Open Access Books

A transdisciplinary history of the 20th-century office, exploring how its spatial forms, technological systems and managerial ideologies were constructed, challenged and lived with. Throughout the twentieth century, office buildings became central to the organisation of societies – yet what went on inside them has remained remarkably understudied. Behind Office Doors explores this history by focusing on users and everyday practices. It examines how office spaces were conceived by architects, designers and managers, and how they were inhabited, experienced and contested by workers. From filing cabinets and air conditioning to EU offices and colonial bureaucracies, the chapters trace how design, technology and organisational thinking shaped office life. Alongside case studies on Europe, North America, Asia and colonial Africa, the contributions reflect on how the office has been approached in historiography. Drawing on cross-disciplinary research, this book argues for the development of historical office studies, showing how the design and management of offices have shaped cultures of work.

The Global Financial Crisis revealed that systemic fragility arises not only from identifiable risks but also from systemic uncertainty – the endogenous and often unpredictable dynamics that build up within financial systems and amplify across time and space. More than a decade later, this dual challenge remains pressing as the rising inequality and geopolitical insecurity have underscored the vulnerability of interconnected economies and societies. This book illustrates how agent-based modelling (ABM) can enrich the study of crises, systemic risk and uncertainty, and the distributional effects of policies that are designed to contain them. Rather than treating crises as external shocks, the book highlights how fragility can emerge endogenously within economies that are understood as complex, evolving systems. Through clear explanations and targeted applications, it not only demonstrates how ABM can capture the effects of macroprudential regulation on the real economy and inequality and shed light on moments of financial instability but also provides a practical guide to building such data-driven models in the first place. At the same time, it situates these insights within a broader discussion of contagion, procyclicality and global financial regulation, thus connecting the modelling results with ongoing debates on how best to safeguard financial stability. Further, it offers a valuable synthesis of lessons learned from advanced economies, illustrating how institutional design and macroprudential policy can strengthen financial resilience while also generating significant redistributive effects across sectors and households. The book is primarily aimed at an academic audience of scholars and advanced students in economics, finance and computational social science. It will also appeal to professionals in central banks, regulators and policymakers engaged in designing and evaluating macroprudential frameworks. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Les passeurs de révolte dont il est question dans ce livre sont les étudiants et intellectuels étrangers et postcoloniaux en France dans les années 1968. Ces étudiants et intellectuels constituent des voix singulières et déploient des discours et des répertoires d’action qui leur sont propres dans les contestations des années 1968. Certes, leur grammaire protestataire peut se fondre dans celle de l’ensemble des révoltés (tractage, affichage, pétitions, manifestations, occupations de locaux, etc.) mais certaines revendications leur sont spécifiques. C’est le cas des discours profitant de la tribune offerte par les mobilisations pour informer, alerter et mobiliser autour des luttes sociales et politiques des pays dont ces étudiants sont originaires (Maroc, Tunisie, Argentine, etc.). C’est aussi le cas des discours revendiquant un statut égal à celui des étudiants nationaux, que l’on retrouve au cœur des demandes de la Tricontinentale. Ce livre s’inscrit dans une historiographie des années 1968, profondément renouvelée depuis une dizaine d’années à l’aune de la question globale. L’histoire des mobilisations sociales et politiques des années 1968 invite en effet désormais à interroger concrètement « les lieux et les moments de “passage”, les “passeurs” et bien sûr “ce qui passe”, textes idées, modèles, répertoires d’action » (Boris Gobille). C’est de cela qu’il est question ici : du rôle et de la place des étudiants et intellectuels étrangers dans les processus d’internationalisation des révoltes.

Im Rahmen des Projekts Duncker & Humblot reprints heben wir Schätze aus dem Programm der ersten rund 150 Jahre unserer Verlagsgeschichte, von der Gründung 1798 bis zum Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs 1945. Lange vergriffene Klassiker und Fundstücke aus den Bereichen Rechts- und Staatswissenschaften, Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Geschichte, Philosophie und Literaturwissenschaft werden nach langer Zeit wieder verfügbar gemacht – und zwar sowohl gedruckt als auch in elektronischer Form. Einige Titel sind bereits erschienen. Täglich kommen weitere hinzu. Bis Ende des Jahres wird das »Duncker & Humblot reprints«-Programm auf ca. 1.500 Bände anwachsen. Möchten Sie regelmäßig über Neuerscheinungen aus dem reprints-Programm informiert werden? Dann abonnieren Sie unseren E-Mail-Benachrichtigungsdienst.

