society in the planning practice, as well as more support to enrich the related studies. This thesis recommends that Qingdao establishes the 'Foundation for Collaborative Urban Solutions' through the joint efforts of the authority and civil initiatives, which aims at moderating and facilitating the strength of civil society. The suggested pilot projects include: a. The Community-based Housing Workshop for regenerating the living environment of the run-down communities, where the residents are willing to collaborate with the foundation with own efforts. b. The Heritage Preservation Workshop for suggesting an efficient supervision mechanism involving civil society which protects the historic heritage from being destroyed in the urban construction. c. The Public Space Forum for improving accessibility, quantity and ecologic function in the development of Qingdao's urban public space with the knowledge and creativity of both the government and the citizens. d. The Mass Transport Forum for a realistic strategy for funding the rail-based traffic system in Qingdao through enabling the civil society - especially the individual citizens and their households to invest. The 'Foundation of Collaborative Urban Solutions' is able to improve Qingdao's planning to cope with the urban problems the city are facing in its contemporary development, as well as to provide valuable reference for the further research of civil society's participation in Chinese urban planning. ; Die Haupthypothese dieser Arbeit ist, dass durch Beteiligung der Zivilgesellschaft am Planungsprozess die Planungsergebnisse in der chinesischen Stadt Qingdao in der gegenwärtigen Zeit verbessert werden können. Durch das schnelle Wachstum vom kleinen Fischerdorf zu modernen Metropole, sind die stadtplanerischen Erfahrungen in Qingdao stark an die Adaption moderner Planungsideen einerseits und an die dominierende städtische Planungsbehörde andererseits geknüpft. Abgesehen vom Einfluss der Zentralmacht trug auch die nicht-staatliche Seite, dazu zählen die Bürgerbewegungen und die Wirtschaftsverbände, zur räumlichen Entwicklung Qingdaos bei. Seit der 'Reform 1978' hat Qingdao große Fortschritte beim städtischen Wohnungswesen, beim Denkmalschutz, beim öffentlichen Raum und städtischen Verkehr gemacht. Nicht nur der Umfang, sondern auch die Qualität des städtischen Raumes hat sich erheblich verbessert. Die beachtlichen Leistungen sind das Ergebnis zunehmender gemeinsamer Anstrengungen der Regierung und des Marktes, wenngleich die staatliche Seite immer die treibende Kraft der städtebaulichen Entwicklung war. Der gegenwärtige Planungsvollzug – bei dem die Regierung selbst vorgibt 'was zu tun ist' und gemeinsam mit dem Markt entscheidet 'wie dies zu tun ist' – enge Grenzen besitzt, wenn es gilt, auf schnell verändernde Situationen zu reagieren, unterschiedliche soziale Interessen zu bedienen oder ausreichend finanzielle Mittel für dringende städtische Probleme zur Verfügung zu stellen. Die Suche nach neuen Entwicklungsstrategien, die auf einem Verständnis der Zivilgesellschaft im Kontext Chinas basieren, kann eine aussichtsreiche Perspektive für stadtplanerische Untersuchungen Qingdaos bieten. Im einem Verständnis des sozialen Wandels in China, definiert sich die Zivilgesellschaft aus einem Sphäre von Individuen, Familien, Bürgerorganisationen, sozialen Bewegungen, öffentlichen Kommunikation heraus und aus den nichtstaatlichen Institutionen des 'non-for-profit Involvements' zur Einrichtung öffentlicher Dienstleistungen zwischen Staat und Markt. Es gibt ausreichend Beweise dafür, das China in seiner eigenen Kultur über viele Quellen einer Zivilgesellschaft verfügt. Die vorhandene stadtplanerische Praxis in China kann auf ihre Weise zeigen, das Bürgerbeteiligung dabei hilft, die Qualität der Stadtplanung unter gegebenen Bedingungen in realistischer Weise zu verbessern. Außerdem sind Moderation im Planungsprozess und der Antrieb durch die Regierung, zwei wichtige Schlüsselfaktoren, zur erfolgreichen Einbindung des Einflusses bürgerlicher Beteiligung im Planungsprozess. Allerdings wurde die Bedeutung der zivilgesellschaft für die Stadtplanung Qingdaos bisher noch nicht ausreichend untersucht. Um bessere Ergebnisse im Planungsprozess zu erzielen, braucht die Stadt Qingdao mehr Initiativen, die die Gesellschaft im Planungsprozess mobilisieren und auch mehr Unterstützung dabei, ähnliche Studien mit Erkenntnissen anzureichern. Diese These befürwortet, dass Qingdao eine "Foundation for Collaborative Urban Solutions" für gemeinsame Bemühungen der Regierung und bürgerlicher Initiativen einrichten sollte, die auf einen erleichterten und angemessenen Einfluss der Zivilgesellschaft in Planungen zielt. Die vorgeschlagenen Pilotprojekte beinhalten. a. Ein 'Community-based Housing Workshop' um das Lebensumfeld in den heruntergekommenen Gemeinden zu regenerieren, wo ortsansässige Willens sind, durch eigene Anstrengungen mit der Stiftung zusammenzuarbeiten. b. Den 'Heritage Preservation Workshop' um einen effizienten Supervisionsprozess unter Einbeziehung der Zivilgesellschaft anzuregen, der das historische Erbe vor Zerstörung im städtischen Aufbau beschützt. c. Ein 'Public Space Forum' um Zugänglichkeit, Ausmaß und ökologische Funktion bei der Entwicklung des öffentlichen Raumes in Qingdao zu verbessern, mit dem Wissen und der Kreativität sowohl der Regierung als auch der Bürger. d. Das 'Mass Transport Forum' für eine realistische Strategie zur Förderung eines schienenbasierten Verkehrssystems in Qingdao, die der Gesellschaft, speziell auch dem einzelnen Bürger ermöglichen soll sich zu beteiligen. Einer 'Foundation of Collaborative Urban Solutions' ist es möglich, Qingdaos Planungen zu unterstützen und die städtebaulichen Schwierigkeiten - denen die Stadt in der gegenwärtigen Entwicklung gegenübersteht - zu bewältigen. Ebenso ist sie fähig, wertvolle Hinweise für weitergehende Untersuchungen, zu Bürgerbeteiligung in der Stadtplanung Chinas, zu liefern.

