Regulating Infrastructure: Monopoly, Contracts, and Discretion

Book Description

In the 1980s and '90s many countries turned to the private sector to provide infrastructure and utilities, such as gas, telephones, and highways--with the idea that market-based incentives would control costs and improve the quality of essential services. But subsequent debacles including the collapse of California's wholesale electricity market and the bankruptcy of Britain's largest railroad company have raised troubling questions about privatization. This book addresses one of the most vexing of these: how can government fairly and effectively regulate "natural monopolies"--those infrastructure and utility services whose technologies make competition impractical?

Rather than sticking to economics, José Gómez-Ibáñez draws on history, politics, and a wealth of examples to provide a road map for various approaches to regulation. He makes a strong case for favoring market-oriented and contractual approaches--including private contracts between infrastructure providers and customers as well as concession contracts with the government acting as an intermediary--over those that grant government regulators substantial discretion. Contracts can provide stronger protection for infrastructure customers and suppliers--and greater opportunities to tailor services to their mutual advantage. In some cases, however, the requirements of the firms and their customers are too unpredictable for contracts to work, and alternative schemes may be needed.

Customer Reviews:

A brief review.......2007-08-01

This book combines case-studies, historical overviews, and analysis of past and present infrastructure regulation. From the standpoint of someone who has worked in this industry for about a year, I found this to be an informative, well-written overview with an especially detailed elaboration of the development of regulations and governmental regulatory agencies from the end of the nineteenth century to middle of the twentieth. The author strives to present a balanced picture of the pros and cons of regulation, but it is fairly clear that he is prima facie against the idea of government regulation (he ends his book though with an admission that there is still much to learn about the application of regulatory schemes). There is much in this book to admire (I especially liked the discussions on unbundling, capture, and the influence of varying conceptions of private property) and very little to be dissatisfied with (I would have been more happy to see some of the historical narrative abridged and replaced with a more in-depth case-study examination of the correlation between deregulation and efficiency).

Book Description

Smart genomes--an enthralling account of revolutionary discoveries at the cutting edge of genomics research

Written by a molecular biologist at the forefront of genomics research, Darwin in the Genome is an exciting account of one of the hottest new theories in biology today: evolution by natural selection inevitably leads to strategic mutations. In the struggle for survival, from pathogens to flowers, birds to orangutans, baker's yeast to people, the fittest genomes are those that evolve effective molecular strategies that respond to, and in fact anticipate, challenges and opportunities in their environments.

Writing in a clear, accessible style, Lynn Caporale describes the emergence of genomic mutation strategies, which researchers are just beginning to uncover. She also spells out some of the more profound implications of these findings, including the importance of biodiversity, indeed human diversity, for survival, the possibility of bold new directions for medical research, and the inherent dangers of attempting to fix perceived "errors" in a human genome.

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Customer Reviews:

Being good at evolution.......2006-07-19

Back in 1996 Stuart Kauffman, in "At Home in the Universe: the Search for Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity", postulated convincingly on theoretical grounds that evolution would favor organisms which were good at evolution, i.e. they were more likely to generate favorable changes in their genome. Sex is theorized by many to have arisen as a means of responding to the evolution of disease causing agents, as well as to promote evolutionary adaptation in general. I myself, as I am sure many others, always questioned that organisms would have all this junk DNA, costly (in terms of energy) to maintain, without any use. Caporale's book attempts to gather all the evidence currently available that Kauffman was correct, and finds that junk DNA plays a role in facilitating evolution. Caporale also does a lot of speculating, because the body of experimental evidence is still in its infancy. Incidentally, Caporale gives the impression that the postulate I have ascribed to Kauffman (and which undoubtedly had earlier antecedents), is a new idea.

