scholarly journals How Circular Are the European Economies? A Taxonomic Analysis Based on the INEC (Index of National Economies’ Circularity)

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7613
Author(s):  
Armand Kasztelan

In this paper, the aggregate index of national economies’ circularity (INEC) was proposed and empirically verified. For this purpose, the taxonomic linear ordering method was used, which is a multi-criteria decision-making procedure. This method replaces the analysis of the phenomenon described by a set of indicators with an analysis using one aggregate indicator: the so-called ‘synthetic metric’. Based on 14 circular economy indicators that are available in the Eurostat database, the circularity indexes were constructed for 24 EU countries (including the United Kingdom). This allowed the author, on the one hand, to create a ranking of the countries, and on the other, to assign them to four groups, which were characterized by a similar level of circularity. This paper attempts to answer the following questions: how circular are the European economies? What are the main challenges in achieving circularity in Europe? Taking into account the INEC range [0,1], it should be noted that the level of circularity in the analysed European countries is low (an average of 0.3021). Therefore, the paper indicates the areas requiring improvement in this respect.

Author(s):  
Dolores Morondo Taramundi

This chapter analyses arguments regarding conflicts of rights in the field of antidiscrimination law, which is a troublesome and less studied area of the growing literature on conflicts of rights. Through discussion of Ladele and McFarlane v. The United Kingdom, a case before the European Court of Human Rights, the chapter examines how the construction of this kind of controversy in terms of ‘competing rights’ or ‘conflicts of rights’ seems to produce paradoxical results. Assessment of these apparent difficulties leads the discussion in two different directions. On the one hand, some troubles come to light regarding the use of the conflict of rights frame itself in the field of antidiscrimination law, particularly in relation to the main technique (‘balancing of rights’) to solve them. On the other hand, some serious consequences of the conflict of rights frame on the development of the antidiscrimination theory of the ECtHR are unearthed.


Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Paul Miller

Racism in any society is fuelled by a number of factors, often acting independently of each other, or, at times, in concert with each other. On the one hand, anti-racism efforts rely on the alignment of four “system conditions” to stand a chance of successfully engaging and tackling racism. On the other hand, where these “system conditions” are not present, or where they are not in sync, this leads to “system failure”—a situation where racism is writ large in society and in the institutions therein, and where anti-racism efforts are severely hampered. Drawing on evidence from within the education sector and elsewhere in UK society, this paper examines how a lack of alignment between “system conditions” hampers antiracism efforts, and simultaneously reinforces racism in society and in institutions—leading to gridlock or “system failure” around anti-racism.


2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Goldberg

SUMMARYThis paper describes the process of preparing a Clinical Guideline for “NICE”, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom. The procedure involves the group appointed to prepare the guideline relating to the various “stakeholders” who have an interest on the one hand, and satisfying the fairly demanding standards set by NICE on the other. The strengths and limitations of the approach based on evidence based medicine are discussed.


Ethnicities ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 146879682091341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiina Sotkasiira ◽  
Anna Gawlewicz

The European Union membership referendum (i.e. the Brexit referendum) in the United Kingdom in 2016 triggered a process of introspection among non-British European Union citizens with respect to their right to remain in the United Kingdom, including their right to entry, permanent residence, and access to work and social welfare. Drawing on interview data collected from 42 European Union nationals, namely Finnish and Polish migrants living in Scotland, we explore how European Union migrants’ decision-making and strategies for extending their stay in the United Kingdom, or returning to their country of origin, are shaped by and, in turn, shape their belonging and ties to their current place of residence and across state borders. In particular, we draw on the concept of embedding, which is used in migration studies to explain migration trajectories and decision-making. Our key argument is that more attention needs to be paid to the socio-political context within which migrants negotiate their embedding. To this end, we employ the term ‘politics of embedding’ to highlight the ways in which the embedding of non-British European Union citizens has been politicized and hierarchically structured in the United Kingdom after the Brexit referendum. By illustrating how the context of Brexit has changed how people evaluate their social and other attachments, and how their embedding is differentiated into ‘ties that bind’ and ‘ties that count’, we contribute to the emerging work on migration and Brexit, and specifically to the debate on how the politicization of migration shapes the sense of security on the one hand, and belonging, on the other.


