Radioactive waste management policies in seven industrialized democracies*

This paper provides an inventory of radioactive waste management policies in seven industrialized democracies: the U.S., France, Japan, West Germany, Canada, the U.K. and Sweden. Collectively, these countries account for almost 75% of the world's installed nuclear power capacity and over 61% of its spentfuel production. Special emphasis is given to siting procedures for both high- and low-/intermediate-level waste repositories. Although several low-level repositories are operating or under construction, only West Germany has selected a site for high-level waste disposal, at Gorleben. It is expected that siting decisions will be highly conflict-laden in each country except for pro-nuclear France. The procedures for resolving potential siting conflicts are briefly reviewed. Sweden's strategy of siting its low-level repository near Forsmark offshore beneath the Baltic seabed minimizes conflict and may become attractive to other nations. Also, transnational agreements may eventually be sought as radioactive waste disposal is an international problem. This paper concludes with a comparative discussion of siting policies and their potential impacts.     

The “geo” of United States national strategy

The paper discusses the geo dimensions of the new world order, with particular emphasis on the increasing role of geoeconomics, and its impact on US national strategy. While the paper uses the US experience to illustrate the growing importance of geoeconomic considerations, the issues raised have direct bearing on many other nations throughout the world.US post Cold War strategy is determined by its three geo challenges. The most important is the geoeconomic challenge caused by the tri-polar division of the world along trading bloc lines, instant global communication and other technologies overcoming the constraints of physical geography, transnational corporations (TNCS) that are becoming supranational in character, and the emergence of a well educated global labor force. The geopolitical challenge is characterized by America's declining relative economic power and its traditional military allies having become economic competitors, while religious, ethnic, and regional tensions threaten its global interests. The third challenge is the military geography issue of effectively projecting power over distance, within the constraints of greatly reduced budgets and loss of overseas bases.     

Radioactive waste management policies in seven industrialized democracies1

This paper provides an inventory of radioactive waste management policies in seven industrialized democracies: the U.S., France, Japan, West Germany, Canada, the U.K. and Sweden. Collectively, these countries account for almost 75% of the world's installed nuclear power capacity and over 61% of its spentfuel production. Special emphasis is given to siting procedures for both high- and low-/intermediate-level waste repositories. Although several low-level repositories are operating or under construction, only West Germany has selected a site for high-level waste disposal, at Gorleben. It is expected that siting decisions will be highly conflict-laden in each country except for pro-nuclear France. The procedures for resolving potential siting conflicts are briefly reviewed. Sweden's strategy of siting its low-level repository near Forsmark offshore beneath the Baltic seabed minimizes conflict and may become attractive to other nations. Also, transnational agreements may eventually be sought as radioactive waste disposal is an international problem. This paper concludes with a comparative discussion of siting policies and their potential impacts.     

Shifting portfolios of international labour mobility among UK-based business consultancies

MNEs have traditionally employed various combinations of international exchange to deploy their staff expertise to where it is needed. Such ‘portfolios of mobility’ need to be adapted to diverse market and project requirements, the operation of numerous production and market locations, and the training of international staff. This paper builds on a recent cross-sector comparison of these strategies among UK-based MNEs by focusing on one sector, business consultancy. Expert staff deployment to serve international clients is a core function for these firms. Its management, however, also reflects other corporate priorities. These include supporting the internationalisation policies of parent companies; responding to new regional markets and client relations; effective project management; and exploiting modern communications developments. International business consultancies appear to be leading the move towards shorter term, but higher quality international staff mobility, more virtual exchange of expertise, and significant recruitment localisation, often involving mergers and joint ventures.     

International tourism today: A geographic approach

This paper presents a global overview of international tourism, concentrating on three major themes: generating regions, destination zones and the creation of resorts and regions. The world's major markets for international tourism are to be found in Europe and North America, regions which also constitute the world's major destination zones. Distinct groupings can be identified in each with changes in both markets and destinations being slow and limited. The development of international tourism has also created new resorts and tourist regions, the relative importance of international and domestic tourism being a key distinguishing feature.Translated by Douglas Pearce     

Marine geology at the World Court

Huge areas of the world's seafloor are being carved up among the nations, ignoring scientific knowledge of the geology, geophysics and geomorphology of the seabed.     

