The top-heavy shape of authoritarian bureaucracy: evidence from Russia and China

The prevalence of top-heavy bureaucracies in non-democracies cannot be explained by the theories of Parkinson, Tullock, Niskanen, or Simon or by classical managerial theories. When bureaucracy positions carry rents, the competition for promotion becomes a rent-seeking process. Borrowing the career-tournament theory framework from managerial scholarship, we argue that top-heavy bureaucracy resembles a tournament with too many finalists. When rent is centralized at the top (i.e. power centralization), as is the case in many non-democracies, the optimal bureaucracy should be top-heavy, accommodating and encouraging relatively more finalists at the top to compete for the final big prize. We provide suggestive evidence by analyzing ministry organizations in China (1993–2014) and Russia (2002–2015). After some fluctuations, the shape of Russian ministries eventually converged with that of China. In the steady state, their ministry shapes are far more top-heavy than what is prescribed by managerial theories. At the micro-level, ministry power centralization, measured by the perceived influence of the ministers, is correlated with ministry top-heaviness in Russia. Points for practitioners Our theory suggests that a top-heavy authoritarian bureaucratic structure naturally follows from a back-loaded sequential career tournament and an effort-maximizing bureaucratic leader. Our findings also suggest that Chinese and Russian ministries both converge to a highly top-heavy structure in the long run. We demonstrate that the top-heavy structure first arose during the planned-economy experiment in the Soviet Union. Our research sheds new light on public-sector reforms that aim to reduce bureaucracy top-heaviness in autocracies.

New design of large fully-steerable radio telescope reflector based on homogenized mesh structure

The self-weight of a large fully-steerable radio telescope is one of the important factors affecting its performance. In the existing reflector system scheme, the problem of surface accuracy caused by its large and heavy structure has seriously restricted the application and implementation of large radio telescopes. Therefore, a new mesh structure scheme for a large fully-steerable radio telescope reflector is proposed in this paper. This scheme is based on a homogenized mesh back-up structure in the form of a quasi-geodesic grid and regular quasi-tri-prism or tetrahedron, which can significantly reduce the structural complexity and self-weight of the reflector under the condition that the reflector can meet the desired performance requirements. Finally, the feasibility and rationality of the scheme are evaluated by numerical simulation analysis, which has significant advantages and provides a new design for the reflector of a large fully-steerable radio telescope.

Nonlinear Dynamics of Heavy Structures

At the moment, not enough attention is paid to different aspects of nonlinear dynamics for heavy structures. In this article we attempt to create a mathematical model for finding a frame (field) with predictable dynamic pattern of load-carrying capability for a heavy structure based оn the parameters of its reliable (failure-free, low-risk) operation. It is difficult to find a solution for this problem now but the following algorithm can be applied. Small dimension projection is first obtained for orthonormal vectors determining the structural load-carrying capability. Then we use available methods to find a field where any relationship (functional, logical) can be obtained between the rules (wild cards) and the load-carrying capability displayed by a heavy structure. This article carries on the cycle of activities on structural risk analysis involving heavy structures. Numerical and calculated data are based on previous studies. The analysis is performed on a metallurgical overhead crane. The obtained findings are used for adopting various engineering solutions at different stages of heavy structure operation.

Design of a Cable-Driven Actuator for Pronation and Supination of the Forearm to Integrate an Active Arm Orthosis

The pronation/supination of the forearm are important movements to properly accomplish the activities of daily living. While several exoskeletons have been proposed for the rehabilitation of the arm, few of them have actively implemented the movements of pronation/supination. Often, the addition of this degree of freedom to the mechanism results in a bulky and heavy structure. Consequently, the overall exoskeleton is too big for a wearable solution. This paper proposes a digital prototype and kinematic evaluation of a cable-driven orthosis for pronation/supination movement assistance. The actuator is based on an open ring (semi-circle) to be attached to the forearm, while a stationary guide drives the ring into a rotary movement. By considering anthropomorphic data in the design stage, it is possible to develop a rigid, compact, and high power to weight ratio solution for the actuator responsible for pronation and supination. The proposed actuator can achieve the full range of motion for the activities of daily living and 83% of the rotation of the forearm total range of motion with a total mass of only 150 g.

Optimisation of insulation and solar control strategies as function of building’s intended use in the retrofit of massive buildings

In temperate climates, such as most Italian ones, the need to limit both winter heat losses of buildings and their overheating in other periods is present. The second requirement is particularly relevant in the presence of high internal and solar gains. In these climates, it is not convenient to exceed the insulation thickness. Therefore, when the energy renovation of an old building with heavy masonry is performed it is a question of optimizing the position (internal or external) and the thickness of the additional insulation. Another question is the choice of a solar control strategy, if extended glazed surfaces are present. Both of these problems are present in old Italian public buildings, particularly in schools. This paper presents a computerized methodology for optimizing these choices. The case study consists in a typical school building from the early 1900s with a heavy structure and large glass surfaces in a climate of Northern Italy (Bologna), with cold winter and hot summer. The results show that the external insulation is the best performing, and that there is an optimal thickness when the building is a school. If the building is reused for offices, due to the lower internal gains, the energy convenience of the external insulation increases, but its optimal thickness becomes excessive. Small slats inserted between the glasses are the best performing solar control device from both an energy and visual comfort point of view; on the other hand, the external slats provide better thermal comfort in the warmer period.

The Socio-political Relevance of the Indian Smart City Mission:A Critical Analysis

The world is becoming more and more urbanised by the day. India also is all set to become an urban majority nation by the mid-twenty-first century. Most of India's urbanisation seems unplanned and mismanaged leading to a host of social problems like slum extensions, social exclusions, absence of basic accessibilities with the widespread prevalence of social injustice and the process has been majorly attributed to migrants from rural areas. Post-independence plans exhibit several instances of correcting congestions in India's big cities through the creation of alternate absorption points. With this background in mind, the paper goes on to argue that, the urbanisation of mid-sized cities have proven to be mostly unimpressive, failing to relieve the big cities, thereby generating a top-heavy structure. It further finds, through an extensive content analysis that the Smart City Mission was introduced to rid the Indian cities of its long-pending issues by enabling big cities to accommodate better and most importantly empowering mid-sized cities to emerge as centres of growth. However, following the tradition of a certain kind of project-based urbanisation; the mission appears to have inherited vulnerabilities like hierarchical power structures, inadequate local bodies, the dependence of private players, exploitative market forces and inter-group and inter-spatial conflicts from its predecessors like the JNNURM. Undoubtedly, the intent has been to learn from the past but the basic federal structure of governance, the complex socio-spatial dynamics, the varied stakes and concerned stakeholders causes one to re-think if the mission can entirely be a success and create cities which can globally be identified as smart.