Overarching Framework Research Articles

Subsidiary power: Loaned or owned? The lenses of agency theory and resource dependence theory

AbstractResearch SummaryWe analyze power relationships in subsidiaries of multinational corporations. We explain how despite many advances in the literature, there is still an unresolved debate with respect to the critical question of whether subsidiary power is loaned or owned. We develop an overarching framework that encompasses both agency theory and resource dependence theory as the two pillars to understand decision‐making by managers in subsidiaries. We propose that agency theory applies more when the subsidiary's decision rights are “loaned” by headquarters, while resource dependence theory applies more when the subsidiary “owns” its decision rights. We also explain how subsidiary evolution integrates the arguments of these two theories. Agency appears to apply earlier while resource dependence is more relevant at later stages.Managerial SummaryWe provide a framework that helps address the challenges of managing power relationships in subsidiaries of multinational firms. Traditionally, studies have proposed to explain these relationships using either agency theory and the idea that subsidiary managers need to be controlled by headquarters or resource dependence and the idea that subsidiary managers can chart their own path. We solve this conflict by proposing that agency theory applies when the subsidiary's decision rights are “loaned” by headquarters, while resource dependence theory applies when the subsidiary “owns” its decision rights. We also explain how the analysis of subsidiary evolution integrates the arguments of these two theories as agency seems to apply earlier in the evolution of the subsidiary while resource dependence seems to apply at a later stage.

Global Consensus Frameworks, Standards, Guidelines, and Tools: Their Implications in International Development Policy and Practice.

In the present world, International Consensus Frameworks, commonly called global frameworks or global agendas, guide international development policies and practices. They guide the development of all countries and influence the development initiatives by their respective governments. Recent global frameworks, adopted mostly post-2015, include both a group of over-arching frameworks (eg, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction [SFDRR]) and a group of frameworks addressing specific issues (eg, the Dhaka Declaration on Disability and Disaster Risk Management). These global frameworks serve twin purposes: first, to set a global development standard, and second, to set policies and approaches to achieve these standards. A companion group of professional standards, guidelines, and tools (ie, Sphere's Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards) guide the implementation and operationalization of these frameworks on the ground.This paper gathers these global frameworks and core professional guidelines in one place, presents an analytical review of their essential features, and highlights the commonalities and differences between and among these frameworks. The aim of this paper is to facilitate understanding of these frameworks and to help in designing development and resilience policy, planning, and implementation, at international and national levels, where these frameworks complement and contribute to each other.This Special Report describes an important and evolving aspect of the discipline and provides core information necessary to progress the science. Additionally, the report will help governments and policy makers to define their priorities and to design policies/strategies/programs to reflect the global commitments. Development practitioners can pre-empt the focus of the international community and the assistance coming from donors to the priority sectors, as identified in the global agenda. This would then help governments and stakeholders to develop and design a realistic plan and program and prepare the instruments and mechanisms to deliver the goals.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Metal Nanoparticle Growth via Optical Extinction Spectroscopy and Computational Modeling: The Curious Case of Colloidal Gold.

An overarching computational framework unifying several optical theories to describe the temporal evolution of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) during a seeded growth process is presented. To achieve this, we used the inexpensive and widely available optical extinction spectroscopy, to obtain quantitative kinetic data. In situ spectra collected over a wide set of experimental conditions were regressed using the physical model, calculating light extinction by ensembles of GNPs during the growth process. This model provides temporal information on the size, shape, and concentration of the particles and any electromagnetic interactions between them. Consequently, we were able to describe the mechanism of GNP growth and divide the process into distinct genesis periods. We provide explanations for several longstanding mysteries, for example, the phenomena responsible for the purple-greyish hue during the early stages of GNP growth, the complex interactions between nucleation, growth, and aggregation events, and a clear distinction between agglomeration and electromagnetic interactions. The presented theoretical formalism has been developed in a generic fashion so that it can readily be adapted to other nanoparticulate formation scenarios such as the genesis of various metal nanoparticles.

The way to the Antarctic Treaty: System of rules in times of global conflict

AbstractIn 1940, a PhD was published in Germany about the claiming behaviour of several countries and the whaling industry in Antarctica. It shows already at this time that a need for regulation on that issue was required. The intertwined relationships between the claiming nations demanded an overarching framework where these complex issues could be managed. This paper elaborates on the state of the claiming parties before the 1940s and will demonstrate that the development for a comprehensive regulation was the only way to avoid a global conflict. The doctoral thesis from 1940 will be the focal point of the discussion.

