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26 Pags., 6 Tabls, 2 Figs. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044238 ; The agronomical and fruit quality trait influence was evaluated for five almond × peach hybrid and one Prunus davidiana × peach hybrid rootstocks. The six rootstocks, Adafuel, Adarcias, Cadaman, Felinem, Garnem and GF 677, were budded with 'Tebana' peach and 'Queen Giant' nectarine cultivars during the summer of 1997, and trees were established in two adjacent plots during the winter of 1998–1999. The trial site was located in the Ebro Valley (Zaragoza, Spain), on a heavy and calcareous soil typical of the Mediterranean area. At the twelfth year after budding, growing conditions generated varying levels of tree mortality, the highest with Felinem and Garnem rootstocks. In contrast, all Adarcias and GF 677 trees survived and the mortality rate was low in Adafuel and Cadaman. The lowest vigour was induced by Adarcias for both cultivars, a 37% and 48% reduction in trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) for 'Tebana' and 'Queen Giant' respectively compared to vigour on GF 677. For 'Queen Giant', cumulative yield was greater on Felinem, although no significant differences were found with Garnem. Other rootstocks that showed high cumulative yields were Adafuel and GF 677. The highest yield efficiency was recorded on Cadaman rootstock with both varieties, although differences were not significant with Felinem for 'Queen Giant'. On average, the highest fruit weight was recorded on Adafuel and Cadaman for both cultivars. For 'Queen Giant', the greatest soluble solids content (SSC) was recorded on Adarcias and Cadaman, and the lowest on Garnem and GF 677. The highest titratable acidity was also induced by Cadaman rootstock but it did not differ significantly from Adarcias. Correlations between some agronomical and fruit quality traits were found. The less vigorous rootstocks seem to induce a better fruit quality to the studied cultivars based on fruit sugar content. Our results show the relationship between the characteristics on plant adaptability and development, such as yield, vigour or fruit weight, and the factors of fruit quality value. ; This study was funded by the Spanish MICINN (Ministry of Science and Innovation) grants AGL2005-05533, AGL2008-00283 and AGL2011-24576, and RFP 2009-00016 co-funded by FEDER and the Regional Government of Aragon (A44). C. Font was supported by a JAE fellowship from CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas). ; Peer reviewed

After the EU accession of the Visegrad countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) in 2004 one of the most remarkable developments was a sudden upturn in mutual trade of this region's countries. In 2007 the value of aggregate intra-Visegrad trade was two and a half times higher than in 2003. The rate of growth in these countries' trade with the 'old' EU member states was only half as much as that. As part of a research project in search of explanation for the upturn of mutual trade, this paper addresses the questions how the structure of mutual trade of the Visegrad countries developed in the post-accession period compared to the immediate pre-accession period and the early years of transition and what directions of specialization are discernible. It is looking for explanatory factors for the differences in dynamism and commodity structure of mutual trade across periods and regions respectively, and investigates the role foreign-owned enterprises may have played in the upturn of mutual trade. The methodology applied includes traditional descriptive analysis based on SITC commodity groups; a comparison of pre-accession and post-accession developments in the composition of trade by factor inputs and skills respectively; an investigation focused on trade increments analysed by the marginal industry trade method (MIIT). Finally indicators of revealed comparative advantage (RCA) are calculated. The various trade structure indicators presented in the paper show that the EU accession has not brought about any abrupt changes in commodity patterns and revealed comparative advantages. In bilateral trade relations, apart from some exceptions, the changes observed were typically continuous and gradual, overarching the whole period 2000-2007. This is, however, no reason to claim that the EU accession played a minor role in the upturn of mutual trade in the region concerned – but the effect is not focused on the year of accession. With the date of accession approaching, the firms involved in intra-Visegrad trade may have gradually elaborated their new, geographically more diversified sales/procurement strategy. In the new strategic concepts of the main exporting firms (mostly multinationals) the Visegrad region itself is thought to have been upgraded both as a target for sales and as a host of potential cooperation partners for production.

