Informal Structures Research Articles

For when you just can't talk to 'normal' people . . . Exploring the use of informal support structures by supernumerary university paramedic students: findings from a phenomenological study.

In an effort to shield them from distress, pre-hospital ambulance staff may avoid discussing traumatic workplace experiences with friends and family. As a source of informal support, however, workplace camaraderie is considered important for managing occupational stress. For supernumerary university paramedic students there is limited research concerning how such experiences are managed, and whether they may benefit from similar informal support. This is a concerning deficit when contextualised by reports of higher stress levels among students undertaking work-based learning, and among paramedics / paramedic students in general. These original findings allude to how university paramedic students who are supernumerary within the pre-hospital workplace utilise informal support mechanisms. A qualitative, interpretive approach was adopted. University paramedic students were recruited via purposive sampling. Audio-recorded face-to-face semi-structured interviews were performed and transcribed verbatim. Analysis involved initial descriptive coding and then inferential pattern coding. The identification of themes and discussion topics was facilitated by a review of the literature. Twelve participants were recruited aged from 19 to 27 years, and 58% (n = 7) were female. While most participants cited that they were able to enjoy the informal stress-relieving camaraderie of ambulance staff, there were perceptions that supernumerary status may leave them potentially isolated within the workplace. Participants may also compartmentalise their experiences away from friends and family in a manner similar to that found among ambulance staff. Informal student peer support networks were praised as a source of information and for emotional support. Self-organised online chat groups were ubiquitous as a means of keeping in touch with student peers. While undertaking pre-hospital practice placements, supernumerary university paramedic students may not have complete access to the informal support of ambulance staff, and they may feel unable to discuss stressful feelings with friends or loved ones. However, within this study, self-moderated online chat groups were used almost universally as a readily accessible means of peer support. Paramedic educators ideally need an awareness of how such groups are used to ensure that they represent a supportive and inclusive space for students. Further research into how university paramedic students utilise online chat groups for peer support may further reveal a potentially valuable informal support structure.

Un-Bordering the Species: Plantationocene Counter-Epistemologies in Sleep Dealer and Maquilapolis

ABSTRACT: Borderlands film has traced throughlines from (neo)colonial regimes of coerced labor and ecocide to modern day, extractive industries like the US/Mexico maquila industry. This essay analyzes two films from distinct generic traditions, the sci-fi film Sleep Dealer (2008) and the documentary Maquilapolis (2006), to explicate how scale and framing in each depict and construct counter-epistemologies for surviving the Plantationocene and its logic of division, separation, and domination. Sleep Dealer utilizes bird's-eye-views and endoscopic camera scales to link a dammed river system to protagonist Memo's Cruz's body, which is similarly drained of its labor-power in an infomaquila , a futuristic cybernetic maquila factory. Maquilapolis captures haunting, timelapse shots of workers and slow-pan, bird's-eye view shots of toxified landscapes to link the back-breaking and dehumanizing labor of the factory with the chemical pollution that transfers invisibly from the maquila to the river and into people's bodies. Yet, the body, as a site of toxification and racial violence, inspires unique forms of coalition between the laborer and the ecosystem as laborers uncover connections between their oppression and the river system's degradation. As a result, both films capture new alliances between self and landscape, including the milpa , a biodiverse dryland farm; the cartolandia , informal housing structures made up of salvaged organic and inorganic materials recycled from river pollution; "aquaterrorism," acts of postcolonial violence against mega dams; and alternative narrative forms that center the river as being, friend, and subject. The essay concludes that being and feeling with the ecosystem is one way to counteract and survive the permanent damages that the plantation has incurred to the individual, the community, and the world's ecosystem.

