Number Of Actors Research Articles

Review of agricultural value chain analysis

Value chain analysis has a central role in determining the distribution of benefits of the participants to upgrade solutions to the value chain. This paper is based on an integrated approach of methods and results of research on agricultural product value chain analysis. Research focuses on analyzing value chain approaches commodity chain analysis, Porter’s value chain model, Global value chain and GTZ organization, the number of actors in the value chain, profit distribution among actors participating in the chain, some popular tools in value chain analysis, and solutions to upgrade the chain. On that basis, the paper also points out the gaps in the current agricultural value chain research: 1) There is no combination of SCP analysis framework with other approaches; 2) Researchers have not analyzed the causes of the markup through the actors or the market power of the actors; 3) There are few studies combine all three models: Porter’s five forces, PEST and SWOT to have a complete basis for proposing solutions to upgrade the value chain.

When friction becomes the norm: Antagonism, discourse and planetary data turbulence

The ideal of unfettered data circulation has fallen into crisis. As of today, a growing number of actors are introducing measures to ensure a greater degree of control over the global data pipeline. Combining critical data studies and political theory, this article conceptualises the current technopolitical conjuncture as one of ‘planetary data turbulence’ in which divergences regarding the production and circulation of data have become the norm. The concept of data turbulence emerges from studies on data friction, but this article contends that the current state of affairs requires expanding the emphasis on technosciences and materiality in these works. Drawing on Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, the article shows that attending to antagonism and discourse makes it possible to account for the eminently political forces shaping the circulation of data. The strengths of this framework are illustrated by looking at the articulation of digital sovereignty in different geographies.

To Be Announced

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated closures of live music venues have confronted operators in Germany with fundamental uncertainty about the prospects of their venues. In the summer of 2020, both public and political debates revolved around the question of whether operators might have to close or could remain open during the crisis, with the overarching viewpoint being that closures were the most sensible option. Using data from the German live music survey (n = 686) and linear regression modelling, this article analyses the factors influencing the expected duration until insolvency. We show that the continuous financial support provided by the state extended the expected time to insolvency, as did the number of actors and initiatives using venues on a regular basis. On the other hand, operators with market venues, venues for lease and venues in big cities had more pessimistic expectations. The results demonstrate the safeguarding function of state support and diverse live music networks in times of crisis and bear important implications for the promotion of resilient live music ecologies.

On the definition of the concept «criminal offense»

The article is devoted to general problems of inconsistency of national legislation in terms of terminology and interpretation of some key concepts of criminal law.
 The shortcomings of the law on criminal liability can have catastrophic consequences for a number of actors: offenders, victims, pre-trial investigation bodies, judges, etc.
 One of the most discussed issues in scientific and practical circles is the novella of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which from July 1, 2020 introduced into law enforcement the term «criminal offense» as a collective in relation to the terms «crime» and «criminal offense». The main reason for this was the exceptional workload of investigators, prosecutors and judges with small criminal cases. Accordingly, they are planned to be considered in a simplified format of inquiry. This step is certainly justified, but it has led to the need for a comprehensive revision and amendment of terminological amendments to a number of regulations, which, in turn, have led to a large number of both internal and external inconsistencies.
 In accordance with the new versions of Articles 11 and 12 of the Criminal Code (hereinafter – the Criminal Code) of Ukraine, the concept of «criminal offense» is introduced, criminal offenses are divided into criminal offenses (hereinafter – misdemeanors) and crimes; a misdemeanor differs from a crime only formally - by punishment: it cannot provide for imprisonment, and the fine for a misdemeanor cannot exceed three thousand non-taxable minimum incomes. Therefore, Article 11 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine states that a criminal offense is a socially dangerous criminal act (action or omission) committed by the subject of the criminal offense.
 In the end, misdemeanor and crime are almost indistinguishable: like crime, misdemeanor is a socially dangerous crime; like a crime, a misdemeanor entails a criminal record; guilt in both the crime and the mis- demeanor must be established by a court conviction. Nevertheless, the procedure for pre-trial investigation and trial of misdemeanors, according to Law №2617-VIII, differs significantly from the similar procedure for crimes. In accordance with the provisions of Articles 38, 40-1, 71, 214, 219, 298-3, 298-4, 300 of the Criminal Procedure Code (hereinafter - CPC) of Ukraine, such a form of pre-trial investigation as the inquiry acquires a new meaning - for pre-trial investigation of misdemeanors.

