Innovations, Reinvented Politics and Representative Democracy

Innovations, Reinvented Politics and Representative Democracy PDF Author: Agnès Alexandre-Collier
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429649223
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
This volume focuses on the issue of change in democratic politics in terms of experimental or actual innovations introduced either within political parties or outside the party system, involving citizen participation and mobilization. Including a wide and diverse range of alternatives in the organization of groups, campaigning, conducting initiatives and enhancing practices, they not only question the relevance of traditional institutions in representing citizens’ values and interests, but also share a common goal which is precisely – and perhaps paradoxically – to reshape and invigorate representative democracy This book is of key interest to scholars and students of party politics, elections/electoral studies, social movement and democratic innovations and more broadly to comparative politics, political theory and political sociology.

Innovations, Reinvented Politics and Representative Democracy

Innovations, Reinvented Politics and Representative Democracy PDF Author: Agnès Alexandre-Collier
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429649223
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
This volume focuses on the issue of change in democratic politics in terms of experimental or actual innovations introduced either within political parties or outside the party system, involving citizen participation and mobilization. Including a wide and diverse range of alternatives in the organization of groups, campaigning, conducting initiatives and enhancing practices, they not only question the relevance of traditional institutions in representing citizens’ values and interests, but also share a common goal which is precisely – and perhaps paradoxically – to reshape and invigorate representative democracy This book is of key interest to scholars and students of party politics, elections/electoral studies, social movement and democratic innovations and more broadly to comparative politics, political theory and political sociology.

Innovations and the Environment

Innovations and the Environment PDF Author: Yoram Krozer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1848001975
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
This book Innovations and the Environment aims to review the state of knowledge and to provide an empirical basis for the development and use of new technologies, products and services to reduce the impact of human activities on environmental quality. This is at the core of the debate on economics and the environment. The message is optimistic. Advances in thinking and actions make it possible to maintain high environmental quality at reasonable costs, sometimes even having a positive effect on corporate results. The progress is by no means automatic. Risk taking by entrepreneurs, managers and policy makers is necessary. The idea to write a book about innovations and the environment was born during discussions with Professor Han Brezet who was convinced of the importance of this subject for engineering students. This is because he has found many stories about the successes and failures of environmental technologies and even more on the impact of technologies on environmental qualities, but no reviews on technology and the mindset of entrepreneurship to explain the forces that drive innovations for sustainable development.

Service Innovation

Service Innovation PDF Author: Marja Toivonen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 4431549226
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
This is the first book that summarizes the 20-year history of service innovation research and combines it with the future need to adopt a systems view in the field of service research. The book emphasizes that the most urgent issues of today’s economies – the development of welfare and sustainability – cannot be solved with innovations in individual service offerings only, and that innovations of service systems are increasingly needed. Various theoretical approaches and perspectives from different disciplines are included, providing a comprehensive view of the current understanding of the nature of service innovation. The book illustrates the achievements of two research traditions, one based on the general innovation theory and the other based on the service marketing theory. Service innovation is considered from the points of view of drivers, processes, practices, and outcomes. The interrelations between actors and systems are analyzed, and the nature of innovation as a new way to co-create value is highlighted. The book promotes the view that users are an important source of innovative ideas and that openness is an important success factor in innovation processes. In addition to the general nature and management of service innovation, some specific topics are included, exemplified by innovations in public services and in knowledge-intensive business services. This volume is highly recommended to readers who seek a state-of-the-art overview of the area of service innovation and its linkages to systems research.

Vertical Markets and Cooperative Hierarchies

Vertical Markets and Cooperative Hierarchies PDF Author: Kostas Karantininis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402055439
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
This book collects sixteen essays that provide clarification to issues pertinent to contemporary cooperatives. Twenty three internationally recognized scholars of agricultural cooperatives from a variety of disciplines such as industrial organization, finance, sociology, networks, and political theory contributed theoretical work and empirical observations from different countries.