‘They don't realise how hard it is’. Investigating the lived experiences of higher education students with parental responsibilities during the Covid‐19 pandemic

AbstractAnecdotal reports of student parents’ challenges during the Covid‐19 pandemic prompted this explorative study; investigating the lived experiences of UK student parents and the provision of Higher Education support. Data was derived from 91 online surveys, 20 follow‐up interviews, and analysis of 100 university websites. This occurred during the pandemic lockdowns whenthe stresses, challenges and opportunities of balancing their simultaneous roles of parent and student were intensified due to school closures. The Double ABC‐X model provided a framework for examining participant's lived experiences, and the role that Higher Education institutions could play in effecting positive coping and adaptation. Findings indicate that universities need to implement strategies to enhance support for this sector, including greater awareness of the vulnerabilities and challenges involved, more flexibility and adaptability in the university ethos, formal and informal policies and structures to provide more effective support and advice for juggling these simultaneous demands.

Solidarity or Solitude? Correlates of Incarceration and the Peer Networks of Imprisoned Women

Connecting feminist perspectives to a re-emergent literature on prison society, this study uses a social network perspective to understand the informal social organization of incarcerated women. Data came from the Women’s Prison Inmate Network Study, specifically from residents within two of three sampled units (N = 152). Exponential random graph models estimate how self-report and administrative measures predict friendship, paying specific attention to how correlates of incarceration shape peer tie formation. Measures of mental illness, substance misuse, and childhood victimization were associated with sending ties to peers, though these ties were less likely to be reciprocated. In conclusion, incarcerated women with histories of traumatic life events and difficulties may seek out peer support while not providing the same. Social network analysis is an important tool to further understand the experience of women in prison as it considers the social structures and individual perspectives of imprisoned individuals.

A Study of Academic Library through the Prism of Knowledge Use and Problem Solving Networks

Abstract The article describes a social network approach to understanding the relationships between academic library employees: knowledge use network and problem solving network with the division into strong and weak ties. The author collected the data based on a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire on a selected population of library staff in a major academic library in Poland. Then, collected data was analyzed through the non-parametric network statistics tests (quadratic assignment procedure [QAP] and multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure [MRQAP]) to test dependencies occurring in social networks of librarians. The results show a relationship between knowledge use and problem solving based on strong and weak ties between librarians, with the beta for weak ties higher than for strong ties. The network methodology is becoming a critical research approach used to understand the informal structures and complexity of the academic library. Thus, it is a valuable tool in the hands of library directors.

Hidden Structures: How Knowledge of New Practices Moves Among Educators in One Rural School District

Background/Context: Rural districts often struggle to provide organizational structures that support knowledge-building and sharing among educators, contributing to the challenge of change implementation in rural contexts. Although prior scholarship identifies social relationships centered on trust as important for fostering educator learning, we know little about how knowledge regarding a change initiative moves through a district lacking formal organizational learning supports and the role that informal relationships may play in fostering educator knowledge-building for organizational learning in an under-resourced rural context. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This article explores the network of knowledge related to a recent change initiative in a rural district striving to implement new instructional practices. Of particular interest is how knowledge is created and shared among educators and the role that organizational structures and informal relationships play in educators’ knowledge-building and sharing processes. Research Design: I present a conceptual model that brings together knowledge-creation and structuration theories. Using a sequential mixed methods design, I examine the information and advice interactions and knowledge-building experiences of educators in one rural school district. Analytical methods include social network analysis of survey data and thematic analysis of interview data. Conclusions/Recommendations: Findings suggest that informal relationships were consequential to organizational learning in this district with few formally designated learning supports, though friendship relationships were not consequential. Instead, knowledge-building interactions occurred when individual educators had a positive prior relationship; when mundane organizational structures, such as the master schedule and the assignment of informal or extracurricular roles, facilitated informal interactions; and when educators were motivated to engage in such interactions. This article makes three important contributions to our understandings of organizational learning in this under-resourced rural district context: (1) through mundane organizational structures, principals influence informal knowledge interactions; (2) educator agency is critical for change implementation; and (3) recursive educator interactions may constitute an informal organizational learning structure. This informal structure supporting organizational learning that was invisible to school leadership—fed by recursive informal interactions and supported by mundane organizational structures—represents a fertile area for future research.