‘Safe Haven and Secure Base’? Attachment Dynamics in the Multilevel Effects of Authoritarian Leaders

By integrating attachment theory and functional models of social hierarchy into management research, we ambition to provide an overarching theoretical framework that explain ‘the bright side’ of a ...

Eco-efficiency assessment of technological innovations in high-grade concrete recycling

The increasing volume of Construction and demolition waste (CDW) associated with economic growth is posing challenges to the sustainable management of the built environment. The largest fraction of all the CDW generated in the member states of the European Union (EU) is End-of-life (EOL) concrete. The most widely applied method for EOL concrete recovery in Europe is road base backfilling, which is considered low-grade recovery. The common practice for high-grade recycling is wet process that processes and washes EOL concrete into clean coarse aggregate for concrete manufacturing. It is costly. As a result, a series of EU projects have been launched to advance the technologies for high value-added concrete recycling. A critical environmental and economic evaluation of such technological innovations is important to inform decision making, while there has been a lack of studies in this field. Hence the present study aimed to assess the efficiency of the technical innovations in high-grade concrete recycling, using an improved eco-efficiency analytical approach by integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC). Four systems of high-grade concrete recycling were analyzed for comparison: (i) business-as-usual (BAU) stationary wet processing; (ii) stationary advanced dry recovery (ADR); (iii) mobile ADR; (iv) mobile ADR and Heating Air Classification (A&H). An overarching framework was proposed for LCA/LCC-type eco-efficiency assessment conforming to ISO standards. The study found that technological routes that recycle on-site and produce high-value secondary products are most advantageous. Accordingly, policy recommendations are proposed to support the technological innovations of CDW management.

En scenariobaserad analys av ett IT-avbrott i socialtjänsten

A scenario-based analysis of an IT failure in the social services – adaptations and social redundancyThis article takes as its starting point the fact that documentation as well as communication within the social services are to a great extent dependent on IT. Against that backdrop, an investigation is presented whose aim is to contribute to knowledge about what IT failures can mean within the social services. The focus is on the immediate consequences for the documentation and communication of the social services. The aim is also to contribute to the understanding of how the course of events relates to the maintenance of social work despite interruptions. Systems theory provides an overarching theoretical framework. Based on that approach, social work is seen as a societal functional system aiming at the administration of exclusion. The study is based on empirical material consisting of assessments of the consequences of failures, as formulated by social services staff in risk and vulnerability analyses conducted within the framework of the investigation. The results include descriptions of consequences that arise as a result of inaccessible operative systems but also as a result of, for example, the disruption of VoIP telephony. Further, the results describe concrete adaptations and suggestions for possible changes that potentially reduce the vulnerability entailed by IT dependency. The conclusion is that the IT failure does not lead to a corresponding failure of social work as a functional system, despite technical dependencies. The system is maintained through adaptations, which are possible thanks to functional equivalence (that is, a goal may be reached in several ways) and available redundancy. It is the staff that, besides a number of technical adaptations, make concrete organizational and social adaptations, to some degree at the expense of their working environment. This is called social redundancy in order to highlight how lost technology is replaced by social processes.

Which of These Things Are Not Like the Others? Comparing the Rational, Emotional, and Moral Aspects of Reputation, Status, Celebrity, and Stigma

In this review of the literature on reputation, status, celebrity, and stigma we develop an overarching theoretical framework based on the rational, emotional, and moral aspects of each construct’s...

Implementing a Mandated Program Across a Regional Health Care System: A Rapid Qualitative Assessment to Evaluate Early Implementation Strategies.

