Urban Sustainability Transitions in the Building Sector. Insights from contrasting contexts: Freiburg and Brisbane

This dissertation contributes to the vibrant debates on the Geography of Sustainability Transitions in three ways. First, it offers new conceptual perspectives on socio-technical change by bridging approaches from Transition Studies and Economic Geography. The combination helps to shed light on the interplay of drivers, governance processes and changed economic practices. Second, using the ‘forerunner city’ Freiburg (Germany) and the ‘sustainability lagger’ Brisbane (Australia) as case studies, this dissertation provides detailed insights into sustainability transitions in local building and construction sectors – a largely neglected sustainability transition field. Third, it demonstrates how important collaboration and interactive knowledge production between a wide range of actors and stakeholders is to understand processes of change as well as providing knowledge for policy decision-making and guiding industry actors. Drawing on the debates about a ‘geographical turn’ in transition research to better understand socio-economic processes, this dissertation pays special attention to spatio-temporal and relational aspects. Special attention is drawn to the interplay of changed practices, governance processes and the drivers and directions of urban sustainability transitions in these two specific spatial-temporal contexts. The results demonstrate how urban sustainability transitions are contextually specific. Freiburg and Brisbane stand for contrasting pathways based on their specific co-evolutionary dynamics in the building sector, including learning processes, policy support, and involved driving and resisting actors. The Freiburg case study demonstrates how transition pathways were initially driven by a strong grassroots movement from the ‘bottom-up’, then, at a later point, in the interplay of policy-driven ‘top-down’ processes. The Brisbane case study outlines a picture of an ambivalent development. While significant shifts in the commercial building sector can be identified, there is slow momentum in the residential sector. This dissertation is based on a collection of four journal articles. Article 1, “Lost in Transition? Directions for an Economic Geography of Urban Sustainability Transitions”, contributes to the theoretical and conceptual debates on sustainability transitions, and discusses ways of bridging concepts of Economic Geography and Transitions Studies. Article 2, “Interactive knowledge generation in urban green building transitions”, provides methodological insights to the first empirical step of this dissertation – an interactive workshop concept that helped to gain knowledge interactively with a wide range of stakeholders. Article 3, “Sustainability transition pathways in the building sector: Energy-efficient building in Freiburg (Germany)”, offers a detailed analysis of green building transitions in the sustainability forerunner city of Freiburg. The article explains the significant shifts in the local building sector toward increased energy-efficiency. Article 4, “Ambivalent urban sustainability transitions: Insights from Brisbane’s building sector”, sheds light on processes of resistance and challenges in urban sustainability transitions in the building sector

The Political Economy of the State-Finance Nexus: Public Debt, Crisis and Bank Business Models

This dissertation aims at advancing our understanding of the state-finance nexus in times of globalized financial market capitalism. It sheds light on the profound changes that have occurred on both sides of this relationship since OECD countries have transitioned into debt states since the 1970s. This is done in a first part by examining the financialization of the state in the area of government debt management. Based on the development of a concept that makes it possible to measure this phenomenon, a discernible trend is shown according to which states have aligned their handling of debt with financial markets along two dimensions. First, the sense-making frameworks that guide action in debt management, nowadays, originate from financial economics, so that a portfolio view on indebtedness has found its way into the public realm. Second, the financial market has become the predominant governance mechanism in which economic coordination takes place in this area. Thus, states have increasingly adopted financial market logics and practices in public finance, one of the core areas of modern democracies. At the same time, governments have made a decisive contribution to the development of modern financial markets by the increasing orientation towards international investors and marketability of public debt. These interpenetrations of politics and finance are not limited to the national, but also extend to the subnational level. Local governments in Germany, the US and UK have introduced financial derivatives since the 1980s and continue to use them in some cases, even though they suffered major losses from these instruments during the financial crisis. By combining political economy with an economic sociological perspective, the causes that led to the local manifestation of this phenomenon are scrutinized. It is shown that the chronically underfinanced municipalities hoped to regain financial and political leeway through the use of financial innovations, which were strongly promoted and lobbied by financial institutions. The second part of the thesis analyzes the state-finance nexus from the perspective of the financial industry and the business with public debt, which is embodied in the emergence of pure public sector lending banks in the German mortgage banking sector. Unpacking the manifold state-banks relations demonstrates that the historical emergence of this crisis-ridden business model focusing on public finance closely interacts with the different roles played by the state in financial markets as economic policy maker, borrower, regulator and supervisor. The state is deeply involved in the process of coping with competition between banks by enabling change and stabilization of the social structures in which banks’ activities play out. Overall, this dissertation reiterates that the relationship between the state and finance is by no means one-sided, but rather characterized by mutual conditionality. It further highlights that the state-finance nexus is a complex configuration that also arises from the multilayered nature of the two entities themselves. Neither the financial sector nor the state are monolithic, but highly differentiated social arenas in which different actors and interests coexist. It is therefore of great importance that intra-state politics and dynamic relations within both entities are taken into account when studying relations between state and finance

Adhärenz an Leitlinien am Beispiel der Therapie venöser Thromboembolien bei Tumorpatienten

