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This study explored the meaning of the after-hours social experiences of youth with disabilities in a residential life skills program. After-hours experiences occur outside of formal program hours, primarily in the evenings. Five youth with cerebral palsy (three females) participated in an exploratory photo elicitation study while attending one of two residential immersive life skills programs. Following an auto-driven photo elicitation method, youth took photos of their choosing and then were interviewed about photos they elected to share. Interview data were analyzed thematically. Themes illustrated meaningful social experiences and their benefits. Two themes described the after-hours social experiences of most importance to youth: learning about strengths from working together, and having meaningful individual and group conversations. Three themes reflected benefits reported by youth: learning about differences among people, gaining new perspectives and new knowledge about oneself, and developing friendships and a sense of "family." The findings illuminate the benefits of after-hours social experiences for youth who may have had little opportunity previously to informally interact with other youth with disabilities. The findings highlight the importance of the immersive, group nature of a residential, away-from-home youth transition program, particularly the value added by the after-hours program component. The findings support the value of an over-night residential aspect for life skills programs for youth with disabilities. Residential immersive life skills programs provide opportunities for youth to discuss common experiences and shared challenges, leading to the formation of social bonds. Residential immersive life skills programs provide opportunities for youth to interact with peers in the absence of adults, and to make choices about how to use their personal time. It is important to intentionally design transition programs to provide opportunities for after-hours social experiences, including working together and socializing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the relation between parenting events and the performance of firms. Using data from the Italian motorcycle industry (1893–1993), we find that parents have higher survival chances after generating a spinoff (i.e. parenting event), confirming results from previous studies about other manufacturing industries. We also show that the survival patterns of parent firms differ across space, and we link them to cluster characteristics: parenting events are associated to survival advantages in the clusters of Milan and the Motorvalley, and to survival disadvantages in the cluster of Turin. The paper contributes to the literature on spinoffs and employee mobility and adds to the debate on the role of clusters and their institutions in evolutionary economic geography, by highlighting the importance of contextual factors for the performance of parent firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to stimulate growth and competitiveness, many EU member states have implemented cluster-based development strategies. Several works underline the benefits of policy-driven clusters, but understanding how clusters can create value for their members is still an open issue. This work contributes to the literature by investigating 13 Competitiveness Clusters in Croatia, a special type of policy-driven clusters developed within the country's smart specialization strategy, using original data from a survey on 250 cluster members. Our results indicate the existence of very different attitudes towards the rationale for the initiative. In particular, while some members are more interested in lobbying activities, others see networking and innovation as the most important objectives of clusters. Findings also show that the evaluation of cluster management, governance and performance varies according to the desired objectives. Overall the Competitiveness Clusters initiative in Croatia did not meet members' expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is ample evidence of regions diversifying in new occupations that are related to pre-existing activities in the region. However, it is still poorly understood through which mechanisms related diversification operates. To unpack relatedness, we distinguish between three mechanisms: complementarity (interdependent tasks), similarity (sharing similar skills) and local synergy (based on pure co-location). We propose a measure for each of these relatedness dimensions and assess their impact on the evolution of the occupational structure of 389 US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) for the period 2005–2016. Our findings show that new jobs appearing in MSA's are related to existing ones, while those more likely to disappear are more unrelated to a city's jobs' portfolio. We found that all three relatedness dimensions matter, but local synergy shows the largest impact on entry and exit of jobs in US cities, thus being the strongest force of diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'life cycle' approach has become popular in studies on industrial clusters. However, some concerns have been raised over the inherent determinism of this approach and its tendencies to focus exclusively on cluster internal dynamics while neglecting the role of external factors and socio-economic contingencies. This paper addresses these criticisms by investigating the