Rapid qualitative assessment was used to describe early strategies to implement an evidence-based walking program for hospitalized older adults, assiSTed eaRly mobIlity for hospitalizeD older vEterans (STRIDE), mandated by a regional Department of Veterans Affairs health care system office (Veterans Integrated Service Network [VISN]). Data were collected from 6 hospital sites via semistructured interviews with key informants, observations of telephone-based technical assistance, and review of VISN-requested program documents (eg, initial implementation plans). An overarching framework of actionable feedback for VISN leadership and specification of locally initiated implementation strategies, using the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) compilation, was used. Actionable feedback was shared with VISN leadership 1 month after the initiative. ERIC implementation strategies identified were as follows: (1) promoting adaptability-4 sites had physical therapists/kinesiotherapists instead of assistants walk patients; (2) promoting network weaving-strengthening nursing and PT/KT partnership with regular communication opportunities or a point person was important for implementation; (3) distributing educational materials-2 sites distributed information about STRIDE via e-mail and in person; and (4) organizing clinician implementation team meetings-3 sites used interdisciplinary team meetings to communicate with the clinical staff about STRIDE. This qualitative study sheds light on early experiences with implementing STRIDE; the results have been instructive for ongoing implementation and future dissemination of STRIDE, and the approach can be applied across contexts to inform implementation of other programs.

Methodological rigour and coherence in the construction of instruments: The emotional social screening tool for school readiness

The need for a contextually relevant and empirically grounded measure of emotional social competence in Grade R children was identified in the literature. The aim of this study was to develop a contextually relevant instrument for emotional social competence in preschool children. The study adopted a four-phase approach with each phase using distinct methodological approaches. This article reports on the use of multiple research methods to achieve methodological rigour and coherence in the construction. Phase 1 used systematic review methodology to establish a theoretical foundation for the instrument. The results identified two domains and nine subdomains that formed the theoretical model for the instrument. In phase 2 stakeholder perceptions of emotional and social competence were identified through concept mapping to increase contextual relevance and sensitivity. The results highlighted that early stimulation and contextual factors impacted school readiness and needed to be included. The construction of the instrument incorporated the findings from the first two stages. The draft instrument was presented to a panel of experts, using the Delphi technique, for validation of content and scalar decisions in phase 3. The results supported the proposed format and content of the screening tool. The resulting instrument was piloted in phase 4 with survey research. Good internal consistency was reported and the factor structure supported. The multiphase methodology provided an overarching framework with methodological rigour and coherence. The grounding in the literature, stakeholder consultation and rigorous validation processes enhanced the resultant instrument. The articulation of one phase into the next ensured methodological coherence.

A Unified Framework of Five Principles for AI in Society

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already having a major impact on society. As a result, many organizations have launched a wide range of initiatives to establish ethical principles for the adoption of socially beneficial AI. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of proposed principles threatens to overwhelm and confuse. How might this problem of ‘principle proliferation’ be solved? In this paper, we report the results of a fine-grained analysis of several of the highest-profile sets of ethical principles for AI. We assess whether these principles converge upon a set of agreed-upon principles, or diverge, with significant disagreement over what constitutes ‘ethical AI.’ Our analysis finds a high degree of overlap among the sets of principles we analyze. We then identify an overarching framework consisting of five core principles for ethical AI. Four of them are core principles commonly used in bioethics: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. On the basis of our comparative analysis, we argue that a new principle is needed in addition: explicability, understood as incorporating both the epistemological sense of intelligibility (as an answer to the question ‘how does it work?’) and in the ethical sense of accountability (as an answer to the question: ‘who is responsible for the way it works?’). In the ensuing discussion, we note the limitations and assess the implications of this ethical framework for future efforts to create laws, rules, technical standards, and best practices for ethical AI in a wide range of contexts.

Sea-level change as the driver for lake formation in the Yangtze Plain – A review

The Yangtze Plain (floodplains in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River) is a region with numerous lakes, including the three largest freshwater lakes in China, i.e. Poyang Lake (PYL), Dongting Lake (DTL), and Taihu Lake (THL). The formation mechanism of these lakes offers insights into the ongoing debate concerning the interaction between tectonic activity, climate, sea-level, human impact, and Earth-surface processes. Previous studies have usually focused on individual lakes, so there remains no over-arching and consistent framework for lake formation in the region as a whole. Here we review published sedimentary and chronological records on the above three lakes and propose that sea-level change has determined their formation. During the last glacial maximum (LGM; ca 30–20 ka), with a sea-level >120 m lower than present, a landscape of incised valleys and interfluves prevailed over the entire Yangtze Plain, including the DTL area, which is >1400 km upstream from the modern river mouth, and there was no large lake on the plain. The lakes emerged in the Holocene, although more precise ages await further investigations. The glacial sea-level lowstand, with concomitant headward incision, was responsible for the extensive deeply incised landscape of the LGM, whereas the Holocene high sea-level, with resultant infilling of the incised valleys, accounted for the formation of lakes. This sea-level forcing hypothesis suggests a more far-reaching influence of sea-level change on the Yangtze Plain, and a closer relationship between Earth-surface processes and glacial–interglacial cycles (global climate) than is commonly believed. According to our newly hypothesized climate-controlled geomorphological (CCG) model, it is very likely that similar lake-forming processes could have occurred multiple times during earlier glacial–interglacial cycles, and that this pattern might also have occurred in many other river systems in the eastern coastal areas of China, as well as in other similar river plains worldwide, thus having an important role in shaping modern coastal-plain landscapes. Further work is required to test this CCG model. • We propose a model that sea level controlled the land surface processes and lake formation in Yangtze Plain. • During glacial period deep-cut landscape prevailed in the plain due to sea level lowering and concomitant headward incision. • Sea level rise after LGM raised Yangtze water level which filled up the incised valleys and depressions to form lakes. • Influence of sea level change on land surface at orbital timescales could be felt >1400 km upstream from the coast.