Approaching the dermatologic care of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness through a volunteer street dermatology model

To the Editor: Although contemporary health care delivery models aim to tackle health care disparities, the most vulnerable patient populations continue to suffer from reduced access to care. A street-based approach presents a framework for clinical outreach to this truly underserved population that bears a disproportionate burden of disease.1Petrovich J.C. Hunt J.J. North C.S. Pollio D.E. Roark Murphy E. Comparing unsheltered and sheltered homeless: demographics, health services use and predictors of health services use.Community Ment Health J. 2020; 56: 271-279https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00470-0Crossref PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar Patients who would otherwise be unable to attend structured, charitable clinics can instead be evaluated in their own setting and on their own terms. Such “house-calls for the homeless” can bridge notable gaps in care, especially for essential yet difficult to access services like dermatology.2Stefanowicz M. Feldman B. Robinson J. House calls without walls: street medicine delivers primary care to unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness.Ann Fam Med. 2021; 19: 84https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2639Crossref PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar The distinction between sheltered and unsheltered populations is not often made in medical literature, as previous studies involving people experiencing homelessness utilize shelter-based cohorts.3Koh K.A. Roncarati J.S. Racine M.W. O'Connell J.J. Gaeta J.M. Unsheltered vs. Sheltered adults experiencing homelessness: health care spending and utilization.J Gen Intern Med. 2022; 37: 2100-2102https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-07153-1Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar In the absence of reliable shelter, people experiencing unsheltered homelessness (PEUH) are exposed to conditions that increase their risk of suboptimal dermatologic health leading to cellulitis and osteomyelitis.4Raoult D. Foucault C. Brouqui P. Infections in the homeless.Lancet Infect Dis. 2001; 1: 77-84https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(01)00062-7Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (167) Google Scholar Street Dermatology is a model to provide direct dermatologic care for PEUH living near sidewalks, encampments, and overpasses. Many of these patients live in squalid conditions with both food and medical insecurity, and lack the means to coordinate formal health care visits. After registering with the state health department, ethical approval was obtained by the University of Miami Institutional Review Board (IRB) in conjunction with established volunteer street medicine providers. PEUH encountered face-to-face were offered basic medical care by a team of providers supervised by a physician. Although board-certified dermatologists were invited to participate in the outreach, most initial dermatologic input was provided via store-and-forward telemedicine (Fig 1). Skin conditions were documented among 160 PEUH encountered in Miami-Dade County from January to June 2022. A total of 125 dermatologic diagnoses (Table I) were made. We reviewed patient history, clinical presentation, and recommended treatment weekly. There was a wide distribution of dermatologic disease noted, with infectious (28.0%, n = 35), inflammatory (24.0%, n = 30), ulcers/erosion/wounds (12.8%, n = 16), UV-induced/neoplastic disorders (10.4%, n = 13), and pruritus (7.2%, n = 9) being prevalent. Patients received treatment and education about their condition including preventative measures. Patient information was stored on a secure, custom REDCap medical record.Table IDermatologic conditions encountered over a 6-month periodType of conditionNumber of diagnoses (% of total)Inflammatory30 (24.0) Acne4 (3.2) Pseudofolliculitis barbae1 (0.8) Dermatitis20 (16.0)Contact5 (4.0)Chronic dermatitis/Lichen simplex chronicus8 (6.4)Photodermatitis2 (1.6)Venous3 (2.4)Unspecified2 (1.6) Psoriasis2 (1.6) Seborrheic dermatitis2 (1.6) Lichen planus1 (0.8)Infectious35 (28.0) Tinea cruris1 (0.8) Tinea pedis10 (8.0) Tinea manuum1 (0.8) Onychomycosis10 (8.0) Verruca vulgaris4 (3.2) Erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica5 (4.0) Pityriasis versicolor1 (0.8) Scabies3 (2.4)Ulcerations/erosions/wounds16 (12.8) Erosions and wounds11 (8.8) Burn2 (1.6) Post-trauma scars3 (2.4)Nail disorders6 (4.8) Paronychia2 (1.6) Micronychia1 (0.8) Leukonychia1 (0.8) Beau’s lines1 (0.8) Clubbing1 (0.8)Pruritus10 (8.0) Prurigo nodularis1 (0.8)Cutaneous neoplasm or UV damage13 (10.4) Seborrheic keratosis6 (4.8) Actinic keratosis3 (2.4) Solar lentigo2 (1.6) Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis1 (0.8) Melanoma1 (0.8)Miscellaneous10 (8.0) Arthropod assault4 (3.2) Acrochordon1 (0.8) Corns1 (0.8) Ichthyosis vulgaris1 (0.8) Xerosis2 (1.6) Terra firma-forme dermatosis1 (0.8)Unspecified, requiring dermatology evaluation5 (4.0)Total125 (100) Open table in a new tab Life-changing diagnoses were also made. For roughly 15 years, one patient had a slow growing, quarter-sized hyperpigmented lesion on his cheek. During street evaluation, the characteristics of his lesion raised concern for melanoma. He was immediately connected to our dermatology service where he received biopsies which confirmed the diagnosis of melanoma at a depth of 1 mm. Subsequently, surgery was coordinated. In this way, PEUH could now be connected to reliable, specialized care. This model’s reproducibility varies on a regional basis but can be adopted by a multidisciplinary team of medical providers, educators, and social workers.5Doohan N.C. Mishori R. Street medicine: creating a “classroom without walls” for teaching population health.Med Sci Educ. 2019; 30: 513-521https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-019-00849-4Crossref PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar Notable drawbacks include unpredictability of follow-up care due to the inherently informal structure of our evaluations. Funding is dependent on charitable contributions and first-line treatments may be unavailable. Such outreach works for patients whose condition does not warrant urgent medical care but still requires timely management. Street Dermatology demonstrates the vital role our specialty can play in the care in one of the most underserved populations. None disclosed.

