Probabilism and the Number of Units Affected: Measuring Influence Concentration

1968 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 476-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce M. Russett
Keyword(s):  
Mutual Influence ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Power Bases ◽  
Complete Control ◽  
The Past ◽  
Subordinate Level ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
Different Levels

In suggesting a basis for operational indices of the concentration of power Steven Brams' creative article “Measuring the Concentration of Power in Political Systems” (see pp. 461–475) has performed an important service to the discipline in opening up a neglected area. It is very surprising that despite all the past efforts to devise summary measures of power bases (e.g., income or military strength) so little effort has gone into summary indices for rigorously gauging their dispersion or the absence of dispersion. Having acknowledged Brams' piece as an extremely valuable stimulus for further thought, I would like now to exercise a scientific prerogative to propose a variation in the approach that should, for some theoretical purposes, prove even more useful. As Brams notes appropriately, it is indeed true that the best index “for any particular study will depend on the nature and purposes of the study.”All the versions of Brams' PC index are directed toward measuring the collective exercise of influence between different levels of decision-makers. This approach reflects an essentially deterministic point of view: the influence from any level on a mutual influence set or sets is determined by the exercise of influence on only one of its members. For example, if a has power over b, and b is in a mutual influence set with c, then c's actions vis-à-vis b are completely determined by a. As far as the PC index is concerned, this is no different from the case of a's directly influencing b and directly influencing c when b and c are not in an influence relationship. But if one takes a probabilistic viewpoint of indeterminacy, of a's predominance but less than complete control over b and c when they are in a mutual influence relationship, the relations among units at a subordinate level become interesting.

scholarly journals E-Commerce Calls for Cyber-Security and Sustainability: How European Citizens Look for a Trusted Online Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6752
Author(s):  
Idiano D’Adamo ◽  
Rocío González-Sánchez ◽  
Maria Sonia Medina-Salgado ◽  
Davide Settembre-Blundo
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Different Levels

The pandemic has changed the citizens’ behavior, inducing them to avoid any real contact. This has given an incredible impulse to e-commerce; however, the complexity of the topic has not yet been adequately explored in the literature. To fill this gap, this study has a twofold purpose: (1) to investigate how European countries comparatively perform in e-commerce, and (2) to describe what are the most important challenges for the further expansion of e-commerce. To this end, we adopted a hybrid methodology based on multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and a Likert scale survey. The first method allows to us rank the e-commerce performance of different European countries, while the second one looks at the problems and barriers that characterize online shopping. The results of the study show that European countries have different sensitivities to the issue of cyber-security, and among them it is possible to identify three groups with different levels of attention to the critical issues of e-commerce. The Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark belong to the group of countries most responsive to e-commerce. This request is part of a broader framework of transition toward sustainable development, i.e., a reliable digital environment where citizens and businesses can exercise their rights and freedoms in complete security. Finally, from a theoretical perspective, this paper adds a new baseline to the literature on the state of the art of e-commerce in Europe that addresses the effects of the pandemic. From a managerial point of view, decision makers can find in the results of this analysis a support for the setting of business strategies for the expansion of firms in certain markets and guidance for public authorities when defining regulatory policies for e-commerce.

scholarly journals The comparative method for policy studies: the thorny aspects

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-67
Author(s):  
Tatiana-Camelia Dogaru Cruceanu
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Research ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Policy Studies ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Past ◽  
Policy Systems

Abstract Over the past decades, the comparative method has attracted the attention of the theorists, and studies based on this approach have increased in applied policy research. In their daily and strategically policy decisions, the decision makers from local, regional and national levels use more and more the comparative research methods, especially due to interlinked relationship and the need for bench learning and benchmarking practices. The comparative method allows the actors to analyse other experiences, and thus to take decisions more efficient. This is a normal, an inevitable situation, when the unit of analysis is a country, a field of matters or a process where researchers compare cases from empirical or theoretical point of view. The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical view on the capacity of comparative method to foster knowledge in policy studies. The intention is to see and to explore the utility of comparative method for policy studies and policy analysis, since a new approach “evidence-based policymaking” arise, emphasising the importance of using evidence from other political and policy systems.