The Ecological Footprint methodology by Global Footprint Network measures human consumption of products and services from different ecosystems in terms of the amount of bioproductive land and sea area needed to supply these products and services. In other words, the Ecological Footprint calculates the land area needed to produce food, provide resources, produce energy, and absorb the CO2 emissions generated by the supply chains within one year at country level. For the calculations of Luxembourg's Ecological Footprint, international statistical databases are used to identify the quantities of produced, imported and exported goods and services. Then, Global Footprint Network applies different factors to the quantities to assess the area needed to supply these products and services. Finally, the Consumption Footprint of a nation is divided by the number of inhabitants and compared to other countries at a per capita level (global hectares per capita). This means that the Ecological Footprint can be used as an indicator for the sustainability of a national consumption by assessing human land uses. In the following paragraph, Luxembourg's Ecological Footprint is discussed in the framework of the environmental indicators of Luxembourg's competitiveness scoreboard (see Table 9) [MECE, 2010]. Luxembourg's ranking is rather low for all of the scoreboard indicators: number of ISO 9001 certifications per billion of inhabitants (21 out of 27); number of ISO 14001 certifications per billion of inhabitants (15 out of 27); total greenhouse gas emissions (15 out of 27); renewable energy ration (23 out of 27); quantity of municipal waste per capita per year (24 out of 27); energetic intensity (8 out of 27); transport by car (17 out of 27); Ecological Footprint in gha per capita per year (27 out of 27). Based on the environmental competiveness scoreboard indicators, it can be concluded that in general, Luxembourg's environmental performance is low compared to the other countries of the European Union. With respect to Luxembourg's Ecological Footprint, it can be said that Luxembourg's consumption is not sustainable. The number of planets that would be needed if the world's population lived like the population of Luxembourg in 2007 is about six. However, per year, the biocapacity (bioproductive land) of the planet can only regenerate once. ; 32

Reputacijos tema buvo kalbama jau Antikos laikais, kai asmens, šeimos padėtis, visuomeninis gyvenimas, verslo sėkmė buvo siejami su gera reputacija. Prarasti gerą vardą ir pasitikėjimą reiškė socialinę mirtį. XX a. pabaigoje–XXI a. pradžioje rinkos ekonomikos šalims įžengus į poindustrinę vystymosi fazę, į pirmą vietą iškilo nematerialūs organizacijų aktyvai, kurių vienas pagrindinių – organizacijos ir joje dirbančių vadovų nepriekaištinga reputacija. Gera vadovų reputacija suteikia papildomą psichologinę vertę organizacijos produktams, tai svarbi priemonė pritraukiant investuotojus ir partnerius, išlaikant aukštos kvalifikacijos darbuotojus. Galima teigti, kad reputacijos tema nėra nauja, tačiau vadovo reputacija pasaulyje buvo pradėta nagrinėti palyginti neseniai, o Lietuvoje yra itin mažai tyrinėta ir beveik neaprašyta moksliniuose ar populiariuosiuose leidiniuose. Taigi, šio straipsnio tikslas yra atskleisti vadovų reputacijos esmę, jos elementus ir pasitelkiant empirinį tyrimą aptarti, kaip jų svarbą suvokia Lietuvoje veikiančios organizacijos vadovai ir kaip tai atsispindi vieninteliame Lietuvoje verslo naujienų dienraštyje.Reikšminiai žodžiai: vadovo reputacija, vadovo reputacijos struktūra, reputacijos elementai, turinio analizė.Manager's Reputation: Nature and Main ElementsVioleta Kavaliauskienė, Greta DrūteikienėSummaryThe topic of reputation has been discussed since ancient times when the personal and family status, social life and business success were associated with a good reputation. Losing good name and trust meant social death. Furthermore, late in the 20th and in the beginning of 21st century, when countries pursuing market economics moved through the post-industrial development phase, intangible assets were given the highest priority; among them, there was the impeccable reputation of an organization and its managers. Reputation provides an additional physiological value to the organization's products and becomes an important means of attracting investors and partners, sustaining highly qualified employees.The concept of reputation and the elements of manager's reputation are discussed in this article. The authors also discuss the manager's reputation factors and classify them into main categories. The results of a surrvey (24 managers of different levels in IT company were the respondents) and the content analysis (past five years, 2007–2011) presented by one of the Lithuania's daily newspapers are also discussed in this article.Conclusively, it is apparent that an excellent reputation is a feature of a competent manager, supreme leader with a long-term successful carrier, who can lead the organization to success. The result of a good reputation is prestige, trust, support and positive recommendations.

