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Participatory Biodiversity Conservation: Concepts, Experiences, and Perspectives
by Cristina BaldaufIt has long been claimed that addressing biodiversity loss and other environmental problems demands a better understanding of the social dimensions of conservation; nevertheless, the active participation of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in conservation initiatives is still a challenging and somehow controversial issue. In this context, this book hopes to give voice to other perspectives related to biodiversity conservation beyond the “fortress conservation” model and emphasize one of the pillars of democracy – popular participation. It covers a wide range of environments and issues of special significance to the topic, such as the expansion of culturally constructed niches, protected areas and food security, community-based management, participatory agroforestry, productive restoration and biocultural conservation. The contents also explore the limitations and shortcomings of participatory practices in protected areas, the relationship between the global crisis of democracy and the decline of biocultural diversity, as well as present current discussions on policy frameworks and governance systems for effective participatory biodiversity conservation. In sum, this book provides a comprehensive and realistic perspective on the social dimensions of conservation based on a series of interrelated themes in participatory biodiversity conservation. The connections between biocultural conservation and the current political and economic environment are highlighted through the chapters and the book closes with a debate on ways to reconcile human welfare, environmental justice and biodiversity conservation.
Thermal and Mineral Waters: Origin, Properties and Applications (Environmental Earth Sciences)
by Werner Balderer Adam Porowski Hussein Idris James W. LaMoreauxThis is a compilation of manuscripts on mineral and thermal waters of different areas of the world. This special volume is devoted to the 41st Meeting of the Commission on Mineral and Thermal Waters of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH-CMTW) held in Cairo, Egypt, in October 2009. The presentations collected and presented in this volume show the variety of aspects of mineral and thermal waters occurrence and utilization in different countries of the world with a special focus on Egypt, Iran, Ukraine, Poland, Russia and Australia.
Challenges to Punjab Economy: A Regional Perspective from India
by Baldev Singh Shergill and Swati MehtaThis volume looks at the challenges faced by the economy and society in Punjab, India. It probes into the economic issues, institutional development and resources imbalance faced by the Punjab economy. It discusses regional research problems and futuristic approaches for a developing economy. The chapters in this volume: focus on comprehending economic challenges, agrarian structure and development; markets, R&D and public policy; manufacturing sector; opportunities and possibilities; examine labour, caste and gender trajectories, exploring the question of freedom and livelihood; human, social and financial resources development; hunger, diet and disease; challenges for development paradigm; present the macro and micro facets of development processes in the region and offer a way forward for long-run growth, sustainability and inclusiveness amidst the dynamic fast-changing economies across the globe. Comprehensive and analytical in its approach, this volume will be of interest to young researchers, scholars, practitioners and policymakers working in the fields of Development Economics, Regional Economics, Evolutionary Economics, Sustainable Economics, Agrarian Development, Manufacturing and Labour.
Place Based Approaches to Sustainability Volume I: Ethical and Spiritual Foundations of Sustainability (Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business In Association with Future Earth)
by Mara Del Baldo Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli Elisabetta RighiniWithout respecting and nurturing ‘place’ we cannot achieve a state of ecological sustainability. Place-based organizations are not run on a purely materialistic basis. The non-materialistic features of a place, its aesthetics, cultural heritage, community feelings, transcendence, should be integrated into sustainability management. This far-reaching two-volume work breaks with the economic logic of efficiency and profit maximization, and suggests that organizations should inform their sustainability by encompassing feelings of identity with and attachment to place.According to this vision, the editors have compiled scholarly contributions aimed to support the ecological transformation of humankind by exploring both theoretical and practical models that integrate the sense of the place, ethics and spirituality in new ways of organizing of economic and social life. This first volume sets the theoretical direction of the volumes, asking broad aesthetic questions around the ethical and spiritual foundations of sustainability. It will be of interest to scholars, practitioners and students of sustainability, business ethics and spirituality.
