Suchergebnisse

This article examines the origins of the California Energy Crisis through the lens of economic and political theory. The key turning points leading up to deregulation of the State's energy markets are reviewed. The origins of the crisis are then framed in free market ideology and the garbage can model of political decision-making. Specifically, it is argued that California's case exemplifies a process of deregulatory capture. A few interest groups used a window of political opportunity to shape the rules governing the process and create new economic opportunities, while shielding themselves from economic risk. These insights regarding the origins of the crisis highlight the need to enrich planning discourse with positive theories of market and polity interaction, and to adopt a more entrepreneurial role for planners during periods of dramatic reform of public infrastructure and services.

Karen Christensen's Cities and Complexity is a remarkably non­ partisan foray into the structural and analytical details comprising intergovernmental relations in the United States. Informed by years of work with the U . S . Department of Housing and Urban Development, teaching and research with the University of California at Berkeley, and a vast body of literature regarding organizational theory, this is a particularly multi-dimensional, yet practical, impression of the sprawling institutions we call "government".

Global trajectories for reducing carbon emissions depend on the local adoption of alternatives to conventional energy sources, technologies, and urban development. Yet, decisions on which type of capital investments to make, made by local governments as part of the normal budget cycle, typically do not incorporate climate considerations. Furthermore, current academic and professional literature specific to climate change draws attention to decision-making tools that would require access to technical expertise, data, and financial support that may not be practical for cities in low- and middle-income countries. Arguably, the methodologies most able to effect this transformation will be those that are convenient and affordable to administer, and that offer straight-forward low carbon alternatives to traditional forms of infrastructure investment. Current methodologies for capital investment planning that do not take climate change into consideration can result in prioritization of investments that diverge from a low carbon path and a potential missed opportunity to reap financial benefits from efficiency gains. This paper concludes that relatively minor alterations to common procedures can reveal the trade-offs and local benefits of low carbon alternatives in the capital investment planning process. This paper was written as an input to the preparation of the Climate-Informed Capital Investment Planning Guidebook, a how-to guide for local government staff, which will be published in 2015.

This study uses institutional economics to shed light on many of the issues plaguing the evaluation of design-build contracting. The purpose is to assist lawmakers in the State of California as they contemplate the adoption of enabling legislation. In institutional economic terms, design-build involves the switch from public to private ordering of design services such that the design firm, which used to serve as the public client's advocate during construction, is instead at the service of a general contractor or constructor. California is relatively rich in institutions supporting union agreements and environmental protection. In the transition to design-build dramatic changes to procedures, roles, and responsibilities ensue, which may include impacts to organized labor. Existing research suggests that design-build shortens delivery schedules by allowing construction to begin before design is complete, but the benefits of shortened schedules may come at the expense of public participation if design information presented during environmental review is inadequate. Should California use design-build? Picture a planner responsible for deciding whether a stretch of highway should be developed with design-build or design-bid-build procedures. Which process is more efficient? If design-build is more efficient, do such gains come at the expense of organized labor and environmental compliance? These questions were addressed through a transaction-cost economic analysis of recently completed design-bid-build and design-build projects in several states, with attention to variations in the institutions governing transportation delivery from state to state.

Part 1: Themes and Issues ; International audience ; During the early days of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the Mubarak regime shut down all Egyptian Internet access with the exception of one service provider, Noor ADSL. Analysts have noted that President Mubarak, in attempting to restrict Internet access, suffered from the dictator's digital dilemma, and have speculated that Noor's exceptional treatment was due to its role as a telecommunications provider for the Egyptian Stock Exchange. This paper shows, through an analysis of events, that stock exchange connectivity could not have been the rationale for Noor's continued services and that transaction cost economics, as described by North's theory of the state, provides a more thorough explanation for Mubarak's selective intervention with regard to Internet service. Decisions made during this series of events have implications beyond the Arab Spring. Insights are drawn from the particular case of Noor's role in the Egyptian Revolution and, in the process, a model is developed for future examination of the general case of the potential for loss of critical Internet infrastructure service under authoritarian governments.

"The Pacific Northwest is green to the extreme. Yet a day trip can go from pristine wilderness to downtown Seattle, Portland, or Vancouver. How are these commercial and cultural hot spots keeping nature and growth in balance -- and what's coming next? Trace the path from forests and fish to bikes and brews in a tale of three cities leading the way to smart growth"--Provided by publisher

Municipal open data raises hopes and concerns. The activities of cities produce a wide array of data, data that is vastly enriched by ubiquitous computing. Municipal data is opened as it is pushed to, pulled by, and spilled to the public through online portals, requests for public records, and releases by cities and their vendors, contractors, and partners. By opening data, cities hope to raise public trust and prompt innovation. Municipal data, however, is often about the people who live, work, and travel in the city. By opening data, cities raise concern for privacy and social justice. This article presents the results of a broad empirical exploration of municipal data release in the City of Seattle. In this research, parties affected by municipal practices expressed their hopes and concerns for open data. City personnel from eight prominent departments described the reasoning, procedures, and controversies that have accompanied their release of data. All of the existing data from the online portal for the city were joined to Municipal open data raises hopes and concerns. The activities of cities produce a wide array of data, data that is vastly enriched by ubiquitous computing. Municipal data is opened as it is pushed to, pulled by, and spilled to the public through online portals, requests for public records, and releases by cities and their vendors, contractors, and partners. By opening data, cities hope to raise public trust and prompt innovation. Municipal data, however, is often about the people who live, work, and travel in the city. By opening data, cities raise concern for privacy and social justice. Results suggest the need for more comprehensive measures to manage the risk latent in opening city data. Cities should maintain inventories of data assets, produce data management plans pertaining to the activities of departments, and develop governance structures to deal with issues as they arise—centrally and amongst the various departments—with ex ante and ex post protocols to govern the push, pull, ...