This book offers readers the chance to learn from the experiences of researchers involved in integrated mission-directed research, particularly in the areas of natural resource management and regional development. Integrated Mission-directed Research covers important issues in integration science, supported by case studies that detail how to engage individuals and communities, and support policy decisions and development. The authors explore case studies undertaken in Australia, Europe, Thailand and Indonesia, as well as perspectives from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Closing chapters demonstrate key challenges for researchers and essential questions that should be answered when trying to set up integrated research. Potential benefits that could be obtained from effective integrated mission-directed research are included, as well as assessment questions to assist researchers to see if such benefits have been truly obtained. Written by experienced researchers, many of whom were involved in CSIRO’s Social and Economic Integration Emerging Science Initiative, the book explores how integrated research is now seen as crucial in achieving sustainability outcomes in natural resource management.

Christian school leaders need to reflect carefully on the leadership and governance processes that can best guide their schools. This book introduces a mission-directed governance system designed to define educational ideals, focus leadership energies, advance the school, create accountability, and measure results. While holding fast to essential positions of Christian faith and educational philosophy, these ideas can help leaders of Christian schools more effectively address purpose, priority, and organization through fresh approaches to governance.

The book is based on practical experience gained during the planning and execution of e-governance projects in India coupled with extensive research based on six national/multi-state-level agriculture related projects. It assesses e-governance projects in terms of desired project outcomes and analyzes performance from the viewpoints of three key groups – planners, implementers and beneficiaries. It highlights six constructs: extent of planning, comprehensiveness of strategy formulation, effectiveness of strategy implementation, changing situation, stakeholder competence levels and flexibility of processes, which are applied to reveal shortfalls in the existing planning and implementation system for e-governance projects in India. It also identifies a set of significant strategic variables influencing performance based on three independent opinion surveys of stakeholders located across the country, and uses these variables as the basis of strategic gap analyses of some major ongoing agriculture related projects. Furthermore it presents lessons learned from cross-case quantitative and qualitative analyses in the form of a generalized strategic framework for improving performance. Offering an overview of major e-governance projects, it uses several illustrative examples to address the underlying issues and to support the study findings and recommendations. It also presents a novel approach of building strategic alliances across related departments to achieve effective e-governance. The book will be of interest to the practitioners in government as well corporates who are engaged in planning and implementation of e-governance projects spanning across various layers of government. In Indian context, the learning issues are likely to trigger appropriate corrective measures for generating better value from the several flagship projects envisaged under the Digital India Programme. Further, it will interest the academic audience working on the strategic framework and constituting constructs. It will also benefit business students and application software architectures who aspire for a consulting career in the area of e-governance.

This book explores the foundation and nature of the relationship between capitalist accumulation and the state in East Asia and Latin America that has profoundly influenced industrialization and macroeconomic performance. Scholars from both sides of the Pacific offer critical perspectives on the differing fates of the two regions, especially over t