The increase in consumption of resources has led to more waste being generated, which then needs to be managed at the end of their life-cycle as waste. Current practices of waste management are not efficient as they lead to a release of emissions and a loss of value that is present in the resource, which is discarded as waste. New legislation for efficient waste management practices has been established, however, adopting them is hampered by factors, one of which is the high cost of these solutions. However, incentive-based approaches can be used to address this problem. This research explores the role of institutional incentives in the form of property rights bundles for such cases. Property rights are a set of formal and informal rules that define how resource allocation is done, while property rights bundles are the set of one or more property rights tied together. As per academic literature, a clear allocation of property rights leads to an economically efficient distribution of costs, benefits, risks and responsibilities associated with a resource. Based on these aspects, this research explores the influence of property rights bundles in the case of collective ownership of waste processing infrastructure by companies. Through collective ownership of the infrastructure, the investment cost would be distributed among those using the resource, thereby reducing the share of investment per company and addressing the challenge of high investment costs. Furthermore, in this situation of collective ownership, property rights need to be defined clearly so that there are no conflicts among the participants at later stages. The research is based on a case study of a few companies in Amsterdam, who are attempting to set up an initiative to improve the waste management practice in the region. For this purpose, they plan to invest collectively in a waste-processing infrastructure. This research thus explores the role of property rights in this regard. The literature on property rights forms the theoretical foundation of the research, along with the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which is the behavioural theory chosen to analyse the decision-making of the companies. The case study was analysed using the Institutional Analysis and Development framework. An agent-based model was built based on the insights obtained from these concepts to capture the interaction between the property rights and the characteristics of the companies, such as the amount of waste generated by them, the amount of budget they hold, etc. The influence of property rights bundles was analysed using the attributes of property rights: robustness, strength, duration and excludability. The results obtained were analysed using the defined Key Performance Indicators: Joining Ratio, Number of Participants and Number of times the initiative is started. It was found that for the case of the Amsterdam Zuidoost initiative, providing property rights bundles of claimants and proprietors as incentives leads to an increase in the number of participants that join the initiative. However, due to lack of statistical significance between the distributions, we cannot determine which of the two has a higher influence. Furthermore, the influence of the other property rights bundle could not be verified due to lack of statistical significance in the distribution.
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Draft research proposal; 20 JAN 2013. Preliminary proposal for a 3 (max 4) year research project leading to a PhD. In preparation for the WION workshops on Advanced Purchasing Research and to be worked out in more detail as a PhD research proposal before MAY 2013. The research objective is to find out: How innovating SMEs can best use Industrial Property Rights (patents) within value chains with their (SME) suppliers and their (SME) customers, what are best practices and improvement areas, what is a suitable theoretical framework, how can enterprises, business researchers & practitioners benefit from applying this framework.
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Human rights groups are increasingly calling for the protection of their right to privacy in relation to the bulk surveillance and interception of their personal communications. Some are advocating through strategic litigation. This advocacy tool is often chosen when there is weak political or public support for an issue. Nonetheless, as a strategy it remains a question if a lawsuit is strategic in the context of establishing accountability for indiscriminate bulk data interception. The chapter concludes that from a legal perspective the effect of the decision to litigate on the basis of the claim that a collective right to group privacy was violated has not (yet) resulted in significant change. Yet the case study, the British case of human rights groups versus the intelligence agencies, does seem to suggest that they have been able to create more public awareness about mass surveillance and interception programs and its side-effects
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In this paper we investigate the possible consequences of different institutional settings (in casu the legal system) on externalities and their effect on the efficient allocation of externalities. We investigate whether the restriction of marginally low transaction costs can be relaxed if the legal system is efficient. In this context we define an efficient legal system as a system of rules such that the Coase theorem can be applied in the presence of non-marginally low transaction costs without loosing its efficiency properties. The basic idea is that a legal system should be such that a potential plaintiff has no incentive to enforce the law by going to court. To analyze the consequences of different law systems, we split the paper into two parts. In the first part we start by summarizing the model of Schweizer (1988) on the Coase theorem as a kind of reference point. The advantage of Schweizer’s (1988) model is that his interpretation is seen as clear and thorough. Therefore, this model will be used to highlight the important properties of the Coase’s theorem.