US urban and regional planning history, theory and partnerships for a new century

Planning history reflects the major social, economic and political events that shape a society. Planning has been variously defined by scholars and planning practitioners alike. This paper presents a set of definitions of urban and regional planning (URP) in order to create a common ground with which to analyse planning’s history and theories of urban revitalisation and partnership collaborations at the turn of the 20th century. The planning history includes the City Beautiful movement, the Urban Renewal period and the City Enterprise. The planning theories range from rational planning, incrementalism and advocacy to communicative and collaborative planning. Finally, partnerships refer to collaboration and cooperation among businesses, non-profits, government agencies, education institutions and community leaders with a certain set of aims and goals. The takeaway points are that a partnership’s success depends on the scale and scope of the arrangement, and the type and number of actors. Furthermore, urban revitalisation partnerships should be built on shared interests, reciprocal support and mutual benefit, with partners contributing according to their respective resources, strengths and areas of expertise.

Two tribes or more? The historical emergence of discourse coalitions of responsible research and innovation (rri) and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

ABSTRACT Tracing the historical emergence of academic/policy discourses shines a light on processes of early institutionalisation, informs narratives of contemporary self-identity and provides a resource from which to imagine alternative futures. Contributing to this ambition our paper uses scientometric methods to undertake two socio-semantic analyses. First, we identify the de-facto origins and contemporary clustering of scientists’ discursive spaces of ‘responsibility’. This ‘rri corpus’ reveals seven distinct clusters – or discourse coalitions of responsibility – but shows limited cross-fertilisation between the clusters. Second we trace the emergence of European policy on ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’ (RRI). The ‘RRI corpus’ shows policy to have been dominated by a small number of actors. Some cross-over between rri and RRI provides evidence of discourse coalition building, but only a small group of actors occupy these strategic bridges. The paper offers a contribution to wider debates and strategic reflections on the past, present and futures of responsible innovation.

The causes, content and consequences of repression: A framework for analyzing protest control in the counter-extremism era

ABSTRACT Since the early 2000s, governments in many Western democracies have introduced policies and practices to prevent radicalization and violent extremism (PRVE). This has led to the formation of a new policy arena in which an increased number of actors are tasked with PRVE work. The diverse set of actors and methods involved affect social movements in new and complex ways, but also challenges the established knowledge and analytical focus of research on the repression of social movements. In this article, we propose a conceptual framework that attends to the causes, content and consequences of protest control. We use it to examine interaction between actors in the PRVE arena and to highlight issues that are underexplored in repression research. To elucidate these issues, we use empirical examples from our own research on measures to counter extremist milieus in the Nordic countries and the UK.

Customer ecosystems: exploring how ecosystem actors shape customer experience

PurposeThis study aims to characterize how ecosystem actors shape customer experience (CX). The study also proposes implications for managers and research regarding the customer ecosystem, its actors and actor constellations in the context of CXs.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study is conducted among activity tracker users to identify how actors within their ecosystems shape CXs. Data include 28 in-depth interviews and ten self-reported diaries.FindingsThis study delineates six actor categories in the customer ecosystem shaping CX within and beyond the service. The number of actors and their importance to the focal customer in various actor constellations form individual-, brand- and socially driven ecosystems. These customer ecosystem types show how actors combine to drive CXs.Research limitations/implicationsResearchers should shift their attention to experiences emerging in the customer’s lifeworld. A customer ecosystem highlights the customer-centered actor configuration emergent within the customer’s lifeworld. It is self-constructed based on the customer’s reference point.Practical implicationsManagers should aim to locate, monitor and join the customer’s lifeworld to gain more insight into how CXs emerge in the customer ecosystem based on customer logic.Social implicationsCustomers are not isolated actors simply experiencing service; rather, they construct idiosyncratic actor constellations that include various providers, social groups and peers.Originality/valueThis paper extends the theory on CXs by illustrating how the various actors and actor constellations forming the customer ecosystem shape CXs.

HPLC-MS identification of three major flavonoids in the textile dye extract from dried leaves of Anogeissus leiocarpus

