Centralization Tendencies Research Articles

Centralization Tendencies in Participatory Planning

In the new debate about economic planning, the question of whether new forms of comprehensive planning might inadvertently encourage a relapse into authoritarianism must be central. The article analyzes the proposal of a “Participatory Economy” because it is the most sophisticated model for comprehensive planning without the need for centralized institutions. Planning is carried out in a participatory manner, enabling worker and consumer councils to coordinate their interrelated economic activities themselves. The danger of a relapse into authoritarianism appears to be averted. However, the paper argues that the Participatory Economy doesn’t live up to the goal it set for itself to a satisfying degree, because it requires more centralized institutions than it initially suggests. Centralization tendencies arise for strong normative reasons and are therefore difficult to avoid. Even worse, council-democratic remedies to centralization tendencies don’t offer an easy answer, as these remedies come with their own set of problems.

탈중앙화 자율조직(DAO)의 법적 규율에 관한 고찰 - 미국 와이오밍 주를 중심으로

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), based on blockchain technology, are organizations that operate autonomously according to agreements made among members rather than through a centralized authority. Utilizing blockchain’s attributes of decentralization and cryptography, DAOs embody decentralization, autonomy, and transparency, establishing themselves as a distinctive governance model. However, despite the increasing prevalence of DAOs globally, their legal nature remains ambiguous, leading to unclear legal relationships and insufficient protection for participants and third parties. In 2021, Wyoming proactively established the Wyoming Decentralized Autonomous Organization Supplement, creating a foundational legal framework for the formation, operation, and dissolution of DAOs. Wyoming recognizes DAOs as a special form of LLC. However, considering the various types of DAOs in operation, legislation that reflects each organization's characteristics, rather than prescribing a single legal status, is needed. Furthermore, this study reviews elements within Wyoming’s regulations that may conflict with DAOs’ core values of decentralization and anonymity, highlighting areas requiring caution in the legislative process. Finally, to address the technical risks and potential centralization tendencies within DAOs, this paper suggests imposing a high duty of care on key developers, introducing clauses to exclude indemnification for core members, and formalizing dispute resolution procedures in advance.

Spatial differentiation and local development: Divergent transition paths of three Serbian municipalities

This article analyzes spatial differentiation within post-socialist transition using the examples of the economic developments of three small and medium-sized Serbian towns. The selection of smaller towns as objects of study fulfills a general research desideratum in geographical transition research. This study combines quantitative and qualitative methods and follows a historical-geographical approach. In order to shed light on the various characteristics of the disrupted post-socialist transition in Serbia, the period under investigation is defined as 1988 to 2011, which covers the two main phases of the Serbian transition: a period of disintegration (1991-2000) and a period of reorganization (2000/01-2011). By applying a novel mix of theories, it is possible to make statements be-yond an overly simplistic center-periphery paradigm and uncover the underlying path dependencies and economic legacies that lead to specific local transition paths. In addition, this theoretical approach also enables the identification of general patterns and typologies of local development in the transition process: centralization, peripherization and marginalization. The development trajectories of the three municipalities exemplify that the particular post-socialist transition in Serbia also produces particular spatial differentiations, namely strongly delayed centralization tendencies that nonetheless still reflect the specific Yugoslav economic and institutional legacies.

THE TENDENCY TOWARDS CENTRALIZATION EXPERIENCED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITIES IN TURKEY

Compared to the past, the subsidiarity principle has become more apparent with the implementation of the Metropolitan Municipality Law No. 5216 in 2004 and the Municipality Law No. 5393 in 2005. While the metropolitan municipalities were empowered with the development called the reform of local governments, the duties and authorities of the district municipalities in metropolitan cities were reduced. Due to the administrative power of the district municipalities, metropolitan municipalities almost became “new centers” at the local level. In case, the discourse of localization actually caused a new centralization movement in the local administration system of Turkey. Moreover, with the abolition of special provincial administrations, the duties and authorities of metropolitan municipalities expanded to rural areas. Therefore, the centralization process in local governments contained all of the city boundaries. In this article, the centralization tendency in the case of metropolitan municipalities that makes them “leaders of local governments” in metropolitan cities where a two-level metropolitan management system is applied will be examined.

