Microsimulation for Local Impact Analysis: an Application to Plant Shutdown*

Abstract. Microsimulation was introduced nearly 50 years ago but has recently experienced a revival in the social sciences. Its use in regional science, however, has been limited, although it offers some advantages over common regional analytic methods. This paper describes a microsimulation model that can be used to analyze the impact of a regional economic event. The model incorporates spatial, social, and economic factors and allows outcomes to be aggregated at different geographical scales, for different cohorts, and for variables not ordinarily considered in impact analysis. The model is used to simulate the effects of a plant shutdown on workers.     

Subsidiary impact on host-country economies--the case of foreign-owned subsidiaries attracting investment into sweden

This paper examines the impact of foreign-owned subsidiarieson their surrounding host-country economies, focusing particularlyon investment attraction. To explain such subsidiary impact,we develop a LISREL-model including four interlinked constructs:(a) the dynamism of the host-country business environment withinwhich the subsidiary unit is active; (b) the control strategiesof corporate headquarters; (c) quality of subsidiary competencies;and (d) the formalized mandate provided by headquarters forcertain subsidiaries to become centers. Based on the model,six hypotheses are formulated, and tested in a LISREL-analysison a set of data containing information on foreign-owned subsidiariesin Sweden. The results show that the dynamics of the host-countrybusiness environment positively impact on the foreign-ownedsubsidiary competence development and play a fundamental rolein deciding whether such units will impact on the investmentattraction in the host economy.     

Recent Norwegian archaeological publications

The part of the Helg?y Project presented here deals with the Norwegian and Sami populations in Helg?y from their supposed immigration to the Region about 13/1400 AD to approximately 1700. Some findings and the methods developed by the project to establish them will be presented, the question of how to distinguish Sami from Norwegian settlements in historical and pre‐historical times being central in the study of North Norway.     

Settlement studies and the archaeological survey of North Norway — A discussion based on the survey of North Troms

By the end of the 1984 field season a systematic archaeological survey of the county of Troms was completed. At the same time a revision of the survey was started. The survey of Troms is part of a nation‐wide archaeological survey, connected with the production of an Economic Map of Norway. Though the validity of the methods and the results of this survey have been questioned, few attempts have been made at evaluating the archaeological data base produced by the survey. The current total revision of the survey makes this task even more urgent. The aim of this paper is to contribute towards such an evaluation, by utilizing the survey data from six North Troms municipalities in an attempt at constructing a history of settlement for this area.     

Empowering marginal lifescapes: the heritage of crofters in between the past and the present

There is a rich, but unacknowledged, heritage of rural subalterns, crofters, in Scandinavia. A Swedish-Norwegian interdisciplinary research-network investigated the most prominent category – the remains of crofts. Due to industrialisation, urbanisation and the modern welfare state, the institution of crofting was abolished, and many crofters left for opportunities elsewhere. The welfare state transformed a landscape of living and working people into a one filled with relicts mostly from the nineteenth century. Although numerous and important to local citizens, these sites fall outside the authorised heritage discourse (AHD) in terms of both research and heritage management. This paper takes an environmental justice perspective to challenge the AHD. Three themes are in focus: (1) bringing out the history of a subaltern and marginalised group of people; (2) promoting crofts as heritage of importance to local citizens and demanding complex management due to the various historical narratives and risks; (3) considering the crofting landscapes in relation to the (economisation) framing of heritage in development processes, especially in relation to fair development in present rural communities.     

Bureaucratic Domination of Hunter-Gatherer Societies: A Study of the San in Botswana

Social science analysis of hunter-gatherer societies has highlighted their economic and cultural subordination to neighbouring peoples. This article shows that, at least in the case of the San in Botswana, state bureaucratic domination is becoming the determining factor in social change. The authors provide evidence of bureaucratic domination with respect to settlement of the San, the establishment of headmanship, extension of social services and environmental legislation. In this new environment, hunter-gatherer self-determination requires the creation of effective political organizations to counter the bureaucratic state. Some San groups in Botswana are already reacting to the expanding presence of the state by dramatically increasing their involvement in various aspects of Botswana's electoral politics. While the outcome of the San political challenge to the state is still in doubt, the authors conclude that San settlement is a precondition for political change in spite of the serious cultural sacrifice involved.     

ORGANIZATION,LEGITIMATION, PARTICIPATION

This article suggests a new interpretation of the state formation process in Early Modern Sweden, focusing on three dimensions: The organization of the state as a way to use limited resources in a rational way, the legitimation of rulers in terms of beliefs and values current in society, and the participation of the subjects in state activities. Our model focuses on institutional change as a result of the intensity of interaction between rulers and subjects. Based on our own research, claims are made for new understanding of state formation in Europe that allows more room for political action from below.