Suchergebnisse

Book reviewed in this article:Within the Circle: Parents and Children in an Arab Village: Andrea B. Rugh

British cities are now experiencing unprecedented competition for surface and subsurface urban space. Restructuring of the utilities sector has created privately owned companies that are now engaged in major programs of infrastructure renewal while massive investments are underway in retrofitting new forms of telecommunications, energy, and transportation infrastructure. Above the ground, increasing mobility has created new demands for urban road space for the movement of goods and people. Focusing on a case study of Sheffield, the article identifies the competing demands for space, examines the broader implications of these new tensions, and evaluates how far the city is able to mediate between competing demands. The article concludes by raising serious questions about the ability of urban policy to mediate between private companies' demands for urban space in the United Kingdom.

Privatisation of British water services has dramatically reconfigurcd both production and consumption intercsts. While critics such as John Ernst decry a growing service inequity, PeterSaunders and Colin Harris celebrate enhanced consumer benefits. Closer investigation of new styles of utility network management reveal spatially complex patterns of social, econornic and environmental change. While worries over the social and public health implications of water poverly grow, the environrnental dividends of privatised water supply become clearer. The paper identifies two recently emcrging logics of networks management; the first prioritises thc shaping of demand over the expansion of supply capacity; the second prioritises the recovery of water charges over the social am! health needs of low income households. These logics highlight powerful resonanccs and dissonances between the economic and environmental bencfits of the commodification process and the social and health costs associated with a sharpening polarisation in access to basic water services.

Privatisation of British water services has dramatically reconfigured both production and consumption interests. While critics such as John Ernst decry a growing service inequity, Peter Saunders and Colin Harris celebrate enhanced consumer benefits. Closer investigation of new styles of utility network management reveal spatially complex patterns of social, economic and environmental change. While worries over the social and public health implications of water poverty grow, the environmental dividends of privatised water supply become clearer. The paper identifies two recently emerging logics of networks management; the first prioritises the shaping of demand over the expansion of supply capacity; the second prioritises the recovery of water charges over the social and health needs of low income households. These logics highlight powerful resonances and dissonances between the economic and environmental benefits of the commodification process and the social and health costs associated with a sharpening polarisation in access to basic water services. (Prokla / FUB)

In Großbritannien, wo in den 80er Jahren das neoliberale Credo besonders gläubige Anhänger fand, wurde eine Vielzahl traditionell "öffentlicher" Bereiche privatisiert - so auch die Wasserversorgungsbetriebe. Die keineswegs eindeutigen Folgen dieser Privatisierung werden im vorliegenden Beitrag untersucht: während sich unter ökologischen Gesichtspunkten Verbesserungen im Umgang mit dem Wasser feststellen lassen, führt dagegen die auf den Gewinn der Versorgungsunternehmen zielende Preisgestaltung bei einkommensschwachen Haushalten zu einem bislang unbekannten Phänomen: die "Wasserarmut". (ICE2)

Anhand der Entwicklungen von inflationären Prozessen in Ungarn, Polen, Jugoslawien und der VR China untersucht der Autor, ob es Zusammenhänge zwischen Reformprozessen und der Inflation gibt. Er vergleicht die Entwicklung der Inflation vor und nach der Reform in diesen Ländern sowie mit inflationärer Entwicklung in entwickelten Industrieländern am Beispiel der USA. Nach der Analyse der Ergebnisse stellt er fest, daß es nach der Reform zu Unausgewogenheiten im Geldumlauf kam. Die Geldmenge ist doppelt so hoch, als dies normalerweise erforderlich sei. Deutlich ist, daß Reformprozesse die Inflation begünstigt haben. Die Defizite des Staatshaushaltes und des Außenhandels waren wichtige Faktoren der Inflation. Als Lösungsweg in der Eindämmung der Inflation wird die Herausbildung eines effektiven Marktmechanismus mit einer begrenzten staatlichen Steuerung der Wirtschaftsabläufe vorgeschlagen. (BIOst-Ldg)

"This is a critical period for the WTO and for realizing the potential of trade as a driver of growth and poverty reduction. It is time for good intentions to be translated into solid multilateral agreements that promote development, and it is high time that the rich countries tore down their barriers. But trade agreements by themselves cannot guarantee growth and poverty reduction: aid for trade and internal reforms are needed too. On all this, detail matters and trade agreements are complex. This book provides an up-to-date, clear, and thoughtful analysis of these crucial issues. It should be compulsory reading for all those who are concerned with taking forward the agenda on trade and development in a constructive way."- Sir Nicholas Stern, FBASecond Permanent Secretary to Her Majesty's TreasuryHead of the Government Economic Service, U.K. How can international trade agreements promote development and how can rules be designed to benefit poor countries? Can multilateral trade cooperation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) help developing countries create and strengthen institutions and regulatory regimes that will enhance the gains from trade and integration into the global economy? And should this even be done? These are questions that confront policy makers and citizens in both rich and poor countries, and they are the subject of Economic Development and Multilateral Trade Cooperation. This book analyzes how the trading system could be made more supportive of economic development, without eroding the core WTO functions.