Theoretical Building Blocks Research Articles

The building blocks of political risk research: a bibliometric co-citation analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarise the core literature on political risk and to suggest avenues for future research.Design/methodology/approachApplying bibliometric analysis as a starting point, this systematic review identifies the current core body of literature on political risk and uncovers the theoretical building blocks of the research field.FindingsA synthesis of the key literature reveals three broad analytical foci: the sources of political risk; the effects of political risk; and actors’ (countries, industries, firms and projects) vulnerabilities, capabilities and responses to political risk.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors propose a unifying conceptual framework for political risk research.Practical implicationsThe paper provides managers with a tool kit to analyse political risk. Moreover, it aids policy-makers in addressing political risk in a comprehensive manner.Originality/valueThe paper represents the first systematic review of the political risk literature in over 30 years. By offering an integrated theoretical framework, it paves the way for new insights into an increasingly topical field.

A theoretical framework for airport-centric developments: The cases of OR Tambo and Cape Town international airports in South Africa

With a wealth of valuable literature, airports are a topical subject matter on the nexus between transportation technology advancements and land use. While acknowledging the insights of literature, it is argued that improvements are required on the theoretical framework for analyzing spatial economic forces that drive airport-centric developments. The aim of this paper is therefore to contribute towards foundations for a theoretical framework that analyses the driving forces of the airport-centric developments of OR Tambo and Cape Town international airports in South Africa. Informed by the data gathered through 523 telephonic interviews, the paper culminates in a theoretical foundation, in which the cases studied are, among other characteristics, understood to be part of clusters that are of national and international significance. As theoretical building blocks, the paper is based upon the interconnections between the two sets of concepts: space, proximity, firm, scale and pattern; and agglomeration economies, linkages, clustering and propulsive economic qualities.

South Pole experiment finds no sterile neutrinos

However, the elusive neutrino flavor cannot be ruled out and remains an important theoretical building block.

City development strategy: theoretical background, themes, and building blocks

ABSTRACTCity development strategy (CDS) has transformed numerous cities in developing countries to cope with the unprecedented challenges of the twenty-first century. However, the CDS literature indicates that the needs, culture, and planning background of a city determine its CDS themes and methodologies. Drawing upon various CDS experiences, this paper provides an overview of the theory underpinning CDS, its themes, and building blocks to elucidate a more comprehensive understanding of CDS as it applies to real-world cities that have employed CDS and those who plan to do so in the future to confront their challenges and achieve their goals. This paper conducts a comprehensive systematic review, inclusive of journal articles and international CDS implementation literature as previously reported by international agencies and local governments. From this review, a number of recommendations have emerged for cities wishing to apply CDS. This paper makes a significant contribution to the CDS literature by clarifying the theoretical background, themes, and building blocks that are features of successful CDS implementation.

Information-Theoretic Security in Stochastic Control Systems

Infrastructural systems such as the electricity grid, healthcare, and transportation networks today rely increasingly on the joint functioning of networked information systems and physical components, in short, on cyber–physical architectures. Despite tremendous advances in cryptography, physical-layer security and authentication, information attacks, both passive such as eavesdropping, and active such as unauthorized data injection, continue to thwart the reliable functioning of networked systems. In systems with joint cyber–physical functionality, the ability of an adversary to monitor transmitted information or introduce false information can lead to sensitive user data being leaked or result in critical damages to the underlying physical system. This paper investigates two broad challenges in information security in cyber–physical systems (CPSs): preventing retrieval of internal physical system information through monitored external cyber flows, and limiting the modification of physical system functioning through compromised cyber flows. A rigorous analytical framework grounded on information-theoretic security is developed to study these challenges in a general stochastic control system abstraction—a theoretical building block for CPSs—with the objectives of quantifying the fundamental tradeoffs between information security and physical system performance, and through the process, designing provably secure controller policies. Recent results are presented that establish the theoretical basis for the framework, in addition to practical applications in timing analysis of anonymous systems, and demand response systems in a smart electricity grid.