Place Based Approaches to Sustainability Volume II: Business, Economic, and Social Models (Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business In Association with Future Earth)
by Mara Del Baldo Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli Elisabetta RighiniWithout respecting and nurturing ‘place’ we cannot achieve a state of ecological sustainability. Place-based organizations are not run on a purely materialistic basis. The non-materialistic features of a place, its aesthetics, cultural heritage, community feelings, transcendence, should be integrated into sustainability management. This far-reaching two-volume work breaks with the economic logic of efficiency and profit maximization, and suggests that organizations should inform their sustainability by encompassing feelings of identity with and attachment to place.According to this vision, the editors have compiled scholarly contributions aimed to support the ecological transformation of humankind by exploring both theoretical and practical models that integrate the sense of the place, ethics and spirituality in new ways of organizing of economic and social life. This second volume takes the theoretical direction, established in the first model, and puts it into practice withcases from business and society. It will be of interest to scholars, practitioners and students of sustainability, business ethics and spirituality.
Intrinsic CSR and Competition: Doing well amongst European SMEs
by Mara Del Baldo Walter Wehrmeyer Stéphanie LooserThis edited book is at the intersection of the discussion on family-owned business, the CSR agenda and company competition in Europe. The authors contribute to the debates on corporate social responsibility by arguing that formal management systems are not the one-size-fits-all solution they are typically presented to be. Exploring alternative interpretations of the profile environmental management activities have in SMEs, the book evaluates the way in which cultural and ethical values are embedded in European SMEs in order to drive and orientate CSR successfully without following the mainstream ‘systems’ approach. It addresses several values of thought within the CSR debate such as intrinsic CSR, the role of virtue ethics and moral theory in corporate culture, environmental sustainability and vision-driven CSR. Focusing on a European perspective, the book heuristically explores an alternative model for the integration of CSR, innovation dynamics and economic success driven by intrinsic values rather than extrinsic post-decision rationalisations.
Classical Statistical Mechanics with Nested Sampling (Springer Theses)
by Robert John BaldockThis thesis develops a nested sampling algorithm into a black box tool for directly calculating the partition function, and thus the complete phase diagram of a material, from the interatomic potential energy function. It represents a significant step forward in our ability to accurately describe the finite temperature properties of materials. In principle, the macroscopic phases of matter are related to the microscopic interactions of atoms by statistical mechanics and the partition function. In practice, direct calculation of the partition function has proved infeasible for realistic models of atomic interactions, even with modern atomistic simulation methods. The thesis also shows how the output of nested sampling calculations can be processed to calculate the complete PVT (pressure–volume–temperature) equation of state for a material, and applies the nested sampling algorithm to calculate the pressure–temperature phase diagrams of aluminium and a model binary alloy.
Statistical Mechanics of Hamiltonian Systems with Bounded Kinetic Terms: An Insight into Negative Temperature (Springer Theses)
by Marco BaldovinRecent experimental evidence about the possibility of "absolute negative temperature" states in physical systems has triggered a stimulating debate about the consistency of such a concept from the point of view of Statistical Mechanics. It is not clear whether the usual results of this field can be safely extended to negative-temperature states; some authors even propose fundamental modifications to the Statistical Mechanics formalism, starting with the very definition of entropy, in order to avoid the occurrence of negative values of the temperature tout-court.The research presented in this thesis aims to shed some light on this controversial topic. To this end, a particular class of Hamiltonian systems with bounded kinetic terms, which can assume negative temperature, is extensively studied, both analytically and numerically. Equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium properties of this kind of system are investigated, reinforcing the overall picture that the introduction of negative temperature does not lead to any contradiction or paradox.
Sustainable Work and the Environmental Crisis: The Link between Labour and Climate Change
by Chris Baldry Jeff HymanCompared to 20 years ago, the jobs many people do today are increasingly characterised by low pay and insecurity, while countless others cope with workplace stress and ill-health. At the same time the consequences of our current model of economic activity are creating dangerous and critical changes in the planet’s climate. Until recently debates around these two issues have had little contact with each other. This book demonstrates that there are definite and complex connections between degraded jobs and a degraded environment, that neither the dominant economic model nor the rate at which we exploit the planet’s resources are sustainable and that the limits for both may be reached sooner rather than later. By bringing together insights from critical thinkers in a range of disciplines, the book discusses the requirements and characteristics for work to be at the same time economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and examines the potential for alternative routes to sustainable work in policies and actions that support both the natural environment and worker well-being. The book will be of interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of HRM, labour studies, employment relations, sociology, environmental studies and sustainability. It is particularly relevant for those focusing on the link between labour and climate change. It is also highly relevant to policymakers, trade unions and NGOs looking at decent work and sustainability.