Assessing the Clinical Competence of Health Care Professionals Who Perform Airway Suctioning in Adults.

Airway suctioning is an important health care intervention that can be associated with serious adverse effects. Given the risks involved with suctioning, it is important to ensure the clinical competence of health care professionals who perform it. A scoping review was conducted to identify the nature and extent of research related to the assessment of airway-suctioning competence for health care professionals working with adults. This included an examination of the assessment context, the type of suctioning and health care professionals being assessed, and the methods used to assess competence. Four scientific electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) were searched from inception to March 9, 2018. A gray literature search was also performed. Two reviewers independently screened articles and resources for inclusion, and data were extracted using a form created by the authors. Seventy full text articles and resources were screened for eligibility, with 36 included in the review. Endotracheal suctioning was the most common type, and intensive or critical care units were the primary setting of interest (28 of 36, 78%). Competence or a component of competence for nurses, nursing students, nursing assistants, or nurse technicians was specifically addressed in 97% (35 of 36) of the included articles and resources; 4 of 36 (11%) also included physical therapists, 1 of 36 (3%) included respiratory therapists, and 1 of 36 (3%) was aimed toward all clinicians who perform suctioning. Nine (25%) used questionnaire-based assessments, 11 (31%) used checklists, audit forms, or other observational tools, and 16 (44%) used both. Directed content analysis revealed 3 major themes: consistency across overarching evaluation frameworks, inconsistency across detailed components, and inconsistency in the evaluation or reporting of assessment tool measurement properties. Additional gaps in the literature included limited consideration of health care professionals beyond nursing, limited consideration of settings beyond intensive and critical care, a lack of tools to assess nasotracheal and orotracheal suctioning, and limited detail regarding assessment tool development.

A comprehensive review on logo literature: research topics, findings, and future directions

ABSTRACTLogos as a visual cue can help firms communicate their unique identities and capture consumers’ attention. Despite the importance and prevalent use of logos, the logo literature remains fragmented. Hence, this article attempts to provide an overarching research framework based on an extensive and comprehensive review of the existing logo literature. Specifically, we review 124 studies published in business journals over the past 30 years, and classify them into six major research topics: 1) theoretical foundations, 2) logo design/redesign, 3) basic logo elements, 4) additional logo elements, 5) outcomes of logo use, and 6) practical applications of logo use. Finally, we suggest future research directions for academics and provide practitioners with guidelines that help manage logos for their businesses.

Constructing True Model-Based Requirements in SysML

Some authors suggest that transitioning requirements engineering from the traditional statements in natural language with shall clauses to model-based requirements within a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) environment could improve communication, requirements traceability, and system decomposition, among others. Requirement elements in the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) fail to fulfill this objective, as they are really a textual requirement in natural language as a model element. Current efforts to directly leverage behavioral and structural models of the system lack an overarching theoretical framework with which to assess the adequacy of how those models are used to capture requirements. This paper presents an approach to construct true model-based requirements in SysML. The presented approach leverages some of SysML’s behavioral and structural models and diagrams, with specific construction rules derived from Wymore’s mathematical framework for MBSE and taxonomies of requirements and interfaces. The central proposition of the approach is that every requirement can be modeled as an input/output transformation. Examples are used to show how attributes traditionally thought of as non-functional requirements can be captured, with higher precision, as functional transformations.

The attachment control system and computational modeling: Origins and prospects.

