Suchergebnisse

This paper looks at the regulatory reforms in the electricity and downstream oil industries, two important inputs to the production process that were heavily regulated by the government. While electricity has strong externalities as well as economies of scale and scope, the oil industry does not exhibit natural monopoly characteristics nor does it display economic features that would warrant government regulation. The paper also analyzes the economic theories underlying these reforms: why is regulation necessary, what are the different forms of regulation, and how can these policy reforms bring about competition? It also identifies the emerging issues and problems associated with the regulatory reforms. Given our little experience in the effective use of public regulation in a market-driven setting, research is needed to provide a deeper understanding of these issues within the context of our economic, institutional and political structure. This is necessary in order to come up with possible approaches to overcome our weaknesses and shore up weak administrative and enforcement capacities.

While biomass utilization for energy conversion in the industrialized nations is being largely developed, highly efficient and environmentally friendly, many tropical countries still use biomass at low efficiencies and high emission levels. The main reasons for these gaps are both political and technological: the energy markets are different, the Gross National Product (GDP) differs widely, and the feedstock differs in form and conversion behaviour. By implementing newer technologies adapted for tropical biomass feedstock, there would be a large potential in these countries for increased energy services since access to modern energy still is an essential step for improving the GDP for a country. Two dominant and tropically placed industries available for energy improvements are the cane sugar and palm-oil industries, which both produce an abundant amount of biomass residues. One step towards enhanced utilization of the residues, which would not require large investment costs in the power plant section nor in the processes of these industries, would be to install a pelletizing unit in the industry area to make fuel out of the excess residues for sale to the nearby villages. The pellets could be used both for cooking/heating and for small-scale power generation in a gasification-IC engine plant. The overall objective of this study is to experimentally evaluate the biomass residues in pellet form from the cane sugar and palm oil industries during conversion to useful energy in small-scale systems. The thesis is built upon five publications which include experimental analysis on flaming pyrolysis and rapid heating of pellets (paper I), pyrolysis in oxygen-free atmosphere and slow heating with subsequent steam gasification (paper II), global pelletizing data such as relative energy consumption, temperature levels, particle size and moisture content for successful pelletizing process (paper III), downdraft gasification evaluation including reactor temperature distribution, gas composition, cold-gas efficiency and ...

Multinational corporations in the extractive sector have historically faced challenges to their property rights, particularly in oil. International business scholars argue that firms can decrease these challenges by approaching domestic legitimating actors or seeking home government support. Through a study of the operations of Standard Oil of New Jersey in Peru and Argentina in the twentieth century, we find that these legitimating strategies can backfire due to two main elements: first, the multinational might approach actors with a different agenda from those defining, delineating, and enforcing property rights. Second, host countries can use home government support to multinationals to delegitimise foreign firms' operations.

Here is a new case of dementia in the world every three seconds. It kills more people in the US than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, while it is the number one killer in England and Wales. The current cost of the disease is about a trillion US dollars a year, and that is forecast to double by 2030.Object: The aim of this study was to determine the probable occupational and environmental risk factors of dementia among the retirees of Iranian oil industries. Methods: A case-control study of 551 randomly selected older adults, all aged 60 and above including 180 demented and 371 nondemented retirees, pair matched for education and gender, was conducted. We evaluated the adjusted associations between dementia risk and the probable occupational and environmental variables through multiple logistic regression.Results: A history of exposure to air pollution (Adjusted OR=2.00, 95%CI= 1.00-7.00), head injuries (Adjusted OR=2.00, 95%CI= 1.00-6.00) and more than 20 years of work in the operational fields (Adjusted OR=5.00, 95%CI= 3.00-8.00) was significantly correlated with an increased risk of dementia. We could not find any significant associations between dementia risk and exposure to fossil fuels, solvents, noise pollution and or a combination of occupational risk factors. Conclusion: The results propose that long-term exposure to field occupational risk factors is likely to increase the risk of dementia. We suggest simultaneous serial oil industries' particulate evaluations with proper cognitive assessments for the pre-retired staff