Sustainable Work and the Environmental Crisis: The Link between Labour and Climate Change
by Chris Baldry Jeff HymanCompared to 20 years ago, the jobs many people do today are increasingly characterised by low pay and insecurity, while countless others cope with workplace stress and ill-health. At the same time the consequences of our current model of economic activity are creating dangerous and critical changes in the planet’s climate. Until recently debates around these two issues have had little contact with each other. This book demonstrates that there are definite and complex connections between degraded jobs and a degraded environment, that neither the dominant economic model nor the rate at which we exploit the planet’s resources are sustainable and that the limits for both may be reached sooner rather than later. By bringing together insights from critical thinkers in a range of disciplines, the book discusses the requirements and characteristics for work to be at the same time economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and examines the potential for alternative routes to sustainable work in policies and actions that support both the natural environment and worker well-being. The book will be of interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of HRM, labour studies, employment relations, sociology, environmental studies and sustainability. It is particularly relevant for those focusing on the link between labour and climate change. It is also highly relevant to policymakers, trade unions and NGOs looking at decent work and sustainability.
Situated Practices of Strategic Planning: An international perspective (Routledge Advances in Regional Economics, Science and Policy)
by Alessandro Balducci Louis Albrechts Jean HillierAll over the world societies are facing a number of major problems. New developments, challenges and opportunities cause these issues and yet cases tell us that traditional spatial planning responses and tools are often insufficient to tackle these problems and challenges. Situated Practices of Strategic Planning draws together examples from across the globe – from France to Australia; from Nigeria to the United States, as it observes international comparisons of the strategic planning process. Many approaches and policies used today fail to capture the dynamics of urban/regional transformation and are more concerned with maintaining an existing social order than challenging and transforming it. Stewarded by a team of highly regarded and experienced researchers, this book gives a synthetic view of the process of change and frames future directions of development. It is unique for its combination of analysis of international case studies and reflection on critical nodes and features in strategic planning. This volume will be of interest to students who study regional planning, academics, professional planners, and policy makers.
Situated Practices of Strategic Planning: An international perspective (Routledge Advances in Regional Economics, Science and Policy)
by Alessandro Balducci Louis Albrechts Jean HillierAll over the world societies are facing a number of major problems. New developments, challenges and opportunities cause these issues and yet cases tell us that traditional spatial planning responses and tools are often insufficient to tackle these problems and challenges. Situated Practices of Strategic Planning draws together examples from across the globe – from France to Australia; from Nigeria to the United States, as it observes international comparisons of the strategic planning process. Many approaches and policies used today fail to capture the dynamics of urban/regional transformation and are more concerned with maintaining an existing social order than challenging and transforming it. Stewarded by a team of highly regarded and experienced researchers, this book gives a synthetic view of the process of change and frames future directions of development. It is unique for its combination of analysis of international case studies and reflection on critical nodes and features in strategic planning. This volume will be of interest to students who study regional planning, academics, professional planners, and policy makers.
Risk and Resilience: Socio-Spatial and Environmental Challenges (SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology)
by Alessandro Balducci Daniele Chiffi Francesco CurciThis book presents and discusses methodological approaches and operational tools aimed at increasing the awareness and skills necessary to face the social, economic and environmental challenges usually encountered in spatial planning. In addition, it deals with the concepts of risk and resilience from both a theoretical and operational point of view. The book promotes a better understanding of risk, resilience, and related notions such as vulnerability, fragility and anti-fragility in urban and landscape studies, while also analyzing new planning policies. Accordingly, it will benefit all researchers and public decision-makers looking for an interdisciplinary approach to risk and resilience.
