Beyond Prosperity?

The coexistence and mutual influence of politics and the economy is an everyday reality in modern societies. A Christian perspective on this relationship speaks to the inseparability of ethics and economy, and also to the necessity of dialogue between theology and politics. Engagement in these issues is an important public role and responsibility for churches and Christian theology. The public role of religion in Europe in this current context includes highlighting the core values of Christianity. Of special import in this regard are justice and freedom, how they are exercised in life, and a focus on other values that have undergirded the European project since its beginning

Culture and economic crisis : cultural value in Italy from 2008 to the present day

This doctoral work is based on analysis of the discourse on cultural value in contemporary Italy, what are the 'grand narratives' that characterize this discourse and what is the relationship between them. In particular, great relevance is given to the concepts of “neoliberalism” and “commons”. The application of these two economical terms to the field of culture is particularly relevant in the Italian discourse: in 2011, Italy saw the rise of protest groups made of professionals from the arts sector who opposed practices influenced by the theories on the commons to the implementation of neoliberal-inspired policies. In fact, since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008, the discontent of the Italian population with the implementation of austerity policies and the lack of political and economic stability caused an uprising involvement in political activism. The cultural sector, in particular, was facing a lack of state funding; in addition, many young professionals had been struggling to find a paid job, especially in the theatre sector. The dissatisfaction of the emergent creative class led to a series of demonstrations and campaigns that asked for the recognition of the rights of arts workers. Many abandoned buildings, especially former theatres, were occupied and became spaces dedicated to artistic and political experimentation. Two of these organisations are discussed in the case studies: Teatro Valle Occupato, in Rome, and Rebeldía, in Pisa. The idea of cultural value promoted by these organisations is analysed in relation to the one reflected by Italian cultural policy after 2008. This thesis shows not only how cultural value is shaped by economic factors such as austerity, but also how it represents a battleground where different ways of understanding politics and policy clash, mingle and sometimes overlap. Furthermore, it shows that activist forms of arts management can develop their own pathways to innovation, filling a vacuum left by cultural policy

Communication of tacit knowledge in integrated urban water management: The structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions in China’s Sponge City programme

In China, water and environmental problems along with rapid urbanisation and climate change have prompted urgent efforts to improve the urban water infrastructure systems as well as sustainable urban development. The complexity of the urban environment and urban development demands the consideration of different facets of urban systems and their relationships. However, it is known that the inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral collaboration, communication, and learning are vital for sustainable urban water management, and yet are challenging to attain satisfactory results due to the tacit nature of the messages communicated, as well as the complexity of the network dynamics. With a mix-method approach, this study aims to improve understanding of the use and communication of tacit knowledge by the individual actors as well as by the network, and the multi-layered conditions that enable access and mobilisation of social resources which lead to the return of knowledge. The quantitative study (survey N_raw=536, N_valid = 387) investigated actors’ acquisition and use of different types of relevant knowledge. It revealed that the actors’ professional background influences the channels they use for learning. Furthermore, different professions should need resources and materials that target their specific need for learning, because results showed that the actors identified varying degrees of knowledge gaps for different types of knowledge. The findings from the qualitative study (38 semi-structured interviews) suggested that the access to social capital can be facilitated by sharing of space, where actors in close proximities can treat each other by focusing on commonalities and disregarding distinct individual identities. It can create a sense of cohesion among actors, which encourages the sharing of knowledge, though successful learning by individuals relies on the level of contact and redundancy as well. There is a lack of connectivity and meaningful interactions between some professions, and urban planners have the potential to bridge the connectivity between unconnected professions and help ensure that the flow of knowledge access is bi-directional between upstream and downstream of the project. Despite having access, social capital cannot be adequately mobilised unless some preconditions are met. First, the findings showed that trust is a crucial determinant of mobilisation of social capital, and the forms of trust, as well as the sense of meeting obligations, are influenced by collective assets such as the historical and cultural backgrounds of the society. One should be more aware of one’s habits and biases, and respect the social rules to find solutions in the social context. Second, the acquisition and use of tacit knowledges are hindered when there are difficulties with understanding perspectives, concepts and jargons, or when actors are unaware of the gap in knowledge. In response to this obstacle, training on delivering messages and engaging in dialogues with clarity should be incorporated in education, as well as training on increasing alertness to gaps of knowledge