At times Caporale's book is almost painfully detailed in describing biological processes, albeit always without invoking organic chemistry. Her motivation is good: having gone through some concrete detail, for example about "slippery" DNA, the reader should be better able to appreciate the more general arguments. Caporale loves sustained metaphors; often the metaphors help, sometimes they get in the way. In general, I found the book uneven. The critical chapter on jumping genes left me with too many questions that I attribute to the writing. The final chapter, instead of being a much needed summary, presents material that anyone sophisticated enough to get that far, already knows. On the other hand, the chapter on the immune response was clearer than other accounts I have read, and the general topic of processes favoring successful evolution is fascinating. So my advice is: if you are already conversant with evolution, and willing to deal with some challenging material, perhaps sometimes unnecessarily challenging, read this book. In case you do not, I must point out that I was delighted to learn that there is now evidence that the intron RNA is not immediately destroyed after protein synthesis, and likely has some function to perform.

How Our Genomes Generate Variation to Promote Evolution.......2006-04-12

Darwin postulated that evolution resulted from the accumulation of small variations from generation to generation. Once Watson and Crick described the structure of DNA, many people thought that variation arose mostly from point mutations: changes, insertions, and deletions of single "letters" of the DNA code. Since then, it has become obvious that larger changes are more important. For example, whole segments of DNA, including genes and gene families, are duplicated; the copies are then available to be modified for new purposes while the originals still do their old jobs. A number of other books look at how such large changes promote evolution; this book focuses on molecular mechanisms behind these changes, i.e. where the variation comes from.

For example, there are molecular mechanisms that cut sequences of DNA from a chromosome, and other mechanisms that patch those sequences back into the DNA in other places. Such changes can affect the interactions of genes and so influence evolution. Other mechanisms will copy instead of cutting and will therefore provide the material for creating new genes. This book pays more attention to the molecular processes that make changes happen than to the evolutionary consequences of genetic changes and thus it complements a number of other books on the market.

Caporale, a medical researcher, gives special attention to bacteria and cancer on one side, and our bodies' defenses on the other. This gives examples that are relevant to readers' lives and also gives readers some insight into important medical issues. And, again, it means her book contains a lot of material that some other books don't have.

I see two minor weak points in the book. First, on page 130, she gives the impression that the material is a bit speculative, using such phrases as "I am convinced" and "the idea that I have proposed". In fact, as she says later in the book, specific gene mechanisms that make some mutations more likely than others are well known. Second, she uses "random" to mean that not all events are equally likely, even though there is nothing deterministic involved. I.e. there is no guiding power which says, e.g., "This DNA segment should be duplicated now." I mention these points because the text can easily be cited by creationists to cast doubt on the existence of evolution. But these don't detract from a very good book.

I found this book to be a very easy read and I feel certain that almost anyone who is thinking about buying this book will have no difficulty either. The main thing you need is a modest knowledge about genes. At least that is my judgment and, although my knowledge of evolution is rather extensive for a non-scientist, I think I have a good feel for what others can read. For more about this, click on my name, above, and read the "In My Own Words" section.

You might also be interested in other books about ways in which nature promotes evolution. I have listed several of these, along with some background information, in my Listmania list "Natural Processes That Promote Evolution", a link to which can be found by clicking on my name. These are books which I have reviewed and which I recommend.

[Added 31 Jan 2007] The first time through, I didn't pay close attention to the chapter on cancer. I read it again after I had developed a personal interest in cancer and had read a book entirely on the biology of cancer. Now I see this as an excellent chapter. Because cancer lives in a relatively simple ecosystem (e.g. my insides) and since it goes through a relatively small number of evolutionary steps, it is a good model to start with.

The Dancer and the Dance.......2006-03-13

Imagine you're sitting in the audience at a play, one with a large cast and a complex plot, Les Miserables, say, or Nicholas Nickleby. Only this play isn't presented in the usual way. Sometimes you see the actors but you can't hear them speak. Other times the curtain hides the stage, but you can hear the actors clearly. And sometimes you can both see the actors and hear them deliver their lines. After sitting through this odd drama, you're required to provide a detailed critique of the play to someone who hasn't seen it.

