The societal demand for multifunctionality – priorities from the perspective of regional stakeholders

In order to foster a multifunctional agriculture that is adapted to the societal demand, the preferences of the regional population for functions provided by agriculture have to be identified. This demand, however, is difficult to measure economically, since multifunctionality is partly concerned with public goods. Our study aimed at identifying the societal demand for economic, ecological and sociocultural functions of agriculture and the underlying reasons within the framework of multifunctionality. Therefore, methods which can measure several functions at the same time and which include also qualitative information in addition to revealing Willingness-to-pay (WTP) values were regarded as most appropriate. For our research question, we opted for an indirect method, based on stated, collective preferences of regional representatives and experts for rural development (e.g. mayors from towns located in the case studies, representative from tourist or environmental organisations, experts from agricultural or regional administrative bodies, coordinators of Leader projects and researchers). We applied Stakeholder Delphi Approach: The first step aimed at seizing the whole range of relevant views on the issue by individual face-to-face interviews, while the second step condensed this information to a prioritisation of functions using a budget game approach. The results of the interviews were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. Prioritisations and budget allocations were interpreted with descriptive statistics. Assuming that there are regional differences concerning the societal demand, this study was implemented in four case studies: River Gudenå (Denmark), Ostprignitz-Ruppin (OPR) (Germany), Mugello, (Italy), and Kościan (Poland). First, each case study was analysed separately, then a cross-country comparison was carried out. The results of this research indicate that there is a considerable societal demand for multifunctional agriculture in all cases studied. However, the roles the stakeholders attributed to regional agriculture varied between the case studies. In most of the case studies, the stakeholders opted for a relatively balanced demand allocation in terms of economic, ecological, and socio-cultural functions, whereas the stakeholders in OPR put a slight emphasis on economic functions. While the stakeholders of the OPR case study gave absolute priority to the provision of jobs, the stakeholders in the Danish case study were strongly concerned about the elimination of negative effects of agriculture such as smells and nitrate in drinking water. In both cases a significant share of the demand was allocated towards para agricultural activities, such as agri-tourism and the provision of renewable energies, whereas functions directly related to food production attained a relatively small proportion of the demand. The case study “Kościan” in Poland suggests, in contrast, a strong societal demand for food-production related functions, such as regional food supply and quality food production, while an improvement of the rural infrastructure was also highly prioritised. In the case of Mugello (Italy) two clusters of agricultural functions were identified: A high societal demand was stated both for the functions related to food production and landscape related functions, including the maintenance of a hydro-ecological equilibrium. We conclude that despite the regional differences concerning the importance of multifunctional services of agriculture, there is a strong demand for multifunctional agriculture as a whole. These results have to be interpreted with care, given the explorative character of the study. We faced a variety of methodological challenges. Particularly, the relatively small sample per case study and the limited information flow to the involved stakeholders needs to be addressed in future studies. Nevertheless, our results give valuable insights into the demand structure and its underlying reasons for the complex matter of multifunctionality. Thus, on the basis of our results we are able to provide policy recommendations for a future Model of European Agriculture backed by the preferences prevailing in society. Furthermore, we give suggestions for further research concerning the societal demand for the functions of agriculture

Indigenous Zulu games as an educational tool for the multicultural schools in South Africa

