North Korea twice conducted ballistic missile tests close to Japan in 1998 and 2006. While Japan responded with non-coercive condemnations to demonstrate its disapproval in 1998, it imposed unilateral economic sanctions in 2006, marking the first instance in post-World War II of applying a substantial coercion to punish a neighbouring state. The research asks why Japanese policy toward the North shifted for a seemingly identical type of provocation. The dissertation seeks contextual explanations by using inductive process-tracing, a type of ‘middle approach’ between historical narratives and parsimonious theories. It is applied to highlight the underlying mechanism through which public discursive changes concerning national security and North Korea during this eight-year period influenced the subsequent policy shift in 2006. The dissertation concludes that the unilateral sanctions were not necessarily a calculated strategic response to punish the missile launch (or North Korean nuclear programs) per se, but were a direct consequence of a deeper shift in societal discourse taking place beforehand. During the eight-year period, there had been other visible provocations and shocks originating from the North, especially the sensational revelation in 2002 of past North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. These highly-publicized incidents facilitated the Japanese public to be increasingly conscious about Japan’s security weaknesses and re-evaluate its historical relations with its neighbour, leading to a hardened domestic environment in which the new idea of pressuring the North became a feasible option even before 2006. These North Korean provocations and the resulting societal security discourse, along with concurrent structural changes in the Japanese government and mass media which made them both highly susceptible to discursive currents among citizens, mutually interacted to produce the policy result when the opportunity arose. The research, however, also challenges the popular view that the sanctions are the first example of the wholesale transformation of Japan’s post-war ‘pacifist’ security principles. It argues that the confined means (economic) by which the sanctions were imposed reflects the highly nuanced discourse, which endorses Japan’s legitimate right to specifically punish the North for the harms done, but that the societal momentum is not equally supportive of the more controversial areas concerning military usage and the current constitution.

North Korea twice conducted ballistic missile tests close to Japan in 1998 and 2006. While Japan responded with non-coercive condemnations to demonstrate its disapproval in 1998, it imposed unilateral economic sanctions in 2006, marking the first instance in post-World War II of applying a substantial coercion to punish a neighbouring state. The research asks why Japanese policy toward the North shifted for a seemingly identical type of provocation. The dissertation seeks contextual explanations by using inductive process-tracing, a type of ‘middle approach’ between historical narratives and parsimonious theories. It is applied to highlight the underlying mechanism through which public discursive changes concerning national security and North Korea during this eight-year period influenced the subsequent policy shift in 2006. The dissertation concludes that the unilateral sanctions were not necessarily a calculated strategic response to punish the missile launch (or North Korean nuclear programs) per se, but were a direct consequence of a deeper shift in societal discourse taking place beforehand. During the eight-year period, there had been other visible provocations and shocks originating from the North, especially the sensational revelation in 2002 of past North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. These highly-publicized incidents facilitated the Japanese public to be increasingly conscious about Japan’s security weaknesses and re-evaluate its historical relations with its neighbour, leading to a hardened domestic environment in which the new idea of pressuring the North became a feasible option even before 2006. These North Korean provocations and the resulting societal security discourse, along with concurrent structural changes in the Japanese government and mass media which made them both highly susceptible to discursive currents among citizens, mutually interacted to produce the policy result when the opportunity arose. The research, however, also challenges the popular view that the sanctions are the first example of the wholesale transformation of Japan’s post-war ‘pacifist’ security principles. It argues that the confined means (economic) by which the sanctions were imposed reflects the highly nuanced discourse, which endorses Japan’s legitimate right to specifically punish the North for the harms done, but that the societal momentum is not equally supportive of the more controversial areas concerning military usage and the current constitution.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

