Membership Structure Research Articles

The Role of Spatial Organization in Resurrection City and Other Protest Camps

Social and political organizing and organization has a spatial dimension, and there is increasing interest in academic studies of organization to understand better how space and organization relate, interact, and conflict. There is a range of studies that look at business and workplace organization, but little evidence from social movement organization or what is sometimes referred to as alternative organization studies. This article addresses this gap by observing and analyzing the effects of spatial organization in social movements. It focuses particularly on protest camps, a form of social movement organization in which spatial organization is particularly important. It looks at the Resurrection City protest camp of 1968 to identify the development of spatial organization practices. They are carried onwards across social movements, as they resolve organizational desires for the social movement organization, such as enabling mass organization without resorting to formal membership or hierarchical structures. In summary, the article provides insight into the relationship between spatial and social organization.

Gerd Droesse, Membership in International Organizations: Paradigms of Membership Structures, Legal Implications of Membership and the Concept of International Organization

Gerd Droesse, Membership in International Organizations: Paradigms of Membership Structures, Legal Implications of Membership and the Concept of International Organization

Membership Characteristics and Financial Performance of Investment Groups Investing in Securities Market in Kenya

Investment groups provide a system of mobilizing together capital, lowering risks per individual and availing cheap capital for microenterprise growth. How the membership structure dimensions of an investment group affect its financial makeup is not well understood. The objective of the study was to assess the role of membership characteristics in the financial performance of investment groups in Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used and stratified sampling technique applied to select group members and investment groups. The data collected was analyzed using inferential statistics via regression analysis. The results indicate that group membership structure dimensions, such as experience, gender, occupation, business training and ethnic diversity, has a positive and statistically significant effect on financial performance of investment groups, which participate in securities markets in Kenya. Policies that entrench gender issues in investment groups and encourage creation of investment groups which are ethically balanced and occupationally diverse are critical in the success of such groups. Policies should be crafted by the investments group lobby outfits, which will facilitate training programs and forums to educate the members on investment skills and proper management practices as well as need for diversification of group investment portfolios. Keywords: Group Membership Characteristics; Group Financial Performance; Group Ethnic Diversity; Kenya Association of Investment Groups; Chama Investments. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-10-15 Publication date: May 31 st 2020

Prediction of Nanofluid Temperature Inside the Cavity by Integration of Grid Partition Clustering Categorization of a Learning Structure with the Fuzzy System.

In this study, a quadratic cavity is simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The simulated cavity includes nanofluids containing copper (Cu) nanoparticles. The L-shaped thermal element exists in this cavity to produce heat distribution along with the domain. Results such as fluid velocity distribution in two dimensions and the fluid temperature field were generated as CFD simulation results. These outputs were evaluated using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for learning and then the prediction process. In the training process related to the ANFIS method, x coordinates, y coordinates, and fluid temperature are three inputs, and the fluid velocity in line with Y is the output. During the learning process, the data have been classified using a clustering method called grid clustering. In line with the attempt to rise ANFIS intelligence, the alterations in the number of input parameters and of membership structure have been analyzed. After reaching the highest level of intelligence, the fluid velocity nodes were predicted to be in line with y, especially cavity nodes, which were absent in CFD simulations. The simulation findings indicated that there is a good agreement between CFD and clustering approach, while the total simulation time for learning and prediction is shorter than the time needed for calculation using the CFD method.

Influence of Municipalities on LAG's Effectiveness in Attracting Project Subsidies in Croatia

Local Action Groups LAGs are tri-sectoral bodies in which the economic and civil sectors in partnership with the public sector use EU policy funds for rural development. In such a decentralized approach to community led local development there is a risk of excessive municipal interference and principles of bottom-up development can be compromised. The basic assumption by which the leading public sector is trying to justify itself as having a better administrative capacity that can help LAGs to attract and absorb subsidies is statistically tested in this paper. Example of Croatia has shown that “municipalisation” of local partnerships have no justifications, as increasing the share of public partners in the membership structure reduces LAG effectiveness in attracting project subsidies, and in the same time municipalities that prove stronger absorptive capacity through larger share of EU funds in their budget, show no positive influence transferred to LAGs in which they are members.

