CHORUS Deliverable 2.2: Second report - identification of multi-disciplinary key issues for gap analysis toward EU multimedia search engines roadmap

After addressing the state-of-the-art during the first year of Chorus and establishing the existing landscape in multimedia search engines, we have identified and analyzed gaps within European research effort during our second year. In this period we focused on three directions, notably technological issues, user-centred issues and use-cases and socio- economic and legal aspects. These were assessed by two central studies: firstly, a concerted vision of functional breakdown of generic multimedia search engine, and secondly, a representative use-cases descriptions with the related discussion on requirement for technological challenges. Both studies have been carried out in cooperation and consultation with the community at large through EC concertation meetings (multimedia search engines cluster), several meetings with our Think-Tank, presentations in international conferences, and surveys addressed to EU projects coordinators as well as National initiatives coordinators. Based on the obtained feedback we identified two types of gaps, namely core technological gaps that involve research challenges, and “enablers”, which are not necessarily technical research challenges, but have impact on innovation progress. New socio-economic trends are presented as well as emerging legal challenges

Trade-Unions in an Age of Pluralism and Structural Change : The Response to the Irrepressible Demands of the Common Man

La multiplication des grèves sauvages et le refus des membres de ratifier les accords négociés par leurs syndicats illustrent bien le malaise de la classe ouvrière. Fascinés par les clinquants de la société de consommation, sensibles à l'impatience des générations d'après-guerre qui entrent sur les marchés du travail, mécontents des méthodes et des politiques traditionnelles des syndicats et des gouvernements, malheureux devant la montée de l'inflation et inquiets des dislocations des structures industrielles, les travailleurs exigent des innovations, l'amélioration de leur genre de vie et la satisfaction de leurs aspirations à des niveaux de vie plus élevés et à un régime politique plus démocratique. Les leaders syndicaux et politiques européens s'efforcent de contenter ces pressurés et de retaper les institutions pour les rendre plus impressionnantes et plus satisfaisantes. C'est au Royaume-Uni et en Italie où il y a confrontation directe entre les groupes de pression et l'État que les tensions sont les plus apparentes. De nouvelles valeurs et des systèmes nouveaux de relations professionnelles se dégagent en Finlande, aux Pays-Bas, en Suède et en Suisse. Le Danemark et l'Allemagne de l'Ouest continuent à s'en remettre aux régimes existants avec l'espoir qu'ils tiendront le coup. Mais l'Autriche, la Belgique, la France et la Norvège, surtout la première et la dernière, battent les sentiers de la coopération,non seulement dans le domaine des relations professionnelles proprement dites, mais aussi celui des accords complémentaires relatifs aussi bien aux transformations économiques et sociales qu'aux changements industriels. Sous la poussée toujours croissante exercée par l'homme de la rue, on multiplie les efforts en Europe pour mettre au point un nouveau régime de relations du travail qui réponde aux besoins des salariés et les groupe sur les lieux du travail tout autant que dans l'entreprise, l'industrie et la nation en donnant la priorité aux objectifs sociaux.Il est difficile de faire des projections quant à l'avenir aux États-Unis. Des forces semblables sont à l'oeuvre : les nouvelles générations de travailleurs demandent avec insistance des changements. Des groupes minoritaires tout comme les cols bleus sont mécontents. Mais les philosophies sociales dominantes continuent à résister aux partisans des réformes de structure qui réclament une intervention et une gestion de l'État plus poussée et favorisent la décentralisation politique. Le mouvement syndical répond spontanément en mettant l'accent sur l'action politique, en réclamant l'intervention des gouvernements et en soutenant notre régime économique et social. Ces activités constituent des compléments de plus en plus importants de l'action syndicale et de la convention collective. Les syndicats jouent de plus en plus le rôle de porte-voix des intérêts des salariés, au-delà des questions professionnelles, au plan de la communauté et de la société globale. Dans le cadre actuel, ils sont forcés d'assumer la tâche d'épouser les problèmes sociaux et économiques qui pèsent de plus en plus lourd en se chargeant de la formulation des réformes et en les soutenant. Ces mouvements, ici et en Europe, auront pour conséquence, en attendant la formation de la coalition vers laquelle on s'achemine, de faire converger les structures et les programmes des syndicats ouvriers sur les deux continents.Reviewing the industrial unrest of the last three years in Western Europe and the United States, the author describes and analyses the new trends in the trade-union movement to cope with such a new situation

Whose security? Whose justice?:Customary authorities in security and justice interventions in the Horn of Africa

An evolving body of literature calls for politically realistic security and justice interventions that reflect the plurality of norms, power and legitimacy in the security and justice arena. In this arena, customary authorities may provide more security and justice than the state, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. They matter for peace, security, and development, but engaging them requires donors to navigate hidden power structures and illiberal traditions and ideas. In response to this complexity, this article proposes an approach for working with customary authorities – supporting fluid networks of customary, community and state agents and the political bargaining between them. Looking at a specifically conflict-affected area of the Horn, this paper provides an important survey of what we know, and what we don’t know and embraces customary authorities’ agency in change

Macroeconomia ecológica: uma revisão metodológica

sem informaçãoThe paper aims toanalyse andprovide an overviewofthe emerging ecological macroeconomic approach from a methodological point of view. As with ecological economics, this emerging approach is being constituted by a methodologically plural set of studies. We282(66)365392sem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçã

Prospects for the Progress of Heterodox Economics

While progress in orthodox economics is understood as an internal concept, progress in heterodox economics has both an internal and external dimension, where the latter refers to persuasive success. This broader understanding of progress reflects the fundamental, methodological level at which we distinguish between orthodox and heterodox economics. Regarding internal progress, orthodox economics retains cohesion at the level of formalism, but this cohesion is showing strains because of the inevitable limitations imposed by formalism. While more apparently disparate, heterodox economics can be seen to be more methodologically cohesive; this is explained in terms of a qualified form of pluralism at a range of levels. A discussion of progress of ideas in terms of persuasion (with sociological and institutional, as well as linguistic, dimensions) provides the basis for a considering a pluralist strategy for promoting the progress of heterodox economics

Synthesizing Diversity and Pluralism in Information Systems: Forging a Unique Disciplinary Subject Matter for the Information Systems Field

The issues of diversity, pluralism and the subject matter of the information systems (IS) field are critically analyzed using the philosophical works of Michel Foucault and studies in disciplinarity. This essay argues for the IS field to forge its own unique disciplinary subject matter by synthesizing the diverse discourses of its reference disciplines and not by merely drawing from them. Using examples of other established disciplines with equally multidisciplinary origins, this paper analyzes the history of the IS field to uncover the field\u27s subject matter. The proposed subject matter maintains the IS field\u27s richness and diversity without losing its unique identity

CHORUS Deliverable 2.1: State of the Art on Multimedia Search Engines

Based on the information provided by European projects and national initiatives related to multimedia search as well as domains experts that participated in the CHORUS Think-thanks and workshops, this document reports on the state of the art related to multimedia content search from, a technical, and socio-economic perspective. The technical perspective includes an up to date view on content based indexing and retrieval technologies, multimedia search in the context of mobile devices and peer-to-peer networks, and an overview of current evaluation and benchmark inititiatives to measure the performance of multimedia search engines. From a socio-economic perspective we inventorize the impact and legal consequences of these technical advances and point out future directions of research