L’agriculture familiale apparait comme une alternative pour lutter contre la dépendance aux transnationales et au flux des marchés mondiaux de produits agricoles. Aujourd’hui, de nombreuses études montrent l’efficacité économique de l’agriculture familiale, de son dynamisme et de sa capacité à innover et à s’adapter sans oublier bien sûr, sa capacité à fournir des emplois à plus d’un milliard d’habitants dans les pays du Sud et à contribuer au PIB de ces pays.Ce travail analyse la place qu’occupe l’agriculture familiale rurale au sein d’une économie locale et son rapport avec les acteurs économiques, la population et le marché mais il va aussi essayer de faire ressortir l’influence de cette activité sur les rapports sociaux et sur l’évolution de l’agriculture elle-même. Ajoutons à cela les nouveaux défis qu’elle a à relever : tels que son nouveau cadre juridique, la question foncière, la gestion de l’eau, la pluriactivité, la polyculture, les flux migratoires et leur impact sur les communautés paysannes. L’objet de cette recherche porte sur la région de Jijel que nous connaissons pour l’avoir étudiée pendant nos études de graduation. L’importance de l’agriculture familiale dans cette région a attiré notre attention autant par la population concernée que par le type d’agriculture, sa variété en cultures maraichères, son arboriculture, son apiculture et son élevage. Le problème du dépaysannement du monde rural local, ces dernières années, généré par plusieurs facteurs va prendre aussi une place importante dans notre travail. / Family farming appears to be an alternative to tackling dependence on transnational companies and the flow of global markets for agricultural products. Today, many studies show the economic efficiency of family farming, its dynamism and its ability to innovate and adapt. Without forgetting, of course, its capacity to provide employment to more than a billion people in the southern countries, and its contribution to the P.I.B of these countries.This work will demonstrate the role of rural family farming in a local economy, and its relation with the economic actors, population, and the market. But also, on one hand the influence of this activity on social relations. And the influence exerted by societal changes on family farming, on the other hand. Adding to this, the new challenges it must free; such as: the new legal framework, the land issue, water management, pluriactivity, polyculture, migratory flows and their impact on peasant communities.The Jijel area will be our ground for this study. This field we know well, thanks to the work that we carried out during our graduation studies. The importance of family farming in the region has attracted our attention, through the existence of different vegetable crops, arboriculture, olive growing, beekeeping and various livestock farms. The problem of disorientation of local rural areas in recent years driven by several factors will also take an important place in our work.

The paper evaluates nature-based solutions for a retrofitting proposal for the combined regeneration, climate adaptation, and green space management of the industrial area Gåsebäck in Helsingborg, Sweden. The objective of this study was to evaluate options for how Gåsebäck could be sustainably regenerated and developed, while providing additional security against future negative effects of climate change, through the implementation of nature-based solutions. The methods used were unstructured interviews, literature study, thematic data analysis, and scoping review. Some urban societal challenges the area is facing were identified as Urban regeneration, Climate adaptation, and Green space management. The suggested NBSs to address these challenges are phytoremediation, mycoremediation, street trees and bushes, green walls, green roofs, flower beds, permeable surfaces, roadside greenery, rain gardens, de-culvertation and pocket parks. Examples of how the identified nature-based solutions can be retrofitted to block Italien are installing green walls on the old fire station for noise and pollution abatement, biodiversity increase, climate regulation, and enhancement of green elements; green roofs on various buildings for e.g. water management, increased biodiversity and green elements; street trees and bushes along the streets Södergatan and Malmöleden/Gåsebäcksvägen for noise and pollution abatement, water management, biodiversity increase, and enhancement of green elements; site specific installation or pocket park with phyto- or mycoremediation; flower beds and roadside traffic to increase attractiveness; and rain gardens and permeable surfaces for water management. / <p>20180620</p>

