Rethinking network governance: new forms of analysis and the implications for IGR/MLG

Our position is that network governance can be understood as a communicative arena. Networks, then, are not defined by frequency of interactions between actors but by sharing of and contest between different clusters of ideas, theories and normative orientations (discourses) in relation to the specific context within which actors operate. A discourse comprises an ensemble of ideas, concepts and causal theories that give meaning to and reproduce ways of understanding the world (Chouliaraki and Fairclough 1999). Consequently, network governance can be understood as the inherently political process through which discourses are produced, reproduced and transformed. Democratic network governance thus becomes the study of the way in which the core challenges of democratic practice are addressed – how is legitimacy awarded, by what mechanisms are decisions reached, and how is accountability enabled. Three approaches to the discursive analysis of democracy in network governance are considered - argumentation analysis, inter-subjectivity, and critical discourse analysis – and their implications for the study of intergovernmental relations and multi-level governance (IGR/MLG) are discussed. Case examples are provided. We conclude that the value for the study of MLG/IGR is to complement existing forms of analysis by opening up the communicative and ideational aspects of interactions between levels of government and other actors

Biographical methods

The chapter reviews three different approaches to biographical methods, the biographical interpretive method, oral history and narrative analysis. Each is outlined in turn, looking at distinguishing characteristics. Each makes use of the interview to generate data and while each has unique strengths, the chapter concludes with a commitment to an oral history approach with its focus on the dynamics of the interview

Survey of the State of the Art in Natural Language Generation: Core tasks, applications and evaluation

This paper surveys the current state of the art in Natural Language Generation (NLG), defined as the task of generating text or speech from non-linguistic input. A survey of NLG is timely in view of the changes that the field has undergone over the past decade or so, especially in relation to new (usually data-driven) methods, as well as new applications of NLG technology. This survey therefore aims to (a) give an up-to-date synthesis of research on the core tasks in NLG and the architectures adopted in which such tasks are organised; (b) highlight a number of relatively recent research topics that have arisen partly as a result of growing synergies between NLG and other areas of artificial intelligence; (c) draw attention to the challenges in NLG evaluation, relating them to similar challenges faced in other areas of Natural Language Processing, with an emphasis on different evaluation methods and the relationships between them.Comment: Published in Journal of AI Research (JAIR), volume 61, pp 75-170. 118 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

A Generation of Information Anxiety: Refinements and Recommendations

Richard Saul Wurman’s groundbreaking Information Anxiety (1989) was published exactly one generation ago. The passage of time has allowed information specialists to reflect further upon the notion of information anxiety and such related concepts as “info-glut,” “techno-stress,” and “infoaddiction.” The interval has also allowed librarians to develop best practices to inoculate against information anxiety and to alleviate the symptoms of information overload. This essay will address definitional concerns regarding information anxiety and related phenomena; investigate the causes and effects of information anxiety; discuss specific difficulties in relationship to the reception, processing, and application of information; and consider the role of librarians in reducing information anxiety

Commentary on "Trajectories for the immigrant second generation in New York City"

This article is commentary on a paper presented at a conference organized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in April 2005, "Urban Dynamics in New York City." The goal of the conference was threefold: to examine the historical transformations of the engine-of-growth industries in New York and distill the main determinants of the city's historical dominance as well as the challenges to its continued success; to study the nature and evolution of immigration flows into New York; and to analyze recent trends in a range of socioeconomic outcomes, both for the general population and recent immigrants more specifically.Immigrants - New York (N.Y.) ; Economic conditions - New York (N.Y.) ; Federal Reserve District, 2nd ; Urban economics

Integrating multicriteria decision analysis and scenario planning : review and extension

Scenario planning and multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are two key management science tools used in strategic planning. In this paper, we explore the integration of these two approaches in a coherent manner, recognizing that each adds value to the implementation of the other. Various approaches that have been adopted for such integration are reviewed, with a primary focus on the process of constructing preferences both within and between scenarios. Biases that may be introduced by inappropriate assumptions during such processes are identified, and used to motivate a framework for integrating MCDA and scenario thinking, based on applying MCDA concepts across a range of "metacriteria" (combinations of scenarios and primary criteria). Within this framework, preferences according to each primary criterion can be expressed in the context of different scenarios. The paper concludes with a hypothetical but non-trivial example of agricultural policy planning in a developing country

Local and official forms of symbolic control: An Australian case study of the pedagogic work of para-educational personnel

In this paper an analysis is undertaken of the accounts of pedagogic work provided by para-educational personnel working in two government-funded schools situated in a low socio-economic area of an Australian city. Specifically, the paper examines the accounts of two para-educational personnel who identified as Samoan/Pacific Islander and worked to improve the educational outcomes of students from the local Samoan/Pacific Islander community. It is argued that the pedagogic work of para-educational personnel may play an important role in redistributing discursive (informational) resources transmitted through schooling institutions. However, the positioning of para-educational personnel in the field of the local community and the field of education regulates the form/modality of pedagogic work, that is, what is taught and how it is taught. Moreover, the content and form of pedagogic work has the potential for realising inclusive and/or exclusive relations for students from disadvantaged backgrounds

Using plenary focus groups in information systems research: More than a collection of interviews

Standard data collection techniques in qualitative research have included surveys, interviews and observations. The Focus group technique is a more recent addition to the empirical researcher's repertoire and is highly appropriate to Information Systems research in particular circumstances. This paper introduces a focus group approach to the study of information systems using a case study scenario and employing a structuring technique borrowed from Soft Systems Methodology designed to shape the discussion and organize group attention on specific aspects of the descriptive process. The paper describes the conduct of focus groups with respect to individual incidents and defines a particular type of Focus Group which involves all persons attendant at an event, thereby removing problems of sampling and representativeness. The unique properties and advantages of this type of focus group in respect to IS research emerged from the case study and an example of the use of story elicitation technique is described. The case study scenario is a regional fire service and any fire or rescue related incident is unique, dynamic, live and real-time, in addition it requires the combined skills and actions of a group of individuals, none of whom may have a full overview of the situation until after the event. These factors are present in other events such as any emergency procedure, artistic or sporting performance, construction and demolition events. Recording of such events presents genuine problems for information systems and the elicitation technique helped the group members to think in different ways about the impact of their incident recording systems. As the technique has broader use across research disciplines, an attempt is made to identify the attributes and properties of these 'Plenary Focus Groups' in information systems research scenario that might lend themselves to focus group research as a useful and successful technique