ROLE OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES

Since gaining independence in 1991, the Central Asian countries have embarked on state building with regard for the experience of developed countries. During the political modernization process, the countries of Central Asia heeded great attention to the constitution. The political elites in power have enshrined the separation of powers between the government branches in the basic law. At the same time, the institution of the president retained a special status in the state power system. This fact reflected the specifics of the development of new states, where the legislative body was absent or played an insignificant role for a prolonged time period. The president plays a major role in the political systems of the regional states (with the exception of Kyrgyzstan), which was manifested in his special status. As a result, a patron-client model has developed in the regional states, where the president acquires and maintains the loyalty of political elites through material incentives. Meanwhile, the regional countries were undergoing continuous constitutional reforms. The amendments to the fundamental law have been and are being used by the presidents of the Central Asian countries to maintain and reinforce their legitimacy. The need to solve this problem has increased in the context of a decline in economic growth and accumulated internal socio-economic problems. In 2020-2021, the coronavirus pandemic produced a negative impact. These challenges posed the task of implementing a new democratic transformation strategy for the executive authorities of the regional states, in particular, the expansion of powers in the legislative branch of government. At the present stage, a new balance of forces has emerged in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which involves a higher responsibility of the parliament and government for the implementation of socio-economic reforms. This afforded greater stability to the political regimes in these countries. In Tajikistan, a power centralization tendency has developed, and the position of the incumbent is being solidified. Hopes for carrying out structural economic reforms are pinned on the president. Kyrgyzstan has demonstrated a desire to develop parliamentarianism in order to prevent the development of authoritarian tendencies. However, the introduction of a parliamentary form of government did not lead to the solution of the country’s internal problems, primarily due to the continued enormous influence of informal institutions on the authorities. Major socio-economic problems faced by the Kyrgyz authorities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered another round of political tension in the country and ultimately led to a change of power and a transition to a presidential form of government. The changes introduced to the constitutions of the regional states create the appearance of the implementation of democratic principles and the use of procedures to improve the efficiency of the government. At the same time, institutional changes undermine socio-political stability, creating problems for further national development.

On the transaction dynamics of the Ethereum-based cryptocurrency

Abstract Distributed blockchain-based consensus platforms have witnessed steady growth in recent years. In special, cryptocurrency is one of the main applications of the blockchain technology. Despite the recent interest in blockchain, we still lack in-depth analysis of systems that use such a technology. In fact, most of the existing works focus on Bitcoin. Moreover, blockchain-based cryptocurrency systems are highly dynamic. Their internal mechanisms and consensus algorithms evolve over time. Users also change their interests in a given platform, which in turn, reflect their behaviour. In this article, we model the Ethereum-based cryptocurrency transaction network, a more recent blockchain platform that is gaining a significant share in the cryptocurrency market. We model the transactions of Ethereum as a complex system, representing this complex system as a time-varying graph. Our model and the analysis we conduct rely on a 3-year dataset of Ethereum-based cryptocurrency transactions, comprising more than 38 million users (i.e. unique wallet addresses) and almost 300 million transactions. We analyse the evolution of users and transactions over time. Our study also highlights the centralization tendency of the transaction network on both user and time aspects. Finally, we also analyse the formation of communities and the evolution of connected components considering the dynamics of the Ethereum-based cryptocurrency transaction network.

Kształtowanie składu Rady Federacji a kierunek ewolucji federalizmu rosyjskiego

Do 2014 roku izba druga parlamentu Federacji Rosyjskiej - Rada Federacji - była zgodnie z art. 95 Konstytucji FR kształtowana wyłącznie jako reprezentacja podmiotów Federacji, na zasadzie delegacji przez te podmioty po dwóch przedstawicieli. Od 2014 r., w składzie tej izby znajdują się ponadto przedstawiciele Federacji Rosyjskiej mianowani przez Prezydenta Federacji Rosyjskiej, których liczba nie może przekroczyć dziesiątej części przedstawicieli powoływanych przez podmioty federacji. Przedmiotem niniejszego artykułu jest analiza zmian w zakresie kształtowania składu rosyjskiej Rady Federacji, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem zmiany konstytucji przeprowadzonej w 2014 r., celem wykazania przeciwnej idei państwa federalnego, tendencji centralizacyjnej. W tym celu przeanalizowano zmiany w Konstytucji Federacji Rosyjskiej oraz zmiany na poziomie kluczowego dla tematu artykułu ustawodawstwa federalnego. W opracowaniu uwzględniono również praktykę ustrojową. Pozwoliło to na sformułowanie konkluzji, iż zmiany w sposobie kształtowania tej izby doprowadziły do absolutnego przemodelowania charakteru ustrojowego tego organu, co odzwierciedla proces centralizacji państwa i osłabiania pozycji podmiotów federalnych.

