This book explains why Venezuela is so rich in natural resources—it has been producing oil since 1922 and harbors the largest oil reserves in the world—and yet it is also a failed nation of class-divided citizens exhibiting deep poverty in a corrupt, incompetent state. Venezuela is a bipolar nation, where two marked poles in the society exist which have historical origins and are mutually exclusive. The book provides a critical analysis of Venezuela's history, economy and politics and explains the context and implications of the bipolar poles, known as the elite pole and the resentful pole. Both, it shows, have done serious harm to Venezuela’s prosperity. The author describes the vicious circle of oil wealth, corruption, inefficiency and world market dependency and gives recommendations for a better future.
Ein umfassender Überblick über die derzeitigen Technologien zur Energieerzeugung und den heutigen Energieverbrauch Dieses Fachbuch verbindet in einzigartiger Weise die Ansichten eines Soziologen mit denen eines Naturwissenschaftlers. Neben Erläuterungen und Ansätzen zur Quantifizierung von Energie und Nachhaltigkeit werden die heutigen Technologien zur Energieerzeugung und der aktuelle Energieverbrauch untersucht. Besonderes Augenmerk liegt dabei auf ökologischen, historischen und regulatorischen Aspekten jeder Energietechnologie. Alternative und zukünftige Energietechnologien sowie Beispiele nachhaltiger Techniken, alltäglicher Probleme bei Transport, Stadtplanung und Eigenheimbau werden ebenfalls beleuchtet. Introduction to Energy and Sustainability beschreibt zunächst die verschiedenen Konzepte und behandelt u. a. die Geschichte unserer Beziehung zu Energie, definiert und quantifiziert Energie und Nachhaltigkeit, den Energiefluss, die Umwandlung von Energie und Stoffen, die Gesetze der Thermodynamik und die heutige Energieherstellung. Es folgt eine Untersuchung, wie in unserer modernen Welt Energie erzeugt und verbraucht wird, welche Arten von Energie zur Verfügung stehen und wie diese eingesetzt werden. Das Fachbuch beschäftigt sich auch mit der Zukunft von Energie und damit, wie wir vor dem Hintergrund einer sich verändernden Welt die heutigen und zukünftigen Energiequellen bereitstellen und nutzen werden. - Ausgewogene Darstellung der naturwissenschaftlichen und technischen Konzepte zu Energie und Nachhaltigkeit. Diskutiert ausführlich die sozioökonomischen und geopolitischen Auswirkungen. - Verbindet in einzigartiger Weise die Ansichten eines Soziologen und eines Naturwissenschaftlers. - Behandelt unzählige Fragen aus der Praxis und gibt Antworten. - Ein Buch für Studenten verschiedener Studiengänge aus dem Bereich Energie und für Ökologen. Introduction to Energie and Sustainability richtet sich an Postgraduierte von Studiengängen aus dem Bereich Energie. Auch für Ökologen, Ingenieure, Ingenieure der Energiewirtschaft und Chemiker in der Industrie von hoher Relevanz.
The emergence of the international oil corporation as a political actor in the twentieth century, seen in BP's infrastructure and information arrangements in Iran. In the early twentieth century, international oil corporations emerged as a new kind of political actor. The development of the world oil industry, argues Katayoun Shafiee, was one of the era's largest political projects of techno-economic development. In this book, Shafiee maps the machinery of oil operations in the Anglo-Iranian oil industry between 1901 and 1954, tracking the organizational work involved in moving oil through a variety of technical, legal, scientific, and administrative networks. She shows that, in a series of disagreements, the British-controlled Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC, which later became BP) relied on various forms of information management to transform political disputes into techno-economic calculation, guaranteeing the company complete control over profits, labor, and production regimes. She argues that the building of alliances and connections that constituted Anglo-Iranian oil's infrastructure reconfigured local politics of oil regions and examines how these arrangements in turn shaped the emergence of both nation-state and transnational oil corporation. Drawing on her extensive archival and field research in Iran, Shafiee investigates the surprising ways in which nature, technology, and politics came together in battles over mineral rights; standardizing petroleum expertise; formulas for calculating profits, production rates, and labor; the “Persianization” of employees; nationalism and oil nationalization; and the long-distance machinery of an international corporation. Her account shows that the politics of oil cannot be understood in isolation from its technical dimensions. The open access edition of this book was made possible by generous funding from Knowledge Unlatched.
The Prize recounts the panoramic history of oil -- and the struggle for wealth power that has always surrounded oil. This struggle has shaken the world economy, dictated the outcome of wars, and transformed the destiny of men and nations. The Prize is as much a history of the twentieth century as of the oil industry itself. The canvas of this history is enormous -- from the drilling of the first well in Pennsylvania through two great world wars to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Storm. The cast extends from wildcatters and rogues to oil tycoons, and from Winston Churchill and Ibn Saud to George Bush and Saddam Hussein. The definitive work on the subject of oil and a major contribution to understanding our century, The Prize is a book of extraordinary breadth, riveting excitement -- and great importance.
Raymond F. Mikesell deals with sources of conflict between private foreign investors and the governments of developing countries. He concludes that government ownership and control will expand and that foreign investors are most likely to become sellers of their special services rather than remain investors who act freely for the benefit of parent companies. Originally published in 1971.
The Historical Dictionary of the Petroleum Industry presents a concise but complete one-volume reference on the history of the petroleum industry from pre-modern times to the present day. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on companies, people, events, technologies, phenomena, countries, provinces, cities, and regions related to the history of the world's petroleum industry. Anyone interested in the history, status, and outlook for the petroleum industry will find this book a uniquely valuable source.
The petroleum industry is among the most lucrative and most important in the world, and its impact within the realm of international politics is tremendous (although it can be overstated). Taking a well-balanced and objective approach to the complicated web of political and economic threads that make up the fabric of the oil industry, Falola and Genova introduce the most salient aspects in clear language, offering cogent and up-to-date information about the countries, companies, international organizations, and people who shape the contemporary history of the black gold. The relationship of international politics and the global oil industry affects everyone but is understood by few. Taking a well-balanced and objective approach to deconstructing this intricate web for those unfamiliar with the industry, Falola and Genova introduce the major players in the field, offering cogent and up-to-date information about the countries, companies, organizations, and people who shape the contemporary history of oil. They break down the essentials, describing the discovery process, the different types of oil, and the various processes by which oil gets to the market. Then they provide a brief history of the major oil-producing countries, followed by a discussion of OPEC and international efforts to control the price and supply of oil. After setting the stage, they introduce the most salient political issues that are influenced by oil, namely environmental protection, human rights, and economic development. Finally, a look at each of seven major oil exporters—Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela—demonstrates that the black gold can be both a blessing and a curse for the countries that produce it. Despite the need to learn how to exploit alternative energy sources before the oil runs out, we will continue to be dependent on oil for the foreseeable future. Today's oil demands are not only generated by such obvious activities as gassing up our cars or powering our aircraft, but also from the ubiquitous technological gadgets that have infiltrated our daily lives. From computer monitors to CDs, from cell phones to the petroleum-generated materials used in our shoes and sweaters, our reliance on oil continues to grow. Because price and supply are highly dependent on political events in distant countries, it is essential for American consumers to understand the intricacies of this complex subject. Falola and Genova demystify the industry and invite us to investigate more deeply this vital resource.