scholarly journals MAPPING AND MONITORING GROUND INSTABILITIES WITH SENTINEL-1 DATA: THE EXPERIENCE OF SERNAGEOMIN

2020 ◽  
Vol XLII-3/W12-2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
P. Olea ◽  
O. Monserrat ◽  
C. Sierralta ◽  
A. Barra ◽  
L. Bono ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Geohazard Risk ◽  
Reliable Solution ◽  
Differential Sar Interferometry ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract. The application of Satellite Differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) has become a reliable solution as a tool for mapping and monitoring geohazards. Few years ago, the main applications of these techniques were devoted to science. However, nowadays, the easy access to SAR imagery and the maturity of the techniques to exploit these type of data has widened the user’s spectrum from only scientists to professional and decision makers. The advent of Sentinel-1 satellites has significantly contributed to this achievement. In particular, in the field of geohazard risk management, Sentinel-1 has solved one of the main constraining factors that hindered the operational use of interferometric techniques in the past: the lack of systematic acquisition plans. In this context, Sentinel-1 assures worldwide coverage with short temporal baselines (6 to 24 days). This has supposed a definitive step towards the implementation of DInSAR based techniques to support decision makers against geohazards. In this work, we show the first experiences of the remote sensing unit of the Geological and Mining Survey of Chile (Sernageomin) with Sentinel-1 data. Three different case studies in different areas of the Chilean territory are presented. The examples illustrate how DInSAR based techniques can provide different levels of information about geohazard activity in different environments.

REPOSITIONING OF THERMAL SPA TOURISM OF NORTH-WEST CROATIA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EUROPEAN THERMAL SPA TOURISM TRENDS

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-84
Author(s):  
Romina Alkier Radnić ◽  
Daniela Gračan ◽  
Maja Fister
Keyword(s):  
Tourism Development ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
North West ◽  
The Past ◽  
Tourism Product ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
Thermal Sources ◽  
Different Levels

: Tourism represents an important originator of economic activities in Croatia, particularly in its seaside destinations. However, it is developed quite unevenly. The overall Croatian territory can be divided into three different natural and geographic regions, with different levels in tourism development: lowland or Pannonian and peripannonian Croatia, highland Croatia, and seaside Croatia. From the tourism development point of view, lowland and highland Croatia have been neglected, and therefore their comparative advantages have not been used to their advantage or not used at all because of the lack of interest in local inhabitants and poorly educated economists. Thermal spa tourism of North-West Croatia has been developing for a long time, so nowadays thermal sources of Krapinske, Stubicke, Tuheljske, Varazdinske, and Sutinske spas are situated in the area. All those thermal spas have natural prerogatives for tourism development, but their tourism product is outworn and has lost its quality and attraction it had in the past. Therefore the repositioning of tourism product of the area is necessary in order to make it desirable in the tourist markets of both Croatia and Europe.

In search of personal mobility: changing interpersonal relations in two Bamileke chiefdoms, Cameroon

Africa ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan H. B. den Ouden
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Personal Mobility ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The People ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Opening Paragraph ◽  
Opening Up

Opening ParagraphIn this article I discuss the incorporation of the people of two Bamileke chiefdoms into wider economic and political systems. In doing this I will concentrate on the interactions and strategies of individuals. A number of issues will concern us: the types of relations of dependency within the chiefdoms and the possibilities for manipulating them to further individual economic, political and social mobility; the effects of the commercialisation of agriculture during both colonial and post-colonial periods; the opening up of areas outside the chiefdoms for trade and migration; the erosion of the chiefdom structure and its consequences for interpersonal relations and the possibilities for furthering individual and family interests. I will approach these problems mainly from the point of view of the changing patterns of authority and power relations.

Chelovek.RU/Человек.RU

Chelovek RU ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 18-53
Author(s):  
Sergei Avanesov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Family History ◽  
Great Distance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Past ◽  
Russian Philosopher ◽  
True Meaning ◽  
The Future ◽  
Pavel Florensky ◽  
The Moment

Abstract. The article analyzes the autobiography of the famous Russian philosopher, theologian and scientist Pavel Florensky, as well as those of his texts that retain traces of memories. According to Florensky, the personal biography is based on family history and continues in children. He addresses his own biography to his children. Memories based on diary entries are designed as a memory diary, that is, as material for future memories. The past becomes actual in autobiography, turns into a kind of present. The past, from the point of view of its realization in the present, gains meaning and significance. The au-thor is active in relation to his own past, transforming it from a collection of disparate facts into a se-quence of events. A person can only see the true meaning of such events from a great distance. Therefore, the philosopher remembers not so much the circumstances of his life as the inner impressions of the en-counter with reality. The most powerful personality-forming experiences are associated with childhood. Even the moment of birth can decisively affect the character of a person and the range of his interests. The foundations of a person's worldview are laid precisely in childhood. Florensky not only writes mem-oirs about himself, but also tries to analyze the problems of time and memory. A person is immersed in time, but he is able to move into the past through memory and into the future through faith. An autobi-ography can never be written to the end because its author lives on. However, reaching the depths of life, he is able to build his path in such a way that at the end of this path he will unite with the fullness of time, with eternity.

