Measuring Ethnic Stratification and its Effect on Trust in Africa

We conjecture that mistrust and social con ict in a society may depend on ethnic stratification, i.e., the extent to which the hierarchy in socio-economic positions across individuals follows ethnolinguistic lines. We define and axiomatically characterize an index of ethnic stratification that generalizes the idea of between-group inequality to situations where data on economic and ethnolinguistic distances between pairs of individuals is available. We use Afrobarometer survey data to measure ethnic stratification at the level of towns and villages in 26 ethnically diverse African countries. We find that ethnic stratification is negatively related to trust in relatives, neighbors and other acquaintances, and positively related to nearby conflicts. These findings shed new light on the debate about the merits of conflict and contact theory

INNOVATION AND SMART DESTINATIONS: CRITICAL INSIGHTS

Smart destinations have become an esteemed concept among researchers and policy makers. Discus-sion of the concept is optimistic in tone and commonly linked to information rather than knowledge and more to design than innovation. This partly explains the relatively limited critical discussion of the (potential) benefits of smart destinations. The article raises selected issues from the innovation, as opposed to the design literature, to offer insightful perspectives on analyzing smart destination. The discussion emphasises that: 1) smart destinations are driven by uncertainty; 2) knowledge pro-vides deeper insights than information into smart destinations as innovation; 3) entrepreneurs play an important role in facilitating smart destinations; and 4) smart destinations constitute innovation sys-tems

Transient and persistent energy efficiency in the wastewater sector based on economic foundations

Given the increasing importance of the wastewater sector in terms of energy usage, the understanding of the level of energy efficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is useful to both the industry itself as well as policy makers. Here, based on economic foundations, we apply a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) approach for energy demand modelling to estimate energy efficiency in the wastewater sector. Using specific SFA models and panel data from 183 Swiss WWTPs over the period 2001 to 2015, the paper illustrates that distinguishing between persistent and transient inefficiency is essential to deduce appropriate energy efficiency diagnosis in WWTPs. In this respect, persistent energy inefficiency is found to be more severe than transient energy inefficiency. Furthermore, it is shown that the age of the equipment influences the demand for energy and the energy savings due to technological innovation are quantified. Finally, economies of output density and scale are estimated demonstrating that for plants operating below optimal scale significant energy savings can be achieved if plants would be operated at higher size. Instead, our analysis reveals also that for plants larger than 100000 Population Equivalent, at least from an energy efficiency point of view, it would be no more beneficial to increase their scale

The ‘Zambia Model’: A blueprint for formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining in sub-Saharan Africa?

This paper outlines a framework for facilitating the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech, labour-intensive mineral processing and extraction – in sub-Saharan Africa. It identifies taxation as a potential driver for formalization across the region because the financial gains would appeal to host governments on the one hand, and, on the other hand, it would energize ASM operators, most of whom are desperate to work in a more structured and regulated environment. Experiences from Zambia, where attempts have been made in recent years to control and regulate pockets of surging gold rush activity, are drawn upon to debate the case for making taxation more of a centrepiece of ASM formalization programs in sub-Saharan Africa

Guanxi influences on women intrapreneurship

Drawing on the literature examining women intrapreneurship, Chinese guanxi and tourism, this article critically explores a theoretical framework for understanding guanxi influences on women intrapreneurship in a non-western and highly patriarchal destination. Through a qualitative analysis of women managers from twenty-four medium and large tourism firms in China, the study provides evidence of Guanxi as socially embedded personal relationships for the exchange of favors, enabling women managers to initiate specific types of women intrapreneurship initiatives in their organizations. The findings reveal how the women managers draw on three forms of guanxi (external, within and back-stage) to display intrapreneurial actions as well as the firm-specific factors that constitute important determinants of women intrapreneurship. The managerial implications for encouraging and supporting women intrapreneurs are critically examined

Adoption timing of OHSAS 18001 and firm performance: An institutional theory perspective

Previous studies have shed light on the effects of the adoption of OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) 18,001 certification on performance. One important factor that has been neglected so far is the adoption timing. The question of whether early OHSAS 18001 adopters achieve better financial performance and operational performance than do late adopters (or vice versa) remains unanswered. We develop hypotheses and then analyze the secondary longitudinal data of listed Chinese manufacturing firms by employing a rigorous event study approach and performing regressions. The results indicate that early adopters enjoy significantly greater performance gains than do late adopters and this can be explained by institutional theory. We find that early adopters of OHSAS 18001 certification motivated by normative pressure realize additional financial performance from the second year to the fourth year after adoption, and the early adopter advantages of improved labor productivity can at least last in the medium term, but late adopters motivated by coercive and mimetic pressure only benefit in the preparation year. Moreover, early adoption is more favorable to firms with high labor intensity and low internationalization level. Thus, this study extends research in understanding the effects of OHSAS 18001 on firm performance and suggest new insights to the implementation of occupational health and safety practices

Detecting critical defects : towards standards for conducting NDE on cast iron trunk mains.