THE GREEK-CATHOLIC CLERGY AS AN IMPORTANT SOCIAL FACTOR OF THE «PROSVITA» SOCIETY FORMATION

The study's main focus is on figuring out the involvement of a part of the Halychyna Greek Catholic clergy in forming the ideology and developing the «Prosvita» Society. Exploring the Halychyna clergy representatives' participation in defining the ideological principles that justify the need to establish an educational organization, much attention is paid to the press appearances of Fr. S. Kachala and a member of the Constituent Assembly, pastor of Lopnianka village, Fr. Y. Zaiachkivskyi. It is noted that the election of Fr. Dr. O. Ohnovskyi in the first selection showed the involvement of the clergy in the creation of the governing body of the newly-founded institution and, accordingly, to the organization of educational work establishment. Also, the work of the pastors in the deployment of the publishing was investigated. Hence, the first authors and patrons of «Prosvita» publications were: Fr. S. Kachala, who prepared and financed the printing of the brochure «What Destroys Us, and What Can Help» and Fr. K. Seletskyi, who wrote and gave money to the publication of «Catechism for Greek‑Catholic Rite Children». During the first years of the institution's functioning, Fr. Hnat Rozhanskyi worked as an expert and reviewer of works recommended for printing and noted that he offered «Prosvita» to publish about the lives of the saints. While studying the formation of a membership structure, it was clear that the priests made more than a third part of all who gained the status of the educator in the first year. Out of 29 new members of the Society, 11 were priests and one Basilian. At the same time, the importance of the organizational and governing role of clerics in the further development of the institution is emphasized. Examples of all mentioned above are Fr. Dr. Omelian Ohonovskyi, professor of the Ukrainian language at Lviv University, who contributed to the successful establishment of «Prosvita» and transforming it into a massive, nationwide organization while being the fourth chairman of the Society (from May 31, 1877, to October 28, 1894); a Papal Chamberlain Rr. Mykhailo Tsehelskyi from Kaminka‑Strumylova (now Kamianka Buska), who organized a brunch in the early '90s of the 19th century and developed a notable educational movement in the Nadbuzhanskyi region. The conclusions in the final part of the research are: the Halychyna clergy, under challenging conditions due to their active civic position, made an important social base, which with its moral example, intelligence, and organizational efforts contributed to the development and strengthening of educational institutions in the land. Keywords: «Prosvita» Society, Greek-Catholic clergy, priests-enlighters.

Collaboration supports successful outcomes

ALLEA (All European Academies) is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities. It was founded in 1994 and brings together almost 60 Academies of Sciences and Learned Societies from over 40 countries in the Council of Europe region. ALLEA is financed by annual dues from its member academies and remains fully independent from political, religious, commercial or ideological interests.<br/> Member Academies operate as learned societies, think tanks, or research performing organisations. They are self-governing communities of leaders of scholarly enquiry across all fields of the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. ALLEA therefore provides access to an unparalleled human resource of intellectual excellence, experience and expertise. Furthermore, its integrative membership structure comprises Academies from both EU and non-EU member states in Europe.<br/> ALLEA seeks to contribute to improving the framework conditions under which science and scholarship can excel. Jointly with its Member Academies, ALLEA is in a position to address the full range of structural and policy issues facing Europe in science, research and innovation. In doing so, it is guided by a common understanding of Europe, bound together by historical, social and political factors as well as for scientific and economic reasons.

Рост и регулирование состава Калмыцкой областной партийной организации (1920-е - первая половина 1930-х гг.)

Рост и регулирование состава Калмыцкой областной партийной организации (1920-е - первая половина 1930-х гг.)

