Working in a Risk Society

Through much of the 1980s, discussions of transformations within work and employment debated the emergence of a new, more 'flexible' era - or, at a different level of analysis, the growth of more 'flexible' working practices. Recent accounts of contemporary socio-economic change have been framed within new sets of theoretical contexts, such as Ulrich Beck's notion of 'social risk'. The central aim of this paper is to evaluate the utility of such an approach, drawing upon empirical work which has investigated changes to terms and conditions of manual employment in British local authorities as a result of the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering.     

Role conceptions,order transition and institutional balancing in the Asia-Pacific: a new theoretical framework

The dawn of the twenty-first century witnessed a new wave of multilateral initiatives in the Asia-Pacific. By integrating institutional balancing theory and role theory, the author proposes a new theoretical framework—‘balance of roles’—to explain the variations in institutional strategies by different states. It is argued that a state’s role conception will shape its institutional balancing strategies in an order transition period. An order defender, like the USA, is more likely to adopt exclusive institutional balancing to exclude its target from its dominated institutions. An order challenger, such as China, will choose both inclusive and exclusive institutional balancing to maximise its own power and legitimacy in a new international order. As a kingmaker, a proactive second-tier state is more likely to pick an inter-institutional balancing strategy to initiate new institutions for competing for influence with existing institutions. An institutionalised order transition might be more peaceful than widely perceived.     

消费社会下商业地理研究的新取向

二十世纪二、三十年代以来,在实证主义和行为主义的影响下,商业地理学研究多聚焦于空间结构与边界、商业活动的区位与业态、商业活动中人的行为等经典领域。九十年代之后,网络经济的快速发展和大数据的应用,使实体商业与电子购物的关系、消费者行为的空间分析等主题,成为新的研究焦点,并积极推动商业地理在研究内容和研究方法上的革新。伴随着消费力量在现代社会的崛起,商业地理所关注的商业空间和活动,不仅被消费地理从社会文化的视角进行诠释,而且在主题上扩展至更为多元的消费实践和社会关系网络。人本主义、新马克思主义、结构主义等流派的思想,也被广泛用于消费空间的解读。在一个更为广阔的社会背景和更贴近日常生活的框架下,商业地理将不局限于对物质层面的关注,而是处于一个更加开放的知识体系之中。     

Teardowns,popups, and renovations: How does housing supply change?

Cities grow in layers over time. As population and land values increase, older, smaller buildings are replaced with higher density, higher value structures. However, direct costs of redevelopment and institutional barriers such as zoning may constrain replacement of older structures, leading to alternate forms of supply adjustment. In this paper, I use data on building permits in Washington DC to examine three different forms of residential investment: new construction, expansion of existing structures, and renovation. Results suggest that new construction accounts for a relatively small part of residential investment and is highly concentrated in a few neighborhoods. Expansions and alterations of existing structures are more frequent and more evenly dispersed across space. Recent increases in housing values are correlated with more new construction, but only among neighborhoods with relatively more permissive zoning. Additions and alterations are more prevalent in neighborhoods with high property values, older housing, and more restrictive zoning.     

论构建和谐社会与发展社会地理学问题

自改革开放以来,尤其在全球化、国际化和地方化的宏观背景下,国家产业结构基本实现重构和转移,人口流动的规模和范围不断加大,在中国经济快速增长的同时,区域和城乡差距也在迅速扩大,由于社会劳动分配和收入差距的不同,出现新的社会问题,例如结构性调整导致下岗人员增加和新贫困阶层,按劳动技能支付报酬派生社会极化现象,流动人口集聚导致城市新贫民区等等。从社会发展和政府功能的转变趋势看,比较重要的社会问题温床已经形成。本文试图从国家需求出发,分析现状存在的社会问题以及正在造成的地理空间影响,尤其从城市社会问题着手梳理相关的成因和演化机理,倡导发展中国特色的社会地理学,为国家建设和谐社会提供地理学的理论和方法。     

当代美国大都市区交通拥堵的治理措施

20世纪70年代以来,交通拥堵已经成为美国大都市区最严重的社会问题之一,因而受到各级政府和社会各界越来越多的关注。为了解决交通拥堵及其产生的社会危害,美国各级政府、民间团体和私人企业等采取了一系列措施,比如扩建公路、发展公共交通、推行共同乘车计划、建立高密度混合开发且公交友好的社区等。然而实施这些措施并没有有效地缓解交通拥堵问题,其根本症结在于汽车、公路和城市低密度蔓延这三者间的互动关系没有得到根本的改善。     

