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Many theoretical methods have been applied to research user behaviour and requirements. However, the uncertainty associated with customer characteristics often biases the conclusions drawn from customer research and affects the effectiveness of product design. In this paper, Bayesian networks (BN) are introduced into the research on customer behaviour analysis based upon theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and an analysis model driven by customer research data is established from the perspective of user behaviour intention to guide design optimisation. Combining the User background Factor with the TPB Factor, the model analyses the uncertainty of the association between the two, and corrects the errors in the designer's prior knowledge through structural learning. By a case study the paper finds that the evaluations that enhance customers' subjective norms and perceived behavioural control lead to a greater probability of purchase or use. In addition, customers with specific characteristics are more inclined to generate behaviour intention. The paper finally provides a design optimisation plan based upon the result of the research and discusses about the advantages of the research approaches and the directions of future researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outsourcing is an important strategic decision of high-tech firms. However, while the research has extensively studied the implications of outsourcing to high-tech clients, its impact on high-tech vendors remains underexplored. This study empirically estimates the impact of government outsourcing contracts on high-tech vendors. Employing the earnings-return analyses framework, we find that, for high-tech vendors engaged in government outsourcing contracts, the stock market places a higher value on each unit of unexpected earnings compared to other firms. Additionally, this impact becomes stronger for contracts with longer terms, for contracts outsourced by the U.S. government or by countries with better political and economical stability. We obtain causal evidence through difference-in-differences (DID) analyses of high-tech firms' initiations of government contracts. Mechanism analyses uncover two primary drivers behind this impact: increased persistence of future earnings and improved alignment between accrual earnings and cash flows. Overall, our research indicates that when valuing high-tech firms, the stock market incorporates information from supply-chain networks, especially that related to government customers. Our results underscore the importance of obtaining government outsourcing contracts for high-tech firms' managers. Becoming a vendor to the government helps a high-tech firm reduce the uncertainty faced by its outside investors, who in turn value the high-tech firm's earnings to a greater extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the role of transnational criminal groups in migration governance. Although this topic has attracted increasing global attention due to the intersection of migration management and crime, academic research remains limited. Most studies tend to view criminal groups merely as threats to migration governance or as peripheral actors. The article advocates for a significant paradigm shift in conventional debate on transnational governance. Rather than merely viewing criminal groups as global challenges for various actors to tackle, we should acknowledge them as pivotal actors influencing these challenges. Based on empirical research on migrant smuggling and human trafficking in the Greece and Libya, the article sheds more light on the complex relationships between these criminal actors, state actors and other key stakeholders in migration governance. It shows how criminal groups not only disrupt but also actively shape migration governance, and may even play a crucial role in the functioning and reproduction of its legal apparatus. In so doing, the article transcends both mainstream perspectives that view crime as a mere challenge to migration governance and critical studies that frame the role of crime in migration governance solely in terms of a state-driven process of 'criminalization'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 'Must We Mean What We Say?', Stanley Cavell defends the method of ordinary language philosophy while arguing that the special status of philosophical claims about language arises from the fact that these statements are expressions of self-knowledge. Recently, Nat Hansen (2017) has explored Cavell's position in relation to empirical research on linguistic usage. This paper challenges Hansen's reading of Cavell, and presents an alternative interpretation that withstands some of Hansen's objections. For Cavell, claims about 'what we say' are claims about observable matters of fact, but nevertheless they are not, and cannot ever be, observation-based claims. The point of observing ordinary usage is to remind the philosopher of what is contained within the practical mastery that she already possesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The goal of the study is to provide guidelines for a simplified South African Value-Added Tax (VAT) Act. Motivation: The current VAT Act lacks logical structure and is therefore complex to teach, apply in practice and administer. The study on which this article reports investigated the structure of the VAT Act as an element of legal complexity. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research was conducted in two phases: a literature review, followed by semi-structured interviews. Main findings: Existing empirical studies confirm that the poor structure, layout and organisation of the VAT Act contribute to its complexity. In addition, research confirms that improvements to structure, layout and organisation enhance the readability of statutes. Interviewees agreed that the current incoherent structure of the VAT Act contributes to its complexity. The findings confirm that the complexity of the VAT Act raises compliance and administrative costs. Practical implications/Managerial impact: The literature review and interview findings contribute to the development of guidelines for a simplified South African VAT Act, which is the contribution of this study. The principles include adhering to a VAT vendor's lifecycle, grouping sections together, introducing headings and subheadings, using clear signposting, employing international benchmarks and seeking a solution that addresses local challenges most effectively. Novelty/Contribution: One recommendation that stands out is to completely rewrite the VAT Act. As a first step in this rewrite project, it is recommended that an index be developed using the guidelines. This is an initial step towards simplification of the South African VAT Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, the inclusion of graphic photographs in the news has been a matter of controversy. One important criticism made by news audiences is that the publication of graphic imagery could be guided by racial and cultural biases. However, there is little empirical research to either support or disprove this notion. Therefore, this study investigated several factors that could be related to the publication of graphic imagery. Images included in news about tragic events published by Mexican, U.S. and German print newspapers (N = 1,746) were analyzed in a quantitative content analysis. We