Hard‐branding the cultural city – from Prado to Prada

The industrial ‘Event City’, host to World Fair, sporting, cultural and ceremonial mega‐event, has been transformed in its late‐capitalist form into the ‘City as Event’– from the all year round festival city to the ubiquitous ‘Cities of Culture’. These self‐styled culture cities now look to the contemporary art museum and cultural district to provide a cosmopolitan edge to their promotional icons and associations, with Art now acknowledged as an ‘industry’. Cities worldwide, irrespective of their indigenous culture and heritage (e.g. Guggenheim Bilbao, Rio et al.), are thus emulating the brand reinforcement witnessed in leisure and entertainment products and themed experiences, which themselves have entered the retail environment as prime urban consumption spaces. The paper critiques this evolution of the city of culture and the branded art facility in terms of their form and function, arguing that form has followed regional funding, and that culture‐led regeneration and place‐making now mirrors the product branding of Nike and Sony, vying with them for consumer and political attention through the use of star architecture and retail strategies that belie their public good/realm and cultural distinctions. The cost of these flagships and cultural strategies, the paper concludes, is borne in terms of cultural diversity and production versus consumption and mediation; in community cultural activity and amenity; and by those who do not have a stake in the gentrification process which attaches to these globalized grands projets La ‘Ville de l'industrie de l'événement’ (accueillant Exposition universelle ou méga‐événement sportif, culturel ou commémoratif) est devenue sous sa dernière forme capitaliste la ‘Ville‐Evénement’– de la ville festivalière toute l'année, aux ‘Villes culturelles’ ubiquistes. Ces prétendues villes de culture comptent désormais sur le musée d'art contemporain et le quartier culturel pour fournir un atout cosmopolite à leurs associations et icônes promotionnelles, l'Art étant maintenant reconnu comme une ‘industrie’. A travers le monde, quels que soient leurs culture et héritage locaux (ex.: Guggenheim Bilbao, Rio et autres), des villes sont donc en train d'imiter la consolidation de marque appliquée aux produits de loisirs et réalisations thématiques, lesquels ont pénétré la sphère du commerce de détail comme principal espace de consommation urbain. L'article critique cette évolution de la ville culturelle et du lieu artistique ‘étiqueté’, dans la forme et la fonction, affirmant que la forme a suivi le financement régional, et que la régénération ou la fabrication de lieux par la culture reflète la stratégie de marque des produits Nike et Sony; en effet, ils rivalisent avec eux pour attirer consommateurs et politiques, en utilisant une architecture vedette et des stratégies de distribution qui désavouent leurs distinctions culturelles et leur domaine ou bien public. Pour conclure, ces produits vedettes et stratégies culturelles ont un coût en termes de diversié et production culturelles (opposées à consommation et intervention), en charme et activité culturelle de la communauté, coût payé par ceux qui n'ont pas part au processus d'embourgeoisement associéà ces ‘grands projets’ internationaux.     

Reflective images: the case of urban regeneration in Glasgow and Bilbao

Old industrial cities have made broad use of new strategies as the means to overcome the difficulties created by the restructuring of their former economic basis. Although usually based on physical practices, these strategies have attempted to ease the transformation towards a services-based economy, which has been presented as the essential means to solve the cities’ economic problems. Even if it has been of widespread currency, the effectiveness of this formula is not clear, as its impact on the city of Glasgow illustrates. Yet, at present, Bilbao, a Basque variant of one of those old industrial cities, is making use of the same ideas to legitimate its own current renewal, through focusing upon the misleading message that comes from Glasgow’s apparent success in urban regeneration. The article underlines the poor scope of the success achieved by such a strategy in old industrial contexts facing serious unemployment problems.     

