One human settlement: A transdisciplinary approach to climate change adaptation research

The threat of climate change demands that human settlements adapt to unavoidable impacts. Climate change is a complex problem that requires traditional disciplines to work together to facilitate an integrated and coordinated response to its impacts. Transdisciplinary research approaches have been recognised for being well placed to aid responses to complex problems such as climate change. This paper draws on the experience of the South East Queensland Climate Adaptation Research Initiative (SEQCARI), Australia, to reflect upon the challenges involved in undertaking transdisciplinary research aimed at developing and improving a range of adaptation options for specific sectors as well as across sectors. Challenges and learning's are discussed based on the three phases of transdisciplinary research processes: problem framing and team building, co-creation of solution-oriented transferable knowledge, and (re)integration and application of created knowledge. Four key insights are then discussed to advance transdisciplinary research approaches for climate change adaptation: adoption of a dynamic learning approach such as learning-by-doing/doing-by-learning to provide sufficient flexibility and scope to navigate potential barriers and conflicts; selection of social sciences to drive integration; choice of one sector as a platform for integration; and acknowledgement of existing barriers and limitations associated with the political context in which the research takes place.     

Housing and health: from interdisciplinary principles to transdisciplinary research and practice

This article suggests that there is a need for innovative approaches in the complex field of housing and health. It argues that the traditional roles and responsibilities of scientists and professional practitioners ought to be redefined because shortcomings in academic research and professional practice are mainly the result of a narrow vision that does not address the fundamental issues at stake. In contrast to traditional disciplinary approaches which are sectoral, interdisciplinary contributions offer a broader approach. Interdisciplinary approaches highlight the difference between a biomedical model that often adopts a symptom-treatment interpretation of housing and health, and a holistic or integrated model that combines biological, cultural, economic, political, psychological and social factors in a new way. One example of an interdisciplinary approach is an ecological perspective which has been applied to interpret the multiple factors that influence both housing and health. This article argues that an interdisciplinary approach of this kind can be the foundation for transdisciplinary research and professional practice.     

Consulting versus participatory transdisciplinarity: A refined classification of transdisciplinary research

This paper analyses transdisciplinarity and discusses the conceptual changes it has undergone during the past decade. Transdisciplinarity is currently perceived as an extended knowledge production including a variety of actors and with an open perception of the relevance of different forms of scientific and lay knowledge. By stressing scope of collaboration, a clearer distinction can be established between interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity than was possible with the former focus on degree of integration. However, integration is still an essential feature of transdisciplinarity and in emphasising the need to acknowledge the different roles actors can play in knowledge production a distinction can be identified between two different forms of transdisciplinarity; consulting versus participatory transdisciplinarity. This distinction draws upon the qualitative difference between research conducted including all kinds of actors on equal terms in the knowledge production process (participatory transdisciplinarity) or having actors from outside academia responding and reacting to the research conducted (consulting transdisciplinarity). Both forms fulfil the basic requirements of transdisciplinarity but differ regarding the challenges involved, and thus a distinction needs to be made between them when discussing, commissioning or evaluating research.     

Trapped between privileges and precariousness: Tracing transdisciplinary research in a postcolonial setting

In its conception, transdisciplinarity turns its back on traditional academic knowledge production valuing different bodies of knowledge to be of relevance for the issue at hand regardless of their discipline or academic education. The question of how transdisciplinary practise can manage to break with existing structures to realize its envisaged co-production is hardly addressed, however, crucial acknowledging inherent power dynamics. Using a transdisciplinary project as a case study, we picture the structures that position those involved regarding their influence on and benefit of (a) the research setup, (b) resource allocations, (c) project discourses, (d) project output and (e) decision-making and steering. By combining quantitative with qualitative data, we reveal the herein materialised power imbalances between social and natural sciences, academic degrees, science and society and, in our specific setup, between the Global North and South. Our results indicate a pervasive reproduction of hierarchical, academic, postcolonial knowledge orders that make doing transdisciplinarity a privilege for some, although not without risk. In conclusion, we emphasise the high need for, first, serious attempts of self-critical processes of reflexivity in transdisciplinary practise and, second, a fundamental reorientation in the academic and funding system in order to challenge existing knowledge hegemonies.     

