De la sujétion à la citoyenneté itinéraire du concept de ra’iya

Dans la pensée politique marocaine traditionnelle, le terme ra'iya revient de façon récurrente pour désigner les gouvernés et établir leurs devoirs vis-à-vis du sultan. Objet du pouvoir sultanien, ra'iya doit en premier lieu s'abstenir, comme l'explicite toute la littérature politique sultanienne de toute action politique. L'utilisation d'un tel concept recèle, bien entendu, une conception de l'espace politique, une vision du rapport État/société. Dans toute la littérature politique sultanienne, il n'est jamais question de « peuple », « nation », « citoyen » … concepts relevant d'un autre contexte socio-politique. Cette approche traditionnelle a dominé la pensée politique marocaine jusqu'au moins la fin du 19e siècle. Elle se situe aux antipodes de la pensée grecque qui conçoit «le citoyen» comme élément de base de la cité-État. En effet, l'esprit de cette approche exclut catégoriquement les concepts politiques grecs, lesquels concepts seront revifiés, revitalisés, avec l'Europe de la Renaissance, et diffusés après avoir été revigorisés, et somment par conséquent les penseurs marocains de se positionner vis-à-vis de cette nouvelle conception du politique. Dans ce sens on est amené à se poser la question lorsqu'un éminent penseur comme Abdallah Laroui constate avec étonnement qu'au cours du 19e siècle, les penseurs marocains, n'ont rien ajouté aux classiques, et que face à des problèmes cruciaux, ils ne trouvent rien de mieux que de rappeler la célébre « loi circulaire » attribuée à Aristote et abondamment citée par leurs prédecesseurs. En effet l'esquisse d'une effervescence conceptuelle est perceptible dés la fin du 19e siècle. Cette effervescence s'accentuera avec les premières élaborations, constitutionnelles (1906/1908), et prendra une autre dimension avec les écrits de quelques auteurs marocains réformistes et salafites. Cette contribution consiste à s'interroger sur la manière adoptée par la pensée politique marocaine afin de composer avec unnouvel appareil conceptuel. L'a-t-on rejeté partiellement ou totalement ? A-ton essayé de l'endogéneiser ? S'agit-il en dernière analyse de cohabitation conceptuelle ou d'un phagocyte entraînant l'élimination des concepts «indigènes»•? Bref, il est question dans cette étude de suivre et de vérifier l'itinéraire d'un concept : ra'iya (sujets)

Automatic Clustering with Single Optimal Solution

Determining optimal number of clusters in a dataset is a challenging task. Though some methods are available, there is no algorithm that produces unique clustering solution. The paper proposes an Automatic Merging for Single Optimal Solution (AMSOS) which aims to generate unique and nearly optimal clusters for the given datasets automatically. The AMSOS is iteratively merges the closest clusters automatically by validating with cluster validity measure to find single and nearly optimal clusters for the given data set. Experiments on both synthetic and real data have proved that the proposed algorithm finds single and nearly optimal clustering structure in terms of number of clusters, compactness and separation.Comment: 13 pages,4 Tables, 3 figure

From observer-dependent facts to frame-dependent measurement records in Wigner friend scenarios

The description of Wigner-friend scenarios -- in which external agents describe a closed laboratory containing a friend making a measurement -- remains problematic due to the ambiguous nature of quantum measurements. One option is to endorse assumptions leading to observer-dependent facts, given that the friend's measurement outcome is not defined from the point of view of the external observers. We introduce in this work a model showing that these assumptions can also lead to measurement records that depend on the inertial reference frame in which the agents make their observations. Our model is based on an entangled pair shared by the friend and a distant agent performing space-like separated measurements. An external observer at rest relative to the closed laboratory and observers in a moving frame do not agree on the observed records, which are not Lorentz transforms of one another

An examination of UK companies' modern slavery disclosure practices: Does board gender diversity matter?

