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This year's Keynote has a special format. The interest in Community OR has taken the form of a new Special Interest Group that is presently taking shape. To contribute to a better understanding of the variety of interest that is being incorporated, we have invited a number of people to present their ideas as short presentations or pitches. Below you will find an outline of what we have today. These may help to summarise the current thinking and (research) practices in Community OR. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion. Social Innovation and Community OR Communities are the main addressees for sustainable change and improvement, at least in the European Union. There are some considerable difficulties here, as the cry for policies that are effective in delivering this change is getting stronger and communities are getting better in avoiding being addressed as stooges. At present OR explores contributions to the policy problem (see the new SIG for Social Policy). It is argued that policy should be supportive to community level activities and initiatives, rather than the reverse, if social innovation is to be promoted. Examples are presented. Organising Suppliers: Chain or commune? Economy-based supplier structures are organised under drivers that aim at the alignment of goals and the optimisation of resources available; however, this does not seem to apply to any size of business. Observations on microbusinesses suggest that they do not strive for economic drivers only. Lifestyle, family and other non-economic drivers are also part of their strategic decision making processes. Different snapshots about UK and Mexican microbusinesses are used to illustrate possibilities that supply chains and communities may provide. Community OR ideas are used as a framework for the comparison.

High unemployment in Poland is a major socio-economic problem. The unemployment rate in Poland reached the level of 16.7% in 2005, 9.3% in 2010 and 9.7% in 2011. Unemployment in Poland is mainly structural, which is reflected in the structural imbalances between labour demand and labour supply with respect to vocational qualifications, professions, and spatial deployment. The main factor determining unemployment is the necessity for structural changes in the Polish economy caused by its transformation and integration with the European Union, changes aimed at enhancement of economic innovation, competitiveness and effectiveness. An active labour market policy plays an important role in a situation characterized by high structural unemployment. Efficiently applied instruments of an active labour market policy can reduce this unemployment. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of the active labour market policy in Poland between 2005-2010, taking into consideration the characteristics of its main instruments, its participants, and expenditures. ; W warunkach wysokiego strukturalnego bezrobocia w Polsce ważną rolę w jego zwalczaniu odgrywa aktywna polityka państwa na rynku pracy. Strukturalny charakter bezrobocia wynika z niedopasowania struktury podaży pracy do struktury popytu na pracę w aspekcie kwalifikacyjnym, zawodowym i przestrzennym. Bezrobocie to jest głównie determinowane koniecznością przemian strukturalnych w polskiej gospodarce dla poprawy jej innowacyjności, konkurencyjności i efektywności jako państwa członkowskiego Unii Europejskiej. Podstawowym celem opracowania jest ocena skuteczności aktywnej polityki rynku pracy w zwalczaniu bezrobocia w Polsce w latach 2005-2010. Realizacja tego celu wymaga dokonania charakterystyki instrumentów tej polityki oraz usług urzędów pracy w procesie aktywizacji zawodowej bezrobotnych, ukazania wydatków na realizację aktywnej polityki rynku pracy oraz uczestników programów aktywnych, którzy dzięki nim uzyskali zatrudnienie. Podjęta jest także ocena efektów zatrudnieniowych i kosztowych związana ze stosowaniem aktywnej polityki rynku pracy.

Reflecting the changing ideological and economic perspectives of the government of the day, the expansion of higher education in England has prompted numerous reforms aimed at reshaping and restructuring the sector and its funding. Leading to student riots and sparking some of the sharpest controversies in British higher education the reforms introduced in 2012/13 are by far the most radical and those concerning higher education funding and student finances the most far-reaching. This book seeks to unpack the drivers for the reforms while locating them in a broad historical, ideological, and policy context. Informed by the vast literature and research on higher education this book brings together recognised experts including leading academics and policy analysts. Divided into two parts, the first provides history and context while the second examines particular issues and themes arising including: historical antecedents of the reforms and tuition fee policies; the distinctive characteristics of the reforms; an economic critique of the limits to marketisation and the commodification of higher education; the drivers behind social mobility and widening participation and the subsequent impact of tuition fees; the consequences of fee setting policies among institutions; the impact on part-time students; the entrance of new providers in the higher education sector; the impact on institutional autonomy and freedom; and the policy vacuum on postgraduate education and the future of research. While the reforms have attracted significant media coverage focusing on the short-term consequences of the reforms, this book goes far beyond the media headlines to identify the nature of the reforms and to understand their impact on higher education institutions, students, and society as a whole.

