Endogenous Forces Research Articles

“Change, continuity and crisis in the legal profession: the role of gender”

ABSTRACT This paper discusses a theoretical framework for understanding gender in the legal profession, and in legal professionalism, over the past thirty years. Although women's subordinated position in legal professions across the globe seems well understood, the project of assessing the extent and the dynamics is ongoing in many jurisdictions and intersects with issues of race, gender in intricate and complex ways. The theoretical framework in this paper that aims to account for the multi-dimensional, multi-level and processual nature of change in the gendered profession draws on three main sources: Glucksmann's accounts of changing formations of labour, which provides a framework for understanding the exogenous and endogenous forces working on the profession; Fraser's concept of recognition and its relation to participation in the public sphere, and Bourdieu's conceptual vocabulary of field, capital and habitus, which facilitates understanding of the transactional processes which frame women's choices and which work to determine their position within the profession and organizations. The relevance of the framework will be illustrated through reference to a series of studies of gender and the profession, conducted since 1990.

"Endogenous forces" and "exogenous forces": a study on the development of the rural teaching workforce in the context of rural revitalization

In the context of rural revitalization, the development of the rural teaching workforce relies on the synergistic promotion of endogenous forces and exogenous forces. endogenous forces mean internal driving forces that emphasize proactive and innovative personal motivation, while exogenous forces refer to external supports that focus on resource investment and policy guidance. However, an increasing emphasis on exogenous forces while neglecting endogenous forces has limited the sustainable development of China’s current rural teaching workforce. We believe that activating endogenous forces is a key and weak link in promoting the synergistic development of rural revitalization and the rural teaching workforce. Only when endogenous forces are activated by exogenous forces and achieve a "feedback" effect on exogenous forces can a positive cycle in the development of rural teachers be established. In summary, the collaborative development and mutual reinforcement of endogenous and exogenous forces will enhance the professional development of the rural teaching workforce.

Co-Evolution of Law and Economics—Judicial Sovereignty

: John R. Commons’ Legal Foundations of Capitalism documented the co-evolution of law and economics. Commons reviewed legal cases that affected economic development. Courts had endorsed emerging business practices unleashing endogenous forces of change. Scarcity was the dominant feature of the pre-industrial economy, but Commons’ Stages of Capitalism demonstrated that the economy had evolved to industrial production. As industrialism became more dominant, production was potentially abundant. However, abundance was a source of instability. Stabilized scarcity policies relieving instability were confirmed by the judiciary. Judicial review established judicial sovereignty that Commons called “dictatorship of the courts.” Intangible property was legalized. Use value of property was replaced by exchange value. Edicts of the courts could supplant the work of the legislative and executive branches risking a movement toward the fascism of pre-war Italy. The economy continues to evolve. The cutting edge of the economy is knowledge-based production, which is not manufacturing commodities. It is about the design and use of technology for the application of ideas that are built on increasing returns and positive feedback (further sources of instability). Competition is different in these industries where market power is prominent. This will require policies to deal with market power.

Mechanical force regulates ligand binding and function of PD-1.

Despite the success of PD-1 blockade in cancer therapy, how PD-1 initiates signaling remains unclear. Soluble PD-L1 is found in patient sera and can bind PD-1 but fails to suppress T cell function. Here, we show that PD-1 function is reduced when mechanical support on ligand is removed. Mechanistically, cells exert forces to PD-1 and prolong bond lifetime at forces <7 pN (catch bond) while accelerate dissociation at forces >8pN (slip bond). Molecular dynamics of PD-1-PD-L2 complex suggests force may cause relative rotation and translation between the two molecules yielding distinct atomic contacts not observed in the crystal structure. Compared to wild-type, PD-1 mutants targeting the force-induced distinct interactions maintain the same binding affinity but suppressed/eliminated catch bond, lowered rupture force, and reduced inhibitory function. Our results uncover a mechanism for cells to probe the mechanical support of PD-1-PD-Ligand bonds using endogenous forces to regulate PD-1 signaling.