The main hypothesis of this research is that civil society's participation is able to improve the planning results in the Chinese city of Qingdao in the contemporary age. Qingdao is a young city developed from a German colony in eastern China. Apart from the powers of the government and the market, the 'third power', including mainly the power of volunteer citizens and the citizens' organisations, also positively promoted the spatial development in Qingdao's history. Since 1978's reform, Qingdao's great progress in urban housing, historic preservation, public space and urban traffic results mainly from the increasing strength of both the government and the market, while the government has always been the dominant promoter for urban construction. The actual planning mechanism – the government formulates 'what to do' itself and decides 'how to do it' with the market – has much limit in reacting to the rapidly changing situation, serving diversified social interests, and raising sufficient funds for the city's urgent demands in Qingdao. Searching for new development strategies based on the understanding of civil society in the Chinese context can provide a promising perspective on the urban studies of Qingdao. Chinese civil society can be understood as the intermediate sphere of individuals, families, citizen's organisations, social movements, public communication, and of the non-governmental body's non-for-profit involvement for the provision of public services between the state and the market. China has its own cultural tradition of civil society, and the modern civil society in China is showing its great potential in improving social integration and urban life. The Chinese government has started to advocate for civil society's participation in urban construction, and encouraging the 'bottom-up' mechanism in the planning-related issues through political statements and legislative approaches since the last two decades. The existing planning practice in China is able to demonstrate that civil society's participation helps improve the quality of Chinese urban planning realistically under present conditions, and that moderation of planning experts and the push of the authority are the key factors for successfully integrating the strength of civil society in planning. However, the power of civil society is not yet sufficiently discovered in Qingdao's planning. For better planning results, the city of Qingdao needs more initiatives to mobilize civil society in the planning practice, as well as more support to enrich the related studies. This thesis recommends that Qingdao establishes the 'Foundation for Collaborative Urban Solutions' through the joint efforts of the authority and civil initiatives, which aims at moderating and facilitating the strength of civil society. The suggested pilot projects include: a. The Community-based Housing Workshop for regenerating the living environment of the run-down communities, where the residents are willing to collaborate with the foundation with own efforts. b. The Heritage Preservation Workshop for suggesting an efficient supervision mechanism involving civil society which protects the historic heritage from being destroyed in the urban construction. c. The Public Space Forum for improving accessibility, quantity and ecologic function in the development of Qingdao's urban public space with the knowledge and creativity of both the government and the citizens. d. The Mass Transport Forum for a realistic strategy for funding the rail-based traffic system in Qingdao through enabling the civil society - especially the individual citizens and their households to invest. The 'Foundation of Collaborative Urban Solutions' is able to improve Qingdao's planning to cope with the urban problems the city are facing in its contemporary development, as well as to provide valuable reference for the further research of civil society's participation in Chinese urban planning. ; Die Haupthypothese dieser Arbeit ist, dass durch Beteiligung der Zivilgesellschaft am Planungsprozess die Planungsergebnisse in der chinesischen Stadt Qingdao in der gegenwärtigen Zeit verbessert werden können. Durch das schnelle Wachstum vom kleinen Fischerdorf zu modernen Metropole, sind die stadtplanerischen Erfahrungen in Qingdao stark an die Adaption moderner Planungsideen einerseits und an die dominierende städtische Planungsbehörde andererseits geknüpft. Abgesehen vom Einfluss der Zentralmacht trug auch die nicht-staatliche Seite, dazu zählen die Bürgerbewegungen und die Wirtschaftsverbände, zur räumlichen Entwicklung Qingdaos bei. Seit der 'Reform 1978' hat Qingdao große Fortschritte beim städtischen Wohnungswesen, beim Denkmalschutz, beim öffentlichen Raum und städtischen Verkehr gemacht. Nicht nur der Umfang, sondern auch die Qualität des städtischen Raumes hat sich erheblich verbessert. Die beachtlichen Leistungen sind das Ergebnis zunehmender gemeinsamer Anstrengungen der Regierung und des Marktes, wenngleich die staatliche Seite immer die treibende Kraft der städtebaulichen Entwicklung war. Der gegenwärtige Planungsvollzug – bei dem die Regierung selbst vorgibt 'was