Shared and Complementary Spaces for Development in a Multiethnic Setting: The Case of Konso-Derashe-Alle Area, Ethiopia

Recent research has shown that multiagency emergency response is beset by a range of challenges, calling for a greater understanding of the way in which these teams work together to improve future multiagency working. Social psychological research shows that a shared identity within a group can improve the way in which that group works together and can facilitate effective outcomes. In the present study, 52 semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 strategic and/or tactical responders during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand the possible role of shared identity in the multiagency response to COVID-19 and whether this was linked to factors that facilitated or challenged interoperability. Findings show evidence of a shared identity at a horizontal intergroup level among responders locally. However, there was limited evidence for a shared identity at the vertical intergroup level between local and national responders. Three key factors linked to shared identity appeared to contribute to effective multiagency working. First, pre-existing relationships with other responders facilitated the ease with which responders were able to work together initially. Second, a sense of 'common fate' helped bring responders together, and finally, group leaders were able to strategically reinforce a sense of shared identity within the group.

Reciprocity as Mutual Recognition

Legitimacy is necessary for resilience and trust helps to legitimize health systems. Providing services during Covid has relied on both the private and public sectors but there is little information on differences in trust between these sectors during shocks like Covid and how it may impact the health system’s legitimacy. The purpose of this study was to explore community trust in the public and private sectors of the Zambian health system during Covid, to generate understanding on how trust in the different sectors may influence the system’s legitimacy. Twelve focus groups discussions and 22 key informant interviews were conducted in 2022 with community members who used public, private, and faith-based services during Covid and service providers, and thematic analysis identified perceptions of trust between the different sectors. The themes ‘Humane, patient-centred treatment’ and ‘Communicating the truth’ describe the desire for humane interactions and truthfulness during Covid, compromised by fear, uncertainty, and suspicions of the motives of the sectors, and alleviated by support, security, and shared identity. The legitimacy of the public sector was influenced by shared spaces, values, and identities with communities. The private sector maintained its legitimacy through service quality and its identity as a non-governmental business. Interpersonal trust was important, but identity played a larger role than high-quality interactions for legitimacy in Zambia during the pandemic. To enhance legitimacy and resilience during shocks, potential strategies include strengthening the quality of public sector interactions to meet private sector standards, emphasizing the public sector as a public good, and clarifying the public sector’s role vis-à-vis the government during crises.

The purpose of the research paper is to examine the evolution of Azerbaijan-China relations from 2015 to 2025 within the context of shifting geopolitical dynamics and global power competition. Special attention is paid to the strategic planning, institutional mechanisms, and normative dimensions that define the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in 2025, as well as its implications for the broader Global South. The scientific novelty. This study lies in its multi-perspective analysis of Azerbaijan-China relations (2015-2025), grounded in the domestic development strategies of both countries. Unlike traditional accounts that focus narrowly on bilateral cooperation, this paper integrates empirical evidence with diverse International Relations theories to move beyond simplistic narratives. It reveals how emerging countries build stable and strategic partnerships in the context of shifting global dynamics. Conclusions. The development of Azerbaijan-China relations over the last ten years (2015-2025) presents an inspiring instance of the formation of a comprehensive partnership of strategic importance, exhibiting the complex interaction of core International Relations (IR) theories in modern governance. It can be interpreted along three dimensions: as a realist response to security and geopolitical shifts, as a relationship shaped by institutional and economic interdependence, and as a normative alignment grounded in shared identity and discursive values within the Global South. From a realist perspective, Azerbaijan and China relations have steadily deepened, driven by converging interests in national sovereignty, regional influence, and security. From a liberal institutionalist standpoint, the Azerbaijan-China partnership, through institutionalization and economic interdependence, reduces the risk of strategic miscalculation and enhances policy coordination and cooperation. From a constructivist point of view, Azerbaijan-China relations are shaped chiefly by shared identity and discursive equality rather than merely by economic concerns or institutional structures. Conceptually, the Azerbaijan-China partnership affirms the analytical relevance of a pluralistic approach to international relations theory. No single paradigm adequately captures the multidimensional character of this bilateral engagement. A synthesized framework is therefore needed, one that incorporates power dynamics, institutional structures, identity formation, and geopolitical context. Empirically, the partnership demonstrates how middle powers can exercise strategic agency and advance development goals through calibrated, multilateral engagement with emerging powers. It also illustrates the potential of non-hegemonic cooperation to support alternative forms of global governance that reflect more inclusive and representative international norms.

