Do Ideas Matter in Strategic Choices Made by Organizations? An Empirical Work on the Participation of Agricultural Organizations to the Political Making Process in Costa Rica

The new institutional economics has recently developed the idea that the institutional environment can have an impact on economic actors' mental perceptions, and reciprocally, that these perceptions can impact on the institutional environment. This latter point seems particularly relevant in the field of economic organisations participation in the political making process. Nevertheless the empirical description of this role of mental perceptions in the political behaviour had not been made clearly. To contribute to this empirical description we lead a comparative study of 4 farm sectors in Costa Rica, based on a dynamic approach of mental perceptions in relation with the institutional change occurring during the liberalisation process. We carry out a statistical analysis of mental perceptions through a textual analysis of actors perceptions of the institutional change, leading to two main conclusions. Firstly we provide an empirical confirmation that mental models are influenced by specific institutional environments and lead to different strategies regarding the participation to the political making process. Secondly, we show that when an exogenous change occurs in the institutional environment, the mental models existing before the change can persist and lead to inefficient behaviours. This can partly explain part of the difficulties some sectors to lead efficient political activity that ensures their survival in a liberalized environment.Political Economy, D7, N5, Z0,

Life history and reproductive ecology of selected proteaceae in the mountain Fynbos Vegetation of the South-Western Cape

The studies in this thesis recognise the key role of fire as a factor which has shaped the life-histories of plants in fire-prone Mediterranean shrublands. Fire regimes are not simply products of the abiotic elements of climate and ignition sources. The biotic component makes a significant contribution because community structure and processes like litter fall determine fuel loads, and fuel distribution, and will determine properties such as fire recurrence intervals and shapes and patchiness of fires. Another key factor in the evolution of the traits of fynbos plants is plant-animal interactions involving seed and seedling predators or pathogens and herbivory. Because fires have a significant random component (for example in the timing of ignition, the position of the ignition point in the landscape and in relation to the wind movements and post- and pre-fire rainfall patterns), each fire is a unique event. These random factors are overlaid on the probability distributions of the other, more predictable factors. For example both fire recurrence intervals and the seasonal fire frequencies follow predictable patterns and therefore provide a basis for natural selection. Life-history theory links the evolutionary perspective - why organisms have evolved to be the way they are - and the ecological perspective - how traits function in the current environment. The primary selective pressures in the fynbos environment are nutrient-poor soils, winter rainfall and summer drought, recurrent fires and biotic interactions. The study can be divided into four sections: (1) patterns in reproductive maturation and mortality, (2) seed bank dynamics and pre-dispersal predation by insects, (3) seed germination and seedling mortality, and (4) an analysis of the relationship between plant life-histories and fire frequency distributions. In the first study, mortality rates of Pro tea neriifolia, P. lacticolor and Leucadendrofl xanthoconus varied from 13 to 40% from the age of 1-10 years. Mortality rates from 20-30 years of age were similar in all species and significantly higher than for younger plants, providing some support for the idea that these species undergo senescence. The removal of up to 90% of the inflorescences of Pro tea lacticolor and P. nerizJolia by baboons or rodents reduced seed banks of the proteas but not LeucadendrOll xanthoconus. Seed banks at the age of 10 years, in terms of seeds per shrub were adequate for population replacement except for P. lacticolor. The studies in the second part found that the dynamics of the seed banks of Protea neriifolia and P. repens differ markedly. The number of full seeds (with a firm white embryo) declines with age in both species. Protea repens had many full seeds per inflorescence in the youngest age class, but few full seeds in older inflorescences because of seed predation by insects. Protea neriifolia had few full seeds per infloreseence but there was a slow rate of decline in the number of seeds per inflorescence. Although the number of seeds per shrub of both species declined with increasing stand density, the number of seeds per square metre increased, more than compensating for the decline in unit output. Inflorescences of P. repens experience higher levels of seed predation by insects than those of P. neriifolia. Insect infestation levels increased rapidly with increasing age in P. neriifolia but were lower in mature plants than in the co-occurring P. repens. Low and unpredictable seed set may limit the effects of seed-eating insects on the seed yield of P. neriifolia when compared with co-occurring P. repens. The third section examined the germination of planted seeds in a 28-year old shrub land. Germination and establishment before a fire in March 1987 was similar to that after the fire but seedling mortality was higher before the fire. Seedling mortality during the first summer after the fire (October to March) was significantly correlated with planting date, in contrast to the findings of a similar study in the southern Cape. Simulations using a simple empirical model based on indexes of the daily soil moisture balance and temperature showed that a reduction of 10 or 20% in daily rainfall will have little impact on the germination of seeds released in late-summer or autumn in the western Cape, because of the long wet winter period. An increase in daily temperatures could have a more significant impact as it may reduce the length of the favourable period for germination. The final study compared the life-history traits in seeders and a sprouter. Many studies have identified distinct patterns in the demography and resource alIocation patterns of seed-regenerating and sprouting plants which are analogous to the patterns predicted for semelparous and iteroparous species by life-history theory. But there are several ways in which the demography of plants in fire¬ prone environments violates the assumptions of classical life-history theory. A new approach has been developed which explicitly accommodates these deviations and provides models which predict direct relationships between the probability distribution of fires (in time) and the reproductive maturation, mortality rates and lifespans of seeders and sprouters. A test of these models using data on fire frequencies and the demography of a seed regenerating and a sprouting species of Protea shows that they appear to apply to fynbos as well. This opens the door to the development of quantitative models that can provide a consistent theoretical framework for predicting and interpreting the relationships between fire regimes and life-history traits. It also supports arguments that regeneration exclusively from seeds and by sprouting (and from seeds), and the related suites of traits, are expressions of distinct and divergent life history strategies. Why is it important to understand life-history strategies? Life-history theory is about how organisms maximise their evolutionary fitness and thus is about organisms allocate their limited resources to survival and reproduction to maximise reproductive success. The theory also provides a link between understanding what an organism is doing and when as is typically documented in demographic studies - and why it is doing that - which gives a deeper level of insight. There have been numerous studies and reviews of life-history theory which have covered a wide variety organisms, but somehow most of these studies have been based, explicitly or implicitly, on the highly simplified r-K selection models. The studies in Chapter 6 were based on an alternative model which offers new insights into the life-histories of plants in fire prone environments. The current approach to managing fynbos (e.g. how often to burn) is based on observations of plant maturation and recruitment success which are used to determine the desired intervals between fires. Studies of fire¬ frequencies also have shown that fire intervals follow a definite distribution in time. The intervals determined by these two different approaches are about the same but there has been no direct link. The new life-history based approach makes that link explicit and direct and gives us insights into why there should be a link and what the implications are. For example, what is the likely reproductive success over a range of fire frequencies. The approach still needs further development but it definitely merits further studies

