Exploring sustainable development

geographical perspectives

Sustainable development is capturing the attention of planners, politicians and business leaders. Within the academic sphere its study is increasingly breaching disciplinary boundaries to become a focus of attention for natural and social scientists alike. But in studying such a key concept, it is vital ...

Intellectual property,biogenetic resources and traditional knowledge

Biogenetic resources # the critical biological and chemical materials that underpin so much of medicine, both modern and traditional, agriculture, and wider economic activity in so many fields # are at the centre of heated debate regarding their use, development, and ownership, and the issues of ethics ...

Domestic wastewater treatment in developing countries

Affordable and effective domestic wastewater treatment is a critical issue in public health and disease prevention around the world, but particularly so in developing countries, which often lack the financial and technical resources necessary for proper treatment facilities. This practical guide provides state-of-the-art coverage of ...

Small change

about the art of practice and the limits of planning in cities

Urban governance voice and poverty in the developing world

Poverty and governance are both issues high on the agenda of international agencies and governments in the South. With urban areas accounting for a steadily growing share of the world#s poor people, an international team of researchers focused their attention on the hitherto little-studied ...

Market economy and urban change

impacts in the developing world

Across the developing world the preceding decade or so has witnessed a profound reconfiguration of the political economy of urban policy. This new policy environment is driven by globalization, the neo-liberal macro-economic package of #market enablement# and structural adjustment, which now form the dominant development ...

Indices and indicators in development

an unherlthy obsession with numbers

The use of numbers to condense complex systems into easily digested 'bites' of information is very much in fashion. At one level they are intended to enhance transparency, accountability and local democracy, while at another they provide a means of enhancing performance. However, all indicators ...

Municipalities and finance

a sourcebook for capacity building

The state of the World's cities 2004/2005

globalization and urban culture

The planetary bargain

corporate social responsibility matters

Corporate scandals and lack of confidence in our largest institutions mean that corporate social responsibility (CSR) now matters more than ever. Encroaching on CSR are concepts such as corporate sustainability and corporate citizenship, and older concerns with business ethics, business in society and the ethical ...

Trading in knowledge

developement perspectives on TRIPS, trade and sustainability

An unprecedented surge in the scope and level of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection has been engulfing the world. This globalizing trend has shifted the balance of interests between private innovators and society at large and tensions have flared around key public policy concerns. As ...

Rethinking water management

innovative approaches to contemporary issues

World water actions

making water flow for all

Population growth and increasing living standards are putting heavy pressure on water resources. Unsustainable patterns of consumption and production are degrading ecosystems and reducing their ability to provide essential goods and services to humankind. Reversing this threat and achieving sustainability requires an integrated approach to ...

Technology transfer for renewable energy

overcoming barriers in developing countries

This text highlights the role that renewable energy can play in achieving sustainable development. It focuses on rural areas of developing countries, looking in particular at stand-alone solar home systems and grid-connected biomass cogeneration plants. It analyzes the main barriers to the successful transfer of ...

Eco-economy

building an economy for the earth

1. The Economy and the Earth I. A Stressed Relationship 2. Signs of Stress: Climate and Water 3. Signs of Stress: The Biological Base II. The New Economy 4. The Shape of the Eco-Economy 5. Building the Solar/Hydrogen Economy 6. Designing a New Materials ...

Ecological Economics.

A political economics approach to environment and development..

Blueprint for a sustainable economy.

Trade, investment and the environment.

Proceedings of the Royal Institute of International Affairs conference Chatham House, London, October 1998..