This article aims to illuminate different means of nurturing creativity in the high-tech industry and in modern organizations, particularly in the context of problem solving and product development, and to examine the potential implications for technology education. There is a large gap between conventional wisdom, which maintains that technology education is intended to foster creative thinking among pupils, and reality in the field. The case study presented is that of a mid-sized Israeli industrial plant, dealing with the design and production of construction tools for professionals and domestic use, such as spirit levels, measuring tapes, squares and rulers. This plant utilized innovation, uniqueness and quality as the main instruments in the battle for the market. A series of workshops for the plant's staff, entitled ‘Systematic Inventive Thinking’, resulted in the development of a range of new, original and successful products. The cumulative experience indicated that people can learn efficient techniques for solving a problem, or developing a new product, by breaking it down to its basic components, by ‘playing' systematically with ideas, in order to achieve new results. The notion that methodical courses can trigger pupils' incentive to be innovative and original, and can foster teamwork is almost absent from the field of education. Educators and scholars in technology education pay little regard to teaching and exploiting methods to fostering systematic original thinking and problem-solving. The challenge in education is to find an optimal combination and balance between fostering activity based on openness and ‘disorder’, on the one hand, and imparting systematic methods for innovative thinking and problem-solving, on the other.

Although synchronous cooperative systems have been a major research focus in computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) for over a decade, there is still a lack of general models supporting their specification and design. Cooperative systems design language (CSDL) is a language supporting the design of synchronous cooperative systems as modular, component-based, open distributed systems where a shared work space is implemented by either shared traditional single-user applications or dedicated cooperative applications. The architectural model underlying the language is based on a clean separation of concerns between the components implementing communication, coordination, shared workspace, and the users' interface and private functionality. The resulting systems can be easily tailored to different social contexts or different execution platforms through architectural reconfiguration or the substitution of single components. This article illustrates how this model applies to the design of different classes of cooperative systems, aimed at supporting different social processes, and hence, characterized by different functional requirements. Namely, we discuss the design of communication-oriented systems (such as electronic blackboards), cooperation-oriented systems (such as shared editors), and process-oriented systems (such as prescriptive group decision support systems and workflow management systems).

To improve the utilization value of raspberry leaves, the extraction and purification conditions of phenolic compounds from raspberry leaves were optimized, and the contents of phenolic compounds and the biological activities of extracts were studied. After steam explosion pretreatment at 115 °C for 15 min, raspberry leaf extract with a total phenolic content (TPC) of 136.30~140.51 mg GAE/g was obtained via homogenization and ultrasound-assisted extraction. In addition, the adsorption relationship between raspberry leaf polyphenols and middle polar XDA-6 macroporous resin was best described by the Langmuir model, and tended to be monolayer adsorption. Its adsorption kinetics best resembled the pseudo second-order kinetic model, and it was speculated that this was influenced by multiple factors. According to the optimal integrated extraction–purification process, the TPC of the extracts increased to 738.98 mg GAE/g after one application of purification and 905.27 mg GAE/g after two applications of purification. Moreover, the latter case showed the highest antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibition activity, and the content of the most typical compound, quercetin-3-glucuronide, reached 199.69 mg/g. SE has a double-edged effect, and is more conducive to the release of active substances as a pre-treatment method. This study provides a theoretical basis for the efficient use of raspberry leaves, further improving their medicinal and economic value.