Editor's Note
Xinyang (信阳), which lies in an old revolutionary area of Henan Province, is a city with a large population and abundant agriculture. Issues such as unemployment among former military service members, village land use, relocations due to urban expansion, and unemployment, resulting from various interrelated historical and practical factors, have caused great numerous social disputes and tensions and have gravely impacted the stability and development of local society. The accumulation of these tensions have led to highly active petitioning of the government, both by letter and in person (and often by groups in person), a practice that has become "the" issue in Xinyang and an important task for local government. Under the strong leadership of Wang Tie (王铁), Xinyang's "number one", and through many years of mass work and letter petition work, a concept has emerged in Xinyang, along with a set of institutions and some working methods. These have come to be called the "Take-as-family Method": "to treat the petitioners as family members; to take the letters from people as letters from your family; to view the troubles of the people as troubles of your own family; to take the issues of the people as your family's business". In this way, the reputation of Xinyang's government has been remolded and the style of public servants as well as institutions and systems have all been greatly improved. The practices have received "political recognition" from high levels and top-down "experience promulgation". One might say that the "Take-as-family Method" embodies the new measures of Xinyang's social management innovations; furthermore, they have significant import as a reference during this time of acute social tensions in Chinese society. Upon this basis, in early September, 2011, a group led by the Director of the NGO Research Institute of the Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management, Professor Wang Ming (王名) traveled to Henan's Xinyang to perform a survey of the "Take-as-family Method." This writer thus had the fine opportunity to conduct an in-depth interview with Xinyang's "number one", Secretary Wang Tie. We not only discussed the "Take-as-family Method" he has personally initiated; we also entered his deeper thoughts, with all their unique concepts, consternations, and ideals.

Vilniaus universiteto Sociologijos katedros doktorantėUniversiteto g. 9/1, LT-01513 VilniusEl. paštas: atonkunaite@yahoo.com
Šiame straipsnyje pateikiamos pirmosios kokybinio iš Lietuvos, Lenkijos ir Vengrijos kilusių ir šiuo metu Vokietijoje gyvenančių migrantų požiūrių tyrimo įžvalgos. Straipsnio tikslas – atskleisti migrantų iš Rytų ir Vidurio Europos (Lietuvos, Lenkijos ir Vengrijos) požiūrį į savo gimtųjų šalių visuomenėse vykstančius socialinius reiškinius – bendrą politinę situaciją, valstybės ir piliečio santykį, socialinę apsaugą ir požiūrį į socialines problemas.Emigracijos tema ypač aktuali Rytų ir Vidurio Europos šalims dėl patiriamo didelio darbingo amžiaus gyventojų mažėjimo ir dėl to lėtėjančių ekonominio augimo ir socialinės gerovės. Nors šių dienų emigracijos priežastys dažniausiai yra ekonominės, migraciją lemia ir kiti veiksniai. Valstybės požiūris (bendrąja prasme) į savo pilietį tampa vis aktualesnė diskusijų ir socialinių tyrimų tema. Straipsnyje pristatomo kokybinio tyrimo (pusiau struktūruoto interviu) informantai laikytini "gerai informuotais piliečiais", remiantis A. Schutzo išskirtais žinojimo tipais, gebantys iš migracinės perspektyvos vertinti gimtųjų šalių visuomenes.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: migracija, "gerai informuotas pilietis", Rytų ir Vidurio Europa.Migrants as "wewell informemed citizens": the evaluation of native society and social processes there.First results of qualitative interviewewsAgnė Tonkūnaitė-Thiemann
SummaryThis article presents the first findings of the qualitative research – semi-structured interviews, conducted with migrants living in Germany and coming from East and Central European countries such as Lithuania, Poland and Hungary. The aim of this article is to reveal the attitudes toward the native societies and social processes there. The topic of emigration is extremely important and sensitive for the East and Central European countries as it reduces the number of the labour force and in its influence slows down the economical and social progress in the analyzed countries. Despite the main reason of emigration supposed to be economical, but migration is also influenced by other factors. The state attitudes towards its Citizen (inhabitant) start to come to the centre of discussion both in the public discourse and empirical social research. According to A.Schutz defined types of knowledge, the informants of this qualitative research are understood as "well informed citizens", who are able to compare both German and their native societies and there ongoing social processes.
