Le classement des villes dans l'économie du savoir : une analyse intégrée des régions urbaines canadiennes et américaines

Des comparaisons entre villes canadiennes et américaines doivent se faire avec prudence. L'obstacle principal reste la comparabilité des séries statistiques. Nous proposons une analyse intégrée de l'ensemble des 90 régions métropolitaines nord-américaines de 500 000 habitants et plus, dont neuf canadiennes. Suite à une revue de divers classements, nous situons les 90 régions urbaines sur sept indicateurs, dont des variables portant sur le capital humain et le secteur tertiaire intensif en savoir, suivi d'une analyse de corrélation mettant en relation les indicateurs pour trois univers de villes (sans et avec des villes canadiennes). Nos résultats confirment le bon positionnement sur plusieurs indicateurs de métropoles américaines comme San Francisco-Silicon Valley et Boston, mais aussi de villes comme Raleigh (research triangle) et Austin, connues pour leurs activités de recherche. Les villes canadiennes se classent plutôt bien, notamment les cinq plus grandes. Cependant, c'est moins vrai pour des villes comme Winnipeg ou Hamilton. L'analyse de corrélation fait ressortir la relation positive entre dotation en capital humain et poids du tertiaire intensif en savoir, mais ne révèle aucune relation significative avec l'indicateur de qualité de vie.     

Does EU cohesion policy work? Theory and evidence

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of European Cohesion Policy in the regions of 12 EU countries in the period 1991–2008, on the basis of a spatial growth model, which allows for the identification of both direct and indirect effects of EU funds on GDP per worker growth. We find that “Objective 1” funds are characterized by strong spatial externalities and a positive and concave effect on the growth of GDP per worker, which reaches a peak at the ratio funds/GDP of approximately 3 percent and becomes non‐significant after 4 percent. “Objective 2” and “Cohesion” funds have nonsignificant effects, while all the other funds exert a positive and significant effect, but their size is very limited. EU Cohesion Policy, moreover, appears to have increased its effectiveness over time. In the period 2000–2006 Objective 1 funds are estimated to have a median multiplier equal to 1.52, and to have added 0.37 percent to the GDP per worker growth. Overall, in the period 1991–2008, funds are estimated to have added 1.4 percent to the median annual growth, and to have reduced regional disparities of 8 basis points in terms of the Gini index.     

Bottom-Up Identification of Subsystems in Complex Governance Systems

Theories of policymaking often focus on subsystems within a larger, overarching governance system. However, subsystem identification is complicated by the complexity of governance systems, characterized by multiple, interrelated issues, multi-level interactions, and a diverse set of organizations. This study suggests an empirical, bottom-up methodology to identify subsystems. Subsystems are identified based on bundles of similar observed organizational activity. The study further suggests a set of three elementary criteria to classify individual subsystems. In order to prove the value of the methodology, subsystems are identified through cluster analysis, and subsequently classified in a study of Swiss water governance. Results suggest that Swiss water governance can be understood as a network of overlapping subsystems connected by boundary penetrating organizations, with high-conflict and quiet politics subgroups. The study shows that a principled analysis of subsystems as the interconnected, constituent parts of complex governance systems offers insights into important contextual factors shaping outcomes. Such insights are prerequisite knowledge in order to understand and navigate complex systems for researchers and practitioners alike.     

Radiographic examination of Western bronze and stone sculptures: history of studies, methodologies and data interpretation

过去五十多年里,在对意大利的石雕和大型青铜雕塑进行保护时,各种跨学科的深度评估方法得到了建立。在此框架内,射线照相检测技术取得了进步。射线照相术作为一种无损的研究手段,可以从宏观层面对艺术作品进行考察,在文物评估中一直发挥着核心作用。在检测阶段,射线照相术既可以被用来重构古代艺术工艺和流程,也可以被用来评估文物的机械和结构信息。本文介绍了射线照相术的研究历史及其不同方法,比如中能X射线的使用、高能X射线的应用(线性加速器)、伽马放射性同位素源的使用(伽马射线照相术)。本文描述了射线照相术在石质和青铜雕塑上的重要应用案例,其中对马可·奥勒留骑马像的研究就是一个典型。本文还描述了“高能X射线”的首次应用,该技术被用来检测奥维多大教堂的圣母子、两组天使和一个青铜天篷雕塑。文章的结论部分定义了正确解释数据结果的必要标准,特别是在通过射线照相检测技术探究青铜雕塑检测信息和铸造工艺的相关性时,应该考虑到铸造缺陷和不连续性。     

Hypodontia of permanent teeth among Middle Palaeolithic hominids: an early case dated to ca. 92 000±5000 years BP at the Qafzeh site

The analysis of the maxillae and mandible belonging to a Middle Palaeolithic child has provided evidence of the early appearance of a developmental dental anomaly among Homo sapiens. The material came from the Near Eastern site of Qafzeh. In the mandible there was agenesis of the left second premolar and congenital absence of the right could not be totally excluded. Additional analyses including two presumed cases of dental development anomalies within contemporaneous prehistoric populations showed that tooth agenesis also can affect the anterior region of the mandible, and could be clearly separated from ante-mortem tooth loss caused by trauma. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.