particularly studied whether the inclusion of graphic images is more likely for certain events or for certain victims. Results showed that news about geographically and culturally distant events is more likely to include graphic imagery than news about proximate events. In addition, we discovered that non-White victims and non-citizen are more likely to be shown in graphic imagery. Finally, we found that Mexican and U.S. newspapers are more likely to publish graphic images than German newspapers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sandy clay is defined as a sand–clay mixture with the mechanical behavior dominated by fine clay but affected by coarse sand. Twenty sets of one-dimensional incremental load consolidation and falling head permeability coefficient tests were performed on sandy clays. The samples of sandy clays were prepared by mixing two hosted clays with different sand fractions from 0% to 60%. The interrelation between the change of permeability coefficient with void ratio and the compression curves is established. The results indicate that the effect of sand fractions on permeability coefficient can be attributed to the variation of void ratio at liquid limit induced by sand fractions. The initial void ratio affects permeability coefficient by changing the void ratio under the same effective vertical stress. These two findings highlight that the permeability coefficient-void ratio relationship of sandy clays is a function of void ratio at liquid limit and void ratio. An empirical method of estimating permeability coefficient is also proposed using two physical indices of void ratio and void ratio at liquid limit for sandy clays having void ratio at liquid limits ranging from 0.63 to 1.73 and initial void ratios varying from 0.72 to 2.67. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing consensus that hydrology education should move towards student-led learning formats and simultaneously incorporate recent hydrologic technologies that reflect workforce expectations. Prior theory suggests improvements in learning outcomes from student-led learning; however, little empirical evidence has been collected to confirm this success. We measured the classroom impact of three teaching modalities: 1) instructor-led lectures, 2) student-led hydrologic modeling, and 3) student-led design evaluation studios. Educational outcomes were measured with student surveys, direct observation of class activity, and student grades. In aggregate, the student population did not express a significant preference for one modality over another, yet individual students showed dramatic preferences for each modality. This suggests best practice is to increase the variety of teaching modalities we employ as instructors to positively engage more students. The total frequency of interactions between students and the instructor was similar across all three modalities; however, the frequency of student-initiated engagements (both total and unique engagements) significantly increased in both student-led modalities. Variations in student enthusiasm did not correlate with written assessment scores. Alternating modalities improved interest in hydrologic science and perceptions of positive experiences, however, did not change the retention of hydrologic concepts. Multiple teaching modalities should be employed to engage the greatest number of students and generate enthusiasm, and multiple methods of assessing student learning should be employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical evidence is insufficient on the specific roles GIS learning plays in developing students' understanding various spatial concepts. The present study aims to draw attention to common struggles of learning some spatial concepts in geography and offer directions for future research on GIS learning and the development of student spatial concept lexicon. Three types of technical terms – neutral, helpful associations, and hindering associations – by Glessmer and Brose (2014) provided an excellent framework to explain why some concepts are more or less difficult for students to grasp. Our findings suggest that learning map scale and map projection are relatively easy because they are neutral and introduced as a new vocabulary. Overlay and density are terms provoking helpful associations because they carry a similar meaning in everyday language, so most students had no problems understanding the meaning of these concepts. Spatial association seemed to elicit unhelpful association because everyday use of the term, association, is not precise enough to define spatial association, resulting in students confused with other terms. Future research must be done in the context of GIS requiring students to be able to not only know spatial concepts but clearly articulate these concepts regarding various GIS applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides fresh empirical insights into the evolving nature of policy analytical capacity in Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand. We argue for a focus on the formal policy staff employed in government to provide greater conceptual clarity and empirical purchase regarding specific types of policy analytical resources linked to capacity. Using ten years of administrative data we chart the evolution of the size, composition, and distribution of formal public service policy staff in these cases. We find, contrary to expectations, that formal policy staff have increased in all four cases. Comparative analysis reveals not only uneven staffing capacity across government organizations, but also important developments in the seniority and distribution of staff in "analysts" and "managers" classifications. The findings are used to generate country profiles that demonstrate more nuanced patterns of policy analytical capacity change over time. The findings also raise important questions about shortcomings in how governments track and classify their policy staff, and their ability to effectively manage policy analytical resources in policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usually, work beyond retirement is seen as part of the active and healthy aging paradigm. However, during the work-to-retirement transition, some people can experience activity and value re-prioritization, which might align more closely with the theory of gerotranscendence. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to explore the concept of gerotranscendence in a group of retirement-aged workers (n = 219) and determine the relationship between gerotranscendence and motivation for work beyond retirement. To collect data, the Slovenian version of a 4-point Gerotranscendence Scale with 10 items (GTS-10) was used for the first time. Principal component analysis of the GTS-10 suggested that the internal structure of the Slovenian version of the GTS-10 corresponded to the original scale. Gerotranscendence was predicted by the presence of meaningful activities in a person's life (β = 0.184, p =.006) and uninterrupted pattern of life (β = 0.343, p <.001). The workers' motivation for prolonged work activity was influenced by a sense of autonomy and mastery engagement in work provided (β = 0.214, p =.008) as well as by Cosmic transcendence (β = 0.192, p =.005). Workers' social relations were characterized by enjoying being with others and meeting new people, which is contrary to the theory of gerotranscendence. The study suggests that gerotranscendence can be relevant in understanding workers' motivation for prolonged work activity. However, there might be nuances of the concept specific to the studied population and cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the OECD acts a broker of knowledge-making in the development of PISA, the most widely known International Large-Scale Assessment. Drawing on the work of Bandola-Gill, Grek, and Tichenor (2022) and analysing empirical data gathered through interviews with OECD staff and PISA contractors and experts, the paper analyses how the OECD brokers the making of comparative knowledge on learning outcomes. The paper does this by unpacking what counts as expertise in the making of PISA, and how the OECD manages and uses this expertise. Exploring the ways that international organizations broker experts and utilize expertise reveals how IOs first select experts and then delegate their expert-brokering role; they then seek to share the delegated process; and finally, take back expert-brokering and knowledge-production by creating, or decreeing, consensus. The paper also shows how expertise – beyond informing on a technical level – is used to shift scientific responsibilities and build global consensus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Moral injury is a potentially debilitating outcome of exposure to events involving transgressions against an individual's moral code. It is often observed in the context of PTSD; however, treatments that do not differentiate the two are often ineffective for moral injury, suggesting different mechanisms contribute to the conditions. The most widely accepted model of moral injury proposes an important role for self-discrepancy processes in generating and maintaining event-related distress, but this has yet to be examined. Methods: This study recruited 172 adults online who had been exposed to a potentially morally injurious event in the previous 5 years. Participants completed measures of event-related distress, PTSD, depression, and anxiety, as well as a self-discrepancy task involving subjective representations of their ideal, ought, and feared selves. Results: Multiple regression analyses found a small but significant relationship between self-discrepancy and event-related distress, with higher levels of ought self-discrepancy independently predicting higher event-related distress scores. Conclusions: This study provides the first empirical evidence of the relationship between self-discrepancy and moral injury. We identified the ought self as a domain of self-discrepancy salient to moral injury, further differentiating moral injury from PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores EU sectoral integration in the Eastern Neighbourhood. It shows that extant approaches to explaining EU meso-level engagement with third countries – differentiated integration and functional cooperation – fall short of capturing all dynamics at play. Drawing on the literature of 'Europeanisation,' it develops a novel conceptual framework for the study of EU sectoral integration entailing four avenues – rules, institutions, practices and knowledge – and two features – local ownership and cross-fertilisation. Through an in-depth empirical study of Frontex-Moldova relations, the article demonstrates that engagement in border management remains below the threshold of differentiated integration by precluding institutional inclusion but reaches beyond functional cooperation through combining integration concerning practices and knowledge. Furthermore, unlike differentiated integration, it allows for local ownership, and contrary to functional cooperation, it enables cross-fertilisation, even if these features are absent from the macro-level cooperation context. Thus, the article contributes to the refinement of the theoretical framework of European integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship is the property of Routledge 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.)

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances rapidly, it has been incorporated into formal education to facilitate subject-based learning. Integration of AI technologies to support learning requires teachers to intentionally design AI-assisted learning. However, there have been a limited number of empirical studies investigating teachers' behavioural intentions to design AI-assisted learning. To explore the predictors of teachers' behavioural intentions to design AI-assisted learning and examine the structural relationships among these factors, the authors constructed a structural model of AI literacy, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), technostress, school support, teacher agency, teacher autonomy and behavioural intentions. Data from 312 K–12 in-service teachers in China were analysed. The results suggest that TPACK, school support, teacher agency and teacher autonomy positively predict teachers' behavioural intentions to design AI-assisted learning. However, AI literacy and technostress were not statistically associated with teachers' behavioural intentions. On the other hand, TPACK significantly mediated AI literacy and teachers' behavioural intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What happens to democratic administration when populists come to power? This article depicts the contours of the debate within the discipline of Public Administration (PA) about populist attempts to transform the state bureaucracy. It presents the results and limitations of recent empirical research about populist public administration policies and discusses the options for generating more systematic insights. The argument is that populist public administration research needs to improve on three fronts. First, more comparative research is needed in order to identify and explain similarities and differences across affected administrative systems. Second, the threat of democratic backsliding requires scholars to revisit questions about the ethical basis of public administration. Third, as populist backsliding endangers the survival of liberal democracy, PA needs to provide pragmatic and concrete answers as to how administrative systems can be made resilient against threats of illiberal state transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homelessness and rough sleeping are currently on the rise in England. Literature evidences an empirical relationship between substance use disorders and offending behavior within homelessness. This qualitative study explores this relationship from the perspective of those currently experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders, with an offending history. Thematic analysis identified substance use disorders as the dominant factor in the continuous relationship between three. Furthermore, when discussing their experiences of prison, participants did not identify prison as a deterrent from committing offenses. Feelings of stigmatization and marginalization from mainstream society were also identified, but participants expressed feelings of social inclusion within their marginalized groups. These findings, and their implications for support services in the community, are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IMPACT: This article presents a tool to assess levels of financial information (FI) use by politicians—the FIU Index. The index provides a multidimensional perspective, whereby items of information used are combined with the main types of meetings where