Suchergebnisse

Recently there has been renewed academic interest in co-operatives. In contrast, media accounts of co-operatives are relatively scarce, particularly, in the United Kingdom, where business reporting usually focuses on capitalist narratives, with alternatives routinely marginalised until a scandal pushes them into the public eye. This article analyses media coverage of the United Kingdom's Co-operative Bank (2011–2015), tracing its transformation from an unremarkable presence on the UK high street to preferred bidder for Lloyds Bank branches and its subsequent near collapse. The article charts changes in reporting and media interest in the bank through five discursive frames: member and customer service; standard financial reporting; human interest, personality-driven journalism; the public relations machine; and political coverage. Our analysis discusses three points: the politicisation of the story through covert and overt political values; simplification and sensationalism; and media hegemony. We argue that although moments of crisis provide an opening for re-evaluating the dominant reporting model, established frames tend to reassert themselves as a story develops. This produces good copy that reflects the interests of the publishers but does not extend understanding of co-operative organisations. Thus, the article identifies the role of the media in delegitimising organisations with alternative governance structures, thereby promoting ideological and economic conformity.

A range of new spaces of English planning have emerged in recent years. One new space of clear import is the sub-region. In this paper we seek to gain a better understanding of why sub-regional spaces emerge, how they are used and how planning functions through them. Drawing upon an analysis of three English regions and interviews with actors the paper identifies four types of sub-regional planning that highlight the relationship between accountable, legally sanctioned territorial spaces on the one hand and more informal, open and strategic sub-regional spaces on the other. Sub-regional planning provides an important if not critical strategic parallel to regulatory planning though the relationship between the two is characterised by complexity, contestation, experimentation and impermanence. Among other issues raised by this contemporary reworking of planning is the emergence of an accountability gap through the uncoupling of formal democratic processes embedded within territories and the more diffuse practices of strategic plan making

Indigenous peoples' participation in the co-management of protected areas is recognised as essential for conserving both cultural and biological diversity. While this practice is increasingly common, few studies have quantitatively evaluated the efficacy of these initiatives. Here we examine levels of knowledge and involvement among the Agta, a hunter-gatherer population who co-manage the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, the largest protected area in the Philippines. We find that the Agta generally possess low levels of knowledge about the protected area they are supposed to co-manage. Participation in park management is hampered by several factors, including a lack of cultural sensitivity regarding the Agta's foraging lifestyle among park officials and little political will to realistically empower and support the Agta as co-managers. Recommendations to strengthen Agta participation – and indigenous peoples' participation in protected area management more widely – are made to help protect the world's remaining cultural and biological diversity.

This item is part of the Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements (PRISM) digital collection, a collaborative initiative between Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida in the Publication of Archival, Library & Museum Materials (PALMM).

New Public Governance assumes that co-production leads to beneficial outcomes, such as increased efficiency and better citizen well-being. However, few empirical studies have documented these outcomes, and some have demonstrated that the assumed outcomes do not emerge. This study establishes that co-production is a complex, social phenomenon, which implies that there cannot be a clear cause-effect relationship between co-production activities and their outcomes. To qualify and enable further empirical investigation of the outcomes of co-production, the study proposes that contribution analysis should be applied as an appropriate evaluation paradigm to theoretically reduce complexity and define a generic programme theory for co-production. The study also discusses how the creation and operationalisation of a local co-production programme theory can take place to evaluate the relationship between co-production initiatives and outcomes on a localised level. Finally, directions are provided for how the outcomes of co-production can be co-evaluated with citizens. ; New Public Governance assumes that co-production leads to beneficial out- comes, such as increased efficiency and better citizen well-being. However, few empirical studies have documented these outcomes, and some have demon- strated that the assumed outcomes do not emerge. This study establishes that co-production is a complex, social phenomenon, which implies that there cannot be a clear cause-effect relationship between co-production activities and their outcomes. To qualify and enable further empirical investigation of the outcomes of co-production, the study proposes that contribution analysis should be applied as an appropriate evaluation paradigm to theoretically reduce complexity and define a generic programme theory for co-production. The study also discusses how the creation and operationalisation of a local co- production programme theory can take place to evaluate the relationship between co-production initiatives and outcomes on a localised ...

If municipalities were the caring platforms of the 19-20th century sharing economy, how does care manifest in civic structures of the current period? We consider how platforms – from the local initiatives of communities transforming neighbourhoods, to the city, in the form of the local authority – are involved, trusted and/or relied on the design of shared services and amenities for the public good. We use contrasting cases of interaction between local government and civil society organisations in Sweden and the UK to explore trends in public service provision. We look at how care can manifest between state and citizens and at the roles that co-design and co-learning play in developing contextually sensitive opportunities for caring platforms. In this way, we seek to learn from platforms in transition about the importance of co-learning in political and structural contexts and make recommendations for the co-design of (digital) platforms to care with and for civil society.

If municipalities were the caring platforms of the 19-20th century sharing economy, how does care manifest in civic structures of the current period? We consider how platforms - from the local initiatives of communities transforming neighbourhoods, to the city, in the form of the local authority - are involved, trusted and/or relied on in the design of shared services and amenities for the public good. We use contrasting cases of interaction between local government and civil society organisations in Sweden and the UK to explore trends in public service provision. We look at how care can manifest between state and citizens and at the roles that co-design and co-learning play in developing contextually sensitive opportunities for caring platforms. In this way, we seek to learn from platforms in transition about the importance of co-learning in political and structural contexts and make recommendations for the co-design of (digital) platforms to care with and for civil society.

