As we approach a historic tipping point in the global trend toward urbanisation – within two decades urban dwellers will increase from 49% to 60% of the planet’s population – this book identifies and addresses a critical problem: water. The editors show how cities can shift from being water consumers to resource managers, applying urban water management principles to ensure access to water and sanitation infrastructure and services; manage rainwater, wastewater, storm water drainage, and runoff pollution; control waterborne diseases and epidemics; and reduce the risk of such water-related hazards as floods, droughts and landslides. The book explores the Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) paradigm, offering a section on the MUS approach and a means of calculating the value of MUS systems, as well as tools and resources to support decision-making. Case studies illustrate MUS in selected urban and rural contexts. Each case study breaks out the challenges, policy framework, benefits, benchmarks, lessons learned (success and failures) and potential next steps. The contributors consider the main options for applying the Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) paradigm, breaking down its components and offering cost-benefit analyses along with challenges and considerations for both the short and long term. Also discussed are methods by which mutual interactions of water infrastructure and vegetated areas are taken into account in the synergy of spatial planning and optimised modelling of ecosystems’ performance indicators. This method of planning should make future developments cheaper to build; their users will pay lower utility bills for water, energy and heating. These developments will be more pleasant to live in and property value would likely be higher. The brief includes a section on the MUS approach and a means to calculate the value of MUS systems, as well as provides tools and resources to support decision-making. Case studies are included to illustrate MUS in selected urban and rural contexts. Each case study breaks out the challenges, policy framework, benefits, benchmarks, lessons learned (success and failures) and potential next steps.
This book demonstrates the application of Life-cycle Cost Approach (LCCA) in the management of infrastructure and other investment projects in the context of developing countries. The main goal is to identify potential opportunities for the adoption LCCA in developing countries, with the help of case studies and best practices. The editors observe that developing countries are plagued with poor and fluctuating service delivery which affords low or no priority for environmental protection. They seek to instill at the policy-making level an understanding of why life-cycle cost assessment is central to achieving the goals of sustainable development as well as sustainable service delivery and to influence the behavior of sector stakeholders. The editors examine the evolution of LCCA from a project appraisal tool to a more comprehensive method of incorporating sustainable development aspects in a variety of sectors. By providing a compendium of concepts, tools and practical experiences, it seeks to broaden the application of LCCA, which is often limited to specific phases of the life-cycle with little or no weight given to environmental aspects. The aim of the book is to mainstream LCCA into governance processes at institutional levels from local to national, in order to increase the ability and willingness of decision makers - both users and those involved in service planning, budgeting and delivery - to reach better informed and more relevant choices among different types and levels of products and services.
This book examines and analyzes issues related to public finance in subnational governments, along with a discussion of case studies on decentralization. Most of the analysis applies to all public goods and services provided by subnational governments, with some placed on the role of subnational governments in the management of environmental resources, notably water and waste Coverage includes optimal arrangements for sharing fiscal responsibilities among different levels of government, the potential impact of decentralization on the quality of public goods delivery, local governments’ expenditure and revenue choices, and the effect of decentralization on accountability, governance and policy outcomes. The scope of discussion extends to both public finance theory and applied policy debates. The first chapter, on trends in financing of public services, opens with an explanation of the how and why of government intervention in the economy, the nature and purposes of transfers between and among governments and trends in decentralization. Case studies examine the impact of decentralization in such areas as service delivery, water and sanitation, education and health, and on poverty and income inequality. Chapter 2 examines public budgets: governance structures, norms and organizational practices, building up understanding of budgets, budget cycles, fiscal revenues from fees and taxes, expenses, debt and political economy issues, rules mandating balanced budgets in government and more. Chapter 3 discusses issues of accountability and policy outcomes, offering important lessons from recent international experience, including ways to strengthen political, administrative and financial accountability. The concluding chapter recounts lessons from recent international experience and surveys implications for the nexus approach to management of environmental resources. The information, analysis and expert advice presented here is particularly relevant for developing and emerging countries, where well designed decentralization reforms have a higher potential to improve efficiency in the provision of public services, and to enhance the development of integrated and sustainable strategies for the use of water, soil and waste resources and applications that advance the nexus approach.
