Stanford University

Energy Working Group Talk: Suzi Kerr on Designing More Effective International Policy to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation

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Effectively addressing emissions from deforestation will require both an international policy - to address the global nature of the climate problem, and domestic policies - to effectively respond to the international policies and take unilateral action; Suzi will be focusing on the former. 

The key challenges in reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) policy are monitoring, permanence, and additionality - leakage and adverse selection as well as the risks involved if REDD is linked explicitly to international carbon markets.  They propose an international system based on national baselines, temporary rewards for protection and externally replicable monitoring and illustrate the potential outcomes in terms of  additional carbon storage, the cost of emissions reductions, and transfers of resources between countries.  Suzi will also briefly discuss how national governments might respond to an international policy of this type. 

 

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Suzi Kerr graduated from Harvard University in 1995 with a PhD in Economics. Following that she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland - College Park from 1995 through 1998. From 1999 to 2009 Kerr co-founded and was Director of Motu. She has been a visiting scholar at Resources for the Future (USA), Victoria University, and, from Jan - August 2001, in the Joint Center for the Science and Policy of Global Change at MIT.

Suzi Kerr is a Visiting Professor in the Economics Department at Stanford University and a Senior Research Associate in Stanford's Program in Energy and Sustainable Development.  She is also a Senior Fellow at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research in New Zealand. 

Stanford University

Suzi Kerr Visiting Professor Speaker
Seminars

7th Nomura Asia Equity Forum

PESD research fellow Jeremy Carl will be guest speaking at the 7th Nomura Asia Equity Forum on climate policy in China and India and its effects on the global energy market.

Program highlights

  • Main plenary sessions with Keynote, guest & government speakers, panel discussion and corporate presentations
  • Country Focus: China, India, ASEAN, Japan, Europe
  • Sector Focus: Financials, Property, Infrastructure, Alternative Energy & Climate Change, Healthcare, Oil & Gas and more
  • Featuring over 160 Asian and Japanese leading corporates in 1on1 / small group meetings with senior management
  • Access to leading industry analysts, strategists and economists from Nomura
  • Social events to network and enhance mindshare

Marina Bay Sands Resort & Casino, Singapore

Jeremy Carl

616 Serra St.
Encina Hall E415
Stanford, CA 94305

(650) 723-2136 (650) 724-1717
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Jeremy Carl is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution whose work focuses on energy and environmental policy, with particular emphasis on energy security, climate policy, and global fossil fuel markets. In addition, he writes extensively on US-India relations and Indian politics.

Before coming to Stanford, he was a  research fellow in resource and development economics at the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India’s leading energy and environmental policy organization.

He is the editor of Conversations about Energy: How the Experts See America’s Energy Choices, and his work has appeared in numerous publications including the Journal of Energy Security, Energy Security Challenges for the 21st Century, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, and Papers on International Environmental Negotiation.

In addition to his work on energy, the environment, and India, Jeremy has written about a variety of other issues related to U.S. politics and public policy; Jeremy’s work has been featured in and cited by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Newsweek, South China Morning Post, Indian Express, and many other leading newspapers and magazines. He has advised and assisted numerous groups including the World Bank, the United Nations, and the staff of the U.S. Congress.

Jeremy received a BA with distinction from Yale University. He holds an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and did doctoral work at Stanford University, where he was a Packard Foundation Stanford Graduate Fellow.

Research Fellow
Jeremy Carl Speaker
Workshops

Patient Trust in Physicians in China: A Survey of Beijing

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The Chinese health care system has experienced profound changes like retrenchment of state financial support in the past decades. These changes have prompted the Chinese media and some academics to suggest that patients have a relatively low level of trust in physicians in today's China. In this colloquium, Dr. Tam reports the results of his survey of patient trust in physicians in Beijing's public hospitals. The survey was conducted by Horizon Research Group between November 2009 and January 2010, and 434 patients were interviewed.
 