In this groundbreaking book, John Urry shows how the twentieth century created a mirage of unlimited future growth that masked its limits. He considers the nature of an oil-dependent world facing energy descent and what lessons can be learnt from past energy-constrained societies. With no large-scale plan B to energize and mobilize societies, Urry assesses the likelihood of some very different futures for this century

Oil rich Gulf Countries have identified all forms of sustainability as key drivers of innovation. Therefore innovating for sustainability is critical for an economy's political legitimacy, socio-economic reputation, and ecological performance. Sustaining investment in innovation requires an understanding of returns or payoffs accruing to an investment in innovation. Sustainable development is fraught with challenges particularly when an economy's growth is linked to a single resource. Research and development together with productivity growth rates have become innovation indicators and continue to raise questions about their interpretation and implication. In resource-laden rich countries the challenge is further exacerbated by inflows accruing from benevolent government subsidies. This empirical study reviews the variables for policy formulation associated with innovation in the six resource-rich oil countries of the Gulf and considers its determinants. Negative relationships between resource abundance and poor economic performance have often been empirically established, providing support for the "resource curse" hypothesis. The culture of governance, norms, and values that pervade oil-rich countries become key determinants of their economic success. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the factors associated with sustainable innovation in the Gulf and to address the concerns related to the governance of resources that necessitate further innovation.

Intro -- Title Page -- Map of the North Sea -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Introduction -- Timeline -- 1: Finding a North Sea Oil Field -- 2: The First Oil Fields are Found -- 3: Appraisal and Production -- 4: Aberdeen -- 5: Local Heroes -- 6: New Challenges -- 7: Offshore -- 8: The Forties Field -- 9: Big Money -- 10: BP and Britoil -- 11: Occidental and ELF -- 12: Oil Reserves -- 13: Out West -- 14: The End of Oil -- 15: The Geological Story -- Picture Section -- Endnotes

Intro -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 MENA (Middle East and North Africa) -- 1.2 What This Book Is About -- 2 MENA and World Oil Markets -- 3 Resource Curse and Institutions -- 4 Democracy in MENA -- 5 MENA and Alternative Sources of Energy -- 6 Reducing the Demand for Oil -- 7 The Population Threat -- 8 Why the Status Quo Is Unsustainable -- 9 Oil as a Path to Institutional Change in MENA -- 10 Positive Directions for Reform -- Reference -- Chapter 2: MENA and World Oil Markets -- 1 Introduction -- 2 OPEC Then and Now -- 2.1 Brief History of OPEC World Oil Markets -- 2.2 Middle East Share of OPEC's Oil in the World Economy -- 3 Price Leadership Within OPEC -- 4 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3: Resource Curse and Institutions -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The Resource Curse -- 2.1 Hypotheses and Concepts -- 2.2 Empirical Evidence -- 3 Institutions -- 3.1 Do Institutions Matter? -- 3.2 Extractive and Inclusive Institutions -- 3.3 Institutional Problems in MENA -- 4 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4: Democracy in MENA -- 1 Introduction -- 2 State of Democracy and Freedom in the World and MENA -- 3 Why Is Democracy So Rare in MENA? -- 3.1 Values and Culture -- 3.2 Economic Development -- 3.3 Religion -- 3.4 Preference for Democracy -- 4 Autocracy in MENA -- 4.1 Effect of Modernization -- 4.2 Survivability of Autocracies -- 5 Summary and Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 5: MENA and Alternative Sources of Energy -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Present Threats to Oil MENA Exporting Economies -- 2.1 Shale Oil and Gas Development or "Fracking" -- 2.1.1 History -- 2.1.2 Fracking Today -- 2.2 Increased Discovery of New Oil and Natural Gas Deposits -- 3 Threats to Oil MENA from New Sources of Energy -- 3.1 Methane Hydrate Deposits -- 3.2 Energy from Nuclear Fusion.