Comparison between axial and tangential corneal topography maps in localization of cone in keratoconus

Objectives The objectives of this study were to compare axial maps versus tangential maps in the localization of a keratoconus cone using pentacam and to describe the cone characteristics for the different stages of keratoconus. Background Cone location is an essential factor in the selection of intrastromal corneal ring segments' specification used in the treatment of keratoconus. Patients and methods This was a retrospective case series' study conducted between October 2017 and October 2018 on a sample of 100 eyes with keratoconus. Corneal topography with a rotating Scheimpflug device was carried out. Cone location, cone decentration, and morphological patterns were analyzed. Cone location was determined for each eye with both axial and tangential maps and compared for matching. A correlation between kmaxlocation and cone location according to axial and tangential maps was also carried out. Results The matching rate between axial and tangential maps in the total sample was 100, 5, and 9.6% for central, paracentral, and peripheral groups, respectively, which was statistically significant (P Conclusion Analysis of axial and tangential corneal topography maps showed a significant discrepancy in cone location in the form of 'centralization tendency' on the tangential map. No correlations between stage, morphology, or decentration were revealed.

Evaluation of a Tangential Map-Based Nomogram for Intrastromal Corneal Ring Segments' Implantation in Keratoconus: One Year Results.

Purpose To evaluate a new tangential map-based nomogram versus the axial map-based nomogram for ICRS in keratoconus. Methods A prospective case series study including 64 eyes of 64 patients who underwent ICRS implantation. Cone location was determined for each eye with two maps: the axial and the tangential. Appropriate ring selection was determined using two surgical nomograms: axial map-based and tangential map-based. Visual, refractive, and topographic outcomes were assessed before, as well as at 3, 6, and 12 months after ICRS implantation. Results The cone location, and consequently the ring selection, was significantly different in the two nomograms with a “centralization tendency” in the tangential map. In the axial group, UDVA and CDVA improved from 0.12 ± 0.04 and 0.24 ± 0.08 to 0.28 ± 0.08 and 0.4 ± 0.1, respectively. Similarly, MRSE substantially decreased from −6.7 ± 3.3 to −1.2 ± 1.1D at 12 months after the procedure. In the tangential group, UDVA and CDVA improved from 0.09 ± 0.06 and 0.2 ± 0.1 to 0.5 ± 0.2 and 0.7 ± 0.2, respectively. MRSE substantially decreased from −4.9 ± 1D at 12 months after the procedure. In the tangential group, UDVA and CDVA improved from 0.09 ± 0.06 and 0.2 ± 0.1 to 0.5 ± 0.2 and 0.7 ± 0.2, respectively. MRSE substantially decreased from −4.9 ± 1D at 12 months after the procedure. In the tangential group, UDVA and CDVA improved from 0.09 ± 0.06 and 0.2 ± 0.1 to 0.5 ± 0.2 and 0.7 ± 0.2, respectively. MRSE substantially decreased from −4.9 ± 1P=0.01∗. Similarly, the gain in the CDVA was 0.4 and 0.15 in the tangential and axial groups, respectively, at 12 months, P=0.01∗. Similarly, the gain in the CDVA was 0.4 and 0.15 in the tangential and axial groups, respectively, at 12 months, Conclusion The tangential map-based nomogram attained better visual and refractive outcomes at 1 year. In addition, the cone location was significantly different between both maps with a centralization tendency in the tangential one.

Blockchain and society

In this text, the origin of blockchain technology is explained and put into the context of three waves of digitalization: digitalization of information represented by the internet, digitalization of communities and community building tools represented by social media and digitalization of value represented by blockchain. The text will show that blockchain can bring back promised features of digitalization of the first two waves, features that were lost with centralization tendencies created by business models that are independent of the underlying technology. After a short introduction to the terminology, a map of the potential blockchain has for society is sketched. The text also debates the decentralization aspects of the technology and the challenges it poses for individuals and organizations. Later, the storytelling aspects, as well as some religious aspects within and around the blockchain community are analyzed. Finally, some thoughts about adoption scenarios are laid out, and some ideas why blockchains have become very important in Switzerland are formulated. The focus of this text is on the opportunities and strengths of the technology. It deliberately oversimplifies the technological aspects in order to focus on the implication of the technology on society.

Tendencje centralizacyjne w Polsce po 1990 roku – ciągłość i zmiana

The article discusses the issue of centralization tendencies in Poland. It constitutes an attempt to present this process in the context of the functioning of public administration in our country. The main research question is whether centralization was constantly present during the 30 years of creating a new model of public administration in Poland, or whether it was strengthened after 2015. The financial independence of local government units is also a crucial aspect of the analysis. The article correspondingly focuses on the resistance of the government administration during the implementation of local government reforms. Importantly, what is factored in as well is the change in the perception of the position and the role of local governments in the political system after the 2015 parliamentary elections by the new government camp. Analysis of the past provided the precedent premises for strong centralization tendencies, in particular, the traditions of the strong state administration of the Second Polish Republic after the May coup in 1926 and during the People's Republic of Poland.

