Standards, Innovation and Competitiveness: The Politics and Economics of Standards in Natural and Technical Environments [Hardcover]

R. Hawkins (Editor), Robin Mansell (Editor), Jim Skea (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Standards and standardization policies increasingly influence innovation and competitiveness. As well as examining how standards are developed and applied, this text considers whether technical standards function as effective public policy instruments and components in the process of industrial globalization. Much of the existing literature in the field makes reference either to information and communication technologies or to the protection and management of the natural environment. In this text there is a recognition of how closely integrated both sectors have become over questions of process, the role of scientific assessment, and the network effects that accompany standardization. The contributors shift the research and policy focus away from a more generic view of standards and standards-setting, and their roles as instruments of public policy. With 19 papers, the blend of appraoches ranges from formal economic analysis, through political, sociological, and historical analysis, to pragmatic discussions by standard makers themselves. The subjects discussed include issue definition, methodological approaches, political articulation of public and private sector agendas, organizational and decision-making processes, the role of technology users in standardization, and the relationship between standardization and innovation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Pollution for Sale is a useful reference book for those with an interest in climate change and acidification issues and the potential contribution of economic instruments to effective environmental policy making. Each chapter is accessible to the non-specialist and there is enough academic rigour and further references to keep the specialists satisfied. Pollution for Sale deserves to sell well and widely to academics, students, environmental consultants and policymakers. -- Rosalind Bark, Journal of Energy Literature

Product Details

• Hardcover: 269 pages
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Pub (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858980372
• ISBN-13: 978-1858980379
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,377,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)