Key words: migration, "well informed Citizen", East and Central Europe.

Context Worldwide, invasive fauna species present one of the most intractable problems for agriculture and natural systems. Our ability to improve control techniques to combat the global invasive species predicament is constrained within the bounds of both economic and ethical considerations. In south-eastern Australia, the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is an established invasive avian pest that is now making incursions into areas of Western Australia (WA) that are currently free of this species. The most cost-effective and widely implemented starling control tool is trapping with live-lure birds. In recent years, the use of live-lure birds has been questioned on both economic and ethical grounds, and consequently alternative lure methods need investigating. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of different trap and lure combinations for the capture of starlings in western South Australia (SA). Methods Modified Australian Crow (MAC) traps, used traditionally in WA to trap starlings, and Myna traps, originally designed for trapping common mynas (Sturnus tristis), were set during the peaks in starling flocking activity (Austral summer, 2007) using three different lure types: (1) live lure (live starlings); (2) moving water; and (3) acoustic lures. A trapping grid consisting of a single Myna trap with live lure and three MAC traps, each with one type of lure (live, water or acoustic) was established at five sites on the Eyre Peninsula in SA and monitored twice daily for 28 days. Key results Live lures were significantly more effective at attracting starlings into traps compared with both water and sound lures. We also trapped at an additional three sites and showed that Myna traps caught ~1.5 times more starlings than MAC traps when both traps were fitted with live-lure birds. Conclusions Neither moving water nor acoustic play-back lures proved suitable replacements for the use of live-lure birds to capture starlings. The efficacy of alternative lure types may depend on several factors and may include neophobic response(s) to novel signals and also the length of time that an invasive population has been established. Implications We recommend that use of live lures is continued in ongoing starling control programs, and that MAC traps currently in use be modified to capitalise on known starling behaviour. Further research and development of traps that do not contain live lures will improve the welfare of invasive species control programs.