From his first attempts to explain attachment phenomena in the 1940s through his Attachment and Loss trilogy (Bowlby, 1969/1982, 1973, 1980), John Bowlby reformulated the theoretical underpinnings of attachment theory several times. He initially attempted to explain attachment phenomena in psychoanalytic terms. Then he invoked ethological theory in the explanation of how and why people behave as they do in close personal relationships. The mature theoretical framework that he presented between 1969 and 1982 in the attachment and loss trilogy retained strengths and insights, ultimately situating them within an overarching control systems framework. This article describes key stages in Bowlby's theoretical development, with particular emphasis placed on the emergence of control systems theory as a cornerstone of the mature theory. It also compares Bowlby's control systems approach to contemporary cognitive science approaches. It concludes by suggesting how Bowlby's control systems formulation could evolve along the path opened up by contemporary work in computational modeling and how it could benefit by doing so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Transformative joy in Qohelet: A thread that faintly glistens

Qohelet prompted a rich body of work reflecting the breadth of the Old Testament book’s appeal. Few, however, interpret Qohelet’s spiritual dimension, incarnated in life. I will opt to offer an overarching framework that holds the book together and that was until now absent in the discourse on Qohelet. It will be argued that spiritual transformation provides a fruitful theoretical framework for Qohelet. I will indicate that Qohelet undertook a spiritual journey in which his experiences fostered profound spiritual transformation, and ultimately a new paradigm leapfrogging old spiritual infrastructure and choices. The framework that evolved from this effort delineates four phases, stages or movements. In order to provide clarity and enhance understanding of this concept, the analysis will be done on the basis of the leitwort (or keyword) ‘joy’. The findings point to the importance of spiritual transformation, directing readers towards a new spirituality. The article concludes with suggestions on future directions regarding Qohelet as a ‘bridge book’ to the New Testament.

Applying the occupational justice framework in disability policy analysis in Namibia

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to compare the existing disability policy in Namibia with those of other southern African countries to determine whether the former would require revisions. There were two objectives: to apply the occupational justice framework to analyse the National Policy on Disability of Namibia, to conduct an comparative analysis of the National Policy on Disability of Namibia and selected disability policies and policy environments in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe taking into consideration the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) METHODS: A qualitative analytical approach was used to conduct a document review of the Namibia disability policy and to provide a comparative analysis of the Namibia disability policy with those of selected southern African countries using the disability policy analysis lens. Critical disability theory provided the overarching theoretical framework. Discourse analysis was applied to identify themes. FINDINGS: Embedded occupational marginalisation and deprivation were evident in the Namibian disability policy. A new type of occupational injustice emerged that can best be described as Occupational inconsideration among disability policy makers, whereby occupational rights for persons with disabilities are of secondary focus when disability policies are formulated. CONCLUSION: Namibia's disability policy was considered inadequate in terms of addressing occupational rights according to the occupational justice framework. Similarly, Namibia and other southern African countries have not significantly progressed with domesticating the UNCRPD. The findings have implications for disability policy formulation and occupational justice practice in Namibia in particular and in southern Africa in general. Key words: Occupational justice; disability policy; policy analysis; occupational participation; African countries.

A Software Exoskeleton to Protect and Support Citizen’s Ethics and Privacy in the Digital World

Citizens of the digital world are threatened. The digital systems that surround them are increasingly able to make autonomous decisions over and above them and on their behalf. They feel that their moral rights, as well as the social, economic, and political spheres, can be affected by the behavior of such systems. Although unavoidable, the digital world is becoming uncomfortable and potentially hostile to its users as human beings and as citizens. Notwithstanding the introduction of the GDPR and of initiatives to establish criteria on software transparency and accountability, users feel vulnerable and unprotected. In this paper, we present EXOSOUL, an overarching research framework that aims at building a software a personalized exoskeleton that enhances and protects users by mediating their interactions with the digital world according to their own ethics of actions and privacy of data. The exoskeleton disallows or adapts the interactions that would result in unacceptable or morally wrong behaviors according to the ethics and privacy preferences of the users. With their software shield, users will feel empowered and in control, and more in the balance of forces with the other actors of the digital world. To reach the breakthrough result of automatically building a personalized exoskeleton, EXOSOUL identifies multidisciplinary challenges never touched before: 1) defining the scope for and inferring citizen's ethical preferences; 2) treating privacy as an ethical dimension managed through the disruptive notion of active data; and 3) automatically synthesizing ethical actuators, i.e., connector components that mediate the interaction between the user and the digital world to enforce her ethical preferences. In this paper, we discuss the research challenges of EXOSOUL in terms of their feasibility and risks.

