Search

Investments in the digital welfare state are often driven by the promise of removing intermediaries between the state and citizens, yet they continue to play a key role in the last mile delivery of state services. By intermediaries, I mean people who interface between bureaucrats and citizens. Their work, often as proxies for citizens, is not only to simplify bureaucratic procedures for them, but also help insulate them from bureaucratic apathy. Based on 18-months of ethnographic fieldwork, I describe the work of intermediaries around government offices, who (in)visibly support citizens in navigating the bureaucratic procedures of enrolling into Aadhaar, India's biometrics-based national identity number. Building on Julia Elyachar's conception of "phatic labor," I position such intermediaries themselves as infrastructure and illustrate how their affective networks can be leveraged to orchestrate a form of distributive justice to ensure that being marginal does not preclude a citizen's access to welfare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'googlization' of education is emblematic of the growing power of private tech companies in schools across the globe, challenging education as a public good. While critical scholarship has started unpacking the ideological, pedagogical and economical logics underpinning Google's digital infrastructure in schools, we have little insight into how googlization unfolds in education systems across the world. This article addresses this by examining the googlization of education across three countries – The US, Australia, and The Netherlands – focusing on the work by new and established intermediary actors which mediate platform power between private tech companies and public education systems. Our findings highlight five different types of intermediary work that broker dependence on Google in schools. The paper concludes by outlining how education researchers and institutions might reclaim public education by intervening in the googlization of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition in higher education seems ubiquitous. Universities today compete for values such as diversity and internationality in the same way as they compete for innovation, impact and employability. The meaning and perception of competition in higher education have changed substantially within the last decades. Competition today is imperative, attribute and action. It is detached from distinct frames – relevant in political science, sociology and economics alike – and both measure and goal in itself. Given the centrality and ambiguity of competition in higher education today, understanding how competition operates is central to grasping contemporary dynamics that reshape higher education. Against this background, the question ‘How do universities compete?’ relates to a constructivist perspective that critically reflects research frames on competition in two distinct ways. First, this perspective refrains from adapting comprehensive economic or sociological frames to higher education without taking the specificities of higher education into account. Second, such a context-sensitive view on competitions corresponds with attention to the level and form of agency competing organisations exhibit. Overall, the contributions in this special issue provide context-sensitive analytical frames that respond to empirically observable competition in higher education. The way universities compete depends on contextual factors of how competition is organised, the role of intermediaries as well as the interrelationship between state agency and organisational self-perceptions as acting organisations. Initially directed at increasing efficiency, competition is characterised nowadays by a wide range of intended and unintended effects that will be identified and discussed in this special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the literature at the intersection of migration and global production networks (GPNs) by examining the role of labour market intermediaries (LMIs) for migrant workers. It demonstrates mediation processes by LMIs and elaborates on migration networks in the global labour market through qualitative and quantitative data. It examines the role of LMIs in responding to mechanisms in GPN, including zero inventory and just‐in‐time production, and the impact of private employment agents on migrant workers, particularly on their career paths. The article found that LMIs play an active role in the mediation and cooperation between migrant labour and firms and in shaping structural conditions for migrant workers in response to global competitive pressures. However, LMIs play a controversial role in social upgrading. Private LMIs are identified as having a negative impact on career paths of migrant workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the intersection of the "digitalization" and the "climatization" of the agricultural sector grows a promise of the "decarbonization" of agriculture by "start-ups." Based on a qualitative study (40 interviews, 9 days of observation, documentary analysis), this article is a contribution to the political sociology of this promise of ecologization by reconstructing its meaning (what does it signify?) and its implementation (what practices is it referring to?). The study analyzes the bases of a narrative allying the political agendas of agricultural leadership and the executive branch of the French state. The focus on soil CO2 sequestration and the politicization of innovative "start-ups" converge on the promotion of economic solutions to global warming. The authors found the "start-ups" working on this "decarbonization" were quite diverse, but could be sorted into three types: innovative businesses seeking rapid growth, consultancy firms offering expertise without aims of growth, and administrative intermediaries. The latter, the most numerous and the least innovative, are invested in voluntary carbon markets, most commonly the "low-carbon label," a public framework overseen by the Ministry of Ecological Transition. The promise of the decarbonization of agriculture through start-ups thus falls short, as the study documents an optional and partial greening of agriculture that is overseen by the state, implemented by private administrative service providers, and funded by businesses wishing to improve their carbon footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid pace of technological change has been pushing firms to make their innovation processes more open. However, both inbound and outbound processes are complex to manage, especially for small businesses. These firms have their innovation activities constrained by missing capabilities, financial resources, and market reach. However, the existence of innovation intermediaries may overcome these issues by fostering collaboration among different stakeholders and thus bridging the gap between technological opportunities and user needs. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze how collaborative spaces intermediate small business innovation. A multiple case study comprising five collaborative spaces was carried out. Results indicate how each type of collaborative space may facilitate innovation according to their intermediation roles, type of governance, main members/users, type of knowledge produced, and the core elements of attraction they offer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of the term terroir is now widespread in the discourse around wine and food more generally. It is assumed to have a long-standing usage yet the growth in use of the term (both in France and in the Anglophone world) is comparatively recent. By using Google Ngram data this study charts the timescale and impact of this rise. The analysis then uses Google Ngram plus (1) the quantitative analysis of a qualitative study and (2) textual analysis of British newspapers to explore this development for wine producers, intermediaries and consumers. A case study of the wine magazine Decanter adds confirmation to the overall proposition. The reasons for this rise in the use of terroir are explored examining both cultural and economic factors, including the changing supply and demand for wine over the last half-century, the explosion in the number of online wine intermediaries and consumers’ drive to find authentic products which afford them opportunities for value co-creation. Overall, the study develops and underlines the ways in which terroir as currently used is pre-eminently a social construct – offering both ‘phatic communion’ and an instant connotation of quality to wine communities without requiring any explanation of what it actually entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Leipzig Charter highlights the need for integrated, place-based participatory governance approaches to achieve more sustainable and just urban futures. In this article, we provide a synthesis of our transdisciplinary analysis of ten EU projects which were selected from over 100 EU-funded urban sustainability and justice projects. Through analysing these cases according to the question of 'How can city makers design governance processes for just and sustainable outcomes?', we identify six Enabling Governance Arrangements which are considered of high relevance to the integration of urban sustainability and justice through both municipality and community-led initiatives. Each Enabling Governance Arrangement was not only observed at play in multiple initiatives but was also further consolidated and confirmed in dedicated workshops with over 60 city makers of different backgrounds. This highlights their potential to stir place-specific debates around the governance of sustainable and just cities. Overall, we provide empirically grounded, actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on how to achieve integrated urban sustainability and justice through Enabling Governance Arrangements. Highlights: Formulates six arrangements for sustainable and just governance that can help municipalities and communities Arrangements are based on an analysis of governance processes that contributed to more sustainable and just cities Consolidated and confirmed the potential of these arrangements in workshops with over 60 city makers This demonstrates their potential to stir place-specific debates for the governance of sustainable and just cities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arecanut (Areca catechu L) is one of the important cash crops in India and ranks first in terms of both area and production of arecanut in world. Meghalaya holds 4th position in the production of arecanut in India producing 51,000 tonnes in 2019. The total of 200 samples was selected for the study. The marketing channels were identified based on various intermediaries involved in the marketing process. A total of 4 marketing channels found in the study area of which Channel II (Producer - Village Trader - Whole seller - Consumer) was the most effective channel for marketing arecanut, accounting for nearly 40% of the total marketed quantity. In terms of marketing margin earned by the different marketing channel, channel III was found to be earned the highest marketing margin consists of the marketing margin earned by the wholesaler, village traders and retailer. The Producers share in Consumer's Rupee (%) was found to be highest in Channel I. The study of arecanut marketing channels offers valuable lessons for the broader agricultural sector, suggesting pathways to enhance producer income, reduce marketing costs, and improve the overall efficiency of agricultural marketing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on precarity predominantly adopts a monolithic view of labour market intermediaries and ignores the differential distribution of precarity based on social group membership. This omission not only hinders a nuanced understanding of precarity but also prevents our ability to address inequalities. To address this, we examined the influence of caste on differential experiences of precarity among labour contractors (LCs) in the garment industry in Tamil Nadu, India. We find that unequal distribution of social capital along caste lines leads to Dalit LCs experiencing greater precarity than their upper caste counterparts, and being stuck in such precarity. Specifically, caste-based dynamics of social capital threaten the survival of Dalit LCs by distorting their economic wellbeing and destabilizing their leadership, and hindering their upward occupational mobility by confining their spatial mobility, limiting resourceful connections, and thwarting growth opportunities. Our study shines new light on how societal inequalities differentially distribute precarity among actors in the same occupation and underscores the intersectional nature of occupational precarity as well as the contextual nature of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family law has been a fundamental issue in the negotiation of the relationship between the state and religion at the national level. For more than 50 years, the everyday functioning of the administration of Muslim marriage has depended on intermediating roles played by informal religious leaders. During