Contemporary Academic Literature Research Articles

Community gardens in Israel: Characteristics and perceived functions

In light of a growing awareness that quality green open spaces are an important part of healthy and sustainable cities this paper seeks to examine the rapidly developing Israeli community gardens (CG). As most of the contemporary academic literature regarding CG relies predominantly on North American experience, this article wishes to explore the extent and characteristics of CGs in Israel and the local public’s involvement in these projects in order to enrich the global insight about this growing phenomenon. The data were obtained through survey questionnaire distributed to 44 CG coordinators followed by field work conducted in four CGs. Our findings show that, consistently with research in North America and Europe, Israeli CGs serve as community anchors and demonstrate the potential to be sites of encounter for different groups of city residents. Another important function of Israeli CGs is creating civically engaging green open space and allowing urban dwellers access to the land. Our findings indicate that CGs in highly urbanized and multicultural societies have the potential to engage diverse communities and provide a valuable site for civic engagement with urban public spaces.

The lost narrative: Ecosystem service narratives and the missing Wasatch watershed conservation story

Salt Lake City's preservation of the Wasatch watershed as its water source is an important historical example of the economic and instrumental rationale for investing in ecosystem services in general and protecting watersheds in particular. This story predates the dominant example of New York City's preservation of the Catskills that is prevalent in the ecosystem services literature, yet is largely absent from the historical and contemporary academic and gray literature on valuing ecosystem services. While the Catskills example has been used to provide the impetus for wider replication of “Payments for Ecosystem Services” (PES) and other market-based approaches to manage the needs of multiple stakeholders in watershed and additional environmental contexts, the legitimacy of this example for justifying an instrumental and economic rationale for conserving nature has been shown to be flawed. This paper considers the limitations of the Catskills as an illustrative example of the economic benefit of valuing ecosystem services, and proposes the story of the preservation of the Wasatch watershed as an alternative success story that uses regulatory instruments and zoning to protect an urban water supply while simultaneously serving the recreational and other needs of stakeholders in the area.

What Do We Mean By “Salafī”? Connecting Muḥammad ʿAbduh with Egypt’s Nūr Party in Islam’s Contemporary Intellectual History

In contemporary academic literature, the word “Salafī” has a variety of meanings. Most importantly, Western academic literature of the 20th and 21st centuries applies the word to (1) an Islamic reform movement founded by Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī (d. 1897) and Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849–1905) in the last decades of the 19th century and (2) to contemporary Sunni reform movements that criticize manifestations of Sunni Islam which are based on Sufism, Ashʿarism, and traditional madhhab-affiliations to the Shāfiʿī, Ḥanafī, and Mālikī schools. In a 2010-article Henri Lauzière argued that the use of the word “Salafī” to describe these two movements is an equivocation based on a mistake. While the movement of contemporary Salafīs may be rightfully called by that name, al-Afghānī and ʿAbduh never used the term. Only Western scholars of the 1920s and 30s, most importantly Louis Massignon (1883–1962), called this latter movement “salafī”. This paper reevaluates the evidence presented by Lauzière and argues that Massignon did not make a mistake. The paper describes analytically both reform movements and draws the conclusion that there is a historic continuity that justifies calling them both “salafī”. The paper draws an analogy from the use of the word “socialist” in European political history, which first applied to a wider movement of the late 19th century before its use was contested and narrowed down in the course of the 20th.

Leases: A Review of Contemporary Academic Literature Relating to Lessees

SYNOPSISAccounting for corporate leasing activities has been examined and debated for more than 30 years. Currently both the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) are developing standards to modify financial reporting for operating leases, which are currently reported off-balance sheet. In light of these proposals, we examine existing literature to better anticipate possible effects of any changes. Namely, we review existing studies to understand why firms engage in operating leases and how information about these arrangements impacts users. First, we review studies directly examining leases. As that review reports, some studies show that companies engage in off-balance sheet leasing at least in part to manage financial statement presentation. Other studies, however, suggest that firms utilize operating leases to manage costs and preserve capital. In general, the research reports that lenders, credit rating agencies, and other capital market participants sufficiently understand off-balance sheet leases and consider them in their decision making. Second, we provide commentary on one of the current proposals' more debated areas and a current point of FASB and IASB divergence: classification of expenses associated with operating leases. While the IASB proposes disaggregating interest and amortization elements, the FASB proposes reporting a single, combined lease expense. However, very little research explicitly addresses expenses associated with operating leases. Existing studies do, however, suggest that information disaggregation, particularly with regard to operating and financing activities, is important. Our review may be useful to regulators as the reporting standards for operating leases are debated.

Managing Competency in Non-Profit Organization: Experience with a European University

Competence Management (CM) has been discussed in contemporary academic and practitioner literature as a managing tool of Core Competences. Most of the studies of CM deal with manufacturing sector and profit organizations. Very little is known about CM in services and almost nothing in not-for profit organization. No research report has yet been found in educational institutions. Although, CM is not only important in manufacturing and profit organizations but also important in non-profit, like educational institutions, in order to meet the required quality and competitiveness of 21st century's education. Thus, an attempt has been made in this research to study CM in the administration of one the top ranking University in a Nordic country. The result results reveal that competencies had been defined in individual, network and unit level, but lack of integration of a comprehensive CM framework unable the higher educational institution to achieve the benefits of core competence. Based on the empirical findings, some policy and research directions are given at the end of the research. <br /> <br /><br />

Analyzing the Foreign Policy of Microstates

The position of small states in international relations is traditionally described in terms of vulnerability and dependence. This dominant perspective is largely incomplete and inaccurate, because it disregards the element of exchange that characterizes the international linkages between many small and large states. In this article, I aim to outline and motivate an alternative model on the basis of which such relationships can be understood, which has been referred to as the international patron–client framework. After providing an overview of the contemporary academic literature on the role of small states in international politics, two sections follow in which I motivate the applicability of the patron–client framework to the field of international relations, and in which I explain the motives of both patron and client states. Subsequently, the accuracy and usefulness of the framework is examined on the basis of interview data gathered during field research in the three small client states of St. Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, and Palau. The findings of this analysis indicate that the patron–client linkage offers a more fruitful model to study the relations between small and large states than the existing literature does, because it recognizes the element of exchange that such relationships entail.

Mapping the Agency of a Small, Former Colonial Power: Portugal and EU Political Conditionality in Sub-Saharan Africa

As a former colonial power in Africa, Portugal has been a conspicuously neglected case in the contemporary academic literature on Europe–Africa relations. This article explores Portugal's role in European Union (EU) relations with Africa, focusing on the issue of political conditionality. The analysis considers how active Portugal has been at the EU level regarding that controversial issue and to what extent Lisbon has tried to mediate between its European partners and Africa. Taking into account the limited contributions on the topic, this article makes great use of primary sources and takes a long-term perspective. The findings show that Portugal's general stance was mainly reactive and cautious. However, Portuguese policy-makers ingeniously used intra-EU pressures towards conditionality to highlight Portugal's conciliatory position and buttress a bridging role between Europe and Africa. This study contributes to the literature on Portuguese foreign policy in the EU–Africa context and provides useful insights for other studies on smaller EU member states as well as Europe–Africa relations.

Understanding Values for Insightfully Aware Leadership

Values are widely labelled as principles as well as motivators’ that influence our lives. Given their importance in everything we do, including our work, we advocate recognizing and understanding values as part of deepening one’s self-awareness – a key element in leadership development – especially where this emphasizes authenticity or emotional intelligence. While there is a substantial consensus about the link between understanding one's values and self-awareness, research explicitly relating this to leadership development is more limited. By reviewing an extensive range of classic and contemporary academic literature on: values, values hierarchy, work values, organizational values; as well as values sources, change, conflict, congruence and communication; we provide a holistic view of the concept of values. Next, we use this review to derive an integrated definition and a framework for understanding values (personal, work and organizational). These act as a constructive contribution for deeper self-awareness in leadership – a part of leadership development that is insightfully aware. Finally, we identify a number of suggestions to guide future research seeking to explore and apply the role and understanding of values in leadership and organizational dynamics.

Bridging disciplines in alliances and networks: in search for solutions for the managerial relevance gap

Suppose you are an alliance manager and you want to set up or manage an alliance. Or you are an alliance consultant who advises network partners to make their relationship run more smoothly. Then, you would appreciate to find valuable advice in the literature of cooperation. However, in studying the contemporary academic literature, we concluded that it offers at best only piecemeal advice on the process of cooperation. No integrative framework was found that could provide coherence and guidance on the various stages of cooperation. This paper attempts to develop such a framework, building upon relevant streams and articles in literature. We developed five lenses to look at cooperation and used two cases (The Healthy Region and the Senseo Alliance) to illustrate how these five lenses can work.

“Stop Rape Now?”

