National institutional systems’ hybridisation through interdependence. The case of EU-Russia gas relations

International audienceThe interdependencies between the EU and its external natural gas suppliers and Russia question the transformative impact of interdependence linked to hybridization processes. Our approach combines theories of institutional change, and French Regulation Theory. These approaches lead to a new look to characterize the way in which the confrontation of two regulatory systems (EU and Russia) is resolved today. The importance of the European market leads however to an adaptation of the Russian governance model for gas exchanges. But it also implies a transformation of the European model. The competitive norm acts as a lever to bring about hybridization of regulations in the Russian gas sector and EU energy policy

Contemporary changes and civil society in Portugal and the Russian Federation

Portugal and the Russian Federation share some aspects of traditional culture and similar experiences in modern history, but they also exhibit significant differences that determine specific modes of civil society’s development. Results of a comparative and diachronic analysis show that the major differences between the two countries reside in civil society’s openness and composition. Organized civil society is not very distinct in relative size when comparing Portugal and the Russian Federation, but it is globally more autonomous, expressive, trusted and institutionalized in Portugal than in the Russian Federation and among the factors that contribute to this condition are an earlier and revolutionary transition to democracy, a larger middle class, a greater prevalence of the value of interdependence, and a regime that endorses bigger public social expenditure in Portugal, all this within the framework of the European Union that has a longer history of social demand and institutional incentives for civil society. Despite those unequal conditions, civil society faces similar current challenges in both countries, mainly with the outsourcing of the public provision of social services.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Towards an appreciation of ethics in social enterprise business models

How can a critical analysis of entrepreneurial intention inform an appreciation of ethics in social enterprise business models? In answering this question, we consider the ethical commitments that inform entrepreneurial action (inputs) and the hybrid organisations that emerge out of these commitments and actions (outputs). Ethical theory can be a useful way to re-orient the field of social enterprise so that it is more critical of bureaucratic (charitable) and market-driven (business) enterprises connected to neo-liberal doctrine. Social enterprise hybrid business models are therefore reframed as outcomes of both ethical and entrepreneurial intentions. We challenge the dominant conceptualisation of social enterprise as a hybrid blend of mission and market (purpose-versus-resource) by reframing hybridity in terms of the moral choice of economic system (redistribution, reciprocity and market) and social value orientation (personal, mutual or public benefit). We deconstruct the political foundations of charitable trading activities (CTAs), co-operative and mutual enterprises (CMEs) and socially responsible businesses (SRBs) by examining the rationalities (formal, social and substantive) and ethical commitments (utilitarian, communitarian, pragmatic) that underpin them. Whilst conceptual modelling of social enterprise is not new, this paper contributes to knowledge by developing a theory of social enterprise ethics based on the moral/political choices that are made by entrepreneurs (knowingly and unknowingly) when choosing between systems of economic exchange and social value orientation, then expressing it through a legal form

Gazprom

International audienceGiven the scale of its reserves (16.8 % of the global total, according to BP) and output (605 Bcm in 2013), Russia is a major, perhaps essential, supplier for the European Union and international markets. Its gas industry is dominated by a powerful player, the Gazprom financial holding brought into existence by the reforms which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and its centrally planned economy. Gazprom occupies a unique position in the world market. In terms of reserves (70 % of the Russian Federation’s gas reserves), output (487 Bcm), and exports (233.7 Bcm), it is the largest vertically integrated gas company, with interests ranging from exploration to transport. It has a monopoly on Russia’s Unified Gas Supply System (for long-distance domestic transport) and on exports by gas pipeline, thanks to Gazprom Export, a wholly owned subsidiary. As such it is an essential player in the European gas market

State and markets in Russia's hydrocarbon sectors : domestic specificities and interrelations with the West

International audienc

High Resolution Spintronics Probe-Array Technology Solutions for Very Near-Field Scanning

New integrated high-resolution Spintronics Probe-Array at nanometric and micronic scales are proposed for very-near field (VNF) scanning and OTA-testing of electronic circuits and radiating systems. The proposed technology solutions lead to small dimensions (micrometric range), reduced cost, and high magnetic field sensitivity at room temperature with tunability through smart-adaptive-biasing control. The measured performances exhibit improvements in terms of accuracy and thermal stability outperforming state of the art sensors based on SQUID techniques, Josephson junctions or loops-based technologies. Porting of chemically functionalized Spintronics into advanced FD-SOI platforms is proposed as an enabler of hybrid interferometric Thermal-Electromagnetic sensing based on unified analog-digital image-correlators using ASIC-System on a Chip (ASIC-SoC) integration solutions