the last decade, the central government perceived the practice of receiving informal fee for bedolan (marriage outside the office) as illegal gratification. The central government, therefore, launched reform in some ways. It made marriage ceremony free of charge and abolished bedolan fee. It removed informal religious leaders from marriage functionaries. In practice, Muslims do value the religious aspect of a marriage ceremony and regard the administrative one as a complement. It is informal religious leaders who can meet this perception. This article investigates how intermediaries play roles in marriage administration and delves into local relations between state-promoted officials and informal religious leaders to understand why the reform did not affect the latter's position. In day-to-day practice of Muslim marriage, the co-existence of different authorities handling marriage is continuously negotiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the principle-agency problem between landlords and real estate agents using novel data on rental contracts. Real estate agents are found to obtain higher contract rents by approximately 1% more for themselves (and family members) than for other landlords, which is economically small. The results suggest that the principle-agency program with real estate agents is less of a concern in the rental market than the ownership market. The reason potentially relates to the commission structure, the relatively low effort associated with finding a tenant, the landlord's ability to evaluate an agent's performance, and reputation concerns from repeated interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transforming global food supply chains for sustainability in a pervasive manner requires leading it for specific contexts. As central intermediaries between producers and consumers possessing both tacit and explicit knowledge of supply–demand and local business cultures, traders are uniquely positioned for ecosystem orchestration (EO). The limited literature on the role of agricultural commodities traders in promoting sustainability and calls for it has motivated this study. To understand the capabilities required for ecosystem orchestrators (EOs), we surveyed the available literature using citation network analysis, revealing knowledge elements within the clusters of leading value and stakeholder orchestration, cultivating dynamic and interorganizational capabilities, interplaying innovation and business ecosystems, and utilizing software ecosystems. These clusters contained interlinked EO functions of offering complementary assets and digital platforms, which we highlighted as actual business practices by certain major agricultural trading firms. We conclude that traders as EOs for sustainability is plausible and provide actionable guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is widespread belief that intermediaries in African agri-food value chains have disproportionate market power. In this paper, the authors examine this belief by uncovering the purchasing and selling prices, costs and profit margins by farmers, intermediaries and retailers in the matooke (cooking banana) value chain in Uganda, and by analysing the prevailing value chain and market structures, seasonal entry and exit dynamics and the trading relationships in the chain. Design/methodology/approach: Data for this study were collected along the trading routes from the main matooke producing districts in South-West Uganda (Kabarole, Bunyangabo, Bushenyi, Isingiro and Mbarara) to the main urban markets around the capital Kampala. A structured survey was administered with 383 producers, 172 collectors and wholesalers and 71 retailers. In addition, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were held. Findings: The authors find that price mark-ups by intermediaries (selling prices minus purchasing prices) vary with the type of intermediary, season and location but generally reflect the costs of moving matooke down the value chain to the urban consumer. The authors do not find evidence for disproportionate market power among the intermediaries in the chain. Intermediaries enter and exit the market in peak and off-peak season, such that profits are kept in check. This seasonality does imply a small shift in market power in favour of farmers in off-peak season and in favour of intermediaries in the peak season. Research limitations/implications: The investigation concentrated on an important and relatively homogenous staple crop along its main trade route. More remote areas, where there is less of an abundance of matooke, might still be characterised by local monopsonies where intermediaries have more market power due to high search and transport costs. Similarly, (local) monopsonies might exist for products for which there is a smaller market (segment), for products with a stronger seasonal variation in supply and for more perishable products. Originality/value: While there is an important literature on the role of intermediaries in African agri-food value chains, the evidence on intermediary market power is scant. Beliefs on intermediary market power are largely based on anecdotal evidence from farmers or inferred from observed prices or market structures. The paper contributes in addressing this important knowledge gap by studying the matooke value chain in Uganda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Leipzig Charter highlights the need for integrated, place-based participatory governance approaches to achieve more sustainable and just urban futures. In this article, we provide a synthesis of our transdisciplinary analysis of ten EU projects which were selected from over 100 EU-funded urban sustainability and justice projects. Through analysing these cases according to the question of ‘How can city makers design governance processes for just and sustainable outcomes?’, we identify six Enabling Governance Arrangements which are considered of high relevance to the integration of urban sustainability and justice through both municipality and community-led initiatives. Each Enabling Governance Arrangement was not only observed at play in multiple initiatives but was also further consolidated and confirmed in dedicated workshops with over 60 city makers of different backgrounds. This highlights their potential to stir place-specific debates around the governance of sustainable and just cities. Overall, we provide empirically grounded, actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on how to achieve integrated urban sustainability and justice through Enabling Governance Arrangements.

