Dissertation in political science, D-level by Niklas Andersson, Spring Semester 2010. Tutor: Malin Stegmann McCallion “Societies in Crisis – When Washington Take Over” An economic meltdown wreaks havoc on the world and has plunged the Western world into a spiral of economic stimulus in order to keep their way of life intact. At the same time the same institutions that support these countries have had another agenda for more unfortunate and less influential countries where nothing has been free and everything been to a price of self-sacrifice in order to get the consent of the IMF and the World Bank. Everything according to the points stated in the so called Washington Consensus. The purpose of this dissertation is to research what impact the Washington Consensus has on the state in terms of power over the market and sovereignty. This shall be done by examining the points of the Consensus and then delve into the IMF and World Bank’s own program in four countries, Argentina, Russia, Kenya and the Republic of Korea. The findings shall then be compared to the Andersson Contract, a social contract theory summary showcasing the ideal liberal state, to determine if the Consensus gives enough room for the state to act against the market. This shall also be backed up with theories on economics from Adam Smith and Karl Polanyi in order to strengthen the comparison on the economic issues. The research question thus for the dissertation are: Which institutions and features does the Washington Consensus highlight as necessary for a state? Is the state they proposes to weak to uphold society according to the social contracts? According to the research there are parts of the Washington Consensus that fits the social contract and should therefore in theory be able to maintain a level of social dignity and be able to take part in the positive effects of the market. Other parts on the other hand show that some crucial institutions lack certain strength in order to be able to keep the free market in check, but they still exist. Therefore the answer to the question is that it’s ambiguous as all the necessary institutions exist, but some of them need to be strengthened in order to make sure the market remains free as well as the countries should be able to choose their own way to economic welfare. / Statsvetenskaplig uppsats, D-nivå av Niklas Andersson, Vårterminen 2010, Handledare Malin Stegmann McCallion "Samhällen i Kris - När Washington Tar Över" En ekonomisk härdsmälta skapar kaos runt om i världen och har kastat ner västvärlden i en spiral av ekonomiska stimulanser för att hålla deras livsstil flytande. Santidigt som detta sker har samma institutioner vilka gett första hjälpen till dessa länder har de haft en annan agenda för mer otursamma och mindre inflytelserika länder där ingenting har varit gratis och allt varit till priset av självuppoffring för att få IMF och Världsbankens samtycke. Allt utifrån punkterna fastlagda av Washington-konsensusen. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vilken inverkan Washington-konsensusen har på staten i betydelsen makt över marknaden och suveränitet. Detta skall genomföras genom att undersöka punkterna i konsensusen och sen dyka ner i IMF och Världsbanknens egna program i fyra länder, Argentina, Ryssland, Kenya och Sydkorea. Det jag finner ska sedan jämföras med Andeersson-kontraktet, en kontraktsteori sammanfattning av den ideala liberala staten, för att utröna om konsensusen ger tillräckligt utrymmer för staten att agera mot marknaden. Detta ska också stödjas med teorier om ekonomi av Adam Smith och Karl Polanyi för att styrka jämförelsen på de ekonomiska delarna. Frågeställningarna för uppsatsen är då följande: Vilka institutioner och funktioner uppmärksammar Washongton-konsensusen som nödvändiga för staten? Är staten de framhäver för svag för att upprätthålla samhället enligt kontraktteorierna? Enligt forskningen är det ett par delar av Washington-konsensusen som passar in i kontraktsteorin och borde därför i teorin möjliggöra en viss nivå av social värdighet och hantering av effekterna utav marknaden. Andra delar däremot visar att några viktiga institutioner saknar tillräckligt med styrka för att fullt ut kunna hålla marknaden i schack, men de existerar fortfarande. Därför är svaret till frågorna att det är tvetydigt eftersom alla g´rundelement finns där, men några av dem behöver förstärkas för att försäkra att marknaderna förblir fria samtidigt som länderna själva väljer deras  väg till ekonomiskt välstånd.

