Questioning Anglocentrism in plural policing studies: Private security regulation in Belgium and the United Kingdom

Recent Continental European scholarship has identified a problematic Anglocentric bias running through the field of comparative plural policing studies. It has sought to counter this bias by emphasizing a series of divergent plural policing trajectories between the more market-friendly countries in the Anglosphere and the more state-centric countries in Continental Europe. While acknowledging the significance of this corrective, we argue that it tends to overemphasize the levels of divergence between these two regions. We substantiate this claim by examining the rise of the private security industry and its regulation by the state in the UK (representing the Anglosphere) and Belgium (representing Continental Europe). Interpreting historical and contemporary data through Sabatier and Weible’s advocacy coalition framework, which focuses on the cut and thrust of democratic politics, we observe how in both countries this important dimension of the plural policing landscape is characterized not by counterposed market-friendly and state-centric trajectories, but rather by a complex mix of state–market interactions. In other words, the dynamics of private security regulation are more state-centric in the UK and more market-friendly in Belgium than recent Continental European scholarship suggests. Moreover, we illustrate how, under conditions of post-financial crisis austerity, the overarching pattern is, if anything, one of convergence towards a common set of political dynamics. This is an important finding that not only makes an original contribution towards private security regulation scholarship but also encourages us to question the nature of Anglocentric bias within comparative plural policing studies.

Review of Brownfield Redevelopment in China and a Comparison with that in OECD Countries

Concomitantly with China’s rise as the manufacturing hub of the world as the 20th Century faded and the Western countries witnessed industrial restructuring, brownfields emerged as an urban problem in city regions, prompting research into how to achieve brownfield redevelopment. More recently, as the global economy diversified, brownfields, and demand for redevelopment have entered the scene of urban development in China, also becoming a research field. This paper reviews international peer reviewed scientific journals on brownfield redevelopment in China, with a focus on social science approaches. Utilizing a previous review of research on OECD countries, this paper indicates similarities and differences between China and Europe and North America in terms of brownfield redevelopment. The comparison shows that research on China is catching up with the international state-of-the-art literature, addressing topics related to pollution; land use and property development; land financing, property and economics; governance, state-market interactions and private–public partnerships; and decision-making systems. Especially, the focus on user rights versus property ownership appears important for international comparative research.

Theoretical Background to the Role of Trust in Marketing

The aim of the study is to present the theoretical background of trust and to review its role in marketing among the disciplines mentioned in the article. After the methodological definition, the article provides the reader with a complex overview of the concept of trust in the national and international literature. The need for trust extends to business and market interactions throughout the supply and value chain, as they are interrelated in all areas of production and service. In addition, its existence also plays an important role in online commerce, the lack of which is understood by companies and intermediaries in the reduction of transaction costs and reputation. However, the question arises as to whether trust can be so easily delineated. Is the decision of whether or not to trust the other a simple question to be decided to which there is a clear answer?

An Analysis of the Beef Production Industry and Marketing in Zambia

This paper studies and provide a comprehensive and critical research by analyzing and evaluating the beef marketing channels, determine marketing efficiency, examine key social and economic factors contributing to the success and failure and establish the regional market interactions across the three agro-ecological regions in Zambia. To achieve this, the research used both primary and secondary qualitative and quantitative data from national representative surveys by Rural Agricultural Livelihood Surveys Reports which were implemented by Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute, and the 2017/18 Livestock and Aquaculture Census Report by Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Central Statistics Office, and other relevant literature related to this study. A questionnaire was used in primary data collection through snowball sampling technique, physically asking, and observing cattle farmers, abattoirs, wholesalers, processing companies and various players or actors in the beef market. Thereafter, intermediation theory was applied to develop a conceptual framework, transaction cost analysis was used to understand how and why different supply channels develop, and finally market performance was determined by analyzing the level of marketing margins. It was found that there are two major channels (Channel A and Channel B used by small-scale and commercial scale farmers respectively) which have channel subdivisions and several social and economic factors influence the farmers choice of marketing channel as well as influence consumer choices. Channel A was dominated by intermediaries while channel B be was vertically integrated. It was determined that all beef channels in Zambia were efficient and three major consumer types were observed and the regional market interactions showed that region I supplies both II and III, region II supplies III while region III is more of a consumer region. This study will help to fully understand cattle producers marketing channel selection, consumer choice of market and product quality, regional market interactions and develops recommendations making available valuable information to farmers, beef traders, companies, and policy makers thereby has the potential to improving beef trade and markets in Zambia.