Perceptions of knowledge sharing within hybrid learning environments: as iron sharpens iron among graduate students

Knowledge sharing is an important mechanism for strengthening student learning (Petrides & Nodine, 2003), which pertains to the activities or behaviors involving the spread of knowledge between individuals (Jalal, Toulson, & Tweed, 2010) and the willingness of those individuals to share their knowledge with each other (Gibbert & Krause, 2002). Scholars have previously studied knowledge sharing behaviors in corporate environments (Hendriks, 1999; Nelson & Cooprider, 1996; Wasko & Faraj, 2005); however, few studies have focused on hybrid learning environments in higher education. This qualitative research study explored the perceptions of knowledge sharing among graduate students within hybrid learning environments. Eleven doctoral and master’s degree students participated in this phenomenological investigation providing authentic descriptions of their lived experiences. The study results included eight themes that emerged from the key findings: (a) Knowledge is Shared Learning; (b) Preferred Conditions Best Facilitate Knowledge Sharing; (c) The Concept of Reciprocal Learning Motivates Knowledge Sharing; (d) Perceptions of Others Is a Barrier to Knowledge Sharing; (e) Knowledge Sharing Occurs Both Virtually and Face-to-Face; (f) Knowledge Sharing Allows for Learning from Others’ Experiences; (g) Knowledge Sharing Benefits Overall Student Learning Experiences; and (h) Hybrid Learning Environments Support Knowledge Sharing. The potential implications for policy and practice are discussed along with possible recommendations for future research

The social representation of economic crisis in different social groups

This research is part of a wider International study realized starting from 2009 in different European countries (France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy and Romania) among the activities of the “Mediterranean Center for the study of Social Representaions (CeMeRS)” of Naples. The aim of this study, placed in the Structural approach, is to investigate the social representations of the economic crisis among different social groups. The objectives of the research are: a) verify if there are differences between social representations constructed by different social groups; b) explore if and how the social representation of economic crisis has been transformed from 2009 to 2012; c) identify the differences between social representations of economic crisis (SRsEc) in different cultural contexts. It has been used a mixed method approach, useful to investigate both the SRsEc structure and content, in both a synchronic and diachronic perspective. In particular the Hierarchized Evocation method, integrated with a questionnaire of characterization (in 2012), was made to reach the structure, while a semi-structured interview (in 2009) and a structured interview (in 2012) was realized to explore the content. Data were collected in two periods, 2009 and 2012, on the same group of subjects, interviewed at the same time in each country. The participants were 120 subjects for each country involved (30 for each group, balanced on gender), equally distributed in four social categories: university students (second/third year; Faculty of Economics); bank clerks of medium level; shopkeepers; laypeople. Obtained data were treated with the Analysis of Hierarchized Evocations and Similitude Analysis (Evoc/Simi2005); categorial-frequencial content analysis (Atlas.ti); mono and multivariate analysis (SPSS). Results showed that, unless a diffuse salience of Job loss and Uncertainty, fear of future, the different Italian groups of participants had a different social representation of crisis, especially in the case of shopkeepers. This difference was traced also between the three “expert” categories and laypeople as regards the evolutive phase of their representation. A difference was found also between Italian and Greek social representations of crisis, with reference to the meaning of the salient elements and their organization