FI is discussed (annual budgets and accounts), and also with members of political bodies (local council, parliament, executive, government, political committee, etc.) in which FI is used. Entities may be ranked as below or above the average of those considered for the analysis each year. The FIU Index evidences the need for improvement, so that politicians can make the best use of FI to improve decision-making and dialogue with various stakeholders. The importance of making financial information (FI) available to politicians is well recognized. However, despite the recent attention by scholars to the use of FI in political contexts and by politicians, empirical research has failed to produce accurate tools to assess the degree to which politicians make use of FI. This exploratory study proposes a new tool to analyse levels of FI use—the FIU Index. The level of use is assessed by the number of times an FI term is mentioned by politicians. A test case using the new index in Portuguese municipalities illustrates its potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge 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.)

This study identifies the risks entailed in a service-oriented supply chain. By employing supply chain mapping, contingency, and Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) theories to elaborate a picture of the current knowledge, we were able to summarise and categorise the various risks into three main levels of cause. Next, these literature-based risks were narrowed down into a specific industry context and were then tested and confirmed using exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses to form an industry-oriented RBS for the construction business. The data were collected from 195 firms who participated in a large-scale survey sponsored by the Japanese Government to promote sustainable socio-economic development for the ASEAN region. As a result, seven risk categories related to demand, supply, operations, information, finance, time (delays) and external sources (human-made or natural-related) were identified and will be a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners. Furthermore, the relationship between identified risk and supply chain performance was explored. This paper is the first to introduce the concept and characteristics of a service-oriented supply chain by using a systematic review combined with a bibliometric mapping of the literature and an empirical study to generate both generic and industry-oriented RBSs in a single study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a distinct rural flavour to contemporary political discontent. Studies in the United States have found that rural populations feel politically neglected and resentful of city dwellers, resulting in significant partisan cleavages. Rural discontent and difference are enduring features of Australian federal politics, with rural populations often frustrated by their treatment from policy-makers in Canberra. To understand better contemporary rural discontent this article considers the views of those elected to represent rural people, rural MPs. It presents findings of an empirical study into how Australian federal rural MPs understand their role, their constituents, and the issues they face. Interviews reveal that the role of a rural MP is shaped by distance, by diverse people and localities, and by a sense that their constituents are misunderstood by urban Australians and policy-makers. The article considers how these interpretations of rural MPs intersect with sentiments of rural discontent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspectors are tasked with judging the quality of provision based on visits to schools. They conduct these inspections sequentially, completing one before moving on to the next. However, empirical research in a range of settings outside education suggests that prior judgements in a sequence can influence subsequent judgements, despite being logically irrelevant. We investigate whether school inspectors in England display such sequential bias by testing whether they judge similar schools differently, depending on the judgements they reached in prior inspections. We find only limited evidence of sequential bias in primary school inspections. In particular, an inspector reaching an ‘Inadequate’ judgement in their previous inspection is associated with a 42 per cent reduction in the odds of reaching another ‘Inadequate’ judgement in their next inspection. Only around 5 per cent of inspection judgements result in an ‘Inadequate’ and we do not find consistent evidence of sequential bias at other grades, meaning this bias only affects a small minority of judgements. We also do not find the same results for secondary schools, albeit in a much smaller sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the product space theory is applied to study regional technology and industry evolution, both the theory exploitation and practical application are not comprehensive and detailed enough. This article traces the connotation of 'density' in the product space theory, explains the micro-foundation of regional industrial upgrading from a firm's perspective, and abstracts industrial upgrading into four processes at two stages. Empirical research shows that an increase in related technological density (i.e. the average proximity of related technologies in a certain region) is beneficial for all processes of industrial upgrading. Marketization has a positive moderating effect on the static stage but a certain 'counterproductive' effect on the dynamic stage. Regional heterogeneity analysis shows that, on the whole, the industrial upgrading effect of the related technological density increase is relatively stronger on static processes but relatively weaker on dynamic processes in eastern China, and such results may be attributed to differences in regional resource dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDespite previous warnings against the use of the difference-in-coefficients method for estimating the indirect effect when the outcome in the mediation model is binary, the difference-in-coefficients method remains readily used in a variety of fields. The continued use of this method is presumably because of the lack of awareness that this method conflates the indirect effect estimate and non-collapsibility. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate the problems associated with the difference-in-coefficients method for estimating indirect effects for mediation models with binary outcomes. We provide a formula that decomposes the difference-in-coefficients estimate into (1) an estimate of non-collapsibility, and (2) an indirect effect estimate. We use a simulation study and an empirical data example to illustrate the impact of non-collapsibility on the difference-in-coefficients estimate of the indirect effect. Further, we demonstrate the application of several alternative methods for estimating the indirect effect, including the product-of-coefficients method and regression-based causal mediation analysis. The results emphasize the importance of choosing a method for estimating the indirect effect that is not affected by non-collapsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the pervasive integration of technology into everyday life and its importance in mitigating the negative consequences of global crises, an understanding of human adaptation and preceding cognitive abilities remains highly relevant. A systematic review synthesising empirical findings on the association of executive functions (EFs) and the adaptation to new technologies is currently lacking in the literature. The presented pre-registered, systematic review adheres to PRISMA 2020 guidelines and aims to extract the current state of research on this topic [Registration DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/MKA82]. Empirical studies investigating the influence of EFs on human adaptation were eligible for inclusion, resulting in 11 studies and 3,733 participants among PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Results suggest an enhancing influence of EFs on the adaptation to new technologies, although findings were partially mixed. Inconsistent findings and the performed risk of bias assessment point toward a need for further high-quality research, e.g. on the influence of technological context. A model of possible covariates was proposed that provides guidance for a structured investigation of the process of human adaptation to technology. This review contributes to a better understanding of the association between EFs and human adaptation to new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports on two empirical studies that provide the first examination into how the presentation of an AI teammate's identity, responsibility, and capability impacts humans' perception surrounding AI teammate adoption before interacting as teammates. Study 1's results indicated that AI teammates are accepted when they share equal responsibility on a task with humans, but other perceptions such as job security generally decline the more responsibility AI teammates have. Study 1 also revealed that identifying an AI as a tool instead of a teammate can have small benefits to human perceptions of job security and adoption. Study 2 revealed that the negative impacts of increasing responsibility can be mitigated by presenting AI teammates' capabilities as being endorsed by coworkers and one's own past experience. This paper discusses how to use these results to best balance the presentation of AI teammates' capabilities and responsibilities, as well as identifying AI as teammates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of regional branding on the dual innovation of agriculture-related enterprises (AREs). Based on data from 298 Chinese AREs, the study constructs a mediated moderation model. The results indicate that, first, the regional branding of AREs enhances their political legitimacy and market legitimacy, which in turn promote their exploratory and exploitative innovation. Second, government support positively moderates the effect of regional branding on AREs’ exploitative innovation. Third, government support increases the impact of regional branding on the exploratory innovation of AREs with a low industry status relative to AREs with a high industry status. This paper expands the application of institutional theory and provides suggestions on corporate decision-making on regional branding and dual innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes penalized Mallow's model averaging (pMMA) in the linear regression framework given non nested candidate models. Compared to the MMA, additional constraints are imposed on model weights. We introduce a general framework and allow for non convex constraints such as SCAD, MCP, and TLP. We establish the asymptotic optimality of our proposed penalized MMA (pMMA) estimator and show that the pMMA can achieve a higher sparsity level than the classic MMA. A coordinate-wise descent algorithm has been developed to compute the pMMA estimator efficiently. We conduct simulation and empirical studies to show that our pMMA estimator produces a more sparse weight vector than the MMA, but with better out-of-sample performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic literature offers several distinct explanations for the raising income inequality observed in several countries. In the debate about the causes of inequality a growing strand of research focuses on the effects of taxation on income inequality. We contribute to this literature by providing a systematic empirical account of the relationship between income inequality and personal income taxation (PIT) for a set of countries over the period 1981–2005. In order to take alternative explanations into account and to isolate the effects of tax progressivity, we include a wide range of control variables. We address potential reverse causality between inequality and PIT by using the variation in tax schedules of neighbouring countries. Our results confirm a statistically significant negative association between the progressivity of PIT and income inequality. Overall, we find that especially the average and the marginal tax rate have the potential to reduce income inequality. This finding is qualitatively robust across various different empirical specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTwo types of happiness (eudaimonia and hedonia) could potentially be leveraged to trigger pro-environmental tourist behaviour while preserving or even enhancing guest satisfaction. Hedonia (sensory/immediate pleasure) is commonly considered a barrier to pro-environmental behaviour on vacation, while eudaimonia (fulfilment/growth) is generally thought to prompt pro-environmental behaviour. Whether, and in what way, hedonia and eudaimonia are associated with pro-environmental behaviour in tourism, remains empirically untested. This study assesses—for the first time—the empirical relationship of hedonia and eudaimonia with stated pro-environmental behaviour in both an imagined home and vacation context to determine tourism-specific context dependence. Eudaimonia emerges as being highly related to tourist pro-environmental behaviour, suggesting a promising leverage point for pro-environmental behaviour change interventions. Contrary to popular belief, there is no empirical evidence of hedonia being associated with tourist pro-environmental behaviour, suggesting it may not represent a barrier to such behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues for a deeper understanding of the forms of streaming platform infrastructures as imagined and experienced by audiences. The empirical research is based on a qualitative audience study in Southeast Asia. Through the use of drawings of streaming platform maps, combining visual and interview methods, the article analyses visual forms depicting the infrastructures for global streaming platforms, e.g. Netflix, alongside transnational platforms and national cable channels, e.g. Astro. Out of this original research, a core finding is that audiences from the global south have multi-layered experiences of streaming platform infrastructures, technologies and lifestyles. A new concept of streaming platform imaginaries is developed in relation to the layering of platform infrastructures, thus contributing to a nuanced understanding of both real and imagined forms of streaming platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting bubbles in asset prices is still an open question that has attracted considerable attention in recent years. This paper improves the bubble detection and dating approaches developed in recent years by Phillips and co-authors, proposing to assess the plausibility of its outcomes via the false discovery rate (FDR) and the false non-discovery rate (FNR) based on calibrated p-values. Calibrating p-values of unit root tests, applied sequentially to detect bubbles, allows recovery of their super-uniformity property, which is crucial for a valid implementation of the inferential procedure. The paper also develops original self-calibrated versions of both FDR and FNR for the specific problem of bubble testing. Calibrated p-values are implemented in an online false discovery-based approach which monitors bubbles in real time. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is investigated via a simulation study and an empirical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition today has become a central policy imperative in higher education. Connected to resource efficiency and scarcity, it remains closely attached to the idea of the market but reaches beyond when related to positional or status orders. In the higher education literature such varieties of competition – as distinct social processes – are still under-investigated. In drawing on common references to competition in the literature and empirical examples the paper identifies and outlines two separable forms: market and field competition. The distinction shows that there are fundamental differences in the way competition in higher education plays out which should not be viewed merely as variations of market settings. To outline the differences among the two forms the paper follows a two-step iterative process. The paper first highlights a time-bound analytical problem in common market-references. Drawing on empirical work by Michel Callon it specifies market competition as the construction, singularisation and detachment of a good. As empirical examples from the German higher education case show, such singularisation and detachment are rarely complete, competition rather operates through the attachment of universities to status-consecrating intermediaries, as analysed in the status competition literature. In a second step, the paper outlines the main premises of status competition but also its lack of a comprehensive frame that could qualify it as a distinct form of competition. The 'field' fills this void by providing a selective relational space on which universities can act and observe themselves competing, reinforced by multiple intermediaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this editorial we highlight the need for empirical studies into the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare and social work settings, especially studies which are theoretically informed by critical social science studies of risk and uncertainty. In setting out the importance of interpretative and critical traditions for research into such AI-oriented forms of risk work, we propose three important conceptual lines of inquiry which empirical studies might follow. First, we sketch ways in which the enactment of AI in healthcare work may be changing how risk is handled amid professional decision-making, and creating new categories of patient/service-user. Patients may be evaluated as being at lower or higher risk depending, respectively, upon their engagement or non-engagement with AI-technologies. These questions of (non-)engagement lead us to consider, second, the trust and distrust dynamics around AI-technologies, exploring the potential inequalities that can emerge as a result of (non) engagement. We then consider drivers of this technological embrace in terms of hope and magical thinking in technological-imaginaries, connecting these cultural tendencies to broader structures of ideology and political-economic interests. We conclude this editorial with a plea to social scientists to be cautious to avoid both techno-optimistic narratives and alarmist warnings regarding the implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Instead, we argue that our focus should be a theoretically informed and detailed examining of how expectations (pertaining to risk, trust, and hope) materialise in practice, particularly in the daily experiences of those who develop and enact AI technologies in care settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature reveals that immigrant-serving nonprofits enact an array of strategies that contribute to local policy and other immigrant inclusion outcomes. Yet this empirical relationship has not been systemically and holistically examined across contexts. Drawing on 30 qualitative interviews with immigrant-serving nonprofit practitioners operating throughout various U.S. cities, I specified over 100 strategies that organizations employ to contribute to immigrants' rights, legal and cultural inclusion in society. To illustrate this relationship, I advanced a strategy typology highlighting the range and scale of strategies operating in the organizational field. Research, policy, and practice implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of maps to ‘mislead’ is flagged as an ethical issue in the academic literature and beyond. This potential resurfaced in discussions around COVID-19 mapping practices. Using Alvesson and Sandberg’s (2020) problematizing review framework, we explore what assumptions are made about the map user and map engagement context when a disease map, or mapping or distribution practice is labelled as misleading, and how this conceptualization can be both a help and a hindrance for studying (engagement with) public health maps. We argue that further empirical research and theoretical development are needed to better understand map-based misleadingness in the context of public health crises, and that the label of misleadingness should be used with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed leadership has become one of the most popular and important leadership models in the West, particularly in the field of education. However, both theoretical and empirical research into distributed leadership in the Chinese Higher Education context is rare. This dearth of literature on the subject has motivated the authors to carry out a research project focusing, from a Chinese perspective, on distributed leadership at the departmental level in one Chinese university. This article aims to determine the extent to which leadership is distributed at the departmental level, and the mechanism of leadership distribution in the Chinese context through the perceptions of Chinese Heads and other members of their departments. By conducting mixed methods research, which comprises questionnaires followed by semi-structured interviews, the findings of this study suggest that although the organizational structure is primarily hierarchical, leadership has been distributed to some extent within the departments. Leadership responsibilities are distributed mainly through formal distribution, and also through other top-down approaches, such as pragmatic and incremental distribution, implying the beginning of the practice of distributed leadership. The findings also suggest that leadership in this Chinese context is distributed through allocative practice, which is seen as more appropriate for centralized contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One conception of philosophy's role vis-à-vis religious studies is that of uncovering the 'conditions of the possibility' of approaches such as the history, psychology, or sociology of religion. Bernard Lonergan, for example, regarded philosophy of religion as 'underpinning' and 'overarching' other approaches; hence Jim Kanaris designated Lonergan's conception of philosophy of religion a 'philosophy