Context Poaching of the African elephant for ivory had been on the increase since 1997 when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) allowed a one-off legal sale of ivory by several southern Africa countries. In Kenya, reports indicate continuous year-to-year increase in elephant poaching since 2003. Aims The goals of the study were to describe the temporal and spatial patterns of elephant poaching in south-eastern Kenya between 1990 and 2009, and examine relationships between observed patterns of poaching, and human and biophysical variables. The study aimed to answer the following questions: (1) how has elephant poaching varied seasonally and annually; (2) what are the spatial patterns of elephant poaching in the Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA); and (3) what are the relationships between observed patterns of poaching and human and biophysical variables? Methods The study used elephant-poaching data and various GIS-data layers representing human and environmental variables to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of elephant poaching. The observed patterns were then related to environmental and anthropogenic variables using correlation and regression analyses. Key results Elephant poaching was clustered, with a majority of the poaching occurring in the dry season. Hotspots of poaching were identified in areas with higher densities of roads, waterholes, rivers and streams. The Tsavo East National Park and the Tsavo National Park accounted for 53.7% and 44.8% of all poached elephants, respectively. The best predictors for elephant poaching were density of elephants, condition of vegetation, proximity to ranger bases and outposts, and densities of roads and rivers. Conclusions Predictor variables used in the study explained 61.5–78% of the total variability observed in elephant poaching. The location of the hotspots suggests that human–wildlife conflicts in the area may be contributing to poaching and that factors that quantify community attitudes towards elephant conservation may provide additional explanation for observed poaching patterns. Implications The poaching hotpots identified can be a used as starting point by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to begin implementing measures that ensure local-community support for conservation, whereas on other hotspots, it will be necessary to beef-up anti-poaching activities. There is a need for Kenya to legislate new anti-poaching laws that are a much more effective deterrence to poaching than currently exist.

"Fertilitätsverhalten ist eng mit den anderen Dimensionen des Lebenslaufs verbunden, die wiederum untereinander in einer starken Wechselwirkung stehen. Ein Einflussfaktor aus dem Erwerbsbereich ist das berufsbedingte Mobilitätsverhalten. Studien zeigen, dass zeitaufwändiges Pendeln vor allem bei Frauen eher mit Kinderlosigkeit einhergeht. Bis jetzt fehlen jedoch Untersuchungen, die in diesem Zusammenhang schon die Intention, ein Kind zu bekommen, berücksichtigen. Darüber hinaus fehlen Längsschnittanalysen. In diesem Beitrag untersuchen die Autoren Effekte des Pendelverhaltens von Frauen und Männern sowohl auf die Intention, innerhalb von zwei Jahren ein Kind zu haben, als auch auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit ihrer Realisierung. Sie nehmen an, dass nach Kontrolle weiterer relevanter Faktoren (Erwerbsstatus, Bildung, Partnerschaftsstatus, Kinderzahl, residenzielle Mobilität) das Mitteldistanz- und Fernpendeln negativ mit der Intention und mit deren Realisierung korreliert. Bei den Männern sollten keine oder nur schwach positive Effekte zu finden sein. Zur Prüfung der Hypothesen verwenden sie Daten der ersten drei Wellen des Deutschen Familienpanels (pairfam). Zunächst wird eine multivariate Probit-Regression (mit korrelierten Fehlern) auf die Intention, auf die gegenwärtige Kinderlosigkeit und auf das Mittel- und Fernpendeln im Querschnitt geschätzt. Es ergeben sich keine signifikanten Zusammenhänge zwischen dem Berufspendeln und der Fertilitätsintention, wohl aber zwischen dem Berufspendeln und der Wahrscheinlichkeit noch kinderlos zu sein. Zum zweiten wird ein Zwei-Wellen Panelmodell (Differenzenmodell) auf Veränderungen der Fertilitätsintention zwischen Welle 1 und Welle 3 geschätzt. Hier zeigen sich für Frauen, wie erwartet, positive Effekte auf die Aufnahme einer Intention, ein Kind in den nächsten zwei Jahren zu bekommen, für den Fall, dass das Mittel- und Fernpendeln beendet oder - zu unserer Überraschung - zwischen den Wellen kontinuierlich aufrechterhalten wird. Schließlich wird für diejenigen, die in der ersten Welle angegeben haben, ein Kind haben zu wollen, eine Probit-Regression (mit Heckman-Korrektur) auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit der Realisierung einer Schwangerschaft zwischen Welle 1 und Welle 3 berechnet. Die Ergebnisse weisen hier wie erwartet negative Effekte von aufwändigem Berufspendeln auf das Auftreten einer Schwangerschaft aus. Insgesamt bestätigen die Ergebnisse die Annahme, dass das Berufspendeln eine unterschiedliche Bedeutung im Entscheidungsprozess der Familiengründung und -erweiterung hat." (Autorenreferat)