Author(s):  
Saleem H. Ali

The concept of a "circular economy" needs a more cogent theoretical anchor which will allow for transference of its goals and methods of attainment across cases. Tensions between ecological goals of this concept and the social implications of its implementation need to be addressed. This paper attempts to provide a theoretical framework for harnessing the strengths of a circular economy. Building on theories of social ecology which are predicated in Murray Bookchin's notion of "dialectical naturalism", the analysis presented here addresses some of the criticism of circular economic paradigms, such as their potential for stifling innovation or a neglect of human development challenges. A model for managing human "need" and "greed" within a circular economy framework is presented that also incorporates consumer choice and innovation. Planned obsolescence as a means of livelihood generation is also problematized with a view towards balancing durability of products on the one hand and ensuring throughput for manufacturing employment and innovation incentives on the other. Finally, the need for governance systems is considered to ensure that a planetary vision for a circular economy can be realized that efficiently harnesses local initiatives rather than an atomized and insular view of circularity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-108
Author(s):  
Monika Knaupp ◽  
Sarah Schaufler ◽  
Susann Hofbauer ◽  
Edwin Keiner

The paper investigates recent transnational and trans-disciplinary knowledge trajectories on the basis of scholarly journals by focusing on the contemporary relationships, commonalities and differences between education research and educational psychology in three European countries: Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. We investigate how education research and educational psychology are composed regarding authors, research topics and methodological standards. We also are interested in analysing how these disciplines are formed according to their mutual recognition and their specific communication patterns. The investigation is based on 70 more recent volumes of eight journals of education research and educational psychology, which are analysed according to social and disciplinary affiliation of authors and the methodological focus of articles. As a preliminary result of work in progress we identify different research patterns regarding nations and cultures on the one hand and regarding disciplines on the other.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13601
Author(s):  
Juan-José Ortega-Gras ◽  
María-Victoria Bueno-Delgado ◽  
Gregorio Cañavate-Cruzado ◽  
Josefina Garrido-Lova

Key Enabling Technologies (KET) support the adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and are also considered the main drivers of the Circular Economy (CE) transition. In this respect, the guidelines and real use cases to inspire enterprises and industry to lead the twin digital and green transition are still poor. This work is aimed at contributing to this matter, with twofold goals: on the one hand, to show a depth desk-research analysis of the key existing policies at European level that foster this twin digital and green transition; on the other hand, to review practical use cases and international projects where CE practices are boosted through the implementation of KET. From the analysis, a set of recommendations are suggested as a guide for policymakers, researchers, and industry managers on how to foster the CE through the implementation of I4.0 technologies.


1978 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kulhara ◽  
N. N. Wig

The results of a follow-up study of schizophrenics attending a centre in North West India are reported. The relevant literature is reviewed, The results were compared with two well-known studies, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Mauritius. The evidence presented suggests that the course taken by schizophrenia in a newly-developed city and its neighbourhood in this part of India is similar to the one seen in the Western world. This study does not support the view that chronicity of schizophrenia in non-European, non-white populations is different, at least in an urban setting.


2020 ◽  
pp. 652-660
Author(s):  
Lars Kintscher ◽  
◽  
Sebastian Lawrenz ◽  
Hendrik Poschmann ◽  
Priyanka Sharma

Recycling will become more and more important in the future. To fulfill the requirements of a more efficient recycling process and thus enable an eco-friendly handling of resources, modern technologies can be used. One of these modern technology streams is called Industry 4.0. This paper presents an approach to how Industry 4.0 can be integrated into recycling processes, resulting in Recycling 4.0. Electric vehicles and their traction batteries are used as an example. To enable a more efficient disassembly and recycling of these traction batteries, information about the battery is exchanged along the supply chain. A key issue is the development of a marketplace to exchange the information. Another topic is the connection of a robot to the information marketplace. On the one hand, the robot can get information from the marketplace for decision-making in the disassembly of traction batteries. On the other hand, the robotic system is capable of analyzing the condition of the battery, so it is also possible to transmit information from the robot to the information marketplace.


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