Functional Economy


Book Description

Functional Economy is a concept that is often associated with ecological transition and sustainable development. It prioritizes the use of a service or good rather than its sale, and tends to encourage cooperation. This model supports the transition to a more ecological and equitable economic and social environment. This book presents the different approaches to the Functional Economy and the ways in which the various players (companies, public institutions and citizens) are adopting and adapting them through innovation. Depending on their degree of sustainability and their scope, these innovations can have major economic, social and environmental impacts. Particularly at the local territorial level, those involved in innovation need to be supported as closely as possible if they are to overcome the hurdles they face and reap the rewards of the transformations brought about by this socio economic model, which is built around functionality.







Handbook of Research on Cultural Tourism and Sustainability


Book Description

The process of globalization based on major forms of entertainment consumption has promoted the interest of enlarged social actors toward cultural experiencing. Disseminated by social media, new forms of information and knowledge about exotic tourism destinations have endorsed an increasing interest in forms of cultural tourism. This cultural tourism turnout results from a significant change in the traveler’s demands and behaviors and has led to a new and renovated interest in cultural heritage that must be studied further. The Handbook of Research on Cultural Tourism and Sustainability explores theoretical concepts related to cultural tourism and cultural routes and provides original viewpoints and empirical research with case studies and best practices for the future of cultural tourism. Covering a range of topics such as creative tourism and sustainable tourism, this major reference work is ideal for academicians, practitioners, professionals, policymakers, government officials, instructors, and students.




Agroecological Transitions: From Theory to Practice in Local Participatory Design


Book Description

This Open Access book presents feedback from the ‘Territorial Agroecological Transition in Action’- TATA-BOX research project, which was devoted to these specific issues. The multidisciplinary and multi-organisation research team steered a four-year action-research process in two territories of France. It also presents: i) the key dimensions to be considered when dealing with agroecological transition: diversity of agriculture models, management of uncertainties, polycentric governance, autonomies, and role of actors’ networks; ii) an operational and original participatory process and associated boundary tools to support local stakeholders in shifting from a shared diagnosis to a shared action plan for transition, and in so doing developing mutual understanding and involvement; iii) an analysis of the main effects of the methodology on research organisation and on stakeholders’ development and application; iv) critical analysis and foresights on the main outcomes of TATA-BOX, provided by external researchers.




Entrepreneurial Ecosystems


Book Description

In today's rapidly changing business landscape, entrepreneurship is growing and actively promoted by policy makers. Several reports explore the influence of entrepreneurship on the economy and put some emphasis on its positive influence GDP per capita, unemployment and exports. However, entrepreneurship does not go per se and it is now broadly admitted that the decision of the entrepreneur is narrowly connected with its environment, the so-called entrepreneurial ecosystem. This book show why policymakers, entrepreneurship supporters, and entrepreneurs themselves should keep in mind the locally structured nature of entrepreneurial networks. Even if the notion of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem has become quite popular, among the international organization, development agencies and public administrations, this concept is often considered as a new one having its origins in very recent publications. This books aims at showing that entrepreneurial ecosystems have their roots in the history of economic thought and that scholars have long been conscious of their importance. Instead of insisting upon the diversity of agents involved in these organizations, it also put some emphasis on the importance of the linkages and sharing between them and suggests some orientations in view of a performing evaluation system.




Dynamic Relationality Theory of Creative Transformation


Book Description

Dynamic Relationality Theory of Creative Transformation: Grounding Machinic Ecosystems in Life Experiences introduces a visionary approach to understanding the evolving relationship between technology and human experiences. It delves into the transformative potential of Machinic Generalized Intelligence (MGI), where AI and human intelligence converge harmoniously, creating a new paradigm of interactive, machinic life experiences. This book challenges the traditional tech-centric view, advocating for a life and experience-first perspective. It presents the Dynamic Relationality Theory (DRT), a novel conceptual framework that redefines our interaction with technology, emphasizing cocreative, emergent experiences over mere digital platformization.Through an interdisciplinary approach combining philosophical insights and social theories with practical applications, this book navigates the complexities of digitalized life ecosystems, employing concepts and tools from assemblage theory, category theory, sheaf theory, differential topology, and gauge theory. For readers grappling with the complexities of AI and its societal implications, this book offers clarity and direction. It provides a robust theoretical framework to understand the changing landscape of human–technology interaction. Furthermore, it integrates philosophical insights and ethical considerations into the discussion of AI and technology, providing a well-rounded perspective that aids in ethical decision-making and responsible innovation. It also delves into practical applications and future implications of AI, aiding readers in applying these concepts in real-world scenarios.By moving beyond a purely technological focus, this book equips readers with the insights needed to navigate the ethical, philosophical, and practical challenges posed by the integration of AI into daily life. A crucial resource for academics, professionals, and policymakers, this book serves as a guide to making informed decisions and fostering responsible innovation in the age of AI. - Provides a novel and holistic approach—comprehensive framework of Dynamic Relationality Theory (DRT)—to understanding the interplay between AI and human experiences, helping readers grasp the complexities of this coevolution - Uses an interdisciplinary approach which integrates philosophical, sociological, and technological perspectives, offering a multifaceted view that is crucial for a deep understanding of the subject - Focuses on ethical and societal implications, guiding readers through the moral complexities of technology integration




