THE MAXIMUM CAPTURE OR “SPHERE OF INFLUENCE” LOCATION PROBLEM: HOTELLING REVISITED ON A NETWORK*

ABSTRACT. The problem of the ice cream vendor on the beach is extended to the siting of multiple entering servers into the midst of existing servers which are already in place at multiple sites on a network. The network of population nodes, joining arcs, and eligible sites for servers provides the underlying matrix of the problem. The goal of the single firm which is siting the multiple entering servers is the capture of the maximum population from existing servers. This combinatorial problem can be described as a linear integer program for which solutions can easily be derived. Computational experience and insights derived therefrom are reported.     

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN WESTERN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES: AN AGENDA FOR MEDICAL GEOGRAPHY

The range of health and health care topics amenable to geographical analyses in Western industralized countries has increased tremendously in the past two decades. These studies of health care systems have focused on the health organization, delivery, and utilization of biomed-ical services, however, to the virtual exclusion of analyses of a wide variety of alternative approaches to health and healing in these countries. This lacuna is regrettable in view of the fact that people's health care behaviour suggests that medical pluralism is a persisting reality in the industrialized countries. There is indeed a coexistence of biomedicine with several alternative therapies and, in recent years, there has been resurgence in the popularity and use of alternative medicine.     

Coloniality as a Barrier to Climate Action: Hierarchies of Power in a Coal-Based Economy

South Africa has a coal-based energy system and extractive economy, largely responsible for its high emission levels relative to countries with similar GDP. This extractive, coal-based economy began during British colonisation and today shows few signs of transitioning rapidly to limit climate change. This paper interrogates the role of coloniality in climate delay, given that colonisation is responsible for establishing fossil fuel dependence in South Africa. Combining theory on decolonisation, specifically colonial hierarchies of power, with a critical discourse analysis, this research uses interview and policy data to show how colonial power hierarchies can lead to climate delay in South Africa, through normalising emissions intensive development and silencing alternatives. In doing so, it highlights the need to recognise the colonial foundations of climate change and the potential for a coalition between decolonisation and climate action to motivate for radical change both in South Africa and at a global level.