Centralization tendencies of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular cancer in Germany? A total population-based analysis from 2006 to 2015.

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) is a standard treatment in the management of metastatic testicular cancer. Due to modified treatment algorithms, it is becoming less frequent. We analyzed data from the nationwide German hospital billing database covering 2006-2015. Cases with a testicular cancer diagnosis combined with RPLND were included. We assessed the length of hospital stay (LOS), blood transfusion, and in-hospital mortality stratified for surgical approach, hospital characteristics, and annual caseload. Annual hospital caseload categories were defined as low (< 4), medium (4-10), and high (> 10). We supplemented tumor incidence and staging data from the German cancer registry (60% of population). 4926 cases were included with decreasing annual caseload numbers from 623 in 2006 to 382 in 2015. The incidence of testicular cancer and higher tumor stages remained stable. High-volume hospitals performed 19.4%, medium-volume hospitals 43.7%, and low-volume hospitals 36.8% RPLNDs. Low- abd medium-volume hospitals declined, while high-volume hospitals (n = 5) maintained their annual caseload. Overall in-hospital mortality was 0.47%. Blood transfusion rates were higher in high-volume centers assumedly due to selection of more complex cases. However, high-volume hospitals showed a shorter LOS with 10.5 vs. 11.2 (medium volume), and 12.7days (low volume). Total numbers of RPLND have declined from 2006 to 2015, while tumor incidences and stages remained fairly stable. Constant reduction of indication in guidelines contributes to this finding. High-volume hospitals achieve shorter hospital stays in spite of assumedly more complex and extensive cases. There is a modest trend towards unregulated centralization.

An Entropy Model of Centralization Tendency Bias

An Entropy Model of Centralization Tendency Bias

793 - Centralization tendencies of radical retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) for testicular cancer in Germany from 2006 to 2014: Analysis of total population data

793 - Centralization tendencies of radical retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) for testicular cancer in Germany from 2006 to 2014: Analysis of total population data

Exploring and modeling the societal safety and societal security concepts – A systematic review, empirical study and key implications

This paper explores and models the concepts of societal safety and societal security in tandem, with the aim of understanding how the concepts are composed, related, and can be reconciled. The need for reconciliation can be seen in how the concepts address similar topics and issues in literature, which calls for an exploration of the concepts’ similarities and differences. The exploration offers both a systematic literature review of the societal safety and societal security concepts and the empirical analysis of how these concepts inform debate through in-depth interviews with leaders and key stakeholders in Norway. Data from the empirical study were analyzed by means of a systematic content analysis using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). The combined insights of the literature review and the empirical study resulted in a model of the societal safety and societal security concepts that highlights the concepts’ multi-dimensional composition and closely related nature. The conceptual model represents an effort to reconcile the societal safety and societal security concepts. Associated implications to practice, policy, and research are discussed, along with the paper’s contributions to safety and security research. The paper’s theoretical contribution lies in its approach to conceptualizing and reconciling the interrelated and many-dimensioned nature of the societal safety and societal security concepts for further testing and extension. The methodological contribution is the explicit and systematic qualitative research design to facilitate transparency, structure, and insights in future explorations of safety and security concepts more broadly. While my findings coincide with much of the existing literature on what makes for good stakeholder involvement in discussions of societal safety and security, the paper offers new insights and dimensions for these concepts and further research. Two dimensions stand out. Firstly, threat discourses, defined by a societal elite and media, may enhance security measures and centralization tendencies that challenge democratic values such as the right to privacy and ability to influence the society’s political course. Secondly, societal safety and societal security are about creating favorable physical and psychological conditions for people to experience the good life when society is faced with new/unknown elements.

The Approach of the Local System of Child Protection from a Social-Network Aspect and its Options of Interpretation – A Case Study

Present study focus on the local system of child protection. It undertakes to provide a detailed picture of the structure of the system but in the same time paying special attention to interpersonal relations and the work through interpersonal nexuses. According to our hypotesis a deep, informal network lies between the authorities and institutions. Present study also involves the dimension of social connections in the interpretation. We hypothesize that centralization tendencies are not affecting the local system of child protection significantly because it is a dinamic system with an operation based on the relations of individuals and professionals.