According to specialists over fifteen million people each year are forced to leave their former place of residence as a result of major development projects (M.M. Cernea and H. Mathur, 2008; M.M. Cernea 2009). It is estimated that major development projects such as dams, roads and exploitation of raw materials led to the involuntary relocation of over 200 million people between 1988 and 2008. Alongside natural disasters, economic development is one of the greatest causes of contemporary internal displacement worldwide. The irreversible nature of many displacements caused by development can be compared only with the displacements in consequence of climate change and natural disasters or industrial accidents affecting large territories (such as the Asian tsunami of 2004 or the Chernobyl disaster in 1986). Just as in many cases of desertification, land degradation or shoreline erosion, the construction of large dams or creation of open-pit mines can make it impossible to resettle in the territory. The irreversibility of such displacements is one of the most important factors in their huge economic, social and cultural consequences. Especially dangerous is the displacement to far distant places due to irreversible interference with the natural environment. The result of the creation of large dams, expansion of mining, or oil exploitation does not have to be direct large-scale displacement. The negative environmental impact caused by development may lead to a substantial incidence of "secondary" forced migration of rural populations to cities or other territories. Developmentinduced displacement is primarily an socioeconomic issue associated with loss or significant reduction of access to basic resources on which communities depend. The most serious social consequences have accompanied displacement to territories which are completely different from those previously inhabited. Resettlement plans implemented in China and India should consider the displacement of the population of particular nearby economic territories into others similar to those previously abandoned. Displacement – understood as dislocation from the homeland territory without social support in the new place of residence – is a violation of the most fundamental human rights and should be entirely prohibited. Resettlement can be defined as a planned and organized relocation to a strictly specified new place of residence, accompanied by social support mechanisms and compensation for lost goods. In many countries even resettlement is only permitted in the case of projects for public use.

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: This study is among the first to investigate the impact of gender on the relationship between the compensation gap of the CEO and Vice‐Presidents on company performance, testing if companies managed by a female CEO or a male CEO follow tournament or behavioral theory. Tournament theory suggests that a large compensation gap between CEO and company Vice‐Presidents (VPs) leads to higher company performance; behavioral theory states that higher performance may be achieved with a small compensation gap between CEO and VPs. Additionally the study also investigates if companies managed by a female CEO perform better, or not, than those managed by a male CEO, and if the factors that explain the compensation gap between CEO and VPs in these two groups of companies are the same, or not. Data for the investigation emanated from the USA during the period 1992 to 2004.Research Findings/Insights: The results reflect something quite new in the area – on average, companies managed by a female CEO perform better, and have a smaller compensation gap between the CEO and VPs than companies managed by a male CEO. In companies managed by a female CEO, a smaller difference in the total compensation gap between CEO and Vice‐Presidents leads, on average, to higher company performance, however, when the CEO is a male, a higher compensation gap is required to obtain higher company performance. The results provide empirical support that the behavioral theory is predominant in companies managed by a female whereas tournament theory is predominant in companies managed by a male.Theoretical/Academic Implications: The paper fills an important gap in the existing literature by providing econometric evidence that males and females CEOs have a different impact on the relationship between CEO and VPs compensation gap and company performance, and that it is not indifferent to choosing a male or a female CEO in terms of company performance.Practitioner/Policy Implications: This study offers an insight to practitioners and policy makers suggesting that gender influences the relationship between the CEO and Vice‐Presidents compensation gap and company performance. Boards may be able to improve company performance if they limit the compensation gap between CEO and VPs when the CEO is a female and extend it, when it is a male.