The survey asked the respondents their degree of trust regarding the following three dimensions: physician agency, competence, and information provision. The survey finds a relatively high level of patient trust in physicians in Beijing public hospitals. Additionally, the survey data highlight three major determinants of patient trust in physicians, namely exposure to negative media reports about physicians and hospitals; the patient's self-assessed health status; and the patient’s level of education and income.
 
Waikeung Tam received his Ph.D. in political science at the University of Chicago in 2009. He is currently a Research Fellow at the LKY School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on public policy, political development, law and society, with special reference to China and Hong Kong. His research has been published in China Review, Asian Perspective, Journal of Contemporary Asia, and Law & Social Inquiry.

Daniel and Nancy Okimoto Conference Room

Waikeung Tam Speaker National University of Singapore
Seminars

The North Korean Crisis: Human Stories and Taking Action

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Mass famines, like those of the 1990s that killed a million people, are projected to happen again in North Korea. At any time, more than 220,000 people are held in the prison system, where "torture, assault, rape, infanticides, forced detention and public executions" are commonplace. The state medical system is in severe disrepair, allowing treatable diseases like tuberculosis to claim tens of thousands of lives per year. Unfortunately, North Korea's political and economic isolation often impedes those interested in reducing the hardships endured by the North Korean people. In "The North Korean Crisis: Human Stories and Taking Action," four experts on North Korea will discuss the North Korean humanitarian crisis and importantly, outline ways for members of the Stanford community and beyond to take action.

Presented by the Stanford Korean Students Association and sponsored by ASSU Speaker's Bureau, Korean Student Association at Stanford, Korean Studies Program, CDDRL, Steve Kahing

Bechtel Conference Center

Dr. Sharon Perry Senior researcher at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine Speaker Stanford and North Korean
Jung Gwang Il Director of NK Gulag for Democracy Speaker A Seoul based-NGO
David Hawk Former Executive Director of Amnesty International USA Speaker
Dan Chung Communications Director of Crossing Borders Speaker
Conferences

North Korea and the Sinking of the South Korean Navy Vessel "Cheonan"

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David Straub, associate director of the Korean Studies Program, discussed the historical context of North Korea's apparent sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette "Cheonan" on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives. Straub said that North Korea's second test of a nuclear device had profoundly affected American and global thinking about North Korean intentions. "Now the conclusion of most people, including in the Obama administration," Straub underlined, "is that they can't see the North Koreans giving up their nuclear weapons on terms that would be acceptable to anyone."
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"China 2.0: The Rise of a Digital Superpower" conference at Encina Hall on May 24-25

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On May 24 and 25, industry leaders will meet at Encina Hall's Bechtel Conference Center to assess the likely future shape and implications of China's rise in the digital realm for consumers, industry players, investors, researchers and policy makers--be sure to join SPRIE for the "China 2.0" conference at Stanford University.

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The Fourth Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum

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In this fourth session of the Forum, former senior government officials and other leading experts from the United States and South Korea will discuss current developments in North Korea and North Korea policy, the future of the U.S.-South Korean alliance, and a strategic vision for Northeast Asia.

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Bechtel Conference Center

Workshops
Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum

Zalmay Khalilzad: Prospects for the Broader Middle East

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"In terms of geo-politics, the most difficult and most challenging part of the world in this era, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11, is the broader Middle East," said Zalmay Khalilzad, in a 2010 Payne Distinguished Lecture, "The Struggle for the Broader Middle East: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go." A native of Afghanistan, Khalilzad served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and as a senior White House, Defense, and State Department Advisor.

Tracing the dynamic interplay of national, regional, and international forces, he set out five major issues likely to shape the future of the region:

