The Scale of Dissimilarity: Concepts, Measurement and an Application to Socio-Economic Variation Across England and Wales

The paper considers the scale – the measure, extent, and dimension – of uneven distributions in space for a wide range of census variables. While the traditional 'index of dissimilarity' is affected by random as well as social factors, a solution presented here allows the index to be calculated even for very small populations. Small areas across England and Wales tend to be fairly similar demographically but quite diverse on ethnic and socio-economic measures. Differences between areas become more noticeable as we move from districts, to wards, to enumeration districts, but the rate of differentiation depends heavily on the variables considered.     

Spatial Decomposition of Segregation Indices: A Framework Toward Measuring Segregation at Multiple Levels

Segregation measures based upon data gathered at different geographical levels cannot provide consistent results because of the scale effect under the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) umbrella. This paper proposes a framework, which decomposes segregation attributable to different geographical levels, to conceptually link segregation values obtained from multiple geographical levels together such that differences in segregation values among levels are accounted for. Using two different indices, the dissimilarity index D and the diversity index H, this paper illustrates the decomposition methods specific to these indices. When these indices are decomposed, local measures of segregation pertaining to multiple geographical levels are computed. These local segregation measures indicate the levels of segregation contributed by the local units and the regional units to the entire study area.     

The Chinese Pacifics: A Brief Historical Review

ABSTRACT

This survey reviews the growing role and presence of China in the Island Pacific. As the late Professor Ron Crocombe remarked, in the Pacific a major transition is under way from a range of European to Asian influences. Many Western observers have viewed this rise of Asian, and specifically Chinese, influence with alarm, but Crocombe saw it as offering Pacific Islanders new opportunities. This paper first analyses the diversity that can be masked by terms such as ‘China’ and ‘the Pacific’. Then it surveys recent literature on China in the Pacific and scholarship concerned with longer Chinese histories in the region that most recent commentators ignore and which question a number of their assertions. Finally, it suggests possible future directions for historical research on this topic.     

黑龙江地域居处民俗的历史演变与交互影响

在与自然环境的长期适应过程中,黑龙江地区的世居民族和后期移民创造性地利用和改造了自然生存条件,形成了不同风格、独具特色、便利实用、交互影响的居住传统民俗。由原始的穴居、架居,一直发展到砖瓦结构的居室和院落建筑,反映出东北地区特有的居处民俗及其历史演变过程和发展规律。     

The Competitive Position of the Basque Aeroespatial Cluster in Global Value Chains: A Historical Analysis

In this paper, based on the case study of the aerospace cluster of the Basque Country (Spain), we aimed at analysing how local industries develop a new specialization, that is, how a cluster emerges, and how it evolves over time. For that purpose, apart from considering local factors (both forces that are internal to the cluster and to the territory), we explicitly consider the role of institutional and technological changes, and how they affect industry structure and governance patterns of global value chains (GVCs). We observe that global-scale regulations (deregulation and competition policy) and technological change, together with local factors such as the existence of anchor firms, local policies, related variety and social capital at regional and cluster levels played a significant role in the emergence of the cluster and how it became inserted in the GVCs. Later on, the development of suppliers' capabilities also had a relevant role in the evolution of the governance patterns of GVCs.     

An Index of Invasiveness for the Measurement of Unifacial and Bifacial Retouch: A Theoretical,Experimental and Archaeological Verification

Archaeologists are increasingly in need of quantitative measures of stone artefact retouch. Existing techniques fail to provide a generic measure of retouching for all chipped stone artefacts. A fast and reliable index is proposed which measures retouch in terms of the invasiveness of flake scars on the surfaces of complete stone artefacts. Unlike other measures, the index of invasiveness is well suited to the analysis of bifacially worked artefacts such as bifacial points and bifaces. Experimental tests demonstrate a strong correlation between the index and measures of reduction based on diminishing flake weight and numbers of retouch blows. Inter-observer reliability is also demonstrated through the use of a blind test. Limitations of the method are discussed, although potential techniques for surmounting problems are identified. An archaeological application of the index demonstrates the utility of the method in the context of regional assemblage variability in northern Australia.     

The Advocacy Coalition Index: A new approach for identifying advocacy coalitions

Policy scholars have increasingly focused on collaborative and competitive relationships between stakeholder coalitions. The Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) in particular has directed scholarly attention toward such relationships. The ACF defines advocacy coalitions as groups of actors who share beliefs and coordinate their action. However, previous research has been inconsistent in defining and measuring coalitions, which has hampered comparative research and theory building. We present a method called the Advocacy Coalition Index, which measures belief similarity and the coordination of action in a manner that makes it possible to assess the extent to which advocacy coalitions are found in policy subsystems, whether subgroups resemble coalitions, and how individual actors contribute to coalition formation. The index provides a standardized method for identifying coalitions that can be applied to comparative research. To illustrate the effectiveness of the index, we analyze two climate change policy subsystems, namely Finland and Sweden, which have been shown to differ in terms of the association of belief similarity with coordination. We demonstrate that the index performs well in identifying the different types of subsystems, coalitions, and actors that contribute the most to coalition formation, as well as those involved in cross-coalition brokerage.