On China’s growing geo-economic influence and the evolution of variegated capitalism

China’s growing geo-economic clout globally has attracted significant research attention over the past few years. Rather than strictly adopt a national-specific and path-dependent perspective, this paper offers a nuanced perspective on the rationale of Chinese economic expansions overseas. I propose we view China’s growing geo-economic influence as a relational development, inextricably connected to broader changes in global capitalism, especially the failure of the US government to maintain confidence in the dollar. The paper probes critically the underlying logics of two recent developments: (1) the role of the China Investment Corporation (a new sovereign wealth fund) and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in accessing new markets worldwide; and (2) the policies to extend the global reach of the Chinese yuan. I argue that these phenomena are concatenated to China’s broader aim to secure domestic economic security, given its vast holdings of dollar reserves and its macroeconomic constraints through the maintenance of a fixed foreign exchange regime. These developments in turn contour and sustain the evolution of the variegated global system of capitalism.     

The plight of the Lilliputians: an analysis of five European microstates

The mini- or microstate is an important but little studied phenomenon in political geography. This article seeks to redress the balance and give these entities some of the attention they deserve. In general, five microstates are examined; all are located in Western Europe—Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican. The degree to which each is autonomous in its internal affairs is thoroughly explored. And the extent to which each has control over its external relations is investigated. Disadvantages stemming from its small size strike at the heart of the ministate problem. And they have forced these nations to adopt practices which should be of use to large states.     

The importance and quality of governance in the Chilean wine industry

The central theme of this paper is the issue of the governance of cooperation within the Chilean wine industry. The effects of the internationalization of this industry for the importance and the quality of governance of intra-cluster cooperation involving firms and other actors are analysed. Two questions stand central. First, what has been the relative importance of external and internal factors in improving the export performance of the Chilean wine industry over the past 20 years? Second, to what extent have collective actions and investments played a part in this growth, and what has been the quality of the various governance regimes dealing with the associated collective action problems? Empirical evidence suggests that world-market developments and upgrading efforts by individual wineries largely explain the good export performance of the Chilean wine industry until the year 2000. The evidence also shows that the industry’s success in world markets is stimulating cooperation between firms and other actors in areas where the industry needs to improve: marketing and promotion, internationalization, innovation and training. The enhanced cooperation has not only stimulated cluster development, but has also turned the quality of cluster governance into a central variable for future export growth. Nevertheless, several collective action problems await resolution before essential intra-cluster cooperation can develop. Overall, the evidence suggests that, in the case of the Chilean wine industry, industrial and cluster development do not automatically follow enhanced integration in world markets, but depend on the strategic skills of actors within the industry, in particular their ability to identify, prioritize, and realize collective investments while effectively managing the associated collective action problems. Internationalization stimulates firms to consider such investments, however, and provides them with an incentive to upgrade strategic skills at the local level as new opportunities arise and the pressure is there to exploit them in world markets.     

Intrusions and exclusions: Democratization in Thailand in the context of environmental discourses and resource conflicts*

This article sketches the process of democratization in Thailand, focusing on shifting relations between civil society and state actors. Environmental discourse and conflicts about natural resources, specifically forests, during the last two decades, have been one of the main fields of social controversy and change. In the context of these controversies, civil society actors, in resistance to and alliance with state agencies, drove forward democratization by intruding into power domains of the state. State agents, increasingly forced to justify their actions according to democratic norms in the expanding space of public debate, had to search for allies and majorities within civil society. The successful establishment of public debate as an integral part of political decision making, on the one hand, resulted in a diversification of civil society, on the other hand, forced powerful segments of society to organize and defend their interests within the new public political space. Strategies of exclusion, referring to nationalism and ethnicism, have become an important instrument to secure positions and power, threatened in the process of democratization and emancipation of discriminated social groups.     