Faith community as a centre of liberationist praxis in the city

Theologians speak of the silence of churches’ prophetic voice in the ‘new’ South Africa, whilst the country features amongst the socio-economically most unequal countries in the world, and the urban areas in particular continue to be characterised by segregation. In this context I ask: where is liberation theology? I spell out my reading of some of the recent voices in the liberationist discourse. In dialogue with these scholars I, firstly, argue for the faith community to be made a conscious centre of liberationist debates and praxis. Secondly, I do this by suggesting two theoretical building blocks (i.e. critical deconstruction and radical friendship) for local faith communities that wish to grow in a liberationist fashion.

True Collective Intelligence? A Sketch of a Possible New Field

Collective intelligence is much talked about but remains very underdeveloped as a field. There are small pockets in computer science and psychology and fragments in other fields, ranging from economics to biology. New networks and social media also provide a rich source of emerging evidence. However, there are surprisingly few useable theories, and many of the fashionable claims have not stood up to scrutiny. The field of analysis should be how intelligence is organised at large scale—in organisations, cities, nations and networks. The paper sets out some of the potential theoretical building blocks, suggests an experimental and research agenda, shows how it could be analysed within an organisation or business sector and points to the possible intellectual barriers to progress.

Simons Says: Strategic Variables, Levers of Control and Control Systems

There has been increased use of Simons’ levers of control framework in the last decade. However, despite its increasing use there is still confusion in the literature surrounding particular aspects of the framework such as the concept of interactive control systems. This purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of Simons’ framework as an analytical tool for interpretive studies. We examine the theoretical building blocks of Simons’ framework and add clarity to the relationships between strategic variables, levers of control and control systems. We develop three propositions dealing with (1) the need to differentiate strategic variables from levers of control, (2) the use of a single control system in managing multiple strategic variables, and (3) the role of management attention and energy channeled through the control system in enabling the use of the control system as a lever to manage more than one strategic variable. We discuss the implications of these propositions for researchers.

Copresence

Copresence, the idea that the presence of other actors shapes individual behavior, links macro- and micro-theorizing about social interaction. Traditionally, scholars have focused on the physical proximity of other people, assuming copresence to be a given, objective condition. However, recent empirical evidence on technologically mediated (e.g., e-mail), imaginary (e.g., prayer), and parasocial (e.g., watching a television show) interactions challenges classic copresence assumptions. In this article we reconceptualize copresence to provide theoretical building blocks (definitions, assumptions, and propositions) for a revitalized research program that allows for the explicit assessment of copresence as an endogenous, subjective variable dynamically related to social context. We treat copresence as the degree to which an actor perceives mutual entrainment (i.e., synchronization of attention, emotion, and behavior) with another actor. We demonstrate the ramifications of this reconceptualization for classic theorizing on micro-macro linkages and contemporary research questions, including methodological artifacts in laboratory research and disparities in patient-provider rapport.

On Groebner Bases and Their Use in Solving Some Practical Problems

Groebner basis are an important theoretical building block of modern (polynomial) ring theory. The origin of Groebner basis theory goes back to solving some theoretical problems concerning the ideals in polynomial rings, as well as solving polynomial systems of equations. In this article four practical applications of Groebner basis theory are considered; we use Groebner basis to solve the systems of nonlinear polynomial equations, to solve an integer programming problem, to solve the problem of chromatic number of a graph, and finally we consider an original example from the theory of systems of ordinary (polynomial) differential equations. For practical computations we use systems »MATHEMATICA« and »SINGULAR«.

Moral Complexity in Videogames: a Pragmatist Approach

The field of videogame ethics has already achieved a differentiated view on many ethical questions in regards to videogames, their players and the industry. However, most of these approaches have neglected the benefits of a less abstract, more pragmatic view on videogame ethics. Thus, in this paper, I will introduce the concept of moral complexity to formulate a device that allows a pragmatic identification, categorisation, discussion, and design of moral content in videogames. Moral complexity is defined as (or by) the degree to which a game offers alternatives and/or commentary to violence and deceit to players and is exclusively referring to how the issue of morality is implemented in past and contemporary game design. It is a reductionist approach, which treats morality as a game design element and shall help to understand the experience of morality in a closed player/ game circuit. To introduce and explain the notion of moral complexity, this paper will begin with a brief overview of fundamental developments and perspectives in the field of videogame ethics. Further, moral complexity is introduced based on a rendering of Kantian metaphysics into virtual space. Then, elements of Aristotle’s ethics, Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow and Habermas’ principles of communicative action are defined to articulate the phenomenological aspect of experiencing moral complexity ingame. Based on these theoretical building blocks, a comprehensive definition of moral complexity is presented. To illustrate this construct, cases of videogames (Grand Theft Auto V, Spec Ops: The Line and Detroit: Become Human) are introduced to exemplify different degrees and manifestations of moral complexity in contemporary game design. Moreover, a discussion on issues shall forward a differentiated picture of the concept. In the end, a conclusion presents prospects and chances for the notion of moral complexity.