This book discusses the role of observatories in supporting evidence-based decision-making. The book focuses on issues of data accessibility, monitoring frameworks and governance processes with regard to environmental resources – water, soil and waste. This publication highlights challenges related to policy-implementation measures and examines current monitoring approaches, and illustrates how the UNU-FLORES Nexus Observatory seeks to overcome concerns related to data, monitoring and governance of water, soil and waste resources. In particular, given that extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are predicted to become more frequent in the future, it discusses the need for improved hazard risk monitoring. It proposes risk indices for drought and floods, which measure exposure and vulnerability to the phenomena through a multitude of bio-physical, socio-economic and institutional indicators. Furthermore, the potential for using openly accessible data made available through observatories in decision-making aimed at improving food security is also discussed. It acknowledges governments as key players in environmental resource management, and recognizes that decentralization reforms, as well as the emergence of information and communication technologies, have significantly changed the role of governments in promoting sustainable development. The book is particularly relevant for decision-makers, donor agencies, practitioners and students with an interest in environmental management who are also keen followers of discussions on the post-2015 monitoring agenda.
Destiny's Game" started as a will. "I didn't have the life of a typical 15-year old, not only me but a lot of young people," recalls Reza. With no idea what would happen to him next, Reza began documenting the events and circumstances surrounding him. This collection of personal memoirs and travels begins in his native country of Iran and takes readers along on his twenty-five-year journey through Turkey, Eastern Europe and the United States. In "Destiny's Game," Reza uses his unique perspective to talk about his family in Iran and the Iranian social and political situation, including the revolution of 1979 and the start of the Iraq-Iran war in September 1980. "They (the Iranian people) were doing the wrong things for the right reasons. People didn't know what the Islamic republic meant," says Reza. It created dangerous socio-political turbulence that forced thousands of Iranian families to flee the country with their young sons and daughters. "Imagine you're sitting in Jr. High or High School and they (the revolutionary guards, Islamic fundamentalists) come to your class and say, "Who wants to go to heaven?" And, all the kids raise their hands and want the opportunity. It's a quick ticket, a short-cut. All they have to do is walk on an Iraqi mine field," explains Reza. He talks about foreign hypocrisy and, how his views evolved as he witnessed non-Iranian governments' manipulative efforts to exploit socio-political, cultural and economic affairs of Iran. Through this book, Reza hopes to inspire optimism and national unity, and promote fine moral etiquette and improved human rights. According the Reza, these are important fundamental qualities that the Iranian society and mainstream international governing bodies seriously lack.