Urban development is increasing the ability to develop a distinct and attractive position in the world. Cities are changing their role as the cultural production sites as well as the life style and creativity become the material for the creative industries development. The creative city is understood as an urban complex, where a variety of cultural activities are an integral part of the urban economy and social life. The concept of creative city has not yet been well established: we can point to even three such concepts, highlighting different agency of the creative city – from the creative city-dwellers to the business enterprises of the creative industries. On the basis of the creative city concept, the article analyses Vilnius city, revealing the most important factors, which promote the creativity of the city: the organizations and activities of Arts category; business enterprises and projects of Media category; active creative and civil communities of the city. The activity of the creative communities takes on an expression in the forms of emerging cultural districts in Užupis, Naujamiestis and Pilaitė. The above-mentioned activities of the categories of creative industries are illustrated on the basis of the data, collected under the development of The Map of Vilnius Creative Industries. The article concludes that the weakest activity in Vilnius city is the economic clustering of the business enterprises of creative industries. Santrauka Miestų raida vis labiau priklauso nuo gebėjimo plėtoti aiškią ir patrauklią laikyseną pasaulyje. Miestai tampa kultūros gamybos centrais, o miestiečių gyvensena ir kūrybiškumas – medžiaga kūrybinių industrijų plėtrai. Kūrybinis miestas suprantamas kaip miesto kompleksas, kuriame įvairios kultūrinės veiklos neatsiejamos nuo miesto ekonomikos ir socialinio gyvenimo. Kūrybinio miesto samprata iki šiol nėra nusistovėjusi: galima išskirti net tris tokias sampratas, išryškinančias skirtingus kūrybinio miesto veiksnius – pradedant kūrybingais miestiečiais, baigiant kūrybinių industrijų verslo įmonėmis. Remiantis kūrybinio miesto samprata, straipsnyje analizuojamas Vilnius, išryškinami svarbiausi miesto kūrybingumą skatinantys veiksniai: menų kategorijos organizacijos ir veiklos; medijų kategorijos verslo įmonės ir renginiai; aktyvios miesto kūrybinės ir pilietinės bendruomenės. Kūrybinių bendruomenių aktyvumas konkrečią išraišką įgauna mieste besiformuojančių kultūros kvartaų pavidalu Užupyje, Naujamiestyje ir Pilaitėje. Minėtų kūrybinių industrijų kategorijų veiklos iliustruojamos duomenimis, kurie buvo surinkti rengiant Vilniaus kūrybinių industrijų žemėlapį. Straipsnyje daroma išvada, kad silpniausiai mieste vyksta ekonominė kūrybinių industrijų įmoni ų klasterizacija.

PurposeAgainst a backdrop of global economic recession, high production costs and increased international competition, the performance, survival and growth of small businesses is high on the global political agenda. However, like many other nations, Ireland is lagging behind in terms of a co‐ordinated approach to the specific challenge of supporting women‐owned ventures, hence possibly reducing their opportunity to act as economic agents. Based on a review of growth‐oriented support programmes for women in business in Ireland, this short viewpoint seeks to identifiy a number of gaps in the current support system and to propose a range of possible alternative intervention strategies that the authors believe can help facilitate business growth.Design/methodology/approachUsing secondary data, a review of the current government support programmes was carried out. Further, evidence obtained through an in‐depth qualitative study of 33 women entrepreneurs in Ireland and Northern Ireland which identified a number of specific barriers inhibiting the development of these firms was used.FindingsThe analysis of current government practices revealed that whilst women are making progress in starting more businesses in Ireland, the current statistics indicate that they still tend to start small and stay small. This points towards a need to reassess and understand the issue of growth among women entrepreneurs and, in doing so, develop new mechanisms that can have real impact on growth‐oriented women‐owned firms whilst also respecting and supporting those who choose not to grow their business. The qualitative study identified a number of specific barriers, which hinder the development of their firms. These included financial, regulatory and employability challenges; a lack of management skills and confidence. Motherhood and personal goals were also found to be inhibiting factors for women entrepreneurs.Practical implicationsThe paper proposes a number of possible government and personal intervention strategies to overcome the identified barriers. These include encouraging lending within the small growth sectors, conducting a regional skills audit, reducing the administration and paperwork associated with trading and accessing support and develop customised training and up‐skilling designed to meet the specific needs of women entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe paper argues that government agencies in Ireland must now act on the evidence provided and confront the issues affecting women entrepreneurs.