Some of what happened you'd know for certain, some of it you'd try to infer by piecing together partial information, and some of your explanation would be sheer guesswork. This seems to approximate current scientific writing about the human genome: some knowledge, some inference, some guesswork. We've learned a considerable amount about the overall structure of our genome during the past two decades. But there's a lot about the mechanics of how genes duplicate, edit and regulate themselves that remains hidden from us. Molecular biologist Lynn Helena Caporale uses her considerable knowledge of genomic functioning to update us on the current state of play and to buttress some speculative thinking about how genomes mutate. Her conclusions are controversial among evolutionary theorists, but they do provide a possible answer to a particularly bedeviling question: given the trillions of potential pathways and cul de sacs down which random mutation could have taken our genes, how did homo sapiens actually evolve to this level of functioning in the relatively short time we've been on the planet?

Dr. Caporale's thesis is that mutation might not be completely random. Instead, she speculates that genes may have evolved strategies for allowing high levels of variation in targeted areas for targeted purposes - fighting off bacterial infections, for example - in ways that don't disturb the essential functioning of the organism. As she states in the prologue, "a genome evolves a `worldview' of which types of changes, under what types of circumstances, may yield a new function and are less likely to destroy something essential."

Such genomes would have an evolutionary advantage because they could generate diverse offspring or adapt to new circumstances without having to rebuild what already works from scratch. She also demonstrates that our DNA can cut and paste blocks of genetic information, which means that we can take successful subroutines and recombine them to create new functions, similar to the way object oriented programming works in computer software. (We may have acquired some useful code from interactions with our good friends, bacteria, or our close cousins, the mouse and the fruit fly.) If genes work this way, then our evolution may have been more strategic and targeted than purely random mutation would account for, and natural selection would naturally favor the genomes with the most workable strategy for surviving and successfully replicating themselves.

Among the many fascinating glimpses into our functioning that this book provides are the strategies our cells employ to recognize, capture and neutralize viruses. There's an epic conflict going on in your gut at this very moment that makes the climactic battle scenes in Lord of the Rings look tepid and unimaginative. It's also fascinating to realize that our genes enact on the cellular level one of our most profound human dilemmas: how do you decide what should remain stable and what should change in order to secure the best future for yourself? Is the human dilemma just the basic genomic dilemma writ large? As the Irish poet William Butler Yeats put it so memorably, how can you tell the dancer from the dance?

There's a lot of detail in this book, and the non-biologist may struggle to absorb the nomenclature of molecular biology, and to track the splits, slips, swaps, loops, cuts, conversions, transmissions and transpositions that the 3 billion letters of your genome engage in. Dr. Caporale employs some elegant metaphors to make the play more intelligible. The reward for paying close attention is a awe-inspiring glimpse into what we are, along with some well-reasoned ideas about why we turned out this particular way.

Secrets of the genome.......2006-01-21

Most accounts of Darwinism are conventional repetitions of tired phrases, and don't let on there is something new afoot in the specialized work of students of molecular evolution. This engaging work describes the processes of non-random mutation that are being discovered at work in the genome, and the result is an eye-opener.
As the author notes:

"The work described in this book has led me to the conclusion that natural selection must work not just on each individual mutation, but also on the very mechanisms that generate genetic variation-as it does on all bio- logical functions. The research discussed in this book leads to the conclusion that mutations are not all accidents and that mutations are not always random. Our genomes, and those of other life forms, have evolved mechanisms that create different kinds of mutations in their DNA, and they reuse and adapt useful pieces of DNA, even to the point that there are genomic 'interchangeable parts.'
Biochemical mechanisms can arise that tend to focus genetic variation, resulting in "hot spots" of genetic change at certain places in the genome."

Good balance, current developments.......2004-06-24

I am not a trained biologist, but I enjoy reading in this area, and I enjoyed this book a good deal.

Basically, her thesis (which appears most clearly on page 130) is that genetic mutations are not random and are to some degree controlled by a meta-program of the DNA regulators that is subject to selection pressures. She posits an evolutionary theory, but spends most of her time gently explaining the actualities and details. She shows that her theory happens in the immune system and then makes reasonable suppositions that it probably happens on a broader scale. There are a lot of perhaps's and probably's in the book. She acknowledges that parts of her theory are controversial.

