Scientific Collaboration along the Silk Road

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an immense development program announced by the Chinese government in late 2013, which knitted around trade routes. Since scientific and technological cooperation is an integral part of BRI, the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO) was established in 2018 as a non-governmental organization. In this work, conditions for effective cooperation in science and technology among countries are discussed first. Then, the research ecosystem's current situation is analyzed in terms of the number of scientific articles and trends while some results from the literature on international collaboration patterns are reviewed. Considering the current situation, scientific cooperation mechanisms are reviewed, and it is argued that ANSO can serve as a networking tool or seed for a future organization and that an inter-governmental body is necessary for the long run. After a short comparison with the Framework Programmes of the European Union, basic principles on which such a body should be established are discussed. A "fair return" principle, availability of flexible contribution options and, simplified bureaucratic procedures are proposed. Mechanisms to avoid the creation of a dominant core that can cause a brain drain in the long term are also recommended following the balanced and inclusive spirit of BRI. Then, a set of criteria is proposed for the choice of cooperation areas, and the research areas suggested in the literature are discussed under the light of these criteria

Chinese science diplomacy in Arctic climate governance based on a survey and interviews with Chinese scientists

Science diplomacy is attracting increasing attention in the international relations literature. This study investigates how Chinese scientists understand this term and explores China’s dynamic praxis in Arctic climate governance. It conducts a theoretical and practical examination of science diplomacy in terms of three dimensions—science in diplomacy, diplomacy for science, and science for diplomacy—thus achieving a high degree of consistency. A multi-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and involving the adoption of a literature review, participant interviews, and questionnaires, is adopted. Data were collected from interviews with 16 Chinese scientists involved in Arctic climate governance and from 130 valid questionnaires collected from Chinese natural scientists working in the climate change field. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative findings, the study reveals that the three-dimensional framework of science diplomacy can provide insight into Chinese scientists’ understandings of the topic. In contrast to the participants’ vague theoretical responses, the outlines of China’s Arctic climate governance can be clearly identified within this framework. The study concludes by underlining the tension between theory and practice in terms of science diplomacy and highlighting the emerging challenges for China in developing its Arctic science diplomacy against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict. Moreover, it is suggested that, to further develop China’s Arctic science diplomacy, it is vital to take account of the deficiencies in China’s science diplomacy. The study’s empirical results contribute to an understanding of the dynamic nature of science diplomacy in the Chinese context

チュウゴク ノ イッタイ イチロ セイサク ニ カンスル ケンキュウ ノ コクサイテキ ドウコウ

In June 2017, the 29th Japan-China Sociological Studies National Convention was chaired at Osaka University. As the chairperson, I reported on the "Road and Belt for the modern Silk Road: China’s strategic initiatives in the era of globalization," at the symposium organized by the host school, “Social change in the Silk Road in China." This report was published as one of the special articles in the 25th issue of the "Journal of Japan-China Sociological Studies" in October 2017. In addition to the "One Belt, One Road" media coverage, academic articles on the topic are now being published. This study aims to review the rising international trends in academic research on the Belt and Road Initiative. To this end, I analyzed 34 English-language papers published between 2018 and 2019 before the world was plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of the study area extends from Eurasia to Africa. Disciplines covered in the study include sociology, policy science, anthropology, and political economy. The "One Belt, One Road" initiatives has not only become a hot topic in political economy but has also received considerable attention from academic researchers

Intellectual Structure of the Belt and Road Initiative Research: A Scientometric Analysis and Suggestions for a Future Research Agenda

publishedVersio

Sustainability through digital transformation: a systematic literature review for research guidance

Motivated by the rising attention of businesses and regulators towards how digital transformation can assist sustainability improvement, this paper sheds light on the relationships between these two phenomena. Specifically, this research pioneers the study of ‘digital sustainability’ through a systematic review of 153 academic articles aimed to 1) consolidate the existing research, 2) understand the thematic connections amongst the different studies, and 3) identify research gaps to move forward in the development of the topic. The suggested research agenda has important theoretical and practical implications. Through the identified gaps, this study acknowledges the management scholarship of pitfalls and delays on the research topic, providing detailed guidance to develop this new stream of subject area. The opportunistic approach of this paper responds to the practical call for support in understanding the use of digitalization for sustainability-related goals. This research directly impacts a wide range of practitioners, including managers, consultants, and policymakers. Received 10 May 2021, Revised 26 April 2022, Accepted 5 May 2022, Available online 18 May 2022, Version of Record 18 May 2022