The illegal trade in totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) is causing adverse social, ecological, and economic impacts. This illegal activity is accelerating the overexploitation of totoaba and pushing the critically endangered vaquita (Phocoena sinus) closer to extinction. Despite extensive efforts to recover vaquita populations, scant attention has been given to the totoaba trade as an independent issue. As a result, data on the totoaba trade are limited, which hampers robust analyses and development of effective interventions to reduce illegal harvesting. We used a previously developed framework specifically designed to examine dynamics of illegal markets and guide measures to mitigate illegal use of totoaba. This framework separates markets into 3 analytical levels: characterization of participating actors (e.g., fishers, intermediaries); examination of how actors interact within the market (e.g., organization of supply chains); and assessment of the overall market dynamics that result from these interactions (e.g., factors determining price and quantity). We reviewed existing literature (108 initial articles) and interviewed key market actors, academics, and nongovernmental organization experts (14) to obtain data for this framework. Our findings offer an overview of the totoaba illegal market operation, highlighting intervention points (e.g., customs agents) and areas where additional information is required to decrease information gaps (e.g., US local market). We describe the structure and complexity of this market, emphasizing the influential role of organized crime in shaping its dynamics (e.g., controlling prices paid to fishers and stockpiling). By providing a systematic and in‐depth understanding of the market operation, we aimed to establish a benchmark for effective interventions and future research aimed at reducing uncertainties. Our results provide a crucial step toward addressing this critical issue and can help facilitate development of effective strategies to combat the illegal totoaba trade and promote biodiversity conservation more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While previous literature on international innovation ecosystems (IIEs) construction focuses on the leading role of high-tech corporations, the intermediaries which were thought of as playing auxiliary and supporting roles have long been ignored. This study intends to fill this gap by exploring how an intermediary organisation initiates and constructs an IIE as a focal actor from the perspective of social capital. Combining a longitudinal case study and grounded theory, we investigate the construction process of the China–Israel innovation ecosystem established by Infinity Group (IG), an Israeli private equity firm with a base in China that acts as a leading role in connecting innovation cooperation between the two countries. Our findings show that structural capital acts as a fundamental element from the emergence of the ecosystem to its mature stage. Specifically, this study suggests that culture embeddedness influences the diffusion of trust, and trust further leads the network change to a small-world structure, during which intermediaries can act as leading actors to overcome the challenges during the IIE building process. Our study enriches the literature on international innovation ecosystem and provides some practical implications for the construction of intermediary-oriented IIEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marriage frauds have reached a critical juncture as contract marriage becomes a modus operandi to reach the destination country. Contract marriage is an unwritten agreement or contract between two young potential migrant marriageable couples, i.e., bride and groom for achieving a common goal of international mobility. It is like a situation of the Stackelberg model, where one acts as a leader and the second follows him. In this situation, the bride acts as a leader due to her better quality of education and groom becomes the follower. The study concluded that the degree of the bride’s control over her marital decisions and choice of mate is more based on socio-economic status of the groom’s families than individual traits of the grooms. In contrast, the groom’s marital decisions and his choice of mate are determined only by the spouse’s quality of human capital formation. The study also shows that the role of social and economic networks is of paramount importance in facilitating and speeding up the flow of the contract marriages for migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how intermediaries' imported inputs affect nondirect import firms' product quality. Based on WIOD input‒output tables and microlevel China customs trade data, the result shows that intermediaries can significantly improve nondirect import firms' export quality mainly through imported quality rather than imported quantity. In addition, the promotion effect of intermediaries' import quality is greater for nondirect import firms with a larger scale, higher export intensity and longer export year; the imported quality of ordinary intermediaries has a greater effect than that of professional intermediaries. Furthermore, the imported quality of intermediaries is also conducive to alleviating the negative effect of the quality directly imported by peer firms in the same industry. This study not only explores intermediaries' supporting role in the supply chain but also puts forward some policy implications of export product quality upgrading for SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engagement is fundamental for organizations in complex projects' ecologies (e.g., space, nuclear, telecommunication) to enact value for their end-users. However, the existing knowledge on this empirical subject has two significant shortcomings. First, while the narrative about project value suffices to explain how a project enacts value for its stakeholders, it falls short of unfolding the enacted value of a complex project for its end-users from a broader economic and societal perspective. Second, while literature effectively explains project stakeholder engagement practices, the role played by other elements of a complex project' ecology in shaping the engagement practices with end-users remains largely underexplored. This paper aims to explain how organizations in complex projects' ecologies engage with their end-users to enact the value of complex projects. Leveraging a qualitative and inductive approach, we conducted 31 open interviews with managers of organizations in the European space project ecology, and their end-users. Drawing on a grounded theory approach, we identified four classes of engagement practices. (1) "Personal for value espoused," adopted by space managers to espouse the value of complex space projects to end-user managers. (2) "Personal for value expected," adopted by space managers to be engaged by end-user managers and understand their value expectation. (3) "Personal for value enacted," reinforcing personal relationships and enacting the value of complex space projects over