E2SP. The Business Case of an Environmental Information System for Decision Support in ASP Mode

According to PSR (OECD) and DPSIR (EEA) models, Environmental Agencies are in charge of measuring the State and Pressure and evaluate the Impact in order to define the most suitable Responses; this implies data analysis and reporting activities, as one of their core responsibilities. Environmental Information Systems (EIS) support these activities by combining the advantages of first-rate consolidated technology (such asBusiness Intelligence and Data Warehouses) to specific technical architectures tailored to environmental management tasks. E2SP (Environmental Enterprise Service Provider) is a online reporting and forecasting platform, providing a cost effective, Internet based EIS and Decision Support System in ASP (Application Service Provider) mode. Tasks such as data integration, data analysis through OLAP (On Line Analytical Processing), impact analysis and forecasts through mathematical models, emission inventories, indices/indicators calculation, reporting, are supplied in an integrated environment as on line services to public authorities and private industries. E2SP project, funded by the eTEN program of the European Commission, allowed to deploy two service centres and to develop the business case study, described in this paper, to verify the viability of the ASP approach to EIS in a trans-national context, starting from the air quality theme

Applying Economic Instruments in Developing Countries: From Theory to Implementation

This paper proceeds as follows: in the next section we briefly review the experience with the implementation of economic instruments in both OECD countries and developing countries. The types of instruments considered are: pollution taxes/charges, product taxes/charges, deposit-refund schemes, and tradable permits. Also, the related practices of earmarking revenues from EIs and creating specialised environmental funds are considered. In section 3, a general framework is presented for evaluating alternative instruments in terms of their ease of implementation, and in the final section some suggestions are advanced for addressing the more common implementation problems. The question of how environmental policy affects competitiveness in an open economy is also briefly considered.Economic instruments

Exploring the equity crowdfunding phenomenon: An analysis of regulations, tax incentives, and the fight against corruption

Equity crowdfunding is becoming more and more an important source of funds to early-stage entrepreneurial firms, in both developed and developing countries. Its rapid growth was likely due to a combination of favourable – and unfavourable - circumstances which have made it a multi-billion-dollar industry worldwide. On the one hand, the 2008 financial crisis has tightened credit availability; on the other hand, financial innovations driven by FinTech companies (including equity crowdfunding platforms) have provided consumers with an excellent opportunity to become investors and take advantage of their knowledge in financial matters. Moreover, financial innovations and the new instruments available have facilitated credit access for entrepreneurs, enabling them to seek funding from anyone. Equity crowdfunding seems thus to have the potential to fundamentally change the investment and financing process, as well as to provide greater transparency especially in countries where high levels of corruption discourage any form of public or private investment. The academic literature on this topic has analysed the crowdfunding market with growing interest. However, the research and knowledge of this new phenomenon are still limited, and some questions do still arise. This doctoral thesis aims to address the topic of equity crowdfunding in Europe and Latin America (the higher performing developing country in terms of utilizing crowdfunding, excluding Mainland China). In particular, the three papers that constitute it explores specific strategies to drive equity crowdfunding growth and promote its use in financing entrepreneurship. This dissertation draws inspiration from the following research questions: (i) Why do we need a harmonised regulation of crowdfunding in Europe? What are the challenges and risks to deal with? (ii) Do tax incentives promote crowdfunding investment in Europe? (iii) Does the fight against corruption increase the investors’ confidence in equity crowdfunding? Answers to these questions provide an important step towards a better understanding of the functioning of crowdfunding markets

Inter-departmental information sharing in local government authorities (LGAs): The case of the United Kingdom

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis focuses on investigating inter-departmental Electronic Information Sharing (EIS) through Inter-organisational Systems (IOS) in the context of Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in England and Wales. There is an increasing demand to involve LGA departments in sharing information electronically in order to reduce the cost of storing and managing data, increase the level of data accuracy and timeliness and improve the accountability of the authority. During the last decades, several LGAs in the United Kingdom have started to employ IOSs to support information sharing and networked collaboration within their departments in order to meet a diverse range of citizen needs including housing services, social care services and education services. However, reaching a great level of crossdepartmental collaboration is not easy and requires additional time and effort. Normative literature proposed various models and frameworks that examine various issues and factors influencing the effort of EIS in the private and public domain. However, the applicability and validity of those models in the context of LGAs is arguable. Therefore, this research proposes and validates a novel conceptual framework that can be used as a tool for decision-making while sharing information electronically. The framework consists of four main levels: (a) investigation and presentation of factors influencing Electronic Information Sharing in LGAs based on external environment, organisational capacity, technology environment, EIS characteristics and inter-departmental environment, (b) investigation and presentation of the phases that departments adopt while participating in the EIS effort, (c) mapping of the influential factors onto the participation phases and (d) prioritisation of the factors influencing EIS in LGAs in relation to different phases. By validating the conceptual framework through using a qualitative, interpretive, multiple case study research strategy, this thesis attempts to contribute to the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of inter-departmental EIS. Despite the results of the cases cannot be generalised, yetthey can allow others to relate their views with the onesreported in this thesis

