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Abstract In order to contribute to the comprehension of the current situation of organic markets, this research investigates a prominent case at Florianopolis: Cantinho Especial Market. The methodology employed in this study involved six months of analysis of the market's institutional website (fan page) in a social network, eight months of unsystematic observations at the market and nine interviews with agents both from supply and demand. We argue here that recurrent categories used in sociological research on organic markets, such as political consumerism and ecological ethics, are sparser among this market participant agents. Instead of these recurrent categories, we realize that organics are in the display window acting as decoys to a distinctive symbolic exchanges market. These symbolic trades when combined together reflect a lifestyle marked by the praise of the exoticism and the cosmopolitanism.

Although the expansion of global production networks (GPNs) has been an important source of employment generation in many developing and transition countries, the qualitative aspects of this employment are less promising, often being characterized by high flexibility, uncertainty and precariousness. Drivers of these outcomes are industry dynamics and lead firm strategies such as fast fashion in the apparel industry. Equally important are, however, multi-scalar institutional contexts and state policies that influence social up- and downgrading trajectories. Against this background, the article assesses the up-/downgrading of apparel workers in Romania, a key regional supplier of western European markets. In addition to the sourcing practices of lead firms, and particularly fast fashion, we highlight the legacy of the country's state socialist past and its post-socialist transformation, Europeanization and the global economic crisis as drivers of GPN outcomes.

OpenLaws is an ambitious legal information project that builds on open data, open innovation and open source software. OpenLaws will help you find legal information more easily, organize it the way you want and share it with others. The Internet platform is adding a "social layer" to the existing "institutional layer" of legal information systems. Together with the different stakeholders, we will create a network between legislation, case law, legal literature and legal experts - both on a national and a European level, leading to better access to legal information. The openlaws core team will also create a "BOLD" Vision 2020 about what Big Open Legal Data (BOLD) can do in the future and propose a roadmap to the European Commission. This report gives a short overview of all scientific publications produced during and immediately after the end of the project.

How are identities of alternative forms of organization constructed and how does this process differ relative to normative forms socially expected? In this research we consider identity formation in co-operatives, a population of organizations allied globally through values and practices such as democratic participation, voluntary and open membership, and limited return to capital investment. As an extension of current thinking on identity formation in entrepreneurship and organizational theory, we use co-operatives to explore social expectations and institutional arrangements around form at the societal, population, and organizational levels using a population ecology framework. We develop a research agenda based on propositions that address specific features of identity formation in less typical forms of organization, including tensions with normative business expectations, engagement with identity audiences, embeddedness in networks and alliances, structural factors influencing identity, and identity ambiguity. ; Peer reviewed

In recent literature on international peacekeeping and peacebuilding interventions, attention has been drawn increasingly to local level dynamics and the reciprocal relationships with national conflict dynamics. This article places local social structures and networks at the centre of analysis and action, while unpacking the category of the 'external actor'. Through a case study of UN civilian peacekeeping support to local peacebuilding in South Sudan, it argues that there are important efforts being made to contextualise peacebuilding activities for local circumstances, notwithstanding significant institutional obstacles limiting the impact of these efforts. It also argues for further empirical scrutiny of if and how international peacebuilders are engaging with the local dynamics of conflict, seeking to improve the understanding of the heterogeneity of and interaction between actors at these levels.

In this study, interpretations of young Danes' and Estonians' online shopping are compared based on interviews with 23 Danes and 24 Estonians aged 12–18 years. The findings show that young Danes are more familiar with online shopping and buying, and view it more positively than do young Estonians. This is well reflected by the fact that Estonians focus mainly on the risks of online shopping, expressing various forms of distrust, while young Danes tend to emphasize benefits. Yet, both countries' respondents show more confidence in regular shops with face-to-face contact than in online stores which are considered to be abstract and disembedded. Differences in representations of online shopping are related to a complex set of system and agential resources: different cultural contexts, institutional and economic factors, and social networks.

Throughout the nineteenth century, the cities on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean, Tunis, Alexandria, Beirut, Smyrna, and Istanbul among them, experienced an influx of foreign communities which, combined with an increase in the indigenous populations and new urban policies on the part of certain rulers, tended to disrupt customary patterns of urban relationships. Although the scholarship of recent years has provided a new awareness of the network of interrelationships which held together the segments of medieval Islamic urban society, studies on the nineteenth-century changes in those relationships as represented by the policies of Muhammad ῾Alī, Aḥmad Bey, and the Ottoman Tanzimat reformers, have tended to focus more on aspects of state and government than on cities as such. Yet cities, especially capital cities, reflect most intensely periods of social and institutional transition.

