Large infrastructure projects often face significant cost overruns and stakeholder fragmentation. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) allow governments to procure long-term infrastructure services from private providers, rather than developing, financing and managing infrastructure assets themselves. Aligning public and private interests and institutional logics to create robust, decades-long service contracts subject to shifting economic and political contexts is a significant cross-sectoral governance challenge. This work summarizes over a decade of research conducted by scholars at Stanford s Global Projects Center and multiple US and International collaborators to enhance the governance of both infrastructure projects and institutional investors, whose long term, cash flow obligations align especially well with the kinds of long term inflation-adjusted returns that PPP infrastructure projects can generate. In these pages, multiple theoretical perspectives are integrated and combined with empirical evidence to examine how experiences from more mature PPP jurisdictions can help improve PPP governance approaches worldwide. The information contained here will appeal to engineering, economics, political science, public policy and finance scholars interested in the delivery of high-quality, sustainable infrastructure services to the citizens in countries with established and emerging market economies. Officials in national, state/provincial and local government agencies seeking alternative financing and service provision strategies for their civil and social infrastructure, and legislators and their staff members interested in promoting PPP legislation will find this book invaluable. It will also be of high interest to long-term investment professionals from pension funds, sovereign funds, family offices and university endowments seeking to deploy money into the infrastructure asset class, and practitioners seeking insights into methods for enhancing stakeholder incentive alignment, reducing transaction costs and improving project outcomes in PPPs. Contributors: B.G. Cameron, G. Carollo, C.B. Casady, E.F. Crawley, K. Eriksson, W. Feng, M.J. Garvin, K.E. Gasparro, R.R. Geddes, W.J. Henisz, D.R. Lessard, R.E. Levitt, T. Liu, A.H.B. Monk, D.A. Nguyen, C. Nowacki, W.R. Scott, R. Sharma, A.J. South

This timely book sets out how ordinary citizens can reform our broken economy.

Politicians curry favour with interest groups such as trade unions, public service workers, teachers and the unemployed, instead of serving the general public. Trade unions exploit labour laws to get benefits for their members without increasing productivity. Teachers enjoy sheltered employment without producing properly qualified learners. Formal employees abuse the bargaining-council system to push up labour costs imposed on employers and employees outside the system. Notoriously unproductive “public servants” enjoy above-market salaries in a growing sector that creates little to no economic value. Unemployed people, of whom there are 11 million, form the bedrock of our community of 18 million recipients of welfare grants. They produce nothing in return. The glue holding together all these forms of rent-seeking, is centralised government power, undergirded by laws and government spending.

The author highlights that the system of rent-seeking has damaged moral fabric in this country, eating at it like a virus. It does not let go, because it contains the seed of destruction of any argument deployed towards dismantling it. Rent-seeking is embarked upon – invariably almost – in the name of some noble cause or other. And noble causes demand that we be on the right side of them, or risk being tainted as unfair, oppressive, right-wing or simply bad.

Who in their right mind doesn’t want to protect workers against unemployment or exploitation, advance previously disadvantaged black citizens, improve the matric pass rate, help the poor with housing and money, build a strong public service?

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Providing a critical overview of cultural economics, this Research Agenda explores the current state of affairs in the field, suggesting methods of improvement for the coherency and progressiveness of future research. Situating work in this area in its historical context, Samuel Cameron draws together a range of international contributors to explore the development of cultural economics. Undertaking a thorough examination of matters of data quality, statistical methodology and the challenge of new developments in technology, chapters examine the different approaches to cultural economics. The book explores the myriad ways in which the topic has been neglected by mainstream economics, and examines reasons why it needs to be considered, evaluated and explored in more detail in our modern world. Current researchers in cultural economics, as well as cultural policies and leisure studies will find this book an invaluable read in exploring different ways to integrate cultural economics into mainstream studies. This Research Agenda will also be an invaluable aid for advanced students to create discussions suitable for essay topics and dissertations. Contributors include: S. Cameron, C. Peukert, J. Snowball, H. Sonnabend, M. Zieba

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. City-regions are regeneration economies, or in other words, places that are experiencing on-going processes of recovery, adaptation or transformation. This Research Agenda provides both a state-of-the-art review of existing research on city-regions, and expands on new research approaches. Expert contributors from across the globe explore key areas of research for reading city-regions, including: trade, services and people, regional differentiation, big data, global production networks, governance and policy, and regional development. The book focuses on developing a more integrated and systematic approach to reading city-regions as part of regeneration economics by identifying conceptual and methodological developments in this field of study. Students in geography, urban studies and city and regional planning will greatly benefit from reading this, as it provides a wealth of stimuli for essays and dissertation topics. Advanced business and public policy students will also benefit from the focus on translating research into practice, an approach that this Research Agenda takes in several chapters. Contributors include: L. Andres, J.R. Bryson, J. Clark, G.J.D. Hewings, N. Kreston, M. Nathan, P. Nijkamp, J. Steenbruggen, R.J. Stimson, E. Tranos, A. Weaver, D. Wojcik, G. Yeung

