Cooperatives' contributions to a plural economy

General introduction to the bookCooperatives;plural economy

A discussion of stock market speculation by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

The object of this contribution is to present the ideas behind the thinking of the French economist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865) in relation to the causes and effects of Stock market speculation. It is based upon the works of this author but particularly on his “Manuel du spéculateur à la Bourse” (Stock Market Speculator Manual) edited in 1857 in Paris. Compared to the markets of today, however, the stock market described by Proudhon appears embryonic. Nevertheless it represents the location for transactions in financial assets, commodities, precious metals and even some transactions involving options. This contribution is organised in the following manner - the first section is devoted to the development of Proudhon's thought in relation to speculation. It is divided into two parts. The first part is dedicated to Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's definitions of stock market speculation or gambling with shares that for him served no purpose either from a human or economic perspective and was therefore condemnable and to be contrasted with entrepreneurial speculation that, even though it is a highly-risky activity, involves the spirit of enterprise and provides the lifeblood of economic growth. The second part allows us to present Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's propositions in relation to restricting the speculation that he considers obnoxious. The second section has two objectives: one part places in perspective the views of Proudhon and the characteristics of stock market activity under the Second Empire whilst the other part examines current-day aspects of the characteristics evoked by Proudhon. We are interested especially in the question of the regulation and that of the relevance today of certain accounting practices.Proudhon ; speculation ; stock market ; regulation of financial markets

The Ecology and Evolution of Ant- Aphid Interactions

The evolution of species interactions is a fascinating subject, and one of vital importance if we are to understand how biological communities change over time. This thesis considers the interaction between aphids (Homoptera) and ants (Formicidae). Ants tend aphids for sugary honeydew and in return provide a variety of protective services. A literature review in Chapter 1 introduces the subject and provides background information. Chapter 2 considers ant- aphid interactions in a community setting. Specifically, I consider the fitness effects of the ant- aphid interaction on host plants. Net benefits or costs to plants depend on the densities of ants and aphids; these densities may themselves change depending on context dependent factors. Chapters 3 and 4 consider how semiochemicals can allow species to respectively maintain or avoid synchrony in space and time with mutualists or antagonists. Chapter 3 shows ladybirds avoid prey patches guarded by ants by reducing oviposition in response to ant semiochemicals. Chapter 4 shows that aphid walking dispersal can be limited by ant semiochemicals. This may be adaptive for aphids to remain in areas of enemy- free space. Alternatively, if levels of kin competition are high limited dispersal could be costly to aphids. In Chapter 5 I consider interactions between invasive and native ants. Ecological dominance in ants may be mediated by the ability to monopolise honeydew- producing resources. Chapter 6 explores ants’ decisions whether to tend or prey upon aphids. Predation of aphids depends on colony demand (e.g. through cues from the presence of larvae) as well as the quality or quantity of supply (e.g. increased predation of unproductive aphids). Finally, Chapter 7 deals with macroevolutionary patterns in the interaction between ants and aphids. Specifically, I identify ecological traits that characterise aphid- tending ants. A final discussion chapter summarises how ant-aphid interactions fit into existing mutualism theory

Dynamic modelling of a three-sector transitional economy

Rural industry provides inputs and markets for agriculture, which in turn provides inputs and markets for rural industry. As the mutually supportive linkages between rural industry and agriculture develop, the size of both sectors increases. Under certain conditions rural industry grows more rapidly than agriculture, resulting in the structural transformation of the rural sector. But the growth of rural industry may hurt the state-owned industrial sector if both sectors compete for similar resources and product markets. To protect their state enterprises, transitional economies have at times suppressed the growth of non-state rural industries. This can hurt the economy overall. We show how the growth rates of agriculture and rural industry may decline, and, surprisingly, how the growth of state industry might fall if rural industry is suppressed. This is especially so if agriculture supports state industry. By suppressing rural industry, agriculture is hurt. The decline in agriculture then hurts state industry, undermining the objective of protecting state industry. Depending on the magnitude of the relevant impacts, intervention to protect state industry may or may not be optimal, leaving governments with difficult policy decisions

Spectral control for ecological stability

A system made up of N interacting species is considered. Self-reaction terms are assumed of the logistic type. Pairwise interactions take place among species according to different modalities, thus yielding a complex asymmetric disordered graph. A mathematical procedure is introduced and tested to stabilise the ecosystem via an {\it ad hoc} rewiring of the underlying couplings. The method implements minimal modifications to the spectrum of the Jacobian matrix which sets the stability of the fixed point and traces these changes back to species-species interactions. Resilience of the equilibrium state appear to be favoured by predator-prey interactions

Relationship between legitimation, competition and organizational death: current state of the art.

There is agreement among ecology researchers that the concepts of legitimation and competition are partly responsible for organizational selection. Finding adequate measures to represent these concepts, however, has been elusive and has been the main obstacle to the development of this stream of investigation. On the basis of the germinal density dependence model, we identify two lines of research, which have generated seven distinct models. This survey shows that there has been a general tendency to use only three variables to measure legitimation and competition, which are often measured together. However, we argue that fruitful results have emerged when efforts have been made to separate both concepts and that there is some potential in using new measures (mass or concentration) which have so far only found limited application in the field of population demography. These findings, together with the inconclusive results of this stream of research, allow us to identify the existing gaps in the literature and comment on directions for future research.Sociología de la organización; Cambio organizativo;

Genetic Compatibility Determines Endophyte-Grass Combinations

Even highly mutually beneficial microbial-plant interactions, such as mycorrhizal- and rhizobial-plant exchanges, involve selfishness, cheating and power-struggles between the partners, which depending on prevailing selective pressures, lead to a continuum of interactions from antagonistic to mutualistic. Using manipulated grass-endophyte combinations in a five year common garden experiment, we show that grass genotypes and genetic mismatches constrain genetic combinations between the vertically (via host seeds) transmitted endophytes and the out-crossing host, thereby reducing infections in established grass populations. Infections were lost in both grass tillers and seedlings in F1 and F2 generations, respectively. Experimental plants were collected as seeds from two different environments, i.e., meadows and nearby riverbanks. Endophyte-related benefits to the host included an increased number of inflorescences, but only in meadow plants and not until the last growing season of the experiment. Our results illustrate the importance of genetic host specificity and trans-generational maternal effects on the genetic structure of a host population, which act as destabilizing forces in endophyte-grass symbioses. We propose that (1) genetic mismatches may act as a buffering mechanism against highly competitive endophyte-grass genotype combinations threatening the biodiversity of grassland communities and (2) these mismatches should be acknowledged, particularly in breeding programmes aimed at harnessing systemic and heritable endophytes to improve the agriculturally valuable characteristics of cultivars