Biomimetic polymers and materials have been widely used in a variety of biomedical and pharmacological applications. Particularly, collagen-based biomaterials have been extensively applied in various biomedical fields, such as scaffolds in tissue engineering. However, there are many challenges associated with the use of mammalian collagen, including the issues of religious constrains, allergic or autoimmune reactions, and the spread of animal diseases. Over the past few decades, marine collagen (MC) has emerged as a promising biomaterial for biomedical and pharmacological applications. Marine organisms are a rich source of structurally novel and biologically active compounds, and to date, many biological components have been isolated from various marine resources. MC offers advantages over mammalian collagen due to its water solubility, low immunogenicity, safety, biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity, functionality, and low production costs. Due to its characteristics and physicobiochemical properties, it has tremendous potential for use as a scaffold biomaterial in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, in drug delivery systems, and as a therapeutic. In this Special Issue, we encourage submissions related to the recent developments, advancements, trends, challenges, and future perspectives in this new research field. We expect to receive contributions from different areas of multidisciplinary research, including—but not restricted to—extraction, purification, characterization, fabrication, and experimentation of MC, with a particular focus on their biotechnological, biomedical and pharmacological uses.

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is a well-known, cytoprotective enzyme, responsible for the enzymatic conversion of heme into the anti-apoptotic and antioxidant by-products, biliverdin, bilirubin and carbon monoxide. However, HO-1 also regulates responses via mechanisms that are independent of the generation of heme degradation products. The current Special Issue contains research and review articles on the effect of heme oxygenase on immune-related cellular and physiological cascades and functions including effects on innate immunity, adaptive immunity, inflammation and complement activation. A description of the role of HO-1 in immune regulation directly or via its by-products is depicted on various forms of infection, viral and bacterial, immune-mediated injury such as renal injury, allergic airway inflammation, cancer and metabolism. Thus, the current Special Issue aims to serve as a detailed, analytical and up-to-date guide of the recent advances on the immunomodulatory properties of HO-1.

The landscape of healthcare is dynamic, gradually becoming more complicated with factors beyond simple supply and demand. Similar to the diversity of social, political and economic contexts, the practical utilization of healthcare resources also varies around the world. However, the spatial components of these contexts, along with aspects of supply and demand, can reveal a common theme among these factors. This book presents advancements in GIS applications that reveal the complexity of and solutions for a dynamic healthcare landscape.

The most important (in)determinacy theses in international law since the 1920s are scrutinised in this book. As Severin Meier demonstrates, the extent of legal determinacy depends neither on some linguistic essence found in the text nor on theories that allegedly stand above practice. Instead, the (in)determinacy of law is shown to arise purely from practice. This reconceptualisation of a key discussion in legal philosophy provides a new perspective on the frame of meaning of legal norms.

Despite the fortuitous leadership of Giscard and Schmidt, German-French relations during the 1970s experienced a series of major conflicts. There were a number of different governmental and societal forces that sought to resolve them. Dirk Petter examines this interplay of conflict and rapprochement and interprets the critical decade of the 1970s in the overall context of post-war relations between Germany and France.

Dieses Buch bietet eine aktualisierte Annäherung an die immanente Kritik in unserer Zeit. Mit dem Begriff ist jene Art von Kritik angesprochen, die - von Hegel bis zur Frankfurter Schule - ihren Gegenstand aus den eigenen normativen Prinzipien heraus und nicht unter Bezug auf äußere Maßstäbe kritisiert. Die Beiträge zeigen, wie die immanente Kritik in verschiedenen Bereichen (Philosophie, Soziologie, Medientheorie und Sozialkritik) Themen analysieren und sie gleichzeitig auf überzeugende Weise in Frage stellen kann - ausgehend von den eigenen Geltungs- und Wahrheitsansprüchen.