Post-Metropolitan Territories: Looking for a New Urbanity (Routledge Advances in Regional Economics, Science and Policy)
by Alessandro Balducci Valeria Fedeli Francesco CurciProcesses of multi-scalar regional urbanization are occurring worldwide. Such processes are clearly distinguishable from those of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries due to the shifting concepts of both the city and the metropolis. International literature highlights how what we have historically associated with the idea of cities has long been subjected to consistent reconfiguration, which involves stressing some of the typical features of the idea of "cityness". Post-Metropolitan Territories: Looking for a New Urbanity is the product of a research project funded by the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities and Research (MIUR). It constitutes a thorough overview of a country that is one of Europe's most diverse in terms of regional development and performance: Italy. This book brings together case studies of a number of Italian cities and their hinterlands and looks at new forms of urbanization, exploring themes of sustainability, industrialization, de-industrialization, governance, city planning and quality of life. This volume will be of great interest to academics and students who study regional development, economic geography and urban studies, as well as civil servants and policymakers in the field of spatial planning, urban policy, territorial policies and governance.
Post-Metropolitan Territories: Looking for a New Urbanity (Routledge Advances in Regional Economics, Science and Policy)
by Alessandro Balducci Valeria Fedeli Francesco CurciProcesses of multi-scalar regional urbanization are occurring worldwide. Such processes are clearly distinguishable from those of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries due to the shifting concepts of both the city and the metropolis. International literature highlights how what we have historically associated with the idea of cities has long been subjected to consistent reconfiguration, which involves stressing some of the typical features of the idea of "cityness". Post-Metropolitan Territories: Looking for a New Urbanity is the product of a research project funded by the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities and Research (MIUR). It constitutes a thorough overview of a country that is one of Europe's most diverse in terms of regional development and performance: Italy. This book brings together case studies of a number of Italian cities and their hinterlands and looks at new forms of urbanization, exploring themes of sustainability, industrialization, de-industrialization, governance, city planning and quality of life. This volume will be of great interest to academics and students who study regional development, economic geography and urban studies, as well as civil servants and policymakers in the field of spatial planning, urban policy, territorial policies and governance.
Dyson–Schwinger Equations, Renormalization Conditions, and the Hopf Algebra of Perturbative Quantum Field Theory (Springer Theses)
by Paul-Hermann BaldufThis book offers a systematic introduction to the Hopf algebra of renormalization in quantum field theory, with a special focus on physical motivation, the role of Dyson–Schwinger equations, and the renormalization group. All necessary physical and mathematical constructions are reviewed and motivated in a self-contained introduction. The main part of the book concerns the interplay between Dyson–Schwinger equations (DSEs) and renormalization conditions. The book is explicit and consistent about whether a statement is true in general or only in particular renormalization schemes or approximations and about the dependence of quantities on regularization parameters or coupling constants. With over 600 references, the original literature is cited whenever possible and the book contains numerous references to other works discussing further details, generalizations, or alternative approaches. There are explicit examples and remarks to make the connection from the scalar fields at hand toQED and QCD. The book is primarily targeted at the mathematically oriented physicist who seeks a systematic conceptual overview of renormalization, Hopf algebra, and DSEs. These may be graduate students entering the field as well as practitioners seeking a self-contained account of the Hopf algebra construction. Conversely, the book also benefits the mathematician who is interested in the physical background of the exciting interplay between Hopf algebra, combinatorics and physics that is renormalization theory today.
A Decolonial Black Feminist Theory of Reading and Shade: Feeling the University (Routledge Research on Decoloniality and New Postcolonialisms)
by Andrea N. BaldwinThis book uses a decolonial Black feminist lens to understand the contemporary significance of the practices and politics of indifference in United States higher education. It illustrates how higher education institutions are complicit in maintaining dominant social norms that perpetuate difference. It weaves together Black feminisms, affect and queer theory to demonstrate that the ways in which human bodies are classified and normalized in societal and scientific terms contribute to how the minoritized and marginalized feel White higher education spaces. The text espouses a Black Feminist Shad(e)y Theoretics to read the university, by considering the historical positioning of the modern university as sites in which the modern body is made and remade through empirically reliable truth claims and how contemporary knowledges and academic disciplinary inheritances bear the fingerprints of racist sexist science even as the academy tries to disavow its inheritance through so-called inclusive practices and policies today. This book will appeal to students and scholars interested in Black feminism, Gender and women's studies, Black and ethnic studies, sociology, decoloniality, queer studies and affect theory.