A novel of love, family, and a fight for freedom in Iran featuring a “formidable and hard-to-forget heroine” (Publishers Weekly). In the early 1920s, in the remote Persian village of Ghamsar, two young people dreaming of a better life fall in love and marry. Sardar brings his bride, Talla, with him across the mountains to the suburbs of Tehran, where the couple settles down and builds a home. From the outskirts of the capital city, they will watch as the Qajar dynasty falls and Reza Khan rises to power as Reza Shah Pahlavi. Into this family of illiterate shepherds is born Bahram, a boy whose brilliance and intellectual promise are apparent from a very young age. As he grows older, Bahram will become a fervent follower of reformer Mohammad Mosaddegh and will participate firsthand in his country’s political and social upheavals, putting himself in mortal danger, in this prize-winning, “compelling book [that] raises important questions about indulgence, gender, community, and the impact of politics on everyday life” (Kirkus Reviews). “Exquisite . . . the narrative evolves from an intimate chronicle of Talla and Sardar’s provincial lives into a sweeping tour through early-20th-century Iran.” —The New York Times
This is the book the Iranian authorities have been dreading you might one day read and have taken drastic measures to ensure that you don't. It is a story of such horrific brutality that anyone who was sceptical about claims that Iran is part of the 'axis of evil' will have that scepticism dispelled by the time they finish reading it. A real insight into the sickening torture jails of Iran and the gut-wrenching horror of the treatment dished out to political prisoners who oppose the regime, this does not make easy reading. Dr. Reza Ghaffari was a professor at the University of Tehran until his arrest in the spring of 1981, under suspicion of being a member of a banned socialist group. This is his story from the time of his arrest to his eventual escape a decade later. It recounts his experiences through ten years of torture and as a witness to, and near victim of, prison massacres. But the book is not merely a catalogue of atrocities. It is also one of triumph for integrity and the human spirit in the face of the utmost degradation. And there is comedy, as prisoners take firm hold of their sanity, entertain one another and come to terms with the absurd aspects of their predicament. Nothing like this book has ever been written. Nothing - in English or in Persian - has so comprehensively, so movingly or so colourfully portrayed prison conditions and the strength of those suffering them. It is horrific, enlightening and profound.The fatwa imposed by the then Supreme Leader of Iran against author Salman Rushdie for writing The Satanic Verses scared many publishers into refusing to print this book in English. In 1999 the Iranian authorities came looking for Dr. Ghaffari in London and he was moved to a 'safe house' by MI6 where he stayed for close to a year. After the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York the terrorist threat level in the UK was raised and Dr. Ghaffari was allowed back to his family with greater surveillance on his house. The years of torture have taken their toll on Dr. Ghaffari's health but he has refused to be cowed down and is as determined as ever that his story should be told.
This book examines and analyzes issues related to public finance in subnational governments, along with a discussion of case studies on decentralization. Most of the analysis applies to all public goods and services provided by subnational governments, with some placed on the role of subnational governments in the management of environmental resources, notably water and waste Coverage includes optimal arrangements for sharing fiscal responsibilities among different levels of government, the potential impact of decentralization on the quality of public goods delivery, local governments’ expenditure and revenue choices, and the effect of decentralization on accountability, governance and policy outcomes. The scope of discussion extends to both public finance theory and applied policy debates. The first chapter, on trends in financing of public services, opens with an explanation of the how and why of government intervention in the economy, the nature and purposes of transfers between and among governments and trends in decentralization. Case studies examine the impact of decentralization in such areas as service delivery, water and sanitation, education and health, and on poverty and income inequality. Chapter 2 examines public budgets: governance structures, norms and organizational practices, building up understanding of budgets, budget cycles, fiscal revenues from fees and taxes, expenses, debt and political economy issues, rules mandating balanced budgets in government and more. Chapter 3 discusses issues of accountability and policy outcomes, offering important lessons from recent international experience, including ways to strengthen political, administrative and financial accountability. The concluding chapter recounts lessons from recent international experience and surveys implications for the nexus approach to management of environmental resources. The information, analysis and expert advice presented here is particularly relevant for developing and emerging countries, where well designed decentralization reforms have a higher potential to improve efficiency in the provision of public services, and to enhance the development of integrated and sustainable strategies for the use of water, soil and waste resources and applications that advance the nexus approach.
As we approach a historic tipping point in the global trend toward urbanisation – within two decades urban dwellers will increase from 49% to 60% of the planet’s population – this book identifies and addresses a critical problem: water. The editors show how cities can shift from being water consumers to resource managers, applying urban water management principles to ensure access to water and sanitation infrastructure and services; manage rainwater, wastewater, storm water drainage, and runoff pollution; control waterborne diseases and epidemics; and reduce the risk of such water-related hazards as floods, droughts and landslides. The book explores the Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) paradigm, offering a section on the MUS approach and a means of calculating the value of MUS systems, as well as tools and resources to support decision-making. Case studies illustrate MUS in selected urban and rural contexts. Each case study breaks out the challenges, policy framework, benefits, benchmarks, lessons learned (success and failures) and potential next steps. The contributors consider the main options for applying the Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) paradigm, breaking down its components and offering cost-benefit analyses along with challenges and considerations for both the short and long term. Also discussed are methods by which mutual interactions of water infrastructure and vegetated areas are taken into account in the synergy of spatial planning and optimised modelling of ecosystems’ performance indicators. This method of planning should make future developments cheaper to build; their users will pay lower utility bills for water, energy and heating. These developments will be more pleasant to live in and property value would likely be higher. The brief includes a section on the MUS approach and a means to calculate the value of MUS systems, as well as provides tools and resources to support decision-making. Case studies are included to illustrate MUS in selected urban and rural contexts. Each case study breaks out the challenges, policy framework, benefits, benchmarks, lessons learned (success and failures) and potential next steps.
