Transitions to Ecological Agriculture in Nanjing, China: Farm Types, Social-Political Networks, and Rural Communities

China’s rural and agricultural sector has been undergoing a dramatic transformation in the form of three major trends. First, the modernization and capitalization of agriculture has significantly modified traditional agriculture and exacerbated path-dependency towards an agro-industrial paradigm. Second, the Chinese government at various levels has been promoting an ‘ecological civilization’ that highlights science and technology to address environmental problems. Third, changes that have emerged in the agri-food sector vary from state certification scheme of organic agriculture to grassroots initiated alternative food networks. By delineating the structural changes, previous studies argue that these changes open up possibilities for innovative and sustainable food practices to challenge the mainstream agro-industrial paradigm, and that China stands a chance of witnessing a new post-productivist era in the agri-food sector. Yet, it is unclear how a transition to sustainable agriculture could be formed at the farm-level under the three trends and how the transition is interpreted and implemented by various farmers. This dissertation investigates the ecological agriculture sector in Nanjing, China. It sheds light on the various stakeholders who are the major proponents and leading forces of ecological agriculture, and their practices as shaped by the three interwoven trends. It answers the questions of what ecological agriculture is from the perspectives of Chinese farmers, and what barriers are facing this sector. The notion of ecological agriculture covers a wide range of farming practices, including organic agriculture, natural farming, biodynamic farming, and other chemical-free farming styles. The first manuscript (Chapter 3) explores ecological agriculture at the farm level. It creates a typology of ecological farms and farmers in Nanjing. This analysis contributes to a conceptualization of ecological agriculture as a range of dynamic practices, evidenced in the evolving farming and management practices. It argues that understanding farmers’ varied attributes is of central importance to elucidate the complexities of ecological agriculture. The second manuscript (Chapter 4) explores the institutional and socio-cultural reasons for the emergence of the ecological agriculture sector in Nanjing. It reveals the vertical relations between farmers and governmental and institutional actors, and the horizontal relations between various farmers. It documents the shifting focus on support for ecological agriculture from local governments and public institutes, and unveils the challenges for different farmers to develop ecological agriculture in the current political and socio-cultural settings. The first two papers suggest a significant urban-rural inequity in opportunities to participate in ecological agriculture, and point out the lack of perspectives from small-scale farmers who join (as labourers), rather than initiate (as farm operators), ecological agriculture. Therefore, the third paper (Chapter 5) compares the transitions to ecological agriculture, through a case study in two villages. It highlights how these transitions are accompanied by varied spatial, economic, and social changes that significantly alter rural social patterns. The findings suggest that although both villages have seen land consolidation and income improvement, farmers’ autonomy and relations to land are different. This research thus calls for recognition of the socio-economic values of ecological agriculture in addition to environmental improvement. In addition, this chapter also shows that the current conceptualization of rural restructuring in China overemphasizes the roles of the agro-industrial regime. More work should be added to the rural restructuring concept to uncover the implication of ecological agriculture. The three papers explore pathways for developing ecological agriculture from different perspectives, i.e., the farm level, the network and relational level, and the village community level. The thesis as a whole argues that ecological agriculture should not be considered as merely governmental schemes to improve environments or initiatives by grassroots actors who seek for food system transitions. Instead, ecological agriculture represents the dynamic outcomes of how different stakeholders are driven by opportunities and confined by barriers. Enabling forces in the development of this sector are associated partly with the governments’ ecological civilization framework that directly changed policy settings by attaching great importance to environmental protection, and partly with growing awareness in the production side that recognize the multiple benefits of ecological agriculture. However, this dissertation also identifies challenges for moving ecological agriculture towards a stronger version of sustainability. The tensions and disconnections between new farmers and rural established farmers should be noted as a structural barrier for ecological agriculture to reach a broader population of producers and consumers. Furthermore, the current business model of promoting ecological transition in the countryside suggests further commercialization of rural land and labour resources. Therefore, the associated processes of altering rural spatial and socio-economic patterns have reinforced the agro-industrial regime and have made it harder for agroecological initiatives to grow. As a result, this thesis from a sociological and human geographical stance illuminates the structural challenges of advancing ecological agriculture in the Chinese context. It calls for critical theorizations of individual-level experiences into studies of ecological agriculture and asserts and applauds key contributions made towards sustainability

The Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (DGO2022) Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens June 15-17, 2022

The 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research theme is “Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens”. Data and computational algorithms make systems smarter, but should result in smarter government and citizens. Intelligence and smartness affect all kinds of public values - such as fairness, inclusion, equity, transparency, privacy, security, trust, etc., and is not well-understood. These technologies provide immense opportunities and should be used in the light of public values. Society and technology co-evolve and we are looking for new ways to balance between them. Specifically, the conference aims to advance research and practice in this field. The keynotes, presentations, posters and workshops show that the conference theme is very well-chosen and more actual than ever. The challenges posed by new technology have underscored the need to grasp the potential. Digital government brings into focus the realization of public values to improve our society at all levels of government. The conference again shows the importance of the digital government society, which brings together scholars in this field. Dg.o 2022 is fully online and enables to connect to scholars and practitioners around the globe and facilitate global conversations and exchanges via the use of digital technologies. This conference is primarily a live conference for full engagement, keynotes, presentations of research papers, workshops, panels and posters and provides engaging exchange throughout the entire duration of the conference

Promoting Statistical Practice and Collaboration in Developing Countries

"Rarely, but just often enough to rebuild hope, something happens to confound my pessimism about the recent unprecedented happenings in the world. This book is the most recent instance, and I think that all its readers will join me in rejoicing at the good it seeks to do. It is an example of the kind of international comity and collaboration that we could and should undertake to solve various societal problems. This book is a beautiful example of the power of the possible. [It] provides a blueprint for how the LISA 2020 model can be replicated in other fields. Civil engineers, or accountants, or nurses, or any other profession could follow this outline to share expertise and build capacity and promote progress in other countries. It also contains some tutorials for statistical literacy across several fields. The details would change, of course, but ideas are durable, and the generalizations seem pretty straightforward. This book shows every other profession where and how to stand in order to move the world. I urge every researcher to get a copy!" —David Banks from the Foreword Promoting Statistical Practice and Collaboration in Developing Countries provides new insights into the current issues and opportunities in international statistics education, statistical consulting, and collaboration, particularly in developing countries around the world. The book addresses the topics discussed in individual chapters from the perspectives of the historical context, the present state, and future directions of statistical training and practice, so that readers may fully understand the challenges and opportunities in the field of statistics and data science, especially in developing countries. Features • Reference point on statistical practice in developing countries for researchers, scholars, students, and practitioners • Comprehensive source of state-of-the-art knowledge on creating statistical collaboration laboratories within the field of data science and statistics • Collection of innovative statistical teaching and learning techniques in developing countries Each chapter consists of independent case study contributions on a particular theme that are developed with a common structure and format. The common goal across the chapters is to enhance the exchange of diverse educational and action-oriented information among our intended audiences, which include practitioners, researchers, students, and statistics educators in developing countries