She is much clearer and less freighted with philosophical rhetoric than Lenny Moss's "What genes can't do," and she describes the complex genetic interaction with other cellular structures and exterior signals with almost as much subtlety. I liked her description of bacteria using quorum-sensors to decide whether to break apart as plasmids or whether to hunker down in a spore. She also seems to have an eye on the issues raised by IDist Michael Behe and makes a point of discussing the immune system and blood clotting as very much reducible and evolved mechanisms, though she doesn't attack creationism directly.

I give the book a four star because her prose is not as inspired as that of Stephen Jay Gould or Steven Pinker, and her metaphors don't always fly. Her grand gesture at the end did not leave me overwhelmed. There is still a lot of technical vocabulary, so not quite a light read, but much lighter than many. It will allow even smart high schoolers to learn the latest theories on that Mother of All Rube Goldberg Machines: Life.

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Darwin In the Genome: Molecular Strategies in Biological Evolution
Lynn Helena Caporale
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OG0PWS

Customer Reviews:

A place of both light and darkness.......2000-06-25

This book of infinite character and magnificent amaizements is a one in a life-time. It is a passionate book keeping your immense interest and curiosity from the first to the last page. It describes the life of the Apes in their wonderful habitat as well as their surroundings with the constant threat from humans. With beautifully well done pictures, this book journeys you to a different world.

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Great Apes Between Two Worlds
Michael Nichols; Mary G.Smith George B. Scaller Contributions By Jane
Manufacturer: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKQOAG

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THE GREAT APES: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS.
Michael & Jane Goodall & Mary G. Smith & George B. Schaller. Nichols
Manufacturer: National Geographic Society (USA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O8Q804

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Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2005-10-18

I am quite a novice into paddling, have done it a few times as "one of those tourists in a rental canoe". Then purchased a canoe and two books including this one. I've never been aware that there was so much to know about canoes, water and paddling technique. I already learned a lot and will be able to re-use this book to review and learn more after I've practised the first items.
I would recommend this book to anybody in a similar or slightly more advanced situation. You should note however that this book is primarily focussing on down-river canoeing. Flat water is also covered briefly and a lot of river technique also work for lakes. In case you would be looking for specifics on flat-water navigation or trip planning, this book might be less appropriate.

Excellent resource for wide variety of paddling info.......2000-04-19

While this title may contain too much information for someone who has never paddled a canoe, it is an excellent resource for those who have paddled a bit but have never had formal instruction. There is detailed instruction on a variety of strokes as well as identifying, entering and peeling out of eddies. There is also very important info about reading water and identifying hazards such as undercut rocks, strainers, hydraulics etc. Also included is basic instruction on water-reading. This book has made it much easier for me to teach less experienced paddlers. If you've been in a canoe enough to know how to get down an easy river, this book will likely have parts that are under and over your head. If you're somewhere between beginner and expert, this book is definitely worth reading.

Book Description

Philosophy of Language introduces the non-specialist to the main issues and theories in twentieth-century philosophy of language, focusing specifically on linguistic phenomena. Part I explores several theories of how proper names, descriptions, and other terms bear a referential relation to non-linguistic objects. Part II surveys competing theories of linguistic meaning and compares their various advantages and liabilities. Part III introduces the basic concepts of linguistic pragmatics, includes a detailed discussion of the problems of indirect force, and Part IV examines linguistic theories of metaphor.

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This book introduces the student to the main issues and theories in 20th century philosophy of language, focusing specifically on linguistic phenomena.

Customer Reviews:

Better May be Available.......2007-09-01

Philosophy of Language by William Lycan is an instalment in the Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy Series. This series is intended to provide a bridge between introductory and advanced study, primarily aimed at students/readers with some prior exposure to academic philosophy.