Every day, water networks across the developed world are relied on by billions of people to provide them with a fresh supply of water. Many of these networks are comprised of pipes made from grey cast iron and may have been in service for up to 150 years. Despite their age, some parts of these networks continue to operate with little degradation, whereas in other areas they degrade rapidly: more recently laid pipes are being outlived by their forerunners. In such networks, it is the trunk mains (pipes between 12-60” [300 mm to 1500 mm] in diameter) that are of great concern, since they pose the greatest risk of failure and are already bursting more frequently. Accurate NDE is required to enable the mains in poor health with the highest risk of failure to be identified and replaced before they burst. A review of the published literature has shown that whilst there are many NDE techniques to choose from, many are not practical for application to the mains. The review process also highlighted the kinds of defects present in grey cast iron and an initial stress analysis using strength models and material data published in the literature has suggested defect sizes approaching 5 mm must be able to be detected to prevent catastrophic pipe failure. Ultrasonic inspection has been investigated and shown to work effectively on uncorroded cast iron. Speed of sound values between 4100 – 4600 m s-1 have been observed across several pipes. A speed of sound of 2950 ± 80 m s-1 has been measured for graphitic corrosion, however, inspection on corroded main has not been possible. A complementary magnetic technique, with the potential to scan pipe rapidly in order to identify mains in need of further investigation, as well as providing supplementary condition data, has been trialled and shown to detect corrosion layers up to 6 mm thick. A methodology using a 3D scanner to accurately determine the “ground truth” pipe condition has been developed. This methodology proved to be successful and provided corrosion measurements that were in-keeping with those obtained through standard pit depth measurements. Further, the data showed that traditional pit depth measurements do not always find the deepest external corrosion pits, particularly where the surrounding geometry is complicated. This methodology was used in a live comparison exercise of two, commercially available techniques. This comparison highlighted problems with the surface preparation required by some techniques, which can be quite damaging, and with some proprietary post-processing algorithms – the raw data can be more useful. From this assessment process, it has been possible to specify very detailed schedule for the testing of new NDE techniques in the future

Who really cares? Introducing an ‘Ethics of Care’ to debates on transformative value co-creation

This paper introduces an “ethics of care” lens to the literature on Transformative Services Research (TSR) to understand how service users and providers co-create transformational value and well-being. In considering six food poverty organizations—categorized as market-oriented, faith-oriented, or neighborhood-oriented—the authors argue that the intention behind enacting an ethics of care drives different possibilities for transformative value. The analysis is organized in line with Tronto’s (1993; 2001) phases of caring, and makes connections between values that drive the organization’s work, emerging subjectivities, practices that unfold as a result, and ultimately the value that is co-created. The findings show that caring relations must be considered “in situ,” as an organization’s values and practices are what determine the potential for transformative value

Autonomous driving and stability control of over-actuated vehicles at the limits of handling.

In the last decades autonomous vehicles have been at the centre of the research in both the academic and the industrial fields, but not without difficulties. In particular, the problem of path planning and tracking at the limit of the handling capabilities of a vehicle poses many challenges from a control perspective, and it is yet to be understood whether the integration with stability controllers can improve the cornering performance of autonomous vehicles as much as it does for human drivers. This thesis aims to provide insights on these topics. The first part of the work is dedicated to the planning and tracking layers of an autonomous vehicle driving on racetracks. The analysis covers the offline optimisation of the trajectory and the description of a re-planning algorithm for the avoidance of obstacles. A comparison among several path tracking controllers is then provided, to understand whether the gain in performance obtained from advanced controllers justifies the design complexity. In the second part, the thesis highlights the benefits of yaw rate control on the behaviour of over-actuated vehicles. An algorithm for yaw rate control is introduced and implemented in a torque vectoring controller, and the proof of asymptotic stability of the system is provided. Several application examples are presented, with simulation and experimental results that demonstrate the potential and versatility of yaw rate control. Finally, the integration of torque vectoring and path tracking control in an autonomous racing vehicle is presented and assessed with a simulation study along obstacle avoidance tests. The results of the thesis show that: i) including road preview information in path tracking controllers improves the control action, resulting in better vehicle behaviour, and ii) torque vectoring control always improves the vehicle performance, and it also enhances the system robustness to variations in the tyre-road friction coefficient

For the Environment: An Assessment of Recent Military Intervention in Informal Gold Mining Communities in Ghana

This article reflects critically on the impacts of the recent ban on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech, labour-intensive mineral extraction and processing – in Ghana. Government officials claimed that a ban was necessary because the country’s ASM activities, most of which are found in the informal economy, pose a serious threat to local waterbodies and that security forces were needed for its enforcement. It is argued here, however, that projecting the ban and associated military intervention as actions taken specifically to protect the environment has helped the government escape scrutiny over its choice of strategy to combat illegal mining. Perhaps more importantly, it has masked what may be the real reasons behind these moves: 1) to help the government regain control of the purchasing side of an ASM sector that is now heavily populated and influenced by foreigners; and 2) to put it in an improved position to demarcate parcels of land to the multinational mineral exploration and mining companies that supply it with significant quantities of revenue in the form of taxes, royalties and permit fees