Economics and Ecology of Diversification

Economics and Ecology of Diversification PDF Author: François Ruf
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9401772940
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
The monoculture systems that have been encouraged by governments since the 1960s have led to major socio-economic and environmental crises. Now the diversification of tree crop systems is advancing throughout the tropics. Why and when does diversification take place? What categories of farmers diversify? What obstacles do they have to overcome, and how do public and private policies interfere in this process? How do land use systems and landscapes evolve as a result of this diversification? According to the authors of this volume, diversification is certainly a response to market risks, but also to the depletion of environmental resources. Ecological changes such as declining soil fertility and increasing pressure from pests, diseases and weeds intensify at the end of monoculture cycles, driving crop change and diversification of farming systems. Through 15 case studies from Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, the authors provide us with in-depth insights into the economy and ecology of family agriculture and its recent developments.

Innovation and Agility in the Digital Age

Innovation and Agility in the Digital Age PDF Author: Soufyane Frimousse
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 178630404X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Africa is a laboratory for managerial and societal innovations built out of pragmatic arrangements. Some African companies offer products and services that go beyond the standard practices of their international counterparts, based on original and inventive managerial characteristics. Such success stories outline a new model of management and innovation for companies in the digital era. The African innovations that have emerged over the past ten years are directly linked to a managerial model that perfectly meets the demands of the digital era. These new organizations indicate that good managerial practices and innovation models also come from the Global South and no longer exclusively from the East Coast of the United States. Understanding these dynamics is of great theoretical and practical interest for the many companies struggling to seize the opportunities for growth in Africa.

Transformative Innovation in Times of Change

Transformative Innovation in Times of Change PDF Author: Erika Kraemer-Mbula
Publisher: African Books Collective
ISBN: 1928502776
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
A timely collection full of astute insights and critical analysis that helps to fill gaps in the literature on the dynamics and potential for innovation on the African continent. The COVID-19 crises brought into sharp focus the cross-cutting nature of science, technology and innovation (STI). Policy-makers, beyond those responsible for innovation policy, were suddenly required to effectively mobilise STI for a whole range of functions. This included science for decision-making as well as the identification and deployment of a wide range of innovations. The results of these efforts are mixed and explored in this volume in greater depth by a cohort of leading continental researchers. This collection is an essential primer for policymakers and researchers who wish to unlock transformative innovation for social and economic benefit. Imraan Patel, Deputy Director-General: Research Development and Support, Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa This book provides a thought-provoking and rich analysis of what COVID-19 meant for Africa. It is very timely because the continent needs to prepare for future shocks. This book goes to the heart of the needed policy response. It is not just about resilience but about transformation; about redirecting economies and societies towards addressing a wide range of economic social, and environmental challenges. It explores the role of innovation, including technological, social, frugal and other forms of bottom-up innovation. A must read for academics and policy-makers who care about the future of Africa and the world Prof. Johan Schot, Global History and Sustainability Transitions, Utrecht Centre for Global Challenges, Utrecht University, and Visiting Professor University of Johannesburg

The Handbook of Innovation and Services

The Handbook of Innovation and Services PDF Author: F. Gallouj
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1849803307
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 823

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Book Description
'This book represents a significant step towards dealing with the lacuna constituted by the inadequacy of the literature on the services. And, as such, it approaches its task from a variety of directions.' From the foreword by William J. Baumol, New York University, US 'The Handbook of Innovation and Services is an exceptional volume. Its contributors, including Faïz Gallouj, William Baumol, Jean Gadrey, and Pascal Petit, are among the major thinkers in both the fields of the economics of services and the economics of innovation. Selected topics include the "cost disease", services innovation in the global economy, social innovation in the services, and innovation and employment in services. The book, I am sure, will become a standard reference volume in both these fields in the ensuing years.' Edward Wolff, New York University, US This Handbook brings together 49 international specialists to address an issue of increasing importance for the world's post-industrial economies; innovation as it relates to services. Contemporary economies have two fundamental characteristics. Firstly, they are service economies in as much as services account for more than 70 per cent of the wealth and jobs in most developed countries. Secondly, they are innovation economies as recent decades have seen an unprecedented development of scientific, technological, organisational and social innovations. This Handbook expertly links these two major characteristics in order to investigate the role of innovation in services, an issue that until now has been inadequately explored and one that poses many theoretical and operational challenges. This comprehensive volume encompasses the views of eminent scholars from a range of disciplines including economics, management, sociology and geography, and draws on a number of different analytical and methodological perspectives. With its multi-disciplinary approach this Handbook will be an invaluable reference source for academics and students in the fields of economics, management and the geography of services and innovation. Public authorities and managers in the service sector will also find this book fascinating.