Institutional Analysis of China’s Historic Success in Eradicating Absolute Poverty: A Perspective of Political Economy

ABSTRACT China’s eradication of absolute poverty represents a major contribution to world development, a contribution that could not have been achieved without applying a strategy of targeted poverty alleviation. Implementing this strategy has in turn depended fundamentally on the functioning of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. First, the system has been oriented towards comprehensively addressing and systematically solving the problem of absolute poverty through unifying short-term relief with long-term empowerment. Second, the logic underlying the system construction has involved a coupling and interaction between the government and the market. The system of mobilizing resources nationwide for poverty alleviation has featured a “trinity” in which the central government has provided an overarching guide while paired assistance has occurred between developed and less developed areas, and while local governments have played a dynamic role. This involves having subjective and endogenous forces from poverty alleviation to poverty eradication, providing comprehensive assistance in fields from systemic change to intervention at the micro level, and enabling integrated operations in areas from targeting to policy implementation and empowerment. Third, the effectiveness of the system is reflected in the high quality, long-term effectiveness and endogenous motivation that have been features of China’s effort to overcome poverty.

Historical institutionalism in action: Incremental prevalence of Transit-Oriented Development in Tokyo 1945-1982

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) increasingly refers to global practices integrating land-use planning, urban development, and transit today, but their historical experiences have received little attention from the discussion, not to mention any theoretical elaboration with institutional thinking. The literature identifies Tokyo as a global exemplar of TOD as a new term for enduring practice. However, why and how Tokyo’s practice uniquely relies on private railway conglomerates remains underexplored. This article elaborates on a historical institutionalist approach using an inductive process tracing technique to understand Tokyo’s postwar history from 1945 to 1982, emphasizing incremental changes induced by endogenous forces. The exploration takes precedent insights into the private railway conglomerate-led TOD practice as an informal institution of “standard operating practice” and refines them with postwar history and supplementary prewar episodes. It finds that contingent policy choices allowed conglomerates to dismantle their geographical and financial constraints from prewar regulations. The actions reinforced their institutional privilege in public affairs as a foundation for subversive railway privatization reforms from 1982 onward. The finding thus identifies a socio-political dimension of TOD shaped by agents across sectors, developing the current methodology in planning studies and contributing to the debates on defining TOD.

Exogenous and endogenous factors affecting stock market transactions: A Hawkes process analysis of the Tokyo Stock Exchange during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transactions in financial markets are not evenly spaced but can be concentrated within a short period of time. In this study, we investigated the factors that determine the transaction frequency in financial markets. Specifically, we employed the Hawkes process model to identify exogenous and endogenous forces governing transactions of individual stocks in the Tokyo Stock Exchange during the COVID-19 pandemic. To enhance the accuracy of our analysis, we introduced a novel EM algorithm for the estimation of exogenous and endogenous factors that specifically addresses the interdependence of the values of these factors over time. We detected a substantial change in the transaction frequency in response to policy change announcements. Moreover, there is significant heterogeneity in the transaction frequency among individual stocks. We also found a tendency where stocks with high market capitalization tend to significantly respond to external news, while their excitation relationship between transactions is weak. This suggests the capability of quantifying the market state from the viewpoint of the exogenous and endogenous factors generating transactions for various stocks.

Forming a supranational boundary-spanning policy regime – European intersectoral coordination in education and employment

ABSTRACT While European governance of individual policy sectors has received considerable academic scrutiny, less attention has been paid to the development of intersectoral coordination. This paper charts the emergence of a supranational boundary-spanning policy regime (BSPR) in education and employment in Europe. By looking at issues, ideas, interests and institutions, we gain a deeper understanding of the conditions for the emergence and further institutionalisation of European intersectoral coordination in education and employment from the 1990s onwards. The study relies on semi-structured interviews with European policy-makers in education and employment and EU policy documents. We analyse how endogenous and exogenous factors frame (policy) issues that contribute to the emergence and further strengthening of intersectoral coordination, the extent to which ideas for European education and employment stress intersectoral policy designs, how interests support or hinder intersectoral work, and which institutions are developed with an intersectoral reasoning. We find that endogenous forces (rather than exogenous ones) played a significant role in the emergence of a European BSPR in education and employment. Structural aspects and policy instruments (institutions), alongside ideas and interests, then contribute to the institutionalisation of the European BSPR in education and employment.

