Governing asylum seekers : logistics, differentiation, and failure in the European Union’s reception regime

This thesis investigates the complex and heterogeneous regime of government resulting from the failure of the EU attempts to govern asylum seekers through the Dublin system and the harmonisation of reception conditions. Combining the analytical perspective of governmentality with a regime analysis which resembles those proposed by critical migration studies, the thesis aims to identify features and functioning of a possible EU government of asylum seekers, which is defined as EU reception regime. Through a rich empirical study primarily based on semi-structured interviews with a range of different actors in several contexts in Italy and Sweden, three key modes of operation of the regime are identified, which are: logistics, differentiation, and failure. Logistics denotes an increasing importance of operational and organisational concerns in the reception of asylum seekers, which pave the way to the commodification of reception and transform the regime into a reception industry. Differentiation concerns a mode of governing asylum seekers based on the arbitrary multiplication of treatments, conditions, and experiences, across as well as within states, which therefore makes the regime work as a reception roulette. Finally, failure is a key aspect of the regime which is both intrinsic to its functioning and productive, thus making the regime operate as a reception dispositif. In particular, the thesis shows how the failure of the regime to limit movements ends up “illegalising” them and consequently fostering conditions of invisibility, disposability, and vulnerability. In this way, it is argued, the EU reception regime assures an unlimited supply of cheap, precarious, and vulnerable labour for member states’ economies, thus allowing the incorporation of reception into the neoliberal logic of valorisation of mobility which informs the EU politics of migration management

What contributes to locavorism as a consumer ideology?

Purpose – In this study the authors aim to explore the factors that contribute to the formation of locavorism as a form of consumer ideology. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the authors adopt an inductive approach by preselecting locavore consumers and conducting 43 semi-structured interviews, following the prescriptions of narrative- enquiry research. Findings – The authors reveal that individual-level (i.e. values, beliefs and experiences) and social-level (i.e. groups, local communities and society) influences and exogenous factors can affect the formation of locavorism. Furthermore, the authors’ findings corroborate the concept advanced by prior studies that reinforcing loops exist among the three belief dimensions of locavorism. Practical implications – Food producers can use these findings to shape their marketing strategies more effectively to target locavore consumers and/or stimulate the consumption of local food. Social implications – Identifying the influences of social- and individual-level factors on the formation of locavorism can contribute to the understanding of demand shifts towards local food consumption. Additionally, by revealing the modes of thought that formulate the ideologies of locavore consumers, the authors offer guidance in the development of policies that can safeguard local economies and traditions and reduce transport pollution and food waste in favour of sustainable local consumption. Originality/value – In the present article the authors explore the psychological and contextual mechanisms that contribute to the formation of locavorism

Why genes overlap in viruses

The genomes of most virus species have overlapping genes\u2014two or more proteins coded for by the same nucleotide sequence. Several explanations have been proposed for the evolution of this phenomenon, and we test these by comparing the amount of gene overlap in all known virus species. We conclude that gene overlap is unlikely to have evolved as a way of compressing the genome in response to the harmful effect of mutation because RNA viruses, despite having generally higher mutation rates, have less gene overlap on average than DNA viruses of comparable genome length. However, we do find a negative relationship between overlap proportion and genome length among viruses with icosahedral capsids, but not among those with other capsid types that we consider easier to enlarge in size. Our interpretation is that a physical constraint on genome length by the capsid has led to gene overlap evolving as a mechanism for producing more proteins from the same genome length. We consider that these patterns cannot be explained by other factors, namely the possible roles of overlap in transcription regulation, generating more divergent proteins and the relationship between gene length and genome length

Waiting as probation: selecting self-disciplining asylum seekers

This article diagnoses and critiques a type of governmentality associated with waiting during protracted asylum appeal procedures by drawing upon data from a multi-methodological study of asylum adjudication in Europe. Focusing on Austria, Germany and Italy, we explore the use of integration-related considerations in asylum appeal processes by looking at the ways in which these considerations permeate judges’ decision-making, particularly, but not exclusively, on the granting of national, non-EU harmonised protection statuses. Building on insights from the literature on conditional integration we question the implicit socio-political biases and moral assumptions that underpin this permeation. We show that the use of integration-related considerations in asylum appeals transforms migrant waiting into a period of probation during which rejected asylum seekers’ conducts are governed and tested in relation to the use of time. More than simply waiting patiently, rejected asylum seekers are expected to wait productively, whereby productivity is assessed through the neoliberal imperatives of entrepreneurship, autonomy and self-improvement. We thus contribute to scholarship on migrant waiting by showing how time is capitalised by state authorities even when–and actually because–it offers opportunities for migrants