The International Handbook on Social Innovation

The International Handbook on Social Innovation PDF Author: Frank Moulaert
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1849809992
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 523

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Book Description
ÔThe challenges of poverty and social exclusion cannot be fully resolved through conventional public sector policies and market-led innovation. The case studies in this Handbook capture some of the key success factors of socially innovative action in different socio-economic contexts. This Handbook will inspire readers as it highlights the creativity and commitment of diverse enterprises and movements working for social innovation.Õ Ð Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements, United Republic of Tanzania, and retired UN Under Secretary General, immediate former Executive Director of UN-HABITAT ÔSocial innovation may not be a new idea but it is clearly an idea whose time has come, not least because the traditional models of innovation Ð narrowly framed technical models Ð have run their course and no longer resonate in a world of societal challenges. This Handbook has two great merits Ð it brings conceptual rigour to the debate and it provides compelling narratives of social innovation in practice.Õ Ð Kevin Morgan, Cardiff University, UK ÔIn an era where social innovation is re-emerging as an important policy framework for bringing social transformation, this volume is a significant contribution to the theory and practice of social innovation. The incremental discussion from concepts to theory to practice and then to social innovation research is supported by cases literally from all over the globe. It moves the discourse from isolated models of neighbourhood engagements and social enterprises, to a comprehensive, multidimensional approach combining needs, social relations and empowerment. A must read for academicians, learners, practitioners and policy makers alike.Õ Ð S. Parasuraman, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India ÔSocial innovation is an important instrument for understanding how contemporary societies deal with social change and how social practices and policies intended to combat poverty and social exclusion are developed and implemented effectively. The Handbook offers a valuable contribution to the development of a clear, transdisciplinary and critical understanding of social innovation practices. The reader will find an in-depth discussion of the most important theoretical approaches to the concept and a thorough exposition of the epistemological and methodological framework for research in social innovation. The volume includes a number of interesting case studies in different areas of social change and issues of policy and governance.Õ Ð Enzo Mingione, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy This enriching Handbook covers many aspects of the scientific and socio-political debates on social innovation today. The contributors provide an overview of theoretical perspectives, methodologies and instructive experiences from all continents, as well as implications for collective action and policy. They argue strongly for social innovation as a key to human development. The Handbook defines social innovation as innovation in social relations within both micro and macro spheres, with the purpose of satisfying unmet or new human needs across different layers of society. It connects social innovation to empowerment dynamics, thus giving a political character to social movements and bottom-up governance initiatives. Together these should lay the foundations for a fairer, more democratic society for all. This interdisciplinary work, written by scholars collaborating to develop a joint methodological perspective toward social innovation agency and processes, will be invaluable for students and researchers in social science and humanities. It will also appeal to policy makers, policy analysts, lobbyists and activists seeking to give inspiration and leadership from a social innovation perspective.

Spatial Analysis and Location Modeling in Urban and Regional Systems

Spatial Analysis and Location Modeling in Urban and Regional Systems PDF Author: Jean-Claude Thill
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 364237896X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
This contributed volume collects cutting-edge research in Geographic Information Science & Technologies, Location Modeling, and Spatial Analysis of Urban and Regional Systems. The contributions emphasize methodological innovations or substantive breakthroughs on many facets of the socio-economic and environmental reality of urban and regional contexts.