The availability of scientific information useful for the orientation of artisanal and industrial tinctorial practices to ensure the protection of the environment and the health of artisans and consumers remains a major concern for a large number of actors. Qualitative, quantitative analyses and structural identifications works using spectrophotometric, chromatographic and spectral methods were carried out on the total aqueous extract from leaves of A. leiocarpus. This extract was used to dye skeins of cotton fibers. With an extraction yield of about 5 %, A. leiocarpus leaves gave a total flavonoid content of the order 458.759±27.773 mgEQ/g of dye powder. Hydrolysable and condensed tannins rates are 13.25 % and 12.96 %, respectively. The HPTLC chromatographic profile of the dye showed that the extract of the A. leiocarpus leaves contains flavonols. The elongation vibrations νO-H and νC-O respectively of alcohols and oxide ethers in infra-Red testify to the presence of flavonic-type dyeing molecules which, by the phenomenon of co-pigmentation, contribute to the final shades in tinctorial practice. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy revealed the presence of major flavonoid molecules such as quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide and kaempferol 3-O-hexoside. Tinctorial practice techniques applied to skeins of cotton fibers have resulted in shades of various colours ranging from anise to chartreuse green. In addition to being a natural acid dye, the textile dye extracted from A. leiocarpus leaves can be classified in the group of metal dyes in terms of the quality of the shades obtained with the use of mordants such as alum, hydrated iron and copper sulphates.

Changing the Rules: Institutions, Party Systems, and the Frequency of Constitutional Amendments in Africa

What factors influence constitutional stability in the emerging democracies of Sub-Saharan Africa? This is an important question that has never been addressed in a systematic cross-national study of Africa's emerging democracies. Using the Comparative Constitutions Project dataset and our own original dataset for veto players and party systems, we examine the influence of veto players and party system characteristics on the frequency of constitutional amendments in the electoral periods between 1990 and 2020 in forty-one African countries. Our results provide broad support for the veto players theory. More specifically, we find that as the number of actors needed to approve of a constitutional amendment increases, the likelihood a constitution will be amended decreases. The strength of party veto players also influences whether a constitution is likely to be amended. Furthermore, our results underscore the importance of party system characteristics in influencing amendment frequency.

Sosialisasi Kebijakan Perpajakan UMKM yang Baru atas PP No.23 Tahun 2018 Pada Pelaku Usaha Mikro di Kota Depok

In Indonesia, the development of the micro, small and medium enterprises sector to date has growed up to such an extent that it is almost equal to the number of those working in other formal sectors. In Java, the number of actors in this sector ranges from 37% to 43%, while outside Java it is even more between 40%-55%. Thus, it can no longer be said that the small and medium-sized business sector is only a temporary shelter for workers who have not been able to enter other formal sectors, but its existence is precisely as a growth motor for economic activity (urban) because of the large number of labor absorption. (equal to the number of workers in the formal sector). The existence of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is no longer in doubt because they are proven to be able to survive and become the driving force of the economy. In 2011 MSMEs were able to make a significant contribution to state revenues by contributing 61.9% of gross domestic product (GDP) income through tax payments. In the field of taxation, the government has made special rules to facilitate MSME actors in paying their taxes, namely through PP. 23 of 2018. In this case, we help MSME actors to improve their abilities and understanding in the field of socializing the Tax Regulations. This activity was attended by 37 MSME business actors in Depok City assisted by the Depok Regional Government. After attending the training, participants were given the opportunity to discuss and consult. The results of the training and mentoring show that there is an increase in knowledge about MSME taxation that can be understood by participants and participants become aware of the new tax regulation, namely PP 23/2018 in order to increase their awareness of the importance of paying taxes.

Social Licence Comes to Greenland’s Mining Sector: Will Communities be Empowered?

The social licence to operate is a concept that has been applied to the mining sector internationally for the past two decades. In 2017, it was raised by a number of actors as a way to reduce controversy over mining projects in Greenland. In this paper, we analyse why the concept of social licence appeared, and the legitimacy problems that it was intended to resolve despite numerous changes to Greenland’s mining approval processes. We argue that the concept was introduced primarily as a way of seeking to enhance the voices and agency of local communities in resource governance. We further ask whether, on the basis of Canadian experience where social licence has been used for much longer in natural resource governance discourse, introducing the concept into Greenland will likely lead to an empowerment of communities. We argue that the Canadian experience in this regard shows that the outcome is complex, that community empowerment can take different forms or may not occur at all. Such complexity is also likely in Greenland.

Концепт щільності політичного процесу та можливості його використання у моделюванні політичних криз