Promoting Statistical Practice and Collaboration in Developing Countries

"Rarely, but just often enough to rebuild hope, something happens to confound my pessimism about the recent unprecedented happenings in the world. This book is the most recent instance, and I think that all its readers will join me in rejoicing at the good it seeks to do. It is an example of the kind of international comity and collaboration that we could and should undertake to solve various societal problems. This book is a beautiful example of the power of the possible. [It] provides a blueprint for how the LISA 2020 model can be replicated in other fields. Civil engineers, or accountants, or nurses, or any other profession could follow this outline to share expertise and build capacity and promote progress in other countries. It also contains some tutorials for statistical literacy across several fields. The details would change, of course, but ideas are durable, and the generalizations seem pretty straightforward. This book shows every other profession where and how to stand in order to move the world. I urge every researcher to get a copy!" —David Banks from the Foreword Promoting Statistical Practice and Collaboration in Developing Countries provides new insights into the current issues and opportunities in international statistics education, statistical consulting, and collaboration, particularly in developing countries around the world. The book addresses the topics discussed in individual chapters from the perspectives of the historical context, the present state, and future directions of statistical training and practice, so that readers may fully understand the challenges and opportunities in the field of statistics and data science, especially in developing countries. Features • Reference point on statistical practice in developing countries for researchers, scholars, students, and practitioners • Comprehensive source of state-of-the-art knowledge on creating statistical collaboration laboratories within the field of data science and statistics • Collection of innovative statistical teaching and learning techniques in developing countries Each chapter consists of independent case study contributions on a particular theme that are developed with a common structure and format. The common goal across the chapters is to enhance the exchange of diverse educational and action-oriented information among our intended audiences, which include practitioners, researchers, students, and statistics educators in developing countries

Strategizing in the new normal : implications of digitalization for strategizing and uncertainty : philosophical and managerial considerations

Something fundamental is changing – or is it? The firms are preoccupied by transformations and disruptions, the scholars are reassessing the validity of old theories, the politicians are wondering where the power is, and the individuals are struggling to understand how to go about making a living tomorrow. Has this always been the normal, or are we evidencing an era that can rightfully be called a New Normal? This research is an attempt to synthetize knowledge from several rich sources in order to understand the drivers of the changes emerging from the phenomenon labelled digitalization. The research quandary of this conceptual monograph is the impact of digitalization – as a sociotechnical trinity of digital technological systems, humans and perceptions – on strategizing, the individual level actions and decisions tackling the fundamental uncertainty of anything future-oriented, subsequently coalescing into collective level outcomes. This research explores the constitutions of strategizing, uncertainty and digitalization in order to understand the impact of the drivers of digitalization on the constitution of uncertainty dealt with in strategizing, and the subsequent changes therefore reflected on strategizing. Tracing these ripples requires reconceptualizing uncertainty as consisting of three dimensions: lack of knowledge, difficulty of choosing between diverse standards of desirability, and the infathomability of the meaning making mechanisms that underpin the creation of those standards of desirability. As findings, this dissertation presents three theses: first, digitalization obliterates one type of uncertainty, while changing and enforcing other types; secondly, digitalization erodes the boundaries of extant entities and creates new boundary forming mechanisms; and thirdly, digitalization changes the shape and impact of what we take for granted, consider normal – the doxa. These findings have implications for both the theorists and the practitioners. As scholars, we need to redefine such units of analysis, as heretofore captured by concepts