long-term development of Castel Goffredo, a traditional textile cluster in Italy. In our analysis, we identify and characterize the main stages of the life cycle and its antecedents. We single out the main triggering factors behind each of these stages and show that a variety of factors, both external and internal to the cluster, contributed to its development. Our findings confirm that an 'adaptive' cycle approach, which focuses also on contingencies and external factors, appear to be appropriate for investigating the long-term evolution of clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of Purpose: Life skills programs aim to equip youth with physical disabilities with the foundational skills required for adulthood. This study explored the perceived impact of residential immersive life skills (RILS) programs on the lives of participants.Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with alumni of three RILS programs. Data were thematically analyzed using a phenomenological approach.Results: Themes identified from fourteen interviews were: (1) enhancing higher-order skills; (2) new notions of independence; and (3) identity change, empowerment, and advocacy. Opportunities to learn and practise a variety of skills in a structured, facilitative environment led to increased competence and motivation to engage in independent activities. Engaging with peers undergoing similar experiences also helped some youth integrate disability into their identity.Conclusions: Providing youth with physical disabilities opportunities to engage with others sharing similar experiences and challenges is essential. The study contributes toward the development of evidence-based best practices for life skills programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research examines the characteristics and types of bibliographic relationships in Resource Description and Access (RDA) book cataloging records produced in OCLC after RDA implementation. Data was sampled (n= 1,550), coded, and analyzed for work-to-work, expression-to-expression, and manifestation-to-manifestation relationships. Results show work-to-work bibliographic relationships are most frequently recorded in both PCC records (57.4%) and non-PCC (59.5%); expression-to-expression are recorded the least in PCC (8.3%) and non-PCC (15.8%); and manifestation-to-manifestation relationships fall between with PCC (34.4%) and non-PCC (24.7%). This study also investigates the MARC fields used to record relationships and common characteristics in cataloging records with bibliographic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although informal knowledge networks have often been regarded as a key ingredient behind the success of industrial clusters, the forces that shape their structure and dynamics remain largely unknown. Drawing on recent network dynamic models, we analyze the evolution of business and technical knowledge networks within a toy cluster in Spain. Empirical results suggest that the dynamics of the two networks differ to a large extent. We find that status drives the formation of business knowledge networks, proximity is more crucial for technical knowledge networks, while embeddedness plays an equally important role in the dynamics of both networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Residential immersive life skills (RILS) programs are designed to equip youth with physical disabilities with the foundational life skills required to assume adult roles. The objective was to determine RILS service providers' perceptions of the active ingredients of the intervention change process.Methods: Thirty-seven service providers from various disciplines completed measures to assess expertise status and participated in qualitative interviews. Qualitative themes were derived, and similarities and differences in themes were identified for blinded groups of novices, intermediates, and experts.Results: The three main themes, reflecting change processes, were: (a) creating a supportive program atmosphere with multiple opportunities for learning, (b) using strategies to support, encourage, and engage youth, and (c) intentionally fostering youth experiences of skill development, social interaction, and pride in accomplishment. In contrast to the novices, experts displayed a more holistic perspective and paid attention to higher-order issues such as providing opportunities and enabling youth.Conclusion: The findings indicate how RILS service providers work to create a program atmosphere and employ strategies to intentionally foster particular youth experiences. The findings explicate service providers' theories of practice, the intentional design of RILS program environments to bring about client change, and the value of service provider expertise.Implications for RehabilitationService providers of youth independence-oriented life skills programs can intentionally create a learning-oriented and supportive program atmosphere by using non-directive, coaching/guiding, and engagement strategiesYouth experiences of skill development, shared experience with others, and pride in accomplishment can be cultivated by providing a range of learning opportunities, including choice making, problem-solving, and skill masteryCompared to more novice service providers, experts discussed managing the program conditions and context, creating opportunities for choice and new experiences, and adopting a facilitating and enabling role (coaching and capitalizing on teachable