Abiayalan Pluriverses: Bridging Indigenous Studies and Hispanic Studies looks for pathways that better connect two often siloed disciplines. This edited collection brings together different disciplinary experiences and perspectives to this objective, weaving together researchers, artists, instructors, and authors who have found ways of bridging Indigenous and Hispanic studies through trans-Indigenous reading methods, intercultural dialogues, and reflections on translation and epistemology. Each chapter brings rich context that bears on some aspect of the Indigenous Americas and its crossroads with Hispanic studies, from Canada to Chile. Such a hemispheric and interdisciplinary approach offers innovative and significant means of challenging the coloniality of Hispanic studies.

By the early 1990s, a drastic increase in malignant melanoma rates—mainly in the UK, Europe, America, and Australia—sparked significant concern about skin cancer. In Britain, medical experts and the media attempted to curtail overall sunbed use but failed. Skincare providers and research institutions, on the other hand, realized that they could capitalize on people’s concerns by providing the most advanced “UV-free” tanning technologies. This chapter focuses on two of these technologies: dihydroxyacetone (DHA) fake tanning serums and the entirely novel invention of MelanoTan injections. An evaluation of media coverage and publications in medical journals demonstrates how such “UV-free” technologies were introduced as entirely “safe” alternatives to sunbeds and sunbathing. As Creed argues, however, both products counterintuitively promoted former risk-laden practices, and reinvigorated tanning culture overall. Tanning injections, moreover, introduced a new host of health risks for twenty-first century consumers. Such technologies therefore provide insight into the history of controversial health, beauty, and risk reduction technologies. They also demonstrate the extent to which commercial industries have simultaneously taken the lead in resolving and profiting from public health concerns since the second half of the twentieth century.

This book analyses recent developments concerning the application of the international legal doctrines of recognition and self-determination in relation to the Western Sahara Question. It investigates the emergent shift in favour of Morocco’s sovereignty claim to Western Sahara as apparent from the positions adopted by an increasing number of third States in the United Nations and the recent spate of third States establishing consulates in Western Sahara, with Morocco’s encouragement. It reflects on what the functioning of the doctrines of recognition and self-determination in this situation reveals about contemporary international law in practice more generally. The work will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students as well as practitioners of public international law who have a particular interest in decolonisation, self-determination disputes, and/or conflicts about natural resource entitlements. It will also appeal to readers with an interest in the work of International Organisations, including the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union, and to specialists in international relations and regional politics. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Living Rome: Space, Identity, and the Politics of Belonging looks beyond the romanticized image of Rome, towards a kaleidoscopic view of the city shaped by inequalities, socio-political challenges, and acts of resistance and solidarity. In the wake of urban developments related to migration, housing shortages, COVID-19, crime, and other social changes, this volume offers a grounded approach, mapping the contemporary realities of Italy’s capital from a variety of methodological standpoints. Contributors argue that the unseen fringes, both geographically peripheral and those embedded within the very heart of Rome, are crucial for understanding its social dynamics. These ‘hidden’ geographies foster vibrant communities, challenge ideas of home and belonging, and act as key sites of creativity, resistance and everyday life. Bringing together urban sociologists, anthropologists, geographers, demographers, criminologists, decolonizing and feminist scholars, this study contributes to a growing body of research on the city and its social movements, aiming to inform policy and contribute to a more just and sustainable Rome. Using a variety of methods, from quantitative cartography and policy analysis to (auto)ethnography and creative methodologies, this volume speaks well beyond Rome, to conversations about cities worldwide.

This chapter aims at exploring some theoretical issues associated with the impact of technology companies on the market structure in the financial industry with the special focus on capital markets. Based on the industrial organization theory, as well as on an extensive literature review, research to date, and industry reports, the attempt was made to identify main structural changes resulting from FinTech's activity in this market segment. It was found that, in contrast to the banking sector, BigTechs are not interested in entering into capital markets. This can be explained by complexity of investment services and weak synergies between them and non-financial services offered by technology giants. As a result, digitalization in capital markets is driven rather from inside and supported by FinTechs. In the stock market, the development of high-frequency trading resulted in the increasing centralization of trade that neither facilitated market access nor eliminated the market asymmetry. Nonetheless, FinTech solutions allowed reductions in transaction costs and increase in short-term market efficiency. In the asset management and mutual funds industry digital platforms, developed mostly by incumbents, by lowering transaction costs and reducing communication frictions made investing easier and cheaper for individuals, however their decisions became more speculative.