Genealogy of production of technical and financial regulations for prenatal genetic tests show how power and knowledge develop as entities intertwined within a dynamic relationship, supporting the emergence of socio technical networks and forms of resistance in this sector of public health Long Abstract Developments in genomics support the vision of the body as an "information network" and different experts construct models for the calculation of life in the development of policy regulation, developing specific policy frames- either at individual or at population level, on the basis of power strategies mobilizing and disseminating specific forms of knowledge which are disciplined and selective. The contribution will present the recent evolution of the apparatuses producing the technical regulation and financial norms for the use of prenatal genetic testing (Belgian case study): what are the new control relations between subsidizing and control bodies and the hospitals; what are the new forms of cooperation between medical doctors, biomedical experts and psycho-sociologists in relation with the patients. A careful analysis of the genealogy of policy instruments (Lascoumes and LeGalès 2001) in this sector and on the emergence of regulatory networks with geneticists and clinicians and subsidizing bodies, arises questions on critical issues such as : Who has the resources (intellectual, technological or financial) to control the technology and its use ? what are the social, institutional and technological constrains? who defines and select the legitimate options ? The analysis is not so much normative than critical, giving due attention to emergence of socio technical networks and of forms of resistance, and mobilizing the concept of "governementalisation of the state" (Foucault 2008) to analyse how power and knowledge develops as entities intertwined within a dynamic relationship in the new fields of public health.

In the article it was examined the religious and church network of Ukraine in its institutional dimension, defined the keytrends in the religious space of the last ten years. It offered some predictions and recommendations on the further development of the religious environment.Ukraine remains one of the most religious countries in Europe in terms of belonging to religious denominations. The church, as a social institution, enjoys the highest trust of the population. That is why we can talk about a growth dynamic of the institutional network (it is within 2% for the last three years). Сonfirming the dynamic process of reproduction denominations functional structure needed for a decent expression of religious feelings and ensuring true freedom of conscience for citizens. There is an indicator of the confirming constitutional guarantees of the population on ideological beliefs and statistics which provide information about the state of religious-Ukraine institutions groups. It is currently the largest in the entire post-Soviet space.As a result of democratic changes in Ukraine, the current religious situation is marking by high dynamics and a high level of syncretism and versatility. Religiosity Ukrainian society describes the qualitative and quantitative determination (degree level character) assimilation of religious ideas, values and creates their significant impact on the behavior and livelihoods of the people. ; L'article analyse le réseau religieux et ecclésiastique de l'Ukraine dans ses dimensions institutionnelles, identifie les principales tendances de son évolution au cours des dix dernières années. Offre des prévisions et des recommandations pour le développement ultérieur de l'environnement religieux. ; В статье анализируется религиозно-церковная сеть Украины в ее институциональных измерениях, определяются основные тенденции изменений в ней за последние десять лет. Предлагаются прогнозы и рекомендации по дальнейшему развитию религиозной среды. ; У статті аналізується релігійно-церковна мережа України в її інституційних вимірах, визначаються основні тенденції змін у ній за останні десять років. Пропонуються прогнози та рекомендації щодо подальшого розвитку релігійного середовища.

In the article it was examined the religious and church network of Ukraine in its institutional dimension, defined the keytrends in the religious space of the last ten years. It offered some predictions and recommendations on the further development of the religious environment.Ukraine remains one of the most religious countries in Europe in terms of belonging to religious denominations. The church, as a social institution, enjoys the highest trust of the population. That is why we can talk about a growth dynamic of the institutional network (it is within 2% for the last three years). Сonfirming the dynamic process of reproduction denominations functional structure needed for a decent expression of religious feelings and ensuring true freedom of conscience for citizens. There is an indicator of the confirming constitutional guarantees of the population on ideological beliefs and statistics which provide information about the state of religious-Ukraine institutions groups. It is currently the largest in the entire post-Soviet space.As a result of democratic changes in Ukraine, the current religious situation is marking by high dynamics and a high level of syncretism and versatility. Religiosity Ukrainian society describes the qualitative and quantitative determination (degree level character) assimilation of religious ideas, values and creates their significant impact on the behavior and livelihoods of the people. ; L'article analyse le réseau religieux et ecclésiastique de l'Ukraine dans ses dimensions institutionnelles, identifie les principales tendances de son évolution au cours des dix dernières années. Offre des prévisions et des recommandations pour le développement ultérieur de l'environnement religieux. ; В статье анализируется религиозно-церковная сеть Украины в ее институциональных измерениях, определяются основные тенденции изменений в ней за последние десять лет. Предлагаются прогнозы и рекомендации по дальнейшему развитию религиозной среды. ; У статті аналізується релігійно-церковна мережа України в її інституційних вимірах, визначаються основні тенденції змін у ній за останні десять років. Пропонуються прогнози та рекомендації щодо подальшого розвитку релігійного середовища.

As unprecedented waves of young, rural women journey to cities in China, not only to work, but also to "see the world"and gain some autonomy, they regularly face significant institutional obstacles as well as deep-seated anti-rural prejudices. Based on immersive fieldwork, this book provides an intimate portrait of the social, cultural, and economic implications of mobile communication for a group of young women engaged in unskilled service work in Beijing, where they live and work for indefinite periods of time. While simultaneously situating this work within the fields of feminist studies, technology studies, and communication theory, the author explores the way in which the cell phone has been integrated into the transforming social structures and practices of contemporary China, and the ways in which mobile technology enables rural young women - a population that has been traditionally marginalized and deemed as "backward" and "other" - to participate in and create culture, allowing them to perform a modern, rural-urban identity. In this theoretically rich and empirically grounded analysis, the author provides original insight into the co-construction of technology and subjectivity as well as the multiple forces that shape twenty-first century China.--description adapted from publisher's website.