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc with new approaches for treating low back pain.

This review paper discusses the process of disc degeneration and the current understanding of cellular degradation in patients who present with low back pain. The role of surgical treatment for low back pain is analysed with emphasis on the proven value of spinal fusion. The interesting and novel developments of stem cell research in the treatment of low back pain are presented with special emphasis on the importance of the cartilaginous end plate and the role of IL-1 in future treatment modalities

Les processus d'élaboration et de contrôle du budget des communes rurales

L'article présente les résultats d 'une enquête menée auprès de 14 maires de communes rurales sur le processus d'élaboration et de contrôle du budget communal. Il révèle un usage de procédures simples d 'élaboration du projet de budget. L 'adoption du budget définitif ne donne souvent lieu qu 'à un débat limité, et le vote du budget est presque partout consensuel. Le contrôle du budget exercé en préfecture est essentiellement administratif puisqu'il veille prioritairement au respect par les communes des procédures en vigueur. Le recours à l 'approche conventionnaliste de Boltanski et Thevenot permet d 'éclairer, d 'une manière nouvelle, les raisons du consensus budgétaire entre les parties prenantes.secteur public ; commune rurale ; budget municipal ; maire

La construction du budget des communes rurales

L'article traite de la construction du budget des communes rurales. L'élaboration du projet de budget qui s'appuie sur des procédures simples s'y révèle autocratique ; cependant, l'adoption du budget définitif ne donne souvent lieu qu'à un débat limité et est presque partout consensuelle. Le recours à l'approche conventionnaliste de Boltanski et Thevenot permet d'expliciter, d'une manière nouvelle, l'existence du paradoxe : autocratie d'élaboration et vote consensuel du budget.SECTEUR PUBLIC ;COMMUNE RURALE ;BUDGET MUNICIPAL ;MAIRE