zu tun ist' und gemeinsam mit dem Markt entscheidet 'wie dies zu tun ist' – enge Grenzen besitzt, wenn es gilt, auf schnell verändernde Situationen zu reagieren, unterschiedliche soziale Interessen zu bedienen oder ausreichend finanzielle Mittel für dringende städtische Probleme zur Verfügung zu stellen. Die Suche nach neuen Entwicklungsstrategien, die auf einem Verständnis der Zivilgesellschaft im Kontext Chinas basieren, kann eine aussichtsreiche Perspektive für stadtplanerische Untersuchungen Qingdaos bieten. Im einem Verständnis des sozialen Wandels in China, definiert sich die Zivilgesellschaft aus einem Sphäre von Individuen, Familien, Bürgerorganisationen, sozialen Bewegungen, öffentlichen Kommunikation heraus und aus den nichtstaatlichen Institutionen des 'non-for-profit Involvements' zur Einrichtung öffentlicher Dienstleistungen zwischen Staat und Markt. Es gibt ausreichend Beweise dafür, das China in seiner eigenen Kultur über viele Quellen einer Zivilgesellschaft verfügt. Die vorhandene stadtplanerische Praxis in China kann auf ihre Weise zeigen, das Bürgerbeteiligung dabei hilft, die Qualität der Stadtplanung unter gegebenen Bedingungen in realistischer Weise zu verbessern. Außerdem sind Moderation im Planungsprozess und der Antrieb durch die Regierung, zwei wichtige Schlüsselfaktoren, zur erfolgreichen Einbindung des Einflusses bürgerlicher Beteiligung im Planungsprozess. Allerdings wurde die Bedeutung der zivilgesellschaft für die Stadtplanung Qingdaos bisher noch nicht ausreichend untersucht. Um bessere Ergebnisse im Planungsprozess zu erzielen, braucht die Stadt Qingdao mehr Initiativen, die die Gesellschaft im Planungsprozess mobilisieren und auch mehr Unterstützung dabei, ähnliche Studien mit Erkenntnissen anzureichern. Diese These befürwortet, dass Qingdao eine "Foundation for Collaborative Urban Solutions" für gemeinsame Bemühungen der Regierung und bürgerlicher Initiativen einrichten sollte, die auf einen erleichterten und angemessenen Einfluss der Zivilgesellschaft in Planungen zielt. Die vorgeschlagenen Pilotprojekte beinhalten. a. Ein 'Community-based Housing Workshop' um das Lebensumfeld in den heruntergekommenen Gemeinden zu regenerieren, wo ortsansässige Willens sind, durch eigene Anstrengungen mit der Stiftung zusammenzuarbeiten. b. Den 'Heritage Preservation Workshop' um einen effizienten Supervisionsprozess unter Einbeziehung der Zivilgesellschaft anzuregen, der das historische Erbe vor Zerstörung im städtischen Aufbau beschützt. c. Ein 'Public Space Forum' um Zugänglichkeit, Ausmaß und ökologische Funktion bei der Entwicklung des öffentlichen Raumes in Qingdao zu verbessern, mit dem Wissen und der Kreativität sowohl der Regierung als auch der Bürger. d. Das 'Mass Transport Forum' für eine realistische Strategie zur Förderung eines schienenbasierten Verkehrssystems in Qingdao, die der Gesellschaft, speziell auch dem einzelnen Bürger ermöglichen soll sich zu beteiligen. Einer 'Foundation of Collaborative Urban Solutions' ist es möglich, Qingdaos Planungen zu unterstützen und die städtebaulichen Schwierigkeiten - denen die Stadt in der gegenwärtigen Entwicklung gegenübersteht - zu bewältigen. Ebenso ist sie fähig, wertvolle Hinweise für weitergehende Untersuchungen, zu Bürgerbeteiligung in der Stadtplanung Chinas, zu liefern.

The operations policy on Development Policy Lending (DPL), approved by the Board in August 2004, requires that the Bank systematically analyze whether specific country policies supported by an operation are likely to have "significant effects" on the country's environment, forests, and other natural resources. The implicit objective behind this requirement is to ensure that there is adequate capacity in the country to deal with adverse effects on the environment, forests, and other natural resources that the policies could trigger, even at the program design stage. DPL operations are associated with a whole array of policies such as macro policy reforms, fiscal policies, and specific sectoral policies, particularly in key sectors such as agriculture, health and education, energy, etc. In some cases, the operation may deal directly with reforms in certain environmentally sensitive sectors such as energy, transport, water and sanitation, agriculture, and forestry. In these cases, there is an obvious need for careful analysis of environmental, natural resource, and forestry impacts. In other cases, such as public sector reform and governance, there is less potential for likely significant impacts on the natural environment and natural resources. The toolkit is designed to be concise and user-friendly. It consists of three specific modules. The first module identifies relevant transmission channels through which the proposed reform would have a likely effect on the identified environmental, forest, and other natural resource priorities. The second module provides assistance in identifying key environmental issues in the country, regions, or sectors likely to be influenced by the DPL program. The third module presents different tools and methodologies for rapid assessment of the likely significant effects of each reform.