Lecture Notes in International Trade Theory covers classical international trade models (including the Ricardian, Ricardo Viner, and Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson models). The course is designed for M.Sc. and first year PhD students. It relies on both graphical and analytic methods, requiring only intermediate microeconomics and a solid grounding in calculus. The material emphasizes 'second-best' settings, where markets are imperfect. The goal is to equip students with a good enough understanding of open-economy general equilibrium relations that they understand how distortions ripple across different markets, e.g. commodity and factor markets. The Author applies these ideas to environmental and natural resource problems, including pollution 'leakage' (where pollution reductions in one country are offset by trading partners' increased pollution) and imperfect property rights. Other applications include the general equilibrium effects of commodity and trade taxes, international transfers (the 'transfer problem'), minimum wage constraints, and immiserizing growth. The Author assumes that students have some experience in formulating and answering comparative statics questions in an optimization setting. Building on these skills, and developing the idea of stability in an equilibrium setting (the Marshall Lerner condition), students learn how to formulate and answer comparative static questions in trade models.

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, there has been an unprecedented move towards 'rethinking economics' due to the damages generated by the global financial crisis that burst in 2007-2008. Almost a decade after this crisis, policy is still unable to provide all citizens greater wellbeing or at least an encouraging economic future. This book addresses the urgent need to rethink economics by providing readers at all levels with thoughtful chapters on a range of relevant economic topics. Editors Louis-Philippe Rochon and Sergio Rossi provide a first-class compilation of contemporary economic problems as well as a criticism of mainstream economics and economic policy, thereby offering a thorough investigation of these issues and policy solutions along alternative lines of thought. The book includes chapters on rethinking fiscal and monetary policies, international trade, the role of the State, money, banks, economic growth, the environment, development policies, energy, healthcare, and more. Special attention is paid to the importance of institutions and power relationships within the economic system. Written by top experts in their respective fields, this book will be useful to students and faculty who want to not only rethink economics, but also to offer an alternative and coherent economic analysis to the orthodoxy. Economists and policy-makers will also find this book to be of much interest. Contributors include: A. Asensio, J.-L. Bailly, H. Bougrine, L. Chester, C. Gnos, S. Greppi, O.F. Hamouda, M. Llorca, R. McMaster, V. Monvoisin, R. O'Donnell, S. Parsons, E. Perez Caldentey, J.-F. Ponsot, S. Pressman, L.-P. Rochon, S. Rossi, R.H. Scott, F. UElgen, G. Vallet, R. von Arnim

"BRICS: The Emergence of a New World Order" is a comprehensive work that sheds light on the constantly evolving dynamics of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and their growing role in shaping the future of the world. This book offers a complete and detailed analysis of BRICS, examining every aspect of their presence on the global stage.

The author, an expert in international relations and geopolitics, guides the reader through an informative journey that starts with the history and evolution of BRICS. From there, the book delves into a deep exploration of the economies of individual members, highlighting their strengths, challenges, and global impact. Political aspects are also at the forefront, with a meticulous analysis of the internal and external policies of BRICS countries and their diplomatic dynamics.

"BRICS: The Emergence of a New World Order" does not overlook international relations, examining BRICS' relationships with other global powers and their efforts to influence the global context. The concept of a "new world order" is explored, with an emphasis on BRICS' contributions to its definition and development.

Technology and innovation play a fundamental role in the analysis, with a keen focus on how BRICS are driving technological and scientific advancements. Sustainability and the fight against climate change are central themes, with an exploration of the policies adopted by BRICS to address environmental challenges.

The book also addresses social issues such as inequalities and human rights, offering a comprehensive overview of the challenges that BRICS must confront both internally and externally. Security and defense issues are detailed, with a focus on BRICS' security policies in the global context.

BRICS' role in international trade and the promotion of fair globalization is examined in depth. The discussion then shifts to the balance between globalization and nationalism, exploring how BRICS tackle these complex challenges.

Finally, the book looks into the future of BRICS, offering perspectives and future challenges in the context of the new world order. Each chapter is enriched with specific case studies, providing concrete examples of the dynamics at play.

"BRICS: The Emergence of a New World Order" is an essential work for anyone wishing to fully understand the role of BRICS in global politics, economics, and geopolitics. With comprehensive coverage and a balanced perspective, this book is an informative and enlightening guide for readers interested in global geopolitics and the emerging dynamics shaping our world.

Appointed by George W. Bush as the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in 2006, Sheila Bair witnessed the origins of the financial crisis and in 2008 became--along with Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and Timothy Geithner--one of the key public servants trying to repair the damage to the global economy. "Bull by the Horns" is her remarkable and refreshingly honest account of that contentious time and the struggle for reform that followed and continues to this day.