Sustainable lamb production: Evaluation of factors affecting lamb growth using hierarchical, cross classified and multiple memberships models

In light of current concerns about the sustainability of red meat production in a world with increasing global demand for food from animal origin there is a need for a better understanding of factors that influence the growth rate and feed conversion efficiency of animals on commercial farms. The primary objective of this observational study was to use longitudinal data to quantify the simultaneous effects of multiple ewe and lamb factors on lamb growth rate. A secondary aim was to evaluate model structures that specifically account for lamb grouping effects during the growth period and compare these to classical hierarchical growth rate models.A total of 4172 weight recordings from 805 lambs and data on disease events were collected over a 6-month period from a commercial pedigree sheep flock. Three mixed model structures were compared, hierarchical, cross classified and multiple membership, and final estimates determined within a Bayesian framework. The multiple membership structure provided the best model fit and was used for final inference; taking account of the effect of lamb grouping over time provided the best estimates of lamb growth rate.Ewe lameness and mastitis cases had a deleterious impact on lamb growth. Lambs from ewes identified with mastitis during lactation were on average 3.0 (standard error (SE) 1.6) kg lighter during the four month growth period than lambs from unaffected ewes. Lambs from ewes that were not lame during pregnancy were 3.0 (SE 1.2) kg heavier at eight weeks of age than lambs from ewes with a least one lameness case during the same period. Lambs from ewes lame either during the first 4 weeks or between 4–8 weeks of a lamb’s life (but not lame during pregnancy) were also significantly heavier at 56 days of age, than lambs reared by ewes that were lame during pregnancy (2.8 (SE 1.2) and 3.4 (SE 1.2) kg respectively).Cases of pneumonia and bacterial arthritis in lambs had a significant negative impact on lamb growth with affected lambs being on average 5.5 (SE 1.1) kg and 2.2 (SE 1.2) kg less than non-affected lambs respectively after the disease event. Prior to a case of lameness or pneumonia, lambs were significantly heavier than unaffected lambs suggesting a possible trade-off between growth and immune function.Overall, the study provides evidence that that a combination of ewe and lamb characteristics and disease events play an important role in determining lamb growth rate and that heavier lambs may be more susceptible to disease.

Parties in an era of change: membership in the (re-)making in post-revolutionary Tunisia

ABSTRACT In the current era of rapid and radical evolution in the institutions of partisan politics, one of the best-documented and most discussed changes in established and more recent democracies has been the decline of membership enrolment, and yet its resilience. By contrast, comparative research on Maghrebi political parties, and on this aspect in particular, has for a long time been rather narrow or non-existent. With the newly democratised Tunisia at the centre stage of the analysis, this contribution aims at partly filling such a gap and explores the ways in which Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes discipline their memberships. In presenting what privileges the parties grant to their members, what they expect from those who join and the differences in what individuals need to do to enrol, this article focuses on findings from personal interviews and the examination of parties’ bylaws and statutes. Through the lens of inclusiveness as core dimension, it argues that the two parties vary widely in the extent of their efforts to cultivate membership structures and party-related activities, as well as for the significance they attach to them. Whereas Ennahda more heavily invests in creating and reinforcing strong bonds of identity, and gives its members more voice in internal decision-making, Nidaa is more prone to promote candidates or policies keeping the organisational membership at a minimum, not least in the attempt not to restrain leadership’s autonomy.

Fraction errors in a digital mathematics environment: Latent class and transition analysis

Student struggles with fractions are well documented, and due to fractions’ importance to later mathematics achievement, identification of the errors students make when solving fraction problems is an area of interest for both researchers and teachers. Within this study, we examine data on student fraction problem errors in pre- and post-quizzes in a digital mathematics environment. Students (n = 1,431) were grouped by prevalence of error types using latent class analysis. Three different classes of error profiles were identified in the pre-quiz data. A latent transition analysis was then used to determine if class membership and class structure changed from pre- to post-quiz. In both pre- and post-quiz, there was a class of students who appeared to be guessing and a class of students who performed well. One class structure was consistent with the idea that early fraction learners rely heavily on whole number principles. Identification of co-occurrence of and changes to fraction errors has implications for curricular design and pedagogical decisions, especially in light of movements toward personalized learning systems.