У статті підкреслено значення залізничного транспорту для економічного, соціального та культурного розвитку регіону. Вивчено головні проблеми розбудови Придніпровської залізниці у міжвоєнний період. До таких слід віднести неспроможність повною мірою забезпечити перевезення усіх промислових вантажів і велику аварійність через поганий стан колійного господарства, застарілість і несправність паровозів і вагонів, слабкість матеріально­технічної бази та нестачу кваліфікованих кадрів.Розглянуто заходи радянської влади спрямовані на оптимізацію роботи залізниці. Від 1935 року активізувався процес її реконструювання, було частково оновлено паровозний і вагонний парки, механізовано ряд вантажно­розвантажувальних робіт, розширено залізничні вузли, збудовано нові мости, сортувальні станції, паровозні депо і вагоноремонтні пункти, прокладено кілометри колій. Вдалося покращити основні показники роботи залізниці.В статті виокремлено методи, які застосовувалися комуністичною партією і урядом задля пришвидшення і підвищення якості роботи залізничників: моральне стимулювання, розгортання соціалістичного змагання передовиків і новаторів, схвалення стахановсько­кривоносівського руху, а також матеріальне заохочення працівників, підвищення заробітної плати, преміювання кращих трудових колективів. За матеріалами газети «Стальная магістраль» авторами статті зафіксовано наявність таких недоліків у роботі залізниці, як порушення графіка руху потягів, невиконання плану вантажних робіт, несправність вагонів, низька якість ремонтних робіт, чисельність аварій тощо. Також на підставі газетних публікацій зроблено висновок про незадовільне соціально­побутове становище працівників залізниці, погані умови життя, недостатність і поганий санітарний стан гуртожитків і їдалень. ; У статті підкреслено значення залізничного транспорту для економічного, соціального та культурного розвитку регіону. Вивчено головні проблеми розбудови Придніпровської залізниці у міжвоєнний період. До таких слід віднести неспроможність повною мірою забезпечити перевезення усіх промислових вантажів і велику аварійність через поганий стан колійного господарства, застарілість і несправність паровозів і вагонів, слабкість матеріально­технічної бази та нестачу кваліфікованих кадрів.Розглянуто заходи радянської влади спрямовані на оптимізацію роботи залізниці. Від 1935 року активізувався процес її реконструювання, було частково оновлено паровозний і вагонний парки, механізовано ряд вантажно­розвантажувальних робіт, розширено залізничні вузли, збудовано нові мости, сортувальні станції, паровозні депо і вагоноремонтні пункти, прокладено кілометри колій. Вдалося покращити основні показники роботи залізниці.В статті виокремлено методи, які застосовувалися комуністичною партією і урядом задля пришвидшення і підвищення якості роботи залізничників: моральне стимулювання, розгортання соціалістичного змагання передовиків і новаторів, схвалення стахановсько­кривоносівського руху, а також матеріальне заохочення працівників, підвищення заробітної плати, преміювання кращих трудових колективів. За матеріалами газети «Стальная магістраль» авторами статті зафіксовано наявність таких недоліків у роботі залізниці, як порушення графіка руху потягів, невиконання плану вантажних робіт, несправність вагонів, низька якість ремонтних робіт, чисельність аварій тощо. Також на підставі газетних публікацій зроблено висновок про незадовільне соціально­побутове становище працівників залізниці, погані умови життя, недостатність і поганий санітарний стан гуртожитків і їдалень. ; In article the meaning of railway transport for economic, social and cultural development of the region has been emphasized. There have been studied the main problems of building of Prydniprovsk railway during the inter­war period, among them are impossibility to procure transportation of all industrial cargos to the full extent and high damage rate caused by bad condition of rail unit, old age and failure of steam trains and carriages, weakness of material and technical resources and insufficiency of qualified staff.Core measures of soviet government directed to optimization of railway operation have been examined. Since 1935 process of its reconstruction has been activated, steam and carriage stocks have been renewed partially, range of loading­unloading operations has been mechanized, railway junctions have been extended, new bridges, terminal stations, locomotive depots and car­repair yards have been built, numerous kilometers have been railed. All aforementioned helped to improve key performance indicators of the railway.In article methods to have been used by communist party and government in order to force and increase quality of railway employees' work have been shown, namely moral incentives, socialist competitions of best employees and innovators, encourage of the Stakhanov and Krivonos movement and also material incentives of employees, raise in wages, bonus awards for the best labor collectives.Based on materials of «Steel Trunk» newspaper authors of the article have revealed the following nonconformance in railway operation: breach of train schedule, non­fulfillment of loading plan, carriage failure, low quality of repair operations, numerous accidents etc.In addition the conclusion of unsatisfactory social conditions of railway employees, their bad living conditions, insufficiency and bad sanitary condition of dormitories and canteens has been made based on newspaper publication.