Komposit-Adsorbentien, die aus einer mit hygroskopischem Salz imprägnierten Zeolithmatrix bestehen, bilden eine vielversprechende Materialklasse für die thermochemische Energiespeicherung (TCES). Sie vereinen die hohe Wärmespeicherdichte des Salzes und die einfache technische Handhabbarkeit des Zeoliths. Dabei verhindert die poröse Matrix das Auslaufen von Salzlösung und kompensiert volumenänderungen während der Ad- und Desorption. Das dynamische Sorptionsverhalten solcher Komposite unterscheidet sich jedoch von dem reiner Zeolithe. Speziell die Adsorptionskinetik ist langsamer, was zu Problemen wie einer geringeren und nicht konstanten thermischen Leistung sowie unvollständiger Adsorption und langen Adsorptionspasen von Energiespeichern auf Basis dieser Materialien führt. Numerische Modellierung hat sich als wichtiges Werkzeug erwiesen, um die Ursachen solcher Leistungseinschränkungen zu identifizieren. Dadurch erleichtert es die Entwicklung von thermochemischen Energiespeichern: Optimale Designs und Arbeitsbedingungen können per Simulation gefunden werden bevor Prototypen gebaut werden müssen. In dieser Arbeit wurde ein numerisches Modell einer Adsorbensschüttung in einer offenen Sorptionskammer entwickelt, in die Open-Sourve Finite-Elemente-Software OpenGeoSys implementiert und mittels experimenteller Daten validiert. Die Modellierungserebnisse zeigen, dass etablierte Sorptionskinetiken das dynamische Adsorptionsverhalten von Salz/Zeolith-Kompositen unter anwendungsrelevanten Arbeitsbedingungen erfassen. Außerdem zeigen sie, dass der Hauptgrund für die Unterschiede zwischen dem Sorptionsverhalten der Komposite und reiner Zeolithe in ihren qualitativ unterschiedlichen Sorptionsgleichgewichten liegt. Ein zweiter Fokus dieser Arbeit liegt darauf zu untersuchen, ob ein begrenzter Umfang an experimentellen Daten genügt, um die entwickelten numerischen Modelle zu kalibrieren. Diese Möglichkeit wurde durch Simulationen von dynamischen Adsorptionsvorgängen an Komposit-Adsorbentien bestätigt. Zudem wurden Kriterien entwickelt, die die Rekonstruktion eines robusten Adsorptionsgleichgewichtsmodells aus einem beschränkten expermientellen Datensatz erlauben. Schließlich wurde im Kontext der Dubinin-Polanyi-Theorie der Adsorption in Mikroporen festgestellt, das die Wahl eines bestimmten Adsorbatdichtemodells nur einen kleinen Einfluss auf Vorhersagen der Leistungsfähigkeit von Adsorbentien für die TCES hat. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit bilden eine fundierte Grundlage für die zukünftige numerische Untersuchung von Materialien, Reaktorgeometrien und Arbeitsbedingungen während der Entwicklung von thermochemischen Energiespeichern, die auf Zeolithen oder Komposit-Adsorbentien basieren.:Used symbols and abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Foundations 2.1. Thermochemical energy storage 2.2. Zeolites and salt/zeolite composites 2.3. Dubinin-Polanyi theory 2.4. Multiphysical model of a fixed adsorbent bed 2.5. Experimental data 3. Assessment of adsorbate density models 4. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction 5. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data 6. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites 7. Summary 7.1. Main achievements 7.2. Conclusions and outlook Bibliography A. Publications A.1. Assessment of adsorbate density models A.2. A comparison of heat storage densities A.3. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction A.4. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data A.5. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites / Composite adsorbents consisting of a zeolite host matrix impregnated with a hygroscopic salt are a promising material class for thermochemical energy storage (TCES). They combine the high heat storage density of the salt with the easy technical manageability of the zeolite, which prevents the leakage of salt solution and inhibits volume changes upon ad- and desorption. The dynamic sorption behaviour of such composites, however, is different from the pure host matrix material. Particularly, the adsorption kinetics are slower, which leads to issues such as low and non-steady thermal output power, incomplete adsorption and long adsorption phases of TCES devices using these composite materials. Numerical modelling has proven to be a valuable tool to identify the causes for such performance limitations. Therefore, it facilitates the development of TCES devices: it allows to easily find optimum designs and operating procedures before actual prototypes have to be built. In this thesis a numerical model of a packed adsorbent bed in an open sorption chamber has been developed, implemented in the open-source finite element software OpenGeoSys and validated with experimental data. The modelling results show that established sorption kinetics models capture the dynamic sorption behaviour of salt/zeolite composites under application-relevant operating