浅析改进博物馆的陈列工作的重要性

我国的博物馆事业在改革开放的二十多年中,取得了飞跃性的发展,在客观上已经成为精神文明建设的主要内容和进行爱国主义教育的重要阵地,陈列工作作为博物馆的主要工作之一,影响着博物馆整个工作的成效。但是综观我国的博物馆陈列工作,却不尽如人意。本文借鉴国外博物馆的工作实践,探讨了如何做好博物馆的陈列工作。     

Scalar Narratives in Bilbao: A Cultural Politics of Scales Approach to the Study of Urban Policy

In this article I explore how theoretical metaphors about the contemporary rescaling of the capitalist economy are used by local policy actors to justify an entrepreneurial urban policy. I develop a new theoretical concept (scalar narrative), suggest an analytical approach (cultural politics of scales) and give evidence of a particular case (Bilbao). The article is structured in the following way. First, I briefly review the literature on politics of scales and contribute to the debate with an approach that incorporates elements from cultural political economy and interpretative policy analysis. Within this approach I mobilize the concept of ‘scalar narrative’ that has already been suggested in the literature but not fully explored. I then put this approach into practice with a particular case study, Bilbao, a city in the north of Spain, which has recently gone through extensive urban regeneration, where I describe the appropriation of three scalar narratives by the policymakers. To show this I draw from empirical work done in Bilbao that looks at statutory and strategic planning documents as well as urban marketing literature and interviews with key informants.     

Museum pricing: challenges to theory development and practice

• The museum sector has undergone considerable change in the last few decades, which has been a result of both internal and external forces. The topic of pricing in museums, however, has attracted little interest from researchers in the field despite the sector's need to understand it better. This study aimed to address this gap in knowledge. Results of a comprehensive literature review on pricing highlight that the topic of pricing in museums is problematic, as a range of issues, social, political and often value-laden, must be considered before pricing decisions can be made. The study highlights that there is diversity in the sector with regard to pricing, but that museums generally adopt a unilateral approach to pricing. Researchers in entrepreneurial marketing have noted that conventional pricing theory is being turned on its head and they argue that deciding what prices to charge represents one of the more entrepreneurial strategies for organisations. This study indicates that, within the context of museums, marketers are failing to recognise and capitalise on such pricing opportunities. Approaches to setting multiple museum pricing strategies, depending on the market context, are proposed in this paper. In this way, knowledge of museum pricing can optimise the organisational outcomes of museums while continuing to meet their social responsibilities.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

我国博物馆信息化建设的挑战

随着信息技术的广泛应用,我们逐渐步入信息社会。在这一背景下,博物馆信息化建设的重要性开始凸现。文章介绍博物馆信息化开展的背景、含义,分析了博物馆信息化的建设内容及我国博物馆在信息化进程中遇到的问题与挑战,并提出一定的举措来完善我国博物馆信息化建设工作。     

The role of the museum shop in extending the visitor experience

• The aim of the research is to assess the role of the museum shop in extending the learning experience in the museum. The research is situated in the theoretical framework of museum experiences and learning. It acknowledges environmental influences on learning, and of consumption sites that synthesise leisure and consumption and create memorable sensory experiences that engage customers.
• The exploratory approach uses mixed methods to examine visitors' knowledge and experience of museums and their shops. The first phase of the research was undertaken with in-depth interviews to scope the experience of museum shops and their contribution to learning. The second phase was undertaken with visitors to the Imperial War Museum (IMW) in London through a convenience sample which elicited 150 responses to a semi-structured questionnaire. The research demonstrates the significance of the museum shop as a destination for museum visitors, and its role in creating experiences that can supplement the museum's educational priorities and a return to the everyday world of familiar objects.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Internet opportunity for museums: ‘.museum’

A new top‐level domain, ‘.museum’, will soon be available to museums. The advantages and procedures for registering as a ‘.museum’ are outlined in the paper. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications     

A fuzzy set theory based computational model to represent the quality of inter-rater agreement

In this paper we present a method to evaluate the quality of a rater’s judgement, which can integrate and enrich the use of inter-rater agreement as a reliability measure. Our proposal is an integrative one and evaluates the quality of a rater’s performance through an analysis of the profile of that individual rater’s performance. We discuss its rationale on the basis of the interpretation of inter-rater agreement, highlighting some critical issues. For this purpose, we adopt a computational model based on fuzzy set theory, demonstrating its main characteristics with an exemplary case study.     