Moderating factors of the Van Egmond Coaching Model (VECM)

Objectives:Identifying those (moderating) factors that are instrumental in the successful completion of a coaching trajectory that is based on the Van Egmond Coaching Model (VECM).Design:Qualitative.Methods:Data were collected by means of three questionnaires: a semi-structured questionnaire for the clients; a semi-structured questionnaire for the clients’ managers; and a regular evaluation form for the coach. The authors of this paper analysed the data manually, first independently from each other and then again, in a joint session.Results:The most important moderating factors of the VECM appeared to be the client’s readiness to change (will), the client-coach relationship, the manager’s role and the coach’s expertise.Conclusions:Most of the outcomes of this study were (structurally) congruous to those of earlier studies. Remarkably, ‘relationship’ and ‘will’ were valued higher in this study, and managers assumed their own roles in the success of coaching to be more significant than was perceived by clients. Follow-up studies, particularly into the role of managers, the precise nature and role of the will of clients, the assessment of the client-coach relationship in various contexts, the effects and role of the coach’s gender and the extent to which familiarity with the theoretical building blocks of the VECM has an influence on interpreting the coaching effects are recommended.

How Immigration May Affect U.S. Native Entrepreneurship: Theoretical Building Blocks and Preliminary Results

This paper describes the theoretical underpinnings and provides empirical evidence for a model that predicts a positive impact of immigration on entrepreneurial activity. Immigrants, we hypothesize, facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship by being willing and able to invest in new skills. At the heart of this theoretical prediction is the observation that human capital not immediately valued in the U.S. labor market is useful for learning new skills. Because immigrants face a lower opportunity cost of investing in new skills or methods, this transfer of source-specific skills to the U.S. may lead immigrants to be more flexible in their human capital investments than observationally equivalent natives. Areas with large numbers of immigrants (even if they are not self-employed) may prove to be areas in which entrepreneurship and innovation are easier to accomplish. Our theory offers a unique perspective on the contributions of immigrants to economic development beyond traditional perspectives that focus on low-cost immigrant labor or immigrant entrepreneurship.

Managing conflict escalation in forestry: logging versus local community interests in Baru Pelepat village, Sumatra, Indonesia

Two extremes of forest conflict exist: low- and high-intensity conflicts. Theoretical debate on how forest conflict escalates from one extreme to the other has begun to take place; however, empirical research is lacking. Our paper aims to explore the conflict escalation process using a case study approach. We explored whether two theoretical building blocks of conflict escalation (stages and patterns) can be evaluated at the field level. We conducted fieldwork in Baru Pelepat village, Sumatra, to investigate a conflict between a logging company and a local community. We performed interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders. The conflict revolved around an unclear boundary between a state forest, within which the logging company operated, and the communal forest, which led to local community opposition to logging activity. The conflict escalated over time as parties failed to find a solution. We describe escalation stages associated with the conflict and also the pattern of conflict escalation. The findings suggest that theoretical frameworks of conflict escalation are applicable at field level. A number of practical options for managing the conflict and the implications for wider forest management are discussed. While understanding the conflict escalation process does not necessarily guarantee effective settlement of a conflict, it nonetheless helps to strategically devise conflict management efforts.