Vinculin is essential for sustaining normal levels of endogenous forces at cell-cell contacts

Transmission of cell-generated (i.e., endogenous) tension at cell-cell contacts is crucial for tissue shape changes during morphogenesis and adult tissue repair in tissues such as epithelia. E-cadherin-based adhesions at cell-cell contacts are the primary means by which endogenous tension is transmitted between cells. The E-cadherin-β-catenin-α-catenin complex mechanically couples to the actin cytoskeleton (and thereby the cell’s contractile machinery) both directly and indirectly. However, the key adhesion constituents required for substantial endogenous force transmission at these adhesions in cell-cell contacts are unclear. Due to the role of α-catenin as a mechanotransducer that recruits vinculin at cell-cell contacts, we expected α-catenin to be essential for sustaining normal levels of force transmission. Instead, using the traction force imbalance method to determine the inter-cellular force at a single cell-cell contact between cell pairs, we found that it is vinculin that is essential for sustaining normal levels of endogenous force transmission, with absence of vinculin decreasing the inter-cellular tension by over 50%. Our results constrain the potential mechanical pathways of force transmission at cell-cell contacts and suggest that vinculin can transmit forces at E-cadherin adhesions independent of α-catenin, possibly through β-catenin. Furthermore, we tested the ability of lateral cell-cell contacts to withstand external stretch and found that both vinculin and α-catenin are essential to maintain cell-cell contact stability under external forces.

A market for integrity. The use of competition to reduce bribery in education

Bribery to attain academic credentials is a widespread problem around the globe. It reinforces inequality and lays the foundation for a norm of undermining skill, achievement, and productivity. One recommended solution is to raise teacher salaries. Even without monitoring and punishment, this could ameliorate the situation by moving teachers away from the poverty threshold and shifting the balance of decision-making forces in favor of intrinsically prosocial motives. As an alternative solution, we suggest a piece-rate scheme that rewards teachers for the students they attract to their schools. Using a game theoretic model and a pre-registered experiment, we compared the two mechanisms. Our results show that a salary increase has little or no impact on bribery, but the piece rate substantially reduces it. The piece rate does this by creating a market that transfers power from teachers to students and thus recruits endogenous forces to reduce bribe extraction by teachers. These findings provide initial evidence for the value of correctly incentivizing integrity. Interventions inspired by these findings would be best implemented in cases where the government cannot reliably monitor and enforce anti-corruption measures.

Cell protrusions and contractions generate long-range membrane tension propagation

Membrane tension is thought to be a long-range integrator of cell physiology. Membrane tension has been proposed to enable cell polarity during migration through front-back coordination and long-range protrusion competition. These roles necessitate effective tension transmission across the cell. However, conflicting observations have left the field divided as to whether cell membranes support or resist tension propagation. This discrepancy likely originates from the use of exogenous forces that may not accurately mimic endogenous forces. We overcome this complication by leveraging optogenetics to directly control localized actin-based protrusions or actomyosin contractions while simultaneously monitoring the propagation of membrane tension using dual-trap optical tweezers. Surprisingly, actin-driven protrusions and actomyosin contractions both elicit rapid global membrane tension propagation, whereas forces applied to cell membranes alone do not. We present a simple unifying mechanical model in which mechanical forces that engage the actin cortex drive rapid, robust membrane tension propagation through long-range membrane flows.

Financial production and the subprime mortgage crisis

The causes of the 2007-8 subprime crisis continue to be the subject of much debate, with explanations ranging from de-regulation and fraudulent behavior to global imbalances and rising inequality. However, a comprehensive analysis of the endogenous forces that made the crisis inevitable has yet to be presented. This paper offers a ‘structural’ interpretation of the crisis by synthesising insights from conventional financial economics and the Minskyian and Schumpeterian literature. While highlighting the innovative character of US financial firms evolving from credit providers to producers of financial commodities, we stress the key features of their path towards financial fragility. We contend that financial institutions were able to achieve progressively unsustainable positions due to the ‘enforced indebtedness’ of US households, which played a functional, albeit secondary, role in the development of the crisis.

Mechanotransduction in high aspect ratio nanostructured meta-biomaterials: The role of cell adhesion, contractility, and transcriptional factors.