Visibility, solidarity, and empowerment via the internet: A case study of young Portuguese activists

Abstract The last few years have seen the development of a new line of research around the relationship between digital platforms and activism. The influence of the internet and social media on the civic and political engagement of young people in particular has become clear. Digital platforms perform in this regard a set of functions crucial to activism in terms of communication, mobilization, and logistics. These are indispensable tools, especially to young people belonging to informal structures. Digital platforms have also been shown to facilitate emotional and solidarity networks thus fostering a sense of community and a strengthening of collective identities. In this article we aim at examining this aspect based on in-depth interviews with young activists conducted in Portugal during a three-year project (2020–2022). We have concluded that, especially in certain activism contexts involving social groups of neglected or non-normative identities, digital platforms function as a crucial empowerment tool. These are linked to the emotional support for and recognition of the identities of these young people, incentivizing the creation of fields of political and social intervention.

A social network perspective on peer relationship formation of medical undergraduates within large-scale learning communities

ABSTRACT Introduction Students’ formal networks, which are formed by a formal curriculum design, such as formally organized study groups within learning communities (LCs), may benefit students’ interactions and learning. It is unclear how large-scale LCs contribute to the formation of different informal peer relationships, which refers to student self-organized out-of-class relationships. Two mechanisms can explain relationship formation in LCs. Propinquity within formal networks and homophily of students’ characteristics (nationality, sex, academic performance) may promote students’ peer relationships. This study explores to what extent the formation of students’ informal networks was determined by their formal networks (LCs) while controlling for students’ characteristics and which mechanisms play an important role. Methods With online surveys, data were collected about five informal networks (help-seeking, collaboration, information sharing, friendship, and learn-from) from 69 first- and 51 second- bachelor year medical students (2890 relationships). Students were divided into four LCs in the formal curriculum. We compared students’ five informal network structures between first- and second-year students, domestic and international students, within and between formal networks. Besides, we used Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) Regression Analysis in Ucinet to investigate the associations between students’ informal and formal networks (LCs) and students’ characteristics. Results Propinquity (in the same LC) plays a role since students have more informal connections within LCs than between LCs. Furthermore, it seems to play a greater role for second-year students than for first-year students. Homophily of nationality is important in informal networking since students are more likely to connect with others of similar nationalities. Conclusion Students become more connected within the LC when they remain in the same LC for a longer period. Formal networks enhance the students’ informal interactions within LCs but seem to restrict the interactions among students from other LCs. International students need support in order to integrate with domestic students in LCs.