A Decolonial Black Feminist Theory of Reading and Shade: Feeling the University (Routledge Research on Decoloniality and New Postcolonialisms)
by Andrea N. BaldwinThis book uses a decolonial Black feminist lens to understand the contemporary significance of the practices and politics of indifference in United States higher education. It illustrates how higher education institutions are complicit in maintaining dominant social norms that perpetuate difference. It weaves together Black feminisms, affect and queer theory to demonstrate that the ways in which human bodies are classified and normalized in societal and scientific terms contribute to how the minoritized and marginalized feel White higher education spaces. The text espouses a Black Feminist Shad(e)y Theoretics to read the university, by considering the historical positioning of the modern university as sites in which the modern body is made and remade through empirically reliable truth claims and how contemporary knowledges and academic disciplinary inheritances bear the fingerprints of racist sexist science even as the academy tries to disavow its inheritance through so-called inclusive practices and policies today. This book will appeal to students and scholars interested in Black feminism, Gender and women's studies, Black and ethnic studies, sociology, decoloniality, queer studies and affect theory.
Global Black Feminism: Cross Border Collaboration through an Ethics of Care (Routledge International Studies of Women and Place)
by Andrea N. Baldwin Tonya HaynesThis timely and informative volume centres how global Black feminist narratives of care are important to our contemporary theorizing and highlights the transgressive potential of a critical transnational Black feminist pedagogical praxis. This text not only details how such praxis can be revolutionary for the academy but also provides poignant examples of the student scholarship that can be produced when such pedagogy is applied. Drawing on narratives from Black women around the globe, the book features chapters on pedagogy, mentorship, art, migration, relationships, and how Black women make sense of navigating social and institutional barriers. Readers of the text will benefit from an interdisciplinary, global approach to Black feminisms that centres the narratives and experiences of these women. Readers will also gain knowledge about the historical and contemporary scholarship produced by Black women across the globe. This book is an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers, including graduate students in Caribbean feminisms, Black feminisms, transnational feminism, sociology, political science, the performing arts, cultural studies, and Caribbean studies.
Rural Development for Sustainable Social-ecological Systems: Putting Communities First (Palgrave Studies in Environmental Sustainability)
by Claudia Baldwin Séverine Van BommelThis book provides an overview of interdisciplinary approaches that have applied social science to research focused on issues around food, agriculture and natural resource management. The book demonstrates that those who work in rural sociology either as researchers or practitioners apply community development and participatory techniques to socio-environmental interaction. The book discusses how the evolving concept of interconnected social and ecological systems (SES) emerged, recognizing the inherent complexity, adaptive nature, and resilience of such systems. This book engages with contemporary theory, as well as new cutting-edge transdisciplinary research evidenced in case studies from three continents.
Body Cultures: Essays on Sport, Space & Identity by Henning Eichberg
by John BaleBody Cultures explores the relationship between the body, sport and landscape. This book presents the first critically edited collection of Henning Eichberg's provocative essays into 'body culture'. Eichberg, a well-known scholar in continental Europe who draws upon the ideas of Elias, Focault, Habermas and others, is now attracting considerable interest from Anglo-American sociologists, historians and geographers. This collection has been extensively edited to highlight Eichberg's most important arguments and themes. Introductory essays from the editors and Susan Brownell provide clear explanations and interpretations as well as a biography of Eichberg.
Body Cultures: Essays on Sport, Space & Identity by Henning Eichberg
by John Bale Chris PhiloBody Cultures explores the relationship between the body, sport and landscape. This book presents the first critically edited collection of Henning Eichberg's provocative essays into 'body culture'. Eichberg, a well-known scholar in continental Europe who draws upon the ideas of Elias, Focault, Habermas and others, is now attracting considerable interest from Anglo-American sociologists, historians and geographers. This collection has been extensively edited to highlight Eichberg's most important arguments and themes. Introductory essays from the editors and Susan Brownell provide clear explanations and interpretations as well as a biography of Eichberg.