conditions. Moreover, they show that the main cause for the differences between the composites' and pure zeolite's sorption behaviour lies in their different sorption equilibria. A second focus of the thesis is to investigate the use of limited experimental data for the calibration of the numerical models. This possibility has been confirmed by dynamic sorption simulations of the composite materials. Furthermore, criteria were determined that allow the reconstruction of a robust adsorption equilibrium description from a reduced experimental data set. Finally, in the context of the Dubinin-Polanyi theory of adsorption in micropores, it has been found that the choice of a specific adsorbate density model has only a small influence on performance predictions of adsorbents for TCES. In summary, the results from this thesis will facilitate the screening of materials, reactor geometries and operating conditions via numerical simulations during the design of TCES devices based on zeolites and composite sorbents.:Used symbols and abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Foundations 2.1. Thermochemical energy storage 2.2. Zeolites and salt/zeolite composites 2.3. Dubinin-Polanyi theory 2.4. Multiphysical model of a fixed adsorbent bed 2.5. Experimental data 3. Assessment of adsorbate density models 4. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction 5. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data 6. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites 7. Summary 7.1. Main achievements 7.2. Conclusions and outlook Bibliography A. Publications A.1. Assessment of adsorbate density models A.2. A comparison of heat storage densities A.3. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction A.4. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data A.5. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites

Richard Rorty's main thesis in his work Philosphy and the Mirror of Nature centers on a critique of representationalism in a fundamentally relativistic way. The aim of this disseration is to grasp Rorty's ideas in broader sense as a critique of inadequate interpretation of knowing- that and shift the attention to knowing-how as a key to new understanding the success of natural sciences. The fact that something is reproducibly possible for us to make in the surrounding world is not relative, and it is precisely in this way that technology (knowing- how) spreads so successfully even at multi-cultural level. In contrast, the explanatory function (knowing-that) of the natural sciences is relative, making sense only in the context of what is already known and accepted. Natural sciences are so successful because their experiments and only then take agreement of hypothesis with experimental practice (knowing-how) as the criterion of its acceptability. This dissertation offers, as a way out of Rortian relativism, the concept of "open authority" and proposes a new development in philosophic pragmatism based on it.

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The subject of inquiry of my research is the socio-economic restructuring of the European Union (EU). The project provides an innovative interdisciplinary intervention that uses the canonical texts of Karl Polanyi and the insights from the burgeoning Polanyian scholarship in an attempt to explain the morphology of the contradictions that underpin the EU integration project. The starting point of analysis lies in the recent debates instigated by the critical turn in the EU studies scholarship that tries to shift the focus from the causes of the EU integration to its consequences. My original contribution to the scholarship consists of providing a Polanyian critique of the EU political economy. The ever-growing Polanyian scholarship proves a formidable alternative to the already established Gramscian and Marxist routes of critical inquiry. Based on a close reading of Polanyi and the wider Polanyian scholarship the thesis proposes a new take on the established practice of using Polanyi’s concept of dis/embeddedness as an all-or-nothing phenomenon and instead suggests conceptualising the social reality in terms of tendencies. The lenses through which I evaluate the EU predicament consist of the following conceptual vocabulary: a) dis/embedding tendencies b) habitation and improvement, and c) the rate of change.