Misguided social support? How Danish veteran families affected by PTSD experience formal and informal social support

Existing literature highlights that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after military deployment not only affects the formerly deployed veteran, but when the veteran has a family, has detrimental effects on the entire family. While research suggests that social support can have a positive mediating effect on the impact of PTSD, we know little about how veteran families experience the impact of PTSD, and how this relates to their experiences of formal and informal social support. Drawing on a hermeneutic phenomenological framework, we addressed this gap by exploring perceptions and experiences of formal and informal social support in six Danish veteran families. We found veteran families to be closely involved with formal and informal social support structures. However, the social support available did not always match their needs or understandings of helpful social support. Some families experienced an overload of social support or perceived the provided social support as inappropriate or prescribed. We construe these three types of social support as misguided social support—support that did little to meet their actual needs—on the contrary. We discuss how families come to experience and understand social support as an overload, or as inappropriate or prescribed; and what it takes for social support not to be experienced as misguided. We suggest that in order to meet families’ social support needs, tailored social support and improved collaboration between (in)formal social support structures and veteran families may promote more meaningful social support of veteran families affected by PTSD.

Building Societies with Better Contracts: The Role of Lawyers in Designing Effective Contracts for the Development of Infrastructure

Lawyers are engineers and architects of contractual frameworks -arguably equally important as those actually building the physical infrastructure and those financing it. Contracts are part of the adequate legal governance that is considered one of the preconditions to be in place for effectively managing and finishing projects. In increasingly complex infrastructure development parties rely more and more on the contracts when dealing with setbacks and claims. However, building complex infrastructure is not without challenges and the same is true for designing adequate contracts. Research shows that contracts often fail to provide the cooperation that is required to realize projects successfully, instead they tend to fuel disputes and lead to costly litigation, delay, cost overruns, and sometimes to cancellation of projects. This article discusses how contracts perform as governance structures and how lawyers’ can by their choice of contract design impede or foster cooperative contracting behavior. An analysis of the literature on contract design and lawyers’ roles in contract design shows a lack of attention paid to cooperation. It then explains the dynamic between formal and informal governance and makes an argument for the potential benefits of taking into account non-legal drivers when designing the contractual environment. The latter part of the article suggests a new framework that lawyers might use to identify tensions between formal and informal governance structures. In addition, it maps the way certain designs techniques can enhance cooperation by foreshadowing and eliminating these tensions when drafting contracts for infrastructure projects. The proposed steps can be utilized by lawyers as points of departure for tailoring contracts to the contract parties’ ‘cooperation preferences’. This article hopes to have a significant, beneficial impact on the role lawyers can have to help pave the way for the creation of physical structures for a modern, healthy, and prosperous society.

