Socio-economic Subsystems Research Articles

Importance of temporal and spatial scales in applying biological and physical process knowledge in coastal management, an example for the Ems estuary

Managing intertidal mud flats requires a knowledge about the physical and biological structure of these systems, their physical and ecological roles and the development and influence of socio-economic activities on these systems. In this paper it is shown how, against the background of the strong natural variation, the effects of dredging and anthropogenic eutrophication can be simplified, represented and applied for management purposes. Freshwater (nutrient) discharges differently but linearly affect the annual primary production in the three (Lower, Middle and Dollard) estuarine reaches. The differences in effect along the estuarine axis are primarily caused by the turbidity gradient. Channel dredging affects the slope of the logarithmic turbidity gradient between the turbidity maximum with relatively stable concentrations in suspended matter, and the North Sea near the barrier islands. The direct consequence of a varying slope of the gradient is that the most seaward situated reaches of the estuarine system are more strongly influenced by channel dredging than the upstream reaches. The relative effects of both channel dredging and eutrophication become more manifest in the lower reaches of the estuary than in the upstream parts. Based on the correlations found, the expectation is that mean annual river discharges lower than ca. 35 m 3 s −1 will turn the entire estuarine system to full heterotrophy. Results from experiments studying stabilization and destabilization by organisms are helpful to conceptual development, but are not helpful to any decision maker because the spatial scale of these systems usually does not fit the needs of an environmental manager who usually has to consider entire systems. Considering the aspect of scales results in the conclusion that at the process level (primary production process) the time scale in the Ems estuary is mainly determined by the seasonal cycle and much less by factors like wind and tide. From the management perspective and considering seasonality, the longer term effects of both anthropogenic eutrophication and channel dredging can be best judged based on an annual time scale. Weather conditions and human activities both impact either large parts of the estuary (wind resuspension, eutrophication) or the entire area (dredging), something that is due to the long tidal travelling distance in comparison to the length of the estuary. This results in the necessity to consider large areas when judging the environmental impact of the above-mentioned parameters. The available information about the socio-economic subsystem and the natural subsystem can be integrated in instruments like management knowledge systems or decision support systems to help us to structure discussions in prioritizing between policy options.

Land use system evaluation: Concepts and methodology

Analysis of land use systems can be conveniently performed through partial analyses of the bio-physical and the socio-economic sub-systems, followed by their integration. The place of land use practices in both sub-systems is discussed and a format for the description of the bio-physical components of land use practices is proposed. This new operation sequence approach is a deviation from the widely used land utilization type (LUT) concept. Differences and advantages are discussed. The proposed format allows both a more realistic quantitative assessment of the performance of the bio-physical sub-system and a quantitative integration of the bio-physical and socio-economic sub-systems for the overall land use system evaluation.

The formulation of performance indicators in evaluating the implementation of automation in the construction industry

The focus of the paper is to present the processes in formulating a system of performance indicators to evaluate the implementation of the National Construction Industry Automation Plan in the Republic of China. We approach the formulation as a ‘construction automation transformation system’ which consists of three major components: (I) the inputs, such as funding, manpower and supports, (2) the sub-systems, and (3)the outputs. There are three sub-systems as defined: the processing sub-systems, the receiving sub-system and the socio-economic sub-system. Corresponding to each sub-system, a set of output performance indicators is developed. Program output performance indicators are proposed to measure the effectiveness of the processing sub-system. The industry effectiveness performance indicators and the national welfare indicators are recommended to measure the effectiveness of the receiving sub-systems and the socio-economic sub-system respectively.

Montreal's Italians and the Socio-Economy of Settlement, 1900-1930: SomeHistorical Hypotheses

Les schemes d'immigration italienne à Montréal, d'abord composés principalement de séjours passagers, favorisent désormais l'établissement permanent. Cette population a donc changé d'aspect, tant dans sa composition (répartition des sexes, nature des groupes d'âge, etc.) que dans son organisation (préférences domiciliaires, liens de parenté, d'alliance et de paese ou petite patrie). Cette transformation a suscité l'apparition d'une économie familiale caractériisée par le recours à des ressources extérieures au marché pour suppléer aux revenus d'emploi. Cet usage, qu'on n'a pas encore mesuré à cause de son ampleur, semble s'être répandu à tel point parmi les immigrants italiens qu'il constituerait un sous-système socio-économique parallèle au marché officiel. En outre, ce comportement économique accorde aux immigrants italiens plus de latitude dans l'emploi de leur temps et de leur espace et, partant, dans le recours à des valeurs culturelles propres qui constituent une ressource précieuse dans le choix de leurs modes d'adaptation. Une analyse plus précise des aspects socio-économiques de l'établissement permettra de mieux connaître la nature caractéristique de la cohésion ethnique des communautés montréalaises d'immigrants italiens au cours de cette période.

Development of higher education and employment in the Federal Republic of Germany

In the Federal Republic of Germany — as in many other industrialized countries higher education has, under the influence of social, economic and political forces, developed from a relatively small, selective and elite-oriented to a large system of mass education. The increasing number of students and university teachers, and the expansion of scientific and technological methods and knowledge has brought about claims for genuine organizational transformations and for massive financial resources. This development has created a number of severe problems in the relationship of the respective socio-economic and political sub-systems; in particular, the relationship between higher education and the labour market has to be considered as a vital but unresolved problem. This article gives a short account of the quantitative development of the German universities and the labour market in the last two decades. It also describes the organizational transformations which followed the federal framework law on higher education (Hochschulrahmengesetz) of January 1976, and deals with some aspects of research in relation to such problems.