The article is devoted to the presentation of the author’s concept of a density of political process and the explanation of some possible ways of its use to model the dynamics of modern political processes in the digital era. A system of indicators suitable for qualitative and quantitative measurement of the state of the political process is proposed, including the density of social relations, the share of political interactions in the total mass of social interactions, the number of translators of a political text, the translation of a political text and the relative number of political translators, the average density or "integrity" of political actors, the level of political responsibility of political actors. The definition of the indicators is proposed, and the peculiarities of their interrelationships are substantiated. It is substantiated that the central concept of the entire system of concepts is the notion of political volume, which is a multidimensional space limited by the borders of some state and political relations within it. It is substantiated that if the number of political subjects increases and the aggregate political responsibility remains at the previous level, the share of political responsibility of each of these subjects decreases. That is, the more political actors within a certain scope of political life, the less political responsibility of an individual actor. The fundamental possibility of using the proposed system of concepts to build a model of the political process to predict the onset of a political crisis is demonstrated. It was determined that at a moment of a political crisis would be a sharp increase in the number of political translators aimed at the state and state policy, that is, there is a sharp increase in the density of politics. And this sharp increase in the density of politics, in conditions of simultaneous increase in the number of actors, an increase in their level of irresponsibility and a great simplification of a content of political discourse, can serve as an indicator of the onset of a political crisis. The possibility of applying this system of concepts to model the dynamics of the political regime within the continuum "authoritarianism – democracy" is also demonstrated. It was determined that the quantitative assessment of the dynamics of politics’ density can be used as an indicator of the movement of the political regime towards democracy or, on the contrary, authoritarianism. An indicator of the movement of a regime towards democracy will be an increase in the density of politics, and evidence of a movement towards authoritarianism will be a "thinning of the political atmosphere" – that is, a decrease in the density of politics. According to our proposed model, an authoritarian regime is characterized by less density of politics than a democratic regime.

Challenges and Opportunities in Gender-Based Activities toward Cross-Border Conflict Management in Kisumu and Nandi Counties, Kenya

Both men and women are significantly affected during conflicts. It is however important to note that the impacts differ from none gender to the next. In the same breath, conflict management efforts made by both men and women do not get the same recognition, with women facing a myriad of challenges in their attempt to be active participants in the process of conflict management. Therefore, gender parity in conflict management activities, just like in other activities within the society is a major concern. In this regard, the study sought to analyse the challenges that emanate from gender-based activities in the process of conflict management in Nandi and along the Nandi and Kisumu counties border. The target population of this study included Household heads, Deputy County Commissioners, senior police officers, the In-charge Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), Chiefs, National Intelligence Officers, Local CBOs in-charges, Male and Female Members of Local Peace committees, Leaders of Sugarcane Out growers; Leaders of Market Traders, Local Micro-finance Institutions and religious leaders in the along the border of the two counties. The study employed a descriptive research design. The total sample size was 456. Both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and presented as percentages and frequencies in charts, graphs and tables while qualitative data was summarized in themes and presented in form of narrative reports and verbatim quotations. The study found that there were a number of factors that prevented women from being actively involved in conflict management among them lack of trust in women, perception, gender roles and level of education of women. The study also found out that there were a number of actors who worked towards gender-based conflict management in the study area, and they included government agencies and religious leaders; civil society as well as the community members. The study further found that the role of actors provided opportunities for human rights protection, Reconciliation, Gender Mainstreaming, Peace Building Workshops, media peace campaigns and peace caravans. The study concluded that women face a number of challenges that obstruct their involvement in conflict management as compared to their male counterparts. It’s however important to note that the involvement of various actors including government agencies, CSOs, religious leaders and community members provides an opportunity for sustainable conflict management through human rights protection and education, gender mainstreaming, reconciliation and peacebuilding activities and forums.

Synergy of human platelet lysate and laminin to enhance the neurotrophic effect of human adipose-derived stem cells

Synergy of human platelet lysate and laminin to enhance the neurotrophic effect of human adipose-derived stem cells

MANUFACTURING ASPECTS OF OFFSHORE FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION

The research presented in this paper aim at identifying research commonalities between shipbuilding, offshore fabrication practices and manufacturing. As part of an exploratory effort a literature review and a case study of two offshore structures projects were performed. Research concerning shipbuilding and offshore fabrication, together with literature from other industries in construction, larger engineering projects and traditional manufacturing was reviewed. The two offshore structures projects were analyzed by means of interviews and complemented by direct observations and document reviews. The study concludes that there are gaps in the research concerned with holistic perspectives on the fabrication and installation phases of shipbuilding and offshore projects. The number of actors involved in any project of this magnitude increase barriers and communication interfaces. The dynamic nature of these types of projects was also observed and the changeability should always be a accounted factor when dealing with projects of this sort. The interviews held as part of the verification of observed phenomena in literature was limited to two projects and a single company and actors perceptions. However the collected data served well in being complementary to the literature review. It could be the task of academia to patch the gaps for overall project success, in the cases where single industry actors simply cannot see the benefit or do not have the recourses to fill them themselves. This study combines findings from traditional manufacturing industries, shipbuilding, offshore structures fabrication and large engineering projects in general.