Overall, this is a solid addition to the contemporary introductions series. Philosophy of language can be an arcane and jargon-laden field. Lycan's methodology is generally helpful, introducing many of the key thinkers, and concepts, in the modern philosophy of language tradition (e.g. Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, etc.) The approach employed in the text is to introduce a philosopher's key thoughts then consider objections and potential retorts. This is not a bad tactic, however, from my perspective greater focus on a few key points would be preferable to the current emphasis on breadth (some of the points are too trivial or technical for an introductory text). Each section is followed by a summary of key points, questions for discussion and suggestions for further reading. Additionally, from a physical standpoint the paper back version is well constructed and has a usable font size.

Strengths aside, two stylistic weaknesses reduced my enjoyment of the text and its ultimate utility. The more trivial is the author's excessive self-reference, e.g. "your humble narrator", "you were expecting me to recommend someone else {referring to himself)?" etc. I think that this may have been done with the intention of adding levity to an otherwise dense and potentially dry subject. It was, however, over done and distracting; most of these comments should be removed. The second, and more significant, weakness is style. There is academic writing that is pleasant and flowing, and then there is writing that is laborious and plodding. Unfortunately, this text is in the latter category- even being familiar with the material I found myself constantly having to re-read sections in order to get the point. I fear that if used as a textbook it may turn students off this field.

Upon reflection, I realize that my muted reaction to the book has two components; how the topic is approached and articulated (discussed above), and the subject itself. On this latter point, though intellectually interesting in its own right, much later-day work in this field by Searle, Grice, Davidson, et al, strikes me as adding little real value. Their type of logical-linguistic minutia, though fascinating in its own way, seems analogous to some of the worst medieval theological musings. To progress, it appears that the analytical tradition may need to blend with the behavioural sciences and consider communication from a broader perspective.

Overall, a solid if dry piece of academic writing. A background in analytic philosophy may be required to fully engage with, and integrate, this material. Although, I do not have a ready recommendation there are likely better introductory texts available.

A pleasure to read.......2005-01-20

I just want to echo the other reviewers. This is a wonderful introductory text. I am a law professor who is interested in learning more about philosophy of language. This was the first book I read, and it fit the bill wonderfully. It provides a nice overview of major debates in the field. And it is accessible, logically structured, and fun to read. It certainly warrants five stars. I hasten to add that I do not know (and have never met) the author of this book (I believe such disclaimers are necessary when reviewing books on amazon).

The best book for beginners in philosophy of language.......2002-08-10

This is THE book for beginners to have. It's a rare philosopher who knows what the word "introduction" means in a book title; most seem to write so-called introductory books as though the audience is professional philosophers.

Finally I have some idea what Russell, Frege, Strawson, Donnellan and others were trying to say. And I know why it is not the case that the present king of France is bald.

excellent phil of lang overview.......2002-01-04

this book has several things going for it:
first, it is an informative and brief, yet thorough, introduction to some central issues in the philosophy of language. for each issue, lycan summarizes the problems to be solved, explains some theories with which prominent philosophers have attempted to solve them, and provides possible objections and replies to those theories. lycan links each issue smoothly with the next, so that the reader sees clearly how the different problems in the field are related.
second, the reader is provided with chapter introductions, chapter summaries, review questions, and a long bibliography.
third, lycan makes his text entertaining with some great sarcasm, and by creating humorous (yet effective) examples. i actually laughed out loud several times while reading this text.

overall, this is a great book. i highly recommend it to beginners in the philosophy of language.

Excellent.......2000-11-11

If you are going to understand contemporary philosophy, you have to understand the philosophy of language. Prof. Lycan's book is an excellent introduction. First, it is very clearly written and, second, it avoids excessive use of logical symbolism. My only complaints are that there could have been a longer discussion of Frege and more discussion of how questions raised impact other areas of philosophy such as metaphysics and religion. However, Prof. Lycan tells us that these matters will be taken up in the other works in the Routledge Contemporary Introduction to Philosophy series.

Habermas: A Critical Introduction (Key Contemporary Thinkers)

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Habermas: A Critical Introduction (Key Contemporary Thinkers)
William Outhwaite
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0804724792

Philosophy of Language: Contemporary Introduction

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Philosophy of Language: Contemporary Introduction
William G. Lycan
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MHK8FI

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