<p>The main puzzle that the project endeavours to explain is the interplay between the disembedding and the embedding tendencies in the EU. The examination of the disembedding tendency consists of excavating the self-regulating market logic inscribed into the EU edifice by analysing the development across three policy fields: competition, finance and education. The findings suggest that the disembedding tendency is manifested not only in the monetary orthodoxy inscribed in the Economic and Monetary Union since the Maastricht Treaty and further reified during the Great Recession, but also in the privatisation, depoliticisation and commodification dynamics evident in the three policy domains discussed in the thesis. Given Polanyi’s observation that the embedding tendency is immanent to the disembedding one, the second empirical endeavour consists of investigating the surge of socio-environmental measures. Notwithstanding the institutional divergences between the social and environmental policy domains, the appraisal of the policy output demonstrates that the embedding tendency is characterised by the same marketisation dynamic that we see in the disembedding one. This thesis recuperates a critical Polanyian reading that highlights the disruptive dialectics between the disembedding tendency and the seemingly protective measures predicated on fictitious commodification. In addition to unearthing the structural bias towards the market form that constitutes the two tendencies, this project develops a normative critique of the market society, based on Polanyi’s ferocious appraisal of neoclassical economics’ formal understanding of the economy, by problematising the extension of the economising rationality within previously unaffected spheres. <p> / Doctorat en sciences politiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

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El propòsit principal d'aquesta tesi és analitzar críticament l'antropologia filosòfica de Charles Taylor.A la primera part abordem qüestions preliminars: les fonts, els fonaments teòrics i els elements metodològics del seu pensament.A la segona part elaborem la seva teoria de la identitat. Això implica: (1) donar compte de la relació inextricable entre el jo de la persona i la seva orientació moral, i (2) per mitjà d'arguments transcendentals, articular una ontologia que determini els trets perennes de la naturalesa humana.Una ontologia de la identitat exigeix l'articulació de les continuïtats i discontinuïtats entre els animals humans i no humans. És a dir, una filosofia de la biologia que aporti les intuïcions de l'aristotelisme al post-darwinisme. En línia amb Adaslair MacIntyre, intentem completar les aportacions realitzades per Taylor en el context de la seva filosofia de l'acció.D'altra banda, identifiquem alguns dels trets distintius de l'agent humà (lingüisticitat, propòsit i dialogicitat), i abordem els desafiaments de (1) les versions que radicalitzen les conseqüències de la contingència del subjecte i (2) els reduccionisme que prosperen entre els filòsofs analítics. Per això hem confrontat a les interpretacions de Richard Rorty sobre Nietzsche i Freud, i a la posició quasi-budista de Parfit, l'hermenèutica forta de Charles Taylor i Paul Ricoeur.A la tercera part, estudiem la dimensió històrica de la identitat humana. Això implica assenyalar les peculiaritats del anthropos modern. Per això, a més de contraposar al jo modern la versió premoderna de la nostra comuna humanitat, hem hagut d'enfrontar a la interpretació de Taylor sobre el sentit de les mutacions cosmovisionales, antropològiques i ètiques de la modernitat, les interpretacions que a aquestes mutacions concedeixen autors com Michel Foucault, Alasdair MacIntyre i Jürgen Habermas. / El propósito principal de esta tesis es analizar críticamente la antropología filosófica de Charles Taylor. En la primera parte abordamos cuestiones preliminares: las fuentes, los fundamentos teóricos y los elementos metodológicos de su pensamiento. En la segunda parte elaboramos su teoría de la identidad. Eso implica: (1) dar cuenta de la relación inextricable entre el yo de la persona y su orientación moral; y (2) por medio de argumentos trascendentales, articular una ontología que determine los rasgos perennes de la naturaleza humana. Una ontología de la identidad exige la articulación de las continuidades y discontinuidades entre los animales humanos y no humanos. Es decir, una filosofía de la biología que aporte las intuiciones del aristotelismo al post-darwinismo. En línea con Adaslair MacIntyre, intentamos completar los aportes realizados por Taylor en el contexto de su filosofía de la acción. Por otro lado, identificamos algunos de los rasgos distintivos del agente humano (lingüisticidad, propósito y dialogicidad); y abordamos los desafíos de (1) las versiones que radicalizan las consecuencias de la contingencia del sujeto y (2) los reduccionismos que prosperan entre los filósofos analíticos. Para ello hemos confrontado a las interpretaciones de Richard Rorty sobre Nietzsche y Freud, y a la posición cuasi-budista de Parfit, con la hermenéutica fuerte de Charles Taylor y Paul Ricoeur.En la tercera parte, estudiamos la dimensión histórica de la identidad humana. Eso implica señalar las peculiaridades del anthropos moderno. Para ello, además de contraponer al yo moderno la versión premoderna de nuestra común humanidad, hemos tenido que enfrentar a la interpretación de Taylor sobre el sentido de las mutaciones cosmovisionales, antropológicas y