Entrepreneurs’ Networking Styles and Normative Underpinnings during Institutional Transition

Existing network research has mainly adopted functional and/or structural approaches to study the instrumental goals behind entrepreneurs’ networking as well as the influence of personal position on access to resources and eventual performance. The variety of entrepreneurs’ networking styles and their normative underpinnings have not been adequately explored. Contextualized in China, this study asks: How do entrepreneurs’ understandings of social norms shape their networking styles? Through an inductive comparison of two entrepreneur generations in China, we identify three networking styles: guanxi-oriented networking, market-based networking, and mixed networking. We theorize that three types of norms shape these styles: market-inferred norms, dyadically formed norms, and identity-induced norms. This study provides new insights into the understanding of Chinese entrepreneurs’ distinctive networking styles and their normative underpinnings. Further, it suggests implications both for the wider study of entrepreneurs’ networking behaviors in transition economies, and for practitioners wishing to enhance their network building in China.

Transforming Conditions of Feminist and LGBTI+ Activism

This chapter provides an in-depth understanding of the conditions for feminist and LGBTI+ activism in Russia, Turkey, and Scandinavia, including legislative frames, access to resources and funding, employment conditions, and geographical and geopolitical locality. Instead of taking the relations between the state, civil society, and feminist and LGBTI+ activists for granted as an overarching explanatory model for comparative analysis, the chapter examines the multifaceted nature of the relations between the state, civil society and feminist and LGBTI+ activists in Russia, Turkey, and Scandinavia. Further, the chapter scrutinizes transnational, national, and local scales that influence the conditions of activism across the three research contexts. The discussions in the chapter are wrapped up by an interrogation of how donor politics influence the activist agenda in Russia, Turkey, and Scandinavia and of what resistant practices activists lean on in their everyday work.

Resources and Relationships in Disasters: Differences Among Small and Large Assisted Living Communities

Disaster preparedness among assisted living communities (ALCs) has not been widely researched, despite the growth of ALCs and evidence of disability in this population. An additional issue of concern is the way in which ALCs vary, including variation by size. The purpose of this paper was to explore the experiences of ALCs in Florida that experienced Hurricane Irma in 2017 and how experiences varied by ALC size. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with representatives of small ALCs (<25 beds; n=32) and large ALCs (25+; n=38). Transcripts were analyzed using Atlas.ti version 8, and research team members collaborated to reach consensus on codes and further analyze differences based on ALC size. Results suggest there are differences among ALCs in their disaster preparedness and response, and these differences are related to size (e.g., access to resources, organizational characteristics). Implications for ALC resident wellbeing and future disaster planning will be discussed.

Other Income Sources

In this chapter, we stress the fact that households’ incomes were complex and came together by a mix of activities. To fully understand how households managed their livelihoods, activities other than fishing, hunting, and reindeer herding also need to be considered. Diversification was an active and systematic choice for these households, not something they did occasionally. Some of these activities were for subsistence, some for exchange. What households could produce was to a large extent determined by their main mode of production, which in turn was linked to rights or access to resources. The more engaged users were in reindeer pastoralism, the less time they had to spend on other activities, and the more they traded.

The End of Multilateralism?

The international system is rapidly being reshaped by the growing strategic rivalry between the USA and China. They are competing for control over resources (and access to resources and markets) as well as for dominance of the new technologies which will define economic power. They are also vying for control over the rules of the game. As China seeks more influence in international cooperation, the USA is turning sharply away from multilateralism, acting unilaterally in security, economic policy, and global health. Existing international organizations will likely be marginalized or used as pawns in the superpower competition. The consequences for Europe are profound. This chapter uses history to explore the ways multilateralism can be reinvented against this backdrop, and with what consequences for Europe.

Beyond a standardised urban lexicon: which vocabulary matters?

This epilogue reflects on the introduction and three papers of this special issue in order to highlight the issue’s contribution to the vital conversation of re-wording and re-theorising the urban. To further advance this conversation, we must recognise the very real imbalances of access to resources and power to influence that exist between the global North and global South, including resources to conduct research and power to publish journals. As our cities face multiple and urgent challenges such as the climate crisis, urban inequality, global pandemics and inadequate infrastructure, it is never too soon to re-think, to re-word and ultimately, to re-act the urban lexicon.

Sustainable development in the contemporary world – determinants

The aim of this chapter is to describe various determinants of sustainable development in the contemporary world, including those most important, such as globalisation, climate change, poverty versus unlimited consumption as well as limited exhausted access to resources—with regard to the goals of sustainable development. The other objective is to give the reader essential resources covering the topic from various viewpoints and a starting point for discussions about sustainability.

Covid-19 and pathways to health inequities for families in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Sweden – qualitative analysis of home visitors’ observations

Background Lack of control over life situations is an important social determinant that may negatively affect parental and child health. This study took place in an area of Stockholm, Sweden with high indications of socioeconomic disadvantage, a large part of the population with foreign background, as well as higher levels of poor health than the county average. It investigated staff perceptions of pathways from situations of low control, potentially leading to health inequities, affecting families enrolled in an early childhood home visiting programme during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 23 child health care nurses and parental advisors working in a home visiting programme. The data was analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results The analysis resulted in five pathways on two explanatory levels, affecting parents’ health and parenting capacity and children’s health and well-being, potentially damaging health and leading to health inequities. The first four pathways related to control at the personal explanatory level: Families facing instability and insecurity; Caring for children in crowded and poor housing conditions; Experiencing restricted access to resources; and Parenting with limited social support. The fifth pathway, Living in a segregated society, covered the collective experience of lack of control on community level. The Covid-19 pandemic was observed to negatively affect all pathways and thus potentially aggravate health inequities for this population. The pandemic has also limited the delivery of home visits to the families which creates further barriers in families’ access to resources and increases isolation for parents with already limited social support. Conclusions The diversity of pathways connected to health inequities presented in this study highlights the importance of considering this variety of influences when designing interventions for socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. The additional negative consequences of Covid-19 indicate the need for sustainable preventive early childhood interventions for families in such areas. The study also emphasizes the need for further research as well as policy action on possible long-term effects of changing behaviours during the Covid-19 period on child health and health equity. Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered (11 August 2016) in the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN11832097).