Narrating European integration: transnational actors and stories

ABSTRACT

This article introduces the special issue on narrating European integration. Narratives, or stories, are a key mechanism for constructing individual and collective identities, and other politically important elements of discourse. The articles in this special issue go beyond most existing work on narratives. First, they examine the actors and networks, ranging from EU institutions to political parties and social groups, which create, foster and disseminate narratives. Second, they address major narratives and sets of narrating actors of at least a partly transnational nature. Third, the authors transgress disciplinary boundaries, drawing on contemporary history, sociology, political science and cultural studies.     

Different narratives,one area without internal frontiers: why EU institutions cannot agree on the refugee crisis

ABSTRACT

This article contextualizes contemporary institutional responses of the European Union (EU) to the refugee crisis within the historical setting in which EU migration and asylum policies emerged – namely during the implementation of the border-free Schengen Area (1984–1995). Using the analytical framework of ‘policy narratives’, it argues that EU institutions have used the creation of the ‘area without internal frontiers’ to build coherent narratives about the nature and scope of EU action and of their own role in it. Such narratives became locked into the institutional discourse and influenced the subsequent evolution of EU politics on the topic.     

Between conformity and transgression: Chinese women’s gendered discourse of fan authenticity for European football

This essay explores Chinese women’s discourse of fan authenticity for European football. Conceptualizing Chinese female fans as the readers of the transnational text of European football, I conducted in-depth interviews with fifteen self-identified female fans in Shanghai, China. The analysis shows that in their discursive formations of gendered fan authenticity, these women simultaneously reproduce and contest the patriarchal dominance and female stereotypes in European football fandom. As a result, they articulate an ambiguous relation between fan authenticity and themselves as women. Instead of regulating feminine identity to fit into the masculinist fandom, these fans still hold up to the traditional Chinese expectations of femininity in their fan experience.     

Change in prevalence or preference? Trends in educational homogamy in six European countries in a time of educational expansion

This paper analyzes trends in educational homogamy in six European countries (Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Italy). We use vital statistics on all marriages contracted between 1990 and 2016. Absolute educational homogamy increases in all countries (very moderately in the Czech Republic and Italy), it changes its structure, and the absolute educational hypogamy of women increases. The trends over time and among countries in relative educational homogamy are tested using log-linear and log-multiplicative models. We expand a regression-type layer effect model (the Goodman-Hout model) into a four-way table. The results indicate differing assortative mating by educational categories. Relative homogamy decreases in tertiary education. In lower educational categories, relative homogamy increases. We present the hypothesis that a decrease in relative homogamy in tertiary education is a consequence of the rise of social homogamy. We conceptualize this homogamy balance as a “complementary maintained homogamy.” Because changes in relative educational homogamies are the same in all countries, the cross-country differences remain constant over time. We conceptualize this as a “maintained flux.” The European countries are not in convergence, even though the relative homogamies delineated by educational categories change.     

A real options model of market entry: Endogenous uncertainty and exogenous uncertainty

We develop a real options model of market entry that focuses on the dueling growth and deferral options by differentiating between endogenous uncertainty and exogenous uncertainty. While exogenous uncertainty influences the growth option market value or price, it is endogenous uncertainty that influences the value of the growth option through the ability to create a competitive advantage from preemptive market entry. First, the firm can decrease the exercise price of the growth option (i.e., the cost of the follow-on investment) through experiential learning that reduces endogenous uncertainty. Second, the firm can increase the relative discounted cash flows of the follow-on investment due to its ability to influence market demand that reduces endogenous uncertainty. On the other hand, the value of the deferral option increases with exogenous uncertainty as firms cannot influence exogenous uncertainty, and therefore, should invest elsewhere while waiting for the exogenous uncertainty to subside. As such, we provide a solution to the conundrum that the value of both the growth option and the deferral option increase with uncertainty. Finally, we demonstrate how the model addresses sequential market entry; irreversibility and market entry mode; competition; scarce strategic resources; host country development level; and industry life cycle stage.     

试析《管子·轻重》的商业治国思想

《管子.轻重》从人性好利论出发,提出了以利治民的思想,包括利权独断、打击一切同君主争利的社会势力、控制民的经济命脉等。它还详尽提出了市场取利的种种手段,其要害是利用强权加垄断来操纵市场。《管子.轻重》把商业治国思想推向国际,主张利用商战打败敌国。由于这种商业治国思想实质是为君主专制服务的,所以,充满了内在无法解决的矛盾,只能沦为敛财的工具。     

A Goal Programming Model for Effective Segment Determination: A Comment and Application

This note presents a model for the effective market segment determination problem. The integer goal programming model was developed for a nonprofit health care organization. The approach is an alternative application of a model presented by McClure and Wells [7]. The model includes input from the organization's clients as well as the organization's decision makers. A distinctive element is the simultaneous development of market segments and the consideration of management, institutional, and resource constraints. The purpose of the model was to aid the decision makers in determining if effective market segments exist which can be reached with information and educational materials concerning infant nutrition and breastfeeding. The model was tested and found to be effective in helping the decision makers segment their clients.     

股权控制权市场公司治理研究述评——微观结构视角

控制权市场微观结构视角的公司治理理论作为对传统企业理论研究的深化,借助信息经济学和博弈论工具对主流经济学分析框架进行了拓展,针对公司控制权市场交易、配置和调整的过程细节,准确描述了股份公司中所有权和控制权分离情形下股东内部控制、要约收购、接管竞标等不同控制和治理机制的实际运作,对信息不完全和存在交易成本条件下的控制权市场交易展开分析,从控制权市场微观结构视角阐明了股东对管理者实施有效控制的机制、策略和条件。股权控制权市场的行为金融问题、股权控制权市场与环境因素之间的交互作用问题和股权控制权市场中的法律保护与管制政策设计问题将是未来该领域理论研究关注的焦点。     

论欧盟区域认同的社会建构

区域认同的形成是国际关系发展中的一个新现象。当前国际关系学者强调认同的建构性为研究区域认同提供了理论基础,具有重要学术意义。根据欧盟的经验,国际关系理论可以从三个方面研究区域认同的建构:第一,各种行为体之间的跨国互动和交流;第二,国际机制的作用;第三,“我们意识”和相对于他者的建构。强调区域认同的建构性对于区域一体化研究具有重要意义,但同时我们也要注意区域认同建构的条件性。     

欧洲文学中的俄罗斯文学

经历漫长的沉寂,19世纪的俄罗斯文学异军突起,名列欧洲乃至世界的前列,产生了世界瞩目的文学巨匠。俄罗斯民族中蕴藏着的深厚的文学潜能受到激发,俄罗斯民族深沉的情感以及强大的文学批评力量的支持,是俄罗斯文学迅速发展的主要原因。