time. (4) "Nonpersonal" engagement practices, adopted by organizations in the complex project ecology toward their end-users. We contribute to the literature on value and engagement by showing that: (1) value enactment occurs through personal engagement and is not only impersonal; (2) form of value (i.e., espoused, expected, and enacted) shapes the engagement of managers and organizations in the complex project ecologies toward their end-users; and (3) a project ecology perspective enhances the understanding of the value of complex projects for end-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on institutional voids examines how intermediaries, such as business groups and business incubators, address such voids in emerging economies. However, it remains unclear whether and how digital multisided platforms fill these voids given their unique features. This study focuses on mobile money platforms, which allow users without bank accounts or credit cards to perform financial transactions. We propose that these platforms fill institutional voids in three ways by (i) enabling data-based certification, (ii) providing unified access to distributed services, and (iii) scaling through network effects to reach previously excluded market participants. We argue that these novel mechanisms enable mobile money platforms to expand credit access to end users from formal financial institutions and thereby act as stepping stones to financial inclusion. Our analysis is based on a difference-in-difference design that leverages regulatory changes that allowed nonbanks to operate as mobile money operators and data from a representative random sample of 151,771 individuals in 78 countries. We supplement our quantitative analysis with rich, hand-collected qualitative evidence to illustrate the mechanisms underlying our findings. Funding: Financial support from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.16562. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The migration industry consists of actors and organisations (e.g. agents, brokers, agencies, corporations) through which migration is facilitated, organised, and accelerated. Although the migration industry gained prominence in the late 20th century within labour mobility, it has relatively rarely been the subject of historical analysis. This historiographical essay argues that employers’ needs and demands for foreign workers, often ad-hoc, have triggered the emergence and development of the migration industry. Rooted in modern historical debates on labour migration, this essay aims to critically assess various forms of cooperation between employers and commercial actors worldwide and place those strategies within the migration industry. Inspired by dichotomous approach to capturing the relationships identified between employers and actors in the migration industry (i.e. agents and partners), this essay investigates the larger spectrum of types of relationships that have taken place historically. We argue that since the mid-19th century, we have witnessed an evolution of these relationships: from acting as a provider of labour (supplier or agent) to a greater professionalisation and consolidation of the relationship between employers and actors in the migration industry (partners and then allies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the roles of those who mediate citizenship by investment (CBI) in Türkiye. Within the scope of the study, those who mediate the sale of CBI to foreigners in 8 cities were interviewed. The study revealed that the investment industry in Türkiye has multiple actors, and these actors invest in institutional infrastructure to improve their organizational capacity, and they have institutional and political connections. With these connections, intermediaries affect both the shaping of investment programmes and the socio-spatial mobilization of migrants within intertwined relations with the housing market. Based on all this information, it can be clearly stated that the intermediaries have a crucial role in the development of the global citizenship market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust is still an issue in the insurance sector as the insurance product sold is intangible. This study focuses on two major intermediaries, namely individual agents, and corporate agent-banks, selling individual health insurance policies based on whether they are trusted by policyholders. The research design used in this study was descriptive. The findings indicate that there is no significance difference in the mean rank of policyholders towards strong work ethics, competency, pricing transparency, claim process transparency, and privacy of shared information among agency channel and bancassurance channel. However, there exists a significant difference in the mean rank of policyholders towards ease of access. It can be concluded that Corporate Agent-Banks are available with more ease of access in comparison to Individual Agents. Since, the opinion of policyholders towards bancassurance channel and agency channel are almost similar towards agreement, it is recommended that General Insurers can invest in both these channels in Mumbai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic generated diverse impacts and responses in agricultural value chains worldwide. Cocoa is a key crop for Ecuadorian exports, and the analysis of effects the pandemic had on value chain actors contributes to the understanding of their individual capacities to coping with a major shock. The purpose of this study was to assess the number and severity of impacts and responses implemented by two links in the cocoa value chain to the pandemic, based on a survey of 158 cocoa farmers and 52 cocoa intermediaries from the main cocoa-producing provinces of the northern coast of Ecuador in 2021. Surveyed farmers and part of the intermediaries form part of the sustainability program of a large Swiss chocolate manufacturer. The impacts and responses reported were grouped into seven resources according to the Activity System Approach. Then, a comparison between groups was applied using the Wilcoxon rank sum test for nonparametric data, determining the most severe impacts and effective resilience responses among the actors. The results reveal that farmers and intermediaries were similarly affected by the pandemic, reporting 21 and 16 negative impacts, respectively. Farmers experienced a higher number and severity of impacts on financial and social resources, while intermediaries on human and material resources. The strongest impact was the loss of sales, reported by 65% of farmers and 58% of intermediaries. Farmers implemented more social responses that they judged highly effective, while intermediaries implemented more human responses that they judged highly effective. Public policy should enhance the social resources of farmers by strengthening their associativity and the capacities of their members, as mechanisms to mitigate their vulnerability to future health and climate crises. The financial resources of both actors should be protected through public credit and agricultural insurance.