The dichotomy between intended and unintended outcomes of individual and collective action is central to political economy. It concerns the relationship of markets and states and their link to the constitution of society. As such, this dichotomy points to the patterns of connectivity that provide the social embedding of markets and states. The present paper argues that civil society is best understood as the principal locus of connectivity in which markets and states operate. Civil society so configured is neither separate from the body politic and commercial society nor subordinate to them but instead constitutes the primary objective structure of the social domain. It embeds the causal arrangements that determine the crisscrossing of both intended and unintended outcomes in specific contexts. Within the social domain, dispositions of the means-end type interact with non-instrumental dispositions. One important implication is that civil society is compatible with a range of different political economies and specific socio-economic arrangements. Based on a typology of three distinct paradigms of civil society, we argue that the proximity paradigm is conducive to the discovery of political economies that foster greater openness and specificity compared with the political and the economic paradigm. This paper suggests that the theory of civil society in general and the proximity paradigm in particular are indispensable heuristic tools to identity the unrealized capacities inherent in any given social configuration. A proximity heuristic is applied to the discussion of credit arrangements and policy. We conclude that a hierarchy of policy principles is necessary to preserve the primacy of social connectivity over means-end relationships and the conditions for context-specific arrangements and policy options.

CARIM-East is co-financed by the European University Institute and the European Union. ; Since its independence in 1991, the Republic of Armenia has faced difficult challenges in its policies and legal framework for labour migration. In the last two decades many Armenians have left for overseas employment given the socio-economic situation at home. At the same time, Armenia has inspired a certain interest in foreigners who, themselves, have come to work in Armenia. Given these in- and outflows Armenia has experienced a raft of problems with legal regulations. In spite of the topicality of these problems, they have not yet been comprehensively studied. Problems have, to some extent, been touched upon by a number of authors. But the research carried out to date is mainly socio-economic or deals with the policy aspects of labour migration. Legal regulations for internal and external migrations is conditioned by the fact that, as in other areas, a relevant normative basis is a necessary condition for implementing state policy. In the absence thereof, it is impossible to talk about state policy in a given area. This study addresses the legal aspects of labour migration governance in the Republic of Armenia. It analyses the legal framework and institutional mechanisms for internal and external labour migration and examines legal problems related to regulating the in- and outflow of migrant workers. Certain conclusions and recommendations have been made, on the basis of research. These conclusions and recommendations can be used to improve the legal framework with a view to regulating labour migration in Armenia. In addition, they can also serve as a basis for further exploration in the field. ; CARIM-East: Creating an Observatory of Migration East of Europe

In a given area, different forms of farming (from small-scale family farming to large-scale enterprises) contribute and respond differently to global challenges such as food insecurity, employment, poverty, climate change and biodiversity. Rapid structural changes are happening (e.g. in land holding size and tenure, use of hired labour, increasing reliance on finance and market integration) but little is known about their impacts. Ongoing agricultural investments have triggered policy debate on the relevance and effects of different business models, and access to knowledge of these is crucial for all stakeholders to be included in policy dialogue. Given the variety and complexity of ongoing transformations, policy debate at national and international levels should be supported by novel approaches for assessing and monitoring this phenomenon. This approach should take into account, among others, for the diverse forms of farming systems; the multiple sectors with which they interact at food chain, territorial and global levels; and impacts on ecosystem services spanning environmental, economic and social dimensions. This paper presents a short review of the literature on agricultural structural change and discusses options to characterize different ongoing patterns of change, not limited to those which took place in developed countries in the second half of the XXth century. It calls a more comprehensive approach to monitor and evaluate these changes in order to improve policies through an assessment of the contributions of different types of farm organizations to sustainable development. In a given territory, and in the relatively long term, transformations can be described at least partly, by the changes in farm types. These structural changes are the result from strategies implemented at farm level to adapt to changing economic and environmental contexts.

