170 research outputs found

    Sustainable consumption: towards action and impact. : International scientific conference November 6th-8th 2011, Hamburg - European Green Capital 2011, Germany: abstract volume

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    This volume contains the abstracts of all oral and poster presentations of the international scientific conference „Sustainable Consumption – Towards Action and Impact“ held in Hamburg (Germany) on November 6th-8th 2011. This unique conference aims to promote a comprehensive academic discourse on issues concerning sustainable consumption and brings together scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines. In modern societies, private consumption is a multifaceted and ambivalent phenomenon: it is a ubiquitous social practice and an economic driving force, yet at the same time, its consequences are in conflict with important social and environmental sustainability goals. Finding paths towards “sustainable consumption” has therefore become a major political issue. In order to properly understand the challenge of “sustainable consumption”, identify unsustainable patterns of consumption and bring forward the necessary innovations, a collaborative effort of researchers from different disciplines is needed

    An inter-disciplinary study of strategic interactions in foreign economic policy-making of the EU: agent, structure and knowledge

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    The guiding research question in this thesis is how to improve our understanding of the global dynamics in both the process of establishing and the actual content of the EU’s foreign economic policy. To answer this question this study has raised, first, in terms of the concept of FEP, the question of whether traditional accounts of inter-mestic policy, centred around economic performance, i.e. mono-dimensional FEP, are reasonable or not. As a result, this study suggests that it is desirable to take into account other dimensions of FEP, as economic diplomacy and foreign economic policy, in order to generate a multi-dimensional account of FEP. Second, this multi-dimensional account requires us to establish a new framework, and to deal with issues related to the establishment of methodology. There have been a series of debates between those who emphasise comparative politics and those who emphasis international relations. In addition, those who suggest the analysis of foreign policy have been contending with those who are in favour of an international political economy approach. This study recognises that all of those approaches have individual merits and discovers the possibility of convergence in terms of a meta-theoretical dimension. Ultimately, this study suggests an analytical synthesis of the traditional foreign economic policy approaches, which is based on the dialogue of agent-structure and structure-structure relationships. This cognitive framework of dialogue encompasses a series of concepts such as order, power, heterogeneity, similarity, justice and distribution. The account of such a series of concepts constructs the epistemological components of meta-theoretical convergence between comparative politics, international relations, the analysis of foreign policy and the international political economy approach. Consequently, general explanation and explanations of the timing and content of policy outputs are provided. On the other hand, in accordance with the theoretical suggestions above, this study suggests the following agent-centred scenarios of the likely course the EU might take in the formation of the EU’s foreign economic policy in the near future

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    The Trilogy of Science: Filling the Knowledge Management Gap with Knowledge Science and Theory

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    The international knowledge management field has different ways of investigating, developing, believing, and studying knowledge management. Knowledge management (KM) is distinguished deductively by know-how, and its intangible nature establishes different approaches to KM concepts, practices, and developments. Exploratory research and theoretical principles have formed functional intelligences from 1896 to 2013, leading to a knowledge management knowledge science (KMKS) concept that derived a grounded theory of knowledge activity (KAT). This study addressed the impact of knowledge production problems on KM practice. The purpose of this qualitative meta-analysis study was to fit KM practice within the framework of knowledge science (KS) study. Themed questions and research variables focused on field mechanisms, operative functions, principle theory, and relationships of KMKS. The action research used by American practitioners has not established a formal structure for KS. The meta-data-analysis examined 385 transdisciplinary peer-reviewed articles using social science, service science, and systems science databases, with a selection of interdisciplinary studies that had a practice-research-theory framework. Key attributes utilizing Boolean limiters, words, phrases and publication dates, along with triangulation, language analysis and coding through analytic software identified commonalities of the data under study. Findings reflect that KM has not become a theoretically saturated field. KS as the forensic science of KM creates a paradigm shift, causes social change that averts rapid shifts in management direction and uncertainty, and connects KM philosophy and science of knowledge. These findings have social change implications by informing the work of managers and academics to generate a methodical applied science

