Bücher von Maria Wirth

Hertha Firnberg (1909-1994) war die zweite Frau, die in Österreich je einem Ministerium vorstand sowie jene Politikerin, die 1970 ein eigenständiges Wissenschaftsressort aufbaute und dieses 13 Jahre lang, während der gesamten Ära Kreisky, leitete. Maria Wirth rückt in ihrer Studie Hertha Firnberg als zentrale Akteurin in der österreichischen Wissenschaftspolitik in den Mittelpunkt. Sie beleuchtet die Biografie Firnbergs und ihre Tätigkeit als Wissenschaftspolitikerin mit einem Fokus auf die Universitäts- und Forschungspolitik sowie die Situation von Mädchen und Frauen im Bildungssystem und verortet beides im zeitgeschichtlichen Kontext. Der Bildungs-, Universitäts- und Forschungspolitik im 20. Jahrhundert kommt dabei - sowohl was das Leben Firnbergs betrifft als auch über das Biografische hinaus - eine große Beachtung zu. Hertha Firnberg (1909-1994) was the second female minister in Austria and the politician who established an independent Ministry of Science in 1970, which she headed throughout the whole Kreisky era until 1983. Maria Wirth's study focuses on Hertha Firnberg as a central player in Austrian science policy. She illuminates Firnberg's biography and her activities as a science politician with a focus on university and research policy as well as the situation of girls and women in the educational system and situates both in the context of contemporary history. Educational, university, and research policies in the 20th century are given a great deal of attention, both in terms of Firnberg's life and beyond her biography.

Energy use for municipal water supply is often responsible for underestimated costs and carbon emissions. Meanwhile, infrastructure managers are struggling to keep up with population growth, economic development and the effects of climate change. Energy intensity of raw water extraction, drinking water purification and distribution depend on a host of supply and demand-side drivers, while cumulative energy use rises with the volume of municipal water that water utilities must produce to meet growing demand. The present study identifies socio-economic and demographic conditions that influence water availability, quality and volume of demand. These supply and demand-side drivers of municipal water are related to their inter-dependencies and feedback mechanisms, and linked to their impact on energy intensity in drinking water utilities. Based on these findings, the analytical framework is applied to countries in Africa, identifying high-impact factors in the different country-level contexts.