Action Paradigm Research Articles

History and Paradigm Shift: NGOs in International Development Aid

Abstract As Chinese NGOs are trying to go abroad under the Belt and Road Initiative, understanding the existing niche, discourse, and paradigm of the mainstream transnational NGOs in current international development aid system is crucial for Chinese NGOs to adapt and develop their own identity on value and norms. Based on key researchers’ observations, historical facts and statistics, this research examines the mainstream NGOs’ evolution in organization, action and discourse embedded in the macro-history of transnational NGOs and transformation of the international development aid system; it sums up the transformation around three macroscopic relations to understand and evaluate the action paradigm and discourse of the contemporary mainstream NGOs in transnational development, namely, around “Transnational NGO-State” relations a change from the private sphere to the public sphere, around “North-South” relations a shift from one-way aid to equal cooperation, and on “NGO-Society” relations an evolvement from voluntarism to professionalism. In the end the article points out the difference between Chinese NGOs and those of the developed countries in terms of the origin, timing, goal and discourse and specifies five basic questions China must face in its identity building.

Military Identity

Abstract This paper is aimed at exploring the process of military identity acquisition. In order to be able to do this, it is important to define the concepts of institution and organization with reference to the social subsystem represented by the army. The analysis of the aspirants to the status of member of the army was done through the systemic and action paradigms, as well as the praxiological vision. Individuals wishing to integrate into the military system are analysed from a four-dimensional perspective, that is to say, from the point of view of the four defining aspects of each individual: biological, psychological, social and cultural. We also think that it is very important to address the responsibilities of the manager, in our case the commander, regardless of the level of the commanded formation. In the unfortunate case where the results do not meet the expectations, there are competent specialists who can provide the necessary support, not only military, but also civilians, and their specialization isn’t restricted to the field of psychology

The London-based Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee: A paradigm of collective action in the shipping sector, 1930–1950

In 2016, the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee (GSCC) celebrated its 80th anniversary in London. This article, which is part of an ongoing research project on the development of the GSCC in the twentieth century, provides a new interpretive framework by using the tools of historical institutionalism to study and understand the circumstances that led to its establishment, operation and broad activity in London, England. Furthermore, it seeks to answer the question of how the GSCC, as an independent institutional body of the Greek shipping industry, became a successful paradigm of concerted and collective action within a business sector that is known for its spirit of individualism. The particular time period under consideration in this article is the early 1930s to the early post-war years (1946–1950), excluding the Second World War, when exceptional conditions obliged the Committee to alter its normal mode of working.

25 Years After the USSR: Prospects of the Comparative Studies of Capitalism A Review Essay on: Comparative Sociology. 2017, vol. 16, iss. 1: 25 Years after the USSR: The Burden of the Past, the Bitterness of Reality, and Dreaming for the Future, Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Publishing. 181 p

This paper is an extended review essay dedicated to the special issue of Comparative Sociology “25 Years After the USSR” (2017, vol. 16, issue 1). The issue consists of 6 original research papers that are of interest for scholars working in the field of economic sociology. The paper shows how the topic of post-Soviet transformations still remains relevant for economic sociologists, and highlights the advantages and the shortcomings of the articles presented in the issue of Comparative Sociology. The paper also demonstrates how the fall of the USSR and the disciplinary rearrangement of the social sciences, economic sociology in particular, are related to the dominance of sociology of market as a research program. In short, the historical victory of the market capitalism allowed market exchange to be treated as a paradigm of social action. The consequence of this has been twofold: on the one hand, economic sociology has increasingly concerned itself with the study of markets, however, with a particular focus on the social structures that allow, make possible, and enhance market exchanges. On the other hand, this focus on the “scaffolding” structures of the markets made economic sociology an addition, instead of a competitor, to the neoclassical economic theory. The paper briefly reviews the arguments that support such a conclusion. In the final section, the paper analyses the limits of the strategy of comparative analysis of capitalisms in different countries that is being pursued by the articles presented in the issue under review.

Dychotomia konceptualizacji świata w dyskursie instytucjonalnym A. Cierpich: The reality of English-Polish corporate speak

The article explores ways of describing reality by professional and non-professional interlocutors within the framework of institutionalized functional discourse. The motivation for analysis was the observation of dichotomies of linguistic representation of the world of professionals and ordinary participants of interaction. The aim of the article was to indicate and characterize the differences in the ways of perceiving and describing reality among participants in institutional discourse. As a result of the analysis of lexical units and verbal sequences used in speech, it has been proven that the functionality of institutional discourse is based on transposing primary concepts into specialized concepts. In the process of transposition, the meanings and statuses of subjects and objects of discourse are reconstructed. The methodological basis for the analysis was the pragmatism and praxeological paradigm of efficient action.