The social representation of economic crisis in different social groups

This research is part of a wider International study realized starting from 2009 in different European countries (France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy and Romania) among the activities of the “Mediterranean Center for the study of Social Representaions (CeMeRS)” of Naples. The aim of this study, placed in the Structural approach, is to investigate the social representations of the economic crisis among different social groups. The objectives of the research are: a) verify if there are differences between social representations constructed by different social groups; b) explore if and how the social representation of economic crisis has been transformed from 2009 to 2012; c) identify the differences between social representations of economic crisis (SRsEc) in different cultural contexts. It has been used a mixed method approach, useful to investigate both the SRsEc structure and content, in both a synchronic and diachronic perspective. In particular the Hierarchized Evocation method, integrated with a questionnaire of characterization (in 2012), was made to reach the structure, while a semi-structured interview (in 2009) and a structured interview (in 2012) was realized to explore the content. Data were collected in two periods, 2009 and 2012, on the same group of subjects, interviewed at the same time in each country. The participants were 120 subjects for each country involved (30 for each group, balanced on gender), equally distributed in four social categories: university students (second/third year; Faculty of Economics); bank clerks of medium level; shopkeepers; laypeople. Obtained data were treated with the Analysis of Hierarchized Evocations and Similitude Analysis (Evoc/Simi2005); categorial-frequencial content analysis (Atlas.ti); mono and multivariate analysis (SPSS). Results showed that, unless a diffuse salience of Job loss and Uncertainty, fear of future, the different Italian groups of participants had a different social representation of crisis, especially in the case of shopkeepers. This difference was traced also between the three “expert” categories and laypeople as regards the evolutive phase of their representation. A difference was found also between Italian and Greek social representations of crisis, with reference to the meaning of the salient elements and their organization

Citizenship learning and management in the participatory budget of brazilian municipalities