The global social, ecological and economic challenges facing humanity today have given rise to the UN's 17 Global Objectives and Agenda 2030 to achieve sustainable development. Kate Raworth, professor of economics from Oxford University, has in the same spirit developed a visual framework with seven related conditions for mankind to live by, to strive towards living within a safe and fair zone of sustainable development. This framework and associated conditions for sustainable development are applied in this study with the intention to investigate and concretize the potentially contributing sustainable development effects of a norm-creative waste management project in a process of sustainable societal development. The results of the study show clear evidence that the waste management project has contributed to sustainable societal development according to the respondents who participated in the study. However, further studies are required to concretize these results through a more scientifically objective methodology. / De globala sociala, ekologiska och ekonomiska utmaningarna som mänskligheten står inför i dagsläget har gett upphov till FN’s 17 globala mål och agenda 2030 för att vägleda mänskligheten mot en hållbar utveckling. Kate Raworth, professor i ekonomi från Oxfords universitet, har i samma anda utvecklat ett visuellt ramverk med sju tillhörande förutsättningar för mänskligheten att sträva mot för att leva inom ett säkert och rättvist utrymme av hållbar utveckling. Detta ramverk och tillhörande förutsättningar för hållbar utveckling appliceras i den här studien med syftet att undersöka och konkretisera ett normkreativt avfallsprojekts potentiellt bidragande effekter till en hållbar samhällsutveckling. Resultatet av undersökningen påvisar tydliga belägg för att avfallsprojektet har bidragit till en hållbar samhällsutveckling utefter det teoretiska ramverket enligt respondenter som deltagit i studien. Det krävs dock vidare studier för att konkretisera dessa resultat i mer objektiva sammanhang.

O trabalho busca na teoria dos sistemas de Niklas Luhmann, tal como desenvolvida por Gunther Teubner, Marcelo Neves e outros doutrinadores, elementos para explicar as relações entre os subsistemas jurídico, político e econômico na sociedade contemporânea. Com base nas ferramentas teóricas obtidas, revisa o conceito de constituição econômica como a relação de acoplamento estrutural entre o direito e a economia, e a Constituição do Estado como a relação de acoplamento estrutural entre o direito e a política. As crises econômicas são então explicadas pelas tendências inflacionárias na produção de símbolos e pelos choques entre racionalidades sistêmicas parciais. A crise de 2008 consolida a constatação de que a globalização restringe a capacidade de influência da política e do direito sobre o sistema econômico desterritorializado. Em vista disso, propõe-se a adoção da teoria do constitucionalismo societal de Teubner como proposta para a democracia no século XXI; através dela, é possível reconhecer a constitucionalização no interior de cada subsistema social e o desenvolvimento de foros de razão pública internos, nos quais a política pode ser desenvolvida de forma autônoma em relação à política institucionalizada do Estado. Finalmente, vê-se como o combate à crise econômica invariavelmente redesenha os papéis dos Poderes de Estado, reconhecendo certa liberdade ao Executivo, embora isso não signifique ausência de quaisquer freios e contrapesos. / The presentwork seeks elements in Niklas Luhmanns systems theory as developed by Gunther Teubner and Marcelo Neves, amongst others to explain the interrelations between the legal, economic and political social subsystems in current society. Based on the theoretical tools gathered, it analyzes the concept of economic constitution as the structural coupling between law and economics, and the State Constitution as a structural coupling between law and politics. Economic crisis is then explained by the inflationary tendencies in the production of symbols and by the conflicts between partial rationalities. The crisis of 2008 strengthened the conclusion that globalization restrains politics and laws capacities to influence the international economic system. In view of that, it is suggested the adoption of Teubners societal constitutionalism as a proposal for XXI centurys democracy. Societal constitutionalism allows the recognition of internal constitutions in each social subsystem and the development of internal public reasoning institutions, where politics can be developed autonomously from State Politics. Finally, the last chapter considers how the measures against economic crises invariably redefine the roles of the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary, recognizing some freedom to the Executive, although such freedom does not mean the absence of any checks and balances.