Community Health System Model to support Health Volunteers to outreach underserved population: A case study of HIV/AIDS program from Tanzania

Major challenges for the HIV program in the Muheza district of Tanzania, East Africa were to increase HIV testing for men and retain HIV patients on treatment. The USAID funded Applied Science to Strengthen, and Improve Systems (ASSIST) project implemented the Community Health System Strengthening (CHSS) model to improve linkages between health facilities and communities to increase HIV testing and retention in care. The project formed a community team from representatives of the formal and informal pre-existing structures and their networks who worked with the local Home-Based Care (HBC) volunteers. The community improvement team members relayed information from the facility to the community households through their community group members and vice-versa. The application of CHSS model was able to increase the testing of males from 42 to 159 in one month. Over the course of seven months, the CHSS system was able to trace 39 of 44 patients who were lost to follow-up; of these, 23 went back to treatment, five had moved to a different health facility, 11 had died, and five were still unaccounted for. This case study describes the process undertaken, and perspectives of the community members and health facility personnel, who were involved in the project.

PROMOTING AND SUSTAINING A COLLEGE-WIDE LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM: FACULTY INSIGHTS AND EXPERIENCES

Abstract Research has identified the benefits and challenges of creating multigenerational classrooms for the purpose of intergenerational learning in higher education. However, much less is known about the systems of support needed at the organizational level to promote intergenerational learning within lifelong learning initiatives. With a focus on formal and informal organizational structures, this session describes insights from faculty who opened their courses to older adults as part of a college-wide course auditing initiative. Many did not understand their own role in the program and offered suggestions to address these issues. Recommendations include ways to acknowledge the work of faculty who participate in the program, and to engage more professors and older adults in the community to ensure program success. To create an age-inclusive, and age-friendly university, formal structural change led from the top-down is as important, if not more important, as creating informal networks that start at the faculty level.

Modular organization and informal structure: Modularity, performance, and the alignment of organizational networks

Abstract Modularizing a system, a product, or a process can have positive effects on performance in many instances. That it may have adverse consequences has also been discussed, although on balance the literature seems inclined to consider that modularity is desirable in most cases. In this paper, we put forward a feature of modular systems that extant research has not considered in spite of its strong performance-hindering potential. Starting from the premise that organizations are essentially patterns of formal and informal interactions, and modules within organizations are places where these interactions accumulate and reinforce, we argue that modularity can exacerbate issues related to (low-)performance spillovers from one organizational actor to another. With psychosocial affect as the channel connecting the formal and the informal spheres, we develop a simple model that combines elements of psychology research, network science, and organization theory to study how formal and informal elements jointly determine organizational performance under different modularity configurations. We find that organizational performance is lower when the alignment of formal and informal is stronger: informal interaction augments local accumulation of stress caused by formal aspects of firm organization. However, this result depends heavily on the modularity of formal organization: feedbacks between formal and informal elements cause much harsher performance degradation in modular systems. This suggests the exercise of caution when considering the possibility to modularize a production system.

Jesuit Mission and Submission: Qing Rulership and the Fate of Christianity in China, 1644–1735 by Litian Swen