L'interès actual per temes relacionats amb l'aprenentatge i el desenvolupament ciutadà no és accidental. El baix nivell d'"implicació" dels ciutadans fa tremolar les bases del sistema democràtic, i això és objecte de preocupació en diversos camps del coneixement. L'aprenentatge a través de la participació ciutadana està relacionat amb les ciències de l'Administració en diferents aspectes. L'aspecte de gestió es pot identificar en l'administració del propi govern; l'aspecte de l'aprenentatge organitzacional es troba en els estudis sobre les característiques dels contextos que creen un clima d'aprenentatge, cosa que promou el desenvolupament. La comprensió d'aquests aspectes a través de l'epistemologia proposada, la teoria crítica, aporta nous coneixements a la ciència administrativa. La teoria crítica assumeix l'interès de l'emancipació de la ciència, és a dir, l'acció humana i social hauria de ser orientada per la bondat, la humanitat i la racionalitat. En coherència amb aquesta orientació i amb el nivell individual d'anàlisi, la tesi considera dos marcs teòrics: les psicologies humanista i existencialista. En conseqüència, la recerca fenomenològica és el mètode de recerca. Aquest mètode permet respondre a les preguntes de recerca: "si" s'aprèn, "què" s'aprèn, "quines" eines de gestió s'utilitzen, "com" s'utilitzen i "per què" el que s'aprèn s'aprèn. Aquesta particular comprensió epistemològica i el mètode que en resulta suggereixen utilitzar eines metodològiques convergents o de bricolatge. Les eines metodològiques que suporten el bricolatge són: observacions, entrevistes i focus groups com a font de dades primàries, i la revisió de la documentació com a dades secundàries. S'analitza que els pressupòsits participatius són subaccions de l'acció democràtica formats per intencions, plans i actes representats per diverses pràctiques de recursos humans. A més, s'entén que les característiques participatives del diàleg entre iguals, del respecte envers opinions divergents, de presa de decisions per consens en les reunions de grup successives, entre d'altres, fomenten l'autoreflexió sobre les lleis del funcionament social i individual, la qual canvia l'estat de no-reflexió de la consciència cap a un nou estat i, d'aquesta manera, s'esdevé l'aprenentatge ciutadà.El presente interés por temas relacionados con aprendizaje y desarrollo ciudadano no es accidental. El bajo "involucrarse" por parte de los ciudadanos hace temblar las bases del sistema democrático lo que conlleva a una preocupación en distintos campos del conocimiento. Aprendizaje a través de la participación ciudadana está relacionado con las Ciencias de la Administración en diferentes aspectos. El aspecto de gestión puede ser identificado en la administración del propio gobierno, el aspecto de aprendizaje organizacional se encuentra en los estudios sobre las características de los contextos que crean un clima de aprendizaje lo cual promueve desarrollo. La comprensión de estos aspectos a través de la epistemología propuesta, la teoría crítica, añade nuevo conocimiento a la Ciencia Administrativa. La teoría crítica asume el interés de emancipación de la ciencia, es decir, la acción humana y social debería de estar orientada por la bondad, la humanidad y la racionalidad. En coherencia con esa orientación y con el nivel individual de análisis, la tesis considera dos marcos teóricos: las psicologías humanista y existencialista. En consecuencia, la investigación fenomenológica es el método de investigación. El método posibilita la contestación de las preguntas de investigación: "si" se aprende, "qué" se aprende, "cuáles" herramientas de gestión son utilizadas, "cómo" son utilizadas, y "porqué" lo que se aprende se aprende. Esa particular comprensión epistemológica y resultante método sugiere el uso de herramientas metodológicas convergentes o bricolage. Las herramientas metodológicas que soportan el bricolage son: observaciones, entrevistas y grupos focales como fuente de datos primarios; y, revisión de documentación como datos secundarios. Se analiza que los presupuestos participativos son sub-acciones de la acción democrática compuestos por intenciones, planes y actos representados por distintas prácticas de recursos humanos. Además se entiende que las características participativas del diálogo entre iguales, del respeto hacia opiniones divergentes, de la toma de decisión por consenso en las sucesivas reuniones grupales, entre otras, fomentan la auto-reflexión sobre las leyes del funcionamiento social e individual la cual cambia el estado de no-reflexión de la conciencia hacia un nuevo estado, ocurriendo, de esa manera, el aprendizaje ciudadano.The thesis is concerned with the declining tendency of citizenship participation which threatens the democratic system. For that reason it studies successful participatory situations in which citizens learn and develop citizenship. Citizenship learning and development, as a phenomenon, are analysed from a Critical view of science and derivate existential and humanistic framework to learning and organizational. A democratic, participatory and deliberative situation that reflects the emancipatory interest of a good, humane and rational social action is the participatory budget of Brazilian municipalities. Learning, Organizational Learning and Human Resources Management are disciplines elected to set the theoretical framework to analyse the problem. From this epistemological view, research setting and scope, a methodological bricolage is built. The methodology follows the procedures of the phenomenological research which is supported by the triangulation of the methodological tools of in-depth interviews, focus groups, observations and documentation reviews. As a result the research presents findings that describe, comprehend and interpret the phenomenon of citizenship learning. Human resources management, as an emergent practice, is a key issue in this democratic action. The participatory budget, as a democratic action, is divided into sub-actions composed by intentions, plans and acts each one of them represented by specific human resources practices. Such procedure of deconstruction of actions into their constitutive parts brings better comprehension of their functioning. To understand the characteristics of the participatory context is also key because they foster self-reflection about the social and individual legalities which change the state of a non-reflected conscious, thus, citizenship learning occurs. The focus proposed and the evidences analysed and interpreted provides a definition for existential-humanistic citizenship learning which hopefully can bring some light to the declining tendencies in participation. Citizenship learning, thus, is a never-ending process in which individuals decide freely and responsibly to actualize their potential as citizens. Moreover, the process is existential and humanistic if it has humanity in general as its goal, if it is as aware as possible of the dialectics between humans' subjectivity and objectivity and if it gives rise to a system of values which takes into account this goal and these dialectics