Theoretical Model of Fundamental Entrepreneurial Competencies

Scientific interest in teaching entrepreneurial competencies has increased in the last few years. Thereby studies have examined above all personal tools, including skills and knowledge. However, besides focusing on educational programs for context-specific entrepreneurial competencies, it is essential to understand general competencies that enable an entrepreneur to master demands of varying challenges and contexts. Despite a growing body of literature in the field of entrepreneurial competencies, there still seems to be uncertainty regarding general entrepreneurial competencies. As a consequence of its research focus, the objective of this study is to understand general entrepreneurial competencies. To study these general competencies, new paradigms of human action should be brought into discussion. It is concluded that there is a relationship between the self and general entrepreneurial key behavior which has still not been covered by the literature. The overall goal of this study is thus to propose a model of general entrepreneurial competencies. An entrepreneurial competency model is proposed that gives insight about the key behavior of recognizing/producing and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunity which a successful entrepreneur should be able to demonstrate, and a person’s underlying characteristics. The underlying characteristics consist of the self and personal tools. The self comprises the self-as-subject, the ego as a meaning-making process, and the self-as-object, with dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations and identity. Personal tools include skills and knowledge. The structural model has been enriched with a developmental dimension as the entrepreneurial ego gradually becomes more complex and associated entrepreneurial behaviors and skills are increasingly practiced. Clarifying these theoretical links between the self and entrepreneurial core challenges may contribute to more effective design of fundamental entrepreneurship education programs and to addressing a wider range of educational issues, e.g., developing scientifically-supported educational models to increase the number of successful entrepreneurs.

Certifica Minas Café: um novo paradigma da atuação do Estado na proteção ambiental?

<p><span>O programa Certifica Minas Café é uma iniciativa do governo do Estado de Minas Gerais para a certificação de propriedades cafeeiras. É o único programa de certificação promovido pelo Poder Público. Esta pesquisa pretendeu abordar um dos desafios do programa: lidar com as não conformidades encontradas nas auditorias e que possam estar associadas a obrigações legais. Afinal, os auditores do CMC possuem também atribuições de fiscalização da utilização de agrotóxicos. A pesquisa teve acesso a 570 relatórios de auditorias realizadas pelo programa no ano de 2015, tendo selecionado aleatoriamente uma amostra de 230 propriedades. Dos relatórios foram extraídos os dados referentes a seis requisitos da certificação, associados aos agrotóxicos. Foram realizadas entrevistas com os gestores do programa e examinados os procedimentos e formulários da certificação. Como ficou evidenciado que existem situações de não conformidades associadas a obrigações legais, pode haver conflito na atuação dos auditores, que também são fiscais. No entanto, ao comparar as não conformidades das propriedades certificadas com pesquisas que abordaram propriedades não certificadas, observou-se que a certificação melhora o atendimento das normas. Ao optar pela não aplicação de sanções, o Estado transforma o CMC em um instrumento de educação ambiental. Neste sentido, as certificações públicas de produtos agrícolas podem ser um novo paradigma da atuação estatal na proteção do meio ambiente.</span></p>

Menos profissionais, mais sujeitos: formação para a educação popular no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS)

The current social dynamics demand a new paradigm of action in health, which must recreate its fundamentals conceptions, the concepts of human being, health and education, in order to overcome existing difficulties in the present moment and trace new paths. For this reason, it is necessary that those involved in this process (teachers, students and professionals) abandon old habits, based on the conception of health as an exclusive and authoritarian act of the professional categories, aiming to recreate the education and practices, making people involved in a dialogical, collaborative, inclusive and horizontal posture, capable of being interested in people, their realities and knowledge. It is perceived that only with a deeply change in the basic aspects of health education and practices, it will be possible to overcome the gaps in the attention devices of the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) in the direction of popular health education and dialogical exercise, which is an essential instrument for change this reality.

Multi-Scale Contingencies During Individual and Joint Action.

The present paper describes a joint action paradigm in which individuals or pairs utilized two computer keys to keep a dot stimulus moving inside a larger rectangle. Members of a pair could neither see nor hear each other. This paradigm allowed us to combine the discrete-trial type dependent variables (e.g., reaction time) commonly utilized by representational theorists, with the continuous, temporal dependence variables (e.g., RQA) utilized by dynamical theorists. Analysis revealed that individuals kept the dot in the rectangle longer than dyads and did so by moving it back and forth within the rectangle. Dyads, however, pressed their individual buttons as quickly as possible in order to keep the dot near the middle of the rectangle. These findings indicate that joint action constitutes a multi-scale phenomena that is best investigated via multiple, complementary methodologies versus single-measure, competing theories.