Spanning the years from the Manchu invasion of China to the 1724 prohibition of Christianity by the Yongzhen emperor, this book explains the rise and decline of the missionary enterprise by focusing on the relationship between the Qing ruling class and European Jesuits. Rejecting Gernet’s cultural incompatibility model, Swen focuses on the Manchu institution of booi (household).1 Consisting of masters, servants, and slaves, the Manchu household functioned as a state within a state after the conquest of China. The informal power structure and intimacy between master and bondservant/slave (booi aha) operated alongside and within the Chinese bureaucracy; even powerful ministers from booi status identified themselves first and foremost as nu cai (servant) to their masters, rather than as officials to their emperors. Elaborated during the early years of conquest to integrate war captives and surrendered Ming troops, the booi system was central to the creation of the Han military banners. The banner elites, conversant in both the languages and culture of the Manchu and Han Chinese worlds, became preeminent during the reigns of Shunzi, who took a consort from the Han banners, and Kangxi, his son, whose mother came from the eminent Tong, the most powerful clan of the Han banners.The Jesuits became booi aha when Gabriel Magalhães and Ludovico Buglio, reluctant members of Zhang Xianzong’s rebel army, became war captives of the Manchu, eventually passing into the household of the Tong and released in Beijing. The Jesuits were introduced to the imperial court through Kangxi’s maternal uncles, who were benefactors and sympathizers with Christianity. When they were placed under the Imperial Household Department, they entered the intimate power circle of the booi aha. They helped the fifteen-year-old emperor stage a successful palace coup against the powerful regent Oboi, earning his trust. Three generations of Jesuits would loyally serve Kangxi as military engineers, scientists, and diplomats; the emperor rewarded them with protection and patronage, making his reign a golden age for the Christian mission in China.This situation changed in 1722 when the fourth son of Kangxi ascended the throne in the midst of a succession struggle. A devout Buddhist and meditation master in his youth, Yongzhen refused to acknowledge the Jesuits as his booi aha, removing them from the Imperial Household Department and effectively denying them access to the center of power. Religious differences aside, the Jesuits had failed to cultivate ties to Yongzhen when he was still a prince, instead focusing their attention on two other rival princely pretenders who were purged and persecuted in the new regime. The Jesuit João Mourão, a confidant of the Ninth Prince and a bitter rival of Yongzhen, was sentenced to exile and death; other Jesuits incurred imperial wrath because of their close association with the Sounu family, prominent Manchu elites who had supported Yongzhen’s rivals.This story of historical contingency is constructed on the basis of an impressive knowledge of Chinese and Western sources, and a thorough command of scholarship in two fields—Qing history and the history of Christianity—that often fail to cross-fertilize. Most importantly, Swen has provided logical and satisfactory explanations of the key events affecting the Christian mission in the transition from the Ming to the Qing—the prominence and fall of Adam Schall (a German Jesuit astronomer) and the political background of the Calendar Case; Kangxi’s connections to the Jesuits; the politics of the Chinese Rites Controversy and the papal envoys; the issuance of the imperial certificate for missionaries; and, finally, the fall from grace under Yongzhen. Indeed, the story of the Jesuits at court is reminiscent of the rise and fall of the eminent Han banner Cao family, and the masterpiece written by Cao Xueqin, one of its descendants, The Dream of the Red Chamber, a novel with hundreds of characters—masters, servants, officials, and clerics—narrating the transience of earthly success.

Informal urban development in urban cities. Spatial assessment in the city of Batna, Algeria

The development of the urban space of Algerian cities over the last thirty years has been characterized by an urban evolution that has been at odds with the various regulatory instruments of the state for shaping the urban space of cities, in particular, the land use plan (LUP), whose main objective was to guide, plan and control the urban development of urban space. However, the result today is the emergence of new fragmentary spaces that have informal forms and structures that break with the existing space. This type of informal trend is well-illustrated in the city of Batna and the region covered by land use plan No. 6. Therefore, the objective of this study is the evaluation of the urban development process of the area covered by the land use plan No. 06 by measuring the level of formality of that process from 2001 to 2018. The obtained results demonstrate that following the indicators selected, urban informality in the research region develops through time and space in a gradual and evolutionary form. The results obtained can be used as support for the development of a land use plan, if needed, but also for the implementation of a strategy to monitor the urban development of the city

Flood Risk Assessment of Buildings Based on Vulnerability Curve: A Case Study in Anji County

Following the huge economic losses and building damage caused by yearly flooding in China, increased attention to flood risk management within the urban and suburban areas is required. This paper provides an example of the flood risk management of suburban buildings in Anji County. The temporal and spatial characteristics of inundation in the study area are simulated and analyzed based on a verified coupled hydrodynamic model. The vulnerability curve of local masonry buildings to flood risk is established from the theory of structural static mechanics and the empirical equation of flood load. According to the consequences of the hydrodynamic model and vulnerability curve, a flood risk assessment of suburban buildings is conducted. The results show that severe inundation will occur once the dikes are broken. In the 20-, 50-, and 100-year return periods, there are, respectively, 43, 286 and 553 buildings at extremely high risk, distributed in almost each building region. Over half involved buildings are high risk. Buildings at low-lying lands should worry about the great hydrostatic actions caused by terrible waterlogging. This approach can be popularized in urban, suburban, and rural areas, aimed at frame, masonry and even informal structure. The results can provide a scientific reference for Anji County to reduce the flood loss and enhance the flood resistance.

