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Strategic hedging is used by second‐tier states in order to improve their relative position vis‐à‐vis the system leader. It is most likely to occur in unipolar systems that are experiencing power diffusion, and it involves the improvement of both military and economic capability while simultaneously avoiding a direct confrontation with the system leader. Strategic hedging takes place against the backdrop of key system dynamics involving the diffusion of hard and soft power away from the system leader toward various second‐tier states. In this article, I argue that strategic hedging by second‐tier states involves a gradual, multistage process, starting with a significant power difference between the hedging state and the system leader, and possibly leading to the disappearance of this difference as a result of successful hedging policies. I provide a four‐stage transformation mechanism that allows the analyst to gauge the level of transition to the second phase of strategic hedging by second‐tier states. I use China as a case to illustrate our hypothesis. The results show that the transition to the second phase is not yet complete in the case of China, but, that this could be the case in the next few years. As the second‐tier state evolves to the second phase, its relative military capability increases while its relative economic growth slows down. Progressing through the stages of strategic hedging, the second‐tier state's fears of upsetting the system leader fade as the power difference between itself and the system leader declines. Given the importance of strategic hedging as a new structural theory in international relations, this study not only contributes to the development of this theory, but also provides systematic indications of Great Power dynamics in the foreseeable future.

Abstract
This article explores the assessment of foreign academic certificates in Flanders between January 2014 and February 2019. It examines data NARIC (National Academic and Professional Recognition and Information Centre) Flanders gathered on its applicants, their applications, and its subsequent decisions. As professional recognitions, providing access to regularised professions in Flanders, are given by the designated authorities in their field, it would go beyond the scope of this article.
In the descriptive result part, graphs illustrate the distribution of several characteristics of the applicants, their applications, and the decisions. In the explanatory result part, logistic regression analyses explore the influence of these characteristics on the decision of NARIC Flanders. The goal of this article is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to contribute to the scarce literature on the procedures for the recognition of foreign certificates in Flanders; on the other hand, it aims to contribute to the public debate on the integration of migrants in the labour market.

In light of growing tensions in the Persian Gulf between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the search for a formula of security in the five small Gulf States—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—has become a complex issue. The question that arises is how these small Gulf States can maintain security and stability in the prevailing scenario. As the weaknesses of the small Gulf States tends to polarize the region even more, it is argued that a hedging strategy can best capture the security dilemma that the small Gulf States are facing. This article examines how the five small Gulf States are facing the current security dilemma by following (or not) a hedging strategy. The results of a qualitative content analysis of news articles, official government's documents, and academic literature show that the Gulf States vary in warmth toward Iran or Saudi Arabia. Oman, and to a lesser extent Kuwait, seem to have good relations with both sides. Qatar currently enjoys relatively warm relations with Iran, while the UAE and Bahrain lean more toward the Saudi side.

This study presents the strategic hedging framework as a way to trace the determinants of the foreign policies of hedging states. We use the case of Chinese energy security strategy in the Middle East as an illustrative case study. It first uses four criteria to establish that China's energy security strategy in the Middle East is a strong example of strategic hedging behaviour. Then it examines the impact of oil production in the Middle East countries on the growth of Chinese economic relationships with these countries. The results of this study show clearly that oil production plays an important role in the Sino-Middle East relations. We find a positive relationship between oil production in Middle East countries, on the one hand, and the distribution and growth of China's trade and investment with these countries, on the other hand. These results confirm that strategic hedging behaviour leads to developing China's economic relations with the oil-producing countries in order to cover its growing needs for energy to support its economic growth. This article represents the first attempt to trace the impact of strategic hedging behaviour on the foreign policies of hedging states. Thus, it contributes to the support of the strategic hedging framework as a new theory in international relations.

This article examines policies of both China and the United States in the Middle East. It evaluates the effectiveness of Beijing's strategic hedging behavior against Washington's "hard power" strategies by discussing several policy challenges in this region: energy security, the Iranian nuclear issue, terrorism, regional alliance structures, and the "Arab Spring." The results of this study show that the gradual retreat of the United States from the Middle East coincides with a stronger Chinese presence in the region on several fronts. In examining Sino‐U.S. power competition in the Middle East, it contributes to the advancement of "strategic hedging" as a still underdeveloped concept in the International Relations literature.

Drawing upon the human capital theory, this article articulates the impact of different human resource management (HRM) practices on various dimensions of employee competence in the Indian context. The survey method was employed to collect data from 325 banking employees including managers and non-managers employed in the State Bank of India, the Bank of Baroda, the Housing Development Finance Corporation and the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India. The self-competence, team competence and social competence are the dimensions of employee competencies and HRM practices include recruitment and selection, training and development, employee involvement and performance appraisal. The validity and reliability of the variables are evaluated through the confirmatory factor analysis and the hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling. The study's analysis revealed mixed results wherein a significant and positive impact was found between some HRM practices and employee competencies and an insignificant impact between other HRM practices and employee competencies. The study's findings would serve as a guide to the management and policymakers of banks for developing and enhancing the desired employee competencies by investing in HRM practices, thereby better performance at the organization level. This research work enriches the existing literature on HRM and development by empirically validating the HRM-competence linkages in the Indian banking context, where studies of this nature are minimal.

Drawing on the resource-based view, this paper seeks to examine the influence of employee competencies on organizational performance using a sample of 325 managerial and non-managerial employees working in Indian public and private sector banks. The study employed a cross-sectional research design, and the data were collected through a structured questionnaire using convenience sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to check the reliability and validity of the dimensions, and the proposed hypotheses were tested by using structural equation modelling. The results indicated a positive and significant impact of selected employee competencies on organizational performance except for self-competence, which showed an insignificant and negative effect. The study is of immense potential to help policy and decision-makers of the Indian banking industry to develop and implement strategies for improving employee competencies, which, in turn, are instrumental in enhancing organizational performance. This study is a unique attempt to examine the impact of various employee competence dimensions on organizational performance, particularly in the Indian banking industry.

This study is an endeavour to assess the impact of different human resource management practices on the organizational performance of banks in India. Using a convenience sampling technique, a sample of 325 employees from four banks responded to a survey questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the constructs were established through confirmatory factor analysis, while structural equation modelling was utilized to examine the proposed hypotheses. The findings of the study confirmed a positive and significant influence of training and development, performance appraisal, and employee involvement on the performance of the banks under investigation. However, recruitment and selection indicated a positive but insignificant impact. The outcome of this research can assist policy and decision-makers in enhancing organizational performance by investing in appropriate human resource management practices. The study is equally significant for human resource professionals and practitioners to foster the professional development and advancement of their personnel.