Territorialization of Education


Book Description

This comprehensive scientific work embraces, within the generic theme of "educations, territorialities and territories", the vast majority of different facets of the complex relationships between educations and territories that have developed over time. It sheds an original light on the many - and, for some, new - interactions between territories-territories, on the one hand, and educations, on the other hand, which have recently been identified and analyzed. Beyond this main objective, it contributes to improving the fine and differentiated understanding of the concept of territory in the sciences of education and training and, more importantly, it brings innovative developments to the still embryonic theorization of the complex relations between educations. and territories-territorialities. This book shows, in particular, through its surveys, its analyzes and its results, that within all the multiple influences attributed to the different dimensions of the territories, the very discrete territoriality - falling within the symbolic territory - is perhaps finally the the most important territorial vector in terms of education in certain areas (rural Montagnards, for example), particularly as regards educational and vocational guidance, but not only. Lastly, it is not uninteresting to note that the theme it bears is spreading more and more today beyond scientific circles: the problem of inequalities in education and orientation of territorial origin is fueling - recently - the controversies and the reflections of the French educational policy which is thus sometimes echoed - in declarative terms essentially for the moment! - scientific advances in this area




The Democracy of Knowledge


Book Description

This volume in the Political Theory and Contemporary Philosophy series extends democracy to knowledge in two ways. First, it argues that the issues science seeks to clarify are relevant for all citizens. Second, it explains that the fundamental problems faced by any democracy, such as the economic crisis, are not so much problems of political will as cognitive failures that must be resolved through both a greater knowledge of the realities over which we govern and a fine-tuning of the tools of governance. In fact, knowledge and related fields are spheres in which not only economic prosperity, but also democratic quality, are determined. Thus politics of knowledge and through knowledge has become a question of democratic citizenship. After introducing the concept of governing knowledge, the book discusses the political action of collective organization of uncertainty, before developing the idea of the cognitive challenge of the economy, revealed by today's economic crisis. A groundbreaking work by a renowned philosopher, it will be an accessible and fundamental resource for anyone interested in the relation of power to knowledge.




Territories of Difference


Book Description

In Territories of Difference, Arturo Escobar, author of the widely debated book Encountering Development, analyzes the politics of difference enacted by specific place-based ethnic and environmental movements in the context of neoliberal globalization. His analysis is based on his many years of engagement with a group of Afro-Colombian activists of Colombia’s Pacific rainforest region, the Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN). Escobar offers a detailed ethnographic account of PCN’s visions, strategies, and practices, and he chronicles and analyzes the movement’s struggles for autonomy, territory, justice, and cultural recognition. Yet he also does much more. Consistently emphasizing the value of local activist knowledge for both understanding and social action and drawing on multiple strands of critical scholarship, Escobar proposes new ways for scholars and activists to examine and apprehend the momentous, complex processes engulfing regions such as the Colombian Pacific today. Escobar illuminates many interrelated dynamics, including the Colombian government’s policies of development and pluralism that created conditions for the emergence of black and indigenous social movements and those movements’ efforts to steer the region in particular directions. He examines attempts by capitalists to appropriate the rainforest and extract resources, by developers to set the region on the path of modernist progress, and by biologists and others to defend this incredibly rich biodiversity “hot-spot” from the most predatory activities of capitalists and developers. He also looks at the attempts of academics, activists, and intellectuals to understand all of these complicated processes. Territories of Difference is Escobar’s effort to think with Afro-Colombian intellectual-activists who aim to move beyond the limits of Eurocentric paradigms as they confront the ravages of neoliberal globalization and seek to defend their place-based cultures and territories.




Wine Management and Marketing, Volume 2


Book Description

With increased competition from new wine-producing countries and substitute products, declining wine consumption, climate change, health crises and geopolitical contexts, the wine industry has been facing serious difficulties in recent years. Paradoxically, however, this recent period also offers new opportunities. Through the presentation of original research results, reading grids, illustrations and case studies, Wine Management and Marketing 2 analyzes the main challenges facing the wine industry and considers new opportunities: a renewed dynamism of technical, organizational and commercial innovations; the adaptability of actors; a greater introduction of new technologies; etc. The multi-faceted approach adopted by the authors and experts offers an enriched reflection, which provides a better understanding of the current state of the wine industry, and presents various levers for adapting to new commercial, societal and environmental expectations.