Eine der klinisch relevantesten Komplikationen maligner Erkrankungen ist das Auftreten venöser Thromboembolien. Die aktive maligne Erkrankung stellt einen bedeutenden Risikofaktor für das erstmalige und wiederholte Auftreten von Thrombosen und Lungenembolien dar. Es ist von erheblicher klinischer Bedeutung, thromboembolischen Ereignissen durch entsprechende Maßnahmen vorzubeugen und im Falle ihres Auftretens die bestmögliche Therapie sicher zu stellen. Ziel der Arbeit ist die derzeitige Versorgungsrealität von Tumorpatienten mit tiefer Venenthrombose und / oder Lungenembolie am Beispiel des Klinikums der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Medizinische Klinik III Standort Großhadern darzustellen, zu analysieren und auf ihre Adhärenz an die geltenden Leitlinien zu prüfen

Investigating the Potential Transfer of the Efficient-Consumer-Response-Model from the Fast-Moving-Consumer-Goods into Pharmaceutical Wholesale Business in Germany

The aim of the research is to evaluate the possibility of transferring the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) model developed in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector into the pharmaceutical sector and to propose an adapted model for the German market. The German pharmaceutical market is consolidating distribution channels and demand power is shifting towards pharmacies (Hofmann, 2013a). The manufacturers` aim for differentiation requires being closer to patients and pharmacists. Therefore, they increasingly do business directly with pharmacies (Insight Health, 2013). Wholesalers are caught between the strong supply power of manufacturers and increasing demand power of pharmacies (Hofmann, 2013b). Exploratory research was undertaken using the case study method to consider how the ECR model from FMCG can be adapted for the pharmaceutical wholesale business. A single case study was considered as different wholesalers would not participate due to their competitive market and because I am an employee of the case company (Celesio AG). The study was conducted in the German subsidiary (GEHE Pharma). Semi structured interviews with key account managers from FMCG and pharmaceutical manufacturers, Celesio AG management board, GEHE Pharma management and retail pharmacists were conducted. Additional data were generated linked to participative observation during manufacturer meetings between GEHE Pharma and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as from secondary and internal documentary material. Findings suggest that several similarities between the FMCG market and the pharmaceutical market exist. No aspect was found which would not allow implementing ECR principles into the pharmaceutical market in Germany. The model is adapted according to the research findings. The adjusted model considers that the pharmaceutical market shows more complexity in terms of the market actors. In this market three main participants exist: pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical wholesalers and retail pharmacists. Whereas in the FMCG market the ECR model incorporates the relationship directly between FMCG manufacturers and grocery retailers; no wholesaler is considered in that model. Therefore, the adapted model needs some adjustments for the pharmaceutical wholesale market, which are presented in the research. Furthermore, the research delivers evidence that the ECR model is not static and can be adjusted in terms of the number of participants, content and different dimensions in the relationship between different stakeholders and can, therefore, also be implemented in other industries. exist: pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical wholesalers and retail pharmacists. Whereas in the FMCG market the ECR model incorporates the relationship directly between FMCG manufacturers and grocery retailers; no wholesaler is considered in that model. Therefore, the adapted model needs some adjustments for the pharmaceutical wholesale market, which are presented in the research. Furthermore, the research delivers evidence that the ECR model is not static and can be adjusted in terms of the number of participants, content and different dimensions in the relationship between different stakeholders and can, therefore, also be implemented in other industries

Reconstructing the Traffic State by Fusion of Heterogeneous Data

We present an advanced interpolation method for estimating smooth spatiotemporal profiles for local highway traffic variables such as flow, speed and density. The method is based on stationary detector data as typically collected by traffic control centres, and may be augmented by floating car data or other traffic information. The resulting profiles display transitions between free and congested traffic in great detail, as well as fine structures such as stop-and-go waves. We establish the accuracy and robustness of the method and demonstrate three potential applications: 1. compensation for gaps in data caused by detector failure; 2. separation of noise from dynamic traffic information; and 3. the fusion of floating car data with stationary detector data.Comment: For more information see http://www.mtreiber.de or http://www.akesting.d

Adhärenz an Leitlinien am Beispiel der Therapie venöser Thromboembolien bei Tumorpatienten

Eine der klinisch relevantesten Komplikationen maligner Erkrankungen ist das Auftreten venöser Thromboembolien. Die aktive maligne Erkrankung stellt einen bedeutenden Risikofaktor für das erstmalige und wiederholte Auftreten von Thrombosen und Lungenembolien dar. Es ist von erheblicher klinischer Bedeutung, thromboembolischen Ereignissen durch entsprechende Maßnahmen vorzubeugen und im Falle ihres Auftretens die bestmögliche Therapie sicher zu stellen. Ziel der Arbeit ist die derzeitige Versorgungsrealität von Tumorpatienten mit tiefer Venenthrombose und / oder Lungenembolie am Beispiel des Klinikums der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Medizinische Klinik III Standort Großhadern darzustellen, zu analysieren und auf ihre Adhärenz an die geltenden Leitlinien zu prüfen