The market's place in the provision of goods

Which goods should we be able to buy and sell on the market and, alternatively, which goods should remain sheltered from the market? For many goods in modern societies, this has proven to be a thorny question. Moreover, it is a question that cannot be answered by way of a theoretical shortcut, that is, by attributing certain general values (or disvalues) to the market and inferring from these general attributes that the market is (or isn’t) the best institution to govern the provision of a specific good. Therefore, in the first part of this work, three theoretical building blocks are proposed to frame the way we should handle the market question. First, a social theory is formulated which treats the market as one out of five main socio-economic modes of provision, the others being public provision, professional provision, informal provision and self-provision. Second, in choosing the best institutional framework for a specific good, it is argued that we should not restrict ourselves to the option of implementing one of these modes of provision only. Special attention should be paid to the option of ‘institutional pluralism’, i.e. instituting a market and a non-market alternative simultaneously for the same good. Both the attractions and the limits of such an institutional pluralism are discussed. Third, in making institutional choices about these modes of provision, we need a normative theory providing the moral criteria to guide our choices. Here a capability theory is proposed, which consists of three central principles, parallel to a distinction between three types of capabilities: those that are ‘immoral’, those that are ‘morally required’ and those that are merely ‘morally permissible’. The principles prescribe avoiding the realization of the immoral capabilities and promoting the realization of morally required and permissible capabilities. In the second part, this threefold framework is applied to three specific goods. These are security (protection against criminal threats), media (mass communication by media such as television, radio and the press) and care (caring activities provided on a structural basis to dependents such as care for children, chronically ill and elderly people). For each of these goods a capability analysis shows that the most appropriate institutional framework is institutional pluralism. In the case of security this is a pluralism of market and public provision, in the case of media a pluralism of market and professional provision and in the case of care a pluralism of market and informal provision. In the final chapter I investigate the conditions that have to be fulfilled for these institutionally pluralist arrangements to be stable, that is, to have a robust chance of survival. The main challenge to stability comes from the dynamic toward capital accumulation that is inherent in contemporary capitalism, and if left unchecked requires an ongoing conversion of non-market practices into markets. Two solutions are proposed to counter this threat: a general working time reduction which reduces capital accumulation and a strategy of publicly funded investment of accumulated capital in non-market parts of institutionally pluralist practices.

EVOLUTIONARY AND NEW GROWTH THEORIES. ARE THEY CONVERGING?

AbstractThis paper presents a critical review of evolutionary and new growth theories. The purpose is to discuss the often‐made claim that the two approaches, both inspired by Schumpeter's seminal work, are becoming more and more similar in terms of the sources and mechanisms of the growth process on which they focus. According to this argument, some kind oftheoretical convergencebetween the two paradigms is taking place. Differently from previous surveys of the field, this paper compares evolutionary and new growth theories by focusing on their major theoretical foundations. The discussion leads to the conclusion that the two approaches greatly differ with respect to all of their main theoretical building blocks, and that no convergence between the two paradigms is therefore taking place. This finding should be welcomed by both evolutionary and new growth scholars, because it is the process of interaction and the fruitful exchange of ideas between different approaches that lead to advances in growth theory, not their convergence to a common paradigm.

ANGULAR-MOMENTUM PROJECTION OF CRANKED SYMMETRY-UNRESTRICTED SLATER DETERMINANTS

We report on development of a new feature of the code HFODD, allowing for the angular-momentum projection of cranked symmetry-unrestricted Slater determinants. After a brief overview of the main theoretical building blocks and formalism, we present several preliminary applications. In particular, we discuss the case of a well-deformed rotational band in 156 Gd , and we show the emergence of uncompensated poles in the overlap kernels calculated in an odd-A nucleus 155 Eu .