In or Out? Exploring the Inconsistency and Permeability of Team Boundaries

Despite the fundamental relevance of team boundaries for team research, scholars have rarely explored their origins and characteristics. Instead, team research commonly assumes the existence of formally defined, stable team boundaries. We challenge this assumption by asserting that beyond formal assignment, team members’ individual perceptions of a team’s boundaries are driven by individual-level categorization processes and team-level task dynamism. Building on multiple team members’ mental representations of team boundaries, we propose that team boundaries are likely mutually inconsistent and vary in their degree of permeability. This permeability and inconsistency serve to clarify how membership change and overlap can induce cognitive and emotional spillovers across teams. The proposed conceptual model links the origins of boundary emergence with their characteristics by explaining how membership structure and dynamics drive the characteristics of team boundaries. This account offers a new perspective on how individual perceptions of work affiliations can shape a team’s boundaries.

Socio-Legal Approach to Ease the Power Play Deadlock in the UN Security Council

The United Nations has long (Brown, 2017) been criticised for its ignorance towards blatant violation of international law and atrocities committed by its member states. The Security Council especially, is condemned for its abusive use of veto power to cripple peacekeeping effort. Various reform proposals have been considered. Mostly concentrated on concern over membership structure in the Council. None has been able to please the egoist interest of powerful member states. To date, abuse of power and inequity persevere, while humanitarian suffering elsewhere perpetuates. This essay proposes alternative socio-legal resolution that may disentangle deadlock in the Council. Proposed resolutions are formed by shading light from various social theories, a significant departure from structural approach adopted in past and present reform proposals. It is hoped that realistic long-term solution can be achieved. After all, the United Nations is formed by the people, for the people.

Whole system approaches to health in higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on an evaluation of the UK Healthy Universities Network (UKHUN), which explored engagement of network members; identified what members value about the network; examined facilitators and barriers to engagement; and informed the network’s future development.Design/methodology/approachThe study was a two phase mixed-method study, with participants being staff from Higher Education institutions. Phase 1 involved a documentary review and an online 14-question survey (n=32). Phase 2 comprised follow-up semi-structured interviews and focus groups, conducted using Skype (n=11). These were audio recorded and transcripts were thematically analysed in a two-stage process.FindingsA number of key themes emerged from the thematic analysis: value of network meetings and events; popularity of the network website; increased communication and collaboration; sense of leadership offered by the network; interest and inclusion of an international perspective; importance of institutional support.Research limitations/implicationsOnly six universities who are involved in the network took part in Phase 2. Although a range of organisations were chosen purposively, it is possible that additional key issues at other universities were excluded.Originality/valueThe UKHUN is valued by its membership, particularly its biannual meetings, online presence, leadership, ethos and communication methods. Key barriers include the capacity of staff to attend meetings and contribute to the network, influenced by a lack of institutional commitment and prioritisation. Findings from the evaluation have informed a “refresh” of the network’s website and a revision of its membership structure, as well as guiding its positioning to achieve greater strategic influence.

EEkNN: k-Nearest Neighbor Classifier with an Evidential Editing Procedure for Training Samples

The k-nearest neighbor (kNN) rule is one of the most popular classification algorithms applied in many fields because it is very simple to understand and easy to design. However, one of the major problems encountered in using the kNN rule is that all of the training samples are considered equally important in the assignment of the class label to the query pattern. In this paper, an evidential editing version of the kNN rule is developed within the framework of belief function theory. The proposal is composed of two procedures. An evidential editing procedure is first proposed to reassign the original training samples with new labels represented by an evidential membership structure, which provides a general representation model regarding the class membership of the training samples. After editing, a classification procedure specifically designed for evidently edited training samples is developed in the belief function framework to handle the more general situation in which the edited training samples are assigned dependent evidential labels. Three synthetic datasets and six real datasets collected from various fields were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The reported results show that the proposal achieves better performance than other considered kNN-based methods, especially for datasets with high imprecision ratios.

IUGG evolves (1940–2000)

Abstract. The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) began anew after World War II with a new governance and membership structure. The technologies developed during the war were brought to bear in the extraordinary global scientific effort that was the International Geophysical Year (1957–1958). Major changes in the geopolitical landscape have brought about further changes in IUGG's structure. International scientific campaigns encompassing multiple disciplines became commonplace, and international scientific bodies were organized and networked. During this time period (1940–1999), 15 general assemblies and 2 extraordinary general assemblies were held, each in a different international venue. Summaries of each general assembly are presented, as well as overviews of the changes in IUGG's structure, finances, membership, and publications. The scientists, who led the Union and contributed to the development of the Union, are also presented.