like the firm, market or nation. As practitioners, we need to cherish such rationalities that do not compete with the algorithmic intelligence, to emphasize such creative thinking a machine cannot do. As individuals, we need to understand how many of our actions are grounded on the unreflective acceptance of what we take for granted, and how susceptible our notion of normal is to manipulation. Together, we need to understand that the digital representation of reality, being constructed today to give the shape for our tomorrow, reflects not only the physical entities datafied and digitized, but also our values and preferences – whether we reflectively acknowledge them or not.Elämme perustavanlaatuisen muutoksen aikaa – vai elämmekö? Yritykset keskittyvät disruptioihin ja muutoksiin, tutkijat arvioivat vanhojen teorioiden kykyä selittää uusia ilmiöitä, poliitikot pohtivat vallan uusia muotoja ja yksilöt taistelevat huomisen toimeentulon kanssa. Onko tämä ollut aina yhtä normaalia, vai elämmekö aikaa, jota voimme rehellisesti kutsua uudeksi normaaliksi? Tämä tutkimus pyrkii yhdistämään rikasta, olemassaolevaa tietoa monista lähteistä luodakseen ymmärrystä digitalisaatioksi kutsutun ilmiön synnyttämien muutosten ajureista. Tämän teoreettisen monografian tutkimusalue on digitalisaation – digitaalisten teknologisten systeemien, ihmisten ja oletusten muodostaman sosioteknisen kolmiyhteyden – vaikutus strategiointiin, eli tulevaisuuteen elimellisesti liittyvän epävarmuuden käsittelyyn sellaisella yksilötason toiminnalla ja päätöksenteolla, joka yhdistyy kollektiivisen tason lopputuloksiksi. Tämä tutkimus perehtyy strategioinnin, epävarmuuden ja digitalisaation luonteeseen selvittääkseen digitalisaation ajurien vaikutusta strategioinnissa käsiteltävään epävarmuuteen, ja siitä syntyviin muutoksiin strategioinnissa. Tämän vaikutusketjun ymmärtäminen vaatii epävarmuuden uutta konseptualisointia: epävarmuus muodostuu kolmesta ulottuvuudesta, jotka ovat tiedon puute, eri arvoskaalojen välillä valitsemisen vaikeus, sekä niiden merkityksen muodostamismekanismien hahmottomuus, joista arvoskaalamme kumpuavat. Tämän kirjan tulokset muodostavat kolme väitöstä: ensinnäkin, digitalisaatio tuhoaa yhden epävarmuuden tyypin ja muuttaa sekä vahvistaa muita; toiseksi, digitalisaatio haurastuttaa olemassa olevien entiteettien rajoja ja synnyttää uusia rajanmuodostusmekanismeja; ja kolmanneksi, digitalisaatio muuttaa itsestäänselvänä ja normaalina pitämiemme asioiden muotoa ja vaikutusta. Näillä tuloksilla on niin teoreettisia kuin käytännönkin vaikutuksia. Tutkijoina meidän on uudelleen määriteltävä sellaisia analyysin yksiköitä kuten yritys, markkina tai valtio. Yritystoiminnan harjoittajina meidän on vaalittava sellaista rationaalisuutta, mihin algoritminen äly ei kykene, painotettava luovaa ajattelua. Yksilöinä meidän on ymmärrettävä miten iso osa toiminnastamme perustuu itsestäänselvyyksinä pitämiimme asioihin ja miten helposti käsitystämme normaalista voidaan manipuloida. Yhdessä, meidän on ymmärrettävä, että tänään muodostumassa oleva, huomistamme muovaava digitaalinen todellisuuden representaatio heijastelee, paitsi fyysisen maailman digitaaliseksi dataksi muunnettuja entiteettejä, myös arvojamme ja preferenssejämme – riippumatta siitä, tiedostammeko ja tunnistammeko ne vai emme

Psychopolitical Anaphylaxis

The great acceleration that has become known as the Anthropocene has brought with it destructive consequences that threaten to give rise to a dangerous and potentially explosive convergent reaching of limits, not just climatically or biospherically, but psychosocially. This convergence demands a new kind of thinking and a reconsideration of fundamental philosophical, political and economic theory in light especially of the age of computational capitalism, in order to prevent this convergence from becoming absolutely catastrophic. The French philosopher Bernard Stiegler argued that the basis for such a reconsideration must be, in a very general way, the thought of entropy. Psychopolitical Anaphylaxis examines, draws on, and dialogues with Stiegler’s work, and aims to take steps towards this new kind of thinking. Borrowing also from Georges Canguilhem and Peter Sloterdijk, among others, it argues as well for an immunological perspective that sees psychopolitical convulsions as a kind of anaphylactic shock that threatens to prove fatal. The paradox that must ultimately be confronted in the Anthropocene conceived as an Entropocene is the contradiction between the urgent need for a global emergency procedure and the equally necessary task of finding the time to carefully rethink our way beyond this anaphylaxis. The task of thinking today must be to inhabit this paradox and make it the basis of a new dynamic