Background: Intermediaries are health-related workers who facilitate connections to local physical activities. Intermediaries deliver interventions by receiving referrals, conducting assessments, connecting referred individuals to activities and/or services in the community, and following up with them over time. However, it is unclear whether individuals who are referred to physical activities by an intermediary improve their physical activity levels, and what their perspectives and experiences are of participating in this intervention. To date there has been a lack of studies investigating the effect of this intervention on physical activity using appropriate outcome measures. Methods: This will be a mixed methods pilot feasibility study. Participants will be individuals referred or self-referred to an intermediary and connected to local physical activities. Participants will be recruited through two types of intermediary services in Ireland; social prescribing and local sports partnerships. A total of 30 participants will be recruited (15 per service). Baseline demographic information will be taken upon enrolment to the study and three questionnaires will be completed: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form, Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale and Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. The questionnaires will be repeated after 12 weeks and in addition semi-structured interviews will be carried out to explore intervention content and delivery, as well as acceptability of the intervention and evaluation design. Discussion: This overall aim of this proposed study is to investigate the feasibility of an intervention delivered by an intermediary to improve physical activity and health-related outcomes of community-dwelling individuals. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06260995).

Receivers and intermediary establishments typical to urban areas have unique freight behaviour and are understudied, particularly in developing countries. This paper uses establishment-based freight survey data to examine their freight generation patterns in the Chennai metropolitan area, India. Three sets of Simple Linear Regression (SLR) models, three single predictor proportional odds logit models, one multiple linear regression model, and one multiple predictor proportional odds logit model with business size (employment, area, and operational age) and indicators of establishment category as regressors are developed each for both freight production and freight attraction. Partial proportional odds logit models are developed in a few cases to overcome the limitations of proportional odds logit models. The best SLR model varied with the establishment category for freight production and attraction. The establishment area model is the best among single predictor proportional odds logit models. The multiple predictor proportional odds logit models marginally improved the fit over single predictor models. The proportional odds logit model results show that the establishment category has a greater impact on freight generation levels than business size variables. Since earlier studies rarely focused on receivers and intermediary establishments, policymakers may benefit from the developed models and study insights while estimating freight demand and developing freight policies. • Receivers and intermediary establishments' freight generation is studied. • Partial Proportional Odds (PO) logit models are developed for freight attraction. • Area model is the best single predictor PO logit model for freight generation. • Establishment type affects freight generation more than business size variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on evidence from documents and semi-structured interviews with members of the Catalan system of higher education, this research explores how intermediary organizations (IOs) facilitate the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), conceived as a global policy framework, in local contexts. We observed that, despite the voluntary nature of SDGs-related policies, most Catalan public universities embraced the SDGs. Two contextual factors likely facilitated their effective engagement with this global initiative: first, the autonomy granted by regional and national governments to the higher education sector when it comes to social responsibility, and, second, the willingness and ability of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Catalonia to work with the SDGs. The key element added to these contextual factors was the collaboration stimulated by meso-level actors, namely Catalan intermediaries. The Catalan case exhibits a process whereby IOs effectively engage with HEIs, forging a platform for collaboration; in turn, this led the local government to delegate the task of promoting the SDGs to IOs. This paper contributes to the debate in global higher education policy-making as it discusses the policy implications of the involvement of intermediary actors in bringing global policy frameworks to local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We find that there are fewer disclosures of risk factors when customers for life insurance are screened by financial advisors, compared with when similar profile customers are screened directly by the insurer's telephone operators. The lower rate of disclosure is systematic across all medical and lifestyle risks and has a sizeable economic impact on customer premiums. As a result, customers screened by advisors enjoy unfairly cheaper and more favorable policies. We identify the key drivers of lower customer disclosures to be conflicted incentives and lower scrutiny. We assert that the fewer disclosures from customers screened by advisors may translate into noncaptured risk that could be cross‐subsidized by customers who provide more complete disclosures through the insurer's telephone operators. On reviewing our findings, the participating insurer in the study calculated that removing advisors from the screening process could allow certain insurance products to be heavily discounted while maintaining profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

