James M. Griffin
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300149852
- eISBN:
- 9780300149869
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300149852.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Everyone wants energy that is clean, cheap, and secure, goals which often conflict: traditional fossil fuels tend to be cheaper than alternative fuels, but they are hardly clean or (in the case of ...
More
Everyone wants energy that is clean, cheap, and secure, goals which often conflict: traditional fossil fuels tend to be cheaper than alternative fuels, but they are hardly clean or (in the case of oil) secure. This book provides an explanation of the issues as well as sensible proposals for a truly sustainable energy policy. The author, an economist, points out that current energy policies are fatally flawed and that government policies should focus on “getting the prices right” so that the prices of fossil fuels reflect their true costs to society—including greenhouse gas and security costs. By using carbon and security taxes, alternative energy forms will be able to compete on a more even playing field against fossil fuels, which will unleash advances in alternative energy and conservation technologies, enabling the marketplace and consumers to find the right balance among energy sources that are cheap, clean, and secure.Less
Everyone wants energy that is clean, cheap, and secure, goals which often conflict: traditional fossil fuels tend to be cheaper than alternative fuels, but they are hardly clean or (in the case of oil) secure. This book provides an explanation of the issues as well as sensible proposals for a truly sustainable energy policy. The author, an economist, points out that current energy policies are fatally flawed and that government policies should focus on “getting the prices right” so that the prices of fossil fuels reflect their true costs to society—including greenhouse gas and security costs. By using carbon and security taxes, alternative energy forms will be able to compete on a more even playing field against fossil fuels, which will unleash advances in alternative energy and conservation technologies, enabling the marketplace and consumers to find the right balance among energy sources that are cheap, clean, and secure.
John Mueller and Mark G. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- February 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199795758
- eISBN:
- 9780190252571
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199795758.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines the costs and benefits of increases in homeland security spending since 2001 in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. It concludes that increases in American homeland security ...
More
This chapter examines the costs and benefits of increases in homeland security spending since 2001 in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. It concludes that increases in American homeland security expenditures have been wildly inefficient. To be considered cost-effective in analyses that substantially bias the consideration toward the opposite conclusion, the enhanced expenditures each year would have had to have deterred, foiled, or protected against as many as 1,667 otherwise successful terrorist acts, roughly like the one intended on Times Square in 2010, or more than four per day. While increases in overall security spending have been much lower in the UK, Canada, and Australia, they still fail a cost-benefit evaluation.Less
This chapter examines the costs and benefits of increases in homeland security spending since 2001 in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. It concludes that increases in American homeland security expenditures have been wildly inefficient. To be considered cost-effective in analyses that substantially bias the consideration toward the opposite conclusion, the enhanced expenditures each year would have had to have deterred, foiled, or protected against as many as 1,667 otherwise successful terrorist acts, roughly like the one intended on Times Square in 2010, or more than four per day. While increases in overall security spending have been much lower in the UK, Canada, and Australia, they still fail a cost-benefit evaluation.
John Mueller and Mark G. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- February 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199795758
- eISBN:
- 9780190252571
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199795758.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This introductory chapter assesses the massive increase in homeland security expenditures in the wake of 9/11. It suggests that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) focuses all or almost all of ...
More
This introductory chapter assesses the massive increase in homeland security expenditures in the wake of 9/11. It suggests that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) focuses all or almost all of its analyses on the contemplation of the consequences of a terrorist attack while substantially ignoring the equally important likelihood component of risk assessment, as well as the key issue of risk reduction. In general, risk assessment seems to be simply a process of identifying a potential source of harm and then trying to do something about it without evaluating whether the new measures reduce risk sufficiently to justify their costs. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less
This introductory chapter assesses the massive increase in homeland security expenditures in the wake of 9/11. It suggests that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) focuses all or almost all of its analyses on the contemplation of the consequences of a terrorist attack while substantially ignoring the equally important likelihood component of risk assessment, as well as the key issue of risk reduction. In general, risk assessment seems to be simply a process of identifying a potential source of harm and then trying to do something about it without evaluating whether the new measures reduce risk sufficiently to justify their costs. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
Susan D. Franck
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- April 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190054434
- eISBN:
- 9780190054465
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190054434.003.0009
- Subject:
- Law, Public International Law
To synthesize preceding chapters and point the way forward, Chapter 9 first identifies the need for enhanced transparency on costs and rationalization, particularly in early stages of disputes to ...
