Implications for democracy of a networked bureaucratic world

Dwight Waldo wrote nearly fifty years ago that democracy is very much more than the political context in which public administration is carried out. Public administration is now less hierarchical and insular and is increasingly networked. This has important implications for democracy, including changing responsibilities for the public interest, for meeting public preferences, and for the enhancement of political deliberation, civility, and trust. Networked public administration can pose a threat to democratic governance and it can open possibilities for strengthening governance, depending on the values and actions of public administrators

Distributed Computation as Hierarchy

This paper presents a new distributed computational model of distributed systems called the phase web that extends V. Pratt's orthocurrence relation from 1986. The model uses mutual-exclusion to express sequence, and a new kind of hierarchy to replace event sequences, posets, and pomsets. The model explicitly connects computation to a discrete Clifford algebra that is in turn extended into homology and co-homology, wherein the recursive nature of objects and boundaries becomes apparent and itself subject to hierarchical recursion. Topsy, a programming environment embodying the phase web, is available from www.cs.auc.dk/topsy.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Fate of Duplicated Neural Structures

Statistical mechanics determines the abundance of different arrangements of matter depending on cost-benefit balances. Its formalism and phenomenology percolate throughout biological processes and set limits to effective computation. Under specific conditions, self-replicating and computationally complex patterns become favored, yielding life, cognition, and Darwinian evolution. Neurons and neural circuits sit at a crossroads between statistical mechanics, computation, and (through their role in cognition) natural selection. Can we establish a {\em statistical physics} of neural circuits? Such theory would tell what kinds of brains to expect under set energetic, evolutionary, and computational conditions. With this big picture in mind, we focus on the fate of duplicated neural circuits. We look at examples from central nervous systems, with a stress on computational thresholds that might prompt this redundancy. We also study a naive cost-benefit balance for duplicated circuits implementing complex phenotypes. From this we derive {\em phase diagrams} and (phase-like) transitions between single and duplicated circuits, which constrain evolutionary paths to complex cognition. Back to the big picture, similar phase diagrams and transitions might constrain I/O and internal connectivity patterns of neural circuits at large. The formalism of statistical mechanics seems a natural framework for thsi worthy line of research.Comment: Review with novel results. Position paper. 16 pages, 3 figure

New Firm Growth: Exploring Processes and Paths

This paper provides a new methodology for the diachronic study of new firm growth, theoretically grounded in the work of Penrose (1995). We show that a model of firm growth as an unfolding process makes possible draw simple, measurable inferences from firm level to aggregate evidence on growth paths of new firms, expressed as propositions. Metrics on growth paths of new firms in three longitudinal samples of new firms are examined for evidence at the aggregate level consistent with the dynamic model. Dynamic processes in the early development of young firms result in variations in the timing, magnitude, duration and rate of change of growth as between firms and in the same firm over time. The conceptual and methodological framework in this paper provides a basis for future research aimed at explaining the development of new firms.entrepreneurship;Penrose;growth paths;new firm growth;resource-based perspective

Strengths, Narrative, and Resilience: Restorying Resilience Research

Objective: To envision a path toward a more strengths-based approach to violence research, prevention, and intervention—a path that focuses on thriving and resilience. Key Points: Both the content and the process of research need to change if we are to transform our efforts to understand and overcome adversity. Greater focus on strengths and the achievement of well-being despite adversity is 1 important avenue; focusing on the narrative and the power of story is another important path. However, merely shifting the focus of traditional research and scholarly efforts is not enough. At another level of analysis, the field needs communication across the fragmentary subdisciplines of social science (“silo busting,” as we informally call it). We must also do more to encourage experimentation and innovation with regard to research question and design, community–practitioner–researcher partnership, and approaches to dissemination. Implications: Existing challenges in innovation and experimentation call for trying new approaches. Specific suggestions for adapting conference formats are provided. The commentaries in this special section offer feasible actions that could improve violence research, including incorporating measures of well-being in addition to symptoms as outcome measures; involving a wider variety of stakeholders in research design and dissemination; taking advantage of new insights from positive psychology and narrative research; and incorporating aspects of community and culture into research, assessment, prevention and intervention

Clarifying the Dominant Logic Construct by Disentangling and Reassembling its Dimensions

Since its introduction, Prahalad and Bettis's concept of dominant logic has informed a variety of scholarly conversations in management and strategy research. However, scholars have interpreted dominant logic in different ways, emphasizing different aspects, such as managerial mindsets, administrative tools and management functions, as defining elements. Similarly, empirical studies have captured various aspects, such as meanings of entrepreneurs, observable strategic decisions and business model similarity, as indicators of dominant logic. Consequently, the concept lacks analytical clarity, and it is difficult to compare or generalize findings from this diverse set of studies. The aim of this review is to improve conceptual clarity by analysing, comparing and evaluating the existing interpretations and assessments of dominant logic in 94 studies. In the first part of the review, by disentangling the interpretations of the concept, we show that dominant logic consists of four defining dimensions: (i) shared mental models; (ii) values and premises; (iii) organizational practices; and (iv) organizing structures. In the second part, we reassemble dominant logic into an integrative model and theorize about how these dimensions operate in concert to produce a firm's dominant logic. Thus, our main contribution is a clarification and synthesis of the literature, which comes with implications on how future research can conceptualize and operationalize dominant logic more consistently

Stumbling Toward a Social Psychology of Organizations: An Autobiographical Look at the Direction of Organizational Research

I recount some of my early experiences in the field and how they shaped my views about conducting research. As I describe it, my entry into organizational behavior was not at all seamless, requiring a series of adjustments along the way. Like many of my colleagues who had moved into the field of organizational behavior, I had to find a source of valued added a new perspective or set of alternative ideas to contribute to the field. This process of adjustment, I fear, is no longer so prevalent in the field today. Although many social psychologists have migrated to business schools, they are still by and large doing social psychological rather than organizational research. They often extend social psychological theories to the business context, but they rarely seek to reframe and reformulate core organizational issues and problems. For this to change, I argue that future research needs to become more contextual and phenomenon-driven. My hope is that, with the recent upsurge in talent entering the field, we can find a way to harvest more of its creativity, moving from the application of social psychology to a genuine social psychology of organizations