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VITERBO, PATRICK; WALLARD, HENRI‐EDME
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1984.tb00503.xpmid: N/A
Many analysts blame the LDCs for the present oversupply crisis in certain commodity markets, and suggest that a reduction in the loans provided by multinational agencies would oblige them to reduce production levels. The underlying assumption is that the producers in LDCs can react like their counterparts in North America to a temporary decline in prices. A detailed comparison between two copper producers, one in the United States and the other in Zambia, leads to a very different conclusion. Unlike its North American counterpart, because of social and technical conditions, the Zambian company would not draw any benefit from a temporary closure. Its policy is, very logically, to maximize output, with the support of a government which wants to keep both employment and foreign exchange earnings high. Although this policy relies on external finance, it is very doubtful that a change in lending policies could impose significant production cuts. Any analysis of the commodity market should take into account the diversity of the producers, and particularly the low flexibility of mines in the LDCs.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1984.tb00504.xpmid: N/A
The present Government of Chile has retained under state ownership the large‐scale copper mines nationalized by the Allende Government in 1971. At the same time it has pledged itself to open fully the Chilean economy to the free play of national and international market forces and to this end has elected to expand Chilean copper production by using foreign capital. The financial regimes created by the Government to attract such investment are described. Although the investment terms have been generous, the Government has not been as successful in attracting as much foreign investment as it had hoped. It is suggested that the Government could expand copper production more efficiently and at less cost to the nation by investing in the state‐owned copper industry.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1984.tb00505.xpmid: N/A
This paper analyzes the economics of energy conservation in developing countries, compares the cost of energy conservation with the cost of enhancing domestic energy supply, and examines the effect of government investment incentive policies on the financial feasibility of energy conservation projects. A representative sample of 21 projects from six Indian industries shows that investing in energy conservation is more economical to a country than investing in domestic energy supply. Moreover, the nature of the conservation effort, i.e. housekeeping improvements, waste heat recovery or process change, is more important in determining the economics of energy conservation than is the type of industry. Analysis of government investment incentives shows that most of them are effective in making uneconomical energy conservation projects financially feasible and that the most effective incentive for the private investor to invest in energy conservation is the removal of fuel subsidies.
BOWER, BLAIR T.; HUFSCHMIDT, MAYNARD M.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1984.tb00506.xpmid: N/A
Effective and efficient water resources management to meet the increasing demands for food, energy, and domestic and industrial water is an imperative for Asian countries. As a basis for analyzing Asian water resources management problems, a three‐element conceptual framework is presented: (1) water resources management as a system, composed of a set of facilities, operating rules, and incentives applied to water resources through an institutional arrangement; (2) water resources management as a process involving several stages beginning with planning and continuing with design, construction, operation and maintenance; and (3) water resources management as a set of linked activities and tasks required to produce the desired outputs. Using this framework to assess performance it is possible to analyze the linkages among water resources problems, water resources management, and water resources organizations and administrative arrangements. Examples are presented of such linkages as applied to problems of erosion and sedimentation, flooding, salinity, water demand‐supply imbalances, and water pollution. Brief analytical summaries of eight critical water resources management problems in Asia are presented, along with an illustration of the complexity of water resources organization and administration, using Thailand as the example.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1984.tb00507.xpmid: N/A
Rainfall in China is extremely seasonal and decreases from the coastal areas to the interior. The development of groundwater therefore, particularly in the drier northern regions, is essential in order to have a reliable supply of water for agriculture and for municipal and industrial use. In the 17 northern provinces approximately 10.6 million hectares (ha) are irrigated with groundwater. Generally speaking such groundwater is obtained largely from unconfined aquifers. Due to the great variety of geological and hydrogeological conditions encountered in the different regions of China, the structures used for the extraction of groundwater vary. The types of structures used and the method of their construction are described.
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