  1. The challenge of militant Islam, resulting from an ongoing crisis of civilization within a once powerful, innovative, and dynamic Islamic world.
  2. Regional disputes, including the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Afghanistan-Pakistan border dispute, and ongoing Indian-Pakistani disputes.  Terming the Arab-Israeli conflict an important shaping factor, Khalilzad said that circumstances were not ready for a settlement.  "Israel wants a process without an outcome and the Palestinians want an outcome without a process," he said.
  3. Rivalry for regional hegemony, including the rivalry between Shia and Sunni Islam and Iran's quest to obtain a nuclear weapon.  In the struggle over Iran's nuclear program, he said, is the potential for a wider regional conflict. Israel could attack Iran's facilities, destabilizing the region, and over the long term, a nuclear Iran would threaten Israel and provoke both state and sub-state proliferation.
  4. Broader political and economic development and democratization efforts. The region's population is growing rapidly, but the educational system prepares the young poorly for the modern world and job prospects are limited, creating discontent and the danger of internal instability.
  5. Extra regional factors, including U.S. policy. Setting a July 2011 timeline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan has had unintended consequences, he said, including increased corruption, as people seek to maximize access to resources now. In Iraq, institution building has been effective, the resource base is there for a power-sharing formula, and Iraq can do quite well. The pledge of U.S. troop withdrawals this summer, however, has led Iraqis to think "we are on our way out" and led them to look to regional actors for support, adding to polarization.

The region remains vitally important, he concluded, given the challenges emanating from it.  "A civilization crisis takes a long time to work itself out," he said, "and although the world is affected by it, we can influence it to a degree, but we have to do so without undermining the more moderate and secular forces for the good."

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16th Annual Coaltrans Asia

Richard Morse led a presentation on China's long term coal import/export balance at the 16th Annual Coaltrans Asia 3-day conference in Indonesia.  A few topics he addressed were:

  • Is the world's largest coal producer on the verge of becoming a net-importer?
  • Import price spreads
  • How and why China's government may intervene in the coal markets
  • Domestic market reform and investment

Coaltrans Conferences organises large-scale international coal conferences which attract delegates from all over the world. It also runs focused regional events, exhibitions, field trips and training courses. It has a reputation for employing the highest organisational standards. In 2010, Coaltrans is running events in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa, The Netherlands, The UK, The US, and Vietnam.

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Bali International Convention Centre, Indonesia

Richard K. Morse Speaker
Conferences

New evidence of defensive medicine from an empirical study on Taiwanese obstetricians

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A new AHPP working paper contributes to an important debate in law and health policy

Malpractice liability, along with medical technology and payment system distortions, regularly figures among the most-cited reasons for escalating health-care spending in the United States. On the one hand, Harvard economist Amitabh Chandra conservatively estimates that upwards of $60 billion, or 3 percent of total health care costs ($1.8 trillion), is spent annually as a result of direct litigation and indi­rect defensive medicine costs. On the other hand, tort reform advocates place the figure at $200 billion by extrapolating, to the entire U.S. population, the results of research conducted by Stanford professor Dan Kessler and Mark McClellan. Their 1996 study shows that tort reforms reduced provider liability costs for Medicare heart patients by 5 to 9 percent.

 

At the heart of these debates is the following question. Does medical malpractice liability achieve its dual goal of compensating victims of medical injuries and deterring medical errors, or does it merely encourage wasteful defensive medicine without improving patient health? Despite considerable empiri­cal research, there is little evidence that malpractice litigation deters medical negligence. The evidence is much stronger—though still hotly debated—that malpractice fears actually encourage physicians to engage in defensive medicine.

 

The newest release in the Asia health Policy Program working paper series, AHPP working paper #13 by Brian Chen, explores whether malpractice pressures affect physician behavior, patient health, and health care costs in Asia. Studying physicians’ response to legal changes in Taiwan, he finds that greater malpractice liability may, under certain circumstances, prompt physicians to perform more services without necessarily improving patient health.

 

Dr. Chen investigates how physicians’ test-ordering behavior and propensity to perform cesarean sections were affected first by a series of court rulings in Taiwan that increased physicians’ liability risks, and then by a subsequent amendment to the law that reversed the courts’ rulings. He finds that physicians faced with higher malpractice pressure increased laboratory tests as expected but unexpectedly reduced cesarean sections. The reduction in cesarean deliveries may be due to the fact that liability risks were more closely aligned with physicians’ standard of care after the court rulings. After the law was amended to negate the court decisions, physicians reversed their previous behavior, reducing laboratory tests and increasing cesarean deliveries. This pattern of behavior strongly suggests that physicians in Taiwan practice defensive medicine.

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