PurposeThis paper aims to review the situation of decent work (DW) and quality of work life (QWL) in the context of Nepal.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a literature survey. Institutional arrangements for DW and QWL are studied in connection with current labor legislations, national policy documents, and company policies and initiatives. The status of DW and QWL is described, examining national policy documents published by the Government of Nepal, National Planning Commission, labor legislations, International Labor Organization (ILO) and other relevant literature.FindingsAt present, although the country has been successful in reducing the number of people under the poverty line, there are challenges in meeting the DW goals. In the case of QWL, since there is rising dissatisfaction among employers and employees in the present economic and political circumstances, they are interested in short‐term benefits.Research limitations/implicationsThere are a number of factors affecting DW and QWL. In this paper only national economic and social conditions, poverty level, employment situation and income generation are considered for analysis. The analysis of the QWL situation is done only on the basis of published information rather than using primary sources of information.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study will have a number of implications in understanding and improving the level of current institutional arrangements in order to ensure DW and QWL. The observations made in this paper can add some value in the process of formulation of national policy for, and regulation of DW. The issues discussed will have substantial implication for the development and framing of new labor laws and policies.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on DW and QWL for the first time in the Nepalese context. This is an original contribution by the authors to familiarize readers with the situation of DW and QWL in Nepalese organizations.

Taking advantage of a recent relaxation of Japanese government's data release policy, we conduct a cross-national analysis of micro data from Japan's Employment Status Survey and its U.S. counterpart, Current Population Survey. Our focus is to document and contrast changes in long-term employment and job security over the last twenty five years between the two largest advanced economies. We find that in spite of the prolonged economic stagnation, the ten-year job retention rates of core employees (employees of prime age of 30-44 who have already accumulated at least five years of tenure) in Japan were remarkably stable at around 70 percent over the last twenty-five years, and there is little evidence that Japan's Great Recession of the 1990s had a deleterious effect on job stability of such employees. In contrast, notwithstanding its longest economic expansion in history, the comparable job retention rates for core employees in the U.S. actually fell from over 50 percent to below 40 percent over the same time period. The probit estimates of job loss models in the two nations also point to the extraordinary resilience of job security of core employees in Japan, whereas showing a significant loss of job security for similar employees in the U.S. Though core employees in Japan turned out to have weathered their Great Recession well, we find that mid-career hires and young new job market entrants were less fortunate, with their employment stability deteriorating significantly. We interpret the findings, based on the theory of institutional complementarity, and derive lessons for policy makers around the world who are currently facing their own Great Recessions and developing effective policy responses.

The 1998 edition of Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy is divided into four sections. The first section (chapters I and II) is devoted to an examination of the international situation and describes the main short-term trends to be observed in the global economy together with their impact on regional trade. It also examines the evolution of major economic groupings, such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the steps being taken to establish the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and recent decisions taken by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Council, all of which directly or indirectly influences Latin American and Caribbean products' access to the region's principal markets. The second section (chapters III, IV and V) deals with Latin American and Caribbean trade and trade policy in 1997-1998 and includes a discussion of the trade policies and performance of the countries of the region from June 1997 to August/September 1998, an assessment of the various export promotion tools that comply with multilateral trading regulations and standards, and an analysis of the composition of the region's trade deficits during the 1990s. The third section (chapters VI and VII) explores the concept of regional convergence and outlines the main stages to be observed in the regional integration process during the period from June 1997 to August 1998. The fourth and final section (chapters VIII and IX) discusses selected aspects of trade activity and trade policy, compares the experiences of East Asia and Latin America in relation to industrial and trade policy, and analyses the environmental protection policies of the United States and how they have influenced the exports of some Latin American countries.

The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995, provided an opportunity for the world community to focus attention on areas of critical concern for women worldwide - concerns that stem from social problems embracing both men and women, and that require solutions affecting both genders. One of the main objectives of the Conference was to adopt a platform for action, concentrating on some of the key areas identified as obstacles to the advancement of women. UNRISD's work in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women focused on two of the themes highlighted by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women: inequality in women's access to and participation in the definition of economic structures and policies and the productive process itself; and insufficient institutional mechanisms to promote the advancement of women. The Institute's Occasional Paper series for Beijing reflects work carried out under the UNRISD/UNDP project, Technical Co-operation and Women's Lives: Integrating Gender into Development Policy. The activities of the project include an assessment of efforts by a selected number of donor agencies and governments to integrate gender issues into their activities; the action-oriented part of the project involves pilot studies in Bangladesh, Jamaica, Morocco, Uganda and Viet Nam, the goal of which is to initiate a policy dialogue between gender researchers, policy makers and activists aimed at making economic policies and productive processes more accountable to women. This paper takes up the first activity mentioned above by providing an account of efforts to mainstream gender in the UNDP, the World Bank and the ILO. It identifies some of the obstacles that have been encountered in the different institutional settings and highlights the opportunities for further progress.