éticas de la modernidad, las interpretaciones que a éstas mutaciones conceden autores como Michel Foucault, Alasdair MacIntyre y Jürgen Habermas. / The main purpose of this thesis is to critically analyze the philosophical anthropology of Charles Taylor.The first part deals with preliminary issues: the sources, the theoretical and methodological elements of his thought.In the second part we elaborate his theory of identity. This implies: (1) to account for the inextricable relationship between the self of the person and his moral orientation, and (2) by means of transcendental arguments, to articulate an ontology that determines the perennial features of human nature.An ontology of identity requires the articulation of the continuities and discontinuities between human and nonhuman animals. That is, a philosophy of biology which provides insights from Aristotelianism to post-Darwinism. In line with Adaslair MacIntyre, we try to complete the contributions made by Taylor in the context of his philosophy of action.On the other hand, we identify some of the distinctive features of human agency (language, purpose and dialogue) and tackle the challenges of (1) versions that radicalized the consequences of the contingency of the subject and (2) the reductionism that thrive among the analytical philosophers. So we confront the interpretations of Richard Rorty about Nietzsche and Freud, and the quasi-Buddhism of Parfit, with the strong hermeneutics of Charles Taylor and Paul Ricoeur.In the third part, we study the historical dimension of human identity. That means pointing out the peculiarities of the modern anthropos. Therefore, in addition to contrast the modern self with the premodern version of our common humanity, we confront Taylor's interpretation of the meaning of the cosmological, anthropological and ethical mutations of modernity, with the interpretations that authors as Michel Foucault, Jürgen Habermas and Alasdair MaIntyre offer about these mutations.

The dissertation concerns F. A. Hayek’s (1899–1992) critique of legislation. The purpose of the investigation is to clarify and assess that critique. I argue that there is in Hayek’s work a critique of legislation that is distinct from his well-known critique of social planning. Further that the main claim of this critique is what I refer to as Hayek’s legislation tenet, namely that legislation that aims to achieve specific aggregate results in complex orders of society will decrease the welfare level.           The legislation tenet gains support; (i) from the welfare claim – according to which there is a positive correlation between the utilization of knowledge and the welfare level in society; (ii) from the dispersal of knowledge thesis – according to which the total knowledge of society is dispersed and not available to any one agency; and (iii) from the cultural evolution thesis – according to which evolutionary rules are more favorable to the utilization of knowledge in social cooperation than are legislative rules. More specifically, I argue that these form two lines of argument in support of the legislation tenet. One line of argument is based on the conjunction of the welfare claim and the dispersal of knowledge thesis. I argue that this line of argument is true. The other line of argument is based on the conjunction of the welfare claim and the cultural evolution thesis. I argue that this line of argument is false, mainly because the empirical work of political scientist Elinor Ostrom refutes it. Because the two lines of argument support the legislation tenet independently of each other, I argue that Hayek’s critique of legislation is true. In this dissertation, I further develop a legislative policy tool as based on the welfare claim and Hayek’s conception of coercion. I also consider Hayek’s idea that rules and law are instrumental in forging rational individual action and rational social orders, and turn to review this idea in light of the work of experimental economist Vernon Smith and economic historian Avner Greif. I find that Smith and Greif support this idea of Hayek’s, and I conjecture that it contributes to our understanding of Adam Smith’s notion of the invisible hand: It is rules – not an invisible hand – that prompt subjects to align individual and aggregate rationality in social interaction. Finally, I argue that Hayek’s critique is essentially utilitarian, as it is concerned with the negative welfare consequences of certain forms of legislation. And although it may appear that the dispersal of knowledge thesis will undermine the possibility of carrying out the utilitarian calculus, due to the lack of knowledge of the consequences of one’s actions – and therefore undermine the legislation tenet itself – I argue that the distinction between utilitarianism conceived as a method of deliberation and utilitarianism conceived as a criterion of correctness may be used to save Hayek’s critique from this objection.