More
To synthesize preceding chapters and point the way forward, Chapter 9 first identifies the need for enhanced transparency on costs and rationalization, particularly in early stages of disputes to manage expectations and create efficiencies. Second, it identifies relative costs and benefits of ITA, arguing an increased focus on non-adjudicative dispute resolution is warranted while acknowledging those mechanisms only work effectively when legitimate adjudication permits parties to negotiate “in the shadow of the law.” Third, the chapter explores ICSID’s proposals to foster a dialogue about costs. Fourth, it advocates changing cost-shifting norms toward a factor-dependent model. Recalling potential limitations, it concludes that for international investment dispute resolution to foster rule-of-law adjudication that is efficient, fair, reliable, and rationalized, stakeholders should implement structural safeguards to focus on appropriate dispute resolution to promote cost containment, predictability, and sustainable dispute resolution in an era of re-emerging nationalization and a backlash against international law.Less
To synthesize preceding chapters and point the way forward, Chapter 9 first identifies the need for enhanced transparency on costs and rationalization, particularly in early stages of disputes to manage expectations and create efficiencies. Second, it identifies relative costs and benefits of ITA, arguing an increased focus on non-adjudicative dispute resolution is warranted while acknowledging those mechanisms only work effectively when legitimate adjudication permits parties to negotiate “in the shadow of the law.” Third, the chapter explores ICSID’s proposals to foster a dialogue about costs. Fourth, it advocates changing cost-shifting norms toward a factor-dependent model. Recalling potential limitations, it concludes that for international investment dispute resolution to foster rule-of-law adjudication that is efficient, fair, reliable, and rationalized, stakeholders should implement structural safeguards to focus on appropriate dispute resolution to promote cost containment, predictability, and sustainable dispute resolution in an era of re-emerging nationalization and a backlash against international law.
John Mueller and Mark G. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- February 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199795758
- eISBN:
- 9780190252571
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199795758.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines homeland security measures specifically designed to protect people and assets from a terrorist attack. It lays out a series of general principles or parameters that must be ...
More
This chapter examines homeland security measures specifically designed to protect people and assets from a terrorist attack. It lays out a series of general principles or parameters that must be considered for the discussion to be sensible. These include the need to seek realistically to assess the (usually remote) likelihood of a terrorist attack on a potential target (the numbers of which are massive); the limited numbers of terrorists and the equally limited competence of most of them; the ability of terrorists to shift from one target to another if the first proves to be well protected; their method of target selection that often seems to be random; the costs of repair in comparison with those of protection; the hopelessness of adequately protecting many potential targets except by closing them down; and the costs and negative consequences of protective measures. Many of these principles, however, are currently either ignored or applied in confused ways. The chapter also assesses the often-quixotic process of fabricating lists of potential terrorist targets in an effort to predict which targets are most appealing to terrorists.Less
This chapter examines homeland security measures specifically designed to protect people and assets from a terrorist attack. It lays out a series of general principles or parameters that must be considered for the discussion to be sensible. These include the need to seek realistically to assess the (usually remote) likelihood of a terrorist attack on a potential target (the numbers of which are massive); the limited numbers of terrorists and the equally limited competence of most of them; the ability of terrorists to shift from one target to another if the first proves to be well protected; their method of target selection that often seems to be random; the costs of repair in comparison with those of protection; the hopelessness of adequately protecting many potential targets except by closing them down; and the costs and negative consequences of protective measures. Many of these principles, however, are currently either ignored or applied in confused ways. The chapter also assesses the often-quixotic process of fabricating lists of potential terrorist targets in an effort to predict which targets are most appealing to terrorists.
