This open book evaluates, from an economic perspective, various measures introduced in Japan to prevent climate change. Although various countries have implemented such policies in response to the pressing issue of climate change, the effectiveness of those programs has not been sufficiently compared. In particular, policy evaluations in the Asian ...
This open book provides a multi-perspective approach to the caravan trade in the Sahara during the 19th century. Based on travelogues from European travelers, recently found Arab sources, historical maps and results from several expeditions, the book gives an overview of the historical periods of the caravan trade as well as detailed information ab...
The increasing capacity of digital networks and computing power, together with the resulting connectivity and availability of "big data", are impacting financial systems worldwide with rapidly advancing deep-learning algorithms and distributed ledger technologies. They transform the structure and performance of financial markets, the serv...
This open access Pivot demonstrates how a variety of technologies act as innovation catalysts within the banking and financial services sector. Traditional banks and financial services are under increasing competition from global IT companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon and PayPal whilst facing pressure from investors to reduce costs, increase ag...
The Doing Business 2020 study shows that developing economies are catching up with developed economies in ease of doing business.
Still, the gap remains wide. An entrepreneur in a low-income economy typically spends around 50 percent of the country's per-capita income to launch a company, compared with just 4.2 percent for an entrepreneur i...
This collection highlights a key metaphor in contemporary discourse about economy and society. The contributors explore how references to reality and the real economy are linked both to the utopias of collective well-being, supported by real monies and good economies, and the dystopias of financial bubbles and busts, in which people's own live...
This book examines how China can increase the share of natural gas in its energy system. China's energy strategy has global ramifications and impact, and central to this strategy is the country's transition from coal to gas. The book presents the culmination of a two-year collaboration between the Development Research Center of the State ...
You're sitting on a pile of interesting data. How do you transform that into money? It's easy to focus on the contents of the data itself, and to succumb to the (rather unimaginative) idea of simply collecting and reselling it in raw form. While that's certainly profitable right now, you'd do well to explore other opportunities ...
The Jingshan Report is a collection of research papers on key issues for China's financial opening, including reform of the RMB exchange rate regime, management of cross-border capital flows and financial support for the Belt and Road Initiative. Authored by leading experts in the relevant fields, the report examines the evolution, current sta...
Digital Video Concepts, Methods, and Metrics: Quality, Compression, Performance, and Power Trade-off Analysis is a concise reference for professionals in a wide range of applications and vocations. It focuses on giving the reader mastery over the concepts, methods and metrics of digital video coding, so that readers have sufficient understanding to...
The proceedings of the international conference "SMSEC2014", a joint conference of the first "Social Modeling and Simulations" and the 10th "Econophysics Colloquium", held in Kobe in November 2014 with 174 participants, are gathered herein. Cutting edge scientific researches on various social phenomena are reviewed. Ne...
This open access book comprises 10 high-level papers on research and innovation within the Flexitranstore Project that were presented at the FLEXITRANSTORE special session organized as part of the 21st International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering.FLEXITRANSTORE (An Integrated Platform for Increased FLEXIbility in smart TRANSmission grids wit...
There could be no more opportune time than the start of the third millennium AD to produce an entirely new atlas of world history. Not only does this symbolic (if arbitrary) moment provoke a mood of public retrospection, but the pace of global change itself demands a greater awareness of "whole world" history.
More than 20 years have p...
China and Russia are rising economic and political powers that share thousands of miles of border. Yet, despite their proximity, their practical, local interactions with each other - and with their third neighbour Mongolia - are rarely discussed. The three countries share a boundary, but their traditions, languages and worldviews are remarkably dif...
What can the architecture of ancient ships tell us about their capacity to carry cargo or to navigate certain trade routes? How do such insights inform our knowledge of the ancient economies that depended on maritime trade across the Mediterranean?
These and similar questions lie behind Sailing from Polis to Empire, a fascinating insight into th...
This open book is an encyclopaedic analysis of the current and future energy system of the world's most populous country and second biggest economy. What happens in China impacts the planet. In the past 40 years China has achieved one of the most remarkable economic growth rates in history. Its GDP has risen by a factor of 65, enabling 850,000...
Site reliability engineering (SRE) is more relevant than ever. Knowing how to keep systems reliable has become a critical skill. With this practical book, newcomers and old hats alike will explore a broad range of conversations happening in SRE. You'll get actionable advice on several topics, including how to adopt SRE, why SLOs matter, when y...