AbstractThis article addresses definitory problems concerning participatory budgeting (PB), the purpose being to underline the governance nature of this instrument. More specifically, considering PB as a particular type of participatory governance arrangement, it focuses on the democratic outcomes of concrete experiences. Adopting the Dahlian process‐oriented concept of democracy, three Italian cases are depicted and analysed, according to four critical variables: inclusion, participation, the role of the opposition, and transparency. This enables full description of how PB affects local democracy, both positively and negatively. The article concludes by highlighting two variables that give account of the democratic implications of these practices: the role of the political leadership, and the inclusive strategy adopted. Further, it underlines three additional factors that embody what is commonly referred to as political investment in public–private partnerships: an active role for the opposition, outward communication, and effective participation. While assessing the democratic outcomes, the study highlights how the presence and maintenance of these practices are linked to the role played by civil society and the presence of administrative ties.RésuméCet article porte sur des problèmes de définition liés au 'budget participatif', l'objectif étant de souligner que cet instrument relève de la gouvernance. Plus précisément, en le présentant comme un type particulier de dispositif de gouvernance participative, l'étude s'intéresse aux résultats démocratiques d'expériences concrètes. Reprenant le processus défini par le concept de démocratie de Dahl, trois cas italiens sont présentés et analysés en fonction de quatre variables critiques: inclusion, participation, rôle de l'opposition, transparence. Il est ainsi possible de décrire précisément l'impact, tant positif que négatif, du budget participatif sur la démocratie locale. La conclusion met en avant deux variables qui rendent compte des implications démocratiques de ces pratiques: le rôle des autorités politiques et la stratégie d'inclusion adoptée. En outre, elle souligne trois autres facteurs qui traduisent ce qu'on appelle couramment l'investissement politique dans les partenariats public‐privé: le rôle actif de l'opposition, une communication extérieure et une participation efficace. Tout en évaluant les résultats démocratiques, l'étude montre comment la présence et la continuité de ces pratiques sont liées au rôle de la société civile et à l'existence de connexions administratives.

PurposeThis paper aims to gauge the feasibility of workflow technology as a potential solution to facilitating citizen participation in policy‐making processes. The gaps in and future direction of a current workflow models to be used to automate policy‐making processes are to be discussed.Design/methodology/approachA thorough review on the principles and philosophies of policy‐making processes and process models is performed to extract the core constructs of the processes. This follows critical analysis of existing workflow models to identify gaps of the models to be used to support policy‐making processes. An e‐participation perspective is also taken to identify additional modelling constructs that are required when a large number of citizens is involved in a workflow task for opinion gathering.FindingsWhile workflow technology has been adopted in the public sector, the use of the technology is mostly limited to supporting administrative business processes, leaving the potential to automate policy‐making processes. There are some studies that take a life‐cycle approach for policy making and they can be the starting‐point of applying workflow technology to policy‐making process automation. The application of workflow technology to policy‐making processes is expected to facilitate the participation of citizens in these processes through the automatic delivery of relevant policy issues into citizens' lives. A new type of workflow model is required to reflect factors specific to the public sector, including rules for role resolution, considering large‐scale citizen participation and modelling constructs to penetrate into citizens' everyday lives for proactive stimulation for e‐participation.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis is based on a literature review, and empirical data collection could complement the analysis results of the paper. This is included in the future research agenda.Practical implicationsThe findings provide policy makers with a stimulus for adopting workflow technology in the public sector. Gap analysis and future directions of a workflow model for policy‐making processes are expected to be informative for any practitioners who are intending to develop workflow management systems in the public sector.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first efforts to gauge the potential of using workflow technology from an e‐participation perspective to engage a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including citizens, in policy‐making processes.