Transdisciplinary co-production: Designing and testing a transdisciplinary research framework for societal problem solving

Transdisciplinary research is often promoted as a mode of knowledge production that is effective in addressing and solving current sustainability challenges. This effectiveness stems from its closeness to practice-based/situated expertise and real-life problem contexts. This article presents and tests one approach within transdisciplinary research, which specifically focuses on increasing the participation of actors from outside of academic in knowledge production processes, called transdisciplinary (TD) co-production. The framework for TD co-production focused on five focal areas (inclusion, collaboration, integration, usability, and reflexivity) in three research phases (Formulate, Generate, Evaluate). This paper tests and evaluates the use of this framework in five research projects. The results discuss how the focal areas and research phases dealt with many crucial issues in transdisciplinary knowledge production. They stimulated a high level of stakeholder participation and commitment to the research processes, and promoted knowledge integration and reflexive learning across diverse sectors and disciplines. The approach, however, came up against a number of practical barriers stemming primarily from institutional, organizational and cognitive differences of the participating organizations. While TD co-production increased the usability of the results in terms of their relevance and accessibility, it paradoxically did not ensure their anchoring in respective institutional and political contexts where societal change occurs.     

The affect heuristic and stock ownership: A theoretical perspective

We consider asset prices and informational efficiency in a setting where owning stock confers direct utility due to an affect heuristic. Specifically, holding equity in brand name companies or those indulging in “socially desirable” activities (e.g., environmental consciousness) confers positive consumption benefits, whereas investing in “sin stocks” yields the reverse. In contrast to settings based on wealth considerations alone, expected stock prices deviate from expected fundamentals even when assets are in zero net supply. Stocks that yield high direct utility are, on average, more informationally efficient as they stimulate more entry into the market for these stocks and, consequently, more information collection. The analysis also accords with a value effect, high valuations of brand‐name stocks, abnormally positive returns on “sin stocks,” volume premia in the cross‐section of returns, proliferation of mutual funds and ETFs, and yields untested implications. If, as psychological literature suggests, agents derive greater utility from successful companies by “basking in reflected glory,” then asset prices react to public signals non‐linearly, leading to booms and busts, as well as crashes and recoveries.     

Global issues and futures: A theory and pedagogy for heuristic modeling

Most futures methodologies might be termed “heuristic”, that is a way to promote learning, discovery, and problem solving through trial and error. This paper describes one such approach, used primarily in teaching a Masters planning program class Global Issues and Futures in a class designed to raise awareness of a variety of global concerns. After explaining the underlying framework and concepts, and their foundation in previous futures studies, the core equations, data, and a classroom application are described. The method serves primarily to raise questions rather than answer them; to broaden the perspective that students will bring to their later careers.¹     

The transfer of research,development and design to developing countries: Analysis and proposals

This article examines the problems associated with the incorporation of R,D&D facilities in schemes to transfer manufacturing technology to developing countries. It contrasts two models which can be used for evaluating the modalities, conditions and impact of such transfers.     

Urban sustainability and knowledge: Theoretical heterogeneity and the need of a transdisciplinary framework. A tale of four towns

The academic debate on «sustainable city» is like a large arena, where heterogeneous approaches and contributions, coming from different disciplines, flow into without converging on a common vision. The growing awareness that an increasing percentage of the world's population now lives in urban areas makes the organization of this space a crucial issue for global sustainable development. In order to acquire this challenge, urban studies need to overcome conceptual oppositions, seeking new integrated responses to implement the principle of sustainability at urban scale. This effort requires a new managerial approach of science and policy, which can be based on a transdisciplinary vision to knowledge production. The paper is divided into four different sections. The first and second sections review the theoretical literature on urban sustainability and explore the conceptual relations between knowledge and knowledge production in urban governance processes. The third section presents a comparative empirical analysis based on a survey of 2213 questionnaires carried out in four different urban contexts. The fourth and last section outlines the conclusion, suggesting a new approach to manage knowledge in urban governance, in a trans-disciplinary perspective.     

中关村以融资服务工程缓解中小微企业贷款难

为缓解企业融资难尤其是贷款难的问题,中关村积极探索,实施六大融资服务工程,以企业信用建设为基础,积极构建多方参与的投融资服务平台,     

Audit support systems and decision aids: Current practice and opportunities for future research

Technological changes and audit firm mergers over the last decade raise the question as to whether the decision aids reported in prior research are representative of the types of decision support currently employed in audit firms. To address this issue, a study was conducted of the audit support systems used at five international audit firms and the types of decision support embedded within their audit support systems. The concepts of system restrictiveness and audit structure were combined to develop a definition of audit support system restrictiveness, and the firms' systems were classified using this definition. Substantial differences in audit support system restrictiveness were found to be associated with the type of decision support embedded within these systems. In order to guide future research, existing audit decision aid studies were mapped to the types of embedded decision support and several future research opportunities were identified.     

