Loss of biodiversity is regarded as one of the key problems affecting the environment. In order to demonstrate the significance of biodiversity, the value of individual species or ecosystems today is generally determined in science and practice. The underlying thought is that a species or...

The Productivity Commission's final research report, released December 2004, responds to a request by the Australian Government to examine the contribution that national reform of building regulation has made and further reform could make to the performance of the building and construction...

In examining the prospects for oil and gas supply from the GCC countries, we draw on the evidence that the supply of oil and gas from the region has been relatively reliable, notwithstanding the region’s perceived political instability. The approach taken here starts from this empirical...

This paper analyzes the impact of a redrawing of political boundaries on voting patterns. It investigates whether secession of states leads to gains in terms of better conformity of the electorate's political preferences with those of the elected representatives. We study these issues in the...

This paper finds that private sector, which can play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity, is being constrained from doing so by a range of institutional factors. Commonwealth, State and Territory institutional and regulatory arrangements ¡X particularly relating to land...

With an estimated loss of up to 20 million ha of forest over the past decade, deforestation in Indonesia has come to the forefront of global environmental concerns. Indonesia is one of the most important areas of tropical forests worldwide. In addition to providing a multitude of benefits...

Spanish emissions of carbon dioxide have grown by more than 40% in 2004 with respect to 1990. This is not compatible with the EU allocation of Kyoto-mandated CO2 reduction, even taking into account that Spanish emissions are allowed to rise by 15% in 2010. The reasons for this situation stem...

The richer a country, the higher its expenditure on health care. The increase in health spending which compared to the overall growth had taken place at a rather rapid pace experienced a worldwide slow-down during the 90s. In relation to overall economic growth and the expansion of other...

In this paper the overall diseconomies experienced beyond certain production unit scale thresholds are investigated. These are due to several costs, including those relating to the consumption of non- renewable resources, which firms have generally not internalised, to the extent that they can...

EU accession requires, inter alia, free movements of capital. If a massive capital outflow occurs, the central banks from the accession or acceding countries may carry two types of intervention: on money market, and introducing restrictions on capital account. The paper explains when is...