This book demonstrates the application of Life-cycle Cost Approach (LCCA) in the management of infrastructure and other investment projects in the context of developing countries. The main goal is to identify potential opportunities for the adoption LCCA in developing countries, with the help of case studies and best practices. The editors observe that developing countries are plagued with poor and fluctuating service delivery which affords low or no priority for environmental protection. They seek to instill at the policy-making level an understanding of why life-cycle cost assessment is central to achieving the goals of sustainable development as well as sustainable service delivery and to influence the behavior of sector stakeholders. The editors examine the evolution of LCCA from a project appraisal tool to a more comprehensive method of incorporating sustainable development aspects in a variety of sectors. By providing a compendium of concepts, tools and practical experiences, it seeks to broaden the application of LCCA, which is often limited to specific phases of the life-cycle with little or no weight given to environmental aspects. The aim of the book is to mainstream LCCA into governance processes at institutional levels from local to national, in order to increase the ability and willingness of decision makers - both users and those involved in service planning, budgeting and delivery - to reach better informed and more relevant choices among different types and levels of products and services.
This book discusses the role of observatories in supporting evidence-based decision-making. The book focuses on issues of data accessibility, monitoring frameworks and governance processes with regard to environmental resources – water, soil and waste. This publication highlights challenges related to policy-implementation measures and examines current monitoring approaches, and illustrates how the UNU-FLORES Nexus Observatory seeks to overcome concerns related to data, monitoring and governance of water, soil and waste resources. In particular, given that extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are predicted to become more frequent in the future, it discusses the need for improved hazard risk monitoring. It proposes risk indices for drought and floods, which measure exposure and vulnerability to the phenomena through a multitude of bio-physical, socio-economic and institutional indicators. Furthermore, the potential for using openly accessible data made available through observatories in decision-making aimed at improving food security is also discussed. It acknowledges governments as key players in environmental resource management, and recognizes that decentralization reforms, as well as the emergence of information and communication technologies, have significantly changed the role of governments in promoting sustainable development. The book is particularly relevant for decision-makers, donor agencies, practitioners and students with an interest in environmental management who are also keen followers of discussions on the post-2015 monitoring agenda.
Iran has one of the highest rates of road traffic accidents worldwide and according to a recent UNICEF report, the current rate of road accidents in Iran is 20 times more than the world average. Using extensive interviews with a variety of Iranians from a range of backgrounds, this book explores their dangerous driving habits and the explanations for their disregard for traffic laws. It argues that Iranians' driving behaviour is an indicator of how they have historically related to each other and to their society at large, and how they have maintained a form of social order through law, culture and religion. By considering how ordinary Iranians experience the traffic problem in their cities and how they describe traffic rules, laws, authorities and the rights of other citizens, Driving Culture in Iran provides an original and valuable insight into Iranian legal, social and political culture.
