The ambiguous infrastructural ideal: the urbanisation of water and power in the 'golden age' of utility networks

Document en cours de réélaboration pour publicationCurrent debates around networks and urban fragmentation focus on the ownership of the service to explain processes of socio-technical differentiation in cities (splintering). In this perspective, integrated public ownership and management historically allowed for service universalization and the emergence of a “modern infrastructural ideal”, whereas recent trends towards privatization and unbundling are seen to foster fragmentation. In this paper, we argue, through an historical appraisal of the rolling out of water and power networks in very different contexts, that ownership is just one of the factors in urban network service provision and management, and that the local socio-political context must be taken into account to understand how and why networks are universalized (or not) and what socio-spatial effects they produce. Beyond ownership, network provision and management thus emerge as a reflection of social dynamics and ties in specific, place-based urban contexts. The aim is thus to challenge the mechanical link that sometimes appears in research between network ownership and territorial fragmentation. With case studies chosen from various socio historical contexts, from Papal Rome to colonial Cape Town, statist Paris to liberal Los Angeles, we argue that, even if ownership remains one of the important key factors in explaining dynamics of ‘splintering', we must heed the whole framework of governance specific to each situation, which goes far beyond the mere issue of formal network governance. We thus resort to the concept of urban regime, studied in a historical perspective, to situate the socio spatial dynamics of networks, between market forces, and the private interests of elites, and issues pertaining to mechanisms of wider social control, which is where the notion of regulation is useful to us. Moreover, it is necessary to take into account the problematic of the political economy of network utilities, which goes beyond the simple logic of private vs. public ownership

Analyzing the Intersection of Transparency, Issues Management and Ethics: The Case of Big Soda

This article critically analyzes the ethics of Coca-Cola’s public relations strategies through the lens of corporate social responsibility, issue management, and moral legitimacy. Corporate legitimacy is essential for corporate survival and, in today’s complex environment, expectations for legitimacy have shifted. Corporations are called on to consider their roles in the context of the greater good. These changes call for an examination of what constitutes ethical communication for public relations practitioners. While theoretical advancements in the area of ethics sketch the landscape for providing for greater transparency in what the aims of organizations should be in providing for ethical communication, more needs to be done to examine the specific content of this communication. Toward this end, the authors seek to extend conversations and draw from Habermas’s theories of communicative action and Principle U to propose a new direction for evaluating public relations ethics

Last-mile rural electrification: Lessons learned from universalization programs in Brazil and Venezuela

Many countries are still facing a common hurdle: last-mile rural electrification. Great skill is required to face this challenge, which generally involves the most isolated, inaccessible and complex regions. Many Latin American countries have already undertaken universal access to energy schemes and have built an experience base that, if shared, can add a wealth of knowledge to facilitate the implementation of future initiatives. In this regard, this work evaluates the sustainability of the main electrification initiatives developed in Brazil and Venezuela, by performing an ex-post comparative multicriteria evaluation on 18 quantitative and qualitative social, institutional, economic, technical and managerial indicators. Eight discussion threads are drawn from the programs’ design and implementation strategies and outcomes. The main insights are: the suitability of renewable-based distributed energy resources for covering last-mile rural electrification; the effectiveness of a private context for the development of the technological market and the creation of policy instruments; and the effectiveness of a public context to implement a greater diversity of technological solutions focused on improving social well-being. The lessons learned aim to guide rural electrification promoters and decision makers in developing more sustainable and successful last-mile electrification initiatives.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No ContaminantPostprint (published version

Influence of Context in a Smart City Project: Study of Two Smart City Projects in Brazil

This is a study on smart city projects in Brazil and the influence of local context on the projects conception. A qualitative research was conducted on two different smart city projects from distinct regions of Brazil: the city of Campinas, from the southeastern region, and the city of Salvador, from the northeastern region. Both projects fall under the same national guidelines for technology development, the ENCTI 2012-2015. The projects policies were compared to understand how local context can shape a smart city project

The Challenge of Fee-Free Secondary Education and Educational Access in Ghana: A Reflection on the Past, Realities and Feasible Choices