低碳城市社区建设研究——基于AHP的视角

社区是社会的物质载体,低碳城市社区是低碳城市建设的基础。文章针对我国低碳城市社区建设尚处于起步阶段,缺乏整体发展框架与系统性规划等原因而导致的实践进程缓慢等问题进行了论述。     

关于博物馆与青少年教育的探讨

青少年是祖国的未来和希望,当今的青少年在二十年后将是祖国的主力军。那么博物馆如何开展对青少年的教育,博物馆如何吸引青少年,就成为博物馆所关注的重要问题。     

我国私募基金发展的基础、特点和优势

在当前全球性金融危机背景下,我国中小企业融资难,扩大融资渠道已经成为必须解决的重要问题,私募基金是我国当前金融市场中的新生力量,论文探讨了我国私募基金形成的基础,发展的优势和现状特征等方面的内容。     

Privatizing Museum Services In Uk Local Authorities

This article investigates the extent to which ‘privatization’ has taken place in museum services provided by local authorities in Britain. Three aspects of privatization are examined: change in the legal status of museums to charitable trusts; contracting-in and buying-in private service providers for specific work; and market- and marketing-orientation. All of these have a resonance in new public management in general and are of increasing significance to the international museum community. In the empirical site chosen for this article, privatization has progressed in varying degrees in relation to the three areas concerned, but overall only to a limited extent despite central government's pressure promoting this policy. Reasons suggested for this gap between the political context and the findings are the distinctiveness in the institutional arrangement of policy and the nature of the service. A good understanding of a polrcy arena along these llnes is needed for effective policy application.     

Women entrepreneurs and work-family conflict: an analysis of the antecedents

Over the years, academic attention towards work-family conflict (WFC) issues has been constantly growing due to the socio-economic changes occurring in society. In line with this, great effort has been devoted to investigating WFC experienced by employees, while still almost untapped is the conversation with reference to women entrepreneurs. Moreover, the few studies that deal with women entrepreneurs’ WFC have mainly analysed its negative consequences rather than its predictors. Thus, this study aims to fill such research gap by analysing women entrepreneurs’ WFC antecedents. Based on the bidimensional conceptualization of WFC, distinguishing between work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW), this study verifies an expanded model of the WFC which takes into consideration either the within-domain effects or the cross-domain effects of work and family stressors on WIF and FIW experienced by women entrepreneurs. In doing so, an analysis based on data from 669 women entrepreneurs has been conducted. Results show that both within-domain relationships and cross-domain relationships play a key role in explaining the WFC experienced by women entrepreneurs.

     

THE LABOUR FOOTPRINT: A FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS LABOUR IN A COMPLEX ECONOMY

As addressing labour becomes crucial in the move towards sustainability, there is the need for assessment tools suitable for current complex economic systems. This article presents an input–output based framework (‘labour footprint’) for evaluating labour issues behind the production of different economic commodities, including entire supply chains. In line with the guidelines of the International Labour Organization, six labour issues are considered: collective bargaining, forced labour, child labour, gender inequality, hazardous work, and social security. This conceptual article sets to (a) define this footprint's labour dimensions, (b) cite relevant data sources, (c) describe its calculation, (d) illustrate its application through a case study, and (e) discuss this framework's relevance from ‘conscious consumption’, ‘supply chain responsibility’, and regulators' standpoints. Since it advances the evaluation of fundamental labour issues and the scope of multi-criteria analyses, this footprint may be a valuable tool for sustainability assessments.     

