The study analyzes ex-ante the adoption of insect resistant Bt eggplant in India. Farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) is estimated using the contingent valuation method. Given the economic importance of insect pests, the average WTP for proprietary Bt hybrids is more than four times the current...

This paper presents the results of one of the first systematic analyses of the magnitude and determinants of transaction costs in public-private partnerships (PPPs). Given limited data availability, the analysis is confined to procurement-phase costs of bidding and contract negotiation, thus...

Whomever paid for the Mars trip (and related preparations) will get to determine who will govern Mars, and how? Or, will that be the case? For example, on what principles of governance? Is it going to be a democracy (whatever that may have meant), dictatorship of spacesuits, or inmates of the...

The developing world needs far more financing for infrastructure than can be provided by domestic public finances alone and through ODA (Official Development Aid). Around middle 1980s a new strategy based on the use of public-private agreements, relying on ODA to enhance the quality of projects,...

In this article, the potential impacts of Bt eggplant technology in Indian agriculture are analyzed. Several proprietary Bt hybrids are likely to be commercialized in the near future. Based on field trial data, it is shown that the technology can significantly reduce insecticide applications and...

In modern forms of urban governance besides the local government, more partners are often involved in urban regeneration and 'public--private partnerships'; (PPPs) are formed more frequently. PPPs are part of the 'environment of actors';, which is formed by the actors involved in the urban...

This article discusses the attempts of a public-private consortium in developing transgenic cabbages for resource-poor farmers in India, and its attempts to address several controversial issues related to the use of transgenic technology in plant breeding. A conceptual introduction suggests that...

In an incomplete contract setting, we analyze the contracting out of public service provision, comparing the performance of for-profit and not-for-profit private firms. Two institutional arrangements are considered, control rights lying either with the firm as under the UK’s Private Finance...

The management of crises caused by terrorist attacks proved an insufficient capacity of the governments to manage extreme risks in most of the recent cases. After the ‘90s, the philosophy of terrorism changed and it therefore requires immediate governmental intervention. The mega terrorism...