Problem Solving is considered as a very important learning activity in formal educational settings. The accompanied research studies indicate the significance of this skill for human life and relate it to the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills such as the self-regulative skill. Adults seem to acquire such higher-order thinking skills due to the accumulation of their social and cognitive experiences. Nevertheless, in younger students this skill needs to be fostered. Thus, the question arises as to whether or not they can be supported to develop such skills. The sample of this study included 262 students of public elementary schools from Attiki and Larisa regions. The effectiveness of the proposed instructional method for developing higher-order thinking skills was initially tested in traditional classroom settings. The proposed method was found to be effective in terms of the acquisition of problem solving skill. However, there were existing difficulties in implementing it. It was necessary for all students involved in the problem solving process to work together and have access to the same shared space and educational material so that the problem solving environment would have the same setting. All these hindrances made it necessary to utilize networked environments and enable students perform the activities as proposed by the proposed instructional method. The second sub-phase of the study lasted for two months (from April 15th to June 10th, 2006) and 198 students participated in. Ten problem solving scenarios were designed to frame and support the proposed method of self-regulated problem solving. All students attended a two-hour lesson to familiarize themselves with the tools of Synergo and LMS Moodle.

Waste or also known as rubbish is a problem that is quite complex for the government to handle, especially household waste which is never separated from the use of inorganic or organic materials every day. In maintaining a clean and comfortable environment, especially in the city, especially in Balikpapan, existing waste is separated at disposal. By referring to green environment principles, it is hoped that people will not throw rubbish or waste carelessly or at certain times. Referring to the problem of handling waste made from glass, in this case glass bottle waste, this article examines the use of glass bottle waste to increase family creativity which has economic value. The aim of writing community service is to: 1) Increase the community's sense of awareness in efforts to handle solid waste, in this case glass material waste. 2) Can provide information to the public about how to recycle glass waste. The type of method used is qualitative, document study and narrative in nature. There are various ways of recycling, in the study of community service writing it is how to disseminate useful information to society at the lowest level, namely households. Where waste management can begin to be implemented in the home and family environment, this can of course also be a motivation and build creativity in the skilled hands of children at home. where they can be given an understanding of how to create a clean and comfortable living environment, as well as foster creativity that creates added value that is beneficial from an economic perspective. Treatment for waste management starts from the smallest line, namely the family or household. The application of the go green concept with 3R can be applied in households in waste management, one of which is inorganic waste, namely glass bottles.

Creative economy training for Karang Anyar teenagers through the practice of making coconut sugar ice cream is a form of community service. The purpose of this activity is to provide technical skills in making contemporary beverages, foster creativity, and introduce simple marketing strategies that are in accordance with the development of the digital era. The implementation method includes observation, preparation, provision of materials, and direct practice. The results of the training showed an increase in technical skills, creativity, and confidence of adolescents in producing products with economic value. Participants are able to mix ingredients, serve drinks in an attractive way, and understand simple ways to market products through social media. This activity also plays an important role as a positive alternative to reduce adolescent involvement in negative activities such as drunkenness and gambling. Thus, this training not only increases individual capacity, but also opens up new business opportunities that support the sustainable development of the creative economy of village communities.

Groups of sport fans continually travel to multiple destinations to follow their favourite professional sport teams. Fan travel can be usefully understood from a group identity perspective. The role of the bus in the formation and maintenance of a group sport tourism experience is examined. Participant observation and ethnographic interviews were used to examine the role of the bus for three supporter groups that travel on a regular basis to support their team in the Australian Football League (AFL). It is suggested that the bus is much more than a mode of transport for these groups and that travel time itself has much positive utility. The bus is key and central to the creation and celebration of a shared group identity and acts to ensure the sustainability of the core supporter group. In particular, the bus is utilized as it affords the group the opportunity to parade and celebrate a shared group identity at the game and during travel to and from the destination. Further, the bus provides a shared group space that enables a unique social experience that encourages group members to participate week after week, year after year. During travel time, the bus is transformed into a space that reflects the identity of the group, and isolates the group from relevant outgroups.