中国城镇化进程中农地非农化的偏离与矫正

中国城镇化进程的快速推进产生了大量的农地非农化问题,进而导致了农地功能变异、生态和粮食安全问题以及粗放的发展方式等累积负面效应。在经济高质量发展背景下,要高度重视粮食安全与生态保护,构建可持续的城镇化融资机制,注重私权和公权相互制衡下的土地资产开发,从而实现农地非农化向正常态的回归。中国未来城镇化发展的重心将转移至郊区和乡村,实现城乡一体化发展,对乡村进行更新建设和对城镇进行棕地再开发将成为农地非农化的主要方式。     

金融发展、FDI技术溢出与中国经济增长——基于省际面板数据的实证分析

基于1990年-2008年中国省际面板数据,就金融发展水平决定的FDI溢出效应对中国经济增长影响的实证研究表明,样本期内FDI通过其资本积累效应,对中国经济增长产生了显著的促进作用,且这一作用有随时间而强化的趋势;金融发展具有放大FDI技术溢出效应的作用,并由此对中国经济增长产生正面影响,但目前来看这一影响还比较小;"金融抑制"现象依然存在并对中国经济增长产生了不利影响,但在经历了多年的金融体制改革之后,"金融抑制"现象已有所减轻,其对经济增长的负面影响趋于减弱。     

Network advantage’s effect on exit performance: examining venture capital’s inter-organizational networks

This study investigates how a venture capital’s network affects its exit performance. While most network research focuses on individual characteristics such as centrality and density, this study explores the overall advantage that results from holding a network position (i.e., a network advantage). This network advantage is examined at the syndicate level, which is a group of organizations. Within this context, the study contemplates the syndicate’s network advantage and hones in on the syndicate’s network advantage diversity, because the composition of members’ network advantage within the syndicate as well as the syndicate’s network advantage itself may affect the syndicate’s performance. To do this, first it is hypothesized that both a venture capital syndicate’s network advantage and its network advantage diversity are positively associated with its exit performance. Next, the study predicts that a syndicate’s network advantage diversity negatively moderates the positive relationship between the syndicate’s network advantage and its exit performance. Then a two stage least squares analysis of 1137 venture capital syndicate investments largely confirms the predicted effects. A syndicate’s network advantage is shown to contribute to its exit performance. A syndicate’s network advantage diversity clearly weakens the positive relationship between the syndicate’s network advantage and performance, while its direct effect on performance is not significantly supported. Overall, these findings show that a syndicate’s network advantage and its diversity are critical determinants of its exit performance in the venture capital industry.

     

The Politics of Property in Planning: Hezbollah's Reconstruction of Haret Hreik (Beirut,Lebanon) as Case Study

This research looks at post‐2006‐war reconstruction of the southern suburbs of Beirut under the auspices of Hezbollah (the Islamic resistance movement in Lebanon). The project was widely acclaimed as an alternative to current neoliberal planning practices in the Middle East and beyond. Based on a critical reading of the conception of property issues in this planning project, the article argues that this reconstruction presents a new geometry or alternative to the mainstream configuration of neoliberal urbanism, rather than a departure from its precepts. The reason for this is that the adopted language of property corresponds closely with the conception of property advocated by neoliberal planning, one that enshrines private, individual ownership as sacred and desirable and that works to strengthen its model in the city. I further argue that the ‘neoliberal planning regime’ within which Hezbollah's urban intervention occurs is not accidental; rather, it is necessary for the party's control of this space's future and for consolidating its territory in the city. It is hence expected that Hezbollah's planning in the city will produce the same decried effects as neoliberal planning elsewhere in the city rather than usher an innovative, progressive model of planning.     

Unit roots in the presence of abrupt governmental interventions with an application to Brazilian data

This paper considers econometric issues related to time-series data that have been subject to abrupt governmental interventions. The motivating example for this study is the Brazilian monthly inflation rate (1974:1–1993:6) which we use throughout for illustration. This series has been heavily influenced by the effect of so-called shock plans implemented by various governments starting in the mid-1980s. The plans act as ‘inliers’ in the sense that the series is temporarily brought down to low levels before returning to its previous trend path. We analyse the effects on standard unit root tests and measures of persistence caused by the presence of these ‘inliers’. We show a substantial bias in favour of concluding that the series is stationary and that shocks have temporary effects. We then construct appropriately corrected statistics which take into account the presence of the plans. These show, unlike the standard tests, that the stochastic behaviour of the inflation rate was indeed unstable over this period. Simulation results are presented to support the adequacy of our corrected statistics. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.