Transnational Fiduciary Law in Financial Intermediation: Are We There Yet? A Case Study in the Emergence of Transnational Legal Ordering

At first sight, the emergence of globally accepted conduct-of-business standards for securities intermediaries, driven by international standard-setting bodies, presents itself as a showcase for successful transnational legal ordering. For some time now, such standards have come to address issues that traditionally would be addressed by fiduciary law in common law jurisdictions. Within the European Union, the relevant standards have been transposed into legislation binding on all EU Member States, irrespective of their legal environment. While clearly originating from common law principles governing fiduciary relationships, the standards thus have trickled into civil law systems, turning them into a useful object of study from the perspective of transnational law theory. Against this backdrop, the present Article explores the emanation, development, transnational dissemination, and reception of conduct-of-business standards from a European and German law perspective and looks at enforcement problems in both administrative and contract law. It demonstrates that, while the relevant law can be characterized as reflecting an emerging transnational legal order, differences between legal systems continue to exist and the process of transnationalization is far from over

A Text Collage

Starting from a fishbowl discussion which has taken place at the conference, this paper discusses what can be gained from thinking across genderqueer theories and anthropological Europeanization research. It argues that thinking queerly includes a skepticism towards identitarian and normative understandings of Europe, as well as an ethnographic attention to that which emerges in the gaps and cracks of Europeanization, while keeping in mind the ways in which institutions working in the name of Europe generate heterogeneous experiences resulting in unequal and differentially distributed, multiple Europes. ‘Queering Europe’ oscillates between an emphasis on the central role of the sexual and the gendered in imaginations of Europe and destabilizing notions of Europe in a more general sense and is as such closely related to post-/decolonial approaches. This analytical move has three dimensions to it: Firstly, queering Europe aims at deconstructing hegemonic imaginaries of Europe. Secondly, it makes visible the pluralistic and fragmented nature of Europe(s) and the ambivalent and sometimes unforeseen consequences processes of Europeanization are accompanied by. Thirdly, queering Europe can be envisioned as a way of imagining and thinking Europe through a “critical utopianism” (Mbembe 2019) that puts solidarity center stage. In all three dimensions, an ethnography informed by decolonial critiques as well as by proposals for queering methodologies constitutes our chosen epistemological tool to gain deeper insights into queering Europe as a mode of knowledge production and political vision.Ausgehend von einer Fish-Bowl-Diskussion, die während der Konferenz stattfand, diskutieren wir in unserem Beitrag, was durch ein Denken zwischen gender_queer Theorien und anthropologischer Europäisierungsforschung gewonnen werden kann. Wir argumentieren, dass queeres Denken eine Skepsis gegenüber identitären und normativen Verständnissen von Europa beinhalten muss sowie eine ethnographische Aufmerksamkeit dafür, was in den Lücken und Rissen der Europäisierung auftaucht. Gleichzeitig gilt es im Auge zu behalten, wie Institutionen, die im Namen Europas arbeiten, heterogene Erfahrungen erzeugen, die zu ungleichen und unterschiedlich verteilten, multiplen Europas führen. Insofern korrespondiert dieser Zugang mit post-/dekolonialen Ansätzen in der Anthropologie. Queering Europe oszilliert zwischen einer Aufmerksamkeit für die zentrale Rolle, die Sexualität und Geschlecht in den Imaginarien von Europa spielen, und der Destabilisierung von Vorstellungen von Europa in einem allgemeineren Sinn. Drei Dimensionen dieses analytischen Ansatzes werden diskutiert: Erstens zielt queering Europe darauf ab, hegemoniale Vorstellungen von Europa zu dekonstruieren; zweitens macht es den multiplen und fragmentierten Charakter Europas sowie die ambivalenten und manchmal unvorhersehbaren Konsequenzen sichtbar, die Europäisierungsprozesse mit sich bringen; und drittens kann queering Europe als Möglichkeit gesehen werden, Europa durch die Linse eines "kritischen Utopismus" (Mbembe 2019) zu betrachten und Solidarität in den Mittelpunkt der Überlegungen zu stellen. In allen drei Dimensionen stellt ethnographisches Arbeiten, das von dekolonialen Kritiken sowie von Vorschlägen zum Queeren von Methoden geprägt ist, das erkenntnistheoretische Werkzeug dar, um tiefere Einblicke in queering Europe als eine Art der Wissensproduktion wie der politischen Vision zu erhalten.Peer Reviewe