US companies are increasingly responding to demand from investors and other stakeholders for transparent information about companies' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance by issuing ESG reports on a voluntary basis. We examine whether these reports help to resolve the previously documented disagreement among ESG rating agencies about individual companies' ESG performance. Consistent with this possibility, we find that disagreement among ESG rating agencies is lower for firms that voluntarily issue ESG reports. In particular, disclosures about the environmental and social dimensions help reduce disagreement about the company's performance on those dimensions. Using textual analysis, we find that longer reports are associated with reduced disagreement among ESG raters while reports with more positive tones or that use a greater number of sticky words are associated with heightened disagreement. The association between ESG disclosure and ESG disagreement is more pronounced when firms obtain third-party attestations on their ESG reports, especially from accounting firms, and when firms adhere to advanced levels of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting standards. Finally, ESG disagreement is positively associated with disagreement and uncertainty in the capital market, providing strong motivation for firms to voluntarily disclose ESG reports to reduce ESG disagreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic generated diverse impacts and responses in agricultural value chains worldwide. Cocoa is a key crop for Ecuadorian exports, and the analysis of effects the pandemic had on value chain actors contributes to the understanding of their individual capacities to coping with a major shock. The purpose of this study was to assess the number and severity of impacts and responses implemented by two links in the cocoa value chain to the pandemic, based on a survey of 158 cocoa farmers and 52 cocoa intermediaries from the main cocoa-producing provinces of the northern coast of Ecuador in 2021. Surveyed farmers and part of the intermediaries form part of the sustainability program of a large Swiss chocolate manufacturer. The impacts and responses reported were grouped into seven resources according to the Activity System Approach. Then, a comparison between groups was applied using the Wilcoxon rank sum test for nonparametric data, determining the most severe impacts and effective resilience responses among the actors. The results reveal that farmers and intermediaries were similarly affected by the pandemic, reporting 21 and 16 negative impacts, respectively. Farmers experienced a higher number and severity of impacts on financial and social resources, while intermediaries on human and material resources. The strongest impact was the loss of sales, reported by 65% of farmers and 58% of intermediaries. Farmers implemented more social responses that they judged highly effective, while intermediaries implemented more human responses that they judged highly effective. Public policy should enhance the social resources of farmers by strengthening their associativity and the capacities of their members, as mechanisms to mitigate their vulnerability to future health and climate crises. The financial resources of both actors should be protected through public credit and agricultural insurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no question about the innovation force and the economic potential of blockchain technology. As the basis for new currencies, financial services, and smart contracts, blockchain technology can be seen as the fifth disruptive computing paradigm, after mainframes, personal computers, the Internet, and mobile devices. However, there are questions about its ethical implications, which have the potential to also impact the economic success of blockchain technology. This article aims to provide ethical guidance on blockchain technology. In order to reach this goal, the focus of the ethical analysis will first concentrate on the unique characteristics of blockchain technology compared to other technology-based innovations. The unique nucleus of blockchain technology can be defined as a move from the trust in people to a trust in math, as a move from an internet of information to an internet of value, or—as I would propose—a shift from an intermediated network to an immediate network. Second, the ethical opportunities (e.g., transparency, participation, global access to services) and risks (e.g., ecological impact, lack of legal monitoring and enforcement) associated with this unique nucleus of blockchain technology will be discussed. Third, an outlook on possible concrete solutions will be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims at providing an overview of the international, European, and national legal frameworks relating to the obligation of intermediaries of financial transactions to report to tax authorities, and the professional secrecy which applies to their professions, as well as the conflict between the two. The authors address these topics from theoretical and jurisprudential perspectives, both at national and European levels, using doctrinaire, documentary, and comparative approaches. The analyses pointed out that the focus is placed on lawyer–intermediaries' activities and liabilities when their activity is covered by confidentiality and legal privilege. Specific attention was revealed to be necessary when the conditions under which an exemption from the reporting obligation applies, and the particularities of the effects of the regulation in these scenarios. The topic of observing the legal framework and solving the possible conflicts generated by the divergent regulation of the law enforced has been the subject matter of recent European case laws that impact all the legal systems of the European Union's member states, which has necessitated an examination of the hierarchy of law systems within the European Union member states and to emphasize the practical jurisprudential effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermediation and transformative capacity building are identified as important issues in sustainability transformations. Yet the connection of these two concepts has not been systematically analysed. This empirical, qualitative case study on active transport in Finland investigates intermediation in building local transformative capacity. The study shows that intermediaries are a heterogeneous group of actors that support transformative capacity building by facilitating the flows of knowledge, linking actors, forming ties across different scales, and supporting visioning and strategic planning. Intermediation manifests in five of the seven elements of local transformative capacity building. Our study, thus, contrasts with previous understanding wherein intermediation is considered only as a criterion for multiform governance. As intermediation is central in building transformative capacity, it should be better