moments) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective was to determine service providers' perceptions of the experiential benefits of residential immersive life skills (RILS) programs for youth with disabilities, along with important program features. Methods: Thirty-seven service providers from three RILS programs took part in qualitative interviews. Themes were derived using a phenomenological approach. Results: There were perceived benefits for youth, and also for parents and service providers. Study themes concerned the process of youth empowerment, life-changing experiences for youth and parents, and changed service provider views affecting practice. Youth changes were attributed to the residential group format and afforded opportunities, which included being away from home, navigating public transportation, directing attendant services, and sharing intense learning and social experiences with peers. Youth were seen to experience important personal changes in life skills, self-confidence, self-understandings, and self-advocacy. Perceived benefits for parents included realizations concerning their child's abilities and new hope for the future. Service providers indicated changes in their knowledge, perspectives, and approach to practice. Conclusions: The findings suggest that life skills programs should be intentionally designed to provide challenging experiential opportunities that motivate youth to engage in new life directions by providing new insights, self-realizations, and positive yet realistic views of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CapassoM., CusmanoL. and MorrisonA. The determinants of outsourcing and offshoring strategies in industrial districts: evidence from Italy,Regional Studies. Outsourcing has increasingly become a distinguished feature of the recent evolution of industrial districts and it constitutes the object of this study. The study focuses on the industrial district of Castel Goffredo in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy, which is the largest European manufacturing area specialized in tights. It analyses the determinants of outsourcing as a function of firms' specific characteristics and how they affect the geographical reach of outsourcing relations. This firm-level analysis allows one to grasp the impact of firm heterogeneity on the outsourcing decision. CapassoM., CusmanoL. and MorrisonA. 产业区离岸外包策略的决定要素：来自意大利的相关证据，区域研究。外包逐渐成为目前产业区演进的显著趋势，这也是本研究的主题。研究集中于欧洲最大的专业生产紧身衣的北意大利 Lombardy 区 Castel Goffredo 产业园。研究分析了决定外包成为公司特定功能的要素，以及他们如何影响外包所涉及的地理范围。通过对公司层面的分析使我们能够了解公司异质性对于外包决策的影响。 离岸 外包 产业区 陶瓷部门 CapassoM., CusmanoL. et MorrisonA. Les déterminants des stratégies d'externalisation et de délocalisation dans les districts industriels: des résultats provenant de l'Italie,Regional Studies. L'externalisation est devenue de plus en plus une caractéristique distinctive de l'évolution récente des districts industriels et constitue le point de mire de cette étude. L'étude porte sur le district industriel de Castel Giffredo, situé en Lombardie, dans le nord de l'Italie, et qui est la zone industrielle européenne la plus grande pour ce qui est de la production de collants. On analyse les déterminants de l'externalisation en fonction des caractéristiques distinctives des entreprises et comment elles influencent la portée géographique des rapports externes. Cette analyse, faite au niveau de l'entreprise, permet de saisir l'impact de l'hétérogénéité de l'entreprise sur la décision d'externalisation. Délocalisation Externalisation Districts industriels Céramique CapassoM., CusmanoL. und MorrisonA. Determinanten für Outsourcing- und Offshoring-Strategien in Industriebezirken: Belege aus Italien,Regional Studies. Outsourcing, das Thema dieser Studie, ist zunehmend zum kennzeichnenden Merkmal für die aktuelle Evolution von Industriebezirken geworden. Im Mittelpunkt der Studie steht der Industriebezirk Castel Goffredo in der norditalienischen Lombardei, einer der größten Produktionsbezirke Europas mit einer Spezialisierung auf Feinstrumpfhosen. Analysiert werden die Determinanten für Outsourcing als Funktion der firmenspezifischen Merkmale; ebenso wird untersucht, wie sich diese Determinanten auf die geografische Reichweite der Outsourcing-Beziehungen auswirken. Diese Analyse auf Firmenebene ermöglicht einen Einblick in die Auswirkung der Heterogenität eines Unternehmens auf die Outsourcing-Entscheidung. Offshoring Outsourcing Industriebezirke Keramiksektor CapassoM., CusmanoL. y MorrisonA. Los determinantes de la subcontratación y las estrategias de deslocalización en comarcas industriales: el ejemplo de Italia,Regional Studies. La subcontratación, que constituye el objetivo de este estudio, se ha acabado convirtiendo cada vez más en una característica notable de la reciente evolución de las comarcas industriales. En este estudio nos centramos en la comarca industrial de Castel Goffredo en la región de Lombardía al norte de Italia, que es la zona manufacturera más grande de Europa especializada en medias. Analizamos los determinantes de la subcontratación como una función de las características específicas de las empresas y estudiamos cómo afectan al alcance geográfico de las relaciones de subcontratación. Este análisis a nivel de empresas nos permite entender el impacto de la heterogeneidad empresarial en lo que respecta a las decisiones de subcontratación. Deslocalización Subcontratación Comarcas industriales Sector de la cerámica [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have stressed the role