Entscheidungsregeln in multilateralen Konflikten

"Eine wichtige Komponente von Konfliktmanagement und Mediation besteht in der Verhandlung widerstreitender Interessen. Während sich die bisherige Forschung in diesem Bereich vor allem auf Situationen mit nur zwei Konfliktparteien konzentriert hat, behandelt dieser Beitrag einige Besonderheiten von multilateralen Verhandlungen. Das Aushandeln einer Einigung wird als das Aufstellen einer gemeinsamen Entscheidungsregel, der Lösungsstrategie, charakterisiert. Eine prominente Regel ist das 'log-rolling', bei dem ein Ausgleich zwischen verschiedenen Verhandlungsthemen angestrebt wird. In der einfachsten Form beinhaltet log-rolling, bei wichtigen Themen auf der eigenen Position zu beharren, dafür aber bei unwichtigen Themen nachzugeben. In multilateralen Verhandlungen kann jedoch eine andere Form von log-rolling notwendig sein, bei der gerade die wichtigen Themen aufgegeben werden müssen, um der Gruppe ein möglichst gutes Ergebnis zu ermöglichen. In diesem Fall steht eine schwer nachvollziehbare Regel im Widerspruch zu einer leicht nachvollziehbaren. Es liegt ein Regelkonflikt vor, der zu schlechteren Verhandlungsergebnissen führen sollte. Diese Überlegungen werden in drei experimentellen Studien mit formalisierten Verhandlungsaufgaben in Rollenspielen überprüft. In zwei unterschiedlichen Szenarien, einer Geschäftsverhandlung und einer Friedensverhandlung, werden Interessen so vorgegeben, dass Verhandlungen mit und ohne Regelkonflikt entstehen. Wie sich zeigt, führt ein Regelkonflikt zu deutlich schlechteren Verhandlungsergebnissen. Dieser Effekt ist sehr robust und kann auch durch eine Strukturierung der Diskussion und zusätzliche Hilfestellungen für die Verhandlungsparteien nur ansatzweise aufgehoben werden. Es wird deshalb empfohlen, in multilateralen Konflikten eine möglichst flexible Suche nach Lösungsansätzen anzuregen und auch bei Positionen, die den Parteien besonders wichtig sind, nach Alternativen zu suchen. Eine vermittelnde Partei sollte ihre Unterstützung nicht nur auf die Generierung von Ansätzen, sondern insbesondere auf die Umsetzung dieser Ansätze konzentrieren." (Autorenreferat)"An important component in conflict management and mediation comprises the negotiation of conflicting interests. Whereas past research in this area has focused primarily on situations with only two conflict parties the work presented here deals with multi-party negotiation. Negotiation of an agreement can be characterised as the establishment of a common decision rule or solving strategy. A prominent rule is log-rolling which aims at trade-offs between different negotiation issues. In its simplest form log-rolling is achieved by sticking to one's position on issues of high importance whilst conceding on issues of low importance. In multi-party negotiation, however, a different form of log-rolling can be required. In fact, sometimes the most important issues have to be given up in order for the group to obtain a good outcome. In such cases a less plausible rule is in contradiction with a more plausible one. This rule conflict is expected to lead to worse outcomes. These hypotheses are tested in three experimental studies using formalised negotiation tasks in role plays. In two different scenarios, a business negotiation and a peace negotiation, interests are pre-defined in such a way as to create negotiations with and without a rule conflict. It turns out that a rule conflict leads to markedly worse negotiation outcomes. This effect is quite robust. It is only in part affected by structuring the discussion and by providing negotiation parties with additional aids. Therefore, in multi-party conflicts, it is recommended to stimulate a search for solution strategies that is as flexible as possible and to look for alternatives even for positions that are of high importance to parties. A mediating party should focus its support not only on the generation of strategic approaches, but also on their implementation." (author's abstract

