The Governance of Rural Land in a Liberalised World

Liberalisation of agricultural policies reduces the influence of policy on land‐use decisions, but environmental policy objectives remain. Governance provides an approach that recognises the role of institutions and collective action. The formulation of environmental policy objectives in terms of the provision of public goods raises questions as to the role of economic valuation and as to whether the definition of ‘goods’ may misdirect policy attention. An alternative approach relates to ecosystem services and sees management issues in terms of ecosystem resilience and the adaptive governance of socio‐ecological systems. Governance involves a mix of regulation, markets, government incentives and collective action. Regulation sets the domain within which markets operate and social judgements as to property rights are required as a basis for exchanges. Depending on commodity prices, agri‐environment schemes may be required either to reduce agricultural production intensity or to keep land under production. The diffuse nature of the environmental benefits and costs of land uses, the complexity of ecosystems and the need to co‐ordinate land management decisions indicate a role for local adaptive co‐management of land resources. Governments play a major role in supporting the institutional framework within which this can take place.     

关于小微企业融资难的基础痛点与根治路径研究——基于人的劣根性视角

关于小微企业融资难与贵的基础性痛点,在影响中小微企业融资的若干因素中,笔者认为人的劣根性是所有因素的关键,也是衍生其他逆经济发展现象的根源。用传统、单一的经济金融理论与思维已经无法解答、解决当前小微企业融资中存在的问题与现象。本文认为综合运用抑制人的劣根性、深化金融供给侧结构性改革、提升小微企业的发展韧性、大力发展与运用金融科技是彻底改变中小微企业融资状况,促进中小微企业金融生态持续、健康成长的“四大根治良方”。     

How does adaptive co-management relate to specified and general resilience? An approach from Isla Mayor,Andalusia, Spain

Resilience provides a framework to study the dynamics of social-ecological systems (SESs). The inherent complexity and uncertainty of SESs reveals the necessity for new approaches in management, such as adaptive co-management (ACM). The objective of the present research is to analyse the link between ACM and specified/general resilience debate. For the empirical analysis, a qualitative case-study approach is conducted in Isla Mayor, a southern municipality of Spain with an intensive rice cultivation tradition and a few limited secondary activities such as fishing and tourism. First, we explore five different faces of ACM in Isla Mayor’s rice farming: (1) institution building, (2) power sharing, (3) governance, (4) problem solving, and (5) knowledge co-production, social learning and adaptation. Secondly, we analyse specified and general resilience from two perspectives: (1) stakeholders’ perceptions, (2) adaptive capacity and self-organization. The results highlight the existence of a task-oriented process aimed at solving problems related to the rice activity. This process has contributed to shape a new multi-level governance system and sharing of power between public authorities and local rice farmers, seemingly contributing to an improved rice cultivation specified resilience. However, the lack of collective power and vertical/horizontal links in the governance framework of the remaining socio-economic activities in the region have given rise to some difficulties in their management and interactions with the rice sector, thereby raising barriers to diversify activities and enhance general resilience. The case shows that ACM can provide the opportunity to navigate the trade-offs between specified and general resilience.     

旅游网络与电子商务网站外部性互补的分析

结合电子商务网站,旅游网络表现出强烈的外部性,本文分析旅游网络的基本外部性、客户黏度、网络弹性、客户预期和费用率等核心元素,总结出旅游网络外部性估算办法,对照外部性特征,由实际出发,提出旅游企业进行差异化营销的三个核心环节：创新图存、虚拟协同和分工细化,以充分利用旅游网络的外部性特征,提高旅游业务活力。     

Implementation of a System Approach for Enhanced Supply Chain Continuity and Resiliency: A Longitudinal Study

Researchers and practitioners frequently point to inventory as a necessary component of an effective supply chain strategy. However, an undisciplined or ineffective approach to inventory can have a detrimental impact on an organization and its entire supply chain. When making inventory decisions, firms must ensure that the selected approach “fits” the overall supply chain strategy. While such an assertion seems intuitive, there is a need for empirical validation. We seek to contribute to this important body of research by investigating the impact of improved strategic alignment of inventory on resiliency and continuity. More specifically, we investigate the impact of improved strategic fit by comparing two distinct approaches to inventory management within a service parts environment. We hypothesize that a well‐aligned approach to inventory management can enhance continuity and resiliency. We test these hypotheses via a longitudinal field study involving 10 United States Air Force (USAF) locations and two years of data (approximately 650,000 inventory transactions). Results from nine test locations and one control location suggest that a well‐aligned approach to inventory management is indeed effective in improving continuity and resiliency, thus enhancing service‐based strategies—in this case, the USAF's ability to be mission‐capable. While the results of the study are derived from the USAF, we believe the implications provide broader insight into the use of inventory as a means of realizing a strategic fit.     