Concordia Ecclesiae: An Inquiry into Tension and Coherence in Philipp Melanchthon’s Theology and Efforts for Ecclesiastical Unity, Especially in 1527–1530 by Ragnar Andersen

Reviewed by: Concordia Ecclesiae: An Inquiry into Tension and Coherence in Philipp Melanchthon’s Theology and Efforts for Ecclesiastical Unity, Especially in 1527–1530 by Ragnar Andersen Timothy J. Wengert Concordia Ecclesiae: An Inquiry into Tension and Coherence in Philipp Melanchthon’s Theology and Efforts for Ecclesiastical Unity, Especially in 1527–1530. By Ragnar Andersen. Vienna: Lit, 2016. xiv + 515 pp. This book is for its author a labor of love. After a lengthy period of research, Andersen presented the Norwegian version in 2011 as his doctoral dissertation. He then went to great lengths to translate and publish the work in English to assure a broader readership. The detail with which he examined Melanchthon’s position vis-à-vis [End Page 115] his Roman opponents, especially in the negotiations in Augsburg, is praiseworthy. Any reader will learn new facts about the complicated development of Melanchthon’s attitudes. His summary of Melanchthon’s theology in part three is also worthwhile reading. The first section examines Luther and Melanchthon’s relationship prior to Augsburg, especially their approaches in the Visitation Articles of 1527/28, their rejection of the Anabaptists, and their behavior toward the Swiss and Strasbourg churches at Marburg in 1529, and ends with an account of the Torgau memoranda produced for the Augsburg Diet of 1530. The second section tries to reconstruct Melanchthon’s attempts at reconciliation with his Roman opponents and argues that two competing impulses were at work: a “Reconciliation Project” and a “Confessional Project.” By September 1530, the Confessional Project took the upper hand (in part due to pressure from Luther and others), and the “Reconciliation Project” that arose out of Melanchthon’s humanistic impulses faded into the background. The third section then revisits the earlier material, searching for the “background and preconditions, goals and tactics” of these two strategies. The book disappoints on several levels. First, the translation (done in part with the help of a computer program) is filled with hundreds of grammatical and syntactical errors, leaving the reader at times in the dark as to the author’s intentions. Second, it is not finally clear whether these two strategies are proper to Melanchthon or only to Andersen. As a systematic way of dividing Melanchthon’s varying positions in Augsburg, especially during the negotiations in August 1530 and the tension-filled communication with Luther, reconciliation and confession may indeed provide new clarity. But when the author insists that the former is humanistic and the latter “Evangelical” or “Lutheran,” he has simply imported hackneyed views of Humanism into the analysis and missed an opportunity in the first two sections of his work to define humanists more historically (as did Paul Oskar Kristeller, whom Andersen finally cites in the third section) and to expand the number of humanists to include not only Melanchthon but also Justus Jonas, Johannes Brenz, and (as Helmar Junghans demonstrated) Martin Luther himself. We are left with a description of an uncertain Melanchthon at Augsburg, a Leisetreter [pussyfooter] torn between the opposite poles of Luther’s [End Page 116] Reformation and Erasmus’s humanism. Finally, in many instances, while the author is to be applauded for introducing so many important primary texts into his work, he allows his over-arching interpretative framework to exaggerate what he reads there. This is true both for his reading of Melanchthon’s contacts at Augsburg with Cardinal Campeggio, Archbishop Albrecht, and others from the Roman party and for his misreading of Melanchthon’s transitional comments between articles twenty-one and twenty-two of the Augsburg Confession (where Master Philip is not minimizing the theological differences but using striking rhetorical irony to make the point that the Evangelicals are the catholic party). He also does not always seem aware of the latest secondary literature (for example, on the relation of Melanchthon and Erasmus by this reviewer or the correspondence between Luther and Melanchthon at Augsburg by Gerhard Ebeling). By contrast, the third, systematic section is far more helpful. Indeed, the author’s description of Melanchthon’s methodus and loci communes (351–64) is worth much broader distribution. Here a better definition of humanism often obtains, and the nuances of Melanchthon’s Reformation thought come into much clearer focus. Thus...