Suchergebnisse

"This book is about the economy, rather than economics. It explores the structures, inner workings and problems of modern economies, showing how the organisations and networks that shape the structure of the economy are arranged to provide society with goods and services. At the centre of the analysis there is the economic system, characterised by organisational components carrying out economic functions (production, consumption, distribution, and establishment and control of the economic activities as well as provision of public goods and services), and by a co-evolving dynamic with the state. The economic system is thus a 'machine' that modern states have organised through their laws and international agreements. The book incorporates a historical approach which reveals the varieties, structure and evolution of capitalism as the defining economic system of the modern age. Ultimately, the book demonstrates that the economic sphere and the political sphere are the two powers ruling people's lives: the economy is the result of their interactions. This book will be of great interest to readers in political economy, economics, sociology and political science"--

The post-industrial development of non-urban territory shows a decline in the agricultural use of the land and a rise of industrial and services activities localization on it. This imply a new methodology to study rural and agricultural development. The aim of the paper is to provide a general framework to deal with these problems. The starting point is the use of soil as an input of production and as a space of the localization strategies of the firm.

1. The Middle East and North Africa : a 'harmonizing geographic region' without a complete regionalism -- 2. The economic development of 'latecomers' -- 3. Institutions and development in the Middle East and North Africa : between economic challenges and stability policies -- 4. Demographic dynamics and development implications in the Middle East and North Africa -- 5. The performance of MENA economies between internal conditions and external shocks -- 6. 'Social contract', human development and welfare in the MENA region -- 7. Human capital and labour markets in the MENA region -- 8. The migration-development link in the MENA region -- 9. The openness of the MENA economies : beyond lost regionalism, en route to a new regional arrangement.

The increasing penetration of renewable energy has led electrical energy storage systems to have a key role in balancing and increasing the e ciency of the grid. Liquid air energy storage (LAES) is a promising technology, mainly proposed for large scale applications, which uses cryogen (liquid air) as energy vector. Compared to other similar large-scale technologies such as compressed air energy storage or pumped hydroelectric energy storage, the use of liquid air as a storage medium allows a high energy density to be reached and overcomes the problem related to geological constraints. Furthermore, when integrated with high-grade waste cold/waste heat resources such as the liquefied natural gas regasification process and hot combustion gases discharged to the atmosphere, LAES has the capacity to significantly increase the round-trip efficiency. Although the first document in the literature on the topic of LAES appeared in 1974, this technology has gained the attention of many researchers around the world only in recent years, leading to a rapid increase in a scientific production and the realization of two system prototype located in the United Kingdom (UK). This study aims to report the current status of the scientific progress through a bibliometric analysis, defining the hotspots and research trends of LAES technology. The results can be used by researchers and manufacturers involved in this entering technology to understand the state of art, the trend of scientific production, the current networks of worldwide institutions, and the authors connected through the LAES. Our conclusions report useful advice for the future research, highlighting the research trend and the current gaps. ; This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (RTI2018-093849-B-C31—MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades - Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) (RED2018-102431-T). The authors at the University of Lleida would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group GREiA (2017 SGR 1537). GREiA is a certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia. This work was partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia program.

The energy industry needs to take action against climate change by improving efficiency and increasing the share of renewable sources in the energy mix. On top of that, refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat pump equipment account for 25-30% of the global electricity consumption and will increase dramatically in the next decades. However, some waste cold energy sources have not been fully used. These challenges triggered an interest in developing the concept of cold thermal energy storage, which can be used to recover the waste cold energy, enhance the performance of refrigeration systems, and improve renewable energy integration. This paper comprehensively reviews the research activities about cold thermal energy storage technologies at sub-zero temperatures (from around 􀀀 270 ◦C to below 0 ◦C). A wide range of existing and potential storage materials are tabulated with their properties. Numerical and experimental work conducted for different storage types is systematically summarized. Current and potential applications of cold thermal energy storage are analyzed with their suitable materials and compatible storage types. Selection criteria of materials and storage types are also presented. This review aims to provide a quick reference for researchers and industry experts in designing cold thermal energy systems. Moreover, by identifying the research gaps where further efforts are needed, the review also outlines the progress and potential development directions of cold thermal energy storage technologies. ; The authors would like to acknowledge the funding support from SJ-NTU Corporate Lab. This work was partically funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (RTI2018-093849-B-C31 - MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE), and the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades - Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) (RED2018-102431-T). The authors at the University of Lleida would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group (2017 SGR 1537). GREiA is certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia. This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia program.