Search results

For the last fifteen years, design has been used in French administrations, and in particular in local authorities, with the aim of designing services and public policies that are better adapted to the needs of citizens and stakeholders. However, the benefits and difficulties are poorly documented and the use of the design approach depends on the will of a few convinced individuals. This field research aims to provide an understanding of the use of design to develop territorial public policies, and in particular to specify the consequences for the public servants and designers involved. To do so, two research hypotheses are under study: collaboration is both a step of the design process and one of its outcomes; the designer facilitates co-design thanks to specific tools and methods. In the context of a CIFRE funding with the Occitanie Region, we have worked as doctoral student and designer for three years, within the innovation laboratory (Lab') of this local authority. The collected data came from six regional public policy co-design projects, selected as case studies and in which we took part. Participant observation, conducted from October 2018 to December 2020, was complemented by interviews with twenty public servants involved in the projects. These empirical data are discussed using theoretical contributions from design science, as well as management science and organizational sociology, to develop conclusions targeting two types of actors: public servants and designers. Participation in a co-design process leads public servants to change their individuals practices, and also increases the durability of collective practices. The designer, who accompanies the projects, develops specific tools and postures to encourage collaboration. Their profession is evolving to adapt to the context of public administrations, which consequently raises questions about the adjustment of their training. ; Le design est mobilisé depuis une quinzaine d'années dans les administrations françaises, et en particulier dans les ...

This dissertation examines the fortification of the Bosphorus meant to help defend Istanbul against the growing Russian threat at the end of the eighteenth century. The adaptation of new construction techniques, the development of an administrative system to run and maintain the defenses effectively, and the organization of the military personnel and munitions in the fortresses are the sub-themes of the dissertation. The Ottomans recognized the importance of fortifying the Black Sea Strait in view of the threat posed by Russia and its rising military power. They accelerated their efforts to take security measures by establishing new fortresses and batteries along the shores of the Bosphorus. The creation of a "Superintendency of the Bosphorus" as a new administrative unit is an indicator of the Ottoman attention to the rising Russian threat in the Black Sea. This dissertation uses a holistic approach to address different but interrelated issues, including fortress construction, administration, and military organization. Keeping in mind the broader issue of the Ottomans' responses to the technological and political challenges they faced at the end of the eighteenth century, this study sheds light on new techniques introduced by French engineers and on the Ottoman adaptation to innovation, including new techniques of organization. The dissertation also discusses the Ottoman efforts to find solutions to the problems of finding qualified men, establishing discipline, and maintaining effective organization in the construction projects. This research employs rich archival material from the Ottoman State Archives and the French Military and Diplomatic Archives, as well as the memoirs of French engineers and Ottoman and French maps and plans. A comparative analysis of these sources indicates that the Ottomans were decisive in adopting innovative defensive techniques in collaboration with French engineers. Yet this was no mere imitation of European forms or crude Westernization. The Ottomans were active decision-makers ...

This dissertation examines the fortification of the Bosphorus meant to help defend Istanbul against the growing Russian threat at the end of the eighteenth century. The adaptation of new construction techniques, the development of an administrative system to run and maintain the defenses effectively, and the organization of the military personnel and munitions in the fortresses are the sub-themes of the dissertation. The Ottomans recognized the importance of fortifying the Black Sea Strait in view of the threat posed by Russia and its rising military power. They accelerated their efforts to take security measures by establishing new fortresses and batteries along the shores of the Bosphorus. The creation of a "Superintendency of the Bosphorus" as a new administrative unit is an indicator of the Ottoman attention to the rising Russian threat in the Black Sea. This dissertation uses a holistic approach to address different but interrelated issues, including fortress construction, administration, and military organization. Keeping in mind the broader issue of the Ottomans' responses to the technological and political challenges they faced at the end of the eighteenth century, this study sheds light on new techniques introduced by French engineers and on the Ottoman adaptation to innovation, including new techniques of organization. The dissertation also discusses the Ottoman efforts to find solutions to the problems of finding qualified men, establishing discipline, and maintaining effective organization in the construction projects. This research employs rich archival material from the Ottoman State Archives and the French Military and Diplomatic Archives, as well as the memoirs of French engineers and Ottoman and French maps and plans. A comparative analysis of these sources indicates that the Ottomans were decisive in adopting innovative defensive techniques in collaboration with French engineers. Yet this was no mere imitation of European forms or crude Westernization. The Ottomans were active decision-makers ...