In 2001, the Government of Ghana introduced subsidies at the Senior High School meant to reduce the burden on parents and guardians of wards in such schools. Since 2012, there has been an intensive debate on fee-free senior high school education in Ghana. While some see this as preposterous and unimaginable, others consider it as a poverty alleviation option and a panacea to providing the required cadre of youths with skills needed for the economic development of Ghana. This paper considers the feasibility of how such a policy may improve access to senior high school education in Ghana and be sustained. The paper examines some policies and practices on funding secondary education in Ghana Findings suggest that a uniform fee-free policy approach will include a sizeable number of students who do not need to be supported by government in the secondary schooling. The study further finds out that demand for secondary education, particularly, regarding low income families may not always be dependent solely on fee free secondary education but on other cost variables, including opportunity costs and perceived economic returns from such education. The study concludes with some feasible choices on the need to adopt painstaking approaches to identify those who are needy and a fundamental objective for such policies to benefit the poor. Keywords: Universalization of secondary education, policies and practices, pro-poor targeting, secondary education financing

USE OF INVESTMENT STRATEGIES OF RISK MANAGEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE MARKET

Modern fulfillment of foreign debt obligations and successful foreign trade policy should become decisive factors in raising Ukraine's rating to the investment level and developing interest in our country as an object of investment of foreign and domestic investors.Modern fulfillment of foreign debt obligations and successful foreign trade policy should become decisive factors in raising Ukraine's rating to the investment level and developing interest in our country as an object of investment of foreign and domestic investors

Can Context Influence a Smart City Project? Case Study of two projects in Brazil

This is a study on smart city projects in Brazil and the influence of local context on the projects conception. A qualitative research was conducted on two different smart city projects from distinct regions of Brazil: the city of Campinas, from the southeastern region, and the city of Salvador, from the northeastern region. Both projects fall under the same national guidelines for technology development, the ENCTI 2012-2015. The projects policies were compared to understand if and how local context can shape a smart city project

Comparative Analysis of Universal Primary Education Policy and Progress in India and Sri Lanka in the Era of Globalization

Sustainable Development Goals, like previous Millennium Development Goals, put strong emphasis on the inclusive and quality education for all by 2030 and directed all the nation states to make concerted efforts to ensure this. Many developing countries after the endorsement of time-bound global goals regarding education has resulted in remarkable changes in their national education policy directions by making provisions of free and compulsory education for a stipulated period. However, even today, when the global development agenda is emphasizing inclusive and quality education for all at all levels, the goal of universal primary education remains elusive for many developing countries. The aim of this study was to analyze educational policy changes and progress in universal primary education in India and Sri Lanka under the influence of global policy agenda. India and Sri Lanka are two important countries in South Asian region and both are quite proactive in their efforts towards universalization of primary education. With the help of trend analysis method, it has been observed tremendous progress has been observed in the expansion of access of primary education in these countries. However, the results indicate that the performance of Sri Lanka in primary education is far better than India and India can learn a lot from the experiences of Sri Lanka. But, the high number of out of school children and poor learning outcomes in both the countries need a radical shift in the focus of the policy planning in these countries. The study is quite critical to highlight the glaring gaps in the provision of education for all in these countries and experiences of these countries can provide instructive lessons for other countries struggling with the goal of education for all. Keywords: Universal Primary Education, Education for All, Educational Policy, Globalization, South Asia. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-8-04 Publication date:March 31st 202

From the “broadband ditch” to the release of the 2010 US national broadband plan. A short history of the broadband penetration debate in the US

The paper provides an historical account of the policy debate that took place in the United States after the 2007 release of the OECD's broadband statistics. It explains why and in what context such a debate occurred (lack of relevant statistics from the FCC, dissatisfaction of some stakeholders with the deregulation of broadband, role of new players). The paper reviews the policy options proposed by the main players to foster the deployment of broadband, among others the potential inclusion of broadband in the scope of the US universal service, the need for a national policy, and implementation/funding issues. It puts into perspective the national broadband plan proposed by the FCC in March 2010.broadband, competition, industrial policies, government intervention, universal service, open internet, deregulation, rankings/ benchmarking countries.