Active participation, and formal and informal contact on sports fields and in physical education classes can contribute to the bridging of diversity in a play setting. This ties in with the Revised National Curriculum Statement for Life Orientation which emphasizes the holistic development of all learners. There are widespread concerns about the inactivity and related disease profiles of the South African Youth, as well as the divisions of the past that still prevail. A national need for indigenous knowledge was identified and the opportunity arose for documenting and selecting indigenous Zulu games as part of a national survey. This study developed from this background. It aims to provide material for socio-cultural development as well as to address the void in the current educational dispensation regarding physical education as part of the Life Orientation Learning Area. Quantitative data on the trends, content and nature of these games was collected through the completion of a questionnaire (De Jongh, 1984 and adapted by Burnett, 2001), triangulated with information collected through structured interviews, focus groups and observations of learners at play. Visual and tape recordings assisted in the capturing of songs, physical skills and various other play patterns. Forty indigenous Zulu games and other play related activities were collected from grade seven learners (age 10 to 17) (n=217), and adults (age 40 to 70) (n=57) from rural and urban schools and communities in and around Empangeni, Eshowe, Vryheid, Nongoma and Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The sample (N=274) comprised of Zulu-speaking boys (n=87), girls (n=130), men (n=26) and women (n=31). A theoretical framework for inventorising Zulu play and games, was developed and applied for classification, analysis and documentation of these Zulu games. These games were presented in an educational outcomes-based framework and guidelines offered for the inclusion of indigenous games in a multicultural classroom. Thirteen of these games were, however, selected for curriculum development purposes according to the criteria of the nature (indigenous content and structure), popularity and potential for cross-field educational outcomes. Appropriate strategies were offered for teaching, learning and pedagogy. These thirteen selected indigenous Zulu games may meaningfully contribute to the physical education curriculum for promoting ethnic understanding, reinforcing social skills and to provide an opportunity to use fundamental motor skills and movement concepts in dynamic settings in the multicultural classroom in the South African context. It is recommended that these indigenous Zulu games should hence be introduced to all learners in the multicultural classrooms of all South African schools, providing that sufficient time will be allocated and subject specialists will be appointed for teaching physical education. Furthermore it is recommended that research should be conducted on the indigenous games of all other ethnic groups, not only the Zulu in KwaZulu-Natal, but throughout South Africa to be included in a comprehensive physical education curriculum.Prof. C. Burnett-Louw Prof. W.J. Hollande

The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor: 2017 Edition

This first edition of the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor shows how well 168 selected cities in 30 European countries perform on a range of measures describing the ‘Cultural Vibrancy’, the ‘Creative Economy’ and the ‘Enabling Environment’ of a city. The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor is designed to help national, regional and municipal policy makers identify local strengths and opportunities and benchmark their cities against similar urban centres using both quantitative and qualitative data. The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor is thus an instrument to promote mutual exchange and learning between cities. For researchers, the pool of comparable data is expected to generate new questions and insights into the role of culture and creativity in cities’ social and economic wellbeing. The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor supports the European Commission’s efforts to put culture at the heart of its policy agenda. It provides a common evidence base at city level that illuminates the importance of culture and creativity and their contribution to improving socio-economic perspectives and resilience.JRC.I.1-Modelling, Indicators and Impact Evaluatio

Evolutionary games on graphs

Game theory is one of the key paradigms behind many scientific disciplines from biology to behavioral sciences to economics. In its evolutionary form and especially when the interacting agents are linked in a specific social network the underlying solution concepts and methods are very similar to those applied in non-equilibrium statistical physics. This review gives a tutorial-type overview of the field for physicists. The first three sections introduce the necessary background in classical and evolutionary game theory from the basic definitions to the most important results. The fourth section surveys the topological complications implied by non-mean-field-type social network structures in general. The last three sections discuss in detail the dynamic behavior of three prominent classes of models: the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Rock-Scissors-Paper game, and Competing Associations. The major theme of the review is in what sense and how the graph structure of interactions can modify and enrich the picture of long term behavioral patterns emerging in evolutionary games.Comment: Review, final version, 133 pages, 65 figure

Reviewing qualitative research approaches in the context of critical infrastructure resilience

