This paper explores the procurement of public buildings in local authorities in the UK under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and its consequences for small and medium sized enterprises. Following an outline of the development of PFI in the UK, the paper explains the peculiarities of local...

This study presents two case studies, each on a current initiative of contracting for primary health services in Brazil, one for the state of Bahia, the other for the city of Rio de Janeiro. The two initiatives are not linked and their implementation has independently sprung from a search for...

In the current conditions of Romania, the public sector needs to rethink its role as economic hub, to contribute together with the private sector to sustainable economic growth, and not least in the resumption of investment process. Administration is one of the most useful human activity, being...

Depending where one looks you will find various definitions aimed at describing ‘sustainability’. In lasts years the notion of sustainable tourism must be regarded as one of the great success stories of tourism research and knowledge transfer. It has become the first topic discourse in...

It has been widely acknowledged that urban areas play a vital role in creating a Europe that is both sustainable and competitive, providing high environmental and social quality while at the same time being a pioneer region for economic and scientific innovation and creativity. Local governments...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how a “capital-based” framework can be used by a small local government to plan sustainable development to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities. Design/methodology/approach – This New...

In the face of the changes in the planet's natural resources and of their unequal distribution, it is becoming more urgent that contemporary societies oversee environmental assets in a global manner. Although international directives, when they are transposed into national laws, may set specific...

En el presente artículo investigamos sobre el concepto de Desarrollo Sostenible y su aplicación en el nivel local mediante la Agenda Local 21, uno de los instrumentos más novedosos de gestión ambiental, social y económica con que cuentan, actualmente, los gobiernos municipales. Para ello,...

A 2011 Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report calculated that an additional 750,000 homes would be needed by 2025 to meet projected demand in the UK. If this is to be achieved, a significant number of new communities will be developed over the next decade. Local councillors have...

In the face of the changes in the planet's natural resources and of their unequal distribution, it is becoming more urgent that contemporary societies oversee environmental assets in a global manner. Although international directives, when they are transposed into national laws, may set specific...