In this interview, Helen Brunner, founder and director of the Media Democracy Fund (MDF) and the Media Democracy Action Fund (MDAF) in the U.S., reflects on the genesis and practice of her approach to structuring networks and coalition-based campaigns to support digital rights advocacy work. The conversation contributes to scholarship on the political economy of policy influence featuring the role of philanthropy.

"Published August, 1927. Reprinted June, 1928." ; The Institute of Economics of the Brookings Institution. Publication no. 23 ; Mode of access: Internet.

Co-investment funds – which invest alongside private investors, especially business angels – thereby leveraging their networks and experience and minimizing public sector transaction costs – are a recent approach by governments in various countries to address the early stage entrepreneurial funding gap which is perceived as a barrier to the ability of firms to scale-up. However, little literature exists on their operation, impact and effectiveness. This paper assesses the early operation of the UK's Angel Co-investment Fund, established in 2011. Interview evidence from angels and business managers suggests that the Angel Co-investment Fund is improving the availability of finance by enabling firms to raise funding rounds of between £500,000 and £2 m, hence addressing some aspects of the broken finance escalator model. However, our evidence suggests that it is not yet impacting the supply side, either in terms of stimulating the formation of new angel groups or enhancing learning amongst less experienced angels. Some aspects of the operation of the investment process have attracted criticism from angels and entrepreneurs which need to be addressed. Nevertheless, there is sufficient evidence for positive impact to justify the scheme's expansion.

The emergence of online platforms dispensing TV content in China has transformed conventional understandings of Chinese media. Online video companies have revitalized the Chinese media industry while throwing out challenges to the government. Three disruptive moments illustrate how Chinese television is regulated, distributed, and accessed: disconnecting, connecting, and reconnecting. I examine some of the leading online platforms and consider the growing power of Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent—known as the "kingmakers" of the Chinese Internet. I describe how the Internet has created an unprecedented transformation in China's television industry and how "Internet television" is disrupting the formerly stable and heavily managed sector. Finally, the article explores how new technologies of distribution are allowing Chinese culture to internationalize and to "reconnect" with Chinese-speaking communities.

Co-investment funds – which invest alongside private investors, especially business angels – thereby leveraging their networks and experience and minimizing public sector transaction costs – are a recent approach by governments in various countries to address the early stage entrepreneurial funding gap which is perceived as a barrier to the ability of firms to scale-up. However, little literature exists on their operation, impact and effectiveness. This paper assesses the early operation of the UK's Angel Co-investment Fund, established in 2011. Interview evidence from angels and business managers suggests that the Angel Co-investment Fund is improving the availability of finance by enabling firms to raise funding rounds of between £500,000 and £2 m, hence addressing some aspects of the broken finance escalator model. However, our evidence suggests that it is not yet impacting the supply side, either in terms of stimulating the formation of new angel groups or enhancing learning amongst less experienced angels. Some aspects of the operation of the investment process have attracted criticism from angels and entrepreneurs which need to be addressed. Nevertheless, there is sufficient evidence for positive impact to justify the scheme's expansion.

Co-creation has become a globally popular concept in different sectors of the society. Its promise lies in breaking down hierarchies between local government, business life, universities, citizens and other stakeholders. Instead of being a top-down or bottom-up process, co-creation involves a multi-directional approach to problem solving. In this article, we scrutinize the capacity of co-creation to transform the practices of public sector in the context of urban development. In this way, we discuss both the potential and limitations of applying co-creation to the enhancement of citizen participation in cities. While new ways of acting can create novel spaces for opportunity, they also bring new winners and losers to the fore. After all, citizens are not all the same: they fall in several categories and some of them have more resources to participate in co-creative processes than others. Thus, it is relevant to know who participate in and whose voices get heard through these processes. We claim that to realise the participatory potential of co-creation, it is crucial to scrutinize actual practices through and networks within which it takes place. Through three co-creative processes from Finland, we illustrate that the promotion of participation through co-creation necessitates acknowledging the heterogeneity of citizens and taking seriously issues of urban social justice and inclusion. In conclusion, we identify issues regarding the sustainability and accessibility of participation that must be unpacked, if co-creative processes are to be used in the context of urban development. ; Peer reviewed

This study concerns the co-decision and co-governing system basing on the European Commission (EC) and the European Parliament (EP) as an example. However, it is not a direct description of functions of these institutions but a presentation of results of empirical studies, including respondents' knowledge about the EC and EP functioning. In the study the following thesis were verified: awareness and knowledge of the EU institutions is greater in the border regions because of participation in the process of euroregionalisation; level of knowledge about the integration is related to education, the higher and more comprehensive it is, the greater the understanding of the institutionalization of integration; residents of urban areas have greater knowledge about integration than people who live in rural areas.

This study concerns the co-decision and co-governing system basing on the European Commission (EC) and the European Parliament (EP) as an example. However, it is not a direct description of functions of these institutions but a presentation of results of empirical studies, including respondents' knowledge about the EC and EP functioning. In the study the following thesis were verified: awareness and knowledge of the EU institutions is greater in the border regions because of participation in the process of euroregionalisation; level of knowledge about the integration is related to education, the higher and more comprehensive it is, the greater the understanding of the institutionalization of integration; residents of urban areas have greater knowledge about integration than people who live in rural areas.