Justice as the sacred in language: Durkheim and Habermas on the ultimate grounds of modernity and critique

The article reconstructs the double movement of departure and return to Emile Durkheim’s sociology that Jürgen Habermas realized in his work in order to define the theoretical paradigm of communicative action and revive the original project of Critical Theory. It highlights, in the first part, how Habermas first used Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life to assign a phylogenetic function to ritual practices and explain modernity, from an evolutionist perspective, as the final result of a progressive linguistification of the sacred, having substituted the communion of minds in rites with the communication of reasons in the public sphere. After having discussed the two main objections that Habermas addressed to Durkheim at the time of The Theory of Communicative Action, the second part shows how he recently revised his rationalist framework through a new anthropological reading of The Elementary Forms, aimed at demonstrating, in the context of a more complex account of evolution, why the requirement of justice discloses, even in modernity, the active presence of the sacred in language and orientates the critical work of reason in the search of solidarity. Pointing out the new directions in which the hypothesis of a linguistification of the sacred must be seriously revised, it ends by suggesting how the question of social justice may open the path to a positive cooperation between sociology and Critical Theory.

Three senses of paradigm in scenario methodology: A preliminary framework and systematic approach for using intuitive logics scenarios to change mental models and improve strategic decision-making in situations of discontinuity

This article outlines the objectives, activities, and achievements of using intuitive logics scenarios to improve strategic decision-making in situations of discontinuity. Pierre Wack's work at Royal Dutch/Shell illustrates the use of exploratory, reframing, and decision scenarios to change the mental models of decision-makers in advance of the 1973 oil crisis. Thomas S. Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions offers a promising theoretical account of paradigm shifts in science, but its application is limited by the ambiguity of the concept of paradigm. Margaret Masterman's distinction of three senses of paradigm – introduced as construct paradigm, worldview paradigm, and action paradigm – clarifies and extends these accounts to support a preliminary framework and systematic approach. Overall, this investigation expands our understanding of strategic decision-making as guided not only by analytic achievements and developmental investigations but also by discontinuous breaks that can be explored and addressed using scenario methodology.Section 1 provides an introduction and literature review. Section 2 examines the scenarios developed at Royal Dutch/Shell. Section 3 summarizes Kuhn's new image of science, clarified by Masterman's three senses of paradigm in Section 4. Section 5 presents implications for scenario methodology, followed by conclusions and areas for research in Section 6.

Imagined people, behaviour and future mobility: Insights from visions of electric vehicles and car clubs in the United Kingdom

This study focuses on imagined futures of personal mobility in the United Kingdom in the context of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport. Focusing on two innovations, electric vehicles and car clubs, the study investigates how people, behaviour and mobility are imagined in a range of visioning documents about the future up to 2050, a timeline that is critically important for emission reduction targets. We find that people are imagined primarily as consumers in line with the rational actor paradigm, with many visions focusing on low-carbon vehicles as a sustainability solution. This simple technological substitution vision does not play to the strengths of electric vehicles, and diminishes their transformative potential. There are fewer car club visions; these show less car ownership, but retain high mobility and an economic growth perspective. Our findings support the idea that much future mobility visioning is used to support the status quo, rather than to explore a variety of futures with diverse portrayal of people, behaviour and mobility.

RARα/RXR synergism potentiates retinoid responsiveness in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma cell lines.

Retinoids, natural and synthetic derivatives of vitamin A, induce cellular changes by activating nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and retinoid X receptors (RXR). Although the ability of retinoids to govern gene expression is exploited clinically for cancer therapeutics, the full benefit of retinoid-based strategies is unrealized due to detrimental side effects. Delineating the receptors that prompt cellular outcomes is critical to advancing retinoid-based approaches. Here, we identify the receptors that evoke multiple responses in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The data demonstrate that RARα drives integrin β7-dependent adhesion and CCR9-mediated chemotaxis in CTCL cells. Of note, concomitant activation of RARα and RXR nuclear receptors yielded synergistic increases in adhesion and migration at concentrations where single agents were ineffective. As the established paradigm of retinoid action in CTCL is apoptosis and growth arrest, the role of RARα/RXR in these events was studied. As with adhesion and migration, RARα/RXR synergism prompted apoptosis and dampened CTCL cell proliferation. Strikingly, RARα/RXR synergism induced responses from CTCL cell lines previously reported to be unresponsive to retinoids. These data provide a novel framework that may further refine a proven CTCL therapy.