acknowledged, particularly by authorities and policymakers to secure legitimacy, operational capabilities, and funding for intermediaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education governance networks are increasingly common and very diverse. In a strategic case study, we apply a new social network analysis method to evaluate the sustainability of a public-private education governance network. We examine the balance of satisfaction across public and private sectors and the network's fairness in terms of whether actor groups' investments in the network are proportional to their influence. We find that this established, long-term network is not entirely balanced but is fair, and argue that the fairness contributes to its sustainability. This fairness might arise due to the existing intermediaries in the network. Intermediaries play important roles in many networks, operating between other actors to build capacity and facilitate cooperation. We investigate how intermediaries operate, especially in networks that connect the public and private sectors. We find that intermediaries' roles differ according to sector. Public-sector intermediaries perform a direction function, complementing the effort and interconnectedness of individual actors. In contrast, private-sector intermediaries play a representing role, substituting for individual actors' effort and interconnectedness. These different roles of the public- and private-sector intermediaries contribute to the sustainability of the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermediaries are professionals who enable the effective right of access to justice for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, ensuring principles of equity, participation, accessibility and self-determination for them. This paper analyzes the presence and formative background of this figure from an international comparative perspective. Nowadays, we can find these professionals in the international law across different countries: some Nordic countries, United Kingdom, Israel, Azerbaijan, Taiwan, South Africa, Kenya, Canada, part of the USA, Mexico and Chile, Australia and New Zealand. In Spain, intermediaries are considered in the latest reform of the civil and procedural legislation (Law 8/2021, June the 2nd). This paper analyzes the formative background of this figure from an international comparative perspective. We find both formal and non-formal education in the background of these professionals. There is no doubt their profile must adjust to the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the contexts that require the facilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ibero-Latinoamericana de Seguros is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 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 implementation of international human right treaties is particularly challenging, especially when they entail obligations that apply at the subnational level. In this article, we examine how international law intermediaries translate and use international treaties in subnational policymaking processes. We develop a dedicated analytical framework, and we derive a typology, characterizing different types of intermediaries and systematizing the ways political‐administrative actors use international law at the subnational level. On this basis, our empirical analysis shows how the implementation of a crucial treaty—the Istanbul Convention (IC) on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence—is shaped by subnational actors and eventually used in policy processes in Swiss cantons. International law is seen not only as a constraint but also as an opportunity and a resource that can be mobilized for different purposes by a variety of intermediaries, including local public officials, MPs, and members of civil society organizations, in collaboration and sometimes in competition with each other. Specifically, our findings indicate that international law intermediaries use these treaties through bottom‐up dynamics of engagement according to their agenda and interests and their anticipation of what they can do in their cantonal context, resulting in iterative chains of intermediation. Furthermore, we observe a blurring of the boundaries between rule‐makers, intermediaries, and targets, that is, the same actors may perform different roles in a given policy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article aims to investigate the factors influencing the evolution of intermediaries specializing in intangible assets within the context of open innovation practices. While existing literature has explored the roles and functions of innovation intermediaries, this study fills a crucial gap by examining how these intermediaries evolve over time. Design/methodology/approach: The research employs a dual approach, starting with a comprehensive literature review on innovation intermediaries. Subsequently, the study delves into the temporal dimension of an intermediary's evolution by conducting an indepth case study of a non-profit organization specializing in intangible asset management. The research methods encompass documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews to capture a holistic understanding of the intermediary's development. Findings: The empirical findings unfold in different stages, delineating how the selected organization transformed into an "innomediary." Two core functions and five pivotal factors influencing the intermediary's evolution are identified: leadership, revenue model, shared interests, open innovation, and service culture. Originality/value: This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by addressing the temporal evolution of innovation intermediaries, specifically those focusing on intangible assets. The identification of key functions and factors influencing the intermediary's development adds original perspectives to the literature on open innovation practices. The study offers practical implications for managers and organizations involved in open innovation ecosystems. By understanding the facilitators and barriers uncovered in the case study, managers can navigate the complexities of evolving and thriving in the current open innovation landscape. While the findings are case-specific, they provide a foundation for further empirical research, both quantitative and qualitative, to generalize insights across diverse contexts.This study contributes valuable insights into the nuanced process of becoming an effective innovation intermediary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]