On the environmental competitiveness of sodium-ion batteries under a full life cycle perspective – a cell-chemistry specific modelling approach

Sodium-ion batteries (SIB) are among the most promising type of post-lithium batteries, being promoted for environmental friendliness and the avoidance of scarce or critical raw materials. However, the knowledge-base in this regard is weak, and comparatively little is known about the environmental performance of different SIB types in comparison with current lithium-ion batteries (LIB) under consideration of the whole battery life cycle (‘cradle-to-grave’). This work provides a complete and comprehensive update of the state of knowledge in the field of life cycle assessment of SIB. It develops and discloses a specific tool for dimensioning and assessing SIB cells, including a cell-specific model of an advanced hydrometallurgical recycling process. It provides the corresponding inventory data for five different types of SIB and compares their environmental impacts with those of competing LIB, taking into account the full life cycle (cradle-to-grave) and an individual cell dimensioning based on electrochemical considerations. Recycling is found to be highly relevant for minimizing environmental impacts of the batteries, though its benefit depends strongly on the individual cell chemistry. Deep recycling might not be favourable for cathodes based on abundant materials and could even increase impacts. Especially the assessed manganese and nickel–manganese based SIB chemistries show promising results, given that they achieve at least similar lifetimes as their LIB counterparts

Correction: On the environmental competitiveness of sodium-ion batteries under a full life cycle perspective – a cell-chemistry specific modelling approach

Correction for ‘On the environmental competitiveness of sodium-ion batteries under a full life cycle perspective – a cell-chemistry specific modelling approach’ by Jens F. Peters et al., Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2021, 5, 6414–6429, DOI: 10.1039/D1SE01292D

Miljøoptimering af godstransport indenfor bygge-anlægssektoren

Det overordnede formål med projektet er følgende: at få afklaret i hvilket omfang, der er et forbedringspotentiale med hensyn til optimering af transportarbejdet indenfor bygge-anlægssektoren, hvorved miljøbelastningen kan reduceres. at undersøge, hvorledes transporterne indenfor sektoren kan påvirkes i denne retning ved forskellige løsningsmuligheder. For at undersøge dette er der gennemført transportregistreringer på to konkrete projekter og gennemført interviewrunder blandt de tilknyttede branchers aktører. I dette paper præsenteres nogle af resultaterne fra disse undersøgelser

Prospective Sustainability Screening of Sodium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials

Sodium-ion batteries (SIB) are considered as a promising alternative to overcome existing sustainability challenges related to Lithium-ion batteries (LIB), such as the use of critical and expensive materials with high environmental impacts. In contrast to established LIBs, SIBs are an emerging technology in an early stage of development where a challenge is to identify the most promising and sustainable cathode active materials (CAM) for further research and potential commercialization. Thus, a comprehensive and flexible CAM screening method is developed, providing a fast and comprehensive overview of potential sustainability hotspots for supporting cathode material selection. 42 different SIB cathodes are screened and benchmarked against eight state-of-the-art LIB-cathodes. Potential impacts are quantified for the following categories: i) Cost as ten-year average; ii) Criticality, based on existing raw material criticality indicators, and iii) the life cycle carbon footprint. The results reveal that energy density is one of the most important factors in all three categories, determining the overall material demand. Most SIB CAM shows a very promising performance, obtaining better results than the LIB benchmark. Especially the Prussian Blue derivatives and the manganese-based layered oxides seem to be interesting candidates under the given prospective screening framework