The changing face of infrastructure facilities management worldwide is characterised by high demand for investments in renewal and maintenance, governmental budget constraints and innovations in information systems. The authors highlight the growing demand for accurate, complete and continuous disclosure of information related to management activities, expenditures, stock availability and shadow prices. This study discusses how infrastructure facilities, commonly considered as a public good, have been traditionally funded by the public sector but that the efficiency of this approach has come into question at the same time as the ability of governments to leverage funds for new facilities and for maintenance and rehabilitation of existing ones has decreased. These factors, they argue, have led to increasing interest in private sector participation in financing, building and operating public infrastructure. The main purpose of this book is to: * present recent theoretical and practical advances as well as new concepts and paradigms in infrastructure systems * provide a state-of-the-art overview of current research * stimulate new research and innovative thinking on the interface between infrastructure measurement and management. The book, written by numerous experts in the field, will appeal to national and regional infrastructure ministries and agencies, companies engaged in infrastructure financing, construction, management and maintenance as well as students at graduate level and above and researchers in civil engineering, infrastructure planning and infrastructure economics and management.

In recent decades, the world has witnessed the emergence of a global knowledge economy in which functional regions increasingly play a role as independent and dynamic market places. These are integrated with other functional regions by means of flows of information, knowledge, and commodities. This contemporary and illuminating book provides a state-of-the-art overview of current research on innovation and entrepreneurship in functional regions. There are numerous questions regarding entrepreneurship and innovation in functional regions that have not yet been answered - until now. Some of the issues that the expert contributors in this field question are - How do firms compete and how do they develop their competitive strategies? How important are entrepreneurial actions and innovation? How important are firm size, firm maturity and corporate structure for innovation? Entrepreneurship and Innovations in Functional Regions will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of entrepreneurship, business economics, innovation and regional science.

Ake E.Andersson has always been intellectually on the move. He has selected his own track through the academic system and has formed a school of thought which has brought him international recognition. The cornerstones of his scientific interest are welfare analysis, regional economic dynamics and human capital theory. For his excellent achievements on dynamic analysis in the field of regional economics and regional planning he received the Japanese Honda Prize in 1995. This book provides a sample of the broad ranging research of Ake E.Andersson. Here some of his friends and colleagues have contributed to give various examples from the growing research field "Knowledge and Networks in a Dynamic Economy" in which he has been a great inspiration and in which he has contributed as part of his prodigious output.

This volume provides an understanding of firms' R&D and innovation strategies and their economy-wide consequences. It is based on the premise that differences in firm-level returns, as well as economy-wide outcomes, may be linked to the heterogeneous ways in which firms organize and undertake R&D and innovation activities. It emphasizes innovation strategies of innovating firms, and reflects that innovation efforts do not represent a uniform type of expenditure. Organized into three parts the volume moves from the micro to the macro-level. This structure highlights the notion that R&D and innovation and growth are two interdependent perspectives. The first of these is micro-oriented and focuses on innovation processes of firms, where R&D activities and other innovation efforts give rise to consequences such as a strengthening of resource bases, growth of sales and employment, patents, new products, increasing productivity and profits, and improved chances of survival. The second perspective comprises economy-wide effects in the form of overall technological change, growth in total factor productivity, and structural change processes, where certain sectors may benefit from new inputs from other sectors while others experience declining markets and reduced output. The book brings together contributions and perspectives from both economics and business scholars, and will appeal to academics, researchers, and students interested in R&D and innovation strategies, international business, business strategy, and the economics of technological change.