Black Ti (bTi) surfaces comprising high aspect ratio nanopillars exhibit a rare combination of bactericidal and osteogenic properties, framing them as cell-instructive meta-biomaterials. Despite the existing data indicating that bTi surfaces induce osteogenic differentiation in cells, the mechanisms by which this response is regulated are not fully understood. Here, we hypothesized that high aspect ratio bTi nanopillars regulate cell adhesion, contractility, and nuclear translocation of transcriptional factors, thereby inducing an osteogenic response in the cells. Upon the observation of significant changes in the morphological characteristics, nuclear localization of Yes-associated protein (YAP), and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) expression in the human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), we inhibited focal adhesion kinase (FAK), Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK), and YAP in separate experiments to elucidate their effects on the subsequent expression of Runx2. Our findings indicated that the increased expression of Runx2 in the cells residing on the bTi nanopillars compared to the flat Ti is highly dependent on the activity of FAK and ROCK. A mechanotransduction pathway is then postulated in which the FAK-dependent adhesion of cells to the extreme topography of the surface is in close relation with ROCK to increase the endogenous forces within the cells, eventually determining the cell shape and area. The nuclear translocation of YAP may also enhance in response to the changes in cell shape and area, resulting in the translation of mechanical stimuli to biochemical factors such as Runx2.

Infant deaths, fetal deaths and shared obituary causes: implications and a new analytical perspective on infant mortality

In the 2018/2019 biennium, it was found that about 64% of infant deaths in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil, resulted from obituary causes common to fetal deaths, qualifying them as typical mutually exclusive events, in which the occurrence of one of them symptomatically excludes the occurrence of the other for the same obituary cause, thus establishing an inexorable relationship of excluding interdependence, inversely associating the occurrences between them. Raising the question about the implications of this relationship in the analytical perspective of the phenomenon of infant mortality, a question that became the guiding principle in the conduct of this work. From which he formulated the objective of analyzing this relationship with a view to revealing the complexity of the phenomenon of infant mortality, bringing to light new elements hitherto unknown. In this sense, as a methodological basis for the empirical analysis, focused on the State of Espírito Santo, it formulated a theoretical/conceptual model enabling the simultaneous analysis of the two events, considering them conceptually differentiated, however, interrelated, demonstrating empirically the existence of a cyclical dynamic intrinsic to the phenomenon, sustained by endogenous forces originating from the excluding interdependence relationship, resulting from the sharing of obituary causes between infant and fetal deaths. Hence, in response to the guiding question, it was concluded that there was an urgent need to rethink the analysis of infant mortality, breaking the tradition restricted only to the deaths of children aged 0 to 1 year, at the risk of gross errors in the interpretation of reality. According to the objective outlined, it analyzed the interaction between this endogenous dynamics and exogenous forces emanating from restrictive structural factors (poverty, sanitation, etc.), revealing new elements inherent to the complexity of the phenomenon, such as, for example, on the hybrid action of exogenous and endogenous factors in determining infant mortality rates, among others. Finally, tying together the various points discussed, this work demonstrates the validity of the thesis that identifies in the interaction between fetal deaths and infant deaths from common obituary causes, the origin of autonomous endogenous forces, supporting an endogenous cyclical dynamic, through which it radiates its harmful effects throughout the universe of infant mortality, systematically altering scenarios of reality.

Examining the evolving structures of intercity knowledge networks: the case of scientific collaboration in China

ABSTRACT Drawing on data on scientific co-publications derived from the Web of Science for the periods 2002–2006 and 2012–2016, we construct and analyse a key element of China's intercity knowledge networks (CIKNs): scientific collaboration networks. Employing network-analytical and exponential random graph modelling techniques, we examine the evolving structures and driving mechanisms underlying these CIKNs. Our results show that the density of the CIKNs has significantly increased over time. CIKN flows are dense in the Southeastern but sparse in the Northwestern part of China, with the Hu Line acting as a clearly visible border. As the dominant knowledge centre, Beijing is involved in scientific collaboration networks throughout the country, with the diamond-shaped structure anchored by Beijing-Shanghai-Guangzhou-Chengdu becoming evident. We find that preferential attachment and transitivity are significant endogenous processes driving scientific collaboration, while a city's administrative level and R&D investment are the strongest exogenous factors. The impact of GDP and geographical proximity is limited, with institutional proximity being the most sizable of the well-known suite of proximity effects.