Consumer resilience and subservience in technology consumption by the poor

ABSTRACT

Consumer technology theorists have explored technology consumption primarily through a de-linked, individualistic lens. We augment existing theories on technology consumption by widening the scope of the theorizing lens to include the role of class-based societal domination on consumption by the oppressed. We show that the poor respond to oppression by practices that go beyond non-compliance and subterfuge. We highlight the overlooked phenomenon of Consumer Resilience, and unveil the practices of Subservience in technology consumption by the poor in India. These are consumption practices that help the dominated classes appease those dominating them, at the expense of their own dignity and well-being.     

Public Panic and Morale: Second World War Civilian Responses Re‐examined in the Light of the Current Anti‐terrorist Campaign

Following September 11 in the US and July 7 in the UK, the threat to civilians from terrorist attack has become real yet considerable disagreement exists about how people might respond. The effect of aerial bombing on the public's morale during the Second World War and the incidence of psychiatric casualties have been explored to provide reference points for the current terrorist threat. Systematic study of restricted government investigations and intelligence reports into the effect of air‐raids on major British towns and contemporary medical publications have shown that panic was a rare phenomenon and arose in defined circumstances. Morale fluctuated according to the intensity of attacks, preparedness and popular perceptions of how successfully the war was being conducted. Resilience was in part a function of the active involvement of the public in its own defence but also reflected the inability of German bombers to deliver a concentrated attack over a wide area. Most civilians, by their very numbers, were likely to survive. Inappropriate or excessive precautionary measures may serve to weaken society's natural bonds and, in turn, create anxious and avoidant behaviour. Weapons that tap into contemporary health fears have the greatest psychological impact. Efforts by government to engage the public not only build trust but may also make an effective contribution to the campaign against terrorism.     

Learning power in the workplace: the effective lifelong learning inventory and its reliability and validity and implications for learning and development

An organisation's ability to learn, to harness collective intelligence and to translate that learning rapidly into action in response to environmental challenges is the ultimate competitive advantage in the constantly changing context of the information age. It is an indicator of the organisations' resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty and change. Improving an organisation's capacity to learn will only have the desired impact on performance if it improves employee engagement at the same time. In this paper, we introduce the concept of learning power into the context of the workplace, drawing on what has been learned from its application in education and recent studies in the corporate and community sector in the UK and beyond. The seven dimensions of learning power were identified by Deakin Crick, Broadfoot and Claxton (2004, Assessment in Education Principles Policy and Practice, 11, 247–272) in the development of the effective lifelong learning inventory (ELLI), an assessment tool designed to enable learners to become aware of their own learning power and to turn diagnosis into strategies for improvement. We present the psychometric properties and the validity and reliability statistics of ELLI as the Learning Power assessment tool for learners in the world of work and community, based on an adult workplace population of over 5000. Finally, we explore the implications of these ideas and practices for learning in corporate organisations.     

A resilient social economy? Insights from the community food sector in the UK

At a time of global economic and environmental crisis, academic and policy debates are re-emphasizing the potential of the social economy in providing an alternative development model that reconnects communities with their resource-base and enhances their ‘resilience’. The goal of this paper is to explore this potential through a focus on the practices and values of those who are concretely involved in the social economy. Based on data collected on five community food enterprises in Oxfordshire, UK, the analysis focuses on the perceptions of social entrepreneurs in relation to the ‘alternativeness’ of the social economy, its potential for expansion and its resilience. The research highlights the capacity of social entrepreneurs to empower local communities through a process of collective mobilization of local resources. Theoretically, this study generates new insights into the nature and meanings of resilience as a process of creation of more self-reliant communities of people, places, tools, skills and knowledge. From a policy and practice perspective, the paper raises the need for regional development strategies that capture the gains of these isolated initiatives, particularly in relation to their innovative capacity to create a shared vision that fosters synergies between local ecological, social and economic resources.