Within western political, media and academic discourses, Muslim communities are predominantly seen through the prism of their Islamic religiosities, yet there exist within diasporic communities unique and complex secularisms. Drawing on detailed interview and ethnographic material gathered in the UK, this book examines the ways in which a form of secularism - ’non-Islamiosity’ - amongst members of the Iranian diaspora shapes ideas and practices of diasporic community and identity, as well as wider social relations. In addition to developing a novel theoretical paradigm to make sense of the manner in which diasporic communities construct and live diasporic identity and consciousness in a way that marginalises, stigmatises or eradicates only ’Islam’, Secularism and Identity shows how this approach is used to overcome religiously inculcated ideas and fashion a desirable self, thus creating a new space in which to live and thereby attaining ’freedom’. Calling into question notions of anti-Islamism and Islamophobia, whilst examining secularism as a means or mechanism rather than an end, this volume offers a new understanding of religion as a marker of migrant identity. As such it will appeal to scholars of sociology, anthropology and political science with interests in migration and ethnicity, diasporic communities, the sociology of religion and emerging forms of secularism.
Safa, a former Shiite Muslim and a recognized authority on Islamic issues, chronicles what God is doing in the Islamic world, including Iran, where thousands of former faithful Muslims are converting to Christianity.
This book explores a new framework of Adaptive Water Management (AWM) for evaluating existing approaches in urban water management. It highlights the need to adopt multidisciplinary strategies in water management while providing an in-depth understanding of institutional interactions amongst different water related sectors. The key characteristics of AWM i.e. polycentric governance, organisational flexibility and public participation are investigated and described through a critical review of the relevant literature. The book presents an empirical case study undertaken in a selected developing-country city to investigate the potential gaps between the current water management approaches and possible implementation of AWM. Feasibility of AWM operations is examined in an environment surrounded by established water management structure with centralised governance and an institutional process based on technical flexibility. The key elements of AWM performance are (re)structured and transformed into decision support systems. Multi criteria decision models are developed to facilitate quantification and visualization of the elements derived from the case study, which is involved with water companies and water consumers. The book describes how the concept of AWM, along with structuring suitable decision support systems, can be developed and applied to developing-country cities. The book highlights the barriers for applying the AWM strategies that include established centralised decision making, bureaucratic interactions with external organisations, lack of organisational flexibility within the institutions, and lack of recognition of public role in water management. The findings outline that despite the lack of adaptability in the current water management in the case study, as an example of developing countries, there are positive attitudes among water professionals and the public towards adaptability through public-institutional participation.
The story of Iranian women, including their century-old battle for rights, remains with the few exceptions, untold. Though they have been in the forefront of the national struggle for independence, liberty and democracy in Iran, and have been among the most educated and most independent women in the Middle East-they entered universities in 1936 and gained the right to vote in 1963-to those in the West, their lives stay, for most part, in purdah, hidden and veiled in mystery. Ironically, their tale is one of courage, resistance, sacrifice, and survival in an intensely traditional and patriarchal society, for unlike some of their sisters, in countries near and far, they have actively participated in the public sphere to protest, ask for rights, and demand equality. A myth-buster, the play helps us see them for who they are: fearless shir-zan, fighting oppression and tyranny-a battle that can be ours, as well.
This fictional story is loosely based on true events that have taken place beginning in the 1950's in Iran and continuing up until the present in the United States.Some of these events happened in the author's life, and the rest are what he is aware of. Fictional elements and characters have been incorporated, in order to better convey the author's intended message in a smooth storyline.The main purpose of the book is to provide the reader a window into some aspects of life and upbringing in the Middle East, and especially in Iran. In addition, the author hopes to raise awareness of some issues faced by foreigners anywhere.The recounting of real events in a human life invariably includes moments of sadness. In order to strike a balance, a conscious effort has been made to add elements of humor even amid dire circumstances.For the benefit of readers who are not native English speakers, and in keeping with the author's fascination with idioms and expressions, an additional index has been included to help the reader understand expressions encountered in this book which may not be familiar.
Survivor" is the story of one man who grapples with idealism in the midst of events that shape Middle Eastern politics. Fazeli, an Iranian actor, director, and producer is brought into Khomeini's sphere, but flees the Shah's military might. Running from Khomeini's terrorists will prove even more difficult--and more deadly.
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