Economics | Infrastructure | Reforming rail: Changing industry, changing regulation

Office of Rail Regulation Chief Executive Richard Price today outlined some of the key challenges emerging from Sir Roy McNulty's rail value for money review and how these are being reflected in priorities for the rail regulator.

Speaking at a rail industry event Richard Price identified the following challenges:
- the need for greater transparency on funding flows and costs across the sector.
- assuring delivery of current performance commitments and safety standards during a period of industry change.
- successful delivery of the 2013 periodic review and ensuring that this provides effective incentives across the sector.
- ensuring that industry reform, including Network Rail's devolution and changes to rail franchises, delivers real and lasting benefits to rail users and taxpayers.

www.larpnet.com/economics/infrastructure

Economics | Environment | The value in environmental valuation

The UK has been at the forefront in using new techniques to shape policy decisions which affect the environment. On the publication of the UK's Natural Ecosystem Assessment, Mallika Ishwaran, Jonathan Portes and Richard Price make the case for valuing the environment as part of a better approach to informing policy decisions for environmental protection, linking science and economics, and reflecting the pervasive role the environment has to play in economic and social activity.

The value in environmental valuation

www.larpnet.com/economics/environment

Coming next on Larpnet

Larp is back in red for the winter... coming up in the next weeks - ecosystems services - the value of valuation - the economics of green growth - infrastructure performance - Font of the Month - the grand finale of the 2011 League of Shirts. Thrills unbounded!

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Economics | Environment | Shifting to green growth

Can growth be green? Nwe analysis from the UK shows than shifting to a greener path for economic growth need not cost much, but the policy mix needs to be chosen carefully to minimise adjustment costs, and to recognise that those who stand to lose out need a stake in the change.

http://www.larpnet.com/downloads/greengrowthslides201108.pdf

Sport | League of Shirts

The 2011 season of the League of Shirts is off to a splendid start, with Norwich City leading the Week 1 table by a massive 1 point. The rules and tables can be found at the official LoS pages on Larpnet (click below). Meanwhile for the first time chat and background on the League can be found on our own Facebook page.

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Economics | Environment | Resource efficiency in business

Businesses can take low-cost practical steps to reduce resource use, promoting economic growth and environmental performance. By cutting costs, businesses get a significant pay-back in the short term, with innovation able to cut their costs further over time. Research by Defra finds that British businesses could save up to £23 billion a year by adopting energy, waste and water efficiency measures which pay back within a year.
larpnet.com/economics/environment

Economics | Infrastructure | Rail regulator sets challenges for rail delivery

In a speech at the London launch of the Periodic Review of Network Rail's charges, funding and outputs, Richard Price sets out the challenges of efficiency and reform facing Britain's railways between now and 2020, and the pressure to achieve greater value for money as, for the first time in generations, the railways meet sustained growth for their services.

larpnet.com/economics/infrastructure

Economics | Infrastructure | Regulator warns rail industry to reduce costs

The railway industry is “on notice” that it has to cut costs to continue receiving recent levels of government investment, according to the new head of the industry’s regulator. Richard Price, who takes over on Monday as chief executive of the Office of Rail Regulation, was speaking in the wake of the McNulty review, which said costs could be cut by 20 to 30 per cent over the next eight years. See full article in the FT by clicking here.


larpnet.com/economics/infrastructure

Economics | Institutions and performance | Social impacts of policy

The UK's Social Impacts Taskforce has developed a conceptual framework for guiding work on understanding the relationships between the social impacts of policies, their effects on a country's underlying manufactures, human, environmental and social capital, and implications for wellbeing.

larpnet.com/economics/institutionsandperformance

Economics | Environment | Green growth: selecting policy instruments

As part of its work for the G20 on Green Growth, the OECD held a workshop to discuss its Green Growth Strategy in February 2011, involving all OECD member states and a number of NGOs. The Strategy seeks to provide tools for a shift towards a more sustainable development path, while identifying economic opportunities and benefits of going in that direction. Defra’s Chief Economist, Richard Price, was invited to lead the workshop session on policy instruments for green growth, and this paper set the context.

larpnet.com/economics/environment

Arts | Design | Classics of modern design

Classics of modern design is back - this week with "one of the purest expressons of Bauhaus theory: geometrical shapes and industrial materials with no concessions to decoration or frivolity". What is it?

larpnet.com/design/classics

Economics | Environment | Wellbeing and the environment

In a speech to the Prime Minister's Wellbeing Conference in November 2010, Richard Price explains the links between the environment and wellbeing, and how taking a consistent approach to understanding environmental costs and benefits across all policy areas can best safeguard the environment for this and future generations. Assessing environmental and social impacts on wellbeing is at the heart of policy design in the UK, is based on evidence and innovation, and makes a real difference to policy.

larpnet.com/economics/environment