The Implementation of the Hotspot Approach in Italy. CONDISOBS Policy Paper No. 2

This policy paper is based on the findings of the H2020 project CONDISOBS, which was conducted by Lorenzo Vianelli at the University of Luxembourg, thanks to funding received from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 838722. CONDISOBS explored the governance of the mobility of asylum seekers in the European Union through a multi-sited qualitative study based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with state officials, representatives of international organisations and non-governmental organisations, lawyers, members of advocacy groups, social workers and activists. Interview material was integrated by an extensive review of academic literature, policy documents and institutional and non-governmental reports. Data was collected between October 2020 and June 2021. This policy paper is part of a series on the hotspot approach, which also includes a policy paper on the features of this mechanism in a broad sense and one on its implementation in Greece. All policy papers, as well as other research outputs, are freely accessible on the project website

Monitoring venture capital investments through internal control prediction markets

This paper offers a new perspective on a fundamental issue of venture capital investments, i.e., the so-called black box of involvement that concerns the paucity of relevant information necessary for venture capital managers to evaluate investments properly. Our paper discusses the application of an internal control prediction market as a monitoring instrument for venture capital investments. We therefore gather research literature and law and financial expertise to discuss uncertain business developments, missing data, and principal-agent conflicts. The results of our paper are expected to make significant contributions to the academic discussion, providing a foundation to open the black box of involvement that current venture capital managers face daily

Does Culture affect Consumer Behaviour, when shopping On-Line?

Abstract. On-line retailers have to decide whether to standardize or adapt their marketing strategy to the foreign consumer markets. The objective of this article is not only to locate differences in on-line shopping behavior between English, Italian, and Chinese consumers, but also to explain these differences, through cultural dimensions. A discriminant analysis was conducted on English, Italian and Chinese consumers, based on eighteen behavioral variables, to illustrate the effect that a change of culture would have on a consumer’s on-line shopping behavior. The behavioral variables were classified in a descending lexicographic order of their discriminating power, between these cultures. After running the discriminant analysis, a factorial analysis of the eighteen behavioral describers was also run, to organize the latter into a smaller number of factors that are mutually exclusive, and very exhaustive. Factorial analysis identified five distinct factors that point out differences between the three countries, underlining that on-line retailers cannot duplicate abroad their home marketing strategy, because the needs e-shoppers wish to fulfill diverge between these markets

Consumer ideologies in time of uncertainty

Consumer ideologies play a crucial role in the emergence of new forms of lifestyles and consumptions patterns, such as the neo-frugality trend, that (re)emerged due to the above-mentioned environmental issues, but also due to economic constraints. The study of consumer ideologies lies at the heart of marketing research. Indeed, consumer ideologies entail the way in which consumers think. This can reveal key insights for the development of effective marketing strategies. In this perspective, consumption is a symbolic act, through which consumers not only focus on the products but also give great importance to the symbolic meanings behind the act of consumption. In general terms, consumer research defines consumer ideologies as any sets of normative beliefs shared among groups of individuals. In most of the cases, consumer ideologies manifest in the form of action-oriented ideas that provide values, meaning, and identity (Schmitt et al., 2021). As time moves forward, new consumer ideologies emerge, while the existing are subject to continuous evolution. Thus, ideology formation and evolution are iterative in nature, as they encompass social practices and processes. We welcome papers providing new empirical evidence and theory testing on consumer ideologies. There is also room for in depth qualitative analysis to investigate how consumer ideologies evolve over time. Moreover, we invite scholars to propose conceptual contributions, methodological advancements and literature reviews representing the current state on knowledge on consumer ideologies

The Implementation of the Hotspot Approach in Italy. CONDISOBS Policy Paper No. 2

This policy paper is based on the findings of the H2020 project CONDISOBS, which was conducted by Lorenzo Vianelli at the University of Luxembourg, thanks to funding received from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 838722. CONDISOBS explored the governance of the mobility of asylum seekers in the European Union through a multi-sited qualitative study based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with state officials, representatives of international organisations and non-governmental organisations, lawyers, members of advocacy groups, social workers and activists. Interview material was integrated by an extensive review of academic literature, policy documents and institutional and non-governmental reports. Data was collected between October 2020 and June 2021. This policy paper is part of a series on the hotspot approach, which also includes a policy paper on the features of this mechanism in a broad sense and one on its implementation in Greece. All policy papers, as well as other research outputs, are freely accessible on the project website