Eksistensi Komisioner Perempuan dalam Mewujudkan Kesetaraan Gender pada KPU Provinsi dan Kabupaten/Kota di Sumatera Barat

The institution of Election organizers such as the General Election Commission is tasked with implementing the electoral stages process. Placing women in the election field is not only a matter of equality with men but part of the effort to encourage women’s political participation. The involvement of women as election organizers will play a major role in maximizing women’s participation in the elections. The main act women can take as election organizers at each stage is to ensure that women’s needs are considered and incorporated into programs or policies that are properly designed and implemented. The results of the number of women commissioners as election organizers are still minimal quantitatively. And if you look at the composition of the current membership structure, this women commissioner is still very minimal due to the 30 percent quota has not been fulfilled so there is still discrimination and many obstacles and challenges are found in realizing gender equality and women’s opportunities are limited in performing the tasks of elections. Most of these commissioners also feel there is still gender inequality. Challenges and obstacles such as social barriers in the form of Patriarchal Culture that still exist in Minangkabau society are still felt even though it is not as thick as in past times. In addition, stereotypes, marginalization, subordination, and the double burden also greatly affect the existence of this women commissioner in realizing gender equality.

Demand for Household Food Waste

AbstractWe estimate the demand for food waste within the household using observational data of food stock usage and meal consumption, the net of which forms a proxy for unconsumed food. We find that food waste is a luxury good with an expenditure elasticity ranging from 1.1 to 1.4. The wasting of food is also rather responsive to price: our own‐price elasticity estimates range from ‐1.9 to ‐1.3. We further find differences in the demand for food waste related to household membership structure, human capital, joint preparation of meals within the household, and geographic location.

The UN Security Council, normative legitimacy and the challenge of specificity

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses how the general and abstract concept of legitimacy applies to international institutions, using the United Nations Security Council as an example. We argue that the evaluation of the Security Council’s legitimacy requires considering three significant and interrelated aspects: its purpose, competences, and procedural standards. We consider two possible interpretations of the Security Council’s purpose: on the one hand, maintaining peace and security, and, on the other, ensuring broader respect for human rights. Both of these purposes are minimally morally acceptable for legitimacy. Second, we distinguish between three different competences of the UNSC: 1) the decision-making competence, 2) the quasi-legislative competence, and 3) the referral competence. On this basis, we argue that different procedural standards are required to legitimise these competences, which leads to a more differentiated understanding of the Security Council’s legitimacy. While maintaining that the membership structure of the Council is a severe problem for its legitimacy, we suggest other procedural standards that can help to improve its overall legitimacy, which include broad transparency, deliberation, and the revisability of the very terms of accountability themselves.

To serve the King, the State and the people: the Adriatic Guard’s ambiguous position in interwar Yugoslavia

From 1922 to 1941, the Adriatic Guard, a non-governmental Yugoslav volunteer association, was active in a very broad spectrum of sectors (transport, social and economic policies, education, tourism, science, national defense) with the aim of transforming Yugoslavia into a sea-oriented nation. Examining these activities alongside the association’s leadership, administrative, and membership structures, as well as its relationship with other Yugoslav nationalist volunteer associations and the Yugoslav state, this article highlights aspects of the association’s history and legacy. At the same time, it demonstrates that the association’s external signs of success masked internal operational problems as well as ethnic and political tensions. While the Adriatic Guard firmly supported the state and integral Yugoslavism, and succeeded in negotiating its position within the Yugoslav space and with the Yugoslav dictatorship, because of continuing conflicts over, for instance, the national question and transport infrastructure, the association’s pan-Yugoslav mobilization faded slightly in the late 1930s in favor of a Croatian orientation. The Adriatic Guard’s position was thus precarious and ambiguous: on the one hand, it was a non-governmental association that enjoyed a fair degree of agency, and on the other hand, it cultivated close relationship with the state.