One of the standard practices in estimating costs for new procedures is to apply past experience. In this chapter, Robin Cantor uses prudency hearings and other data from power plant construction to illuminate some of the pitfalls likely to be encountered in preparing estimates for power plant...

In recent months newspapers have been full of stories about the “hidden”, “black” or “cash” economy. “Fiddlers on the tubes” told how London Transport ticket barrier staff were allegedly pocketing nearly £5.5 million they collect in excess fares every year. “Moonlighters in...

Scientific momentum is increasing behind efforts to develop geoengineering options, but it is widely acknowledged that the challenges of geoengineering are as much political and social as they are technical. Legislators are looking for guidance on the governance of geoengineering research and...

The author looks at diverse concepts and roles of trust in the challenge of decarbonising energy systems, drawing on 25 years of personal experience in the fields of energy and environmental policy research. The paper focuses on three issues-public trust in science, institutional trust in making...

This article introduces the concept of management frameworks as institutional cultures. Nations and organizations tend to favor one or another of a variety of decision-making styles composed of unique combinations of only three basic types known as hierarchies, markets, and collectives. The...

A longstanding, alternative approach is offered to the existing UNFCCC international policy regime as a viable policy option. This 'bottom-up' approach has been neglected in policy discourse until now. The alternative approach is a 'clumsy' proposal, which emphasizes the 'direction of travel'...

In recent decades, governments have increasingly employed expert assessments and formal decision-making technologies. While these promise objectivity and transparency, they are just as likely to buffer decisions from public scrutiny. Countries such as Britain and the United States have...