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This is a book of uncompromising technical excellence, which does exactly what it promises to do: chart the cutting-edge frontiers of environmental and ecological economics, for the benefit of graduate students, professional academics, and policy making elites. The authors are mostly academic leaders in the field, the topics are hot . . . the contributors make the links between abstract theorizing and the concrete mental framing of issues that is a prerequisite for sound policy design . . . The papers in this collection exhibit rigorous and robust analytical frameworks, presented intuitively in clear words as well as mathematically, and harnessed to wide-ranging up-to-date bibliographies which quickly open the door into recent literature . . . this will be a book to keep on a convenient shelf for reference purposes . . . it is hard to imagine a graduate student reading this book and failing to spot opportunities to colonize new theoretical territory beyond the present frontier, or to explore empirically the areas outlined in these chapters. Geoffrey Bertram, Papers in Regional Science Top European and American scholars contribute to this cutting-edge volume on little-researched areas of environmental and resource economics. Topics include spatial economics, poverty and development, experimental economics, large-scale risk and its management, organizational economics, technological innovation and diffusion and many more. The common thread is the language and methodology of economics, yet the work aims to reach an audience wider than academia; others such as researchers and policymakers, in the public sector, professional staff in research institutes and think tanks, and environmental consultants will all benefit from an awareness of these crucial issues which, if not considered now, will become the problems of the future.

Contiene: Introduction; Methodology: A conceptual framework; Overview and methodological aspects of various operational measurement approaches.- Econometric methods: Linear structural equation models with latent variables; Spatio-temporal lisrel models; The spatio-temporal lisrel impact model; Two-stage time series analysis; The bootstrap, the jackknife and model selection.- Case studies: Effects of regional industrializations policy; Effects of extra employment programs; Epilogue: Some for further research.

Impact analysis of economic policy is a subject which is gaining in creasing interest in both theoretical and applied economic research. Two main reasons for the growing interest can be distinguished. First, the situation of the government's finances is making it more than ever necessary to assess critically the effects of the instruments used to pursue public policy goals. Secondly, because of the economic stagnation government will be increasingly appealed to for support. Impact analysis, however, is hampered by three major problems: methodological deficiencies, lack of econometric approaches which have been adapted to the specific conditions of this kind of analysis and data availability. The present book deals with these problems in the context of regional economic policy. However, the main findings are broadly applicable in various other fields. This book is primarily oriented towards those who have a practical interest. Therefore, attention is mostly paid to the practical aspects of the methodology and the measurements methods. Furthermore, the methodologi cal and econometric parts are supplemented by two extensive case studies. ~- Three people have contributed constructive criticisms and suggestions on some chapters of the book: Peter Nijkamp, Theo Dijkstra and Manfred Fischer. I am very grateful for their support. They, of course, share no blame for any deficiences in the present form of the book. I also gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Harry Barkema and Marja Schuring with the computations.

There has been an explosion in the literature and research on environmental and resource economics in recent years. This major annual publication provides a cutting-edge survey of current research by the leading experts in the field.

As a low-lying delta region with a high population density, the Netherlands has long focused on the prevention of flooding catastrophes and the reclamation of valuable land. The evolution of Dutch water governance, beginning with the creation of local 'water boards' in the Middle Ages and growing into a complex infrastructure of polders, dams, and controlled waterways offers a compelling study of pitfalls and successes within one of the worlds most challenging regions for water management. Water Policy in the Netherlands traces the arc of water governance in the country, from technological innovations to prevent wide-scale flooding, to strategies focused primarily on improving water quality, to an integral water management approach which brings together perspectives from economics, hydrology, ecology, water law, and water technology. The contributions in this book demonstrate how both the technical and social sciences must play key roles in crafting policy in the face of serious environmental challenges including climate change, sea level rise, and increasing soil subsidence. Innovative themes explored in the work include: how economic models and pricing structures might improve efficiency in the distribution of water resources, how the competing uses for water-including for recreation, arable agriculture, fisheries, and natural preservation-create demands on both the quantity and quality of water resources, and how public participation, cogovernance, and the balance of public and private interests will be necessary to meet the goals of the EUs Water Framework Directive. This resource serves as both an invaluable case study and as a text to develop the analytical tool of integral water management for students, policy-makers, and NGO professionals in developed and developing regions.

This text provides a comprehensive introduction to the important issues of land use and forest economics. The authors employ economic tools to study the allocation of land among alternative activities such as agriculture, grazing and forestry which impact upon the landscape. The book begins by explaining general economic concepts of well-being, welfare measurement and economic rents before providing a synopsis of various environmental economic issues including non-market valuation, cost-benefit analysis and sustainable development. The authors then move on to address several critical topics relating to land use, the conservation of nature and the protection of agricultural land. These include an analysis of agricultural land use from the perspective of urban expansion and the interface between crop production and nature. They also discuss the economics of public lands, range and ranching, forestry, and global climate change in a comprehensive fashion. Throughout the book, the focus is on enhancing welfare for society as a whole, rather than for particular individuals, interest groups or sectors. In this way, the authors present a balanced and just approach to policy decisions regarding the allocation of scarce land resources. Accessible and self-contained, this text will become indispensable to postgraduate and undergraduate students on a range of courses including agricultural and environmental economics, geography and resource management. Although primarily a textbook, it will also provide a useful overview for policymakers, range scientists, public land managers and anyone with an interest in the economic evaluation of rural land use and forestry.