O trabalho busca na teoria dos sistemas de Niklas Luhmann, tal como desenvolvida por Gunther Teubner, Marcelo Neves e outros doutrinadores, elementos para explicar as relações entre os subsistemas jurídico, político e econômico na sociedade contemporânea. Com base nas ferramentas teóricas obtidas, revisa o conceito de constituição econômica como a relação de acoplamento estrutural entre o direito e a economia, e a Constituição do Estado como a relação de acoplamento estrutural entre o direito e a política. As crises econômicas são então explicadas pelas tendências inflacionárias na produção de símbolos e pelos choques entre racionalidades sistêmicas parciais. A crise de 2008 consolida a constatação de que a globalização restringe a capacidade de influência da política e do direito sobre o sistema econômico desterritorializado. Em vista disso, propõe-se a adoção da teoria do constitucionalismo societal de Teubner como proposta para a democracia no século XXI; através dela, é possível reconhecer a constitucionalização no interior de cada subsistema social e o desenvolvimento de foros de razão pública internos, nos quais a política pode ser desenvolvida de forma autônoma em relação à política institucionalizada do Estado. Finalmente, vê-se como o combate à crise econômica invariavelmente redesenha os papéis dos Poderes de Estado, reconhecendo certa liberdade ao Executivo, embora isso não signifique ausência de quaisquer freios e contrapesos. / The presentwork seeks elements in Niklas Luhmanns systems theory as developed by Gunther Teubner and Marcelo Neves, amongst others to explain the interrelations between the legal, economic and political social subsystems in current society. Based on the theoretical tools gathered, it analyzes the concept of economic constitution as the structural coupling between law and economics, and the State Constitution as a structural coupling between law and politics. Economic crisis is then explained by the inflationary tendencies in the production of symbols and by the conflicts between partial rationalities. The crisis of 2008 strengthened the conclusion that globalization restrains politics and laws capacities to influence the international economic system. In view of that, it is suggested the adoption of Teubners societal constitutionalism as a proposal for XXI centurys democracy. Societal constitutionalism allows the recognition of internal constitutions in each social subsystem and the development of internal public reasoning institutions, where politics can be developed autonomously from State Politics. Finally, the last chapter considers how the measures against economic crises invariably redefine the roles of the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary, recognizing some freedom to the Executive, although such freedom does not mean the absence of any checks and balances.

This qualitative study explores the interrelationship between perceived gender discrimination and its antecedents and consequences while examining the concept of the glass ceiling that presents some barriers to the career advancement of Bahraini female workers in the banking sector. The study examines female bankers’ perception of the existence of both gender discrimination and the glass ceiling concept in this sector. It first examines the factors that cause such phenomena at three different levels namely societal, institutional and individual. The study then verifies the effects of some identified antecedents i.e. whether they foster or lower the perceived gender discrimination and how such effects happen. Furthermore, the study examines the same factors to ascertain if they are barriers that hinder women’s career advancement or enablers that support their advancement as there is a lack of empirical studies on the effect of the factors of the three mentioned levels to women’s career advancement especially in non-western context (Tlaiss, 2010; Hejase et al., 2013; Yokkongdi & Benson, 2005). The study also examines the consequences of perceived gender discrimination that occurs at the individual level. Some previous studies related to this research topic adopted the quantitative approach, hence; this is a qualitative based research that examines the perception of the respondents whose experiences and opinions expound the context. This led to understanding subjective areas such as respondents’ emotions and experiences that address the nature of perceived gender discrimination and the concept of glass ceiling in the Bahraini banking sector, focusing on “How” and “Why” type of questions instead of stressing on the quantities. The existing literature of gender discrimination especially about the area of underrepresentation of female workers in higher positions especially in financial services sector including banking is minimal. (Bruckmuller & Branscombe, 2010; Elumti et al., 2009; Durbin & Conley, 2010). This approach unveils the research questions by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 Bahraini females as most of the previous studies examined both male and female perceptions while this research focusing at female only to make it more gender specific. The respondents hold managerial and non-managerial positions in both Islamic and conventional banks in the kingdom of Bahrain. The aim of the interview was to extract their perceptions on the factors and the consequences of gender discrimination as well as the barriers and challenges that hinder their advancement to higher managerial levels. The study captures the factors and the consequences of gender discrimination as well as the most common barriers that impede the Bahraini females’ career advancement within an Islamic and Arabic cultural context. The themes that emerged from the analysis are used to discuss the research issues in the light of previous research findings from different empirical studies. This study identifies different ways of finding factors of perceived gender discrimination and their effects as well as the challenges that may hinder the women’s career advancement in this sector. This study discovers that perceived gender discrimination exists in the Bahraini banking sector especially in areas such as hiring preference and receiving of benefits and compensations. This study also unearths the existence of glass ceiling, which is related to the gender inequality in the advancement opportunities to higher positions especially in the areas such as obtaining a promotion and holding managerial positions in the banks. The study finds out various factors that cause the perceived gender discrimination and the glass ceiling in the Bahraini banking sector which are classified at three levels as explained above.