Development of a Technology Education Cascading Theory through community engagement site-based support

If teachers are not equipped to teach Technology Education subject nationally and internationally, the continent of Africa will continue to bear the brunt of unsavoury results unless radical interventions are implemented to transform the situation. It is against this background that action research methods became a useful site-based support to empower Technology teachers at three sampled schools from Tshwane South Circuit in Gauteng Province of South Africa. The purpose of this study was to share fresh perspectives on how a sample of Technology teachers responded to content-related classroom practices during reflective action research activities that took place during community engagement contact sessions. These teachers, who are under qualified and unqualified to teach this subject, were engaged in circular and spiral action research cycles. The teachers’ engagement brought forth the development of Technology Education Cascading Theory. It was evident that community engagement activities served as a podium to transform teachers’ teaching of Technology Education and enhance learners’ achievement. The study was underpinned by cooperative enquiry theory and engaged participants in reflective practices of developmental action paradigm. Interaction with Technology Education teachers further revealed that most of them need their schools to budget for this Technology subject they are teaching.

Practical theology as life science: Fides <i>Quaerens Vivendi</i> and its connection to Hebrew thinking (Hālak)

The term practical theology is complex and, due to many different religious and cultural settings, a many layered concept. During the past 40 years the paradigm in theory formation for an academic and disciplinary approach to practical theology shifted from the clerical and ecclesial paradigm of ministerial actions to experiences of faith with the emphasis on an empirical based epistemology. Rather than a deductive approach, the shift is towards a more inductive approach within the methodological framework of phenomenology. Currently, in the international discourse on theory formation, there is a tendency towards a hermeneutical approach with the focus on the networking, relational dynamics of civil society Thus, the attempt to describe practical theology as a kind of ‘life science’ (the concern for the mundane and existential reality of everyday life – Alltagsreligion). Within the context of African spiritualties, with its emphasis on the communal dynamics of vital, human relationships, the focus on lifestyles becomes vital. In light of an ontology of life (l’energie spirituelle – Henri Bergson), the notion of fides quaerens vivendi [faith seeking lifestyles] is researched. With reference to the theory of complexification and chaosmos as well as the impact thereof on different theories in life sciences, the connection between sapientia and the vivid praxis of God is critically explored. The focus of this article is on the question: What is the impact of an ontology of life on both praxis thinking and theological reflection? Instead of the Cartesian framework of causative definitions, the notion of the ‘infinition of God’ is proposed within the praxis of Hebrew, wisdom thinking.

Neural alpha oscillations index the balance between self-other integration and segregation in real-time joint action

Shared knowledge and interpersonal coordination are prerequisites for most forms of social behavior. Influential approaches to joint action have conceptualized these capacities in relation to the separate constructs of co-representation (knowledge) and self-other entrainment (coordination). Here we investigated how brain mechanisms involved in co-representation and entrainment interact to support joint action. To do so, we used a musical joint action paradigm to show that the neural mechanisms underlying co-representation and self-other entrainment are linked via a process – indexed by EEG alpha oscillations – regulating the balance between self-other integration and segregation in real time. Pairs of pianists performed short musical items while action familiarity and interpersonal (behavioral) synchronization accuracy were manipulated in a factorial design. Action familiarity referred to whether or not pianists had rehearsed the musical material performed by the other beforehand. Interpersonal synchronization was manipulated via congruent or incongruent tempo change instructions that biased performance timing towards the impending, new tempo. It was observed that, when pianists were familiar with each other's parts, millisecond variations in interpersonal synchronized behavior were associated with a modulation of alpha power over right centro-parietal scalp regions. Specifically, high behavioral entrainment was associated with self-other integration, as indexed by alpha suppression. Conversely, low behavioral entrainment encouraged reliance on internal knowledge and thus led to self-other segregation, indexed by alpha enhancement. These findings suggest that alpha oscillations index the processing of information about self and other depending on the compatibility of internal knowledge and external (environmental) events at finely resolved timescales.

Elongation Factor Tu Prevents Misediting of Gly-tRNA(Gly) Caused by the Design Behind the Chiral Proofreading Site of D-Aminoacyl-tRNA Deacylase.

