The article discusses the glocalized socio-spatial form of European production as socially crisis-ridden. Combining literature from transnational production network theory, critical political ...economy, labour process theory and feminist geography the article shows that a European production regime has developed which is based on the transnationalization of economic and competitive parameters on the one hand and multiscalar social fragmentation of labour processes on the other. Its very logic is, hence, functional economic integration based on labour's socio-spatial disintegration. The regime pushes for what we can call the feminization of work because it systematically cuts the former, patriarchal and uneven connection between waged work and socio-political integration. As feminist debates show, progressive perspectives have to be transnational and multiscalar and they have to include fundamental questions about the concept and status of work in society.
Plant invasions are closely related to environmental filtering and biointeractions; however, the variations in invasive plant niches along latitudinal gradients in heterogeneous habitats remain ...unclear. In this study, we conducted a two-year survey in China spanning 21° N-37° N to explore the niche characteristics of plant species within communities invaded by the amphibious alien weed Alternanthera philoxeroides in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats as well as their latitudinal trends. We found that A. philoxeroides had the greatest niche breadth in the studied communities. The species pairs with the highest niche similarity were A. philoxeroides-Digitaria sanguinalis in terrestrial communities and Cyperus rotundus-Kyllinga brevifolia in aquatic communities. The niche similarity between A. philoxeroides and its accompanying species in terrestrial habitats was significantly higher than that in aquatic habitats (t = 5.954; p < 0.001). The niche breadth of A. philoxeroides had no obvious latitudinal trend, while the niche breadth of its accompanying species in the terrestrial community significantly decreased with increasing latitude (Fsub.7, 57 = 4.364, p = 0.001). In the terrestrial communities, the niche similarity between A. philoxeroides and its accompanying species significantly decreased with increasing latitude (Fsub.7, 57 = 3.671, p = 0.003), while the niche overlap significantly increased with increasing latitude (Fsub.7, 57 = 8.916, p < 0.001). However, the aquatic species' niche characteristics had no obvious latitudinal trends. These findings indicated that habitat heterogeneity significantly affected the species' niche characteristics in A. philoxeroides-invaded communities. Environmental filtering at low latitudes allowed the invasive and accompanying species to evolve similar niches, while the cold climate at high latitudes increased the niche overlap between the invader and accompanying species. Our findings are crucial for predicting the dynamics of invasive plant communities under global change and for understanding the mechanisms of species coexistence.
According to the master commemorative narrative of the EU, the European integration project represents a break with the violent European past characterised by fragmentation and nationalism, which ...culminated in World War Two and the crimes of Nazism and Stalinism. However, recent scholarship has criticised the omission of 19th and 20th-century European colonialism from the memory narratives advanced by the EU. In this article, I use the permanent exhibition in the House of European History (HEH) in Brussels to take this insight one step further and make two arguments. Firstly, I show that it is not only colonialism that is erased from official memory but, more broadly, empires and imperialism, although most European history over the past 2000 years was imperial. Secondly, I understand this "imperial amnesia" as an anxiety-controlling mechanism aimed at reducing the dissonance between the self-proclaimed image of a normative and civilian power on the one hand and imperial-like tendencies in its behaviour on the other. Keywords: European Union, empire, memories, memory, history
This article thoroughly examines the influence of digital transformation on the efficiency of corporate supply chains. As global economic integration accelerates and technological innovations deepen, ...digital transformation has become key to enhancing core corporate competitiveness. This research, utilizing data from A-share listed companies in China between 2007 and 2022, analyzes how companies improve supply chain efficiency through digital transformation. Furthermore, the study establishes a theoretical framework that demonstrates how digital transformation facilitates supply chain efficiency from the perspectives of internal governance and external competition. The research indicates that digital transformation plays a key role in significantly enhancing supply chain efficiency. Furthermore, the results of the mechanism analysis confirmed that digital transformation contributes to enhancing corporate supply chain efficiency by improving the level of corporate governance and the degree of market competition. The study also finds that the effect of digital transformation on supply chain efficiency varies with different corporate backgrounds, indicating its heterogeneous impact. Lastly, an analysis of economic consequences shows that the increased supply chain efficiency resulting from digital transformation can reduce future external transaction costs, strengthening the company's market position and financial performance. This research provides strategic guidance for firms to develop robust strategies amid the digital wave and offers strong policy recommendations for promoting digital supply chain management and enhancing market adaptability.