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When preparing students for the industry’s global context, publishing degrees aim to provide them with experience of cooperating and doing business with colleagues internationally. In order to achieve this, Oxford Brookes University and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences have designed a module on trading in translation rights that gives students both a theoretical framework and real-world insights into book fairs and intercultural collaboration.In this module, students of both universities work collaboratively in a game that simulates the trading of intellectual property rights at an international event designed to resemble a major book fair. They team up in international groups of five or six students that each represent a publishing company in order to prepare for and to participate in an event called the Oxdam Book Fair. Preparation for the fair involves the development of plans and appropriate materials to sell translation rights for the company’s titles and to buy rights to titles which fit the company’s profile and strategy. During the event students partake in several rounds of rights trading activities, including pitching, strategy meetings, making offers, and networking.In this proposed paper, that contributes to the best practices-strand of the conference, lecturers of Oxford Brookes University and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences will provide a ‘behind the scenes’-look at this collaborative module. They will talk about the simulation game that is the core of the module, provide background on the theoretical framework, address educational design challenges they encountered, and share outcomes of the collaborative module.
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This article focuses on the role of ethical perspectives such as deep ecology and animal rights in relation to environmental education, arguing that such perspectives are well-placed to reposition students as responsible planetary citizens. We focus on the linkage between non-consequentialism, animal rights, and deep ecology in an educational context and discuss the broader issue of ethics in education. Finally, we discuss how the inclusion of deep ecology and animal rights perspectives would improve current environmental education programs by deepening the respect for nonhumans and their inclusion in the ethical community. https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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Basic human rights, like freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and privacy, are being radically transformed by new technologies. The manifestation of these rights in online spaces is known as “digital rights,” which can be impeded or empowered through the design, governance, and litigation of emerging technologies. Design defines how people encounter the digital world. Some design choices can exploit the right to privacy by commodifying attention through tactics that keep users addicted to maximize profitability; similar design mechanisms and vulnerabilities have facilitated the abuse of journalists and human rights advocates across the globe. But design can also empower human rights, providing novel tools of resistance, accountability, and accessibility, as well as the inclusion of previously underserved voices in the development process. The new capabilities offered by these technologies often transcend political boundaries, presenting complex challenges for meaningful governance and regulation. To address these challenges, collaborations like the Internet Governance Forum and NETmundial have brought together stakeholders from governments, nonprofits, industry, and academia, with efforts to address digital rights like universal internet access. Concurrently, economic forces and international trade negotiations can have substantial impacts on digital rights, with attempts to enforce steeper restrictions on intellectual property. Private actors have also fought to ensure their digital rights through litigation. In Europe, landmark cases have reshaped the international management of data and privacy. In India, indefinite shutdowns of the internet by the government were found to be unconstitutional, establishing online accessibility as a fundamental human right, intimately tied with the right to assembly. And in Africa, litigation has helped ensure freedom of speech and of the press, rights that may affect more individualsas digital technologies continue to shape media. These three spheres—design, diplomacy, and law—illustrate the complexity and ongoing debate to define, protect, and communicate digital rights. Om het artikel te kunnen lezen moet het gekocht worden: https://oxfordre.com/internationalstudies/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.001.0001/acrefore-9780190846626-e-694?rskey=n09nus&result=4