Modern societies are increasingly dependent on the proper functioning of critical infrastructures (CIs). CIs produce and distribute essential goods or services, as for power transmission systems, water treatment and distribution infrastructures, transportation systems, communication networks, nuclear power plants, and information technologies. Being resilient becomes a key property for CIs, which are constantly exposed to threats that can undermine safety, security, and business continuity. Nowadays, a variety of approaches exist in the context of CIs’ resilience research. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review on the approaches that have a complete qualitative dimension, or that can be used as entry points for semi-quantitative analyses. The study aims to uncover the usage of qualitative research methods through a systematic review based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The paper identifies four principal dimensions of resilience referred to CIs (i.e., techno-centric, organisational, community, and urban) and discusses the related qualitative methods. Besides many studies being focused on energy and transportation systems, the literature review allows to observe that interviews and questionnaires are most frequently used to gather qualitative data, besides a high percentage of mixed-method research. The article aims to provide a synthesis of literature on qualitative methods used for resilience research in the domain of CIs, detailing lessons learned from such approaches to shed lights on best practices and identify possible future research directions

Governance for Sustainable Systems: The Development of a Participatory Framework

Despite an increasing recognition of the need for an integrative approach to sustainable development, there remains a tendency for this to be anthropocentric. Attempts to govern sustainability are invariably focused on the pre-eminence of the human perspective and social systems in the pursuit of human goals. This often means either excluding or attempting to control the external environment rather than understanding and responding to it. This thesis explores more holistic approaches to governance that are based upon the need for an improved understanding about the interconnections between social, economic and ecological systems. It examines current literature on governance for sustainable development and systems thinking as applied to it, with specific reference to Socio-Technical Systems (STS), social learning about systems’ interrelations and the nature of public goods. On the basis of this analysis, a systemic conception of governance for sustainability is developed and translated into a provisional framework that can aid participatory social learning relating to sustainable development. Three initial Socio-Technical Systems (STS) case studies are drawn upon to populate the empty framework (the European Critical Electricity Infrastructure (ECEI), the Finnish security system and the transition of energy systems towards a post carbon society); these are then analysed thematically to derive common governance for sustainability criteria. The final modified framework is then applied to an in depth, and on-going, case study of food systems’ security and sustainability and a final discussion considers how this governance framework (GAME) might contribute to future holistic decision making for more sustainable Socio-Technical Systems. The multi-method GAME supports the generation of future scenarios and core sustainability criteria by multiple stakeholders; reflecting needs, capabilities and limits that can maintain systems’ equilibrium. It also implies a more normative governance for sustainability and a commitment to improved evidence-based decision-making that reflects systems’ complexity and contributes to bridging the gaps between science, policy and society. The GAME is currently being extended to incorporate the user-friendly geospatial representations of impacts

Modelling emotions and simulating their effects on social interactions in agent systems

Agent-based decision-making usually relies upon game theoretic principles that are ``rational'' i.e. decision-making is purely mathematical based on utilities such as the wealth of an agent. In the context of public goods games, such reasoning can often lead to non-optimal, destructive outcomes for both individuals and the total system, as shown in many scenarios from game theory. This thesis considers how the use of \textit{emotions} can impact upon decision-making and social interactions amongst agents in the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game by modelling emotions in a functional manner. The background to the thesis is first presented in chapters 2 and 3 where the argument for emotions being included in agent-based decision-making, and evidence to support this proposition, is outlined. Various philosophical issues are also considered such as: do emotions directly motivate an agent's intentional behaviour and, is an agent's decision-making still rational if emotions are used? The framework developed to allow for modelling of emotions in agents is then discussed in chapters 4 and 5 where major psychological models of emotion and computational implementations thereof are discussed. Finally chapters 6 to 8 present extensive investigations into how the emotions modelled using the framework affect social interactions amongst agents in the context described above. As of yet, this topic has been relatively unexplored by computer science and there is space for novel, interesting contributions to be made, these contributions are outlined below. In chapter 6 the emotions of \textit{anger} and \textit{gratitude} are modelled and their effects upon social interactions are analysed. In particular, I look at whether agents endowed with these emotions offer any improvement upon the success of agents using with the ``tit-for-tat'' strategy when playing against other leading strategies from Axelrod's famous computer tournament. How these emotions affect rates of cooperation/defection and the fairness of individual scores is considered along with why they do so. This investigation is furthered in chapter 7 where \textit{admiration} is modelled and an investigation is performed into what emotional characters are selected for under different initial conditions and why. This examination provides a discussion regarding what emotional social norms emerge in a population when agents admire the individual success of others. Two salient questions are asked: is it is the case that emotional characters which promote the total wealth of the system are selected for as an emergent property and, do different initial conditions affect the emotional characteristics selected for?. Finally, chapter 8 extends chapter 7 by modelling \textit{hope} and enquires as to how particular emotional character populations (after a complete social norm has been established) deal with destabilisation of cooperation cycles due to periodic defection. The performance of agents endowed with differing emotional characters are again tested under different initial conditions and specific behavioural features of particular emotional characters are considered. In doing this I comment upon how different emotional characters deal with periodic defection and what the best approach is both in context of an agent's individual score and the total score of the system