Collaboration in industry: Empirical findings among small electronics manufacturing firms in the Greater Toronto Area

According to many researchers, the use of inter-firm collaborative practices as a new industrial production strategy is increasing as a response to industrial restructuring and changing environmental conditions. The adoption of these practices is thought to be particularly critical for small firms, and consequently governments in most industrialized countries have designed specific policies aimed at encouraging inter-firm relationships. The few empirical studies have focused on the experiences of model industrial districts to support claims about the ubiquity of collaborative relations. The present study of a more typical urban area examines three interrelated issues: the incidence of inter-firm relations, the motivations and forms of collaboration, and the influence of public policies on inter-firm relationships. Information was collected from 191 small electronics firms in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The results suggest that inter-firm collaboration is moderately common but not the norm. The incidence of collaborative activities is likely to increase with company size. While motives for inter-firm activities vary slightly with firm size, the nature and forms of agreements are largely similar among various sizes of firms. The paper notes that public policies and programs within the GTA have not had the desired impact of creating cooperative attitudes among small electronics firms. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Water and poverty in the United States

Contrary to reports of 100% access to safe water and sanitation in international surveys, the United States (US) has a complex landscape of low-income water problems. This paper begins with a critical international perspective on water and poverty in the US. It shows that the US had a declining role in international water programs during the late-20th century, which contributed to limited international awareness of low-income water programs in the US, and limited US awareness of low-income water issues. To address the first problem, we provide an overview of low-income water programs in the US with an emphasis on those that serve small communities. We then examine census data on inadequate water systems in Colorado, which indicate that severe plumbing deficiencies persist despite these public water programs. Inadequate plumbing rates are lower than income poverty rates, however, which indicate partially successful strategies for achieving low-income water services. Analysis of local data in urban, rural, and mountainous areas of the state shows that poverty and water problems are correlated in complex ways, which has implications for all nations striving for universal access to safe water and sanitation.     

Thinking on Several Problems of China's Strategic Mineral Resources Security Guarantee北大核心CSCD

当前波谲云诡的国际形势下,战略(关键)矿产已成为各国贸易争端焦点。我国已将“资源安全”纳入16个国家安全之中。本文在系统梳理全球主要经济体战略(关键)矿产资源策略的基础上,针对我国战略矿产资源供应链产业链存在的四大堵点和难点,提出了四个方面建议:①顶层设计、整合资源,推动国有地勘单位深度改革,着力建设具有国际竞争力的中央所属国有地质勘查企业集团,履行央企职责,承担极端条件下战略矿产资源安全保障特殊功能;②战略布局,高起点,着力打造战略矿产资源安全保障产业链链长,全面协调打通供应链产业链的堵点和难点;③部委协同,系统梳理,着力推动战略矿产资源安全保障法治体系建设;④生态先行,资源环境并重,着力推动生态保护与资源安全“双轮驱动”。     

关于将重晶石列为战略性矿产的原则分析

战略性矿产是国家矿产资源宏观调控和监督管理的重点对象,加强战略性矿产研究、明确自身比较优势和薄弱环节,对于完善全国矿产资源规划中的战略性矿产目录、为国家相关产业政策制定提供借鉴参考具有重要意义.本文以重晶石为研究对象,运用文献集采法、比较研究法,从重晶石在美国的产业发展地位、资源不可替代性、对国际市场的影响力等三方面分...     

The changing economic environment for spatial policies in the third world

The prospects for economic growth among the developing countries of the world over the next two decades are not as promising as the experience of the last two decades. Aspects of the current world economic environment have implications for the pattern of urban growth in developing nations, and hence for the role of spatial policies. This paper outlines the U.N. projections for the growth of urban populations in the world. It then reviews the current external economic situation of the developing countries, faced by world economic recession and high levels of international indebtedness, before considering some of the implications of this situation for urban growth.     