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This thesis provides an examination of judgement autonomy of Dutch commercial real estate valuers in relation to client orientation. The valuation of commercial real estate such as offices or retail properties requires in-depth analysis due to its uniqueness by location, building type and usage details. Essentially, a register-valuer is qualified and instructed to assess a property value to one’s best cognitive effort and inform others of this outcome by means of a valuation report. In the Netherlands, concerns over independence risks and client-related judgement risks of valuers have been raised by regulative authorities as the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) and the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). A significant part of these concerns followed the 2008 financial crisis, which appeared to be at least partially driven by unreliable and incomparable valuations of Dutch commercial real estate (AFM, 2014; DNB, 2012; 2015). Among other things, these concerns led to the instigation of the Nederlands Register Vastgoed Taxateurs (NRVT) in 2015. NRVT is a new Dutch central register of valuation practitioners set up in order to improve self-regulation, quality control and compliance of valuation practitioners. Currently, the chamber for commercial real estate valuation holds about 2,000 commercial valuation registrations (NRVT, 2020). The introduction of NRVT, and other measures taken, reflect an instrumental view towards enhancing professionalism of Dutch valuers. This view is based on a systematic orientation to professional conduct in which good practice is primarily objectively determined (Van Ewijk, 2019). However, Wassink and Bakker (2016) point out that individuals make personal choices in order to deal with work complexity. Insight into and reflection on individual choices is part of what is referred to as normative aspects of professionalisation: what norms prevail in individual judgement and decision-making and why (Van Ewijk, 2019). In this regard, insight into judgement reasoning of valuation practitioners may contribute to normative levels of professional development of valuers. The need for such is expressed through community concerns over how individual judgement autonomy may become subdued due to instrumental-driven developments taking place in the sector. The combination of authoritative concerns over professional quality in the Netherlands and lack of (scientific) insight on how client influence affects judgement in valuation practice poses a problem: How may practitioners address client-related judgement bias risks and improve valuation accuracy from this viewpoint, if little is known on how such risks may occur in daily practice? The seemingly scarce scientific insights available in this regard in the Netherlands may also prevent educational programs to adequately address valuer independence and objectivity risks in relevant training programs. In order to address this knowledge gap, the present PhD research examines the following research problem: 169 Summary “How does client orientation affect professional judgement autonomy of commercial real estate valuers in the Netherlands?” The term ‘client orientation’ should be broadly interpreted and may refer to valuers’ perception, understanding and meaning given to alleged, actual or anticipated client-related aspects. Information on such client aspects is not required for the performance of valuation instructions. It should also be noted that this research examines the context of how client orientation may affect valuer judgement reasoning patterns during work practice, yet not its effect in terms of decision on final value opinion.
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International Food Law and Policy is the first interdisciplinary piece of academic literature of its kind with a comprehensive, reader-friendly approach to teaching the major aspects of food regulation, law, policy, food safety and environmental sustainability in a global context. The sections are grouped by continents and focus on a range of cross-disciplinary subjects, such as public health, international food trade, the right to food, intellectual property and global regulatory aspects of food production. With its systematic approach, this book will be a valuable resource both for professionals working in food regulation and anyone interested in the subject. It provides a solid foundation for courses and master’s programs in environmental management, food law, policy and regulation, and sustainable development around the world.
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Recalling that a majority of those who need assistive technology do not have access to it, and that this has a significant impact on the education, livelihood, health and well-being of individuals, and on families, communities and societies, Member States adopted a resolution on Improving access to assistive technology during the 71st World Health Assembly in May 2018. Among other mandates, Member States requested the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) to prepare a global report on effective access to assistive technology in the context of an integrated approach, based on the best available scientific evidence and international experience, with the participation of all levels within the organization and in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders. In fulfilling this commitment, aiming to improve access to assistive technology, this global report: • presents the first comprehensive data set of its kind and analysis of current assistive technology access; • draws the attention of governments and civil societies to the need for, and benefits of, assistive technology, including its return on investment; • makes recommendations for concrete actions that will improve access; • supports implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and • contributes towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in making universal health coverage (UHC) inclusive – leaving no one behind. The global report explores assistive technology from a variety of perspectives.
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