Chinese dequity: transaction structure and two applications

In recent years, the financial market has been under the dual pressure of macro-economic downturn and deleveraging of industry entities. In this context, the regulating authorities have been encouraging enterprises to resort to debt replacement in order to lower financing cost. Therefore, the financing instrument characterized by "Chinese dequity" came into existence (Chen & Kensinger, 1991). As an innovative investment business, it has significantly contributed to China's economic development by making financing easier for enterprises and relieving the financial pressure on governments and banks. However, many problems have surfaced in its application in China, most notably the uneven distribution of each party’s control rights and interests, poor risk control and management, and a yet-to-be-perfected theoretical system. Further optimization is thus needed. In the above context, this thesis intends to ensure the consistency between the ultimate financing result and the expected goal by designing a transaction structure for "Chinese dequity" in construction projects. Such financing transaction structures of two projects are studied as cases, namely, the PPP Project of the Underground Utility Tunnel in HS City and XNY Private Chemical Construction Project. The author studies many theories, introduces the concept of "control rights preference", and constructs the optimal control rights allocation model by adopting stochastic cooperative games. On this basis, the designed transaction structure in infrastructure construction, allocation of control rights of participants, and existing problems are analyzed. In the end, a conclusion is made and suggestions for further research given.Nos últimos anos, o mercado financeiro tem estado sob a dupla pressão da recessão macroeconómica e da desalavancagem de entidades industriais. Neste contexto, as autoridades reguladoras vêm incentivando as empresas a recorrer à substituição de dívidas para reduzir o custo de financiamento. Portanto, surgiu o instrumento de financiamento caracterizado pela "deidade chinesa" (Chen & Kensinger, 1991). Como um negócio de investimento inovador, tem contribuído significativamente para o desenvolvimento económico da China fazendo mais fácil o financiamento para empresas e aliviando a pressão financeira sobre governos e bancos. No entanto, muitos problemas têm surgido em sua aplicação na China, principalmente a distribuição desigual dos direitos de controle e interesses de cada parte, o insatisfatório controle e gerenciamento de risco e, um sistema teórico ainda a ser aperfeiçoado. Otimização adicional é, portanto, necessária. No contexto acima, esta tese pretende garantir a consistência entre o resultado definitivo do financiamento e o objetivo esperado, projetando uma estrutura de transação para a "deidade chinesa" em projetos de construção. Tais estruturas de transação de financiamento de dois projetos são estudadas como casos, para esclarecer, o Projeto PPP do Túnel Utilitário Subterrâneo na cidade de HS e o Projeto Privado de Construção Química de XNY. O autor estuda muitas teorias, introduz o conceito de “preferência de direitos de controle” e constrói o modelo ótimo de alocação de direitos de controle adotando jogos cooperativos estocásticos. Com base nisso, a estrutura de transação projetada na construção de infraestrutura, a alocação de direitos de controle dos participantes e os problemas existentes são analisados. No final, uma conclusão é feita e sugestões para mais pesquisas são dadas