Public Procurement as Social Policy? An introduction to social criteria in public procurement in Germany

Sarter EK, Sack D, Fuchs S. Public Procurement as Social Policy? An introduction to social criteria in public procurement in Germany. Comparative Governance. Vol 1. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld. Arbeitsgebiet Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft; 2014

Haraga und "Wirtschaftsmärtyrer" in der transnationalen marokkanischen Gesellschaft

Haraga und "Wirtschaftsmärtyrer" in der transnationalen marokkanischen Gesellschaf

Haraga und "Wirtschaftsmärtyrer" in der transnationalen marokkanischen Gesellschaft

Haraga und "Wirtschaftsmärtyrer" in der transnationalen marokkanischen Gesellschaf

High-resolution satellite-based cloud detection for the analysis of land surface effects on boundary layer clouds

The observation of boundary layer clouds with high-resolution satellite data can provide comprehensive insights into spatiotemporal patterns of land-surface-driven modification of cloud occurrence, such as the diurnal variation of the occurrence of fog holes and cloud enhancements attributed to the impact of the urban heat island. High-resolution satellite-based cloud-masking approaches are often based on locally optimised thresholds that can be affected by the local surface reflectance, and they therefore introduce spatial biases in the detected cloud cover. In this study, geostationary satellite observations are used to develop and validate two high-resolution cloud-masking approaches for the region of Paris to show and improve applicability for analyses of urban effects on clouds. Firstly, the Local Empirical Cloud Detection Approach (LECDA) uses an optimised threshold to separate the distribution of visible reflectances into cloudy and clear sky for each individual pixel accounting for its locally specific brightness. Secondly, the Regional Empirical Cloud Detection Approach (RECDA) uses visible reflectance thresholds that are independent of surface reflection at the observed location. Validation against in-situ cloud fractions reveals that both approaches perform similarly, with a probability of detection (POD) of 0.77 and 0.69 for LECDA and RECDA, respectively. Results show that with the application of RECDA a decrease of cloud cover during typical fog or low-stratus conditions over the urban area of Paris for the month of November is likely a result of urban effects on cloud dissipation. While LECDA is representative for the widespread usage of locally optimised approaches, comparison against RECDA reveals that the cloud masks obtained from LECDA result in regional biases of ±5 % that are most likely caused by the differences in surface reflectance in and around the urban areas of Paris. This makes the regional approach, RECDA, a more appropriate choice for the high-resolution satellite-based analysis of cloud cover modifications over different surface types and the interpretation of locally induced cloud processes. Further, this approach is potentially transferable to other regions and temporal scales for analysing long-term natural and anthropogenic impacts of land cover changes on clouds

The Early Mother-to-Child Bond and Its Unique Prospective Contribution to Child Behavior Evaluated by Mothers and Teachers

Maternal bonding has been described as the quality of the affective tie from a mother to her infant. This early bond's mental components and its longitudinal impact on child outcome have been markedly understudied. Although most researchers assume impaired maternal bonding to have a negative impact on child development, there is a lack of prospective studies evaluating this hypothesis. Since maternal mental health problems may negatively affect both bonding quality and child development, it is still to be determined whether there is a unique contribution of bonding quality to child behavior problems over and above maternal psychopathology. We examined a community sample of 101 mother-child dyads at the child's age of 2 weeks (t1) and 6 weeks (t2), 4 months (t3), 14 months (t4), and 5.5 years (t5). Maternal bonding and psychopathology were assessed at time points t1-t4 using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ-16) and the Symptom Checklist Revised (SCL 90-R). Child behavior problems were rated in a multi-informant design by mothers and teachers at t5 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). In the case of maternal judgment of child behavior problems, bonding at 14 months (t4) proved to be a significant predictor ((beta = 0.30;p = 0.011). Teacher-rated child behavior problems were significantly predicted by maternal bonding at 2 weeks (t1;beta = 0.48;p = 0.025). Our results indicate a prospective influence of the early mother-infant bond on child development and underline the unique contribution of bonding quality to child behavior problems over and above the impact of maternal psychopathology in a community sample. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Base

Informational Capitalism and the Digital Divide in Africa

In this paper we present a critical theoretical notion of the digital divide in informational capitalism. Digital divides are seen as the result of the inherent asymmetry of accumulation processes in the economic, political, and cultural system of contemporary society and resulting structural inequalities. The empirical part of the paper discusses the digital divide in Nigeria as an example from Africa and shows besides the severity of the situation that the policies of liberalization and privatization haven’t improved the problem. In the last section we identify six potential strategies for the solution of digital divides. We argue that five of them are one-dimensional and short sighted, advanced a critique and deconstruction of neo-liberal solutions, and argue that an integrative strategy aiming at social, political-economical, and technological change is needed

New Challenges for Human-Robot Collaboration in an Industrial Context: Acceptability and Natural Collaboration

International audienceIn this paper, we focus on two challenges to enable human-robot collaboration in factories. The first challenge is to evaluate the acceptability of an operator to work with a robot on a new collaborative task. Comparing physical and virtual situation, we highlight notions related to acceptability which can be evaluated using virtual reality. This will able us to evaluate future collaborative scenarios before their setting-up on supply chains. The second challenge is to provide a natural collaboration between the robot and the operator. We chose to study gesture recognition to enable a smooth collaboration. With this method, the robot should be able to understand its environment, adapt its speed and be synchronized with the operator. We used two use cases to test our frameworks, to evaluate them and to highlight possible improvements

Komplexe Wechselbeziehungen: Geschlechterpolitik in Osteuropa

25 Jahre nach Beginn der demokratischen Transformationen in Osteuropa sind wir mit ambivalenten Ergebnissen in Bezug auf die Geschlechterverhältnisse konfrontiert. Demokratisierung war nicht gleichbedeutend mit Geschlechterdemokratie, der Übergang zur "freien" Marktwirtschaft kein Äquivalent zur ökonomischen Gleichstellung der Geschlechter. Die Einleitung zum Schwerpunktheft gibt einen Forschungsüberblick über neue Erkenntnisse zu den Geschlechterverhältnissen in den östlichen Mitgliedsstaaten der EU. Hierbei werden insbesondere die Wirkungen der EU auf die Geschlechterpolitik Mittelosteuropas diskutiert und zwei Felder, Sozialpolitik und die Bekämpfung häuslicher Gewalt, herausgegriffen. Die strukturellen Wirkungen des EU-Mandats in der Gleichstellungspolitik werden in Bezug auf Gleichstellungsinstitutionen und NGOs beleuchtet. Schließlich zeigt ein Blick auf die Ukraine exemplarisch den widersprüchlichen Charakter der Geschlechterverhältnisse in Bezug auf Frauenrollen, Sozialpolitik und weiblichem Aktivismus. Die Einleitung schließt mit Überlegungen für künftige Forschung und in Bezug auf politischen Handlungsbedarf, welcher die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter voranbringen könnte.Following 25 years of democratic transformation in Eastern Europe, we are still confronted with ambiguous results regarding gender relations. Democratisation was neither synonymous with gender democracy, nor did the transition to a 'free' market economy produce economic gender equality. This introduction to our special issues surveys new research on gender relations in the Eastern member states of the European Union. We then evaluate the structural impact of EU mandates in these domains, i.e., on the architecture of Women's Policy Agencies and on the role of women's Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). We present a case study on gender developments in Ukraine as a non-member state to further illustrate the contradictory nature of evolving gender relations in the region as regards women's roles, social policies and female activism. The introduction closes with reflections on the types of research and political activities that could further the pursuit of gender equality