Territorial Innovation Models: A Critical Survey

MOULAERT F. and SEKIA F. (2003) Territorial innovation models: a critical survey, Reg. Studies 37 , 289-302. This paper provides a critical review of the literature on territorial innovation models (industrial districts, milieux innovateurs , new industrial spaces, local production systems, etc.). The review is organized in two stages. First, the main features of each of these models and their view of innovation are compared. Second, their theoretical building blocks are reconstructed and evaluated from the point of view of conceptual clarity and analytical coherence. It is found that despite some semantic unity among the concepts used (economies of agglomeration, endogenous development, systems of innovation, evolution and learning, network organization and governance), territorial innovation models (TIMs) suffer from conceptual ambiguity. The latter is mainly a consequence of the way territorial innovation is theorized, i.e. in terms of technologically driven innovation and a business culture that is mainly instrumental to the capitalist market logic. This pressing ideological priority pushes the "conceptual flexibility' of TIMs across the border of coherent theory building. MOULAERT F. et SEKIA F. (2003) Des modèles de l'innovation territoriale: une étude critique, Reg. Studies 37 , 289-302. Cet article cherche à fournir une étude critique de la documenatation sur les modèles de l' innovation territoriale (p.e. districts industriels, milieux innovateurs, nouveaux espaces industriels, systèmes de production locaux). L'étude se fait à deux temps. Dans un premier temps, on compare les principaux caractéristiques de chacun de ces modèles et leur point de vue sur l'innovation. Dans un deuxième temps, on reconstruit et é value leurs éléments de base théoriques quant à leur précision conceptuelle et à leur cohérence analytique. Il s'avère que malgré une certaine unité sémantique pour ce qui est des notions employées (économies d' agglomération, développement autochtone, systèmes d' innovation, évolution et apprentissage, organisation de réseau et gouvernance), les modèles d'innovation territoriales (MIT) souffrent d'une ambiguité conceptuelle. Ceci remonte à la façon de théoriser l'innovation territoriale; c'est à dire, en termes de l'innovation déterminée par la technologie et par une culture d'entreprise qui répond dans une large mesure au credo du marché. La priorité idéologique urgente pousse la " flexibilité conceptuelle' des MIT au-delà de la frontière de la construction des théories cohérentes. MOULAERT F. und SEKIA F. (2003) Territoriale Innovationsmodelle: eine kritische Untersuchung, Reg. Studies 37 , 289-302. Der vorliegende Aufsatz liefert einen kritischen Ü berblick über die Literatur, die sich mit territorialen Innovationsmodellen befaßt (Industriegebiete, milieux innovateurs, neue Industrieräume, örtliche Produktionssysteme, usw.). Der Überblick besteht aus zwei Teilen: zuerst werden sowohl die Hauptzüge jedes dieser Modelle als auch ihre Ansichten über Innovation verglichen. Dem folgt eine Rekonstruktion ihrer theoretischen Bausteine und Bewertung vom Standpunkt konzeptualer Klarheit und analytischer Kohärenz. Es zeigt sich, daß trotz einer gewissen semantischen Einheitlichkeit der dabei benutzten Konzepte (Einsparungen durch Ballung, emdogene Entwicklung, Innovationssysteme, Evolution und Lernen, Netzwerkorganisation und -maßnahmen) territoriale Innovationsmodelle (TIMs) unter begrifflicher Vieldeutigkeit leiden. Letztere ergibt sich vorallem infolge der Art und Weise in der territoriale Innovation theorisiert wird, d.h. durch Begriffe technologisch betriebener Innovation und eine Unternehmenskultur, die sich vorallem an die Logik des kapitalistischen Marktes wendet. Dieser nachdrücklich ideologische Vorrang schiebt die "konzeptuelle Elastizität' der TIMs über die Grenze der Errichtung einer zusammenhängenden Theorie.

Spiritual Psychotherapy for Antisocial and Psychopathic Personalities: Some Theoretical Building Blocks

Until now a profound theoretical model for spiritual psychotherapy, which is constructed specifically for nonreligious antisocial and psychopathic patients who have spiritual and philosophical interests, is missing. In this paper some important theoretical issues with respect to spiritual psychotherapy for antisocial and psychopathic patients will be discussed such as the links between spirituality on one hand and authenticity, vanity; emotional, moral, and social capacity; reality testing; creativity; and faith in life on the other. Furthermore, the spiritual psychotherapist's attitude towards his or her patients will be explored.

AFTER SOCIALISM: MUTUALISM AND A PROGRESSIVE MARKET STRATEGY

I undertake three tasks in this exploratory essay. First, I examine some of the lessons of recent history concerning the relation between socialism, markets, and liberal democracy. Second, I lay out the basic theoretical building-blocks of an alternative to both socialism and laissez-faire that I call “mutualism.” Finally, I draw some conclusions for public policy and practice, in the form of what I call a “progressive market strategy.” A brief conclusion ponders the question, What's left of socialism?