European Union: identity, diversity and integration

This publication also contains the papers of the PhD Candidates, National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Bucharest, Romania, beneficiaries of the “Doctoral Scholarships for a Sustainable Society”, project co-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund, Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007-2013. Contents: Mircea BRIE, István POLGÁR, Florentina CHIRODEA: Cultural Identity, Diversity and European Integration. Introductory Study. I. Identity and elements of anthropology in the European space - Roxana Maria DASCĂLU: Insights Into the Concept of European Identity; Horia MOAŞA: Voice and Silence in Relation to Identity; Andreea MOLOCEA: To See Things in Another Perspective: Feminist Influence in Epistemology, a New Way of Regarding Social and Political Science; Ileana SĂDEAN: Anthropological Representations of the Foreign Rural Development Model "Leader" in Romania. II. Education and communication - Ioana CIUCANU: Making Diversity Work in European Higher Education the Interplay Between Performance and Diversification; Mirela VLASCEANU: Impact of Quality-Based Funding in Romanian Higher Education: 1999-2010; Andra-Maria ROESCU: Studying Causal Inference in Political Science. The Case of Experiments; Paul PARASCHIVEI: Political Communication in Romania from a New Perspective: the Online Voter; Andreea Elena CÂRSTEA: Mass Media and the Reconfiguration of the Public Sphere. III. European Union zone: the institutional dimension - Bogdan BERCEANU: The Dimension of Emerging Institutions in the European Union Member States; Adina MARINCEA: Who are the Olympians? A Cross-Country Analysis of People’s Trust in the EU; Monica OPROIU: Case-Study in Third-Party Intervention: the EU Mediation in the Russia-Georgia War of August 2008; Vasile ROTARU: The Neo-Finlandization – a Theoretical Review. IV. European policies and management models - Vicenţia Georgiana DUŢESCU: Policy Cohesion of the European Union a Perspective on the Management Authority for the Sectoral Operational Programme on Transport 2007-2013; Maria-Magdalena RICHEA: Models of Human Resources Management in Nonprofit Sector Organizations; Anca-Adriana CUCU: Performance Management of Health Care System in Romania: Realities and Perspectives; Cristinela-Ionela VELICU: Cross-Border Mobility of Health Professionals: an Exploratory Study of Migration Flows and Retention Policies in the CEE Region. V. European zone: social demographic perspective - Dragos Lucian IVAN: As the Population Clock Winds Down or Speeds Up? Demographic Stories: Apocalyptic, Opportunistic and Realistic; Andra Maria POPA: The Constitutionalization of the European Economic and Social Model; Cristina SANDU: New Paths of Social Services Through Social Entrepreneurship; Mihaela TUCĂ: Corporate Social Responsibility as a Supporting Framework for Country Competitiviness

Knowledge as an effective tool to improve Economics Performance in Micro and Small Enterprise