After five years of extensive R&D sponsored by government and industry, the coal log pipeline (CLP) technology for transportation of coal has been sufficiently developed through laboratory tests to warrant large-scale pre-commercial demonstration and testing. Meanwhile, a national survey of electric utilities and coal companies has produced fourteen potential CLP demonstration sites. A preliminary evaluation of the sites determined that at least seven of the fourteen sites are economically promising. The purpose of this EPRI-TC proposal is to conduct a large-scale pre-commercial test/demo of CLP to pave the way for commercial demonstration. Completion of this pre-commercial test/demo project in two years will enable construction of the first commercial CLP with minimum risk involved and with maximum success. The CLP technology involves compaction of coal into logs (large circular coal cylinders), and the transportation of such logs by an underground pipeline to the user--a power generation station. It is an innovative new coal pipeline system that can effectively compete with railroads and truck transportation. The economics of CLP has been thoroughly examined in 1995. It was found that the CLP is economically competitive with train for distances greater than about 100 miles, and competitive with truck for distances greater than about 30 miles. As compared to coal slurry pipeline, the CLP has the following advantages: (1) CLP transports twice as much coal than a coal slurry pipeline of the same diameter can. The cost of coal transportation by CLP is substantially lower than by slurry pipeline. (2) Dewatering coal logs is much simpler than dewatering slurry. (3) CLP can be restarted readily after lengthy shutdown. It has no restart problem. (4) CLP uses less energy than slurry pipeline for transporting the same amount of coal. (5) Coal log fuel is most versatile. Upon crushing it can be burned in any type of combustors--pulverized-coal, cyclone, fluidized-bed, or stoker. (6) Storage of coal logs is much simpler than storage of coal slurry. (7) CLP uses only 1/3 to 1/4 of the water used by slurry pipeline. This makes CLP more feasible than slurry pipeline in regions of water shortage. Development of the CLP technology will benefit electric utilities by reducing coal transportation cost--not only through use of CLP, but also due to the competition fostered which will cause rail rates and truck rates to keep within bounds. The pre-commercial test/demo project proposed herein contains four major components or tasks: (1) construction of a 6-inch-diameter, 3,000-ft-long coal pipeline for testing coal logs under conditions similar to those of future commercial CLP; (2) construction and testing of a coal log machine that can rapidly manufacture coal logs to supply coal log pipelines; (3) conducting a site-specific application study for each participating utilities; and (4) conducting an economic analysis of future commercial CLP systems using information gained in this study, and following EPRI cost guidelines. The project is for two years at a total cost of $825,960 of which $500,000 is requested from EPRI and participating utilities. As an EPRI Tailored Collaboration project, each participating utility is asked to contribute a total of $60,000 over two years (with equal matching from EPRI) to support this project. The targeted amount from utilities and EPRI for this project is $600,000 of which $100,000 is indirect cost to be used by EPRI to administer this project. This targeted amount can be achieved with five electric utilities participating. The project will also be cost-shared with $325,960 of the existing funds of the Capsule Pipeline Research Center (CPRC). Currently, the CPRC has insufficient funds to carry out this project without support from EPRI and some additional utility companies. ; Introduction -- Advantages of CLP -- Brief review of concept and state of development -- Project purpose and tasks -- Test facilities -- Statement of work -- Schedule of activities -- References -- Qualifications of institute and project personnel -- Budget -- Budget explanation -- Utilities participation and arrangements -- Intellectual property rights and patents -- Appendices. Document on preparing smooth welded joints for steel pipe ; CPRC's contract document (agreement) with existing industrial sponsors.

This report is structured as follows. Chapter one analyzes the performance of Kazakhstan s trade. Chapter two presents an overview of recent developments in Kazakhstan regional and international trade integration. Chapter three examines in detail key issues related to market access, focusing on non-tariff measures and trade facilitation and logistics. Chapter four examines the services sector and offers a roadmap for actions to enhance its competitiveness. Chapter five addresses building institutional capacity for the trade and competitiveness agenda. The report s recommendations are summarized in the following table. In order of the four main messages of the report, they cover balancing regional and international integration efforts, measures to improve access to inputs and export markets by reducing non-tariff barriers and through trade facilitation measures, raising the quality and efficiency of the services sector, and strengthening institutional capacity to implement an effective trade policy and competitiveness agenda.

Tajikistan is one of the world's most remittance-dependent economies, receiving net remittance inflows equivalent to approximately 40 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Falling remittance inflows was one of the main transmission channels through which the 2008-09 global economic crisis adversely impacted the economy. Conversely, the pickup in growth since 2009 can also be traced to the rebound in remittance inflows (primarily from Russia, where more than 90 percent of Tajik migrants work), which reached 42 percent of GDP in 2010 and an estimated 40 percent of GDP in 2011. As the World Bank's 2011 country economic memorandum has argued, future growth in Tajikistan will depend crucially on increasing efficiency and raising private investment rates. Remittances are likely to grow more slowly than the earlier trend over the last 5-6 years, but could nonetheless be a major contributor to future growth if more go into private investment than in the past.