D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase (DTD) removes D-amino acids mischarged on tRNAs and is thus implicated in enforcing homochirality in proteins. Previously, we proposed that selective capture of D-aminoacyl-tRNA by DTD’s invariant, cross-subunit Gly-cisPro motif forms the mechanistic basis for its enantioselectivity. We now show, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based binding studies followed by biochemical assays with both bacterial and eukaryotic systems, that DTD effectively misedits Gly-tRNAGly. High-resolution crystal structure reveals that the architecture of DTD’s chiral proofreading site is completely porous to achiral glycine. Hence, L-chiral rejection is the only design principle on which DTD functions, unlike other chiral-specific enzymes such as D-amino acid oxidases, which are specific for D-enantiomers. Competition assays with elongation factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu) and DTD demonstrate that EF-Tu precludes Gly-tRNAGly misediting at normal cellular concentrations. However, even slightly higher DTD levels overcome this protection conferred by EF-Tu, thus resulting in significant depletion of Gly-tRNAGly. Our in vitro observations are substantiated by cell-based studies in Escherichia coli that show that overexpression of DTD causes cellular toxicity, which is largely rescued upon glycine supplementation. Furthermore, we provide direct evidence that DTD is an RNA-based catalyst, since it uses only the terminal 2′-OH of tRNA for catalysis without the involvement of protein side chains. The study therefore provides a unique paradigm of enzyme action for substrate selection/specificity by DTD, and thus explains the underlying cause of DTD’s activity on Gly-tRNAGly. It also gives a molecular and functional basis for the necessity and the observed tight regulation of DTD levels, thereby preventing cellular toxicity due to misediting.

Quebec–US Relations: The Big Picture

ABSTRACTThe objective of this article is to propose a periodization of the international policy between Quebec and the United States focusing on two levels of analysis: The first level is interested in public policy instruments such as the opening of delegations, while the second focuses on the paradigm of state action. From these two main criteria, I propose an analysis of five periods. The first period (1867–1960) is characterized by the absence of a structured paradigm and the virtual absence of diplomatic instruments with the exception of a tourism and trade office in New York. The second period (1960–1976) reflects a desire by Quebec to develop a larger presence in the United States with the creation of many instruments, as the public policy paradigm is gradually being built. The third period (1976–1980) is characterized by Quebec sovereignists’ awareness of the importance of the United States. This period is noted for a significant paradigm shift. The fourth period (1980–2001) is marked by the turn toward free trade. The last period (2001 to present) is characterized by the importance of new challenges that extend the public policy paradigm to issues such as security in the 9/11 environment, as well as to energy and environmental issues.

The antimicrobial polymer PHMB enters cells and selectively condenses bacterial chromosomes.

To combat infection and antimicrobial resistance, it is helpful to elucidate drug mechanism(s) of action. Here we examined how the widely used antimicrobial polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) kills bacteria selectively over host cells. Contrary to the accepted model of microbial membrane disruption by PHMB, we observed cell entry into a range of bacterial species, and treated bacteria displayed cell division arrest and chromosome condensation, suggesting DNA binding as an alternative antimicrobial mechanism. A DNA-level mechanism was confirmed by observations that PHMB formed nanoparticles when mixed with isolated bacterial chromosomal DNA and its effects on growth were suppressed by pairwise combination with the DNA binding ligand Hoechst 33258. PHMB also entered mammalian cells, but was trapped within endosomes and excluded from nuclei. Therefore, PHMB displays differential access to bacterial and mammalian cellular DNA and selectively binds and condenses bacterial chromosomes. Because acquired resistance to PHMB has not been reported, selective chromosome condensation provides an unanticipated paradigm for antimicrobial action that may not succumb to resistance.

Epidemiology and the Tobacco Epidemic: How Research on Tobacco and Health Shaped Epidemiology.

In this article, I provide a perspective on the tobacco epidemic and epidemiology, describing the impact of the tobacco-caused disease epidemic on the field of epidemiology. Although there is an enormous body of epidemiologic evidence on the associations of smoking with health, little systematic attention has been given to how decades of research have affected epidemiology and its practice. I address the many advances that resulted from epidemiologic research on smoking and health, such as demonstration of the utility of observational designs and important parameters (the odds ratio and the population attributable risk), guidelines for causal inference, and systematic review approaches. I also cover unintended and adverse consequences for the field, including the strategy of doubt creation and the recruitment of epidemiologists by the tobacco industry to serve its mission. The paradigm of evidence-based action for addressing noncommunicable diseases began with the need to address the epidemic of tobacco-caused disease, an imperative for action documented by epidemiologic research.