English

This article reviews the actual impacts of decentralization on poverty reduction in Ethiopia after the inception of decentralization since 2000s. Secondary document analyses accompanied by interview with few government officials were employed. The objective of the article was to investigate the tangible impacts of decentralization on Ethiopian poverty reduction program. The goals of decentralization in Ethiopia are to reduce poverty through providing basic pro-poor services such as education, health, water and expanding rural gravel roads by mobilizing local residents and resources accompanied by participatory democracy. Pragmatically, however, meaningful changes are yet registered due to various inter linked factors such as weak institutional arrangement and inadequate empowerment of local government and inadequate autonomy to decide their own affairs. Moreover, insignificant change of poverty reduction was also occurring due to lack of financial autonomy and high dependence of local government on its nearby upper echelon of government. Demographic factors such as alarming rate of population growth and lethargic economic growth, heavy hand control and centralization tendency of the ruling regime, lack of technical and financial capacity of the regional and local governments, and lack of the culture of accountability, and transparency, etc. are also factors that make decentralization to have little impacts. Key words: Decentralization, poverty reduction, Ethiopia.

Flemish Diamond or ABC-Axis? The spatial structure of the Belgian metropolitan area

ABSTRACTThis contribution traces the evolution of the Belgian urban system by adopting a historical taxonomy of agglomeration-economy regimes, and poses the question whether a new centralizing agglomeration-economy regime based on renewed ‘metropolization’ can be observed. Belgium has federalized into three regions during the last decades and different spatial perspectives emerged about how the central metropolitan area crosscuts the regional borders. After placing Belgian metropolization in its historical context, we engage with its contemporary geography. We inquire if the metropolitan area of Belgium is more akin to the ‘Flemish Diamond’, with capital city Brussels as the southernmost node, or whether a spatial pattern reminiscent of the historical ‘Antwerp-Brussels-Charleroi (ABC)-Axis’ is a more adequate description. To answer these questions, we examine the spatial integration of the Belgian labour market utilizing the connectivity field method and a 2010 nationwide travel-to-work data set. Based on this analysis, inferences are drawn about labour market interdependencies between various parts of the urban system. The results indicate that contemporary metropolization in Belgium can be topographically expressed as an area that is more trans-regional than the Flemish Diamond yet more polycentric than an extension of Brussels, thus pointing to renewed economic centralization tendencies at the supra-regional level.

Network structure and centralization tendencies in professional football teams from Spanish La Liga and English Premier Leagues

The aim of this study was to analyse the variance of different competitive leagues, score status, and tactical position in the centrality levels of degree prestige, degree centrality and page rank in football players. A total of 20 matches from the Spanish La Liga League (10 matches) and English Premier League (10 matches) were analysed and codified in this study. In this study only the top four teams and their opponents per each competitive league were analysed. A total of 14,738 passes between teammates were recorded and processed. The multivariate MANOVA revealed statistical differences in centrality among tactical positions (λ = 0.958; F (15,1212) = 37.898; p-value = 0.001; = 0.319; Moderate Effect Size). Midfielders had the greatest centrality values, followed by the external and central defenders. The lowest values of centrality were found in goalkeepers and forwards. No statistical differences were found in centrality between different competitive leagues (λ = 0.001; F (3,402) = 0.050; p-value = 0.985; = 0.001; Very Small Effect Size) and score status (λ = 0.003; F (6,806) = 0.175; p-value = 0.983; = 0.001; Very Small Effect Size).

Sportoló és nem sportoló fiúk regionális zsíreloszlásának mintázata

The study deals with the connection between sexual maturation and fat accumulation during male puberty. The purposes were: (1) to follow the alterations in regional body adiposity during genital development; (2) to reveal the differences in fat patterning of athletes and non-athletes, (3) to analyze the influence of genital maturation and sport activity on the indices of fatness in pubertal boys. The subjects were athlete (n=803) and non-athlete (n=989) boys. They were grouped by the stages of genital development. Regional fat distribution was examined on the basis of skinfolds. The amount of subcutaneous and visceral abdominal adipose tissues was assessed by regression equations of Brambilla and co-workers. The effect of genital development and sport activity on fat compartments was studied by multivariate ANOVA. The centralization tendency in adipose tissue was revealed by the progressing of genital development. Non-athletes accumulated more relative subcutaneous fat on their extremities, while athletes did it on their trunk. Adjusted to the absolute body fat mass, visceral adipose tissue increased faster in athletes than in non-athletes. The multivariate model proved that genital maturation affected the regional fat distribution. During sexual maturation the regional apposition trend of body fat was similar for athletes and non-athletes. The differences between athletes’ and non-athletes’ fat pattering emerged in the relative distributions. The relatively thicker fat layer on the trunk served better the extended energy supply for athletes. The effect of sexual maturation was the largest on the visceral adipose tissue, while sport activity influenced the subcutaneous adipose tissue better on the extremities.