of religious studies'. Without simply rejecting the latter conception, this article explicates an alternative, according to which philosophy of religion has much to learn from other approaches. Indeed, attentiveness to empirical studies is one means of overcoming a fixation on an abstract 'theism'. Engaging critically though sympathetically with work by Kevin Schilbrack and Timothy Knepper, and expounding the notion of critical description in philosophy of religion, the article makes conceptual space for a critically reciprocal philosophy of religious studies; this downplays the evaluation of 'religious reason-giving' while emphasizing self-criticality and reflection upon interdisciplinary methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a thematic issue consisting of six articles that apply philosophical reflection to the study of religion, showcasing the potential of an emerging subdiscipline: the philosophy of religious studies. This article discusses the kinds of questions raised within this subdiscipline, addresses the disconnect between philosophy and the study of religion, and offers an opinionated overview of the six contributions to the issue. It ends by defending the employment of philosophical tools in the academic study of religion while maintaining an emphasis on the empirical nature of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigration in Africa has increased significantly in the past two decades, with a record number of people moving to Africa from other non-African countries as well as Africans moving to other countries on the continent. This increase in immigration requires an empirical exploration to understand how Africans feel and think about immigrants. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to explore Africans' willingness to accept immigrants and foreign workers into their neighbourhoods. Analyzing large-scale data from more than 45,000 citizens across 34 countries, we examined individual- and country-level factors using a multilevel hierarchical linear approach. At the individual level, our analysis revealed that gender, religious affiliation, nationalism, fear of extremism, and security are important indicators of Africans' willingness to live with immigrants in their neighbourhoods. While we did not observe any effect for country-level economic variables, it was revealed that regional location was a vital consideration. These observations are helpful in understanding immigration in Africa as well as offering insights for policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the findings of a new qualitative study conducted in 28 European countries, examining barriers to cultural participation as perceived by representatives of organisations of people with disabilities. The study explores barriers operating in all art-forms as well as in cultural heritage, and it encompasses participation of people with a broad range of disability types both as audiences and as creators of culture. The article evidences that a range of interlinked barriers are commonly perceived by people with disabilities in five areas – lack of effective laws and policies; inadequate services and/or funding; negative attitudes; lack of accessibility; and lack of involvement of persons with disabilities in cultural organisations. The article argues for more systematic approaches to enforcement of laws and policies, for greater knowledge about disability to be embedded within cultural organisations and policymaking, and for employment of people with disabilities at all levels within cultural sectors. Points of interest: This article presents research on participation by people with disabilities in cultural life (such as theatre, cinema, libraries, etc.) from 28 European countries. This research sought the views of people representing organisations of people with disabilities, of Deaf people and of organisations working on arts and disability. It found that several barriers to participation (as audiences and artists) exist in all countries considered and across all disability types. It identifies and categorises barriers operating in five areas – lack of effective laws and policies; inadequate services and/or funding; negative attitudes; lack of accessibility; and lack of involvement of persons with disabilities in cultural organisations. The research highlights the need for existing laws to be fully applied and enforced, and for good practice, where it exists, to be made more widely known. It also shows that cultural organisations and policy-makers need to acquire greater knowledge about disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through cluster analysis, this study seeks to identify various clusters that differ in the level of self-focused and other-focused caring (e.g., autonomy and pro-sociality) and to contrast the happiness and life satisfaction among them. This approach is based on the notion that unifying autonomy and pro-sociality is more advantageous than separating them for well-being, which follows the theories and empirical studies. The World Value Survey dataset (N = 76897; Mage = 43.02, SD = 16.37) is used, which uses random probability representative adult samples from 51 countries or territories. Results suggest that autonomy and pro-sociality both have distinct implications for happiness and life satisfaction. Four distinct clusters are identified: autonomous (high self-focused and low other-focused), prosocial (low self-focused and high other-focused), flourished (high self-focused and high other-focused), and indifferent (low self-focused and low other-focused). In terms of indicators of well-being, the flourished group has the highest levels of happiness and life satisfaction, followed by the autonomous group, the prosocial group, and the indifferent group. It appears that individuals who exhibit both high self-focused and high other-focused caring attain the greatest well-being. The implications, limitations, and potential directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Security and privacy have become major issues. Although no one seriously claims that privacy and security are identical, most sources treat them as if they are. Differentiating between privacy and security is essential, for example, in those situations where there is a trade-off between the two concepts, or when a regulator imposes rules concerning privacy or security or both. Moreover, differentiation can support the selection of proper means of defence. Therefore, there is a gap between the need to differentiate and the availability of an appropriate methodology to do so. This article introduces a robust methodology for differentiating between privacy and security, based on four basic components: the target of the attack, the nature of the cost, the presence of a trade-off, and the existence of consent. Since many situations involve both privacy and security, the methodology ranks their level independently. The research addresses several goals: alignment with the prevalent definitions and concepts in the literature; achieving objectivity; and a non-dichotomous classification. The application of this methodology was demonstrated in an empirical study with $n = 155$ n = 155 valid participants. The empirical study indicated significant differences between intuitive classification and methodology-based classification, thereby emphasising the need for this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Phubbing' refers to the phenomenon