Preface -- 1 Local Utilities in the German Electricity Market and their Role in the Diffusion of Innovations in Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation -- 2 Contracting and Mikro-KWK - the Role of Municipal Utilities in Germany -- 3 Governance variety in the energy service contracting...

This book brings together the work of researchers in Eastern and Western Europe, who analyze competitiveness, social exclusion and sustainability from a range of perspectives. It examines the key challenges faced by the EU in its efforts to establish a socially inclusive and greener path to...

This book sheds new light on the current and future challenges faced by cities, and presents approaches, options and solutions enabled by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the smart city context. By focusing on sustainability objectives within a rapidly changing social,...

This book explores the diverse challenges facing the EU and in particular examines the impediments to financial stability and sustainable growth and how these can be overcome. Among the topics explored are the extent to which monetary union has favored real convergence, competitive imbalances in...