Problem setting. One of the most important tasks of modern science of public management and administration is the further improvement of management technologies, management decisions in banking in particular and the increase of their efficiency and effectiveness. Accordingly, the scientific interest is not only in the study and the analysis of banking legislation of certain countries, but in the adaptation of national legislation to the directives of the European Union. The urgency of improving the mechanism of state regulation of the market for the provision of services for the collection of funds and transportation of currency valuables in the banking system of Ukraine is undeniable, the implementation of which should include the mandatory establishment of real requirements and measures of responsibility of managers of both individual financial institutions and regulatory bodies. Recent research and publications analysis. The organization of central banks of the world, their legal status, main functions, comparative aspects, regulatory activities in the field of the organization of cash circulation and cash collection were studied in the works of L. Voronova, D. Hetmantsev, V. Krotyuk, S. Yehorychev, M. Starynsky, P. Melnyk, S. Laptev, I. Zaverukha. Legal problems of legalization of firearms circulation in Ukraine were studied by А.Kolosok, P. Mitrukhov, P. Fries, S. Shumilenko and others. The works of V.Baranyak, V. Меzhyvy, М. Pinchuk, T. Pryhodko, V.Rybachuk, В.Tychyi, etc. are devoted to the study of legal problems of illegal handling of weapons. However, these works do not reflect the peculiarities of the use of firearms in subdivisions of collection of funds. Native and foreign scholars generally have not paid due attention to the study and the analysis of the existing model of cash circulation in Ukraine, its advantages, risks and disadvantages as well as the effective functioning of the market of collection of funds and transportation of currency valuables in the banking system of Ukraine. Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. The purpose of this article is to analyze the innovative foreign experience of state regulation of the market of collection of funds and transportation of currency valuables in the banking system of Ukraine (hereinafter – collection of funds) and to justify the need for its implementation in Ukraine. Another important problem in collection activities is the lack of legislative regulation of firearms trafficking as there is no law on weapons in Ukraine, there are only regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, which greatly complicates its regulation by the state according to P. Fries. Paper main body. The market of collection of funds and transportation of currency valuables (hereinafter – the market of collection) is one of the most closed segments of the banking system of any country as a whole. The most popular way to pay for services and goods during the last few years, according to annual surveys conducted by the Swiss central bank, is cash. The important factor is that even with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the demand for cash and cash flow has increased significantly. The National Bank of Ukraine carries out regulatory activities in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Principles of State Regulatory Policy in the Field of Economic Activity". Collection of funds has never been a particularly profitable activity, for the subdivisions of collection of any country along with the staff and transportation costs, that is why to ensure the proper security of cash transportation is a very costly item of the estimate. In this regard, there is an urgent need for the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On collection of funds and transportation of currency valuables" and "On firearms", which would define the basic foundations, principles, forms of activities in the field of collection services, rights, duties and responsibilities of all participants in the collection market, in order to increase their reliability, safety and efficiency. In the countries of the European Union (EU), services for the collection and transportation of currency valuables are provided by public and private enterprises. In many EU countries there is no legal definition of the concept 'collection'. In most cases, collection falls under the general legislation on the basics of security, except for Austria and Germany, which regulate such activities through professional organizations, insurance and collective agreements. Today, five foreign global CIT companies account for almost 60% of the global CIT market for cash collection and cash handling services. They are: –Brinks (USA) – 23%; –G4S (England) – 15%; –Loomis (Sweden) – 12%; –Prosegur (Spain) – 7%; –Garda (Canada) – 4%; –GSLS – 0.01%; –Other regional independent companies – 39%. In six EU countries (Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Sweden, Great Britain and the Netherlands) the presence of firearms during collection of funds is prohibited. In Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain, the presence of a weapon in the performance of professional collection duties is mandatory. Safe collection of funds largely depends on the fast, without delays, safe travel by road. Ukraine needs to reform its transport system to gain access to the European Union's rail, road, river and air transport markets and to financial resources for building safe infrastructure of high quality. Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. Unfortunately, there are no well-known world CIT collection companies in the Ukrainian market of collection services and therefore Ukrainian banks and legal entities have to deal with local CIT companies, the authorized capital of which in some cases may be significantly less than the amount of the collected cash. In accordance with the mentioned above, for the effective functioning of the Ukrainian market of collection of funds and a balanced regulatory policy of the state, we suggest making appropriate changes and additions to the Laws of Ukraine on "Banks and Banking", "National Bank of Ukraine". To initiate the development and adoption of the Laws of Ukraine "On Collection and Transportation of Currency Valuables" and "On Firearms" which will ensure equal competitive conditions in the collection market for all its participants, reliable labor protection, social guarantees and rights of employees of collection divisions. ; Розглянуто основні аспекти здійснення операцій з інкасації коштів та перевезення валютних цінностей в Україні та закордоном, а також проведено їх порівняльний аналіз. Виокремлено проблеми, які заважають інкасаційним компаніям ефективно працювати у сфері надання послуг із інкасації коштів та перевезень валютних цінностей. Обґрунтовано необхідність удосконалення механізмів державного регулювання ринку з надання послуг із інкасації коштів та перевезень валютних цінностей в Україні, зокрема з урахуванням інноваційного закордонного досвіду.