In our study, we introduce indicators that quantify the influence of each country in complex trade scenarios involving the exchange of raw materials, intermediate goods, and final products across ...multiple countries. We systematically employ an agent-based model to simulate the propagation of failures from one node to the entire network. This approach allows for the assessment of the impact of each country and the identification of patterns of interaction in the multi-step trade network. Unlike conventional analyses of trade networks, which depict straightforward single-step import/export transactions, our approach captures the intricate realities of processes like raw material procurement, production, and sales in numerous countries from a macroscopic perspective. The findings of our analysis of trade data spanning from 1990 to 2022 reveal several key insights. Firstly, sensitivity to changes in trade volume leading to global failures within interconnected networks has intensified over time. The potential of failure propagation across countries has increased over time, as has the interconnectedness of countries in the global trade landscape. Secondly, despite the increased sensitivity to changes in global trade volume, many countries have become less vulnerable to the influence of others within their multi-step trade networks. This trend aligns with deglobalization, which is evidenced by events such as Brexit and the surge in protectionist measures; these changes indicate a shift in the balance of influence within global trade networks. Thirdly, the results of our analysis of the relationship between load changes and global failures from a regional perspective reveal an intriguing phenomenon: despite limited direct trade connectivity, the interaction between the Latin American and Sub-Saharan African regions is considerable. This suggests the existence of hidden connections between intermediary countries, such that one region's actions can alter the load sensitivity of another, impacting them in unforeseen ways. Furthermore, intra-regional interactions are diminishing in East Asia, while Europe is experiencing a gradual increase in interactions. These trends reflect evolving regional influence, the dynamics of geographic proximity, and the results of economic integration efforts. Additionally, even though the observed period was not long enough to confirm a long-term trend, the previous trend direction was affirmed to persist despite a temporary decrease in trading and reduced sensitivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study highlights the complexity of global trade dynamics and the need to consider multi-step trade networks and their potential cascading effects when analyzing trade patterns and vulnerabilities.
The AfCFTA continues to be celebrated as a game-changer in African regional integration and its 54 member states; a combined 1,2 billion people (expected to reach 2,5 billion by 2050) and US$2,5 ...trillion in gross domestic product (GDP). Empirical studies done by the Economic Commission for Africa have established that the AfCFTA will increase the value of intra-African trade by 15per cent to 25 per cent (US$50 billion to US$70 billion) more in terms of trade in 2040, compared to what the figure will be if AfCFTA is not in place. Despite the high expectations and optimism, there exist genuine and legitimate political, economic, structural and technical factors that may prevent effective implementation of the AfCFTA. Using secondary data sources, this article critically examines whether the AfCFTA indeed signals a new era for African integration or is another grandiose razzmatazz. The concept of regional economic integration provides a conceptual framework of analysis. The article identifies salient issues that have to be addressed by African countries in their individual capacities or collectively in order to successfully implement the AfCFTA.
Abstract Miriam Camps (1916–1994) was a US diplomat, journalist, economist, and scholar. Involved in the design of early postwar European integration organizations at the State Department in the ...1940s, she remained at the center of US foreign policy formulation toward Europe until the late 1960s. Her practical experience as a formal and informal diplomat—from the late 1950s, Camps was affiliated with elite foreign policy think tanks—informed her output as a scholar. Like other female international thinkers and experts, she was well known in her time, but her contribution to both US foreign policy and scholarship on European integration has since been largely overlooked by historians of European integration and international relations scholars. This article explores Camps’ scholarship and her contribution to the field of European Studies. It asks why we know so little about Camps and advocates revisiting early European integration research and integrate individuals with more variegated careers into the founding history of the discipline.
Logistics channel is the lifeblood to ensure that logistics serves the circulation inside and outside the region, and to realize regional economic integration, it greatly contributes to the ...implementation of the national unified market strategy. As the government plays an important role in the construction of logistics channels, this paper further clarifies the effect of government participation and support policies by defining the role and functions of the government in the construction of logistics channels. Based on the evolutionary game theory, the paper reveals the equilibrium conditions of logistics channel construction under the market mechanism and government guidance under the assumption of bounded rationality. We construct an evolutionary game model among participating stakeholders, then study the evolutionary stability strategy of logistics channel participation behavior using the stability theorem for the model's differential equations. In order to explore the dynamic evolution process of both parties' choices under the two modes, we investigates the influence of the initial intention, cooperative income, cost proportion, penalty coefficient and construction cost of participating enterprises on both parties' strategic decisions under the market mechanism and government guidance modes through numerical simulation. We find that: (1) under the market mechanism and government guidance modes, there is a game equilibrium in the participation behavior of logistics enterprises in the national unified market, and that the conditions for realizing the equilibrium of cooperation among stakeholders under the guidance of the government are easier to meet; (2) The initial intentions of the two players in the game along the logistics channel influence each other, and government participation can change the effects of cooperative income, the penalty coefficient and construction cost on the system game strategy, which has a positive effect on the channel construction; (3) At the same time the simulation shows that the government's promotion effect has certain limitations, and the government should provide reasonable guidance to prevent enterprises from hindering the healthy development of logistics channels. This study provides a theoretical reference for the government and logistics enterprises, especially relying on logistics channels to support the regional coordination of national unified market development.
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