Creativity is a universal activity, essential in an evolutionary perspective, to adaptation and sustainability. This manuscript on the sociology of creativity has three purposes: (1) to develop the argument that key factors in creative activity are socially based and developed; hence, sociology can contribute significantly to understanding and explaining human creativity; (2) to present a systems approach which enables us to link in a systematic and coherent way the disparate social factors and mechanisms that are involved in creative activity and to describe and explain creativity; (3) to illustrate a sociological systems theory's (Actor-Systems-Dynamics) conceptualization of multiple interrelated institutional, cultural, and interaction factors and mechanisms and their role in creativity and innovative development with respect to diverse empirical bases. The approach shares with key psychological theory approaches in the area consideration of key concepts such as "persons", "processes", "products", and "places "but extends these to include additional factors such as social structures and resources, social powers, selection mechanisms (acceptance or rejection), and institutionalization. Moreover, the complex of factors identified and analyzed are specified in this article in sociological terms. The resulting model enables one to address and answer key questions relating to creative actions and innovative developments such as "who" is involved, "why" are they driving these activities, "what" are they doing or trying to do concretely, "how", "where", and "when" in diverse instances/illustrations which illuminate human creativity. The general model enables us to distinguish between and analyze processes of creative origination/formation, on the one hand, and processes of institutional acceptance and realization, on the other hand. Innovation in these distinct phases is distinguished analytically. It formulates a phase structure model in which the phases of origination and innovation generally and the phases of acceptance and institutionalization are identified and analyzed. Finally, the work introduces and applies key concepts such as rules and rule regimes -- norms, roles, institutions, and cultural formations -- in general, social structure. Moreover, it identifies socially based creativity production functions and particular cognitive and action mechanisms as features of rule regimes that generate innovations. Applications and illustrations in the article are diverse ranging from, for instance: (i) "the lone coyote" who exercises creativity based on absorbing a field of knowledge, concepts, challenges, problems, solution strategies, creativity production functions or programs (and who is likely to be in contact with libraries, relevant journals and may be directly or indirectly in contact with a network of others); (ii) groups in their particular fields operating greenhouse driving problem-solving and creative activities – both self-organizing groups as well as groups established by external powers (whether a private company, a government, or a non-government organization or movement); (iii) or entire societies undergoing transformations and radical development as in the industrial and later revolutions. The article introduces and applies a model stressing the socio-cultural and political embeddedness of agents, either as individuals or groups, in their creative activities and innovative productions. The agents are socialized agents, carriers of socio-cultural knowledge, including some of the knowledge essential to engage in creative processes in a particular domain or field. In their creativity, agents manipulate symbols, rules, technologies, and materials that are socially derived and developed. Their motivation for doing what they do derives in part from their social roles and positions, in part in response to the incentives and opportunities – many socially constructed – shaping their interaction situations and domains. Their capabilities including their social powers derive from the culturally and institutional frameworks in which they are embedded. In carrying out their actions, agents mobilize resources through the institutions and networks of which they are a part. As social agents, they are carriers of constructed values and motives and culturally established ideas, strategies, and practices (e.g., "a cultural tool kit.") Their creative actions are social actions, given meanings in cultural and institutional terms in the domains or fields in which they engage in their activities. Power considerations are part and parcel of the analyses, for instance the role of the state as well as private interests and social movements in facilitating and/or constraining innovations and creative developments in society. In the perspective presented here, generally speaking, creativity can be consistently and systematically considered to a great extent as social, cultural, institutional and material rather than largely psychological or biological.

Introduction: Spreading proven or promising Aboriginal health programs and implementing them in new settings can make cost-effective contributions to a range of Aboriginal Australian development, health and wellbeing, and educational outcomes. Studies have theorised the implementation of Aboriginal health programs but have not focussed explicitly on the conditions that influenced their spread. This study examined the broader political, institutional, social and economic conditions that influenced negotiations to transfer, implement, adapt and sustain one Aboriginal empowerment program - the Family Wellbeing (FWB) program - to at least 60 geographical sites across Australia over 24 years. Material and Methods: A historical account of the spread of the FWB Program was constructed using situational analysis, a theory-methods package derived from a post-structural interpretation of grounded theory methods. Data were collected from published empirical papers, evaluation reports and project papers, and interviews with 18 key actors in the spread of FWB. Social worlds and arenas maps were used to determine the organisations and their representative agents who were involved in FWB spread, and to analyse the enabling and constraining conditions. Results: The program was transferred through three interwoven social arenas: employment and community development; training and capacity development; and social and emotional wellbeing promotion and empowerment research. Program spread was fostered by three primary conditions: government policies and the availability and Aboriginal control of funding and support; Aboriginal leadership, associated informal networks and capability; and research evidence that built credibility for the program. Discussion and conclusion: The continued demand-driven transfer of empowerment programs requires policies that enable Aboriginal control of funding and Aboriginal leadership and networks. Flexible and sustained coordination of program delivery is best leveraged through regional innovation hubs ...