Despite the recent slowdown, the underlying growth of the global economy remains solid. After a 4 percent growth in 2010, Russia's real output is expected to grow 4.4 percent in 2011, increasingly driven by domestic demand. Russia's households have absorbed the food price shock thanks to a combination of higher wages and pensions, and resort to private and public safety nets. The country emerged from the global recession with lower unemployment and poverty than feared. But global risks and uncertainties increased with the new oil shock. Although the short-term impact will be positive for Russia's export and fiscal revenues, there is no room for complacency. Macroeconomic policy should focus on the short-term objective of controlling inflation and medium-term fiscal adjustment towards long-term, sustainable level of non-oil fiscal deficit. Improving the efficiency of public expenditure to create fiscal space for productive infrastructure and strengthening the investment climate for the private sector remain among key long-term challenges. The ongoing rethinking of the government's long-term strategy and a period of high oil revenues provide an opportunity to focus on these long-term issues more forcefully than during the global crisis.

This report focuses on areas with highest potential efficiency gains to increase the value for money from investments in core public goods and services such as extension, irrigation and rural roads. This is a first attempt to carry out such an analysis in Cambodia, and even in the Greater Mekong sub-region. Based on extensive data gathering and surveys, this chapter analyzes the efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural sector expenditures in Cambodia and assesses various options for increasing the impact of government expenditures on agricultural growth. Other challenges include an excessive focus on rehabilitating primary irrigation infrastructure and a neglect of secondary and tertiary systems, a lack of maintenance of irrigation and rural roads, and the slow pace of developing or adopting new technologies to reduce future maintenance costs. There is also a need to better prioritize agricultural and related infrastructure expenditures, both by type and by geographic location, to maximize their impact on growth. The rest of the report is organized as follows. Chapter two presents recent developments in the agriculture sector of Cambodia. Chapter three gives an overview of sectoral expenditure trends over the last decade. The budget process and its relationship to sectoral development strategies is discussed in chapter three. Chapter four discusses the novel contribution of the AgPER in analyzing the efficiency and effectiveness of government spending using benefit-cost analysis to examine select public investments. Chapter five discusses how likely climate change trends may affect future agriculture expenditures and suggests some priority areas for public spending. The conclusion section summarizes the major findings and policy recommendations of the report.

El objetivo general del proyecto se podría resumir en el desarrollo, adaptación y puesta a punto de sistemas tecnológicos para la gestión de infraestructuras lineales y carreteras. El sistema que se pretende diseñar integrará diferentes dispositivos empleados habitualmente para otras aplicaciones, de forma que puedan proporcionar información para las actividades relacionadas con la inspección, gestión y mantenimiento de estas infraestructuras. Los sistemas actuales de toma de datos en campo y toma de decisiones en oficina para la inspección, análisis y gestión de infraestructuras lineales, adolecen de la utilización de desarrollos tecnológicos alcanzados en los últimos tiempos en otras áreas del conocimiento. La dependencia respecto al personal técnico que realiza las tareas de inspección, basada en su experiencia e intuición, todavía es muy importante a pesar de los avances tecnológicos existentes. En este proyecto se pretenden introducir las últimas tecnologías para la adquisición de información cualitativa y cuantitativa visible sobre el terreno y no visible bajo el terreno, tradicionalmente aplicadas en otros ámbitos, como elementos soporte para la gestión de un elemento clave como son las infraestructuras lineales de un país. El sistema se basará en el uso combinado de las técnicas siguientes: - Fotogrametría terrestre sobre imágenes de diferentes zonas del espectro electromagnético. - Láser escáner terrestre. - Análisis multiespectral en base a sensores ópticos (termografía, infrarrojo cercano). - GPS. - Captura y tratamiento digital de imágenes en soporte video. Estas técnicas proporcionarán información complementaria a la que se recoge actualmente, mediante los sistemas y dispositivos ya desarrollados y en funcionamiento para la inspección de carreteras, utilizando otros métodos que permiten, por ejemplo, determinar características del pavimento como, textura, fricción, regularidad superficial, tamaño de las fisuras, perfiles transversales, roderas, capacidad estructural, etc. Se buscará tanto la automatización y estandarización de la toma de datos, como la toma de decisiones. La información cualitativa y cuantitativa procesada convenientemente e integrada en un sistema experto de gestión, será el soporte para la toma de decisiones respecto a las actuaciones de mantenimiento y conservación a llevar a cabo, en un escenario donde los recursos económicos son escasos siendo necesario priorizar su inversión, así como respecto a las cuestiones relacionadas con la seguridad viaria de los usuarios. Serán objetivo de este proyecto los siguientes tipos de infraestructuras asociados a las carreteras y obras lineales: puentes, túneles, pavimentos, capas de rodadura y viaductos. ; O obxectivo xeral do proxecto poderiase resumir no desenrolo, adaptación e posta a punto de sistemas tecnolóxicos para a xestión de infraestructuras lineais e estradas. O sistema que se pretende deseñar integrará diferentes dispositivos empregados habitualmente para outras aplicacións, de modo que poidan proporcionar información para as actividades relacionadas coa inspección, xestión e mantemento das infraestructuras. Os sistemas actuais de toma de datos no campo e toma de decisión na oficina para a inspección, análise e xestión de infraestructuras lineais, carecen do emprego de desenrolos tecnolóxicos alcanzados nos últimos tempos noutras áreas do coñecemento. A dependencia respecto ó persoal técnico que realiza as tarefas de inspección, baseada na súa experiencia e intuición, aínda é moi importante a pesar dos avances tecnolóxicos existentes. Neste