Mattia Fosci

This article provides a quantitative assessment of the extent to which UK learned societies rely on publishing revenues. Drawing on work completed as part of a Universities UK project to monitor the transition to open access in the United Kingdom, it considers the risks that increased market consolidation and a shift to open access publishing present for societies' financial sustainability in the coming years. The project identified 279 UK societies that publish peer-reviewed publications. It… Mostrar más

This article provides a quantitative assessment of the extent to which UK learned societies rely on publishing revenues. Drawing on work completed as part of a Universities UK project to monitor the transition to open access in the United Kingdom, it considers the risks that increased market consolidation and a shift to open access publishing present for societies' financial sustainability in the coming years. The project identified 279 UK societies that publish peer-reviewed publications. It is estimated that publishing accounts for just over £300 million, or 26%, of these societies' overall revenues of £1.2 billion, but an in-depth analysis of 30 societies found that the proportion is as high as 80% in some cases. Publishing is typically a profitable activity for societies, and thereby supports their charitable activities and makes an important contribution to their overall financial sustainability. Although most societies are presently in good financial health, the combined pressures of market consolidation and open access, coupled with early indications of an increase in the costs of publishing, suggests that their reliance on publishing could prove an uncertain foundation in the years to come. Mostrar menos

As open access (OA) publication of research outputs becomes increasingly common and is mandated by institutions and research funders, it is important to understand different aspects of the costs involved. This paper provides an early review of administrative costs incurred by universities in making research outputs OA, either via publication in journals (“Gold” OA), involving payment of article-processing charges (APCs), or via deposit in repositories (“Green” OA). Using data from 29 UK… Mostrar más

As open access (OA) publication of research outputs becomes increasingly common and is mandated by institutions and research funders, it is important to understand different aspects of the costs involved. This paper provides an early review of administrative costs incurred by universities in making research outputs OA, either via publication in journals (“Gold” OA), involving payment of article-processing charges (APCs), or via deposit in repositories (“Green” OA). Using data from 29 UK institutions, it finds that the administrative time, as well as the cost incurred by universities, to make an article OA using the Gold route is over 2.5 times higher than Green. Costs are then modeled at a national level using recent UK policy initiatives from Research Councils UK and the Higher Education Funding Councils'​ Research Excellence Framework as case studies. The study also demonstrates that the costs of complying with research funders'​ OA policies are considerably higher than where an OA publication is left entirely to authors' discretion. Key target areas for future efficiencies in the business processes are identified and potential cost savings calculated. The analysis is designed to inform ongoing policy development at the institutional and national levels. Mostrar menos

This chapter deals with the role of values in international biodiversity law. It begins by introducing instrumental and intrinsic value (section 1) and by looking at their appearance in international biodiversity law (section 2). It then explores the two systems in more detail, analysing their respective shortcomings and advantages (sections 3 and 4). The conclusions look at reconciling these two theories of value within the same system of environmental protection.

This chapter is structured as follows. Section 1 briefly explores the threats to international security posed by climate change, as identified in the literature. Section 2 discusses the international legal response to the problem provided by the UNFCCC regime. Section 3 assesses the effectiveness of such regime: noting the intrinsic political fragility of environmental treaty-making, it speculates on the pros and cons of ‘securitising’ the problem. Building on the previous analysis, section 4… Mostrar más

This chapter is structured as follows. Section 1 briefly explores the threats to international security posed by climate change, as identified in the literature. Section 2 discusses the international legal response to the problem provided by the UNFCCC regime. Section 3 assesses the effectiveness of such regime: noting the intrinsic political fragility of environmental treaty-making, it speculates on the pros and cons of ‘securitising’ the problem. Building on the previous analysis, section 4 considers whether or not international law is able to provide effective preventive responses to environmental security threats and suggests that the time is ripe to consider the environmental and security agendas in an integrated fashion. Mostrar menos

This article challenges some of the assumptions underpinning the UN programme to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries. Firstly, it argues that the cost-effectiveness of REDD+ may have been exaggerated as current estimates ignore some cost categories as well as the evolution of drivers. While REDD+ remains a ‘low-hanging fruit’ for climate mitigation, if all costs were included estimates would be at the high end of the currently accepted… Mostrar más

This article challenges some of the assumptions underpinning the UN programme to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries. Firstly, it argues that the cost-effectiveness of REDD+ may have been exaggerated as current estimates ignore some cost categories as well as the evolution of drivers. While REDD+ remains a ‘low-hanging fruit’ for climate mitigation, if all costs were included estimates would be at the high end of the currently accepted range. Secondly, the article highlights that REDD+ will be affected by a large funding gap at least until the entry into force of a new climate protocol in 2020. This gap is due as much to the poor status of public finances in donor countries as to the languishing state of carbon markets, and it calls for a revision of the assumptions regarding the design of the programme. Finally, it is advocated that, in order to contribute to the development of the programme, economic research on REDD+ should consider different policy options, assessing their efficiency and identifying measures that increase their cost-effectiveness. Mostrar menos

This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the role of public policies and financial incentives in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). It argues that the subordination of policies to results-based payments for emission reductions causes severe economic inefficiencies affecting the opportunity cost, transaction cost and economic rent of the programme. Such problems can be addressed by establishing sound procedural, land and financial governance at the… Mostrar más

This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the role of public policies and financial incentives in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). It argues that the subordination of policies to results-based payments for emission reductions causes severe economic inefficiencies affecting the opportunity cost, transaction cost and economic rent of the programme. Such problems can be addressed by establishing sound procedural, land and financial governance at the national level, before REDD+ economic incentives are delivered at scale. Consideration is given to each governance dimension, the entry points for policy intervention and the impact on costs. International support must consider the financial and political cost of governance reforms, and use a pay-for-results ethos based on output and outcome indicators. This can be done in the readiness process but only if the latter’s legal force, scope, magnitude and time horizon are adequately reconsidered. In sum, the paper provides ammunition for the institutionalist argument that UNFCCC Parties must prioritise governance reform between now and the entry into force of the new climate agreement in 2020, and specific recommendations about how this can be done: only by doing so will they create the basis for the programme’s financial sustainability. Mostrar menos