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals persuade governments and businesses to fight modern slavery as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The UK government took the initiative by introducing the Modern Slavery Act in 2015. Despite this, little is known about how companies disclose information about their efforts to tackle modern slavery as required by the Act and the role of corporate governance as a determinant of modern slavery disclosure (MSD) levels. This study, therefore, investigates the extent to which companies engage in MSD and empirically examines the impact of board gender diversity (BGD) on MSD. Based on a content analysis of FTSE 100 companies' modern slavery statements during the 2016–2020 period, we find that MSD improved over time but is still relatively low. Our results show that companies pay less attention to the core practices of modern slavery, such as key performance indicators (KPIs), due diligence procedures, risk assessment and management, and training. This evidence suggests that companies tend to comply with the Act by focusing largely on symbolic structures rather than providing a comprehensive disclosure of their impacts on modern slavery practices to minimise regulatory risks and manage stakeholders' perceptions. We also find that boards with greater female representation have a positive and significant association with MSD. This finding is consistent with the gender socialisation theory in that women are more sensitive to communal values and ethics. Consequently, companies with a greater proportion of female directors are more transparent about their strategies and actions related to fighting modern slavery. Furthermore, a critical mass of at least four female directors is necessary before any positive impact on MSD can be observed. Our findings shed new light on this under-researched area and the role of female directors in addressing modern slavery risk and can be of interest to companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders

Making sense of relativistic Wigner friend scenarios

Wigner-friend scenarios -- in which external agents describe a closed laboratory containing a friend making a measurement -- highlight the difficulties inherent to quantum theory when accounting for measurements. Recently, several works have investigated Wigner-friend scenarios with relativistic constraints, systematically resulting in a contradiction between observations made in different inertial reference frames. We examine in this paper the reasons for and the implications of these contradictions. Having in mind the well-known tensions between quantum theory and relativity, we will put a particular emphasis on the role of the relativistic constraints in these scenarios

Effect of a moving mirror on the free fall of a quantum particle in a homogeneous gravitational field

We investigate the effect of time-dependent boundary conditions on the dynamics of a quantum bouncer -- a particle falling in a homogeneous gravitational field on a moving mirror. We examine more particularly the way a moving mirror modifies the properties of the entire wavefunction of a falling particle. We find that some effects, such as the fact that a quantum particle hitting a moving mirror may bounce significantly higher than when the mirror is fixed, are in line with classical intuition. Other effects, such as the change in relative phases or in the current density in spatial regions arbitrarily far from the mirror are specifically quantum. We further discuss how the effects produced by a moving mirror could be observed in link with current experiments, in particular with cold neutrons

Impact of Institutional Environment Quality on Tax Evasion: A Comparative Investigation of Old Versus New EU Members

This paper aims at comparatively investigating the impact of institutional environment quality (IEQ) on tax evasion in old (pre-2004) and new (post-2004) European Union (EU) member states. IEQ is measured by the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators, which include voice and accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption. The size of shadow economy is used as a proxy for tax evasion. Using a linear mixed model to analyse the data, the results indicate a higher level of tax evasion in new member states compared to the old ones and reveal that tax evasion is decreasing in the old, albeit at a lower rate compared to the new EU members. Overall, there is evidence that the impact of IEQ on tax evasion is different between the two groups. While regulatory quality, voice and accountability, control of corruption, political stability and government effectiveness are significant determinants of tax evasion levels in older EU members, government effectiveness is the only significant factor in the new EU member states

Functional plasticity and tolerance to drought conditions of 11 apple tree varieties grown in Morocco

In this study, 11 varieties were grown in the experimental chamber in order to determine the morphological, anatomical and physiological characteristics of each. The experimental protocol was carried out under controlled conditions of irrigation, temperature and hygrometry. The values obtained of the thickness, the cuticle, length of the ostiole, density and size of the stomata and then of stomatal and cuticular sweat have made it possible to calculate the stomatic resistance of each variety and to evaluate its potential to adapt to drought conditions. We have highlighted significant differences related to variety through the Duncan test. 4 groups are identified and the results are discussed in this article

Can board environmental orientation improve U.S. firms' carbon performance? The mediating role of carbon strategy

Overwhelming evidence from prior research suggests a positive association between corporate board characteristics and carbon performance; however, very little is known about the mechanisms linking the two variables. This study attempts to fill this gap by developing and empirically testing a conceptual model that highlights the role of carbon strategy in the relationship between board environmental orientation (BEO) and carbon performance. We argue that BEO can directly and indirectly influence carbon performance through carbon strategy. Using structural equation modelling to analyse data consisting of 2,301 US firm-year observations over the 2005-2015 period, we find that the greater the BEO is, the better its carbon performance (i.e., lower greenhouse gas emissions). The results also provide evidence of the mediating effect of carbon strategy on the relationship between BEO and carbon performance. Splitting the sample into high and low carbon-intensive industries shows a partial mediation effect in high carbon-intensive industries and a full mediation effect in low carbon-intensive industries. The findings of the study and its implications for scholars, policy makers, managers, investors and environmentalists are discussed