proxecto preténdese introducir as últimas tecnoloxías para a adquisición de información cualitativa e cuantitiva visible sobre o terreo e non visible baixo éste, tradicionalmente aplicadas noutros ámbitos, como elementos soporte para a xestión dun elemento clave como son as infraestructuras lineais dun país. O sistema basearase no uso combinado das seguintes técnicas: - Fotogrametría terrestre sobre imaxes de diferentes zonas do espectro electromagnético. - Láser escáner terrestre. - Análise multiespectral en base a sensores ópticos (termografía, infravermello cercano). - GPS. - Captura e tratamento dixital de imaxes en soporte video. Estas técnicas proporcionarán información complementaria á que se recolle na actualidade, mediante os sistemas e dispositivos xa desenvolvidos e en funcionamiento para a inspección de estradas, utilizando outros métodos que permiten, por exemplo, determinar características do pavimento como, textura, fricción, regularidade superficial, tamaño das fisuras, perfiles transversais, rodeiras, capacidade estructural, etc. Buscaráse tanto a automatización e estandarización da toma de datos, como a toma de decisións. A información cualitativa e cuantitativa procesada convenientemente e integrada nun sistema experto de xestión, será o soporte para a toma de decisións respeto ás actuacións de mantemento e conservación a levar a cabo, nun escenario onde os recursos económicos son escasos sendo necesario priorizar a súa inversión, así coma respeto ás cuestiones relacionadas coa seguridad viaria dos usuarios. Serán obxectivo deste proxecto os seguintes tipos de infraestructuras asociados ás estradas e obras lineais: pontes, túneis, pavimentos, capas de rodado e viaductos. ; The vast and inaccessible landscape made travel difficult in previous centuries and consequently, new links between people and places needed to be built. A well-developed network of routes —by air, water, rail and road— connected every country as never before. Nowadays, transport continues to be one of the most significant agents of change and transport infrastructures keep playing a significant role in every country's economic growth and competitiveness. Infrastructure has been a national priority in Spain. Since 2010, however, spending on infrastructure has been cut by a third, to just 1.4 percent of its gross domestic product. The successive years of budget reductions have shifted the government's infrastructure investment priorities to maintenance and rehabilitation works. The current infrastructure inspections have limitations derived from its manual approach. Firstly, it involves a large number of manual measurements, which are time-consuming and error-prone. Secondly, the assessment of the infrastructure condition is either visual or manually done and hence is subject to inspector's experiences. Thirdly, the accuracy of the geometric information gathered is still questionable and limited to non-technified, standardized procedures. This dissertation introduces nondestructive geomatic techniques for accurate geometric data collection in order to help civil inspectors and surveyors to improve their existing decision-making skills and overcome their problems, which are at present tackled in a qualitative and manual manner. In particular, a considerable range of my research findings are built around land-based mobile laser scanning (MLS) technology, and to a lesser extent on static LiDAR, both enabling collections of dense 3D point clouds with cm and mm-accuracy, respectively. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is used in a certain degree to characterize and evaluate the internal construction materials. This research addresses the abovementioned limitations by providing automatic or semiautomatic support for the process of extracting geometric features and quantitative attributes from 3D point clouds, such as the area of material pathologies in a road overpass or the punctual thickness of a specific pavement layer. Examples of some 3D data processing algorithms were implemented to five case studies within the civil engineering domain. Therefore, the scope of this research is primarily limited to pavements, overpasses and underpasses, tunnels and bridges. Through such automation, it is reasonable to expect the processing of larger amount of data in shorter periods of time and multiple efficiency improvements.

This case study summarizes the findings of desk reviews and a field visit carried out in January 2011 as part of IEG's evaluation of the 2007 Governance and Anticorruption (GAC) strategy. The case study sought to evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of Bank support for GAC efforts over the FY2004-10 period, to assess the contributions of 2007 strategy implementation, and to identify early outcomes and lessons. This Background Paper is based on findings of the mission that visited Liberia in January 2011. The team is particularly grateful for informative meetings with officials from the Government of Liberia, Bank staff, and members of civil society. The evaluation aims to help enhance the Bank's approach to governance and anticorruption and to improve its effectiveness in helping countries develop capable and accountable states that create opportunities for the poor. Pursuant to this objective, the evaluation assessed the relevance of the 2007 GAC strategy and implementation plan, as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of implementation efforts in making Bank engagement with countries and other development partners more responsive to GAC concerns. It also sought to identify early lessons about what works and what does not in helping to promote good governance and reduce corruption. The Liberia case study is based on an extensive desk review as well as a field visit to Monrovia from January 17-22, 2011. It evaluates the relevance and effectiveness of Bank support for governance and anticorruption efforts since the launch of the Bank's GAC strategy in 2007. It elaborates on a desk review of the GAC responsiveness of the Bank's Liberia program and reviews the following GAC entry points: core public sector reform (public financial management and decentralization); demand for good governance (including social accountability issues); GAC in the road sector; and the investment climate. The case study also examines the extent to which the Bank's GAC Strategy has made a difference in staff attitudes toward addressing GAC issues in their operational work. The mission interviewed government, Bank, donor, and nongovernmental organization (NGO) staff based in Washington and in Monrovia.