This paper offers a rationale for gradual privatization in transitional economies through studying property rights structures and the nature of Chinese collective enterprises. First, we pose a puzzle for existing theories of property rights, and then we provide a theoretical model for determining the optimal ownership arrangements for transitional economies. This theory argues that ownership ar...

A recurring theme in recent Australian reports on integrated catchment management (ICM) has been the need to institutionalise more formally the cost-sharing commitments made within this domain. This represents a significant departure from earlier visions of ICM as essentially promoting voluntary uptake of resource-conservation measures. Two important questions raised by this nascent policy shif...

This article deals with intergovernmental relations in health within the 20 years of implantation of the Unified Health System (SUS), in the light of the historical course of Brazilian federalism and its implications to health. Initially, a theoretical-conceptual review was carried out on the topic of federalism, social welfare and federative coordination of health, considering the internationa...

When two selection environments operate upon each other, mutual shaping in a coevolution along a particular trajectory is one possible outcome. When three selection environments are involved, more complex dynamics can be expected as a result of interactions involving bi-lateral and tri-lateral relations. Three selection environments are specified in the Triple Helix model: (1) wealth generation...

Historically, water and sanitation service providers in lowincome countries have struggled to accommodate rapid urban expansion, and particularly to serve the poor in peri-urban areas. One way to approach these challenges is to develop alternative approaches to service delivery, incorporating innovative institutional and contractual arrangements, and involving partnerships between communities, ...

This paper examines the design of macroeconomic policies after the enlargement of the EU by Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). We consider scenarios with and without CEECs being members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). For the European Central Bank, we analyze consequences of monetary versus inflation targeting. For European fiscal policies, we assume that the gov...

Whereas the topic of the 'cultural sensitivity' of healthcare systems has been addressed extensively in the US and the UK, literature on the subject in most European countries, specifically looking at the situation of Roma, is still scarce. Drawing on qualitative research conducted mainly in the city of Barcelona under the communicative approach with Roma subjects who have stable socioeconomic ...

Climate services involve the generation, provision, and contextualization of information and knowledge derived from climate research for decision making at all levels of society. These services are mainly targeted at informing adaptation to climate variability and change, widely recognized as an important challenge for sustainable development. This paper reviews the development of climate servi...

Energy poverty is widespread in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific. It is estimated that 70 percent of Pacific islander households do not have access to electricity, which is equivalent to access rates in sub-Saharan Africa and slightly below the average for low income countries. Pacific SIDS face unique challenges in expanding access to electricity, given that their populatio...

Governing natural resources sustainably is a continuing struggle. Major debates occur over what types of policy "interventions" best protect forests, with choices of property and land tenure systems being central issues. Herein, we provide an overview of findings from a long-term interdisciplinary, multiscale, international research program that analyzes the institutional factors affecting fore...