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There has been a remarkable upsurge of debate about increasing inequalities and their societal implications, reinforced by the economic crisis but bubbling to the surface before it. This has been seen in popular discourse, media coverage, political debate, and research in the social sciences. The central questions addressed by this book, and the major research project GINI on which it is based, are: - Have inequalities in income, wealth and education increased over the past 30 years or so across the rich countries, and if so why?- What are the social, cultural and political impacts of increasing inequalities in income, wealth and education?- What are the implications for policy and for the future development of welfare states? In seeking to answer these questions, this book adopts an interdisciplinary approach that draws on economics, sociology, and political science, and applies a common analytical framework to the experience of 30 advanced countries, namely all the EU member states except Cyprus and Malta, together with the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia and South Korea. It presents a description and analysis of the experience of each of these countries over the past three decades, together with an introduction, an overview of inequality trends, and a concluding chapter highlighting key findings and implications. These case-studies bring out the variety of country experiences and the importance of framing inequality trends in the institutional and policy context of each country if one is to adequately capture and understand the evolution of inequality and its impacts.

The provision of services in both public and private sectors has increased dramatically over the last decade and a half. Many economies have shifted to a predominantly services model, leaving manufacturing and agriculture in their shadow. Service Science Research, Strategy and Innovation: Dynamic Knowledge Management Methods explores areas such as strategy development, service contracts, human capital management, leadership, management, marketing, e-government, and e-commerce. As this reference includes real world examples of selected cases, it will give readers the tools to utilize the knowledge and techniques needed to succeed in their careers. The perspectives gained from this volume will engage innovations of service and increased value wherever people interact with each other with resources and technology.

The provision of services in both public and private sectors has increased dramatically over the last decade and a half. Many economies have shifted to a predominantly services model, leaving manufacturing and agriculture in their shadow. Service Science Research, Strategy and Innovation: Dynamic Knowledge Management Methods explores areas such as strategy development, service contracts, human capital management, leadership, management, marketing, e-government, and e-commerce. As this reference includes real world examples of selected cases, it will give readers the tools to utilize the knowledge and techniques needed to succeed in their careers. The perspectives gained from this volume will engage innovations of service and increased value wherever people interact with each other with resources and technology.

The creation of a new public realm through the use of the Internet and ICT may positively promote political liberties and freedom of speech, but could also threaten the political and public autonomy of the individual. Human Rights and the Impact of ICT in the Public Sphere: Participation, Democracy, and Political Autonomy focuses on the new technological era as an innovative way to initiate democratic dialogue, but one that can also endanger individual rights to freedom, privacy, and autonomy. This reference book focuses on the new opportunities technology offers for political expression and will be of use to both academic and legal audiences, including academics, students, independent authorities, legislative bodies, and lawyers.

Since agriculture is one of the key parameters in assessing the gross domestic product (GDP) of any country, it has become crucial to transition from traditional agricultural practices to smart agriculture. New agricultural technologies provide numerous opportunities to maximize crop yield by recognizing and analyzing diseases and other natural variables that may affect it. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how computer-assisted technologies can best be utilized and adopted in the conversion to smart agriculture. Modern Techniques for Agricultural Disease Management and Crop Yield Prediction is an essential publication that widens the spectrum of computational methods that can aid in agriculture disease management, weed detection, and crop yield prediction. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics such as soil and crop sensors, swarm robotics, and weed detection, this book is ideally designed for environmentalists, farmers, botanists, agricultural engineers, computer engineers, scientists, researchers, practitioners, and students seeking current research on technology and techniques for agricultural diseases and predictive trends.

The rapid development of new technologies has created a lasting impact in the healthcare sector during the past decades. Due to this influence, potential clinical problems have decreased while the quality of healthcare delivery and overall user friendliness has increased and contributed to cost-effective healthcare systems. Biomedical and Clinical Engineering for Healthcare Advancement is an essential reference source that discusses growth in healthcare applications driven by the adoption of new technologies, as well as the expansion of machine learning algorithms for clinical decision making. It focuses on combining vision, motion, data acquisition, and automated control to accelerate the development of affordable and portable medical devices. Featuring research on topics such as artificial intelligence, drug delivery, and retinal imaging, this book is ideally designed for healthcare professionals, biomedical engineers, biomedical professionals, clinicians, hospital directors, physicians, medical students, and clinical researchers.

Blockchain was first conceptualized as a method of building trust in machines and has grown into a vital aspect of many different sectors of the economy. Recently, attention has shifted to the field of autonomous vehicles, and the added value blockchain can provide for the future of this sector by building next generation secure decentralized, distributed, and trusted automated environments and enhancing the productivity of several autonomous applications. Opportunities and Challenges for Blockchain Technology in Autonomous Vehicles is a critical reference source that explores the applications of blockchain in automated industries. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics including privacy, risk assessment, and performance optimization, this book is ideally designed for design engineers, industry professionals, cryptographers, service designers, entrepreneurs, government officials, consultants, researchers, academicians, and students.