L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és entendre i explicar l'efecte de la creació, l'ús i l'administració del coneixement com a factor del rendiment econòmic de la petita i la microempresa, utilitzant una aproximació qualitativa, basada en l'ús de narratives. Per assolir-lo, s'ha seguit un esquema de dues fases. La primera desenvolupa un model per entendre'n les variables principals i com s'apliquen a l'anàlisi del fenomen objecte d'estudi, mentre que la segona proposa investigar la naturalesa d'aquest coneixement, és a dir, identificar el tipus de coneixement que fan servir els petits emprenedors, com el fan servir efectivament i com es relaciona amb els factors que s'han definit a la primera fase de l'estudi.El disseny d'aquesta recerca es basa en el marc conceptual proposat per John W. Creswell (2003 i J. Creswell, 2005) i la metodologia de treball en l'ús de narratives a la investigació de ciències socials que proposa Barbara Czarniawska (B. Czarniawska, 2004). En l'àmbit del coneixement, he partit dels estudis sobre creixement endogen de Paul Romer (P. Romer, 1989), que argumenta que el coneixement és un factor important en el rendiment econòmic de les empreses i els països, que he complementat amb l'enfocament particular del pragmatisme americà (J. Dewey, 1910), les definicions de simplicitat en la transferència de coneixement (J. Dewey, 1916), el concepte d'intermediaris del coneixement (A. Hargadon i R. Sutton, 2000) i les definicions de Cook i Brown per a les classificacions d'ús i possessió del coneixement (S. Cook i J. S. Brown, 1999).Aquesta tesi ha descobert que els elements principals relacionats amb el rendiment econòmic de la petita i la microempresa es basen en l'ús del coneixement que posseeix l'emprenedor, el coneixement que és creat per l'entorn de la petita empresa i la relació dels emprenedors amb aquest entorn, i finalment amb el rol que fan els intermediaris entre l'emprenedor i el seu entorn.D'altra banda, contribueix amb un patró per entendre la relació entre els petits i els microemprenedors amb el seu entorn, i com crear, usar, compartir i administrar el coneixement ajuda a millorar el rendiment dels seus negocis.Entender y Explicar el efecto de la creación, el uso y la administración del conocimiento como factor del rendimiento económico de la pequeña y micro empresa, utilizando una aproximación cualitativa basada en el uso de narrativas, es el propósito de esta disertación. Para lo cual se ha utilizado un esquema de dos fases, en la primera fase se desarrolla un modelo para entender las principales variables y su aplicación en el análisis del fenómeno en estudio y la segunda fase, propone investigar la naturaleza de este conocimiento, esto es identificar el tipo de conocimiento usado por los pequeños emprendedores, como este es efectivamente usado y como se relaciona con los factores definidos en la primera fase del estudio.El diseño de esta investigación se base en el marco conceptual propuesto por John W. Creswell (2003 & J. Creswell, 2005) y la metodología de trabajo en el uso de narrativas en la investigación de ciencias sociales propuesta por Barbara Czarniawska (B. Czarniawska, 2004). En el campo del conocimiento, he partido de los estudios basados en el crecimiento endógeno propuesto por Paul Romer (P. Romer, 1989), quien argumenta que el conocimiento es un factor importante en el rendimiento económico de empresas y naciones, esto es suplementado con el enfoque particular del pragmatismo americano (J. Dewey, 1910), las definiciones de simplicidad en la transferencia de conocimiento (J. Dewey, 1916), el concepto de intermediarios del conocimiento (Hargadon A. & Sutton R., 2000) y las definiciones de Cook y Brown para las clasificaciones de uso y posesión del conocimiento (Cook S. & Brown J.S., 1999).Esta disertación ha encontrado que los elementos principales relacionados con el rendimiento económico de la pequeña y micro empresa, están basados en el uso del conocimiento que está en posesión del emprendedor, por el conocimiento que es creado por el entorno de la pequeña empresa y por la relación del los emprendedores con este entorno, y finalmente con el rol que juegan los intermediarios entre el emprendedor y su entorno.Por otro lado, este contribuye con un patrón para entender la relación entre los pequeños y micro emprendedores con su entorno, como el crear, usar, compartir y administrar el conocimiento contribuye con el rendimiento de sus negocios.To Understand and Explain about the effect of creation, use and management of knowledge as a factor of economic performance in the micro and small business, utilizing a qualitative approximation based on the use of narratives, is the purpose of this dissertation. For which a scheme in two phases have been utilized; the first that develops a model to understand the most prominent variables and their application in the analysis of the phenomenon being studied and the second one, proposes to investigate the nature of this knowledge, that is to say to identify the type of knowledge that is used by the small entrepreneurs, how this is effectively used and how is it related to the determined factors in the first phase of the study.The design of this research is based on the conceptual framework proposed by John W. Creswell (2003 & J Creswell 2005) and methodology in the work on the use of Narratives in the Social Science Research by Barbara Czarniawska (Czarniawska B 2004). In the field of knowledge I started from the basis of studies based on endogenous growth proposed by Paul Romer (P Romer, 1989), who argue that knowledge is an important factor in the economic performance of firms and nations, this is supplemented with particular focus of American pragmatism John Dewey (J Dewey 1910), the definitions of simplicity in the transmission of knowledge (J Dewey 1916), the concept of knowledge brokers or intermediaries (Hargadon A & Sutton R 2000) and the definitions of Cook and Brown to the classifications of use and possession of knowledge ( Cook S & Brown JS 1999).This dissertation has found that the main elements related to the economic performance of the small and micro enterprises, in relation with knowledge, are based on the use of knowledge in possession of the entrepreneur, to the knowledge created by the environment of the small business and the relation of the entrepreneur with this environment, and finally to the role of the broker knowledge between the entrepreneur and his environment.On the other hand, it contribute with a pattern to understand the relation between the micro and small enterprising with their environment, as the creation works, use, share and manage the knowledge which contributes to the economic performance of the micro and small business