The dynamics of transitions in socio-technical systems: A multi-level analysis of the transition pathway from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles (1860–1930)

This article investigates transitions at the level of societal functions (e.g. transport, communication, housing). Societal functions are fulfilled by socio-technical systems, which consist of a cluster of aligned elements, e.g. artefacts, knowledge, user practices and markets, regulation, cultural meaning, infrastructure, maintenance networks and supply networks. To understand how transitions from one socio-technical system to another come about, the article describes a conceptual multi-level perspective. The perspective is illustrated with a historical case study: the transition from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles in the USA (1860–1930). The case study shows that technological substitution approaches to this transition are too simple, because they neglect the electric tram and bicycle, which acted as important stepping stones. The case study also corrects another mistake, namely that the gasoline car won by chance from steam and electric automobiles. It will be shown that particular niches played a crucial role in this competition, as well as the wider socio-technical context. The case study deviates on three points from the multi-level perspective. These deviations are used to conceptualize a particular transition pathway, called ‘de-alignment and re-alignment’.     

Understanding innovation in practice: a discussion of the production and re-production of Nordic Walking

Building on the work of those who have highlighted the role of consumers and lead users we focus on innovations not in products but in what people do. In developing a method of conceptualising the emergence and reproduction of practice we argue that innovation is not a one-off moment but a continuous on-going process. Specifically, we suggest that innovations in practice involve changing combinations of symbolic and material ingredients and of competence or know-how. In addition, we argue that managers, manufacturers and consumers are all variously involved in making and sustaining connections between these defining elements. We illustrate and elaborate on these ideas with reference to Nordic Walking, a form of speed walking with two sticks. First practiced in 1997, it is now a regular pursuit for more than seven million people in over 30 countries and is reputed to be Europe's fastest growing form of exercise. In discussing this case we specify the constitutive ingredients of Nordic Walking and its location relative to other practices that already exist. Our analysis raises a number of general questions. For example, how can managers and manufacturers institutionalise practices that require consumption of the things they make? Is there any fundamental difference in the role of ‘lead’ and ‘ordinary’ users in generating and sustaining innovations in practice? Taking these questions forward, we develop a theoretical position that relativises the conventionally distinct roles of consumers and producers and that represents a novel hybridisation of innovation studies and sociological theories of practice.     

The effect of interfirm codevelopment competency on the innovation of the e-service process and product: the perspective of internal/external technology integration mechanisms

Service innovations are central to today's rapidly changing business environment. Because of heterogeneous customer demands, rapid product life cycles, and advances in information technology (IT) for services management, an expanded conceptualisation of e-service innovation is required. This study examines the mediating effects of internal and external technology integration mechanisms among interfirm codevelopment competency and the innovation of the e-service process and product. A field survey was conducted of IT departments in information service firms to test the theoretical model. IT managers were the key informants. Partial least squares (PLS) analyses supported the main premises of the proposed research model. The data suggest that firms in the information service industry emphasise interfirm codevelopment competency in developing e-service innovations but use different sets of technology integration mechanisms to enhance e-service product and process innovation.     

The Capabilities Conception of the Individual 1

This paper advances a capabilities conception of the individual, and considers some of the problems involved in developing such a conception. It also makes claims about the nature of the capability space as a whole, frames personal development in terms of the idea of moving though the capability space, and argues that people are alike in being increasingly heterogeneous. A key problem for a capabilities conception of the individual is that some capabilities, such as belonging to social groups and having social identities, can undermine individuality. The paper discusses an example in which people can have social identities but can nonetheless be relatively independent when seen as self-organizing. Brief comments on one goal of social economic policy as being identity-promoting conclude the paper.     

隔裂，还是融合？——阿马蒂亚·森论伦理学与经济学的关系

阿马蒂亚·森在其《伦理学与经济学》一书中提出并强调了经济学和伦理学应相互贯通、相互融合的思想。他认为,经济学和伦理学长期分离的历史事实对这两门学科的发展危害严重,在此基础上他提出了重新贯通经济学和伦理学之内在联系的观点。这一思想不仅具有特别重要的理论意义,而且有着不可忽视的现实价值。     

On the causes of increasing world poverty and inequality,or why the Matthew effect prevails

The purpose of this article is to analyse one of the very first European-level instances of trade union and social movement interaction in defence of the public sector, namely, the Coalition for Green and Social Procurement, an alliance of European trade unions and green and social non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and its campaign for an amendment of the new public procurement directives from 2000 to 2003. It will be examined to what extent this campaign was able to change the directives and counter neoliberal restructuring effectively as well as what the possibilities but also limits of trade union and social movement cooperation are as exemplified in this particular case study.     

Street-level new public governances in integrated services-as-a-system

The paper explores the emergence of street-level public service integration in eight cities, in five countries using a new framework: services-as-a-system to explore new public governances in health and social care integration. Data is analysed from eight cities in six countries (Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, Spain, UK, and USA) gathered in over 100 semi-structured interviews with key agents. We show that whilst culture and context shape the form and processes of governances there are underlying processual drivers of new public governances, in particular where users are involved in the co-design and co-production of integrated services.     

Capital market integration in ASEAN: A non-stationary panel data analysis

Motivated by the establishment of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of 2015, we examine saving-investment relationship in various subgroups of ASEAN to assess their capital market integration. The results from second generation panel unit-root and cointegration tests that account for cross-sectional dependence as well as estimates of long-run saving-retention rate provide some evidence of market integration in ASEAN. The analysis of short-run dynamics suggests that capital mobility in ASEAN during 1980–2014 appears similar to that in OECD countries during 1970–1999. More importantly, across different panel estimators and subgroups of membership, there is considerable heterogeneity among the member countries. The saving-investment association is very weak, thereby implying very high capital mobility, in more developed members such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei; the association is very strong, implying very low capital mobility, for much less developed members such as Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. The results call for renewed effort to develop capital markets in less developed nations and integrate them with the rest of the membership in ASEAN. In this paper, we also address several major shortcomings of the original Feldstein-Horioka framework.     

新时期垦区城乡一体发展的路径选择——以黑龙江垦区为例

统筹城乡发展,推进城乡一体化,是打破城乡二元体制的必然选择。黑龙江垦区在“抓城、强工、带农”统筹方针的指导下,实施了加快推进垦区城乡一体化发展的战略部署。在垦区城乡经济社会发展一体化建设的进程中,存在着经济发展总体水平不高、社会结构性矛盾突出、行政管理体制不顺和社会保障体系不完善等诸多问题,从提高经济发展总体水平、统筹城乡建设规划和产业发展、深化行政管理体制改革和建立健全社会保障体系等方面促进城乡一体化发展。     

完善农村养老构建和谐社会

目前我国农村社会养老保险制度存在很多问题,必须加快推进城乡社会养老保险一体化建设,尽快建立完善的农村社会养老保险制度。需要制定完善相关的法律,加强监督管理,实现养老金保值增值,加大宣传教育力度。