Labour market protection across space and time: A revised typology and a taxonomy of countries’ trajectories of change

We measure and interpret the evolution of labour market protection across 21 high-income countries over three decades, employing as conceptual foundations the ‘regime varieties’ and ‘trajectories of change’ developed by Esping-Andersen, Estevez-Abe, Hall and Soskice, and Thelen. We measure labour market protection considering four institutional dimensions – employment protection, unemployment protection, income maintenance and activation – and the evolution of the workforce composition. This measurement accounts for the joint evolution of labour market institutions, their complementarities and their relation to outcomes, and mitigate the unrealistic Average Production Worker assumption. We handle the multi-dimensional nature of labour market protection with Principal Component Analysis and capture the characteristics of countries’ trajectories of change with a composite score. We contribute to the literature in three ways. (1) We portray a revised typology that accounts for processes of change between 1990 and 2015, and that clusters regime varieties on the basis of coordination and solidarity levels, that is, Central/Northern European, Southern European, liberal. (2) We illustrate that, despite a persistent gap, a large majority of Coordinated Market Economies experiencing a decline in the level of labour market protection became more similar to Liberal Market Economies. (3) We develop a fivefold taxonomy of countries’ trajectories of change (liberalization, dualization, flexibility, de-dualization and higher protection), showing that these trajectories are not always path-dependent and consistent with regime varieties previously developed in the literature.

Data rescue: saving environmental data from extinction

1.Historical and long-term environmental datasets are imperative to understanding how natural systems respond to our changing world, setting baselines and establishing trajectories of change. Although immensely valuable, these data are ultimately at risk of being lost unless they are actively managed, curated, and eventually archived on data repositories. 2.The practice of data rescue, which we define as identifying, preserving, and sharing valuable data and associated metadata at risk of loss, is an important means of ensuring the long-term viability and accessibility of such datasets. Improvements in policies and best practices around data management will hopefully limit the future need for data rescue; these changes, however, do not apply retroactively. While the concept of rescuing data is not new, the term lacks a formal definition, is often conflated with other terms (i.e., data reuse), and lacks general recommendations. 3.Here, we outline seven key guidelines for effective rescue of historically-collected and unmanaged datasets. We discuss how to prioritize which datasets to rescue, form effective data rescue teams, prepare the data and related metadata, and ultimately archive and share the rescued data. 4.In an era of rapid environmental change, the best policy solutions will require evidence from both contemporary and historical sources. It is, therefore, imperative that we identify and preserve valuable, at-risk environmental data before they are lost to science.

Multiple Pathways of Cognitive Aging

The study of aging and cognition has grown tremendously over the past 50 years, developing from a field dominated by experimentally based information-processing traditions to one represented by a more mature approach both conceptually and methodologically. A quick examination of relevant research over the last 10 years reveals a growth in integrative approaches incorporating behavioral, neuropsychological, and social information. In addition, the concurrent recognition of limitations associated with simple cross-sectional age-group comparisons along with the use of more complex methods has resulted in the development of increasingly sophisticated research designs and analytic tools focused on understanding a multitude of potential mediators and moderators of cognitive change. This all has led away from a monolithic—often negative—view of cognitive aging to one that is more nuanced and sensitive to contextual factors. This recent shift in the psychology of aging discipline from describing cognitive aging in terms of limitations into one focused on understanding the factors associated with adaptive functioning in later life is a prime inspiration for the present volume. Thus, an emphasis here is on understanding both the factors underlying individual differences in trajectories of change in cognitive functioning in later life and the nature of compensatory mechanisms developed by most successful and active middle-aged and older adults through their experiences in dealing with complex tasks. This includes the consideration of motivational factors as a driver of both cognitive change and adaptive functioning. The 15 contributions offer unique insights and highlight innovative methodological approaches that have been used to study these issues.

Interdisciplinary Fields

The last chapter in Part I examines the boundary work of major communities of practices classified as fields and interdisciplines. New fields arise, Richard McKeon argued, because subject matters are not ready made to respond to all questions, problems, and issues that arise. He called interdisciplinarity an architectonic art of creating new forms and outcomes. The question of where they fit, however, persists. Lynton Caldwell argued the metaphor of fit prejudges the epistemological question at stake. Many fields arose because of a perceived misfit of needs, experiences, information, and structures of disciplinary organization. This chapter identifies patterns and contingencies of specific fields. It begins by describing catalysts, then draws insights from interdisciplinary majors and taxonomies of research and education. It next compares trajectories and outcomes of individual cases. The following sections illustrate trajectories of change and identities, then draws insights from women’s studies and intersectionality. The chapter closes by asking whether there is a distinctive interdisciplinary logic.