Global and International Logistics

This book contains 10 reviewed papers published as a Special Issue “Global and International Logistics” in the journal Sustainability, edited by Prof. Dr. Ryuichi Shibasaki, Prof. Dr. Daisuke Watanabe, and Dr. Tomoya Kawasaki. The topics of the papers contain the impact of logistics development under the China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI) by using the improved gravity model, strategies against barriers to the BRI from a logistics and supply chain management perspective, the dynamic interaction between international logistics, and cross-border e-commerce trade, the effect of China’s restrictive programs on the international trade of waste products, the empty container repositioning problem of shipping companies with foldable containers, port capacity and connectivity improvement in the hub and feeder network in Indonesia, GHG emission scenarios for the maritime shipping sector using system dynamics, incorporating a shipping and shipbuilding market model, the emission inventory and bunker consumption from a LNG fleet from an automatic identification system database, the factors that can help select between land transport and maritime shipping in long-distance inter-regional cross-border transport, and container transport simulations in Myanmar with the global logistics intermodal network assignment model including both maritime shipping and land transport in the land-based Southeast Asia region. Some papers are related to the 8th International Conference on Transportation and Logistics (T-LOG 2020) which was held online on 6–7 September 2020 hosted by Universitas Internasional Semen Indonesia

Nuevos retos de la culpa in contrahendo, la fase precontractual en la contratación electrónica y su regulación

El íter contractual ha tenido un amplio estudio en la época moderna considerando que el contrato es uno de los instrumentos principales por medio del cual los seres humanos interactúan entre sí en la sociedad. Muchos han sido los ríos de tinta y bibliotecas completas que hacen referencia a esta área del derecho, por tanto, ya se cuenta con una doctrina definida. En cuanto al periodo de las tratativas o etapa precontractual la situación no ha sido tan sencilla, donde si bien existen posiciones definidas en cuanto a muchos de sus características, las mismas no han podido ser del todo definidas. Por otro lado, es importante recordar que el derecho es cambiante y pasa en constante evolución de manera paralela con las sociedades que regulan y los diferentes factores que influencian el desarrollo de las mismas incluyendo los avances científicos. De tal manera que la normativa que regula la actividad comercial en la red requiere estar en constante revisión considerando que cada vez germinan nuevos modelos de negocios gracias a las nuevas tecnológicos y los cambios en las estructuras sociales. En la presente tesis, se estudiará la evolución de la conceptualización del periodo de tratativas con respecto a las diferentes modalidades de negocios que van surgiendo gracias a los avances tecnológicos y los diferentes supuestos en los que se puede incurrir en responsabilidad durante las negociaciones en un contexto dominado por las comunicaciones electrónicas. Se tendrá en cuenta el crecimiento de la regulación de las nuevas tecnologías y su vinculación con el derecho contractual en diferentes regiones del mundo, principalmente en la Unión Europea además del movimiento que pretende unificar el derecho contractual, el cual ha tenido diferentes manifestaciones por medio de instrumentos con mucho valor por los insumos que presentan para el derecho contractual en el siglo XXI. Entre algunas de las interrogantes que han surgido recientemente son las concernientes a la contratación electrónica y la implementación de la tecnología “Blockchain”, su adecuación a los elementos tradicionales del contrato además de su correcta regulación, de la cual hasta la fecha no hay una posición concreta ni unánime. Dichos “contratos” podrían considerarse como una “evolución” o variante en cuanto al derecho contractual se refiere, y cabe mencionar que en la región latinoamericana no hay muchos estudios en relación a esta materia. Por otro lado, es importante reconocer las complejidades que se han presentado a lo largo de año y medio a causa de la crisis sanitaria del COVID-19. Dicho contexto afectó sustancialmente al mundo entero y demostró la necesidad de buscar alternativas para las interacciones del ser humano pretendiendo evitar un colapso total del comercio a nivel mundial. Bajo estos argumentos preliminares se evidencia la importancia de ahondar en el estudio de las interacciones del derecho y las innovaciones científicas, por lo que a lo largo del presente estudio, se pretenderá identificar y enunciar los múltiples retos que surgen en la adecuación de la regulación referente a la etapa precontractual y la responsabilidad precontractual a los diferentes fenómenos de la sociedad moderna en la cual se desenvuelve la denominada economía colaborativa, dando un repaso por los fundamentos del derecho contractual, la etapa precontractual y la Culpa in Contrahendo.Programa de Doctorado en Derecho por la Universidad Carlos III de MadridPresidente: Agustín Madrid Parra.- Secretario: Manuel Alba Fernández.- Vocal: Pérez-Francisco Javier Serrabona Gonzále

The Digital Belt and Road program in support of regional sustainability

The Belt and Road initiative has a significant focus on infrastructure, trade, and economic development across a vast region, and it also provides significant opportunities for sustainable development. The combined pressure of climate variability, intensified use of resources, and the fragility of ecosystems make it very challenging, however, to achieve future sustainability. To develop the path in a sustainable way, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of these issues across nations and evaluate them in a scientific and well-informed approach. In this context, the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) program was initiated as an international venture to share expertise, knowledge, technologies, and data to demonstrate the role of Earth observation science and technology and big Earth data applications to support large-scale development. In this paper, we identify pressing challenges, present the research priorities and foci of the DBAR program, and propose solutions where big Earth data can make significant contributions. This paper calls for further joint actions and collaboration to build a digital silk road in support of sustainable development at national, regional and global levels