where people ignore social partners in a face-to-face situation by focusing on their phones. Narcissism, a personality trait characterised by entitled self-importance, has strong influences on interpersonal relationships. As the mechanism through which narcissism may affect the development of phubbing is unclear and most relevant studies have been conducted in Western countries, we proposed and empirically tested a theoretical model that links narcissism to phubbing in China. Chinese participants (N = 322; 181 women and 141 men) completed a survey in the Chinese language. Path analyses largely confirmed the proposed hypothetical model. The main findings showed that vulnerable narcissism directly predicted more phubbing behaviour and also indirectly via increased social anxiety, preference for online social interaction (POSI), social media use (SMU) for mood regulation, and compulsive SMU. Also, grandiose narcissism indirectly predicted less phubbing behaviour via reduced social anxiety, POSI, SMU for mood regulation, and compulsive SMU. The findings, therefore, elucidate the mechanisms by which the two subtypes of narcissism differentially predispose people to phubbing in China, with vulnerable narcissism predisposing people to more phubbing and grandiose narcissism to less phubbing. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a systematic review of 38 empirical studies about big ideas published between 2010 and 2022 in various disciplines. The review scrutinised the conceptualisation of the big idea in the identified studies and its application in educational practices such as standards, curricula, textbooks, school-based curriculum reforms, and classroom teaching. Additionally, the review synthesised the benefits and challenges of incorporating big ideas into classroom instruction in different subject areas, followed by a methodological review that identified and compared the research approaches employed in the literature. The critical analysis of key findings indicates that the implementation of big ideas in education is still in its infancy stage, with complex issues surrounding its practice and research. These challenges include exploring how big ideas-based education can advance educational equity, addressing deficiencies in assessment strategies and activities, bridging gaps in research evidence concerning the effectiveness of big ideas-based instruction, and assisting teachers in identifying and teaching big ideas through teacher education. The review offers practical recommendations to address these challenges in big ideas-based education and proposes directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the overlap among author-furnished keywords, Library of Congress Subject Headings and a consolidated controlled vocabulary for articles published in Annals of Library & Information Studies, published by NISCAIR from 2018 to 2023, India. The study focuses on the effectiveness of controlled vocabulary for keyword generation. The work is intended to contribute to the literature on author keywords versus keyword standardization in measuring information retrieval efficacy in real-time. The aggregated controlled vocabulary constructed for this study provided a positive result, showing the usefulness and requirements of such a robust controlled vocabulary. The study reflects the extended views of thesauri for a standard author keyword suggester or recommender system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper applies a scoping review of k = 16 empirical studies from nine countries and three continents that aim at an empirical investigation of teachers' ICT integration in lesson plans as part of their professional competence. We summarise the results into four sections: conceptualisations, study design, measurement instruments, and key findings of studies. Although most studies predominantly relate their conceptualisations on the TPACK model, they go beyond in addressing ICT integration in lesson plans as a skill, using various measurement instruments. We therefore link key findings of studies to the teacher competence discourse, highlighting ICT integration in lesson plans as a situation-specific skill of teachers, being predicted by teacher knowledge and beliefs and predicting observable teacher performance in class. Moreover, intervention studies inform about the change of ICT integration in lesson plans effected by learning opportunities both in initial teacher education and in teacher professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeless families include children whose experiences of homelessness and extreme poverty can have long-term negative impacts over the life course. This paper proposes a resource-orientated causal explanation of the mechanisms of family homelessness in Australia. Given the critical role of poverty in housing insecurity, the model explains why some families living in extreme poverty and disadvantage become homeless and others do not. The research is positioned within a critical realist approach to theoretical causal explanation. It is influenced by interdisciplinary literature and psychologist Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources theory. Previously published empirical analysis informs and supports the development of this theoretical model. Families use their resources to mitigate challenges to their housing security. However, disadvantage limits their accumulation of resources, contributes to accelerating resource loss, and constrains their capacity to act. An acute lack of affordable housing and insufficient welfare payments to secure private rental accommodation severely impacts a family's capacity to navigate crises and avoid homelessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who experience symptoms of autoimmune diseases often have to struggle for illness recognition. Women experiencing such symptoms face additional challenges as their accounts of pain are frequently treated with skepticism. This study examines experiences of people living with Sjögren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is primarily diagnosed in women, by conducting an analysis of individual vlogs posted on YouTube using the themes of gender, chronic illness and neoliberal governmentality. Sjögren's Syndrome is the second most common rheumatic disease after rheumatoid arthritis and affects nearly 4 million people in the United States alone. An analysis of 70 vlogs posted by people living with the disease revealed the challenges faced by them including diagnostic delays and perceived attitudinal biases amongst medical professionals, especially in the context of the gender of the patients. Apart from highlighting the impact of the disease on their gendered roles, the vloggers urged viewers to conduct their own research on the disease and advocate for themselves during interactions with physicians. The study illuminates how dissatisfaction with healthcare services reinforces neoliberal rationalities such as individual advocacy, resilience and self-labor. The findings of the study delineate the role of neoliberal governmentality in making self-management of chronic illnesses such as Sjögren's Syndrome an internalized ideal for women living with the disease. Additionally, the study provides empirical evidence of the need for addressing the medical and socio-cultural factors that contribute to delays in the diagnosis and management of Sjögren's Syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]