317 research outputs found
Concentration despite competition : the organizational ecology of technical assistance providers
When international organizations expand and proliferate, why do they fail to spread
more evenly in their policy sphere? To answer this question, this article builds on
organizational ecology theory, which was recently introduced into the study of inter-
national organizations. However, rather than studying each population separately, as
previous studies have done, this article investigates how distinct populations with
overlapping niches shape each otherâs evolution. It argues that when inter-population
competition occurs, the first population to occupy its niche at a high density limits the
long-term development of other populations. This is the case even if emerging popu-
lations may temporarily enjoy a higher growth rate. The argument is illustrated by a
study of the relations between four populations of technical assistance providers in the
field of intellectual property. By doing so, the article brings for the first time inter-
population relations in the study of international organizations and provides an expla-
nation for the persistent concentration of international organizations in specific areas of
the governance space
A multi-scale method to assess pesticide contamination risks in agricultural watersheds
The protection of water is now a major priority for environmental managers, especially around drinkingpumping stations. In view of the new challenges facing water agencies, we developed a method designedto support their public policy decision-making, at a variety of different spatial scales. In this paper, wepresent this new spatial method, using remote sensing and a GIS, designed to determine the contami-nation risk due to agricultural inputs, such as pesticides. The originality of this method lies in the useof a very detailed spatial object, the RSO (Reference Spatial Object), which can be aggregated to manyworking and managing scales. This has been achieved thanks to the pixel size of the remote sensing, witha grid resolution of 30 m Ă 30 m in our application.The method â called PHYTOPIXAL â is based on a combination of indicators relating to the environmen-tal vulnerability of the surface water environment (slope, soil type and distance to the stream) and theagricultural pressure (land use and practices of the farmers). The combination of these indicators for eachpixel provides the contamination risk. The scoring of variables was implemented according knowledgein literature and of experts.This method is used to target specific agricultural input transfer risks. The risk values are first calculatedfor each pixel. After this initial calculation, the data are then aggregated for decision makers, accordingto the most suitable levels of organisation. These data are based on an average value for the watershedareas.In this paper we detail an application of the method to an area in the hills of Southwest France. Weshow the pesticide contamination risk by in areas with different sized watersheds, ranging from 2 km2to 7000 km2, in which stream water is collected for consumption by humans and animals. The resultswere recently used by the regional water agency to determine the protection zoning for a large pumpingstation. Measures were then proposed to farmers with a view to improving their practices.The method can be extrapolated to different other areas to preserve or restore the surface water
Consensus-seeking, distrust and rhetorical entrapment : the WTO decision on access to medicines
While the WTO secretariat, key delegations, several NGOs, and industry publicly present the 30 August 2003 WTO Decision as an attempt to reconcile intellectual property with access to medicines, our research shows otherwise. We draw on qualitative analyses of 54 interviews and a lexicometric analysis of press releases to show that their enthusiastic public statements contrast deeply with their internal, cynical beliefs. Most of these actors not only consider the WTO Decision to be fundamentally flawed but claim to have known this prior to its adoption. We argue that a procedural norm of consensus-seeking impeded traditional bargaining over this sensitive issue and that distrust among participants hindered truth-seeking deliberation. Caught between strategic and communicative actions, state and non-state actors found themselves trapped in their own rhetoric of reconciling intellectual property with access to medicines. They realized that the appearance of a solution, rather than a functional solution, provided the only realistic outcome to a fruitless and publicly damaging continuation of debate. From a theoretical perspective, this case study sheds a new light on the gray zone between rational choice theory and constructivism, where both discourse and strategies matter. From an empirical perspective, it illustrates the risk of seeking consensus within international regimes when the procedural norm of consensus coexists with a high level of distrust
What can best explain the prevalence of bilateralism in the investment regime?
Most efforts to negotiate a multilateral agreement on the liberalization and protection of
investment have failed despite the fact that there are more than 2,400 bilateral investment treaties
in existence. We have coined this phenomenon the âlateralism paradox.â Within this article, we
consider five hypotheses that focus respectively on power asymmetries, incentives for defection,
strategic linkages, domestic constraints, and ongoing adaptation. We found that the first four
explanations are not supported by empirical evidence from the post-NAFTA period. We conclude
that bilateralism appears to be the only feasible approach for negotiating investment rules, as well
as the most sensible process to ensure continuous and dynamic adaptation
Les rĂ©gimes internationaux de lâenvironnement
Le concept de « rĂ©gime international » est utilisĂ© dans tous les domaines des relations internationales. Câest
nĂ©anmoins en politique internationale de lâenvironnement quâil connaĂźt le plus dâĂ©cho et quâil semble le plus
fĂ©cond. Il permet de rendre compte Ă la fois de la prolifĂ©ration exceptionnelle du nombre dâaccords
multilatĂ©raux sur lâenvironnement et de lâabsence dâorganisation multilatĂ©rale qui chapeauterait tous ces
accords. Cet article passe en revue les dĂ©bats sur la signification, lâĂ©mergence, le dĂ©veloppement et lâefficacitĂ©
des régimes environnementaux internationaux
Fable du code de la biodiversité : la juriste et le potager de grand-mÚre
International audienceQuand un Ă©vĂ©nement anecdotique place la communautĂ© internationale au pied du mur. Raz de marĂ©e Ă©lectoral en faveur du parti Ă©cologiste intĂ©griste aux Ătats-Unis qui, dĂšs son arrivĂ©e au pouvoir, a annoncĂ© sa dĂ©cision unilatĂ©rale dâappliquer des sanctions Ă©cologiques drastiques Ă tous les Ătats qui nâintĂšgreraient pas la conservation et lâutilisation durable de la diversitĂ© biologique dans lâensemble de leurs plans, programmes et politiques sectoriels ou intersectoriels. Les Ătats-Unis, conscients de leur rĂŽle de gendarme au service des gĂ©nĂ©rations futures, dĂ©cident donc de mettre tous les moyens en Ćuvre pour contraindre les Ătats Ă suivre leur exemple. Ainsi, dans le cadre de la conduite dâune politique volontaire de rĂ©duction dâĂ©mission des gaz Ă effet de serre, ils menacent de suspendre leurs ventes de puits de carbone aux pays nâappliquant pas la convention de Rio sur la biodiversitĂ©
Synthesis of Tetrathiafulvalene-Containing Zirconium (IV) Pincers and Metallocavitands for Hosting Fullerenes
The synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of zirconium(IV) dicarboxylate 1 and metallocavitand 2 are described. Encapsulation studies of fullerenes C60 and C70 were performed using UVâVis spectroscopy in chlorobenzene, toluene, benzene, carbon disulfide and in a mixture of toluene/dichloromethane. UVâVis titrations have shown that the binding abilities of the hosts toward fullerene C70 are considerably higher than those obtained for fullerene C60
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