Inspired by the themes of violence, masculinity and responsibility, this article investigates the visibility of male victims/survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in war. Despite the passing of UNSCR 1820 in 2008, the formulation of UN ACTION (United Nations Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict), and the appointment of a United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General to lead policy and practice in this issue area, we argue here that male survivors/victims remain a marginal concern, which has, among other consequences, profound implications for the facilities that exist to support male victims/survivors during and after periods of active conflict. In the first section of the article, we provide an overview of the contemporary academic literature on rape in war, not only to act as the foundation for the analytical work that follows but also to illustrate the argument that male survivors/victims of sexualised violence in war are near-invisible in the majority of literature on this topic. Second, we turn our analytical lens to the policy environment charged with addressing sexualised violence in conflict. Through a discourse analysis focussed on the website of UN ACTION (www.stoprapenow.org), we demonstrate that this lack of vision in academic work maps directly to a lack of visibility in the policy arena. The third section of the article explores the arrangements in place within extant peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction programmes that aim to facilitate recovery with victims/survivors of sexualised violence in war. We conclude with reflections on the themes of violence, masculinity and responsibility in the context of sexualised violence in war and suggest that in this context all privileged actors have a responsibility to theorise violence with careful attention to gender in order to avoid perpetuating models of masculinity and war-rape that have potentially pernicious effects.

The Post-westernisation of EU–Turkey Relations

This article examines an overly optimistic portrayal of the EU and its relationship with Turkey within the context of an essentialist framework for the dynamics of Turkish politics. It critically scrutinises conventional understandings of the dynamics of Turkey's domestic politics. It professes that relying upon outdated models of domestic political cleavages is not sufficient to understand the key dynamics of Turkey's EU accession process. The article analyses Turkey's interaction with Europe by incorporating, but also moving beyond, the narrow confines of dichotomous thinking: the West–East divide, modern versus traditional, global–local and secular pitted against Islamicist. Drawing upon the contemporary academic literature in Europe and Turkey, the article advances an alternative analytical perspective in order to understand better the dynamic changes within Turkey and Europe.

Physical Integrity Rights and Terrorism

Can states afford to protect human rights when facing a terrorist threat? Contemporary academic literature suggests that the answer to this question is no, concluding that states that afford their citizens basic political rights and civil liberties leave themselves more exposed to terrorist attacks (Piazza 2008; Wade and Reiter 2007; Pape 2003; Eubank and Weinberg 1994). American policymakers seem to agree. Both the Bush and Obama administrations regard the curtailment of physical integrity rights as a necessary element of effective counterterrorism policy. The Bush administration responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, with policies permitting indefinite detention, extraordinary rendition, use of physically abusive interrogation practices, and increased and largely unchecked surveillance and wiretapping of suspected terrorists. Although it banned abusive interrogation and announced plans to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, the Obama administration has maintained the practice of wiretapping, reserved the option of rendition, and dramatically increased unmanned drone attacks against suspected terrorists in Pakistan, which often results in civilian casualties. Both presidents have claimed that these policies are necessary to keep Americans safe from terrorism (Hosenball 2009; “Bush Defends Policy on Terror Detainees” 2005).

A relational insight of brand personification in business-to-business markets

Customers find it difficult to differentiate between competing products based on their functional aspects. The shortening life cycle of products due to quick adoption of technological innovations by competitors makes it difficult for them to identify products based on specifications. The contemporary academic literature related to relationship marketing and brand management is passionate about customer and consumer psychology but little attention has been given to the brand selection criteria of resellers as business customers of the brand. This paper combines branding and relationship marketing as two broad functions of marketing. The paper argues upon the role of human representatives of the brand as brand personified in managing these two functions of marketing in business-to-business markets. The proposal of the paper is to use human representatives as a tool for the execution of relationship marketing and branding strategies. The objective behind using human representatives is to maximize the mindshare of resellers towards the brand and create value for them beyond products and services.

The Discursive Failure in Comparative Tax Law

Tax comparatists tend to bemoan the grim status of their chosen field. Complaints are aimed both at the scarcity of decent comparative legal tax scholarship, and at the lack of a theoretical foundation for the study of comparative tax law. The purpose of this Article is to portray a more sanguine, yet critical, view of this field. Sanguine, since a sympathetic reading of contemporary comparative tax scholarship demonstrates that there is more than enough such scholarship to generate a lively debate on comparative tax works and their methodologies. Critical, since all of these works fail to produce even the faintest form of paradigmatic discourse. The result is that contemporary academic literature in comparative tax law contains strongly conflicting arguments, running parallel courses, without ever engaging each other. In this Article, I try to construct a framework for a coherent and vigorous academic discourse on comparative taxation. I do so by placing existing comparative tax scholarship in the context of pivotal debates within general comparative law, and point out the abundant contradicting arguments in the field of comparative tax law. One cannot help but wonder how is it that tax comparatists have failed to support or rebut each other’s positions. One possible reason for this lack of engagement is perhaps that it enables tax comparatists to rest comfortably in the warm confines of their own scholarship without being bothered by questions regarding their methodological — and consequently their ideological - stances. Finally, for the sake of a debate, I offer my own views by responding to a recent article authored by Carlo Garbarino.