Though the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) fell three states short of ratification, the women's movement seems to have learned from its mistakes and made some changes in its tactics, organization and focus. Specifically, feminist organizations—now stronger than ever—are stressing grass roots political activities and issues which are economic as well as social.Feminist groups seem to have been most successful in influencing public policy when they have focused on role equity issues rather than role change issues. As Joyce Gelb and I explained in a recent book on women and public policy,Role equity issues are those policies which extend rights now enjoyed by other groups (men, other minorities) to women and which appear to be relatively delineated or narrow in their implications, permitting policy makers to seek advantage with feminist groups and voters with little cost or controversy. In contrast, role change issues appear to produce change in the dependent female role of wife, mother and homemaker, holding out the potential of greater sexual freedom and independence in a variety of contexts. The latter issues are fraught with greater political pitfalls, including perceived threats to existing values, in turn creating visible and often powerful opposition.Of course, many issues deal both with role equity and role change. When feminist groups have failed, it has often been because their opponents have emphasized the role change aspects of an issue.Many of the issues which are primarily questions of role equity are economic. Thus, it was probably wise for the National Organization for Women (NOW) to emphasize in its ERA effort that the average female worker earns 59 cents for every dollar earned by her male counterpart.

The global education agenda, embedded in the Education for All (EFA) Goals, and the Millennium Development Goals, has emphasised the importance of reaching EFA rather than sustaining this achievement. As a corollary, the emphasis for external aid has also been on increasing aid to secure EFA rather than on the dangers of aid dependency in securing and sustaining EFA. The international architecture in support of education for sustainable development appears to have little interest in analysing these tensions between the pursuit of these rights-based EFA Goals, on the one hand, and the kind of economic growth and macro-economic environment that would be necessary to sustain their achievement.

Pandemic policies have been the focus of fierce lobbying competition by different social and economic interests. In Viral Lobbying a team of expert authors from across the social and natural sciences analyse patterns in and implications of this 'viral lobbying'. Based on elite surveys and focus group interviews with selected groups, the book provides new evidence on the lobbying strategies used during the COVID 19 pandemic, as well as the resulting access to and lobbying influence on public policy. The empirical analyses reach across eight European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom), as well as the EU-level. In particular, the book draws on responses from approximately 1,600 interest organisations in two waves of a cross-country survey (in 2020 and 2021, respectively). This quantitative data is supplemented by qualitative evidence from a series of 12 focus groups with organised interests in Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands conducted in spring 2021

"Despite plentiful evidence on poverty and reduced health chances and on the benefits of co-operative social networks and social capital, the nature of the relationship between them remains uncertain. Yet an enhanced understanding is needed if we are to gain, not only a more effective purchase on social processes involved in well-being, or on links between poverty and place, but also of the stratagems people adopt to challenge or cope with social and economic difficulties and resist their deleterious effects. Drawing on key concepts and on community studies conducted in East London housing estates, this book brings together diverse strands of influence on participatory community life and individual well-being. Residents' rich narratives are used to emphasize the significance of different social network patterns for mediating disadvantage and happiness. The book makes a timely contribution to post 2010 policy agendas and to current political debates on the 'big society' and the 'good society'"--

Is technology competition between commercial rivals an impediment to international co-operation? Or could it instead help states collaborate? Our game-theoretic model suggests that technology competition impedes international co-operation when states hold 'techno-nationalist' preferences but have starkly asymmetric abilities to capture new markets. States that expect to lose refuse to co-operate, so treaty formation fails. However, technology competition may also facilitate co-operation. While states invest in new technologies out of self-interest, doing so also reduces consumer prices for other states. Comparative case studies of environmental co-operation demonstrate the model's utility. For example, European co-operation on climate policy was easier to achieve because forerunner countries, such as Denmark and Germany, implemented industrial policies that enhanced the competitiveness of their renewable energy industries. This technology competition reduced the cost of renewable energy for other European countries, and thus lowered the economic costs of their emissions reductions. Adapted from the source document.