Curation of Digital Archaeological Data in Norway

Archaeological documentation from surveys and excavations in Norway are created by a limited number of actors. Excavations are mainly carried out by the five university museums. NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Research) is responsible for excavations of medieval cities and churches. Maritime museums excavate in lakes, rivers, and below past and present sea level. Archaeological surveys are mainly the responsibility of the counties. Riksantikvaren (Directorate of National Heritage) is responsible for the national Historic Environment Records (HER), Askeladden, which offers the possibility to upload or insert links to reports from archaeological investigations. Riksantikvaren also archives excavation documentation from churches and medieval cities. The Norwegian university museums have, since the 1990s, cooperated on digitising a national repository and making the collections available online. Presently there are also repositories at the maritime museums, Riksantikvaren and the counties. The infrastructure ADED (Archaeological Digital Excavation Documentation) is a repository for detailed excavation documentation, and the BItFROST infrastructure project contributes to better storage and availability of 3D data. Future development will be more complete national databases, and towards closer international cooperation, creating better integration and availability of several repositories.

Improving official statistics on stateless people: Challenges, solutions, and the road ahead1

Statelessness is the situation of people who are not considered as nationals of any State. The disadvantages of not having a nationality can be severe, as stateless people typically lack access to the socio-economic and political rights enjoyed by citizens. As a result, people without citizenship are particularly vulnerable to severe forms of exploitation and abuse, such as human trafficking. One of the biggest challenges facing advocates is the lack of reliable statistics about statelessness. There is no definitive or reliable global estimate, national figures are scant in most regions of the world, and where they exist, they are often of questionable quality. Furthermore, there are many challenges to collecting data about this marginalised and hidden group who may not wish to declare their status, or may not know of their status in settings where most people lack formal documentation. In order to help address this data gap, a number of actors under the umbrella of the Expert Group on Refugee and IDP Statistics (EGRIS) are now collaborating to produce draft International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics (IROSS). This paper summarises the progress made to date by the EGRIS in preparing this new set of recommendations for consideration by the UN Statistical Commission.

Various Mechanisms for Implementing International Humanitarian Law

Although international humanitarian law has been constantly developed in the direction of strengthening the protection of victims of armed conflict after the two World Wars, one of the most important and difficult issues facing the international community to this day is to effectively secure the implementation of such developed international humanitarian law. To this end, the International Committee of the Red Cross has tried to enhance the effectiveness of the mechanism for securing the implementation of international humanitarian law until recently. Nevertheless, it remains one of the key challenges facing the international community. At the time of the outbreak of the Korean War, the four Geneva Conventions in 1949 had yet to take effect, so the major international humanitarian norms that South Korea and other belligerent parties had to comply with were only the Hague Regulation of 1907. In particular, the 3rd Geneva Convention of 1949, i.e. the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners, was applied as a de facto guideline to the extent that the UN commander ordered to comply scrupulously , and later Korea ratified the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 as well as two additional protocols. In South Korea s security situation, which is still in a armistice and has to prepare for armed conflict, “the importance of exploring ways of enhancing and ensuring the effectiveness of mechanisms of compliance with international humanitarian law, with a view to strengthening legal protection for all victims of armed conflict” needs to be further emphasized. In order to secure the effectiveness of the mechanism for implementing international humanitarian law, multilateral efforts by a number of actors are required. However, for this, above all, the will of individual States, which are the original subjects of international law, is important. Until recently, discussions on how to improve the implementation of international humanitarian law have continued through intergovernmental procedures, but revising existing international humanitarian law more thoroughly or introducing a new implementation mechanism does not ensure its effectiveness. Rather, efforts by States to thoroughly comply with the existing mechanism of implementation of international humanitarian law, whether individually or collectively, should be preceded through more organized and diverse cooperation. This paper comprehensively summarizes the mechanisms for securing the implementation of the current international humanitarian law and examines the implementation of Korea in each mechanism. Such discussions will provide the theoretical basis necessary to make the most of and develop the existing international humanitarian law compliance mechanism.

Master spoiler: a strategic value of Kessler Syndrome

ABSTRACT Massive chain reaction among the orbital debris population, also known as Kessler Syndrome, is generally perceived as a universally hostile scenario. However, the article argues that intentional massive pollution of orbits might be a tool in weak space powers’ strategic arsenal. Given the technological restrictions and irreversible escalatory potential of such a step, its utilization is, nonetheless, extremely limited. It is argued that total spoiling of the utilization of space services and access to outer space would be viable only to a very low number of actors in scenarios of grave threat to their existence, territorial integrity or survival of their regimes.