Neighbourhood Reduction in Global and Combinatorial Optimization: The Case of the p-Centre Problem

Neighbourhood reductions for a class of location problems known as the vertex (or discrete) and planar (or continuous) p-centre problems are presented. A brief review of these two forms of the p-centre problem is first provided followed by those respective reduction schemes that have shown to be promising. These reduction schemes have the power of transforming optimal or near optimal methods such as metaheuristics or relaxation-based procedures, which were considered relatively slow, into efficient and exciting ones that are now able to find optimal solutions or tight lower/upper bounds for larger instances. Research highlights of neighbourhood reduction for global and combinatorial optimisation problems in general and for related location problems in particular are also given

Protecting labor rights in preferential trade agreements: the role of trade unions, left governments, and skilled labor

This paper investigates variation in the design of labor provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) by focusing on the power of trade unions, the role of government partisanship, and the relative strength of skilled labor. We expect strong trade unions and left-leaning governments to be associated with more, and more far-reaching labor provisions in PTAs. We also expect the strength of skilled workers relative to the strength of unskilled workers to negatively correlate with the depth of labor provisions in PTAs. In addition, the effect of trade unions should be conditional on both the presence of left government and democracy. We test these hypotheses relying on an original dataset of labor provisions included in 483 PTAs signed between 1990 and 2016. This dataset covers 140 different labor provisions that relate to six overarching dimensions. The quantitative analysis finds support for the expectations concerning the influence of trade unions and the role of a country’s skill profile

The 'ebb and flow' of transatlantic regulatory cooperation in banking

Do financial crises promote or hamper transatlantic regulatory cooperation in banking? This article argues that financial crises have an impact upon the alignment of regulatory preferences of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU), causing an 'ebb and flow' in transatlantic cooperation. When EU-US preferences are broadly aligned in periods of financial stability, transatlantic regulatory cooperation is intense. It is relatively easy for the EU and US to agree on market-friendly regulation promoted by banks. When preferences are different, especially in the context and aftermath of the exogenous shock of financial crises, transatlantic cooperation is more problematic because crises re-assert the importance of nationally embedded patterns of market organisation

Beyond links: understanding meaning and control in political blogs

The use of hyperlinks in blogs produces hypertexts, which are characterized by an irregular and not sequential organization. Contrary to the narrative structures in which the author exercises his authority by setting an order of events, hypertexts compromise the integrity of authorship. Blog hyperlinking thus challenges traditional notion of authorship and control exercised over the speech produced. Political contexts, such as those inhabited by politicians and news providers, are quite sensitive to these compromises as control over meanings is seen as problematic. The use of a hyperlink can be seen as willingness to renounce to full control, but acknowledging its presence is insufficient to analyze its effects in the meaning of the posts. This article argues that a qualitative assessment of links is necessary if a full understanding of hyperlinks implications is to be provided. It proposes a model of analysis with three levels of compromising: referential, accessory, and compulsory.This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (grant number SFRH/ DB/45400/2008 and Strategic Project PEst-OE/COM/UI0736/2013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio