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The phenomenon of rural marginalisation has intensified across the European Union after the 2008 global economic crisis, since the traditional state forms have been proved unable to promote an all-inclusive governing. Beyond-the-state governance systems are socially innovative, horizontal, networked, and collaborative institutional arrangements that are committed to breaking through this rural marginalisation. Marginalised rural areas provide a favourable context for socially innovative governance, since they contain small cohesive communities, while at the same time poor governing penetrates them. Nevertheless, social innovation in rural governance remains largely unexplored. The novel contribution of this article consists in underlying this research gap and exploring the question of how socially innovative governance is fostered or impeded within marginalised rural regions. Comparative research was conducted in between the marginalised rural regions of Muhlviertel in Austria, Baixo Alentejo in Portugal, and Phthiotis in Greece. The comparative results revealed some of the parameters that foster socially innovative governance; a decentralized government structure, advanced interregional networking, a discourse dissemination among the stakeholders and the civil society, as well as an organizational stability of the involved institutions for social innovation to become embedded. This article points to socially innovative governance that has a more codified and systematized hypostasis by recommendation of unique governance qualities.

Researchers increasingly take advantage of the comparative case design to build theory, but the degree of case dependence is occasionally discussed and theorized. We suggest that the comparative case study design might be subject to an often underappreciated threat—dependence across cases—under certain conditions. Using research on innovation diffusion as an illustration, we explore the role of social linkages across cases when building theory through comparison and contrast between cases. We develop an agent-based simulation, grounded by comparative case research about innovation diffusion, as novel way to study the implications of case dependence in theory building using multiple-case study research. Our simulation results suggest that the degree of case dependence has a nontrivial bearing on innovation diffusion experienced by case entities, specifically when the researcher draws a few case entities operating in a highly interconnected industry. Under these conditions, overlooking the degree of case dependence might weaken newly built theory against commonly held standards of internal validity and external validity in inductive research. We conceptualize the issue of case dependence as a concern about researchers’ bounded rationality. Accordingly, we build on our findings to provide actionable advice aiming to alleviate this concern while being amendable to the variety of approaches to build theory from multiple cases in social sciences.

As England attempts to close educational attainment gaps faced by socioeconomically disadvantaged children using Pupil Premium funding, no attention is given to how different types of academies do so, nor to policy transfer’s role in informing policies for disadvantaged pupils. Employing a qualitative comparative case study methodology with semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis, this research compares five primary standalone academies with five system leader multi-academy trust academies. It finds all academies support disadvantaged children with academic, pastoral and extracurricular provision. This is justified by voluntary and coercive policy transfer extending across space and time, in addition to evidence-based policies and school-specific needs prioritised to varying degrees across academy types. Overall, system leader multi-academy trust academies’ structure and composition facilitate policy transfer through horizontal and vertical spread of successful practices compared to standalone academies.

Increasingly, scholars are recognising the importance of resilience in projects. However, there is a lack of research on the resilience of temporary inter-organisational projects while considering the intricate relationship among multiple stakeholder organisations. We conducted an embedded comparative case study to investigate the mechanisms how stakeholder relationships involving prior ties and inter-organisational governance in the project support its resilience. Our results show that few prior ties among stakeholders keep them vigilant, fostering the readiness and preparedness for resilience, while many prior ties keep social solidarity among stakeholders, fostering the response and recovery for resilience. Contractual and relational governance improves resilience by clarifying stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities and forming collective cognition, respectively. We believe a plural governance design based on prior ties among stakeholders will improve resilience of the inter-organisational project, by promoting dynamically distributed and centralised stakeholder engagement in preparing, responding and recovering from the unexpected.

Las heterotopías urbanas son lugares que interrumpen la aparente continuidad y normalidad de la ciudad. Por ejemplo, son las villas miseria y favelas sudamericanas, pero también los glamorosos distritos de elite, como el emblemático Canary Wharf en Londres. ¿Cómo se incorporan estos espacios singulares a la espacialidad supuestamente unitaria y equilibrada del Estado? A partir de la comparación de los planes parciales implementados para desarrollar simultáneamente dos “villas” de Buenos Aires en un mismo territorio –la Comuna 8–, en este artículo se indaga en los entramados de proyectos y estrategias para mostrar las modalidades e innovaciones en la producción del espacio estatal porteño. A partir de un enfoque cualitativo, apoyado en dos dimensiones básicas del planeamiento urbano, se evidencian algunas relaciones dialécticas entre diferentes escalas, ciclos de inversión y regulación que suelen ser soslayadas no solo por las investigaciones acotadas a los “enclaves”, sino también por los efectos discursivos de las políticas urbanas pretendidamente “integrales”

A case study approach was used to investigate the adaptation experiences of Turkish international students (TIS), which may vary according to the host culture, in two different cultures: Hungary (n = 14) and the United States (US) (n = 12). The findings of the data analysis yielded four broad overlapping categories: (1) experiences in academic setting, (2) interaction with others in the host country, (3) political reflections in the host country, and (4) everyday matters in the host country. According to findings, depending on the factors in the institutional, social and physical environment, and societal contexts, both the psychological and sociocultural adaptation experiences of the participants in Hungary and the US differed. The study revealed that studying in Hungary, which offers english mediuim instruction programs, poses some serious difficulties for TIS compared to their co-nationals studying in an English-speaking country, such as in-school separation from local students. However, due to a shared historical background between Hungarians and Turks, TIS in Hungary have experienced many cultural similarities in their relations and daily lives unlike TIS in the US. Additionally, the positive attitudes of some Hungarian politicians toward Turkey and Turkish ethnicity have contributed to TIS' perceived low cultural distance and positively affected their cross-cultural adaptation process. Whereas, TIS in the US experienced stress that hindered adaptation due to certain political developments in the US and their political relations with Turkey.

Digital Fabrication (DFAB) is a systemic innovation with low adoption rates in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) projects. Managing requirements of a new design process is one major challenge for the increased DFAB adoption. For other types of innovations, practices such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) improve design management by integrating process, information and organisation in construction projects. In theory, BIM and ECI could improve design management and increase the adoption of DFAB. However, the relationship between DFAB, BIM and ECI has not yet been studied thoroughly. There is a need to understand new paradigms of DFAB design management in regard to process integration, information integration and organisational integration. This study undertakes a comparative study of four DFAB adoptions in AEC projects with varying levels of BIM and ECI implementation. The design processes of DFAB are traced using swimlane process diagrams. From this, relationships between DFAB, BIM, and ECI are derived using a quadripartite interrelationship diagram. This work illustrates the proposed relationships in DFAB adoption in design using a fishbone diagram. This work concludes with potential future research in design management for digital fabrication, including five takeaways for practitioners to adopt and manage DFAB in the design process of construction projects., Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 19 (1), ISSN:1745-2007

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a critical challenge facing the construction industry. It leads to deterioration of the triple bottom line of sustainability. Unfortunately, the CDW management research in Egypt lacks studies investigating (1) the variations in CDW generation (CDWG) among different types of construction projects, and (2) the factors affecting CDW reduction (CDWR). Based on a benchmarking approach, this research (1) quantifies CDW in terms of generation rates and costs among different construction project types in Egypt, and (2) investigates the relationship between CDWG and different adopted CDWR factors. Using structured interviews, a comparative case study was conducted to investigate industrial, residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. Analysis of results demonstrated that CDWG rates and costs differ from one project type to another due to the project's nature, size, and complexity on the one hand, and the applied CDWR factors such as waste-efficient practices, awareness, culture & behaviour, and legislation on the other hand. On average among the four project types, it was found that “timber”, “sand”, and “bricks/blocks” are the most wasteful materials. It was also found that “practices” and “legislation” are the least applied CDWR factors on average among the four project types, which need to be better applied for better CDWR results.

In this article, authors Matthew Wolfgram, Brian Vivona, and Tamanna Akram present a comparative case study analysis of five students from a comprehensive, urban Hispanic-Serving Institution whose experiences exemplify a coordination of intersectional factors that amplify barriers to internship participation. Research shows that college internships yield academic, economic, and professional benefits. However, the opportunity to locate and participate in internships is not equal across student demographic and socioeconomic contexts. There are multiple complex barriers to internship participation for students who are socially and institutionally minoritized by race, gender, and other contextual factors, including finances, work responsibilities, travel, and gendered familial obligations. These factors intersect with systems of power and privilege to amplify challenges and foreclose futures. The authors argue that the delineation of barriers into types alone, such as financial, social, and cultural, without additional analysis of the dynamics of how such barriers intersect and amplify, runs the risk of misconstruing students’ actual experiences when they struggle to access internships and other educational opportunities.

This article focuses on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns in spring 2020, on the sphere of minority language media. Taking a comparative case study approach across 11 minority language settings in Europe, the research builds upon expert interviews conducted with practitioners and scholars by the present authors. This is thematically broken down into the areas of audience figures and funding implications, effects on non-news content, relations between majority and minority, logistical aspects, and social media. The findings included a mix of positive and negative aspects, which the analysis places in the context of previous theoretical concepts and legal standards related to minority languages and media. Increased audience figures and social media engagement suggest positive signs for the vitality of minority language media and the options for online breathing spaces of minority language usage. The effects on non-news content are more mixed, with issues due to cancellations as well as new innovative content having differing effects per sphere in terms of genre completeness. However, the status of minority languages and importance of minority language media outlets were insufficiently acknowledged in examples of tense minority-majority interactions as well as cases of funding issues due to reducing advertising revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study explores the organisational cultures of two successful Scandinavian cases in handball to better understand how talent development environments can be different yet successful in developing international elite players within the same sport and sociocultural contexts. A professional club and a volunteer-based club recognised by the national federations for their talent development were selected for the study. Empirical data from four weeks of fieldwork in different settings (e.g., training, school, residence), and semi-structured interviews with different social actors (e.g., players, coaches and managers) were explored and compared through the principles of thematic analysis. Using Schein’s conceptualisation of organisational culture as the theoretical lens for the research, we identified similarities and differences of the talent development structure and culture. Specific for the professional club, coaches selected players who “fitted into their system”, collaborated with the schools to organise the players’ everyday life, the club took responsibility for the players’ wellbeing and established daily routines for the players. In the volunteer-based club, the players took responsibility for their own wellbeing and daily routines and stressed that success is achieved through autonomous decisions, and the coaches’ awareness of player differences was a means for facilitating talent development.

Institutions (theatres) evaluated in this paper are mediators of an unrepeatable interpretive art and they need funds from public resources of different government levels to ensure their activities. The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the efficiency of theatre management of 93 evaluated public theatres in the Czech Republic and Poland through 11 indicators. The evaluated weights of chosen indicators were determined by the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), in combination with the chosen objective method for determining the importance of indicators. From the results it is evident that big multi-genre theatres producing more genres of interpretive art (drama, opera, ballet, musical) with a bigger number of employees had the worst results in both states. Kultura je sredstvo prijenosa informacija između generacija. U radu se primjenjuju pogledi interpretativne kulture na granu kulture koja je u državama s tržišnim gospodarstvom uglavnom neprofitna. Cilj je te studije izmjeriti učinkovitost upravljanja u 93 javna kazališta u Poljskoj i Češkoj Republici u 2015. godini koristeći se s pet tehničkih i šest financijskih indikatora. Evaluirani indikatori obrađeni su metodom TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) u kombinaciji s metodom odabranog cilja za određivanje važnosti pojedinih indikatora. U radu su prvo evaluirana kazališta u Češkoj, zatim ona u Poljskoj te naposljetku sva usporedno u jednom dokumentu. S obzirom na rezultate, evidentno je da kazališta u Češkoj, kao ona koja su veća, s više zaposlenih te se kao višežanrovska bave većim brojem scenskih umjetnosti (drama, opera, balet, mjuzikl) bilježe lošije rezultate. U objema državama većinom javnih kazališta upravljaju lokalne i/ili regionalne vlasti. Ni u Poljskoj ni u Češkoj ne postoje jasna i ujednačena pravila o financiranju kazališta i distribuciji novčanih sredstava među kazalištima. Još se vode rasprave bi li kulturu trebale financirati subnacionalne samoupravne razine ili središnje državne vlasti. Unatoč podjeli kulturnih institucija na one kojima upravlja država i na one kojima upravljaju lokalne i regionalne jedinice, državne institucije nisu zabilježile bolje rezultate. Također, temeljne nacionalne razlike u funkcioniranju javnih kazališta između Poljske i Češke nisu se pokazale bitnima u evaluaciji njihove učinkovitosti. Web of Science 21 3 455 423

Clinical guidelines, as vehicles for evidence-based practice (EBP) attempt to standardize health-care practice, reduce variation and increase quality. However, their use for surgery has been contested, and often resisted. This article examines professional responses to EBP in hip replacement surgery using data from case study observations and interviews in three English orthopaedic departments. A professional identity perspective is adopted to explain how standardization through EBP, represents an empirical phenomenon around which surgeons enact their identities as Paragons, Mavericks or Innovators, to enhance legitimacy and stratify themselves in their response to EBP. Attention is drawn to variation between Paragon surgeons working in university (teaching) hospitals and Maverick and Innovator types located in general hospitals, and the ways this interacts with adoption of EBP. The typology shows how practice variation is related to surgeons' tendencies to align to characteristic types, with distinct social processes, power and prestige, and which are in turn influenced by organizational context. The dynamics of EBP and professional identity continues to limit attempts to standardize surgical practice. The typology contributes to the understanding of failures to follow EBP, as associated with the identities individuals create and negotiate, and with identity narratives used to legitimize differing responses to EBP.

Purpose This paper aims to develop an understanding of cooperation and collaboration in the natural wine industry in Spain as well as a deeper understanding of the challenges facing natural wine producers in the 21st century. Design/methodology/approach Field interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted with five Spanish producers of natural wine in five different regions during fall 2018 and late spring 2019. Interviewers prompted respondents to expound upon the potential of incorporating cooperative relationships to help producers grow their businesses, share production and marketing techniques and explain how they educate consumers about natural wines. Findings Content analysis among five field-researched case studies reveals common goals and challenges, but Spanish natural wine producers have not reached a consensus on the benefits of cooperative relationships. Respondents acknowledge that their indecisiveness and consumer confusion about natural wines are barriers to working together. Research limitations/implications Generalizations from a sample comprised five companies cannot be made, nor can we claim that respondents were unbiased. Respondents were reluctant to release financial and production data; thus, the outcomes of coopetition strategies were indeterminate. It may be that a coopetition strategy is only positive up to a fixed point, upon which a diminishing-returns effect is manifested. Observations were made during a period when the Spanish wine industry was contracting, as political uncertainty in that country and post-Brexit clouded the future of tourism in and exports from certain Spanish wine regions. Practical implications Collaboration and cooperation would afford Spanish natural wine access to shared resources, networks and farming technology and knowhow to enhance the image and reputation of natural wine in Spain and internationally. Social implications To explore how cooperative and collaborative relationships might be achieved, five case studies of natural wine producers in Spain illuminate their real-life challenges and goals. Cooperative relationships among these producers have the potential to contribute to industry growth and value creation, while creating shared competitive advantages. As these niche producers weigh how to come to a consensus about pooling resources and working together to educate the prospective natural wine consumer, doing so may well lead the next wave of entrepreneurial, innovative activity in an industry that is ripe for change. Originality/value To explore how natural wine producers face the challenge to increase transparency in its production and to help consumer to know what natural wine is. In the Old World, the French Fraud Control Office recognized the category “vin méthode nature” (wine nature method) as a special wine. It was the first step towards helping consumers to reduce the information asymmetries existing between the productive and consumption fields, increasing transparency in natural wines production.

Little is known about the academic and extra-curricular experiences of academically talented students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study focused on how these capable students with ASD successfully navigated and completed high school, and specifically, the experiences that enabled them to attend competitive colleges. Using comparative case studies and directed content analysis, data were derived from semi-structured interviews with 40 students who had been identified as academically talented with ASD, and were enrolled in, or recently graduated from, highly competitive colleges in the United States. The majority were identified as having academic talents, participated in challenging honors classes, enrichment opportunities, interest-based extra-curricular activities, residential summer programs, and pursued other advanced educational experiences. Implications for educational and talent development services are included.

Using panel data on small, open economies, this paper analyses the effect of trade liberalization on economic growth, placing a particular focus on the mechanisms that can potentially explain the estimated effects. I categorize the countries into four different sub-groups based on their predominant exports (agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and services), to identify the subgroup of countries that have benefitted the most from trade liberalization. Based on the comparative case studies employed using the synthetic control method, it is evident that the sub-group of countries with a primary focus on manufacturing exports have experienced the highest benefits overall from trade liberalization. Resource-rich economies appear to have benefitted least from opening their economy. Findings also suggest that the group of countries that have performed well (i.e. manufacturing-oriented countries) also experience significant increases in manufacturing exports post-liberalization. Results remain robust to various tests employed.

This systematic review analyzes all 260 studies published in the Web of Science on gender and climate change in Africa. While there is no strong methodological bias, comparative case studies and sex disaggregated analyses predominate from a limited set of countries. Many articles covered the agrarian sector by comparing women’s and men’s on-farm vulnerability to a changing climate based on their adaptation behaviours. Though this literature recognizes women’s important conservation, farming, and food responsibilities, it oftentimes generalized these contributions without providing evidence. A number of themes were covered by a very limited number of articles, including coastal areas, conflict, education, energy, migration, urban areas, and water. Overall, more justice-oriented research is needed into the socioeconomic structures that intersect with social identities to make certain people, places, and institutions more vulnerable. Investigations into the power dynamics between (social) scientists and African institutions are also needed as most articles reviewed stem from North America and Europe and are locked beyond paywalls. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01631-w.

This paper analyses direct management of COVID-19 in Brazil, Colombia and Peru, the three largest countries in the Western Amazon region. Using information gathered from different sources and analysing them through comparative case studies and content analysis, this study reveals the scale of disruption endured by Indigenous communities living in the region caused by COVID-19. While findings identify several shortcomings and failures in policies adopted by national and local governments in dealing with the pandemic, they also highlight how some Latin American countries used the crisis to introduce reforms to deepen neoliberal New Public Management (NPM) policies and practices.

This article uses a comparative case study of two ride-hailing platforms—DiDi Chuxing in China and Uber in the United States—to explore the comparative politics of platform power in surveillance capitalism. Surveillance capitalism is an emerging economic system that translates human experiences into surveillance assets for behavioral predictions and modifications. Through this comparative study, we demonstrate how DiDi and Uber articulate their operational legitimacy for advancing their corporate interests and visions of datafication in the face of legal uncertainty. Although DiDi and Uber are both “sectoral platforms” in urban mobility with similar visions of datafication and infrastructuralization, we highlight that they deploy different discursive legitimation strategies. Our study shows that Uber adopts a “confrontational” strategy, while DiDi employs a “collaborative” strategy when they need to legitimize their data and business practices to the public and regulatory authorities. This study offers a comparative lens to examine the social and political dynamics of platform firms based in China and the United States and, therefore, contributes to understanding the various aspirational logic of platform thinking in different political contexts.

In many schools, both urban and rural, children living in poverty face daily stressors including lack of parental support, lack of resources, unsafe living conditions, and poor nutrition. As teachers are first responders in facing these difficult situations, resilience enables teachers to overcome challenges and succeed professionally. Teachers who have been found to be more resilient tend to feel more successful and stay in their positions longer. Teachers at varying experience levels have different approaches to maintaining their resilience in response to daily stressors. The purpose of this comparative case study was to compare the resilience factors of an early career and a late career music teacher within high-poverty, trauma-sensitive contexts. Participants exhibited varying levels of resilience by adapting their expectations to their school context and maintaining a positive attitude.

This article adopts a holistic view of the theoretical and empirical interconnection between the development and foreign policies of four Asian rising powers: South Korea (hereafter Korea), Japan, Indonesia and China during three consecutive periods; the Washington Consensus (WC) era (1980–1990), the Post‐Washington Consensus (PWC) era (1990–2008) and the Hybrid/Mix (H/M) era (2008–onwards). This study aims to elucidate and compare the level of coherence between the development agenda and foreign policy tools of these four Asian rising powers. First, the article provides an overview of the existing literature on the developmental state and developmental foreign policy. Second, it presents a development‐foreign policy nexus (DFN) framework that takes into account five layers: (1) economics; (2) diplomacy; (3) security and peace; (4) civil society; and (5) state‐market, and their related lines of action and instruments. The last part applies this DFN framework to our selected cases and provides comparative insights based on our newly created DFN Index scores, calculated separately for the four countries in each of the eras under review. In the final analysis, the results of our DFN Index and comparative case studies indicate that since the 1980s, in the selected four countries development has almost become subordinated to foreign policy and this coherence has continued to increase since the end of the 1990s.

PurposeThis study explains the variation of government responses to the pandemic by focusing on how centralization/decentralization in politics and administration creates conflicts and coordination problems. Specifically, the authors make comparisons between the U.S. and South Korea to reveal differences in macro-level structures and associated responses. One of the key points of comparison is the centralized, hierarchical governance system, which may thwart or facilitate a coordinated response.Design/methodology/approachThis is an in-depth comparative case study of the two countries that showed different trajectories during the initial response to COVID-19. The comparison allows us to highlight the long-standing debate about centralization/decentralization and offers implications for government responses to crises shaped by political systems and administrative structures.FindingsWhile there are inherent pros and cons to decentralization, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the institutional limitations in American federalism and the advantages that centralized administrative coordination creates during times of crisis. American federalism has unveiled systematic problems in coordination, along with the leadership crisis in polarized politics. The response from South Korea also reveals several issues in the administratively centralized and politically polarized environment.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the authors risk comparing apples and oranges, the variation unveils systematic contradictions in polarized politics and offers important implications for government responses in times of crisis. However, this article did not fully account for individual leadership as an independent factor that interacts with existing political/administrative institutions.Practical implicationsThere is certainly no one best way or one-size-fits-all solution to mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic in countries under different circumstances. This article demonstrates that one of the essential determining factors in national responses to the pandemic is how the political and administrative dimensions of centralization/decentralization are balanced against each other.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies explaining the country-level responses to COVID-19, this study focuses on the variance of political and administrative decentralization within each country from the political-administrative perspective and reveals the systematic contradictions in coordination and the leadership crisis in polarized politics.

Objectives This article presents the findings of a pilot study situated in a tertiary care cancer centre and examines the impact of an art therapy group on the experiences of women living through breast cancer. Study design The study design used in this study is a qualitative cross-case comparative case. Methods Ten women were interviewed about their experiences making art, many for the first time. Interviews were transcribed and analysed, along with the participants’ artist statements. Results Categories include the following: the significant benefits of art therapy on their sense of self-efficacy; the emotionally enhancing nature of making art for the first time; the power of their artwork to trigger insights about themselves (including subcategories of self-actualization, existential growth, and post-traumatic growth) or in communicating their experiences to loved ones; and how making art changed their worldview and life philosophies, creating doorways of possibilities. Conclusion This study suggests that art therapy provides a safe context to reflect on profound personal changes and to re-story losses following adversity through creative practices as a dimension of care.

The article includes the concept of aesthetics through what has been dealt with in the literature by philosophers and researchers who have addressed this concept in an attempt to derive indicators of aesthetics. The article adopted a descriptive and analytical methodology by reviewing recent literature on the concept of aesthetics and its relation to urban planning and design issues. Many subjective and objective aesthetics indicators have been identified, some of which are classified under real aesthetics, and some under fake aesthetics. The indicators were applied to the Kufa Mosque complex and Sahla Mosque complex as a comparative case study. It was found that the indicators of real aesthetics have a higher weight in determining the final aesthetic judgment on the complex form versus the fake indicators, which in turn reinforced the weighting of the subjective aspect over the objective. This was consistent with the answer to the question directed to the sample about which complexes are more aesthetic. The answer was that the Kufa Mosque complex is most aesthetically. This was proven by the questions directed in the questionnaire, which outweighed the real aesthetic indicators for the Kufa Mosque complex. As for the results of analyzing the indicators of fake aesthetic were equal, as each complex achieved higher values in three indicators. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091743 Full Text: PDF

Upcycling is a design practice that uses pre-consumer textile waste from apparel manufacturers or post-consumer textile waste derived from disassembled garments to create new fashion, providing a sustainable design solution to divert textile waste from landfills. Although Canadian data is scarce, Weber, Lynes and Young (2016) have determined that textile waste in the United States contributed 11.3 million tonnes to landfills in 2009, a 40% increase since 1999. This comparative case study was designed to include a literature review of past academic research, a demographic questionnaire, and interviews with Canadian fashion companies who practice upcycling. The objective of this study was to examine the challenges faced by companies that upcycle and the strategic solutions they integrated into their business models. The findings from this research study contribute to knowledge regarding strategies for designing, producing, and retailing upcycled fashion in Canada and on a global scale.

In the context of Netflix’s rapid expansion in European markets and its growing investments in original content, this article conducts a comparative case study analysis of Netflix offerings and investment strategies in four European Union countries: Belgium, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. A first aim of the article is to establish the extent to which offerings in these markets confirm or reshape the findings of transnational flow studies on the imbalance of content supply. A second aim is to analyze how these offerings reflect the platform’s investment strategies in the different markets. Although findings point to increased diversity in catalog composition, as well as growing investments in European works, Netflix also reconfirms and contributes to existing power imbalances between markets. US content dominates the four European catalogs, while investments in European original content considerably favor strong media markets over weaker ones.

This study sought to explore the ideological and implementational spaces for mainstreaming multilingual pedagogies (MPs) in initial teacher education (ITE) policies and curricula across the European Union. The concept of linguistically sensitive teaching (LST) was used as a lens to examine inclusive, equity-centred MPs in ITE. A multi-sited comparative case study was conducted to collect data in nine locations. As a result, a general trend of ideological spaces was observed for MPs in language-in-education policies at the European and (sub)national levels. However, this ideological space was not always implemented in ITE. As a second result, explicit mentions of MPs and LST were identified in the ITE curricula of seven sites, and in each of the nine cases, a potential space for implementation was observed. As a third result we found that the greatest potential for opening implementational spaces for MPs lies in courses that aim to develop general pedagogical and sociolinguistic knowledge as well as professional beliefs in future teachers. In conclusion, we contend that the linguistic ecology and the organisational structure of education systems (decentralisation) are factors that help explain the successful mainstreaming of MPs in ITE institutions.

Over the last decade, primary care clinics in the United States have responded both to national policies encouraging clinics to support substance use disorders (SUD) service expansion and to regulations aiming to curb the opioid epidemic.To characterize approaches to SUD service expansion in primary care clinics with national reputations as workforce innovators.Comparative case studies were conducted to characterize different approaches among 12 primary care clinics purposively and iteratively recruited from a national registry of workforce innovators. Observational field notes and qualitative interviews from site visits were coded and analysed to identify and characterize clinic attributes.Codes describing clinic SUD expansion approaches emerged from our analysis. Clinics were characterized as: avoidant (n = 3), contemplative (n = 5) and responsive (n = 4). Avoidant clinics were resistant to planning SUD service expansion; had no or few on-site behavioural health staff; and lacked on-site medication treatment (previously termed medication-assisted therapy) waivered providers. Contemplative clinics were planning or had partially implemented SUD services; members expressed uncertainties about expansion; had co-located behavioural healthcare providers, but no on-site medication treatment waivered and prescribing providers. Responsive clinics had fully implemented SUD; members used non-judgmental language about SUD services; had both co-located SUD behavioural health staff trained in SUD service provision and waivered medication treatment physicians and/or a coordinated referral pathway.Efforts to support SUD service expansion should tailor implementation supports based on specific clinic training and capacity building needs. Future work should inform the adaption of evidence-based practices that are responsive to resource constraints to optimize SUD treatment access.Primary care clinics in the US have been encouraged to expand addiction services to increase treatment access and respond to the opioid epidemic. This study uses structured observations and depth interviews to assess and compare how primary care clinics with innovative workforces have responded to the growing need for substance use disorder treatment. Each of the clinics studied represents a ‘case.’ We systematically compared cases to understand how and if addiction services were expanded. Twelve clinic ‘cases’ were coded and characterized based on a continuum of receptivity ranging from avoidant (i.e., resistant), contemplative (i.e., organization members plan to implement change) and responsive (i.e. expansions implemented). Our analysis characterized three clinics as avoidant to expanding addiction services reporting no plans to respond to calls to expand addiction services. Five clinics were characterized as contemplative, meaning they recognized the need but still had reservations and concerns about the expansion. Four clinics were characterized as responsive to addiction service expansion and had several organizational-wide strategies to assess, intervene and treat patients with addictions. Despite national and state-based policies to entice clinics to expand addiction services there was a diversity of approaches observed in clinics. Avoidant and contemplative clinics may need implementation support to build capacity for this type of delivery expansion.

Given the continuum of views regarding the impact of trade openness on the growth of economies in our globalised world, this paper investigates the comparative case of the USA and China, two of the...

Purpose Health-care systems around the globe share several pressing challenges – including increasing costs and patient outcomes. Innovative arrangements, such as public–private partnerships (PPP) can be adopted to help address these challenges. Although the promise of PPPs is great, so are its peril if the arrangements are not managed and regulated adequately through the contracting process. Yet, PPP arrangements can introduce their own unique set of problems. This paper aims to analyze how PPPs contracting accounts for three major problems identified reviewing the: performance measurement and audit; determination of compensation and risk management–related issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a case study approach to analyze contracting among health-care PPPs in two countries: Italy and the USA. With a structured review performed on Scopus database using a keywords Boolean research, the authors identified three recurring major issues to investigate in two selected cases, one per country. For each major issue, the authors defined several sub-issues retrieved from a widely used institutional framework. In each sub-issue, a documental analysis on all published information related to the signed contract has been performed identifying the approaches used by the two organizations. Findings The authors find that PPP contracting in the USA case seems to be oriented more toward managing institutional change as well as more flexibility in the deductibility and compensation determination for organizations and providers, suggesting this organization is more oriented to change in general. The authors find that PPP contracting in Italy more clearly delineate the allocation of risk between organizations that engage in PPPs, suggesting a more practical approach. Practical implications PPP is complex. Contracting helps manage the complexity of these arrangements. This case study approach to PPP contracting highlights the variation in contracting approaches across two different countries. Policymakers and health-care managers need to ensure that PPP contracting clearly delineates auditing and performance measurement, compensation and risk management. Originality/value The authors’ analysis sheds light on the different approaches to arranging health-care PPPs in two different country settings. More research should be done to connect these different approaches to important outcomes, such as patient and organizational finances, as well as expanding the scope of countries adopting PPP in health care.

What criteria are used to judge a creative idea? We attempt to answer this question by analyzing 57 idea pitches from two start-up weekends. Following the scientific and managerial literature, we identify four conditions intrinsically linked to the idea and three conditions linked to the presenter that could influence the evaluation of an idea. A comparative case analysis in Fuzzy Set mode highlights three configurations of sufficient conditions for the positive evaluation of a pitch. In addition, a good enunciation of the pitch is found to be a necessary condition. This research therefore shows that the intrinsic qualities of an idea are not sufficient for it to be favorably evaluated; it must also be well presented. Conversely, good presentation is not enough; the idea must have intrinsic qualities to be favorably evaluated. In addition, the physical appearance of the pitcher can be an asset in the specific context of start-up weekends.JEL Codes: O31

PurposeThis study aims to explore under which institutional and organizational conditions the national e-government reform efforts of EU member states lead to very high availability of e-services.Design/methodology/approachFollowing e-government literature of information systems and public administration research, this study applies an analytical framework encompassing characteristics of the national politico-administrative system (state structure, government capacity, managerial innovation orientation and civil service system) to understand why a common policy framework does not lead to convergence but great variety in the degree of e-service availability. A comparative case study approach using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is applied to systematically compare e-service availability in the former 28 EU member states.FindingsThree configurations of sufficient conditions are identified: government capacity in conjunction with either bureaucratic human resource practices, centralized state structure or managerial innovation orientation. Three country clusters are derived: effective bureaucrats, effective centralists and effective managers.Originality/valueThe results demonstrate the importance of administrative effectiveness for the digital transformation. Rather than mimicking best practices, countries are advised to learn from better performing countries that are most similar in terms of institutional and organizational characteristics of the politico-administrative system.

The authors are greatly indebted to the Korean Institute of Design Promotion, Design Thinkers Group and Dundee Social Enterprise Network for their cooperation and acknowledge the support from all interview participants from social enterprises and design areas for sharing their valuable insights and experiences. The expanding role of design suggests design is crucial for more than merely improving innovation and competitiveness for businesses. Although some studies have investigated the role and impact of design for social enterprises, there is little evidence that design is supported in social enterprises as a strategic driver of sustainable growth. This study analysed Design Support Programmes (DSPs) for social enterprises in the United Kingdom and South Korea, with similar awareness of design and different approaches for DSP development, to explore the mechanisms for supporting design in such enterprises. A qualitative research approach was employed, including case studies of DSPs and exploratory and in-depth interviews with academics and practitioners in the social enterprise and design fields. The research results reveal that the countries share some issues regarding the operational and strategic levels of the current DSP mechanisms. The findings highlight the critical role of design and strategic stakeholders for social enterprises.

The Synthetic Control Method has been used in comparative case studies in which the existence of a counterfactual unit with a high level of similarities and comparability is crucial. On the other hand, while many methods have been developed to enhance our estimation power, not many studies have explored the prediction power of the traditional regression frameworks in such comparative case studies. In this paper, we empirically compare the Synthetic Control Method with a Dynamic Panel Data Regression Framework. We compare the estimation result and the prediction power of the predicted unit driven from the Dynamic Panel Data model and the counterfactual unit from the SCM. To apply the idea, we employ the recent sanctions on Iran as a suitable case of policy intervention and a comparative case study.

How do regions change their development path? We contribute to the growing literature on agency in regional development by combining it with a focus on the institutions that shape, support and constrain change agency in pursuit of different types of development paths. We answer the call for micro-level perspectives on regional economic change, using an in-depth and comparative case study approach. The labour market region of Olofstrom-Karlshamn in South East Sweden experienced a period of exceptional decline following the economic crisis and crisis in the automotive industry in 2008, when more than 1000 jobs were lost in a labour market of 46,000. Within this single labour market, two municipalities perceived, experienced and handled the crisis very differently. In Olofstrom, this triggered the formation of new collaborations that enabled local actors to upgrade their development path, whereas the crisis did not greatly affect the already ongoing efforts aimed at path importation in Karlshamn. To explain this difference, our comparative study shows that the layering of formal and informal institutions produced unique institutional contexts at the local level, which guide the behaviour, collaboration and vision of local actors. We build on original, micro-level material from 23 interviews and supporting documents to make the following contributions to the growing literatures on the role of agency and institutions in shaping regional development paths: (i) Local institutional context conditions the activation of change agency; (ii) Change agency must be investigated – and performed – in close connection to its geographical context.

The literature on environmental impact assessments (EIA) tends to focus on national case studies, while neglecting subnational EIA systems. Federalist countries represent 40 % of the world’s population and by their design link national and subnational governments in institutional arrangements that delineate or share power across administrative and sectorial areas. Therefore, the study of institutional arrangements’ influence on the conduct of environmental policy such as EIA is important in evaluating its effectiveness. This research aims to contribute to this area by examining the national and subnational EIA systems in two federalist countries, Parana, Brazil and California, United States (US). This involved a literature review of the scientific and grey literature as well as legislation and regulations of each case study. This analysis was organized along operational, legislative, administrative, and procedural characteristics building upon existing methods from the EIA literature. The results show each federal country presents different approaches to EIA policy. Brazil represents a more centralized top-down approach based on a licensing system, which offers broader coverage of projects and in theory more standardized implementation. In the case of Parana, there has been a recent shift towards decentralizing the EIA process for smaller projects to municipalities, although there remain institutional and technical challenges. The US EIA system covers only public projects and therefore is considerably limited in its coverage. California presents the most institutionally and technically competent EIA system of those compared in this study. However, it still suffers from problems of inconsistent implementation and litigation abuse. All case studies are facing increasing political pressures to streamline their processes, often with the proposal of arbitrary timelines.

PurposeThis research article addresses the role of processes of normative regulation, driven by distinct approaches to collective action and underlying narratives of social change, in the construction of “solidarity economy” initiatives as parallel spatialities to that of the mainstream economy.Design/methodology/approachThis article is based on a comparative case study analysis, informed by aspects of the Grounded Theory and Extended Case Study methods, of an ecovillage, an alternative commercialization network and an “integral cooperative”. The analysis is illustrated with fieldwork data on food production, commercialization and consumption, given its centrality in the construction of human livelihoods and lifeworld.FindingsThe resulting conceptual framework identifies three methodologies of normative regulation: Prefigurative social technologies and capitalizing upon power and reputation to exert influence over other economic actors; being part of a wider class-based emancipatory political project; mobilizing online peer-to-peer platforms and community currencies to construct an alternative institutionality.Research limitations/implicationsThis article constitutes an exploratory analysis. Further research, based on the application of mixed methodologies to larger samples, will further expand the setup and applicability of these concepts.Practical implicationsThis analysis will allow scholars and practitioners alike to gain a deeper understanding of how different approaches to collective action, based on distinct structural standpoints and narratives of change, constitute alternative economic spatialities to those of the mainstream economy.Social implicationsThe comparative approach used in this article, as well as the resulting concepts, have the potential of contributing to the convergence of “solidarity economy” strategies between initiatives and movements with different approaches to collective action, therefore contributing to improve their capacity to exercise influence upon incumbent institutional regimes, as well as promote socio-economic change.Originality/valueThis article aims to bridge a significant gap in the understanding of how “solidarity economy”-based parallel spatialities emerge and coexist with the mainstream economy: It analyses how processes of normative regulation result from narratives of change with distinct approaches to collective action, based on the standpoint of actors located differently within structural power relations.

Place branding is an important activity for many communities, bolstering their economic and community development. While there is literature examining the role residents can play in the co-creation...

Purpose This paper aims to assess the functions of the National Archives of South Africa regarding universities’ records and archives by comparing the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the University of Venda’s (Univen) implementation of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act, No. 43 of 1996 (NARSSA) provisions 11 and 13, with the view of recommending best practice. Design/methodology/approach The quantitative research methodology was adopted. The data collection tool was a questionnaire completed by 34 heads of divisions, departments and units from the Wits and Univen, supplemented by a document review. Thus, the study population comprised universities’ heads of divisions, departments and units. Findings The National Archives of South Africa is not playing a role in providing advice to universities on how to manage their records and archives to fulfil their teaching, learning and research mandate, protect them from litigation and preserve their corporate memory such as records with national and international significance. Most of the respondents were not aware of the NARSSA provision 11 on the custody and preservation of records, and provision 13 on the management of public records. NARSSA lacks provision specifically for the management of university records. NARSSA appears vague about the management of university records, as it does not explain the legal definition of university records. Research limitations/implications This is a comparative case study limited to Wits and Univen. The shortcoming of this study is that the author did not provide relevant and detailed information for the article reader to fully understand the functions of the NARSSA provisions 11 and 13 regarding university records and archives at Wits and Univen, respectively. Practical implications The study recommends the South Africa legislature to review the NARSSA regarding records and archives’ role in the university. The researcher’s view is that reviewing existing NARSSA provisions 11 and 13 would provide universities with the responsibility of managing some of their national and international records. This might improve the management of records and this, in turn, would enhance the preservation of records. Originality/value This paper appears to be the first to review the functions of the National Archives of South Africa regarding the South African university’s records and archives.

Educational leaders and policymakers are reconsidering the role of competency-based education (CBE) to meet the needs of all students, address issues of equity and enduring achievement gaps, and demonstrate college and career readiness outcomes for PK-12 students. This study sought to understand the policy conditions where CBE policies were adopted in two neighboring states as well as describe the two states’ implementation plans for policy diffusion. The study used a comparative case study design to study Idaho and Utah due to their geographic proximity, socioeconomic status, and state legislative structures. We argue that although the policies in both states have many similarities and were passed under similar political conditions within each state’s policy arena, the planned implementation and diffusion of those policies was very different and influenced a divergent population of local education agencies (LEA) in each state. We also explore the role intermediary organizations played in the development and diffusion of policy in both states.

The volcanic-rock dwellings are a special kind of traditional vernacular architecture with high value of research, which located in the north of the Hainan Island in China. In order to clarify the ...

This article discusses interventions by Islamic-based institutions during coronavirus pandemic in Auckland, New Zealand and Jakarta, Indonesia. The aim of this article is to compare the interventions implemented by various Islamic-based institutions both in Auckland and in Jakarta. The method consists of literature review, informal interviews, and participant observations. There are three types of Islamic-based institutions: the formal institutions with its hierarchy and leadership, the independent non-governmental communities, and the informal local communities. In Auckland, the interventions were mostly done by the independent non-governmental communities and informal local communities. Kiwi Muslims tended to seek spiritual and material help at the closest Islamic-based institutions. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the interventions were mostly implemented by formal institutions such as Majelis Ulama Indonesia (Indonesian Council of Ulama) with different kinds of support from large Islamic civil society organizations, such as Nahdalatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. MUI’s interventions aimed for wide acceptance among all Indonesian Muslims, but fatalistic and deterministic perspectives among many Indonesian Muslims led to low effort in mitigating pandemic and less compliance with MUI and government’s regulations.

Este INFORME ACADÉMICO describe el proceso de implementación del estándar Object ID usando Tainacan, un software gratuito de código abierto, en cuatro instituciones museológicas de distintos países, Brasil y México, como un estudio contrastivo de caso. Consideramos la hipótesis de que ambos países comparten similitudes relacionadas con los contextos culturales y los objetos patrimoniales. Por ende, esperábamos resultados similares, como los beneficios observados de usar un programa de documentación y un esquema de metadatos. En este estudio de caso presentamos los resultados preliminares de una investigación en curso, y como se verá, aún queda mucho por hacer. Para el futuro estamos considerando ampliar el experimento a otros estándares como el Lightweight Information Describing Objects (LIDO). ___ This ACADEMIC REPORT describes the implementation process of the Object ID standard using Tainacan, a free open-source software which included four museological institutions from different countries Brazil and Mexico— as a comparative case study. We considered the hypothesis that the two countries share similarities related to cultural contexts and heritage objects. Therefore, we expected similar results, such as the observed benefits of using a documentation software and a metadata schema. In this case study, we present the results of this investigation but, as will be seen, much remains to be done. As a prospect for the future, we are considering to expand the experiment to other standards, such as the Lightweight Information Describing Objects (LIDO) standard.

PurposeThis study aims to illuminate the field conditions under which social entrepreneurship can become institutionalized and transform the existing institutional fields.Design/methodology/approachA comparative case study was conducted among three social enterprises, within different regional institutional fields, following a most different systems design: OTELO, in Mühlviertel, ADC MOURA, in Baixo Alentejo and STEVIA HELLAS in Phthiotis.FindingsThe results indicate some of the field conditions under which an institutionalization of social entrepreneurship can thrive, namely, a high civil approval, a highly institutionalized and decentralized institutional field that allows the social enterprise to remain autonomous, as well the anchoring of the venture to a pre-existing counter-hegemonic narrative or/and to an embedded network that drives the dissemination a new institutional logic forward.Research limitations/implicationsThe institutionalization of the voluntary collective action that social entrepreneurship embodies has significant limitations. The same is true for innovation, which tends to lose its innovative spirit as it becomes institutionalized. Future research has to explore if institutionalized social entrepreneurship can maintain a voluntary perspective and an innovative drift.Originality/valueMost studies on institutional entrepreneurship deploy in-depth case studies while multi-case comparative research remains rare. The current comparative study adds significantly to the understanding of institutional entrepreneurship, as it compares different degrees of institutionalization and successful institutional entrepreneurs to non-successful ones.

Music curriculum programmes are designed by English Music teachers in schools as the primary means of musical engagement for young people aged 11–14. Such Music curricula are often structured in learning topics. However, Music teacher rationales for the sequencing of the topics they have chosen to include in their curriculum is an under-developed area of music education research literature. This study seeks to examine teacher practices in this domain through a comparative case study of nine English secondary school teachers using Think Aloud Protocols to uncover sequencing practices. The findings are analysed using the Friedman ANOVA statistical test and eyeball analysis of teacher curriculum formulations. Theorising from these results facilitated the development of a teacher model of curriculum processing, and illuminated hidden practices in curriculum design.

Panel data are often used in empirical work to account for fixed additive time and unit effects. The synthetic control estimator relaxes the assumption of additive fixed effects for comparative cas...

Mountain ecosystems are complex and fragile, with significant topography variations, climatic conditions, and one that faces the most severe threats and challenges due to natural and anthropogenic activities. Despite all contributions within the past few decades on basic concepts, dimensions, sustainability issues, and various aspects of urban sustainability assessment tools, only a few academicians, researchers, and institutions have looked at the peculiar aspects of sustainability in hill areas. However, these have not been implemented or tested for their appropriateness within the context of environmentally sensitive hill areas. This research explores the comparative case study approach for assessing the urban sustainability of hill town using the existing urban sustainability assessment tools (USATs) to address the gap in the available literature. New Tehri Township has been selected as a case for the town’s assessment with the selected USATs to determine the key aspects that are not covered by each of the selected USATs. The case-based assessment findings highlighted that not all the criteria and indicators used in a given USATs are relevant in a particular context due to varying environmental, social, and economic conditions. The results provide valuable information and evidence to planners, developers, and researchers for further studies on township-level sustainability analysis, as well as emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts and a well-defined mechanism in achieving humane, sustainable, and environment-friendly settlements.

While most U.S. cities have a tree protection policy, the subsequent impact on the reduction of canopy loss is unclear. To rectify this, I utilize a theoretically grounded framework of influence comprised of clear identification of the problem/public support, adequate resources, and sound policy logic. This is then tested in a comparative case study of Charlotte, North Carolina, and San Antonio, Texas. While Charlotte benefits from public recognition of the problem and adequate resources, its regulations are weak, lacking a logical connection to aspirational outcomes. San Antonio's regulations are stronger, but combined with weaker problem identification and resources. Through quantitative and qualitative assessments, I find that San Antonio's strict regulations may have stabilized loss rates, while Charlotte's weaker rules have not. Results highlight the importance of policy logic over other commonly suggested determinants of natural resource protection.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, several employees have suddenly been asked to work remotely. Legal clarity has now become required with regard to digital communications, specifically for distance-working contracts. Traditional contracts need to be adapted to clarify the rights, privacy and security concerns of both parties. This article focuses on the Middle East where labour contracts rarely consider distance-working and the rights of neither employee nor employer are properly safeguarded. The paper analyses the legal position and mutual obligations of both parties, to give a new perspective on the employer-employee legal relationship. This article proposes a new definition of this relationship and new mutual employment contract guarantees. Employers must protect their data, security and resources; however, employee privacy is an inviolable constitutional principle. This comparative case study examines whether employers are legally permitted to monitor employees and collect their data and the risk of this data being used against the employee.