The privatisation of maritime security in Southeast Asia: the impact on regional security cooperation

This paper examines the involvement of new modes of governance (NMoG)/new actors, in establishing new regional regulatory frameworks in Southeast Asia. The basis for this discussion is a framework suggested by Kanishka Jayasuriya who argues that the activities of NMoG can facilitate the establishment of such regional regulatory frameworks. Concentrating on maritime services provided by one new actor, Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), this paper suggests that the current activities and working practices of PMSCs in Southeast Asia are more likely to undermine regional security cooperation and regional governance, thus challenging some of the tenets of Jayasuriya's framework.     

Capacity Development as the Model for Development Aid Organizations

Sociological studies of organizational fashions tend to focus on commercial firms. This article looks at the Capacity Development concept that is globally applied as a model in governmentally supported development assistance organizations. The organizations themselves adopt the concept, asserting that an increase in ‘capacities’ in developing countries will contribute to a higher success rate for projects. This article argues that a primary function of concepts such as Capacity Development is to meet the legitimacy requirements of development assistance organizations. The more the effectiveness of these organizations is criticized or challenged, the more they feel the need to defend themselves by developing new — and hopefully more effective — concepts.     

国际地理学界关于中国农区的热点研究

在参阅大量国外学者关于中国农区发展相关文献的基础上,对国际主流学派就中国农区宏观和微观决策主体的国际地理学研究进行了评述。国际学术界重点关注的中国农区发展的热点问题包括农户外出务工背景及决策因素、乡镇企业发展与农业生产的矛盾关系、农区发展中的环境变化问题、农区家庭的收入与需求、对传统农业区位论的思考等。文章从五个方面进行了评价,最后提出了一些建议。     

地域导向的党组织建构与中国新城市空间的治理——对宁波天一广场的个案研究

通过对宁波天一广场治理机制的个案研究发现,中国新城市空间的治理已经成为中国共产党进行党建工作的一项地域性工程。在市场化改革与地方间竞争的背景下,地方党政机关极为关注基于行政辖区的地域性身份认同和利益,有意识的与非公有部门的经济精英共同塑造和强化地域性身份认同和利益诉求,并结成新形式的城市治理联盟。中共及其附属的群众组织的地方组织力量,通过地域导向的组织重构,加强了对非公有部门的控制力,填补了市场转型造成的新城市空间治理的真空,也加强了自身在新城市空间中的组织网络和治理能力。     

Reconstructing “total” paleo-landscapes for archaeological investigation: an example from the central Netherlands

It is common procedure today to use geographic datasets to supplement archaeological investigation; however, static and modern-day data are often used rather than more accurate paleo-data. This article underscores the importance of employing such dynamic paleo-landscapes, and describes a new approach for developing richly-furnished and detailed spatial surfaces, referred to as “total” landscapes. GIS and computer simulation programs are critical to the generation of such surfaces, along with geospatial data of sufficient quality and quantity. The approach is articulated vis-à-vis a case study from the central Netherlands.     

Religion,the state,and the Vietnamese lunar new year (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)

This article examines the ways in which the Communist Party and the state in Vietnam have become involved in the annual lunar new year (Tet) festival in the name of the nation, and with how this is facilitated by the ancestor cult and linked to their more general involvement in religious events such as the commemoration of national heroes and deities.     

Archaeological Visualization: Towards an Archaeological Information Science (AISc)

This paper reviews and evaluates the potential use of modern visualization techniques in archaeology. It suggests the need to apply and develop such techniques as a central part of any modern archaeological investigation. The use of these methods is associated with wider questions about data representations, in particular, their integration with archaeological theory and their role in facilitating analysis and shaping interpretation. Concern for these questions and with the overall potential that information systems provide to capture, represent, analyze, and model archaeological information suggests the need for a new interdisciplinary focus, Archaeological Information Science. For such a focus to prosper, archaeologists need to develop additional skills that go beyond mere technical ones. They need to become more active in the design and creation of future information archaeological systems. To this end, archaeologists are urged to view this task as a way to extend archaeology in new directions and to recognize that the digital representation and treatment of archaeological information can generate new forms of doing archaeology.     