played by global pipelines in fostering the growth of clusters and innovativeness. In this article, we develop a formal model to investigate when global pipelines contribute to an increase in local knowledge, depending on various characteristics of clusters such as size, knowledge endowment, and the ease of transmission of internal knowledge. This model is an extension of Cowan and Jonard's () model in which we introduce the concept of cluster and a role for spatial proximity in the diffusion of knowledge. Our results reveal that there is a natural tendency of actors within global pipelines to act as external stars, rather than gatekeepers of knowledge. Global pipelines are beneficial for the accumulation of knowledge only if the cluster is either characterized by a high-quality local buzz or is small and weakly endowed in terms of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the past three decades, the global pattern of wine production has undergone fundamental changes, most notably the emergence of New World producers. This article presents a detailed account of the sector's changing global organization from 1974 to 2004 by applying network analysis methods to the evolution of international trade and scientific collaboration networks. We argue that there is a strong mutual interdependence of trade and scientific knowledge production, as a result of which we expect the geographic configuration of global knowledge and trade networks to coevolve. Our results show that, over time, only a few New World wine producers developed trade and scientific collaboration networks that resemble those of traditional Old World producers. They also show that structures of trade and scientific collaboration networks are more alike for Old World than for New World producers, which suggests that, contrary to our expectations, it is particularly Old World producers who may have mainly benefited from participation in international scientific collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The aim of this article is to analyse the nature and extent of knowledge and information networks in an Italian wine cluster. Moreover, the relation between firms' characteristics and the knowledge network structure is also explored. The empirical findings show that knowledge is unevenly distributed in clusters and that networks of knowledge and information differ a great deal in terms of their structure. In fact, knowledge flows are restricted to a tightly connected community of local producers, differing in terms of knowledge assets, innovation behaviour and overall economic performance with respect to the rest of the firms in the cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morrison A. Gatekeepers of knowledge within industrial districts: who they are, how they interact, Regional Studies. Studies on industrial districts suggest that their innovative performance is strictly linked to their ability to absorb external knowledge. Yet, the existing literature provides few insights into the functioning of this process. This paper, focusing on leader firms located in a successful Italian furniture district, investigates whether they feed the district with knowledge absorbed from external sources, thereby behaving as 'gatekeepers of knowledge... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical review of the global value chain (GVC) literature in light of the "technological capabilities" approach to innovation in less-developed countries (LDCs). Participation in GVC is beneficial for firms in LDCs, which are bound to source technology internationally. However, the issues of learning and technological efforts at the firm level remain largely hidden in the GVC literature. We propose a shift in the empirical and theoretical agenda, arguing that research should integrate the analysis of the endogenous process of technological capability development, including specific firm-level efforts, and of the mechanisms allowing knowledge to flow within and between different global value chains into the GVC literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A normatively desirable feature of representative government is for the diversity of ideological choices on offer in the party system to reflect the diversity of policy views in the electorate. Building on the work of Ezrow, and relying on Eurobarometer data which suggest that the degree of public opinion diversity is stable over time, the authors analyse how voting systems mediate the diversity of views in parliament, a variable they label party system dispersion. The paper's central question is: to what extent does party system dispersion remain stable over time? Presented are theoretical arguments that party system dispersion will be more stable in countries that feature single-member district (SMD) voting systems than in proportional representation (PR) systems. Using cross-national data on 25 countries over 363 elections, the authors present results that support this hypothesis: they find that proportional representation systems are characterised by fluidity in party system dispersion, whereas party system dispersion in SMD countries remains stable from election to election. The implications of the findings are surprising - to the extent that party platforms reflect the diversity of public opinion within an electoral system, the results suggest that SMD systems do a better job at reflecting the diversity of public opinion viewpoints than do PR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]