Progressing knowledge in alternative and local food networks: Critical reflections and a research agenda

In the now extensive literature on alternative food networks (AFNs) (e.g. farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture, box schemes), a body of work has pointed to socio-economic problems with such systems, which run counter to headline claims in the literature. This paper argues that rather than being a reflection of inherent complexities in such food systems, the continued uncertainties about the fundamental nature and development of AFNs are, at least in part, a function of how AFNs are often conceptualised and investigated, which ultimately impedes progress in knowledge of such systems. After introducing the main theoretical perspectives of research in the field, and setting out what is known currently about AFNs and their characteristics, the paper goes on to articulate four features of AFN research which, it is argued, give rise to problems in this field. In particular, the paper identifies inconsistent use of concepts and terms, conflation of the structural characteristics of food systems with desired outcomes and/or actor behaviours, insufficient acknowledgement of the problems of marketplace trading, and a continued lack of a consumer perspective. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for future research into AFNs that seeks to break current boundaries and encourage greater progress in knowledge in this field.     

The Statistics Bill: the Treasury's view

The bill for the independence of the official statistical system received its final reading in the House of Lords on 20th July, just as this edition of Significance went to press. In this article, Angela Eagle , the new Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, sets out the official view of what this legislation, and associated developments, should mean for statisticians and users of statistics. She looks in particular at how the reforms could raise statistical quality. (An article setting out the Royal Statistical Society's view of the legislation will appear in the next issue.)     

Change and stability of migration intentions. Evidence from Italy

Due to a lack of relevant data, very few empirical studies have examined the changes in and stability of secondary migration intentions. We aim to fill this gap by analysing return migration intentions among international migrants in Italy. Data are drawn from the cross-sectional SCIF survey conducted by ISTAT in 2011–2012. Our findings reveal that migration intentions at the beginning of the migratory experience tend to differ from those measured at more advanced migration stages (i.e. at the time of the survey). In particular, intentions to return seem less stable than intentions to stay. When confirming intentions to return or remain, critical factors include financial stability, family situation and ties with the country of origin and destination. Additionally, having an Italian partner, a partner living in Italy, and a positive self-assessed family financial condition are positively associated with transitioning from a temporary plan to a permanent settlement intention.     

The independent factor analysis approach to latent variable modelling

Independent factor analysis (IFA) has recently been proposed in the signal processing literature as a way to model a set of observed variables through linear combinations of latent independent variables and a noise term. A peculiarity of the method is that it defines a probability density function for the latent variables by mixtures of Gaussians. The aim of this paper is to cast the method into a more rigorous statistical framework and to propose some developments. In the first part, we present the IFA model in its population version, address identifiability issues and draw some parallels between the IFA model and the ordinary factor analysis (FA) one. Then we show that the IFA model may be reinterpreted as an independent component analysis-based rotation of an ordinary FA solution. We also give evidence that the IFA model represents a special case of mixture of factor analysers. In the second part, we address inferential issues, also deriving the standard errors for the model parameter estimates and providing model selection criteria. Finally, we present some empirical results on real data sets.     

Behavioral Safety in the Food Services Industry: Challenges and Outcomes

During the course of a 6-year behavioral safety consult at a food and drink industry site, data were collected on the number of Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) recordable incidents, number of lost and restricted days, and number of peer safety observations. Employees were trained to identify safe and unsafe behavior, conduct peer observations, and provide peer feedback. Data collected from observations were utilized to deliver graphic feedback. Managers were encouraged to review graphic feedback with employees weekly, provide prompts for observation, and praise employees for conducting observations. A committee composed of employees and managers met monthly to address safety concerns. Reductions in incidents were observed over the course of the behavioral safety intervention, but a reversal to baseline could not be implemented. A negative correlation was observed between number of peer observations and number of recordable incidents. Results suggest that when employees conduct peer observations more frequently, the number of recordable incidents decreases.     

Not Threats,but Resources: An Investigation of How Leaders React to Employee Constructive Voice

This research aims to investigate whether or not leaders, one of the main recipients of employee voice, develop good relationships with those who speak up. Drawing on resource theory and social exchange theory, we contend that constructive voice provides both information and affect resources to the leader, which in turn promote a resource-based exchange relationship with the leader (i.e., leader–member exchange; LMX). We further propose that leaders with an originality cognitive style are more likely to capture the resource value of constructive voice, while leaders who closely follow rules might not view constructive voice in a positive way, thus affecting their LMX relationships with the focal employee. Through a two-wave field survey among 199 leader–follower dyads (Study 1) and a vignette-based experiment among 221 leaders (Study 2), we found that leaders, especially leaders who advocated high originality, developed high-quality LMX relationships with those who engaged in constructive voice due to their perceptions of affect but not information resource.     

Nonparametric rank-based test procedures for non-additive models in the two-way layout I. no replications

One of the major unresolved problems in the area of nonparametric statistics is the need for satisfactory rank-based test procedures for non-additive models in the two-way layout, especially when there is only one observation on each combination of the levels of the experimental factors. In this paper we consider an arbitrary non-additive model for the two-way layout with n levels of each factor. We utilize both alignment and ranking of the data together with basic properties of Latin squares to develop rank tests for interaction (non-additivity). Our technique involves first aligning within one of the main effects, ranking within the other main effects (columns and rows) and then adding the resulting ranks within “interaction bands” corresponding to orthogonal partitions of the interaction for the model, as denoted by the letters of an n × n Latin square. A Friedman-type statistic is then computed on the resulting sums. This is repeated for each of (n?1) mutually orthogonal Latin squares (thus accounting for all the interaction degrees of freedom). The resulting (n?1) Friedman-type statistics are finally combined to obtain an overall test statistic. The necessary null distribution tables for applying the proposed test for non-additivity are presented and we discuss the results of a Monte Carlo simulation study of the relative powers of this new procedure and other (parametric and nonparametric) procedures designed to detect interaction in a two-way layout with one observation per cell.     

Living with racism in education and society: Derrick Bell’s ethical idealism and political pragmatism

Derrick Bell’s pronouncement and challenge that racism is likely permanent has captured the imagination of Critical Race Theorists in education. Equally important are his ideas about living with the concrete conditions of racism. This article focuses on a tension within Bell’s work. On the one hand, his writings are characterized by a certain ‘racial realism.’ In this perspective, Bell encourages race scholars and activists to abandon notions of one day ending racism. On the other hand, Bell also retains a certain idealism, most evident in his appeal to the ethical dimensions of critical race work. He invites intellectuals to join him in fighting racism even if the prospects for change are sometimes bleak. In his life as well as his work, Bell willingly sacrificed prestige and financial security for his ideals, and seemed puzzled when his friends and colleagues were reluctant to do the same. Bell’s racial realism and ethical idealism comprise two – sometimes warring – moments that permeate his work.