Rock engravings in the Wadi el-Barramiya,Eastern Desert of Egypt

This paper describes new rock art sites in the region east of Idfu, where at least 50 sites with several thousands of petroglyphs offer huge potential for future research. Site ET-A/WB 4 provides the largest representation of a boat yet discovered in the Eastern Desert; it is part of a scene extending over about 10 m of rock with boats, animals and human figures in procession. This scene and another one from site ET-A/WB 5 can be dated to the transition from the prehistoric to the dynastic periods. All sites in the Wadi el-Barramiya are endangered due to their location near a main road used by construction works and visitors.

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Résumé Dans cet article quelques sites à gravures rupestres récemment découverts dans la région à l'est d'Idfu sont décrits. Une cinquantaine de ces sites avec des milliers de pétroglyphes présentent un potentiel énorme pour les recherches futures. Le site ET-A/WB 4 nous donne la représentation d'un bâteau la plus grande connue jusqu' à présent dans le désert oriental d'Egypte. Cette représentation cependant ne constitue qu'un morceau d'un tableau qui se prolonge sur environ 10 m de la surface rocheuse avec des bâteaux, des animaux et des formes humaines en cortège. Ce tableau ainsi qu'un autre du site ET-A/WB 5 peut être situé chronologiquement à la transition de l'époque préhistorique et l'époque dynastique. Tous les sites du Wadi el-Barramiya sont menacés en raison de leur proximité d'une grande route fréquentée par les touristes et aussi par les travaux publics.

     

Regional economies,interactive television and interorganizational networks: A case study of an innovation network in Baden‐Württemberg

This paper explores attempts to establish a network of firms and organizations to develop the multimedia industry at a regional level. The paper sets out its review in the context of the regional economy, and then details the nature of the networking process under investigation. An evaluation of networking in this context is provided, based on detailed empirical research. Lessons are drawn from the experiences of seeking economic modernization through organizational networks.     

Place-based innovation policy for industrial diversification in regions

New industrial innovation policies like smart specialization aim at boosting economic growth by diversification towards more complex and higher value economic activities. This paper proposes a conceptual and analytical framework to support the design and implementation of such policies considering place-specific preconditions, particularly the differentiation of the regional system of innovation and entrepreneurship and the degree of current industrial diversification. The paper expands on the links between these preconditions and the barriers and opportunities for industrial diversification. Consequently, it proposes an archetypical place-based policy framework covering overall policy objectives as well as measures at the level of actors, networks, and the institutional and organizational support structures.     

Der „Mitteleuropäische Kristall“ – zwischen „Blauer Banane“ und „osteuropäischem Pentagon“

Der deutsch-tschechische Grenzraum liegt gewisserma?en in einer Sandwich-Position zwischen verschiedenen europ?ischen Makroregionen; auf europ?ischer Ebene wird er bislang eher als Verbindungselement wahrgenommen. Seine innere Struktur ist von einer relativ geringen Besiedlungsdichte und ausgepr?gten Stadt-Land-Unterschieden gekennzeichnet. Im Frühjahr 2006 gründeten die beiden nationalen Regierungen eine deutsch-tschechische Arbeitsgruppe für Raumentwicklung. Der Artikel skizziert, welche Ziele und Erwartungen damit verbunden werden und welche Funktionen ein solches Gremium übernehmen kann. Dazu wird zun?chst die Ausgangssituation dieses Raumes skizziert. Abschlie?end wird das m?gliche Leitbild des „Mitteleurop?ischen Kristalls“ vorgestellt.     

Avoiding Blame—A Comprehensive Framework and the Australian Home Insulation Program Fiasco

It is widely acknowledged in the literature that the study of blame avoidance behavior (BAB) exhibited by public officials is scattered and unconcentrated, and that, for the most part, it neglects both contextual factors and comparative research. These deficits inhibit the production of the kind of generalized findings necessary to better understand potential consequences for the policy process and the workings of political systems. We address these deficits by developing a framework that takes stock of blame avoidance research, clarifies the explanatory potential of contextual factors, and allows for a systematic context‐sensitive cross‐case analysis. For illustrative purposes, the framework is applied to the Home Insulation Program in Australia as a critical case. This case reveals the explanatory potential of contextual factors for the understanding of BAB and the consequences thereof. We conclude by stating the advantages of our framework and explain how it can be used for comparative research.     

Governing system innovation: assisted living experiments in the UK and Norway

Debates on how to address societal challenges have moved to the forefront of academic and policy concerns. Of particular importance is the growing awareness that to deal with issues such as ageing, it will be necessary to implement concerted efforts on technological, social, institutional or political fronts. Drawing on a number of theoretical perspectives – including socio-technical transitions and embedded state theory – the aim of this paper is to identify and understand different approaches to the governance of such system innovations by comparing state responses to assisted living in two contrasting national systems of care, namely that of the UK and Norway. Its findings highlight that state-supported and funded experimentation projects have been instrumental in designing and implementing system innovation: through their emphasis on co-design and co-creation, these projects demonstrated the value of early implementation pilots to explore the ‘fit’ between novel technologies and prevailing practices and institutional structures in national systems of care. Still, competition, biases or conflicting interests should not be ignored between well-established agents and institutions and experimental solutions whose efficacy remains relatively untested and which involve a combination of new technical, social, organizational and institutional solutions.