Number of results to display per page
Search Results
162. Completing Europe – From the North-South Corridor to Energy, Transportation, and Telecommunications Union
- Author:
- Atlantic Council and CEEP
- Publication Date:
- 11-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- One of the greatest successes of our new century has been the progress made in unifying Europe. The accession of Central Europe's countries to the European Union (EU) has contributed to the end of division that wrought confrontations and conflicts. Yet this task is far from finished. Europe's economic woes, as well as new security challenges along the Union's eastern border add to the urgency of completing and consolidating the European integration project as part of our transatlantic vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.
- Topic:
- Economics, Energy Policy, Science and Technology, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Central Europe
163. Resetting the System: Why highly secure computing should be the priority of cybersecurity policies
- Author:
- Greg Austin and Sandro Gaycken
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- As state-sponsored intrusions and high-end criminal activity in cyberspace have evolved, they are producing novel kinds of risks. Our present security paradigms fail to protect us from those risks. These paradigms have tolerated inherent structural security deficits of information technology for too long; they create the impression that policy is simply captive to this highly vulnerable environment. A new remedy favored in some countries seems to be active defense, but this emerging preference may be ineffective and more dangerous than helpful.
- Topic:
- Globalization, Intelligence, Science and Technology, Communications, and Infrastructure
164. Costing a Data Revolution
- Author:
- Gabriel Demombynes and Justin Sandefur
- Publication Date:
- 10-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- The lack of reliable development statistics for many poor countries has led the U.N. to call for a “data revolution” (United Nations, 2013). One fairly narrow but widespread interpretation of this revolution is for international aid donors to fund a coordinated wave of household surveys across the developing world, tracking progress on a new round of post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. We use data from the International Household Survey Network (IHSN) to show (i) the supply of household surveys has accelerated dramatically over the past 30 years and that (ii) demand for survey data appears to be higher in democracies and more aid-dependent countries. We also show that given existing international survey programs, the cost to international aid donors of filling remaining survey gaps is manageable--on the order of $300 million per year. We argue that any aid-financed expansion of household surveys should be complemented with (a) increased access to data through open data protocols, and (b) simultaneous support for the broader statistical system, including routine administrative data systems.
- Topic:
- Development, Human Welfare, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Asia and United Nations
165. The Next Epoch in Cloud Computing: Implications for Integrated Research and Innovation Strategy
- Author:
- John Zysman, Kenji E. Kushida, Jonathan Murray, and Patrick Scaglia
- Publication Date:
- 09-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
- Abstract:
- The advent of Cloud computing as the new underlying global infrastructure of computing presents distinctive new opportunities and challenges for Europe. Cloud computing is transforming computing resources from a scarce to an abundant resource, driving a wave of commoditization in previously high-end software and hardware. For Europe to gain independence from US-based global scale Cloud providers, our view is that it needs to move towards a distributed model of computing with federated governance. Distributed Cloud means the distribution of computation close to the geographic location of the data and the users, as opposed to the centralized model of today. Our research and innovation strategy recommendations reflect this view.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Infrastructure, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe
166. Cloud Computing: From Scarcity to Abundance
- Author:
- John Zysman, Kenji Kushida, and Jonathan Murray
- Publication Date:
- 09-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy
- Abstract:
- Cloud Computing is a revolution in computing architecture, transforming not only the “where” (location) of computing, but also the “how” (the manner in which software is produced and the tools available for the automation of business processes). Cloud Computing emerged as we transitioned from an era in which underlying computing resources were both scarce and expensive to an era in which the same resources were cheap and abundant. There are many ways to implement Cloud architectures, and most people are familiar with public cloud services such as Gmail or Facebook. However, much of the impact of Cloud Computing on the economy will be driven by how large enterprises implement Cloud architectures for their own private use. Lead users are already combining private and public computing resources into new hybrid delivery models. Cloud architectures are also poised to disrupt the Information Technology (IT) industry, broadly conceived, with a new wave of commoditization. Offerings optimized for high performance in an era of scarcity are giving way to loosely coupled, elastically managed architectures making use of cheap, abundant computing resources today.
- Topic:
- Markets, Science and Technology, and Infrastructure
167. Mapping the Impact Investing Sector in Brazil
- Publication Date:
- 05-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Aspen Institute
- Abstract:
- During the past 10 years of impact investing in Brazil, we have observed a significant development in the impact investing space. Five years ago, only a few players identified themselves as impact investors, very few organizations in the social sector were investor-ready, and there were almost no co-investment opportunities. A steep increase in the number of investors and amount of capital, greater coordination among players, and a more professional workforce active in the industry today have facilitated the development of impact investing. This market study of the impact investing sector in Brazil reveals significant market growth. Nineteen of Brazil's largest impact investors, including fund managers, banks, foundations, family offices and others surveyed expect to commit 40% to 50% more capital to impact investments in 2014 compared to 2013.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance, Political Economy, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, South America, and Latin America
168. Review of Greenlight Pinellas
- Author:
- Randal O'Toole
- Publication Date:
- 10-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Under its “Greenlight Pinellas” proposal, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), which serves Pinellas County, FL, wants to switch its major funding source from a property tax to a sales tax at a rate that will more than double its local tax revenues, and use the added money to build a 24-mile light-rail line and expand bus service. This proposal is extremely and unnecessarily expensive given that buses can provide a superior service to light rail, carrying more passengers more comfortably to more destinations at a far lower cost.
- Topic:
- Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- United States
169. A Call to the Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canada Premiers for Bilateral Energy Governance
- Author:
- Andrew Adams, Lyne Maheu, and Kieran McDougal
- Publication Date:
- 11-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The Northern Pass Transmission Project is mired in political deadlock due to conflict over its potential impacts and current assessment process. Although the proposal has little political support within New Hampshire, the US Department of Energy (DOE's) assessment process is moving forward. New England has become increasingly dependent on natural gas for power generation, which has dramatically risen in price recently, and the Northern Pass presents an opportunity to diversify the region's electrical supply. However, as the project stands, New Hampshire bears a majority of the economic, social and ecological costs, while receiving little of the regional benefit of affordable, flexible and reliable energy. There may be similar alternatives to the Northern Pass that secure the regional benefits of energy security and reliability while also reducing local costs. Without comparing the Northern Pass against alternative infrastructure projects, policy makers cannot assess which project generates the most net benefits. This policy brief contrasts the local and regional impacts of the Northern Pass, in order to shed light on the deficiencies that arise when analysing energy infrastructure projects in isolation.
- Topic:
- Economics, Energy Policy, Politics, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Canada and England
170. Making Every Kilometre Count: Prioritising Road Infrastructure Spending
- Author:
- Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis & Research (ZIPAR)
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR)
- Abstract:
- There so many factors that influence road projects prioritisation. Considering the highly restrictive public resources at disposal and the huge cost requirements of road projects, cautious programme optimisation is essential. Projects must thus be prioritised according to their costs and net the benefit they are expected to provide. Our report presents an assessment of the relative importance of some road projects, most of them from the Link Zambia 8000 programme and the major trunk roads from Lusaka to major international destinations. In this brief we provide an alternative viewpoint project prioritisation based on transportation efficiency, accessibility and socio-economic factors. The result is a coherent projects evaluation framework that suggests the most feasible projects to invest our limited resources and thus making every kilometre count towards national development.
- Topic:
- Development, Infrastructure, Governance, and Public Spending
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Zambia