The word community describes both organizations of individuals with a shared identity and discrete spaces shared by these individuals. The elision of the two definitions—one social, the other spatial— contains a contested condition. Typically conceived as separate and gendered spheres, domesticity and urbanity have been crucial to the changing physical definition of modern space. The destruction of the Hull House Social Settlement and the building of an urban campus, the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a case study in the nature of the often gendered and continuing contest over the public space of the city.

Firms are organizations that represent social knowledge of coordination and learning. But why should their boundaries demarcate quantitative shifts in the knowledge and capability of their members? Should not knowledge reside also in a network of interacting firms? This line of questioning presents the challenge to state an alternative view to the “theory of the firm,” a theory that has moved from Coase's early treatment of what firms do to a concern with ownership, incentives, and self-interest. We return to Coase's original insight in understanding the cost and benefits of a firm but based on a view that individuals are characterized by an “unsocial sociality.” Does the perception of opportunism generate the need to integrate market transactions into the firm, or do boundaries of the firm lead to the attribution of opportunism? This basic dichotomy between self-interest and the longing to belong is the behavioral underpinning to the superiority of firms over markets in resolving a fundamental dilemma: productivity grows with the division of labor but specialization increases the costs of communication and coordination. The knowledge of the firm has an economic value over market transactions when identity leads to social knowledge that supports coordination and communication. Through identification, procedural rules are learned, and coordination and communication are facilitated across individuals and groups of diverse specialized competence. A firm is distinct from a market because coordination, communication, and learning are situated not only physically in locality, but also mentally in an identity. Since identity implies a moral order as well as rules of exclusion, there are limitations and costs to relying upon a firm for exchange as opposed to the market. These costs are not necessarily those traditionally assigned to the category of decreasing returns to hierarchy. For example, an identity implies that some practices, and businesses, may be notionally inconsistent with each other. Norms of procedural justice that are identified with a firm imply that not all technically feasible complements are permissible within the logic of a shared identity. There is consequently a cost to an identity that offsets the benefits. Because the assemblage of elements that compose an organization are subject to requirements of consistency, identities rule out potentially interesting avenues of innovation and creativity. We illustrate these ideas by returning to the original prisoners’ dilemma game and by an analysis of the coherence of a firm as a search for complements that are consistent with norms of procedural justice. We argue that the underlying dynamic of a prisoners' dilemma game reveals the problems of coordination, communication, and conflicts in norms of justice when players are deprived of social knowledge and shared identity. Similarly, the determination of a firm's coherence arises out of the demand for a moral and notional consistency in the “categorization” of its activities, as opposed to a technological necessity. These ideas are illustrated through an empirical examination of logical complements in high performance work systems.

Chapter 4 - Fostering creativity in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams: The importance of team building and team management

<p><strong>Urban intensive housing is predominantly developer-led in Aotearoa New Zealand resulting in an absence of quality shared space that limits opportunity for residents to build community. Collective housing addresses issues of isolation and loneliness associated with individualised housing, which is mostly seen in intentional communities with formal social structures. This research investigates social and economic benefits of shared spaces in urban collective housing. It focuses on fostering neighbourhood social ties through informal social exchanges. The methodology follows a comparative analysis of a proposed developer-led housing project in Christchurch identifying the extent and spatial distribution of public, common and private space. 26 Aroha demonstrates the economic value of shared space in collective housing with 27% common space. Its above market rentals and waiting list highlight the need for more community-centric urban intensive housing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Design-led research emphasises the importance of semi-private design elements and buffer zones in establishing boundaries between walkways and private space. The functional qualities of common rooms and their connection to walkways are important for enhancing the potential for chance interactions. There is a link between social capital and self-management demonstrated in cohousing. A suggested maximum of 25 households is identified, resulting in a series of micro-communities distributed throughout a large-scale housing complex. Cluster apartments is another significant model presented in the final concept. The final design concept findings demonstrate 28% common space, 60% private space and 12% public space as the sweet spot to efficiently facilitate community activity for residents who otherwise would not have the chance to connect.</strong></p>