A Morphological Classification of Roots and Tubers and its bearing on the Origins of Agriculture in Southwest Asia and Europe

The classification of roots and tubers into morphological categories is often confusing and more of a hindrance than a help to archaeobotanical analysis. As such, a new classification, based on the potential for vegetative propagation, is suggested, and the terms it uses are briefly defined. The different categories of roots and tubers are then discussed with reference to the archaeological record and the origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia and Europe.     

Probabilistic, Maximal Covering Location—Allocation Models forCongested Systems

When dealing with the design of service networks, such as health andemergency medical services, banking or distributed ticket-selling services, the location of servicecenters has a strong influence on the congestion at each of them, and, consequently, on thequality of service. In this paper, several probabilistic maximal coveringlocation—allocation models with constrained waiting time for queue length are presentedto consider service congestion. The first model considers the location of a given number ofsingle-server centers such that the maximum population is served within a standard distance, andnobody stands in line for longer than a given time or with more than a predetermined number ofother users. Several maximal coverage models are then formulated with one or more servers perservice center. A new heuristic is developed to solve the models and tested in a 30-node network.     

Opportunities for exploitation of magnetic materials in an energy conscious world

Abstract

It is not generally recognised that in terms of both value and volume, global production of magnetic materials far exceeds that of semiconductors. What is also not realised is that about a twentieth of all energy generated in industrialised societies is wasted as magnetic losses in electromagnetic cores. Such losses could be significantly reduced if full advantage were taken of recent developments in magnetic materials. This paper reviews major discoveries of new hard and soft magnetic materials, improved manufacturing processes, and ways in which more knowledgeable use can be made of materials to capitalise on enhanced magnetic properties. Better choice and application of commercially available materials in devices such as motors, transformers, actuators, and sensors can lead to tremendous energy savings. Development of new and traditional magnetic materials based on better understanding of magnetisation processes will lead to even more substantial energy savings, significantly improved product performance, and new applications which would benefit most sectors of industry.     

An equilibrium model of gross migration

ABSTRACT The paper presents and tests a new model of migration which differs significantly from the conventional disequilibrium approach. We show that variations in rates of gross migration across regions are equilibrium responses to variations in levels of amenities, governmental policies, etc. The model is tested using data on the gross migration of whites, 1975-80, together with amenities such as climate and with economic variables such as government services, taxes and unionization. Empirical results suggest that the equilibrium model is more consistent with actual migration patterns than is the conventional disequilibrium approach. We estimate compensating differentials and migration elasticities for these variables.     

都市圈发展的新背景、新趋势及其规划响应

随着经济全球化的深入发展,城市之间的竞争日益加剧,城市发展越来越呈现出区域化特征,大都市成为了世界城市和城市化发展的主流。在这样的新背景之下,都市圈发展呈现出一些新的趋势,中心性进一步强化并出现多中心的新形式,空间扩散广域化并日趋连绵成片,区域进一步融合并且跨界发展明显。世界各主要都市圈的规划纷纷对这些新形势做出了响应,即以全球性、整体性的视角来审视都市圈发展所面临的问题,致力于形成多中心的空间结构,促进产业扩散与转移,对交通进行网络化整合,并建立类似都市圈政府的机构对都市圈规划进行管理。这些良好的经验可以作为我国都市圈理论研究和规划实践的有益借鉴。     

The Cruise Industry and Port City Regeneration: The Case of Valletta

Port cities in the Mediterranean and elsewhere are increasingly seeking to encourage tourism-related development, and the cruise industry is a significant potential source of revenue for such cities. Consequently, there is competition between port cities for infrastructure that allows increased cruise tourism, and many cities have encouraged the development of new cruise passenger terminal facilities. While such schemes have clear economic benefits, there are associated problems that may become evident only in the medium- or long-term. The case of the Valletta Waterfront Project illustrates a range of resulting issues and tensions, and indicates the need to more sensitively evaluate cruise tourism-related development proposals.     

中日地方交流与合作的现状分析

随着经济全球化步伐的加快,国际交流与合作的发展正在由国家层次向地方层次纵深,而各国中央政府对地方的放权,也使得地方在国际交流与合作中的地位和作用显得越来越重要。日本是与我国开展地方性交流与合作最活跃的国家,其载体主要是友好城市。在全球化和地方化日益发展的背景下,中日地方间交流与合作呈现出许多新特点,同时也存在着一些问题,如何解决这些问题,以促进地方间的交流与合作进一步向前发展对中日双方来说都是十分重要的。