Portuguese Sardines - from the ritual to the brand

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-120
Author(s):  
Cecília Avelino Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Symbolic Capital ◽  
City Council ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
City Branding ◽  
The Past ◽  
Behavioral Expression ◽  
The City ◽  
City Identity

Place branding is a network of associations in the consumer’s mind, based on the visual, verbal, and behavioral expression of a place. Food can be an important tool to summarize it as it is part of the culture of a city and its symbolic capital. Food is imaginary, a ritual and a social construction. This paper aims to explore a ritual that has turned into one of the brands of Lisbon in the past few years. The fresh sardines barbecued out of doors, during Saint Anthony’s festival, has become a symbol that can be found on t-shirts, magnets and all kinds of souvenirs. Over the year, tourists can buy sardine shaped objects in very cheap stores to luxurious shops. There is even a whole boutique dedicated to the fish: “The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines” and an annual competition promoted by the city council to choose the five most emblematic designs of sardines. In order to analyze the Sardine phenomenon from a city branding point of view, the objective of this paper is to comprehend what associations are made by foreigners when they are outside of Lisbon. As a methodological procedure five design sardines, were used of last year to questioning to which city they relate them in interviews carried in Madrid, Lyon, Rome and London. Upon completion of the analysis, the results of the city branding strategy adopted by the city council to promote the sardines as the official symbol of Lisbon is seen as a Folkmarketing action. The effects are positive, but still quite local. On the other hand, significant participation of the Lisbon´s dwellers in the Sardine Contest was observed, which seems to be a good way to promote the city identity and pride in their best ambassador: the citizens.

Rereading Klein’s “Some reflections on ‘The Oresteia’ ”—the evolution of the mother–daughter relationship in four generations of Chinese women

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-59
Author(s):  
Xu Jianqin
Keyword(s):  
Mutual Influence ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
Mother Daughter Relationship ◽  
Foot Binding ◽  
Mother Child Relationship ◽  
Reform And Opening Up ◽  
Opening Up

This article analyses the evolution of the mother–daughter relationship in China, and describes the mothering characteristics of four generations of women, which in sequence includes “foot-binding mothers”, “mothers after liberation”, “mothers after reform and opening up”, and “mothers who were only daughters”. Referring to Klein’s ideas about the mother–child relationship, especially those in her paper “Some reflections on ‘The Oresteia’ ”, the author tries to understand mothers and their impact on their daughters in these various periods of Chinese history, so as to explore the mutual influence of the mother–daughter relationship in particular, and the Chinese cultural and developmental context in general.

History of Tour de France from the Geographical Point of View

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 255-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Bačík ◽  
Michal Klobučník
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
The Past ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
The World ◽  
Spatial Dimensions ◽  
Tour De France ◽  
Wide Circle ◽  
History Of ◽  
Expert Community ◽  
Geographical Point

Abstract The Tour de France, a three week bicycle race has a unique place in the world of sports. The 100th edition of the event took place in 2013. In the past of 110 years of its history, people noticed unique stories and duels in particular periods, celebrities that became legends that the world of sports will never forget. Also many places where the races unfolded made history in the Tour de France. In this article we tried to point out the spatial context of this event using advanced technologies for distribution of historical facts over the Internet. The Introduction briefly displays the attendance of a particular stage based on a regional point of view. The main topic deals with selected historical aspects of difficult ascents which every year decide the winner of Tour de France, and also attract fans from all over the world. In the final stage of the research, the distribution of results on the website available to a wide circle of fans of this sports event played a very significant part (www.tdfrance.eu). Using advanced methods and procedures we have tried to capture the historical and spatial dimensions of Tour de France in its general form and thus offering a new view of this unique sports event not only to the expert community, but for the general public as well.

INTERIOR DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE THROUGH THE PRISM OF TIME: FROM CONFLICT TO COOPERATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-37
Author(s):  
I. Naydenova
Keyword(s):  
Interior Design ◽  
Mutual Influence ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Living Space ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Functional Zoning ◽  
Architecture And Design ◽  
Xix Century

As a research area, interior design took shape in the 20s of the last century, despite the fact that the practice of decorating living spaces dates back many hundreds of years. However, the "self-sufficiency" of design and its connection with architecture to this day is the subject of scientific discussions of urban specialists, historians, art historians, and anthropologists. The article discusses the leading artistic styles and trends that prevailed in architecture and design from the point of view of their mutual influence on each other. Time frame of the research: from the middle of XIX century to the first half of XX century. As a result of the research of foreign experience in the formation of interior design, the main stages of the movement development and its relationship with architecture in two formations were identified: activities directly dependent on architectural decisions, activities that determine the entire design process to a large extent: from the functional zoning of the premises to the features of the placement of utilities in the building. Entering the information era in art as a whole is characterized by the rejection of slogans that clearly delineate stylistic boundaries and determine the role of a designer in creating the living space. The determining factor influencing the integrity of the building’s appearance in a modern view is the harmony of the facade and the internal content, which was made possible thanks to the equal interaction of the architect and designer, starting from the first half of the 20th century.

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