    Global restructuring and local anti-poverty action: learning from European experimental programms

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    Este trabalho discute como os MunicĂ­pios podem reforçar o seu contributo para a luta contra a pobreza num contexto mundial de reestruturação global. Em primeiro lugar, começa por introduzir a relevĂąncia da ‘transição paradigmĂĄtica’ nas ciĂȘncias sociais no Ăąmbito da luta contra a pobreza e apresenta o contributo do realismo ‘crĂ­tico’ como possĂ­vel quadro de referĂȘncia epistemolĂłgico para a coerĂȘncia e legitimidade cientĂ­fica do trabalho a desenvolver. Seguidamente, o trabalho propĂ”e um modo de conceptualizar a luta contra a pobreza. Conceitos como ‘pobreza’, ‘necessidaddes bĂĄsicas’, ‘agĂȘncia e estrutura’, ‘localidade’ e ‘integração econĂłmica’ sĂŁo discutidos e o seu conteĂșdo definido com rigor. Em terceiro lugar, o desenvolvimento teĂłrico do trabalho oferece uma perspectiva de diferentes contributos na explicação do processo de ‘reestruturação global’, desenvolvimento local e planeamento territorial. A mudança contemporĂąnea Ă© explicada como transição para um regime de ‘acumulação flexĂ­vel’, Ă© desenvolvida uma teoria de ‘subdesenvolvimento local’ orientada para a acção e Ă© apresentada uma teoria de planeamento como ‘empowering dialogue’ oferecendo em conjunto um quadro de referĂȘncia coerente onde situar a acção Municipal na luta contra a pobreza. Finalmente, com base na ‘sĂ­ntese realista’ diversos programas ‘experimentais’ de iniciativa Europeia e respectivos exercĂ­cios de avaliação sĂŁo ‘revisitados’ e ‘liçÔes’ sĂŁo retiradas. Estes programas oferecem muitos exemplos de possĂ­veis formas de concretização da acção. A relevĂąncia dos seus resultados Ă© assegurada pelo quadro epistemolĂłgico, conceptual e teĂłrico deste trabalho. É possĂ­vel discutir a dependĂȘncia conceptual e contextual das ‘ideias potencialmente migrantes’ e que podem ser consideradas como resultando das aprendizagens proporcionadas pelos programas. TambĂ©m Ă© foi possĂ­vel discutir a sua contribuição para a legitimidade de mensagens-chave e implicaçÔes de polĂ­tica e propor algumas perspectivas para futuros desenvolvimentos do trabalho agora apresentado.This work discusses how Municipalities can improve their contribution to anti-poverty action in a context of global restructuring. First, it starts by introducing the relevance of the ‘paradigmatic transition’ in the social sciences to anti-poverty action and presents the contribution of ‘critical’ realism as a possible framework for ensuring coherence to the work to be developed. Second, the work proposes a way of conceptualising anti-poverty action. Concepts such as ‘poverty’, ‘basic-needs’, ‘agency and structure’, ‘locality’ and ‘economic integration’ are discussed and defined with precision. Third, the theoretical development of the work offers an overview of contributions aiming to explain ‘global restructuring’, local development and territorial planning and discusses their relevance to anti-poverty action. Contemporary change is explained as a transition to ‘flexible accumulation’, an action-oriented theory of ‘local underdevelopment’ is developed and territorial planning as an ‘empowering dialogue’ is presented offering a coherent framework where to situate Municipal anti-poverty action. Finally, on the basis of ‘realist synthesis’ several European experimental programmes and their evaluation exercises are ‘revisited’ and ‘lessons’ are learned. These programmes offer many examples of action possibilities and enable the identification of policy implications. The relevance of their outcomes is given by the epistemological, conceptual and theoretical framework of this work. It was possible to discuss the ‘concept-dependent’ and ‘contextdependent’ relevance of the potential ‘migrating ideas’ learned from experimental action. It was also possible to discuss their contribution to the legitimacy of key-messages and policy implications and propose some different perspectives for future developments of the work presented now.ISCT
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