The influence of accountability on overconfidence and resistance to change: A research framework and experimental evidence

This paper presents a research framework and demonstrates how commitment to a particular course of action might lead to information search that is biased in favour of the chosen alternative. The framework also incorporates accountability as a strategy for mitigating overconfidence and resistance to change.An experiment was conducted to test the predictions of the proposed framework. Results of the experiment indicate that commitment to a particular cost allocation system leads to increased desirability of the chosen system and decreased desirability of the rejected alternative. The results also show that managers who are committed to a particular cost allocation system become too conservative and overconfident in their preferred system, which leads to high resistance to change. These effects, however, were attenuated by making the managers accountable for the negative consequences of their decisions.     

Border disputes,conflicts, war,and financial markets research: A systematic review

Border disputes, conflicts, and war have long existed and have evidenced impacts on financial markets. However, the extant literature needs to be revisited in light of existing contributions and underlying gaps to provide further insights into future research agendas. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 215 articles published in high-quality journals to show the publication and citation trends in the war literature concentrated on financial markets. Concomitantly, while highlighting the most influential articles, contemporary themes, and the intellectual structure of the war literature on financial markets, we show the top contributing journals with the most prolific authors and their affiliated countries. Extant literature sheds light on how border disputes, conflicts, and war, while impacting macroeconomic variables, have impacted returns, volatility, and stability of the global financial markets. We provide eight clusters defining the concentration of the available literature and six broader areas directing future research.     

The militarization of space: From passive support to active weapons systems

Space has become an essential element of the strategic balance. Large investments in passive satellites and a growing dependence on them have created potential new strategic problems and arms control challenges. there is also a resurgence of interest in ‘active’ weapon systems based on developments in laser and particle beam technology. This paper reviews the evolution of military space programmes, and explores the present and future challenges and dilemmas.     

Global financial crisis: The challenge to accounting research

Accounting practices are deeply implicated in the current financial crisis and in proposals for recapitalizing financial institutions and restoring stability to the global financial system. This essay discusses the methodological and theoretical gaps in accounting research that explain our failure to anticipate the crisis and limit our ability to analyze and respond to it.     

Ownership structure, contingent-fit, and business-unit performance: A research model and empirical evidence

This study investigates the influence of contingent-fit on the relationship between ownership structure and business-unit performance. We predict that contingent-fit between business strategy and its contextual variables will have a positive relationship with business-unit performance. We also predict that widely-held companies will perform better than their closely-held counterparts but that the magnitude of the performance differential will decrease with the increasing level of contingent-fit.Overall, the results are consistent with our predictions. We found that contingent-fit is positively related to business-unit performance and widely-held business-units perform better than their closely-held counterparts. The performance advantage, however, was mitigated by the level of contingent-fit.     

The ethnographic futures research method: An application to Thailand

Ethnographic Futures Research (EFR) is a method invented in 1976 which futures researchers employing a sociocultural approach can use with a sample of interviewees to elicit their perceptions and preferences among possible and probable alternative futures for their society and culture. EFR is an adaptation of the spirit and method of cultural anthropology and ethnography to the needs and constraints of futures research.     

Reflections on the use of a dual-methodology research design to evaluate accounting and management practice in UK university central administrative services

This paper discusses the application of a triangulated research design in studying the cost-efficiency of central administrative service (CAS) departments in UK universities. The methodology is of particular interest, as it is a dual-method, mixed paradigm study involving two separate teams of researchers with different methodological orientations and, potentially, varying objectives. The political context of this project is also significant, given the climate of cuts in resources to Higher Education and recent moves to make universities more ‘accountable’, not least because the research was funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), The paper reflects upon the philosophical and political issues that were encountered during a research process that encompassed different methodologies, but which aimed at producing a unified body of knowledge. The paper identifies three possibilities for this unified body of knowledge: that the dual approaches complemented each other; challenged each other; or ‘talked past’ each other as they were rooted in different philosophical and political ‘realities’. It is proposed that, given sufficient self-awareness and reflexivity on the part of the researchers, dual-methodological research may be largely complementary and overcome at least some of the obstacles that impede the formation of a unified body of knowledge within accounting settings.     

Epistemology, social technology, and expert judgement: Olaf Helmer's contribution to futures research

The article discusses Olaf Helmer's contribution to the development of futures studies by focusing on four basic theses defining his approach. (1) Quasi-laws in social sciences and futures studies can in fact be treated in the same way that the natural laws of the physical sciences. (2) In order to make predictions, one need not appeal to a strict logical derivation, as the “covering laws” doctrine of logical-empiricism suggests. (3) Prediction and explanation are not logically symmetrical as positivists believe, thus the conditions needed for explanation are not those required for prediction. (4) Local, tacit, personal and expert knowledge are crucial in developing a foresight methodology. In conjunction, these four theses open the way to a unique theory of social prediction and to variety of “unorthodox items of methodological equipment for the purposes of prediction in the inexact sciences.”