Inhibiting IL-1 signaling pathways to inhibit catabolic processes in disc degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration is characterized by an imbalance between catabolic and anabolic signaling, with an increase in catabolic cytokines particularly IL-1β, a key regulator of IVD degeneration. This study aimed to investigate intracellular signaling pathways activated by IL-1β, and GDF-5 in the degenerate IVD to identify potential new therapeutic targets. Human NP cells were cultured in alginate beads to regain in vivo phenotype prior to stimulation with IL-1β or GDF-5 for 30 min, a proteasome profiler array was initially utilized to screen activation status of 46 signaling proteins. Immunoflourescence was used to investigate activation of the NFκB pathway. Cell-based ELISAs were then deployed to confirm results for ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, c-jun, and IκB signaling. IHC was utilized to investigate native activation status within human IVD tissue between grades of degeneration. Finally, cells were stimulated with IL-1β in the absence or presence of p38 MAPK, c-jun, JNK, and NFκB inhibitors to investigate effects on MMP3, MMP13, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 mRNA expression. This study demonstrated three key signaling pathways which were differentially activated by IL-1β but not GDF-5; namely p38 MAPK, c-jun, and NFκB. While ERK 1/2 was activated by both GDF-5 and IL-1. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated p38 MAPK, c-jun, and NFκB were activated during human IVD degeneration and inhibition of these pathways reduced or abrogated the catabolic effects of IL-1β, with inhibition of NFκB signaling demonstrating most widespread inhibition of IL-1β catabolic effect

Aspects of the structure and phenology of two fynbos communities

Data on the floristics, biomass, pattern, growth forms and regeneration modes of two tall, mid-dense, proteoid shrublands are analysed. The phenology of a number of species in different growth forms is examined in terms of current hypotheses about growth form related timing of shoot growth, and general patterns of periodicity in nutrient-poor mediterranean environments. Taxa typical of the fynbos flora are dominant in both communities, but the drier Cedarberg community has fewer species in these taxa and more annuals than the moister Kogelberg environment. These floristic changes are reflected also in the growth form spectra and the stratification of the communities. The biomass of the cedarberg community is higher at 1820 g/m2 against 1100 g/m2 for the Kogelberg community. This difference is discussed in terms of the greater effectiveness of the rainfall at the Cedarberg (664 mm/yr), than at the Kogelberg (1016 mm/yr), and the availability of soil nutrients. There are more sprouting plants, excluding annuals, in the flora of the Cedarberg site. This is in line with the prediction that, within limits, the drier the climate, the more reliable the investment in vegetative regrowth after fire. The similarity in community physiognomy is confirmed by the quantitative analyses which show that there are differences and also strong similarities between the communities. The overstorey Proteaceae grow from spring to mid-summer, as do the Restionaceae, but the other growth forms follow a variety of patterns, including opportunistic summer growth. The sequence of phenological events is partly related to morphological sequences in plant development and partly to resource partitioning. The current hypotheses concerning community structure and phenology in mediterranean environments cannot be refuted, but they do not account for the variations observed within and between growth forms and need to be critically examined

Transition démographique, chômage involontaire et redistribution intergénérationnelle : simulations dans un cadre d'équilibre général à générations imbriquées

URL des Documents de travail :http://ces.univ-paris1.fr/cesdp/CESFramDP2007.htmDocuments de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 2007.11 - ISSN : 1955-611XPay as-you-go social security schemes will face increasing difficulties in the next few years due to population aging, which results from both extension of life expectancy and sharp decrease in fertility rates. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate within a computable general equilibrium model the consequences of different reforms within an economy with two types of agents : unqualified ones facing unemployment and qualified ones. We show that a mixed reform with two instruments (introduction of a funded pension system and decreasing of benefits) is Pareto-improving in the long term, while damaging welfare distribution. Morerover, simultations show that the increase of the legal retirement age should be up to seven years.Le vieillissement démographique issu du non renouvellement des générations et de la progression de l'espérance de vie déstabilise les équilibres financiers des régimes de retraites pour les économies ayant fait le choix de la solidarité intergénérationnelle. Les réformes envisageables portent sur le montant des cotisations ou celui des prestations, l'âge de départ à la retraite ou encore le développement des régimes de retraite par capitalisation. Ce travail évalue à l'aide de simulations dynamiques dans un cadre d'équilibre général les conséquences de ces réformes dans une économie où coexistent différentes catégories de travailleurs. Nous montrons qu'une réforme mixte associant le développement d'un système de capitalisation et la diminution des prestations du système par répartition, est Pareto-améliorante à long terme, mais au prix d'un écart croissant de la distribution de bien-être entre les agents. En ce qui concerne les réformes modifiant l'allongement de la durée de cotisations, l'âge légal de départ à la retraite doit être retardé uniformément de sept ans, ce qui signifie un allongement de la durée de vie active de près de 20%