The Golden Opportunity? Migration to Svalbard from Thailand and the Philippines

The contribution focuses on international migration to rural peripheries in the Arctic, specifically Thais and Filipinx in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Longyearbyen is entangled both in global migration trends and Norway’s geopolitical interests in the Arctic. This article explores the worlds of Thai and Filipinx migrants, why they migrate here and how the national strategy for Longyearbyen impacts their lives in the context of recent developments. Svalbard’s unique territorial status and legislation (e.g. absence of visas or work permits) facilitate international migration, but the place’s specificities constrain migrants’ inclusion (e.g. work-related and political rights, and access to social benefits). Higher chances for a good life of offspring motivate parents to stay longer than anticipated. The politically motivated absence of local focus on the needs of international migrants (e.g. language courses and counselling services) seeks to dampen migration. The result is a grey zone of informal power structures, unequal living, working and housing conditions, language barrier and perceived low level of social participation.

Stakeholder Workshops Informing System Modeling—Analyzing the Urban Food–Water–Energy Nexus in Amman, Jordan

Large cities worldwide are increasingly suffering from a nexus of food, water, and energy supply challenges. This complex nexus can be analyzed with modern physico-economic system models. Only when practical knowledge from those affected, experts, and decision makers is incorporated alongside various other data sources, however, are the analyses suitable for policy advice. Here, we present a concept for “Sustainability Nexus Workshops” suitable for extracting and preparing relevant practical knowledge for nexus modeling and apply it to the case of Amman, Jordan. The experiences of the workshop participants show that, although water scarcity is the predominant resource problem in Jordan, there is a close connection between food, water, and energy as well as between resource supply and urbanization. To prevent the foreseeable significant degradation of water supply security, actions are needed across all nexus dimensions. The stakeholders demonstrate an awareness of this and suggest a variety of technical measures, policy solutions, and individual behavioral changes—often in combination. Improving the supply of food, water, and energy requires political and institutional reforms. In developing these, it must be borne in mind that the prevalent informal structures and illegal activities are both strategies for coping with nexus challenges and causes of them.

Intricacies for Gender Equality in Formal and Informal Structures through Governance Enhancement; a Kenyan Perspective

The misconceptions and ideology misconstrue of gender equality as constituting women empowerment programs have hampered the accurate intent that gender equality stands for in formal and informal governance structures. The resistance to gender equality elucidates the gaps that exist in governance instruments over the last decades. The governance instruments’ deficiencies in supporting gender equality in all sectors highlight the intricacies that could be addressed when these instruments are enhanced. The study aimed at focusing on the governance instruments of policy and regulations, organization structures, and feedback mechanisms that capture the inadequacies in upholding gender equality. Much focus has been placed on the obstacles to gender equality but few studies have been undertaken on the scope of governance enhancement whose impacts are highlighted by the formal and informal structures. The study was conducted through a systematic literature review of relevant articles on governance instruments and gender equality and adopting the Prisma model of systematic literature review. Through the reviewed literature, data indicated the gaps that exist in knowledge, attitude, and practice in top management office holders in implementing gender equality policies. Further findings indicate the misconception of gender equality for women empowerment programs as opposed to it being a key tenet in enhancing governance. Governance structure imbalances further impacted gender equality and equity aimed at enhancing equilibrium in various national and county policies and laws. Governance instruments when structured to support gender equality can bring sustainable development noted in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 5. The intricacies between governance enhancement and gender equality serve a symbiotic relationship and the outcomes adopt a sustainable outlook. Investment in governance enhancement will provide a basis for change in knowledge, attitude, and practice across the board and further increase ownership and cohesion for gender equality.