Indicators of Community Cohesion in an Australian Country Town

While the notion that communities require resources in the form of financial capital for their development and wellbeing has long been recognised, it has become increasingly apparent that economic resources alone do not lead to community sustainability and wellbeing. The building and supporting of strong, safe, socially cohesive communities that embrace social connections and commitment, has become an important goal of policy and initiatives at all levels of government. The aims of this study were to identify a common understanding of the concept of ‘community cohesion’, and to develop a set of indicators based on both the experiences of residents in a rural community and the relevant contemporary academic literature. Because community cohesion is an intangible concept subject to multiple meanings, qualitative research methods were used. We identified four main themes which could be translated into the key indicators. The most significant finding is that neighbourliness was identified by participants as the key aspect of community cohesion. Yet, whilst it is central, this does not mean excessive familiarity or the taking of liberties. Indeed, part of neighbourliness involves respecting each other’s boundaries and respect for diversity.

Gender and probation in the Second World War

An autobiographical novel by Julia Steel recounts a year in the life of a probation officer working in London in 1945. The unpublished manuscript, written in the mid-1950s, provides a rare contemporary glimpse into the lives and social regulation of a group of families living on a housing estate at the end of the Second World War. Steel herself was a wartime graduate of the Cromwell Road Home Office Training Centre. This article sets primary source material, including lecture notes from Steel's training course, in the context of both contemporary and recent academic and professional literature. Following the centenary year of the Probation Service in England and Wales, it aims to contribute some new insights into the history of (women) probation officers and their daily work. It argues that Steel's manuscript and lecture notes can be interpreted within an analysis of state intervention in the lives of working-class families that places professional women in a tutelary and disciplinary relationship with mothers and daughters. It concludes by demonstrating the relevance of such an analysis to our understanding of the gendered nature of work in the Probation Service in England and Wales.

Demands on and of Citizenship and Schooling:“Belonging” and “Diversity” in the Global Imperative

Educational theory and practice are contending with a sense that it is imperative to take-up “the global” in schools so as to promote a sense of global responsibility and global consciousness. A review of contemporary academic literature reveals particular tensions marking the mutually reinforcing relationships between citizenship, diversity, and schooling. A main theme of this paper is the increasingly complex notion of “belonging” integral to democratic citizenship and the related questions of inclusion and exclusion inherent to citizenship and schooling. By demonstrating that, despite particular paradoxes, citizenship continues to be called on as an ideal through which to push for social justice on local and global levels, the paper contends that a great deal is demanded of citizenship and citizenship education. This paper argues for a new, flexible theory of citizenship that interrogates the assumptions on which a “neutral” notion of citizenship is based. In examining what is demanded of citizenship, the paper looks at what demands must be made of a notion of citizenship. The paper ends with a strong consideration of global citizenship education as an educational response to the global imperative.

Social Economy, Third Sector and Solidarity Relations: A Conceptual Synthesis from History to Present

This paper attempts to provide a clear perspective on defining the social economy today. It addresses the question of the relevance of a unifying concept with its need to embrace the existing diversity of approaches and concepts. To this end, it surveys both historical and contemporary academic literature, as well as practice-rooted conceptualisations of the social economy. The first section outlines the analytical challenges to a reconstruction of the social economy concept. The second enhances the historical and space-bound diversity in theorising and institutionalising social economy practices. Section 3 focuses on contemporary reconceptualisations of the social economy in Francophone and Anglo-Saxon literature, while section 4 then suggests improvements to current 'social economy' concepts, by linking them to both the lessons of history and the views of social economy practitioners today.

Globalization and Citizenship Education in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Globalization and Citizenship Education in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Localized Low-Tech Learning in the Furniture Industry

It is by now an established fact that the so-called high technology industries have experienced growth rates way above average through most years. High technology industries' share of the world manufacturers export has risen from 12 percent in 1970 to 25 percent in 1995. More than one-third of Japan's manufacturing export and more than 40 percent of America's manufacturing export are products from high technology industries, and this development has increasingly led to an international obsession with high technology industries. In a number of countries R&D indicators have by now become the object of intense discussions. Great efforts are devoted to improve a bad relative standing. The aim of this paper is to question whether a national specialization towards high technology industries is the only way by which the mature, developed countries can hope to sustain and augment their economic position. I claim that in contrast to much of the assumptions in contemporary politics and in the majority of the contemporary academic literature on the subject, the countries without a specialization in high technology industries are not left in the backwaters of economic development. Quite the contrary seems to be the case as many advanced, high-cost countries experience an above average economic performance even when specializing in the bottom end of the low-tech industries. The argument is illustrated with empirical material from the wooden furniture industry in general--and the rather successful Danish wooden furniture industry in particular. The possible reasons behind this apparent paradox are discussed.