Disaster Management in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies, Institutions and Processes
by Roland Azibo Balgah Jude Ndzifon KimengsiThe global escalation of natural and human-induced disasters, and their future predicted occurrence is extremely worrying, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In addition to summarizing global disaster management frameworks, this book discusses the African Union’s strategy for disaster risk reduction (AU-DRR), including country-specific cases, and explores the extent to which national policies resonate with AU-DRR. By combining reviews with empirical evidence, the chapters provide an in-depth analysis of disaster policy processes, institutions and arrangements in SSA, situating the sub-continent within overarching global and African instruments such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the African Union’s Disaster Risk Reduction strategy. The book further provides novel insights which can enhance understanding of disaster risk reduction in Africa from a policy perspective. A combined analysis of all the chapters provides an interesting summary and information for creating disaster management policies for improved results in SSA. With an extensive glossary of terms and index, the book lends itself to specialized academics and students, but also to disaster management policy makers and practitioners and the occasional user.
Productivity and Innovation in SMEs: Creating Competitive Advantage in Singapore and South East Asia (Routledge Focus on Environment and Sustainability)
by Azad Bali Peter McKiernan Christopher Vas Peter WaringThis book analyses the determining factors behind productivity and innovation amongst Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore, and within the context of South East Asia, in order to offer recommendations for increasing productivity and aiding economic growth. SME firms are an influential driver of economic growth in advanced world economies like the USA, Germany, Japan and South Korea. Throughout the 2000s, Singapore experienced a decline in economic growth which was linked to decreasing productivity in its SMEs. The decline triggered a transformational policy by a Government intent on forging a ‘high skill–high productivity’ future. Given substantial evidence that low productivity growth occurred in sectors where immigrants dominated the workforce, the seeds of recovery focused on improving productivity and innovation amongst SMEs in those sectors. Hence, this book investigates the factors determining productivity amongst SMEs across the manufacturing sector. It utilises personal interviews with global experts and CEOs, combined with primary data collected from a major international Delphi survey, and interviews with 215 SME owners and managers in Singapore. This data helps us to better understand how these productivity-enhancing factors can be used to increase performance amongst SMEs. By investigating the nature and process of total factor productivity in Singapore’s SMEs, this book tells the policy story behind the revolution. To provide a comparative analysis, Singapore’s story is placed within a South East Asian context. The unfolding narrative contains important lessons for policy makers and industry globally, as they assess the strategic choices available to them for improving productivity and innovation. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of innovation and productivity, as well as economic development officers, government policy advisors, SME business managers and sustainable businesses.
Productivity and Innovation in SMEs: Creating Competitive Advantage in Singapore and South East Asia (Routledge Focus on Environment and Sustainability)
by Azad Bali Peter McKiernan Christopher Vas Peter WaringThis book analyses the determining factors behind productivity and innovation amongst Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore, and within the context of South East Asia, in order to offer recommendations for increasing productivity and aiding economic growth. SME firms are an influential driver of economic growth in advanced world economies like the USA, Germany, Japan and South Korea. Throughout the 2000s, Singapore experienced a decline in economic growth which was linked to decreasing productivity in its SMEs. The decline triggered a transformational policy by a Government intent on forging a ‘high skill–high productivity’ future. Given substantial evidence that low productivity growth occurred in sectors where immigrants dominated the workforce, the seeds of recovery focused on improving productivity and innovation amongst SMEs in those sectors. Hence, this book investigates the factors determining productivity amongst SMEs across the manufacturing sector. It utilises personal interviews with global experts and CEOs, combined with primary data collected from a major international Delphi survey, and interviews with 215 SME owners and managers in Singapore. This data helps us to better understand how these productivity-enhancing factors can be used to increase performance amongst SMEs. By investigating the nature and process of total factor productivity in Singapore’s SMEs, this book tells the policy story behind the revolution. To provide a comparative analysis, Singapore’s story is placed within a South East Asian context. The unfolding narrative contains important lessons for policy makers and industry globally, as they assess the strategic choices available to them for improving productivity and innovation. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of innovation and productivity, as well as economic development officers, government policy advisors, SME business managers and sustainable businesses.