Popular Religious Traditions, British Military Recruitment and the Social Construction of Masculinity in Colonial Haryana

It is generally assumed that colonial institutions and ideologies shaped the contours of masculinity in British India. This paper explores endogenous factors and attempts to supplement as well as contest such approaches and interpretations which claim that masculinity in India was a colonial construction. The emphasis is on folk traditions, religious customs, qaumi (folk) tales and physical culture akh???s (gymnasia) among the Jats in colonial Haryana,1 which went into the making of dominant masculinity in this region. The paper draws upon vernacular language materials and newspapers to analyse the different ways in which the socially endogenous forces constructed this masculinity. It argues that a complex interaction of popular religious traditions, qaumi narratives, military recruitment, marital caste designation, ownership of land, superior caste behaviour and strong bodily physique came to ideologically link and construct dominant masculinity in colonial Haryana.

Capturing cancer evolution using genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs).

Initiating from a single cell, cancer undergoes clonal evolution, leading to a high degree of intratumor heterogeneity (ITH). The arising genetic heterogeneity between cancer cells is influenced by exogenous and endogenous forces that shape the composition of clones within tumors. Preclinical mouse models have provided a valuable tool for understanding cancer, helping to build a fundamental understanding of tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. Until recently, genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMS) of cancer had lacked the genetic diversity found in human tumors, in which evolution may be driven by long-term carcinogen exposure and DNA damage. However, advances in sequencing technology and in our understanding of the drivers of genetic instability have given us the knowledge to generate new mouse models, offering an approach to functionally explore mechanisms of tumor evolution.

Endogenous hybridity: regime change in Venezuela (1998–2020)

ABSTRACT The political movement led by President Hugo Chávez Frías (1998–2013) and his successor, President Nicolás Maduro (2013–present), created an authoritarian regime in Venezuela. We explore two alternative interpretations. The first is that the regime underwent a series of incremental transitions along an initially democratic but progressively more authoritarian trajectory, largely as a result of pressures from its environment. The alternative interpretation is that authoritarianism was inherent in the regime’s origin and composition and emerged endogenously, albeit gradually. Using a theoretical framework that builds on the work of Robert Dahl, Guillermo O’Donnell, Juan Linz, and Alfred Stepan, we develop indicators of democracy and authoritarianism and trace the evolution of the regime through three periods. We conclude that endogenous and exogenous forces interacted and were mutually reinforcing across these periods, repeatedly foreclosing possibilities for democratization, but authoritarian tendencies were present from the start and reflected in critical political decisions by regime actors involving the design of new institutions.

Emergent Properties of Land Systems: Nonlinear Dynamics of Scottish Farming Systems from 1867 to 2020

Dynamics of arable and pastoral farming systems in Scotland over the period 1867–2020 are documented using time series analysis methods, including for nonlinear dynamical systems. Results show arable and pastoral farming, at a national scale, are dynamic over a range of timescales, with medium- and short-term dynamics associated with endogenous system forces and exogenous factors, respectively. Medium-term dynamics provide evidence of endogenous systems-level feedbacks between farming sectors responding to change in world and national cereal prices as an economic driver, and act to dampen impacts of exogenous shocks and events (weather, disease). Regime shifts are identified in national cereal prices. Results show change and dynamics as emergent properties of system interactions. Changes in dynamics and strength of endogenous dampening over the duration of the study are associated with dynamical changes from major governmental policy decisions that altered the boundary conditions for interdependencies of arable and pastoral farming.

A multi-level governance response to the Covid-19 crisis in public transport

This paper examines the Dutch policy reaction to the financial crisis in the public transport sector caused by Covid-19. Using the multi-level governance theory complemented with the notion of informal governance, the analysis explains the decision-making that defined a State-aid scheme to public transport operators following a process of consultation and concertation between state and non-state actors across governance tiers. To agree on a financial rescue package, these actors engage in front-stage and back-stage political interactions, constrained and enabled by formal and informal governance structures and practices. By analyzing how the interplay between the political mobilization of actors, policy-making arrangements, and existing polity structures shapes political alignment around the financial support scheme, the paper concludes that the crisis did not change customary governance and policy-making practices. Stakeholders sought their usual partners and followed existing routines in path-dependent ways to address the policy challenge brought by Covid-19. Despite being triggered by a major exogenous shock, the policy response to the crisis was driven mainly by endogenous forces; the decision-making mechanism remained the same and the network of actors did not shrink or expand.