Cumulative Impact Analysis in NEPA Climate Assessments

This article argues that CI analysis is a critical tool for addressing global warming. This is because the largest anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions in the U.S. each contributes a vanishingly small portion of global GHG emissions, which alone cannot rise to NEPA’s threshold of “significance” requiring a “detailed statement…on the environmental impact of the proposed action,”i.e., an environmental impact statement (EIS). Yet there is no pollution today in greater need of assessment and understanding than GHG emissions, given the urgency of the impending catastrophe that global warming could mean for our planet

Establishing an Effective National Environmental Information System

This Capstone project addresses the important problem of functional improvement of the National Environmental System in Kosovo. The main issues addressed are the legal requirements for data collection, data processing, validation, and reporting, as stipulated by the law on environment; and the practical needs for improvement in order to make the system more effective, more reliable, and more usable in order to provide timely and accurate environmental data to the policymakers and to overall public. In order to better address the problem, consideration is given to both international and national context of EIS requirements. This is very relevant given the fact that nowadays, in particular at EU level, there is a need to establish systems which are compatible to each other, and which enable standardization, comparability and verification of data. To contribute to solving the issue, a review of current EIS, legal and institutional framework, human and technical capacities is made. Kosovo Environmental Information System is regulated by the law on environment, which provides general principles for establishment of the system. The law stipulates that more detailed structure of the EIS has to be determined by a sub-law act. This sub-law act should define all the details, concerning the data flow, data format, frequency, responsible institutions, and timeframe for data delivery and publication. Currently the EIS system is managed by an EIS designated unit at KEPA. As there are no procedures in place, and because of lack of the staff, the EIS is still remaining ineffective and incomplete

"Electronic Identity for Europe": Moving From Problems to Solutions

Electronic Identity (eID) is the backbone of modern communications and transactions in the digital world, as well as a key driver for the growth of the EU economy and the completion of the Digital Single Market. The latter, in effect, can only be accomplished when citizens from one Member State (MS) can easily and unobtrusively access services and use applications, including signing electronically, from any other Member State. Despite the implementation of different identity management systems (IMS), the numerous political declarations and initiatives in this area, the development of various research projects and eID technologies, the discussion on the necessary legal means through which to create an interoperable pan-European eID has not yet taken place. In addition, the processing and management of electronic identities is regulated – at the EU level - through principles, rules and concepts "borrowed" from different EU legal instruments (Data protection, eSignatures and Services Directives being the most relevant ones). As such, one of the main challenges posed to European electronic Identity is of a legal nature. In this context, the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), within the framework of the 2011 LSPI Conference organized a workshop – entitled "Electronic Identity for Europe" – devoted to the legal framework that is necessary to set in place in order to accompany and enforce the already existing technological answers.Â

Evaluation study supporting the interim evaluation of the ISA² programme. CEPS Project Report. June 2019

In compliance with Article 13 of Decision (EU) 2015/2240 establishing the ISA2 programme, the interim evaluation assessed the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, EU added value, coherence, utility and sustainability of ISA2. Based on primary data collected from 129 consulted stakeholders, extensive desk research, and expert assessments, the evaluation confirms that ISA2 performs well in all the evaluation criteria. The objectives pursued by ISA2 are still pertinent in relation to the evolving needs and problems in the field of interoperability of digital public services, and the results achieved so far are aligned with the objectives of the programme. As ISA2 progresses and solutions are further developed, the expected results should be attained, given that the implementation of the programme is continuing as planned. There are substantial synergies and limited overlaps among ISA2 actions. Moreover, particularly strong synergies exist with the Connecting Europe Facility. ISA2 contributed to enhancing cross-border interoperability and users generally tend to be satisfied with the solutions provided. Overall, ISA2 plays a crucial role in enhancing the interoperability landscape in the European Union. In light of these findings, the evaluation outlines some measures to improve the performance of ISA2 and future editions of the programme

Information Guide: Research and Development

A guide to the European Union’s R&D Policy, with hyperlinks to sources of information within European Sources Online and on external website