Industrial strategy in Malaysia: the role of export processing zones

Industrial strategies and policies play a fundamental role in the overall development goal. The basic arguments and models surrounding industrialization in the developing countries are reviewed. Malaysia's industrial progress is atypical in the Third World and reflects the recent attempt to achieve an export orientation. A primary tool in the industrial strategy has been the export processing zone. The utility and function of this mechanism is discussed and evaluated within the Malaysian context. Employment in the zones represented about 8 % of manufacturing in 1980. Despite a recent deficit, exports and the zones' contribution to total exports display an upward trend. However, technology transfer and linkage creation have not been great. The lack of these developments results from the impact of the international product cycle mechanism. On an international scale, the locational pattern of zones is unstable since many firms are footloose and may, therefore, shift location in response to strong incentives. Housing and administration problems of the zones must be solved. In addition, a new package of incentives and a viable bargaining position must be developed in order for success to continue.     

Globally engaged farmers as transnational actors: Navigating the landscape of agri-food globalization

Farmers are not commonly included in studies of transnational actors, but with the globalization of agricultural markets, and the neoliberal reform of national agricultural sectors, an increasing number of family farm-entrepreneurs have become engaged in transnational activities. Drawing on interviews with ‘globally-engaged’ farmers in Australia – a country in which expansion into transnational activities has been encouraged by the radical deregulation of domestic markets – this paper explores the transnational mobilities of farmers who have sought to capitalize on the advantages of globalization by directly trading with international partners, establishing international business contacts, and learning international best practice in farm efficiency and environmental performance. In particular, the paper examines the varying spatialities and forms of mobility executed by farmers and observes how different patterns of mobility are executed in response to the particular exigencies of their respective industries as well as the ongoing imperatives of maintaining a farm business. By analyzing the farmers’ own narratives of these different spatialities, the paper develops a more critical and reflexive perspective on globalization and its impact on rural producers, with travel becoming both an opportunity to be enjoyed and a compulsion to be endured by those forced to operate in a climate where state-based support structures are absent.     

美国全球变化研究的法律基础

自1990年以来，美国全球变化研究计划（USGCRP）已经实施了10多年，并取得了丰硕的成果，这在很大程度上归因于相对完善的法律体系。一方面，《1990年全球变化研究法案》全面协调该计划在国内和国际的实施，使计划在实施的10年里获得了大量的基础科学数据和丰富的研究成果；另一方面，美国《信息自由法》、《版权法》及相关数据政策促进了全球变化研究数据和信息的共享，避免了在获取科学数据方面的重复建设，提高了数据的使用效率。在全球变化研究法案的强制要求下，美国的全球变化研究计划稳定发展、不断完善。     

The role of aquaculture in human nutrition

Aquaculture, the farming and husbandry of freshwater and marine organisms furnishes about 12% of the food man obtains from the waters of the globe. It is most important in Asia and has grown rapidly in the last decade. The development of aquaculture must rely on control over production sites, in most cases, and on the application of various bio-technical inputs. It dates back to antiquity and has relied on fish and molluscs as its mainstays. Freshwater species predominate among the former but increasing competition for the freshwater resources of the globe indicate that the cultivation of marine species (mariculture) will be of increasing importance. Many species are partly or fully cultured with very few having assumed domesticated, i.e., genetically improved status. The world's tropics with their warmer climate present greater development potential for aquaculture than the temperate zone, a fact that promises to make it especially valuable in policies to improve the diets of developing nations. An overview is given here over species and methods of aquaculture with the latter seen as a continuum having at one pole feedlot types of management with strong control over environmental variables and high inputs, also resulting in high yields, and at the other an approach that could be likened to pasturage. Feeding is not excluded in it but recycling and astute steering of ecological processes are equally if not more important management mechanisms here. Biological and engineering research in aquaculture is being pursued widely. However, pollution, site competition, security of tenure to a site and the like have to be addressed in equal measure for aquaculture to hold its promise of furnishing important quantities of high quality protein food.